Acts 10:34-43
34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Literal - The early church struggled to understand that “making disciples of all nations” meant “making disciples of all nations.” The Apostle Peter and many in the early church seem to have thought that people might first have to become Jewish and then Christian to receive Jesus the Messiah as their Savior and Lord. There had been many indications that God was going to work with the Gentiles nations in a more dramatic way once Messiah came (Isaiah 11:10; Psalm 2). Even Peter’s first sermon had talked about the Holy Spirit being g poured out on all humanity regardless of social status or power (Acts 2:17). Yet, it seemed impossible that God could include the “unclean” Gentiles into His kingdom plans without first cleaning them up by their becoming Jews.
Then God sent to the Apostle Peter a vision telling him to eat all the types of meat forbidden by Jewish dietary laws. The Apostle’s cultural habits are so strong that even at the command of God he refuses for he claims he has been ‘kosher’ all his life. God then tells him not to call unclean what God has called clean. The Messiah Jesus himself has already attempted to teach his disciples that the days when we need to worry about ‘kosher’ food is over and what really matters is the condition of the human heart (Mark 7:19). Yet, cultural and religious training runs deep in us and is not easily overcome. Only a direct vision by God moves the Apostle to begin to believe and see what God is doing.
As God is working in the heart of the Apostle Peter so He is also working in the heart of the Centurion Cornelius. He is a “God Fearer” which was a particular group of people in the New Testament. According to F.F. Bruce “God-fearers were Gentiles who attached themselves in varying degrees to the Jewish worship and way of life without as yet becoming full proselytes.” Those who were “Godfearers” were those who were worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and accepted the Ten Commandments as an expression of God’s ethical will but had not become Jewish in culture and tradition. They were many times people who supported the synagogues and came to listen to the Law being taught. Cornelius was such a man who practiced prayer to the true God and gave to the poor. His prayers to be forgiven were answered by God having him send for Peter and giving to Peter an additional insight into God’s amazing grace.
Here we see the Apostle Peter sharing that he has had a personal and profound insight. God shows no partiality based on if a person is a Jew or a Gentile (Romans 2:11). Everyone who has come to truly fear, honor, respect, and be in awe of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who created heaven and earth is a person who God’s Spirit is at work calling them to faith and repentance.
Now no idol worshiper fears God. There is greater hope for the Gentiles when they seek God at the altar of the “unknown God” than when they turn to the darkness of idols (Romans 1:18ff; Acts 17:23). Idol worship shows a lack of fear of God while seeking to worship the God who is revealed in the creation would lead one to worship in spirit and truth, the opposite of moving towards idols. Hinduism cannot save.
This chapter not only represents the Centurion Cornelius’ receiving the forgiveness of sins by believing in Jesus the Messiah and the embrace of God in the baptism of the Holy Spirit but also the beginning of the conversion of the early church to fully accept God’s mission to the Gentiles. Today perhaps we need to be converted to believe in God’s mission to the Jews and that He could make disciples of them as well as of us.
Such an insight might be needed especially in light of Jerusalem no longer being under the control of the Gentiles and the time of the Gentiles having been fulfilled in 1967 (Luke 21:24). The first Messianic Jewish synagogue was founded in 1967 and the growth in Messianic Judaism represented by such groups as Avodat Yisrael has brought more Jews to faith in Jesus as their Messiah than ever before in the history of the Christian Church. God’s Spirit is again moving to bring multitudes to salvation in the gospel of Messiah Jesus.
The message of the Apostle Peter is simple and straight forward. It is the Apostle’s Creed. Christ has died for our sins, been raised up in glory, and will come again in judgment. All who call on Messiah Jesus to have mercy on them will be forgiven their sins and receive the Holy Spirit. The one hope for sinners, both Jew and Gentile, is only to be found in Messiah Jesus. He is our one hope of salvation.
This is the message of Good Friday. This is the message of Easter. This is the message of the Christian faith universal. Let us affirm our faith this resurrection week and renew our trust in Messiah Jesus as our one hope of salvation. Amen.
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Forgive us our sins as we forgive the sins of others
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12 ESV)
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:4 ESV)
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14, 15 ESV)
What does it mean when we pray “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors?”
Let us think thru the possible answers to this question.
1. The one who prays serves as a model for God
Those who understand the verse this way would interpret it as “forgive us our debts (sins), like we have forgiven our debtors.” Or “forgive us our debts in the same manner as he or she has forgiven others.”
In this case the one who prays is a model for God and God should forgive in the same way that the one who prays does or has done.
This seems like a very unlikely interpretation for the verse since the normal pattern is that divine forgiveness serves as a model for human forgiveness instead of human forgiveness serving as a model for divine forgiveness. (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13). While some parables do illustrate divine forgiveness within untypical and outlandish human situations it does not seem that the purpose of this instruction is to make God acts of forgiveness depend upon our acts of forgiveness or that God needs us to model this behavior for Him (Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 15:11-32).
2. The one who prays as claims God’s forgiveness on the basis of their having forgiven others.
Those who understand the verse in this manner would interpret it as “forgive us our debts since we have forgiven others. “ Divine forgiveness is laid claim to on the basis of one’s having forgiven other people.
Those who take this position would feel that the parallel passage found in Luke 11:4 where the it seems to read “for also we ourselves forgive.”
However, the Greek word here rarely if ever means “since” and therefore this interpretation seems forced. In addition, this would make forgiveness from God one of merit instead of grace which seems at odds with the whole message of the New Testament.
3. The one who prays asks for divine forgiveness on the condition that he or she is willing to forgive others.
This would seem at a simple level to fit the immediate commentary by Jesus found in Matthew 6:14-15 and in the parable of the unforgiving servant found in Matthew 18:23-30.
This is also supported by both Martin Luther’s views and those of the Catholic Church.
“God has promised us assurance that everything is forgiven and pardoned, yet on the condition that we also forgive our neighbor....If you do not forgive, do not think that God forgives you. But if you forgive, you have the comfort and assurance that you are forgiven in heaven. Not on account of your forgiving, for God does it altogether freely....But he has set up this condition for our strengthening and assurance as a sign along with the promise which is in agreement with this petition, Luke 6:37, .Forgive, and you will be forgiven.. Therefore Christ repeats it immediately after the Lord’s Prayer in Matt. 6:14, saying, .If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you,”. (Martin Luther’s Larger Catechism)
“Our petition [in the Lord’s Prayer] will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement....This outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us....In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father’s merciful love; but in confessing our sins, our hearts are opened to his grace “. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church (New Hope, KY: Urbi et Orbi, 1994) 681-682)
The idea here is that our forgiveness of others would not merit God’s forgiveness but would be a pre-condition of receiving the free gift of forgiveness from God. The presupposition would be that one who is coming in humble confession and repentance of their sins has also let go of condemnation towards other sinners. If one is still standing in self righteous judgment of others then how can one expect God to give grace and mercy to them? Such an attitude of self righteous condemnation is opposed to the attitude of “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner” which is needed to be forgiven. (Luke 18:13-14). Bitterness towards the sins of others blocks the exercise of faith and acceptance of grace needed to experience God’s forgiveness. There is no merit in forgiving others and yet without such an attitude one does not have faith.
Some commentators believe that Jesus the Messiah’s teaching here was part of a Jewish concept that human readiness to forgive was an attitude that had to be in a person before God would forgive their sins. We see this tradition reflected in Sirach 28:2 which reads “Forgive your neighbor of the wrong, and then your sins will be forgiven when you ask it.”
At one level this interpretation is plausible and could be regarded as correct as long as the attitude of forgiveness was seen as part of the gift of faith given by the Holy Spirit and if it is kept entirely free of earning forgiveness by merit. The problem however is if anyone could claim to completely fulfilled this requirement. It could be argued than no human being has ever forgiven another person perfectly. If God’s forgiveness only comes to us when we forgive others then how can any of us know for sure we have been forgiven by God? The grace of forgiveness like faith itself is never perfectly experienced in this life. So while this interpretation is possible it leaves us with a significant spiritual problem.
4. To the degree we experience the grace of forgiving others we can have assurance that our sins have been forgiven by God.
The traditional reformed (Calvinistic) perspective has been that to the degree we are able to forgive others we can have the assurance that our sins have been forgiven by others. Since our willingness of forgive others is a core fruit of true faith then to the degree it is in existence to that degree we can know we have believed the gospel and have been given the grace of forgiveness. This is seen in the Westminster larger catechism.
Question 194: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
Answer: In the fifth petition (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors), acknowledging, that we and all others are guilty both of original and actual sin, and thereby become debtors to the justice of God; and that neither we, nor any other creature, can make the least satisfaction for that debt: we pray for ourselves and others, that God of his free grace would, through the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, apprehended and applied by faith, acquit us both from the guilt and punishment of sin, accept us in his Beloved; continue his favor and grace to us, pardon our daily failings, and fill us with peace and joy, in giving us daily more and more assurance of forgiveness; which we are the rather emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect, when we have this testimony in ourselves, that we from the heart forgive others their offenses.
This answer seems to address and answer the spiritual problem raised by the earlier view. So instead of forgiveness being dependent on our ability to forgive only our assurance of our forgiveness is impacted. This interpretation allows us to deal with the imperfection of our ability to forgive without it becoming impossible for us to experience God’s forgiveness.
5. Seeing this as a community prayer that was designed to be a liturgical part of corporate worship which aims at teaching the importance of forgiveness in the new community of the kingdom of God.
The Lord ’s Prayer is not just a model prayer but intended by Messiah Jesus to be recited whenever His disciples gather for worship. It is clear from Luke 11:2 that the disciples are actually say this prayer. The Didache 8:3 which reflects the practice of the first century church instructs the believers to recite the prayer word for word three times a day. In the act of praying those who pray are reminded of their duty to forgive in order to live by faith in the gospel.
This approach would focus on the fact that this prayer was given as part of a worshipping community of disciples. Theologian Joachim Jermias, suggest that this clause could be understood “as we also herewith forgive our debtors” which is based on how this could have been expressed originally in the Aramaic. This would support the idea that this was a “performantive utterance” which was done in the midst of corporate worship. Those who took place in the literacy of the church formally declared amnesty on those who had sinned against them as part of their affirmation of God’s grace and forgiveness found in the kingdom of Christ. If one sees the parables of Jesus and such teaching such as Matthew 6:14 as rhetorical exhortations instead of dogmatic statements about God. God cannot be restricted or made dependent on human actions. But one can hear this as pastoral advice which would say:
“You want to be forgiven by God? Well how do you expect to be forgiven when you stand in self righteous and bitter condemnation of others? Ask God to grant you a forgiving spirit and recognize your own sins. Humble yourself and let go of your bitterness! Stop being such a Pharisee and recognize your own need of God’s grace.”
Now it is recognized by the community that they have not yet fully followed any of the commands of Jesus the Messiah. Part of the confession of sins is the imperfection of the disciples. But repentance is about direction not perfection. Therefore, in the praying of this prayer the community both confesses their need of divine grace and also the need to give grace to others.
From this perspective it would be wrong to understand the fifth petition of the Lord’s prayer as a dogmatic statement about God’s attributes which makes God’s power to forgive dependent upon the piety of the one praying or to see it as a precondition that a soul must attain in order to experience divine forgiveness. Instead, the prayer, as part of the framework of worship for the disciples of Jesus the Messiah is one that is crying out for renewed relationships. To ask for forgiveness from God and know that in the Messiah Jesus this forgiveness has been given, only then reminds the disciple of the duty of the forgiven to forgive.
It is interesting that the church father, John Chrysostom , says concerning this:
“Since He might indeed, even without this (us forgiving others), forgive thee all thine offenses; but He wills thee hereby also to receive a benefit; affording thee on all sides innumerable occasions of gentleness and love to man, casting out what is brutish in thee, and quenching wrath, and in all ways cementing thee to him who is thine own member. “
This church father seems to teach that God can forgive us our sins even when we fall short of perfect forgiveness of others but that this prayer calls us to “cement” our relationship with one another in grace and mercy. This would support the idea that our human forgiveness is but a reflection of God’s great forgiveness of us in the death and resurrection of our Messiah Jesus.
Conclusion
The traditional reformed view and the idea that this was a “performance utterance” aimed at reminding the Christian community that God’s grace was to make them a people of grace both seem to provide understandings that keep us from making these verses teach forgiveness by merit or taking from imperfect disciples any hope of knowing God’s forgiving grace. We need to remember that only by focusing on God’s grace and mercy in Messiah Jesus can we hope to reflect this in our human relationships.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)
http://www.voskrese.info/spl/matthom19.html
http://www2.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/16-3_Forgiveness/16-3_Hultgren.pdf
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:4 ESV)
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14, 15 ESV)
What does it mean when we pray “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors?”
Let us think thru the possible answers to this question.
1. The one who prays serves as a model for God
Those who understand the verse this way would interpret it as “forgive us our debts (sins), like we have forgiven our debtors.” Or “forgive us our debts in the same manner as he or she has forgiven others.”
In this case the one who prays is a model for God and God should forgive in the same way that the one who prays does or has done.
This seems like a very unlikely interpretation for the verse since the normal pattern is that divine forgiveness serves as a model for human forgiveness instead of human forgiveness serving as a model for divine forgiveness. (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13). While some parables do illustrate divine forgiveness within untypical and outlandish human situations it does not seem that the purpose of this instruction is to make God acts of forgiveness depend upon our acts of forgiveness or that God needs us to model this behavior for Him (Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 15:11-32).
2. The one who prays as claims God’s forgiveness on the basis of their having forgiven others.
Those who understand the verse in this manner would interpret it as “forgive us our debts since we have forgiven others. “ Divine forgiveness is laid claim to on the basis of one’s having forgiven other people.
Those who take this position would feel that the parallel passage found in Luke 11:4 where the it seems to read “for also we ourselves forgive.”
However, the Greek word here rarely if ever means “since” and therefore this interpretation seems forced. In addition, this would make forgiveness from God one of merit instead of grace which seems at odds with the whole message of the New Testament.
3. The one who prays asks for divine forgiveness on the condition that he or she is willing to forgive others.
This would seem at a simple level to fit the immediate commentary by Jesus found in Matthew 6:14-15 and in the parable of the unforgiving servant found in Matthew 18:23-30.
This is also supported by both Martin Luther’s views and those of the Catholic Church.
“God has promised us assurance that everything is forgiven and pardoned, yet on the condition that we also forgive our neighbor....If you do not forgive, do not think that God forgives you. But if you forgive, you have the comfort and assurance that you are forgiven in heaven. Not on account of your forgiving, for God does it altogether freely....But he has set up this condition for our strengthening and assurance as a sign along with the promise which is in agreement with this petition, Luke 6:37, .Forgive, and you will be forgiven.. Therefore Christ repeats it immediately after the Lord’s Prayer in Matt. 6:14, saying, .If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you,”. (Martin Luther’s Larger Catechism)
“Our petition [in the Lord’s Prayer] will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement....This outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us....In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father’s merciful love; but in confessing our sins, our hearts are opened to his grace “. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church (New Hope, KY: Urbi et Orbi, 1994) 681-682)
The idea here is that our forgiveness of others would not merit God’s forgiveness but would be a pre-condition of receiving the free gift of forgiveness from God. The presupposition would be that one who is coming in humble confession and repentance of their sins has also let go of condemnation towards other sinners. If one is still standing in self righteous judgment of others then how can one expect God to give grace and mercy to them? Such an attitude of self righteous condemnation is opposed to the attitude of “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner” which is needed to be forgiven. (Luke 18:13-14). Bitterness towards the sins of others blocks the exercise of faith and acceptance of grace needed to experience God’s forgiveness. There is no merit in forgiving others and yet without such an attitude one does not have faith.
Some commentators believe that Jesus the Messiah’s teaching here was part of a Jewish concept that human readiness to forgive was an attitude that had to be in a person before God would forgive their sins. We see this tradition reflected in Sirach 28:2 which reads “Forgive your neighbor of the wrong, and then your sins will be forgiven when you ask it.”
At one level this interpretation is plausible and could be regarded as correct as long as the attitude of forgiveness was seen as part of the gift of faith given by the Holy Spirit and if it is kept entirely free of earning forgiveness by merit. The problem however is if anyone could claim to completely fulfilled this requirement. It could be argued than no human being has ever forgiven another person perfectly. If God’s forgiveness only comes to us when we forgive others then how can any of us know for sure we have been forgiven by God? The grace of forgiveness like faith itself is never perfectly experienced in this life. So while this interpretation is possible it leaves us with a significant spiritual problem.
4. To the degree we experience the grace of forgiving others we can have assurance that our sins have been forgiven by God.
The traditional reformed (Calvinistic) perspective has been that to the degree we are able to forgive others we can have the assurance that our sins have been forgiven by others. Since our willingness of forgive others is a core fruit of true faith then to the degree it is in existence to that degree we can know we have believed the gospel and have been given the grace of forgiveness. This is seen in the Westminster larger catechism.
Question 194: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
Answer: In the fifth petition (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors), acknowledging, that we and all others are guilty both of original and actual sin, and thereby become debtors to the justice of God; and that neither we, nor any other creature, can make the least satisfaction for that debt: we pray for ourselves and others, that God of his free grace would, through the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, apprehended and applied by faith, acquit us both from the guilt and punishment of sin, accept us in his Beloved; continue his favor and grace to us, pardon our daily failings, and fill us with peace and joy, in giving us daily more and more assurance of forgiveness; which we are the rather emboldened to ask, and encouraged to expect, when we have this testimony in ourselves, that we from the heart forgive others their offenses.
This answer seems to address and answer the spiritual problem raised by the earlier view. So instead of forgiveness being dependent on our ability to forgive only our assurance of our forgiveness is impacted. This interpretation allows us to deal with the imperfection of our ability to forgive without it becoming impossible for us to experience God’s forgiveness.
5. Seeing this as a community prayer that was designed to be a liturgical part of corporate worship which aims at teaching the importance of forgiveness in the new community of the kingdom of God.
The Lord ’s Prayer is not just a model prayer but intended by Messiah Jesus to be recited whenever His disciples gather for worship. It is clear from Luke 11:2 that the disciples are actually say this prayer. The Didache 8:3 which reflects the practice of the first century church instructs the believers to recite the prayer word for word three times a day. In the act of praying those who pray are reminded of their duty to forgive in order to live by faith in the gospel.
This approach would focus on the fact that this prayer was given as part of a worshipping community of disciples. Theologian Joachim Jermias, suggest that this clause could be understood “as we also herewith forgive our debtors” which is based on how this could have been expressed originally in the Aramaic. This would support the idea that this was a “performantive utterance” which was done in the midst of corporate worship. Those who took place in the literacy of the church formally declared amnesty on those who had sinned against them as part of their affirmation of God’s grace and forgiveness found in the kingdom of Christ. If one sees the parables of Jesus and such teaching such as Matthew 6:14 as rhetorical exhortations instead of dogmatic statements about God. God cannot be restricted or made dependent on human actions. But one can hear this as pastoral advice which would say:
“You want to be forgiven by God? Well how do you expect to be forgiven when you stand in self righteous and bitter condemnation of others? Ask God to grant you a forgiving spirit and recognize your own sins. Humble yourself and let go of your bitterness! Stop being such a Pharisee and recognize your own need of God’s grace.”
Now it is recognized by the community that they have not yet fully followed any of the commands of Jesus the Messiah. Part of the confession of sins is the imperfection of the disciples. But repentance is about direction not perfection. Therefore, in the praying of this prayer the community both confesses their need of divine grace and also the need to give grace to others.
From this perspective it would be wrong to understand the fifth petition of the Lord’s prayer as a dogmatic statement about God’s attributes which makes God’s power to forgive dependent upon the piety of the one praying or to see it as a precondition that a soul must attain in order to experience divine forgiveness. Instead, the prayer, as part of the framework of worship for the disciples of Jesus the Messiah is one that is crying out for renewed relationships. To ask for forgiveness from God and know that in the Messiah Jesus this forgiveness has been given, only then reminds the disciple of the duty of the forgiven to forgive.
It is interesting that the church father, John Chrysostom , says concerning this:
“Since He might indeed, even without this (us forgiving others), forgive thee all thine offenses; but He wills thee hereby also to receive a benefit; affording thee on all sides innumerable occasions of gentleness and love to man, casting out what is brutish in thee, and quenching wrath, and in all ways cementing thee to him who is thine own member. “
This church father seems to teach that God can forgive us our sins even when we fall short of perfect forgiveness of others but that this prayer calls us to “cement” our relationship with one another in grace and mercy. This would support the idea that our human forgiveness is but a reflection of God’s great forgiveness of us in the death and resurrection of our Messiah Jesus.
Conclusion
The traditional reformed view and the idea that this was a “performance utterance” aimed at reminding the Christian community that God’s grace was to make them a people of grace both seem to provide understandings that keep us from making these verses teach forgiveness by merit or taking from imperfect disciples any hope of knowing God’s forgiving grace. We need to remember that only by focusing on God’s grace and mercy in Messiah Jesus can we hope to reflect this in our human relationships.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)
http://www.voskrese.info/spl/matthom19.html
http://www2.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/16-3_Forgiveness/16-3_Hultgren.pdf
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Doing Church Well - Part Two
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18 ESV)
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The Messiah Jesus is building His Church. The Church is the building project of our Lord Messiah Jesus. It is built upon the confession that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God which the Apostle Peter has just proclaimed.
It will be the Apostle Peter's preaching of this gospel which will smash the the gates of hell which kept the Jews from believing and thousands will come pouring into the Church through his words. The Jews, the Samaritans, and the Gentiles all will have the Apostle Peter and his message about Messiah Jesus smash the spiritual walls which have kept them in darkness. The paganism of Rome will fall after 300 years and the message of Messiah Jesus will rule supreme over the old empire. The gates of hell will not prevail against the message of the Church. That message is the gospel of Messiah Jesus.
To do the church well the gospel must be the foundation of the Church. When we lose the gospel we lose the heart and power of God. Without the gospel we cannot build the church.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Messiah Jesus is building His Church. The Church is the building project of our Lord Messiah Jesus. It is built upon the confession that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God which the Apostle Peter has just proclaimed.
It will be the Apostle Peter's preaching of this gospel which will smash the the gates of hell which kept the Jews from believing and thousands will come pouring into the Church through his words. The Jews, the Samaritans, and the Gentiles all will have the Apostle Peter and his message about Messiah Jesus smash the spiritual walls which have kept them in darkness. The paganism of Rome will fall after 300 years and the message of Messiah Jesus will rule supreme over the old empire. The gates of hell will not prevail against the message of the Church. That message is the gospel of Messiah Jesus.
To do the church well the gospel must be the foundation of the Church. When we lose the gospel we lose the heart and power of God. Without the gospel we cannot build the church.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas in Revelation
Christmas in Revelation - Revelation 12:1-17
I. Signs in heaven: Vs.1: And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Vs. 2: She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Vs. 3: And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
II. The Dragon and the Woman at Work: Vs. 4: His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. Vs. 5: She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, Vs. 6: and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
III. The Cosmic War: Vs. 7: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, Vs. 8: but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. Vs. 9: And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
IV. Victorious proclamation: Vs. 10: And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Vs. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Vs. 12: Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
V. Deliverance of the Woman: Vs. 13: And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. Vs. 14: But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Vs. 15: The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. Vs. 16: But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
VI. Persecution of the Woman’s offspring: Vs. 17: Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
This vision begins in heaven. There is a naked pregnant woman, in the crisis of child birth, clothed by the sun and crowned with twelve stars and with the moon at her feet. Into this heavenly delivery room comes a red dragon with seven heads crowned with jewels and having ten horns. Red in scriptures is related to sin, war, and destruction (Isa 63:2; Zec 1:8; Rev 6:4). The purpose of the dragon is to devour the male child when He is born. In a sweeping motion of his tail the dragon empties the heavens of one-third of their stars and they fall to the earth. This is to show the greatness of the dragon.
Who is the woman? M. Eugene Boring says: "The woman is not Mary, or Israel, nor the church but less and more than all of these. John's imagery pulls together elements from the pagan myth of the queen of heaven; from the Genesis story of Eve, mother of all living, whose 'seed' shall bruise the head of the primeval serpent (Gen 3:1-16); from Israel who escapes from the dragon/Pharaoh into the wilderness on wings of an eagle (Exod. 19:4, cf. Ps 74:12-15); and Zion, 'mother' of the People of God through the ages, Israel and the church" (Commentary on Revelation; p. 152).
God inspires John to combine images from both the Old Testament and pagan myths to portray a universal Savior who will deliver the world from the devil’s power. God was working in History to bring about His Messianic Kingdom by the birth of this chosen male child. The promises of God would all find their “YES” in Jesus of Nazareth.
The dragon is identified as the devil, Satan, and the deceiver of the nations. These names mean that he is prone to slander, blaspheme and the one who opposes God, and strives to lead the nations of the earth astray. He is the revolutionary leader against the kingdom of God.
The male child that is born is the promised and prophesied Davidic Messianic heir who will bring God’s kingdom to the earth and rule with a “rod of iron” over all the nations (Psalm 2). This promised “seed of the woman” was predicted to come and crush the dragon’s head even as He is wounded in the conflict (Gen 3:15). This child is the chosen one of God who has been destined to take the curse from God’s creation which came with the first Adam joining the dragon in his rebellion against God.
The devil attempted to “devour” Messiah Jesus by having Herod kill the babies in Bethlehem at his birth, tempt Him in the wilderness, resisting Him by possessing multitudes in Israel during His first advent, and finally by inspiring the people to crucify Him. However, God used this blood sacrifice to actually defeat the devil and create a group of faithful witnessing martyrs to God’s kingdom. The death of Jesus the Messiah and His resurrection were the greatest defeat of the devil (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14). With the ascension of Messiah Jesus, the sins of God’s people had been paid for and the legal justification for the establishment of the kingdom of God had been laid.
The result of this victory Messiah is exalted from earth to heaven and the heavenly dragon is banned from heaven and quarantined to the earth. Michael, one of the chief angelic princes who is connected to the nation of Israel, led the heavenly charge in banning Satan from heaven and ending his accusations against God’s people armed with the blood of the lamb and the faith of the apostolic Church (Dan 10:13; 10:21; 12:1; Jud 1:9). The heavenly woman has also become incarnated upon the earth and represents some faithful remnant which suffers persecution by Satan who brings the war of the heavens to the earth. This action is one of desperation because the devil knows that the final day of reckoning is now approaching.
The two message of Revelation are clearly seen here. First, God is victorious in the Messiah Jesus and salvation has come through Him. Second, the disciples of Messiah Jesus will suffer persecution, but will ultimately be saved. The purpose of the book seems to be for “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Act 14:22
This Christmas let us remember that Jesus the Messiah coming was a vital part God’s work of redemption and bringing His kingdom to the earth. Christmas has guaranteed Easter. God has made His move and checkmated the dragon through the birth of His Son. May this faith give us joy this
Christmas.
I. Signs in heaven: Vs.1: And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Vs. 2: She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Vs. 3: And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
II. The Dragon and the Woman at Work: Vs. 4: His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. Vs. 5: She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, Vs. 6: and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
III. The Cosmic War: Vs. 7: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, Vs. 8: but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. Vs. 9: And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
IV. Victorious proclamation: Vs. 10: And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Vs. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Vs. 12: Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
V. Deliverance of the Woman: Vs. 13: And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. Vs. 14: But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Vs. 15: The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. Vs. 16: But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
VI. Persecution of the Woman’s offspring: Vs. 17: Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
This vision begins in heaven. There is a naked pregnant woman, in the crisis of child birth, clothed by the sun and crowned with twelve stars and with the moon at her feet. Into this heavenly delivery room comes a red dragon with seven heads crowned with jewels and having ten horns. Red in scriptures is related to sin, war, and destruction (Isa 63:2; Zec 1:8; Rev 6:4). The purpose of the dragon is to devour the male child when He is born. In a sweeping motion of his tail the dragon empties the heavens of one-third of their stars and they fall to the earth. This is to show the greatness of the dragon.
Who is the woman? M. Eugene Boring says: "The woman is not Mary, or Israel, nor the church but less and more than all of these. John's imagery pulls together elements from the pagan myth of the queen of heaven; from the Genesis story of Eve, mother of all living, whose 'seed' shall bruise the head of the primeval serpent (Gen 3:1-16); from Israel who escapes from the dragon/Pharaoh into the wilderness on wings of an eagle (Exod. 19:4, cf. Ps 74:12-15); and Zion, 'mother' of the People of God through the ages, Israel and the church" (Commentary on Revelation; p. 152).
God inspires John to combine images from both the Old Testament and pagan myths to portray a universal Savior who will deliver the world from the devil’s power. God was working in History to bring about His Messianic Kingdom by the birth of this chosen male child. The promises of God would all find their “YES” in Jesus of Nazareth.
The dragon is identified as the devil, Satan, and the deceiver of the nations. These names mean that he is prone to slander, blaspheme and the one who opposes God, and strives to lead the nations of the earth astray. He is the revolutionary leader against the kingdom of God.
The male child that is born is the promised and prophesied Davidic Messianic heir who will bring God’s kingdom to the earth and rule with a “rod of iron” over all the nations (Psalm 2). This promised “seed of the woman” was predicted to come and crush the dragon’s head even as He is wounded in the conflict (Gen 3:15). This child is the chosen one of God who has been destined to take the curse from God’s creation which came with the first Adam joining the dragon in his rebellion against God.
The devil attempted to “devour” Messiah Jesus by having Herod kill the babies in Bethlehem at his birth, tempt Him in the wilderness, resisting Him by possessing multitudes in Israel during His first advent, and finally by inspiring the people to crucify Him. However, God used this blood sacrifice to actually defeat the devil and create a group of faithful witnessing martyrs to God’s kingdom. The death of Jesus the Messiah and His resurrection were the greatest defeat of the devil (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14). With the ascension of Messiah Jesus, the sins of God’s people had been paid for and the legal justification for the establishment of the kingdom of God had been laid.
The result of this victory Messiah is exalted from earth to heaven and the heavenly dragon is banned from heaven and quarantined to the earth. Michael, one of the chief angelic princes who is connected to the nation of Israel, led the heavenly charge in banning Satan from heaven and ending his accusations against God’s people armed with the blood of the lamb and the faith of the apostolic Church (Dan 10:13; 10:21; 12:1; Jud 1:9). The heavenly woman has also become incarnated upon the earth and represents some faithful remnant which suffers persecution by Satan who brings the war of the heavens to the earth. This action is one of desperation because the devil knows that the final day of reckoning is now approaching.
The two message of Revelation are clearly seen here. First, God is victorious in the Messiah Jesus and salvation has come through Him. Second, the disciples of Messiah Jesus will suffer persecution, but will ultimately be saved. The purpose of the book seems to be for “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Act 14:22
This Christmas let us remember that Jesus the Messiah coming was a vital part God’s work of redemption and bringing His kingdom to the earth. Christmas has guaranteed Easter. God has made His move and checkmated the dragon through the birth of His Son. May this faith give us joy this
Christmas.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Dealing with Holidays
It is hard at times to not feel bad during the holidays.
This year I had a friend die a week before Christmas. He had been sick for a long time. But I had gotten use to the idea that he was sick and that he was still there. I did not visit or write him as often as I should have. I felt bad as I said goodbye to him this week. I should have been a better friend. His death made me recognize my failure to express my love for him.
I know that my friend's family will have a sad Christmas. There will be an empty chair at the table. That is always hard.
Yet, my friend had given us a wonderful Christmas gift. It was the gift of a life of faith. He left a legacy which spoke of his faith in Jesus the Messiah as his Savior and Lord. He left a testimony of love for people and for sharing the gospel. There is no doubt my friend is fully filled with Jesus' joy. By the grace of God his sins are forgiven and he has total peace. The gospel brings joy even into sad times.
The complexity of life makes it hard at times to enter into a time of celebration. The holidays sometimes make us face what we have loss. Some of the emptiness of life is pushed before us.
Yet, if we allow ourselves to hear it; there is also the wonderful story of Christmas. The story of God's unending love. The reality of God's embrace in the person of Messiah Jesus. The hope of forgiveness and eternal life in the joy of God. The hope of the gospel.
This Christmas I am feeling many different things. But the comfort of my heart comes from the good news that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son....
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Drinking of God's Joy
Isa 12:1 You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
Isa 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
Isa 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Isa 12:4 And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
Isa 12:5 "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
Isa 12:6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
---------------------------------------------------------
Literal - This chapter is designed for worship. The first two verses have one person, most likely Isaiah, proclaiming to a congregation his personal faith in Yahweh, LORD, of heaven and earth, and his trust that the LORD has had mercy on him and now has turned to be the prophet's power, harmony, and deliverer. God instead of standing as just judge is come to be the one who will embrace and comfort in the middle of difficult times. Even as the Assyrians have devastated the Northern Kingdom and its ten tribes so now there is little in the news that is good. God has judged Israel. Will not Judah me next? What hope could we have? It is the LORD who saves!
Verse 3 is a call by the prophet to the congregation to drink of the joy of the good news of the LORD's amazing grace. The call of God is to drink in joy from the deep wells of God's rich salvation. Imagine, God calls us during worship to drink deeply of His salvation and to experience the joy, happiness, and thrill of being delivered from our sins.
In response to this call the people are told to respond. They are to sing together a song of thanksgiving, to seek the Lord in prayer, and to give witness to the great actions of the LORD so that His reputation will be known by all nations. The people's praise is to be loud, shouting, victorious, and filled with true admiration towards Yahweh. The only thing we have like it would be when a crowd of footballs fans see a 70 yard pass that brings victory to their beloved team. The fans stand spontaneously and wildly screaming praise for the quarterback. So the people of God are to see the just anger of God pass over them and be filled with wild praise for their graceful salvation.
Rarely, do we get in touch with such wild passion in our worship. Rarely do the salvation events of Christ dying for our sins impact us emotionally at this level. Perhaps if it was reported that lightening stuck Osama bin Laden dead and we saw it on national television then we would feel a moment of praise for God like what is outlined here. We need to ask the LORD to help us to see that He has come to save us in Messiah Jesus in wild ways beyond our wildest dreams. We need to seek to become a people of deep praise in light of God's grace that has come to us in Messiah Jesus!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Christological: Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
Moral: We should drink deeply of the message of God's salvation so that we will be filled with holy joy
---------------------
Eternal: The final manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven will be where we for all eternity are filled from head to toe with passionate worship that spontaneously springs from our hearts. \
------------------------------------------
Prayer: Give me a thirst to drink from your well of salvation. Fill me with your joy!
-----------------------------------
Contemplation: Open my eyes that I might see the greatness of your salvation
----------------------
Action: Go to the front of the church this week and decide to give the Lord the loudest praise you can. Ask the Lord to make the passion of your heart match the loudest of your voice.
Isa 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
Isa 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Isa 12:4 And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
Isa 12:5 "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
Isa 12:6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
---------------------------------------------------------
Literal - This chapter is designed for worship. The first two verses have one person, most likely Isaiah, proclaiming to a congregation his personal faith in Yahweh, LORD, of heaven and earth, and his trust that the LORD has had mercy on him and now has turned to be the prophet's power, harmony, and deliverer. God instead of standing as just judge is come to be the one who will embrace and comfort in the middle of difficult times. Even as the Assyrians have devastated the Northern Kingdom and its ten tribes so now there is little in the news that is good. God has judged Israel. Will not Judah me next? What hope could we have? It is the LORD who saves!
Verse 3 is a call by the prophet to the congregation to drink of the joy of the good news of the LORD's amazing grace. The call of God is to drink in joy from the deep wells of God's rich salvation. Imagine, God calls us during worship to drink deeply of His salvation and to experience the joy, happiness, and thrill of being delivered from our sins.
In response to this call the people are told to respond. They are to sing together a song of thanksgiving, to seek the Lord in prayer, and to give witness to the great actions of the LORD so that His reputation will be known by all nations. The people's praise is to be loud, shouting, victorious, and filled with true admiration towards Yahweh. The only thing we have like it would be when a crowd of footballs fans see a 70 yard pass that brings victory to their beloved team. The fans stand spontaneously and wildly screaming praise for the quarterback. So the people of God are to see the just anger of God pass over them and be filled with wild praise for their graceful salvation.
Rarely, do we get in touch with such wild passion in our worship. Rarely do the salvation events of Christ dying for our sins impact us emotionally at this level. Perhaps if it was reported that lightening stuck Osama bin Laden dead and we saw it on national television then we would feel a moment of praise for God like what is outlined here. We need to ask the LORD to help us to see that He has come to save us in Messiah Jesus in wild ways beyond our wildest dreams. We need to seek to become a people of deep praise in light of God's grace that has come to us in Messiah Jesus!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Christological: Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
Moral: We should drink deeply of the message of God's salvation so that we will be filled with holy joy
---------------------
Eternal: The final manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven will be where we for all eternity are filled from head to toe with passionate worship that spontaneously springs from our hearts. \
------------------------------------------
Prayer: Give me a thirst to drink from your well of salvation. Fill me with your joy!
-----------------------------------
Contemplation: Open my eyes that I might see the greatness of your salvation
----------------------
Action: Go to the front of the church this week and decide to give the Lord the loudest praise you can. Ask the Lord to make the passion of your heart match the loudest of your voice.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Devotions on Grace
Rom 3:21-28 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
God desire to establish a righteous kingdom is now going to be seen, not in a moral code, but by people having faith in Jesus as the Messiah who died for their sins and was raised. This right relationship with God under the Divine rule will come to both Jew and Gentile who believe in Jesus as their personal prophet, priest, and king. There is no prejudice towards any ethnic group or color of skin. All who believe will be made right with God through the work of the Messiah Jesus.
Both the Jew and the Gentile have fallen away from God and have either become lost in lawless deeds of depravity or legalistic systems of self righteousness and pride. The end result, they have all failed to reach the glorious reflection of being made in God’s image and living in accord with the divine reflection made within them. They have not become the incarnation of righteous love.
As Dr. Moule says: "The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they." Every human being has failed to obey God. Every human being has failed to love God. Every human being has failed to love other people as they should have loved them.
All who have a true faith in the Messiah Jesus as the ultimate revelation of truth, the sacrifice for their sins on the cross, and the desired ruler of their lives are declared righteous before God by his unconditional mercy and as a gift. Even their faith is a work of God’s grace in their hearts. Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ and having this word empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce faith (Romans 10:17). Those who are declared righteous due to their union and communion with the Lord Jesus the Messiah are made right with God as a free gift entirely unrelated to their obedience to the law.
Justification was a legal term in the Greek culture and was used to describe a judge declaring an accused person not guilty and therefore innocent before the law. The importance of this is found in this quote by Pastor John McArthur.
“Justification is God’s declaration that all the demands of the law are fulfilled on behalf of the believing sinner through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification is a wholly forensic, or legal, transaction. It changes the judicial standing of the sinner before God. In justification, God imputes (credits) the perfect righteousness of Christ to the believer’s account, then declares the redeemed one fully righteous. Justification must be distinguished from sanctification, in which God actually imparts Christ’s righteousness to the sinner. While the two must be distinguished, justification and sanctification can never be separated. God does not justify whom He does not sanctify.” (MacArthur, J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press)
Pastor John McArhur’s concern about using the idea of grace to justify a life of lawless living is a needed reminder which Paul will make in Romans 6. However the main point here is that apart from any works God has declared us righteous as a free gift which is in Jesus the Messiah.
Paul develops his teaching about justification around three themes. The death of the Messiah Jesus and his resurrection from the dead has accomplished three divine acts.
Justification: an image from the court of law
Redemption: an image from the slave market)
Propitiation: an image from the world of religion, appeasing God through sacrifice
Justification solves the problem of man's guilt before a righteous Judge. Redemption solves the problem of man's slavery to sin, the world, and the devil. Propitiation solves the problem of offending God our Creator. We have been declared righteous in the divine court, freed from slavery and declared a Son of God, and cleansed from the filth of our sins.
God’s sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah on the cross for sins also demonstrated that forgiveness was not being done at the expense of justice. Grace did not mean we could just forget the right demands of the law. No, grace meant that the full price of the justice would be paid by another and the guilty would go free without any violation of the moral code of God. There is no cheap grace only infinitely expensive grace given by God.
It should be noted that the most popular New Testament scholar of the 21st century, Dr. N.T. Wright and his “New Perspective on Paul” would disagree with this view of justification. Within conservative reformed circles this new approach is called “The Federal Vision”. There are many complicated and complex issues related to both movements.
However, what they both seem to have in common is that ultimately being justified is based on the spirit-inspired works in/through them and not on the objective work of Christ on the cross outside of them. . In other words, Dr. Wright is saying that justification is not in Christ alone. Justification in this view involves the work of Christ (forgiveness of sin in the present) and the Spirit (being made righteous in our lives which will be judged in the future). This new perspective while lacking the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church is teaching the same basic view that was held to by the medieval church before the reformation. I do not believe that Dr. N.T. Wright’s perspective or that of the “Federal Vision” provides for us a right understanding of justification and my view is that the traditional protestant perspective of objective justification in Christ alone is the right interpretation of scripture.
Why is this important? This is important because legalism can corrupt the church just as easily as lawlessness. It takes very little for us to begin to think we are the best and the brightest. Feelings of being elite and superior need little encouragement. Nothing feels better to our brokenness than a baptized pride and self righteousness gained in “humility” before God.
However in the end only those who know they have been forgiven much will love much. Everything that takes away from grace also deadens our love for the LORD. Only a vision of pure grace will lead to a pure love for God. May we see God’s grace today! Amen
God desire to establish a righteous kingdom is now going to be seen, not in a moral code, but by people having faith in Jesus as the Messiah who died for their sins and was raised. This right relationship with God under the Divine rule will come to both Jew and Gentile who believe in Jesus as their personal prophet, priest, and king. There is no prejudice towards any ethnic group or color of skin. All who believe will be made right with God through the work of the Messiah Jesus.
Both the Jew and the Gentile have fallen away from God and have either become lost in lawless deeds of depravity or legalistic systems of self righteousness and pride. The end result, they have all failed to reach the glorious reflection of being made in God’s image and living in accord with the divine reflection made within them. They have not become the incarnation of righteous love.
As Dr. Moule says: "The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they." Every human being has failed to obey God. Every human being has failed to love God. Every human being has failed to love other people as they should have loved them.
All who have a true faith in the Messiah Jesus as the ultimate revelation of truth, the sacrifice for their sins on the cross, and the desired ruler of their lives are declared righteous before God by his unconditional mercy and as a gift. Even their faith is a work of God’s grace in their hearts. Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ and having this word empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce faith (Romans 10:17). Those who are declared righteous due to their union and communion with the Lord Jesus the Messiah are made right with God as a free gift entirely unrelated to their obedience to the law.
Justification was a legal term in the Greek culture and was used to describe a judge declaring an accused person not guilty and therefore innocent before the law. The importance of this is found in this quote by Pastor John McArthur.
“Justification is God’s declaration that all the demands of the law are fulfilled on behalf of the believing sinner through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification is a wholly forensic, or legal, transaction. It changes the judicial standing of the sinner before God. In justification, God imputes (credits) the perfect righteousness of Christ to the believer’s account, then declares the redeemed one fully righteous. Justification must be distinguished from sanctification, in which God actually imparts Christ’s righteousness to the sinner. While the two must be distinguished, justification and sanctification can never be separated. God does not justify whom He does not sanctify.” (MacArthur, J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press)
Pastor John McArhur’s concern about using the idea of grace to justify a life of lawless living is a needed reminder which Paul will make in Romans 6. However the main point here is that apart from any works God has declared us righteous as a free gift which is in Jesus the Messiah.
Paul develops his teaching about justification around three themes. The death of the Messiah Jesus and his resurrection from the dead has accomplished three divine acts.
Justification: an image from the court of law
Redemption: an image from the slave market)
Propitiation: an image from the world of religion, appeasing God through sacrifice
Justification solves the problem of man's guilt before a righteous Judge. Redemption solves the problem of man's slavery to sin, the world, and the devil. Propitiation solves the problem of offending God our Creator. We have been declared righteous in the divine court, freed from slavery and declared a Son of God, and cleansed from the filth of our sins.
God’s sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah on the cross for sins also demonstrated that forgiveness was not being done at the expense of justice. Grace did not mean we could just forget the right demands of the law. No, grace meant that the full price of the justice would be paid by another and the guilty would go free without any violation of the moral code of God. There is no cheap grace only infinitely expensive grace given by God.
It should be noted that the most popular New Testament scholar of the 21st century, Dr. N.T. Wright and his “New Perspective on Paul” would disagree with this view of justification. Within conservative reformed circles this new approach is called “The Federal Vision”. There are many complicated and complex issues related to both movements.
However, what they both seem to have in common is that ultimately being justified is based on the spirit-inspired works in/through them and not on the objective work of Christ on the cross outside of them. . In other words, Dr. Wright is saying that justification is not in Christ alone. Justification in this view involves the work of Christ (forgiveness of sin in the present) and the Spirit (being made righteous in our lives which will be judged in the future). This new perspective while lacking the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church is teaching the same basic view that was held to by the medieval church before the reformation. I do not believe that Dr. N.T. Wright’s perspective or that of the “Federal Vision” provides for us a right understanding of justification and my view is that the traditional protestant perspective of objective justification in Christ alone is the right interpretation of scripture.
Why is this important? This is important because legalism can corrupt the church just as easily as lawlessness. It takes very little for us to begin to think we are the best and the brightest. Feelings of being elite and superior need little encouragement. Nothing feels better to our brokenness than a baptized pride and self righteousness gained in “humility” before God.
However in the end only those who know they have been forgiven much will love much. Everything that takes away from grace also deadens our love for the LORD. Only a vision of pure grace will lead to a pure love for God. May we see God’s grace today! Amen
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Why believe the gospel?
Acts 3:12-19
12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.
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Meditation
In the book of Acts we find that the early church was able to support their witness of Jesus being the Messiah in four ways.
Apologetics – There was good reason to believe the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was proof that he was the Messiah of Israel and chosen by God to be the Lord and Savior.
A dynamic community of love – The early church began caring for the poor like no other community before them. They began breaking down the barriers of human society. Eventually Jews of all different stripes, Samaritans, Gentiles, rich, poor, weak, powerful, young, old, men, and women would be in a loving community and worshiping together in a way that the world had never seen. The unity and love of the church was evidence that Jesus was alive and His life was manifested in this new community of love.
Miracles – As we see in this text here God allowed the Apostles and others to do miracles done in the name and authority of Jesus the Messiah to demonstrate that the powers of the age to come were now appearing in this age. In the age to come the sick will be healed and now in Jesus the Messiah the powers of the coming age are being released into the current age. The miracles were not just acts of power they were confirmation that Jesus the Messiah had in some way restored the Kingdom of God that the first Adam had lost.
Martyrdom – The witnesses to the resurrection were willing to die to demonstrate the amount of conviction they have that Jesus was the Messiah and had been raised from the dead. This willingness to die over the truthfulness of their testimony and the change of life they experienced after the resurrection still remain witnesses of the reality of the resurrected Jesus the Messiah even to this day.
The crippled man who begged had been healed by Peter focusing on him. Now the crowd is focused on Peter and John. They are not even focused on the healed man. Instead they are looking with awe and wonder at the apostles. The Greek word for this staring is atenizō, (3:12, 3:4). The term is commonly used in Acts for an almost trance-like encounter with transcendent glory (see 1:10; 3:4, 12; 6:15; 7:55).
Peter wants them to turn this worshipful gaze from them to Jesus the Son/servant, the holy one, the righteous one, and the author of life. This man was healed not because of the power or piety of Peter and John but because of the power and piety of Jesus the Messiah who they had crucified and declared a blasphemer. They must repent of this lie and turn to now surrender to Jesus as the true Messiah of Israel and the God given Savior to bring to them the forgiveness of their sins. They can have all of their failure to love God and others as they should wiped clean, even their rejection of the author of life, the Messiah Jesus.
Christological - This particular miracle was very much in line with the promises of Messiah coming and bringing in the Kingdom of glory to earth. The prophet had predicted
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God. ...He will come and save you.'
Then the lame shall leap like deer...
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert" (Isaiah 35:3-6).
The lame were now leaping. The Kingdom of God had been restored in Jesus the resurrected Messiah. Now it was time to believe and repent that our sins might be wiped out.
Moral – Don’t worship the messenger, worship God.
Eternal – When we see our Lord Jesus the Messiah in heaven we will be focused (atenizō) on him forever. We will be in an encounter with Him in His transcendent glory and filled with joy and peace
Prayer – Lord, support the witness of your church today with your power that we might see people believe and repent. Give me boldness to witness! Amen
Contemplation – The Kingdom of God is at hand!
Action - Who do I know that has not yet believed and repented? How could I be the body of Christ to them today? Could I pray for them today? Could I say a word, do a deed, or express an attitude that would give witness of Jesus being the Messiah to them today? How could I bear witness that Jesus is the resurrected Messiah today? Could I make real the love of Christ today to some one in a real and deliberate manner?
12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.
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Meditation
In the book of Acts we find that the early church was able to support their witness of Jesus being the Messiah in four ways.
Apologetics – There was good reason to believe the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was proof that he was the Messiah of Israel and chosen by God to be the Lord and Savior.
A dynamic community of love – The early church began caring for the poor like no other community before them. They began breaking down the barriers of human society. Eventually Jews of all different stripes, Samaritans, Gentiles, rich, poor, weak, powerful, young, old, men, and women would be in a loving community and worshiping together in a way that the world had never seen. The unity and love of the church was evidence that Jesus was alive and His life was manifested in this new community of love.
Miracles – As we see in this text here God allowed the Apostles and others to do miracles done in the name and authority of Jesus the Messiah to demonstrate that the powers of the age to come were now appearing in this age. In the age to come the sick will be healed and now in Jesus the Messiah the powers of the coming age are being released into the current age. The miracles were not just acts of power they were confirmation that Jesus the Messiah had in some way restored the Kingdom of God that the first Adam had lost.
Martyrdom – The witnesses to the resurrection were willing to die to demonstrate the amount of conviction they have that Jesus was the Messiah and had been raised from the dead. This willingness to die over the truthfulness of their testimony and the change of life they experienced after the resurrection still remain witnesses of the reality of the resurrected Jesus the Messiah even to this day.
The crippled man who begged had been healed by Peter focusing on him. Now the crowd is focused on Peter and John. They are not even focused on the healed man. Instead they are looking with awe and wonder at the apostles. The Greek word for this staring is atenizō, (3:12, 3:4). The term is commonly used in Acts for an almost trance-like encounter with transcendent glory (see 1:10; 3:4, 12; 6:15; 7:55).
Peter wants them to turn this worshipful gaze from them to Jesus the Son/servant, the holy one, the righteous one, and the author of life. This man was healed not because of the power or piety of Peter and John but because of the power and piety of Jesus the Messiah who they had crucified and declared a blasphemer. They must repent of this lie and turn to now surrender to Jesus as the true Messiah of Israel and the God given Savior to bring to them the forgiveness of their sins. They can have all of their failure to love God and others as they should wiped clean, even their rejection of the author of life, the Messiah Jesus.
Christological - This particular miracle was very much in line with the promises of Messiah coming and bringing in the Kingdom of glory to earth. The prophet had predicted
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God. ...He will come and save you.'
Then the lame shall leap like deer...
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert" (Isaiah 35:3-6).
The lame were now leaping. The Kingdom of God had been restored in Jesus the resurrected Messiah. Now it was time to believe and repent that our sins might be wiped out.
Moral – Don’t worship the messenger, worship God.
Eternal – When we see our Lord Jesus the Messiah in heaven we will be focused (atenizō) on him forever. We will be in an encounter with Him in His transcendent glory and filled with joy and peace
Prayer – Lord, support the witness of your church today with your power that we might see people believe and repent. Give me boldness to witness! Amen
Contemplation – The Kingdom of God is at hand!
Action - Who do I know that has not yet believed and repented? How could I be the body of Christ to them today? Could I pray for them today? Could I say a word, do a deed, or express an attitude that would give witness of Jesus being the Messiah to them today? How could I bear witness that Jesus is the resurrected Messiah today? Could I make real the love of Christ today to some one in a real and deliberate manner?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Almost Daily Devotional
The Almost Daily Devotional
Reading
NLT Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees met together to think of a way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him. 16 They decided to send some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to ask him this question: "Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach about the way of God regardless of the consequences. You are impartial and don't play favorites. 17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?" 18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" he said. "Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? 19 Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax." When they handed him the coin, 20 he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." 22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Meditation
Who are the Pharisees and the Herodians? The Pharisees were a Jewish religious party in Palestine that emerged about 160 BC in opposition to the Sadducees. The Pharisees held that the Jewish oral tradition was as valid as the Torah. They struggled to democratize the Jewish religion, arguing that the worship of God was not confined to the Temple of Jerusalem and fostering the synagogue as an institution of worship. The Herodians were a Jewish political party who sympathized with the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne (Mark 3:6; 12:13; Matt, 22:16; Luke 20:20).
Normally the Pharisees were at odds with the Herodians and the Sadducees since they represented those who focused on the temple and supporting Rome while the Pharisees were more about making the Jewish faith less dependent on the temple and were less supportive of Herod and Rome. However, their fear and opposition of Jesus was greater than their opposition to each other. In Jesus they had a common enemy.
In this situation they are putting before Jesus a question that at the time there was no good answer to give in a public setting. If Jesus said that the people should not pay taxes then he would be labeled a “Zealot” which was a Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with the Romans. This would have led to his arrest and reduced his popularity among the people. If he said they should pay taxes then this would have aligned him with those who supported the Roman rulers and the wealthy elite. This again would cause the masses that followed him to abandon him as Messiah since the Messiah was coming to free them from Rome not support it. To support Rome was to compromise with pagans and to therefore not be a pure lover of God.
Jesus is aware of what they are doing. So are most of the people in the crowd. Like the question; “Have you stopped beating your child?, just answer yes or no” There is no good answer. The crowd is most likely smiling but also interested in which one of the two “wrong” answers that Jesus will choose.
Instead Jesus, points out this is not an honest question looking for an honest answer. This is a game and not a seeking after truth. Questions can be either way. They can be real questions looking for real answers or they can just be spiritual games aimed at avoiding the truth. Then he responds with his own question.
Whose head is on the coins with which you pay your taxes? This seemed silly. Every child knew whose head was on the coin with which they paid their taxes. Just like our coins and bills, that have on our coins normally the head of some former president, the coins in the Roman empire had stamped upon them the likeness of one of the emperors of Rome. So they answered with a smirk, well of course it is Caesar.
Then Jesus turns everything around. Well the coin must belong to Caesar since it has His likeness on it. Therefore, give it back to him if he wants it. He produced it so it belongs to him. Give to God what bears His image. He produced it so that belongs to Him.
What bears God’s image? Well every Hebrew knew the answer to that question. Humanity was made in God’s image. I was made in God’s image. Therefore, don’t worry about taxes; just make sure that you give God your heart. Then you will know how to handle taxes in a God pleasing way.
This answer did not please the Zealots, the Herodians, the Sadducees, or the Pharisees. It avoided the trap. It also raised the real question. Would they stop playing games and begin seeking God. Life should not be lived as a game. Politics is not a game. Our relationship with God is not a game. We need to face reality and make sure we are sincerely seeking God and truth in every sphere of our lives. This is what Jesus the Messiah confronted them with that day and that is what He is confronting us with today.
Christocentric – Jesus is the Messiah and the wisdom of God in the flesh. He should always be sought out when we have honest answers for He is the wisdom who can answer them.
Moral: God must always come before country or empire.
Eternal: All the nation states and empires of history will perish. They all will become dust. In the end of history there is only on monarchy that reigns supreme over all peoples, tribes, cultures, nations, and empires. That one true eternal monarch is our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no end to His kingdom or to Him. We are citizens of that one eternal kingdom and secure within it. We will enjoy and benefit from the rule of God forever and ever. Amen
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me not be playing games with you. Help me not be making excuses about why I don’t follow you. Help me recognize you have made me and recreated me in the new birth in your image. Your desire is that I be like you. Help me have this as the ultimate desire of my heart. Amen
Contemplation
You are mine!
Action
What games am I playing with God? Where am I using “questions” to avoid truth? Where am I holding back giving myself to God? Does God control my vote?
Reading
NLT Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees met together to think of a way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him. 16 They decided to send some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to ask him this question: "Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach about the way of God regardless of the consequences. You are impartial and don't play favorites. 17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?" 18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" he said. "Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? 19 Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax." When they handed him the coin, 20 he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." 22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Meditation
Who are the Pharisees and the Herodians? The Pharisees were a Jewish religious party in Palestine that emerged about 160 BC in opposition to the Sadducees. The Pharisees held that the Jewish oral tradition was as valid as the Torah. They struggled to democratize the Jewish religion, arguing that the worship of God was not confined to the Temple of Jerusalem and fostering the synagogue as an institution of worship. The Herodians were a Jewish political party who sympathized with the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne (Mark 3:6; 12:13; Matt, 22:16; Luke 20:20).
Normally the Pharisees were at odds with the Herodians and the Sadducees since they represented those who focused on the temple and supporting Rome while the Pharisees were more about making the Jewish faith less dependent on the temple and were less supportive of Herod and Rome. However, their fear and opposition of Jesus was greater than their opposition to each other. In Jesus they had a common enemy.
In this situation they are putting before Jesus a question that at the time there was no good answer to give in a public setting. If Jesus said that the people should not pay taxes then he would be labeled a “Zealot” which was a Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with the Romans. This would have led to his arrest and reduced his popularity among the people. If he said they should pay taxes then this would have aligned him with those who supported the Roman rulers and the wealthy elite. This again would cause the masses that followed him to abandon him as Messiah since the Messiah was coming to free them from Rome not support it. To support Rome was to compromise with pagans and to therefore not be a pure lover of God.
Jesus is aware of what they are doing. So are most of the people in the crowd. Like the question; “Have you stopped beating your child?, just answer yes or no” There is no good answer. The crowd is most likely smiling but also interested in which one of the two “wrong” answers that Jesus will choose.
Instead Jesus, points out this is not an honest question looking for an honest answer. This is a game and not a seeking after truth. Questions can be either way. They can be real questions looking for real answers or they can just be spiritual games aimed at avoiding the truth. Then he responds with his own question.
Whose head is on the coins with which you pay your taxes? This seemed silly. Every child knew whose head was on the coin with which they paid their taxes. Just like our coins and bills, that have on our coins normally the head of some former president, the coins in the Roman empire had stamped upon them the likeness of one of the emperors of Rome. So they answered with a smirk, well of course it is Caesar.
Then Jesus turns everything around. Well the coin must belong to Caesar since it has His likeness on it. Therefore, give it back to him if he wants it. He produced it so it belongs to him. Give to God what bears His image. He produced it so that belongs to Him.
What bears God’s image? Well every Hebrew knew the answer to that question. Humanity was made in God’s image. I was made in God’s image. Therefore, don’t worry about taxes; just make sure that you give God your heart. Then you will know how to handle taxes in a God pleasing way.
This answer did not please the Zealots, the Herodians, the Sadducees, or the Pharisees. It avoided the trap. It also raised the real question. Would they stop playing games and begin seeking God. Life should not be lived as a game. Politics is not a game. Our relationship with God is not a game. We need to face reality and make sure we are sincerely seeking God and truth in every sphere of our lives. This is what Jesus the Messiah confronted them with that day and that is what He is confronting us with today.
Christocentric – Jesus is the Messiah and the wisdom of God in the flesh. He should always be sought out when we have honest answers for He is the wisdom who can answer them.
Moral: God must always come before country or empire.
Eternal: All the nation states and empires of history will perish. They all will become dust. In the end of history there is only on monarchy that reigns supreme over all peoples, tribes, cultures, nations, and empires. That one true eternal monarch is our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no end to His kingdom or to Him. We are citizens of that one eternal kingdom and secure within it. We will enjoy and benefit from the rule of God forever and ever. Amen
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me not be playing games with you. Help me not be making excuses about why I don’t follow you. Help me recognize you have made me and recreated me in the new birth in your image. Your desire is that I be like you. Help me have this as the ultimate desire of my heart. Amen
Contemplation
You are mine!
Action
What games am I playing with God? Where am I using “questions” to avoid truth? Where am I holding back giving myself to God? Does God control my vote?
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Almost Daily Devotional
Almost Daily Devotional
Reading
NLT 1 Thessalonians 1:1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven-- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Meditation
Thessalonica is a seaport in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea The original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. St. Paul visited Thessalonica (with Silas and Timothy) during his second missionary journey, and introduced Christianity there. The first scene of the apostle's work at Thessalonica was the synagogue. (Acts 17:2,3) It is stated that the ministrations among the Jews continued for three weeks. Not that we are obliged to limit to this time the whole stay of the apostle at Thessalonica. A flourishing church was certainly formed there; and the epistles show that its elements were more Gentile than Jewish.
Paul seems to have two attitudes that dominate in his relationship with other believers. One he thanks God for them being believers and what they bring to the kingdom of God through their gifts and talents and second he constantly prays for God to help them become more like Christ.
Paul specifically thanks God for the believers in Thessalonica for their activities inspired by their faith, their labors of joyful love, and their patient hope in the return of Christ. Here we see that Paul defines what God is doing in them as a matter of faith, hope, and love. Paul is able to see God at work in the lives of the imperfect believers in Thessalonica. He is able to see the glass half full as well as to call them to fill it more. His optimism is not based on his faith in the believers of Thessalonica but in God who is at work in them.
Paul also affirms his faith that they are truly the objects of God’s eternal love in Jesus Christ. He remembers as he preached to them that there was a true movement of God’s Spirit among them and that they gave a clear profession of faith. The Thessalonians had seen God’s power in miracles performed by the Holy Spirit but also in the lives of love demonstrated by the apostolic missionary team that had brought them the message. This team had become an incarnation of the gospel and its power.
In light of the power of the Holy Spirit in deeds of wonder and in the lives of the missionaries that brought them the gospel of Jesus they had joyfully believed even though it had brought upon them persecution and hardships. Here we see pain and joy combined. There is an ability of human beings to have sorrow and holy glee at the same time. They became like Jesus and the missionaries who had both been blessed by being allowed to suffer persecution for righteousness sake.
Now, the Thessalonians were an example of faith under fire and were providing an example to believers throughout Greece and around the world. Because they were a center of trade and travel, what happened in Thessalonica traveled around the world through the travelers and traders that went through the city.
Their faith is one in which they have not just added Jesus into their religious lives but have allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to totally dominate their thinking. They were willing to turn against the ultimate concerns of their lives before Jesus in order to make the Lord Jesus the ultimate concern of their lives. This reality, lived out in their daily existence, had become the talk of the world and a demonstration of the truth of the gospel.
Christocentric - Christ must become our operating system and not just another program we add into our lives. Our true loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ is measured to the degree we abandon our “idols” that is whatever we value or trust in more than we do the person of Messiah Jesus. Christians who do not abandon their idols lose the opportunity to become world changers because they are worldly.
Moral - Faith determines what tasks we find important enough to do, inspires in us a working faith, and allows our actions to endure disappointments because we optimistically believe that history is governed by Christ. We are called to have faith, love, and hope be the dominate attitudes of our actions.
Eternal - For Christians death and the end of the world do not hold fear. We know that at these great moments in our personal and world history we will be embraced by God and fully accepted in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have joyful anticipation of what the future holds for us in the eternal kingdom of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus help me to abandon my idols in the way the believers in Thessalonica did when they heard the good news. Let me break my allegiance with the world system of unbelief and give to me a stronger and more fruitful faith.
Contemplation
Abandon all and follow me
Action
Today let me thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ and take note of their virtues instead of their vices. If I find myself complaining or gossiping about others let me stop and make a compliment about the person. Let me look for and specifically define how God is working in the lives of those around me and praise God for them in this light.
Reading
NLT 1 Thessalonians 1:1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven-- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Meditation
Thessalonica is a seaport in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea The original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. St. Paul visited Thessalonica (with Silas and Timothy) during his second missionary journey, and introduced Christianity there. The first scene of the apostle's work at Thessalonica was the synagogue. (Acts 17:2,3) It is stated that the ministrations among the Jews continued for three weeks. Not that we are obliged to limit to this time the whole stay of the apostle at Thessalonica. A flourishing church was certainly formed there; and the epistles show that its elements were more Gentile than Jewish.
Paul seems to have two attitudes that dominate in his relationship with other believers. One he thanks God for them being believers and what they bring to the kingdom of God through their gifts and talents and second he constantly prays for God to help them become more like Christ.
Paul specifically thanks God for the believers in Thessalonica for their activities inspired by their faith, their labors of joyful love, and their patient hope in the return of Christ. Here we see that Paul defines what God is doing in them as a matter of faith, hope, and love. Paul is able to see God at work in the lives of the imperfect believers in Thessalonica. He is able to see the glass half full as well as to call them to fill it more. His optimism is not based on his faith in the believers of Thessalonica but in God who is at work in them.
Paul also affirms his faith that they are truly the objects of God’s eternal love in Jesus Christ. He remembers as he preached to them that there was a true movement of God’s Spirit among them and that they gave a clear profession of faith. The Thessalonians had seen God’s power in miracles performed by the Holy Spirit but also in the lives of love demonstrated by the apostolic missionary team that had brought them the message. This team had become an incarnation of the gospel and its power.
In light of the power of the Holy Spirit in deeds of wonder and in the lives of the missionaries that brought them the gospel of Jesus they had joyfully believed even though it had brought upon them persecution and hardships. Here we see pain and joy combined. There is an ability of human beings to have sorrow and holy glee at the same time. They became like Jesus and the missionaries who had both been blessed by being allowed to suffer persecution for righteousness sake.
Now, the Thessalonians were an example of faith under fire and were providing an example to believers throughout Greece and around the world. Because they were a center of trade and travel, what happened in Thessalonica traveled around the world through the travelers and traders that went through the city.
Their faith is one in which they have not just added Jesus into their religious lives but have allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to totally dominate their thinking. They were willing to turn against the ultimate concerns of their lives before Jesus in order to make the Lord Jesus the ultimate concern of their lives. This reality, lived out in their daily existence, had become the talk of the world and a demonstration of the truth of the gospel.
Christocentric - Christ must become our operating system and not just another program we add into our lives. Our true loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ is measured to the degree we abandon our “idols” that is whatever we value or trust in more than we do the person of Messiah Jesus. Christians who do not abandon their idols lose the opportunity to become world changers because they are worldly.
Moral - Faith determines what tasks we find important enough to do, inspires in us a working faith, and allows our actions to endure disappointments because we optimistically believe that history is governed by Christ. We are called to have faith, love, and hope be the dominate attitudes of our actions.
Eternal - For Christians death and the end of the world do not hold fear. We know that at these great moments in our personal and world history we will be embraced by God and fully accepted in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have joyful anticipation of what the future holds for us in the eternal kingdom of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus help me to abandon my idols in the way the believers in Thessalonica did when they heard the good news. Let me break my allegiance with the world system of unbelief and give to me a stronger and more fruitful faith.
Contemplation
Abandon all and follow me
Action
Today let me thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ and take note of their virtues instead of their vices. If I find myself complaining or gossiping about others let me stop and make a compliment about the person. Let me look for and specifically define how God is working in the lives of those around me and praise God for them in this light.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Love is the answer
Devotions
Reading
NLT Romans 12:9 Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. 14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. 19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. 20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." 21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Meditation
Paul here defines what a life of genuine love would be like. He compares and contrasts the actions and attitudes that would reflect a sincere love. This love comes from a sincere faith that Jesus has died for our sins, was buried, and now is raised to glory to seal our forgiveness and redemption. Faith and hope in the true gospel creates love for God and others in our hearts.
Paul calls on to have an inward reality where we are sincere in our love and not pretending to be nice. He wants us to really hate what is evil and be passionate for taking the side of good. He wants our love to be an emotional experience and an intellectual value. We are to be enthusiastic in our lives. We are to actually feel delight in lifting others up and speaking well of them. We are to have gladness for God’s plans for our lives regardless of our circumstances as we patiently wait and pray in the midst of trouble. We are to be able to rejoice in when others are happy and weep when they are sad. Our hearts are open to have real and healthy empathy with what others are feeling. We are to be humble and aware of our ignorance. We are to guard our hearts from the attitude of revenge and vengeance which come from unresolved anger. We are to nurture a attitude of seeking and desiring peace and harmony in all our relationships as we seek to love our enemies.
This inward reality which is a fruit of faith in the gospel is to have practical application to specific activities. We are to be hard workers in whatever we do. We are to be ready to meet the needs of others with practical help to meet those needs. Our homes are to be open to having guests and we need to be ready to share our table with others. We are not to act better than others and put on airs of importance. We are to take actions that will lead to peace and harmony instead of conflict. Our actions are to be above reproach and we are not to do evil for good reasons. We are to give to our enemies what they need and to have a strategy of defeating evil by overwhelming it with acts of kindness and mercy.
Our modern world often asks what relevance faith has to modern life. Here we see that if every Christian sought to live this type of life on a daily basis that no one would ask that question. Paul has outlined a dynamic lifestyle of faith which would be powerful in its impact in the world. May God give us the faith to live such a life.
Christocentric: This life Paul has outlines is really a blue print of what it means to be like Jesus. Jesus was the one who was the incarnation of sincere love. While hating evil he loved His enemies. He was the ultimate peace maker and conquered ultimate evil by doing the ultimate good on the cross. This passage not only tells us what we should be like it tells us what Jesus is like.
Moral: Love is the ultimate moral demand. We are to love God sincerely with all our hearts and love others without hypocrisy. Love produces a moral life. Immorality at its core is a failure to love God or others as we ought to love them. The greatest moral responsibility we have is to love.
Eternal: Heave will be where we feel and experience only love. We will love God and God will love us. We will love everyone and everyone will love us. The true joy of heaven is that we will be swimming in love, acceptance, harmony, and peace.
Prayer: Lord pour out your love into my heart by having the Holy Spirit increase my faith in the gospel. Lord let my faith grow that my love might grow. Give me the gift of a loving heart.
Contemplation: I am love
Action: Let me seek an opportunity to take positive and practical action which reflects Christ like love today. Let me overcome evil today by an act of sacrificial love in my daily life. Lord give me an opportunity to show your love today in a concrete and real way.
Reading
NLT Romans 12:9 Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. 14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. 19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. 20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." 21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Meditation
Paul here defines what a life of genuine love would be like. He compares and contrasts the actions and attitudes that would reflect a sincere love. This love comes from a sincere faith that Jesus has died for our sins, was buried, and now is raised to glory to seal our forgiveness and redemption. Faith and hope in the true gospel creates love for God and others in our hearts.
Paul calls on to have an inward reality where we are sincere in our love and not pretending to be nice. He wants us to really hate what is evil and be passionate for taking the side of good. He wants our love to be an emotional experience and an intellectual value. We are to be enthusiastic in our lives. We are to actually feel delight in lifting others up and speaking well of them. We are to have gladness for God’s plans for our lives regardless of our circumstances as we patiently wait and pray in the midst of trouble. We are to be able to rejoice in when others are happy and weep when they are sad. Our hearts are open to have real and healthy empathy with what others are feeling. We are to be humble and aware of our ignorance. We are to guard our hearts from the attitude of revenge and vengeance which come from unresolved anger. We are to nurture a attitude of seeking and desiring peace and harmony in all our relationships as we seek to love our enemies.
This inward reality which is a fruit of faith in the gospel is to have practical application to specific activities. We are to be hard workers in whatever we do. We are to be ready to meet the needs of others with practical help to meet those needs. Our homes are to be open to having guests and we need to be ready to share our table with others. We are not to act better than others and put on airs of importance. We are to take actions that will lead to peace and harmony instead of conflict. Our actions are to be above reproach and we are not to do evil for good reasons. We are to give to our enemies what they need and to have a strategy of defeating evil by overwhelming it with acts of kindness and mercy.
Our modern world often asks what relevance faith has to modern life. Here we see that if every Christian sought to live this type of life on a daily basis that no one would ask that question. Paul has outlined a dynamic lifestyle of faith which would be powerful in its impact in the world. May God give us the faith to live such a life.
Christocentric: This life Paul has outlines is really a blue print of what it means to be like Jesus. Jesus was the one who was the incarnation of sincere love. While hating evil he loved His enemies. He was the ultimate peace maker and conquered ultimate evil by doing the ultimate good on the cross. This passage not only tells us what we should be like it tells us what Jesus is like.
Moral: Love is the ultimate moral demand. We are to love God sincerely with all our hearts and love others without hypocrisy. Love produces a moral life. Immorality at its core is a failure to love God or others as we ought to love them. The greatest moral responsibility we have is to love.
Eternal: Heave will be where we feel and experience only love. We will love God and God will love us. We will love everyone and everyone will love us. The true joy of heaven is that we will be swimming in love, acceptance, harmony, and peace.
Prayer: Lord pour out your love into my heart by having the Holy Spirit increase my faith in the gospel. Lord let my faith grow that my love might grow. Give me the gift of a loving heart.
Contemplation: I am love
Action: Let me seek an opportunity to take positive and practical action which reflects Christ like love today. Let me overcome evil today by an act of sacrificial love in my daily life. Lord give me an opportunity to show your love today in a concrete and real way.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Matthew 15:10-20 - What messes up my life?
Devotions
8/23/2008
Reading: NLT Matthew 15:10 Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, "Listen to what I say and try to understand. 11 You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do. " 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?" 13 Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be rooted up, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch." 15 Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat." 16 "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. 17 "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. 18 But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"
Meditation
1. Literal – This section has two features of Jesus’ teaching ministry that stand out most when one reads the New Testament. First, Jesus’ teaching in conflict and offends the Pharisees and Jesus uses parables to get his point across. The first teaching here seems very straight forward. We become “unclean” or defiled not by breaking the washing rituals and dietary code of Israel but by our sinful actions. Now this was teaching contradicted the idea that it was important to follow all the outward dietary laws and rituals to be righteous.
The entire section of Matthew 15:1-28 is concerned with ritual purity -- who is clean/unclean and what makes them that way? There is a connection from beginning to end with the word artos = "bread". Unfortunately, this Greek word is usually left untranslated in v. 2b: "For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." It is a key image in Jesus' conversation with the Canaanite woman, v. 26 and in the feeding stories before and after our text: 14:17, 19; 15:33, 34, 36. (Note also its use in 16:5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). The chapter begins because the disciples have not followed the ritual cleansing riturals of the Pharisees when eating bread, a women is humble enough to ask for the crumbs of bread that fall of the table filled with Messianic blessing for the Jews, and the blessing of the kingdom is given by the multiplication of bread given like Manna from heaven.
Pharisees have come to Jesus asking why his disciples break the oral law, which they believe to be God-given and to have equal status with Mosaic Law: why do they not wash before eating? He has pointed out to them that at times they give priority to the oral law over the biblical Law. The Pharisees teach rules of human, rather than divine, origin.
Now (v. 10) he tells the crowd a “parable” (v. 15), a saying with a hidden meaning. He sees moral behaviour (“out of the mouth”, v. 11) as important, not food laws (“into the mouth”). When the disciples point out that he has offended the Pharisees (v. 12) by his reply to their question, he is blunt: do not follow them; being “blind” (v. 14), they and their followers will be judged adversely (“pit”). When Peter asks for an explanation, Jesus addresses all the disciples (“you”, v. 16, is plural). What is eaten, Jesus says, even though ritually clean, ends up unclean (“sewer”, v. 17), so food laws are unimportant (for their purpose was to keep Israel pure from idols and separate from the nations not to become viewed as magical). The “mouth” (v. 18) was seen as the channel by which the “heart”, the very being, expressed itself. Immoral behavior (“evil intentions ...”, v. 19) does alienate one from God (“defile”, v. 20) but not breaking laws of human origin or misunderstandings of God’s own Word.
Christocentric: We are confronted here with the reality of Jesus being the Christ. He is the authoritative prophet, priest, and king from God. His word is greater than the tradition of the rabbis of Israel. His interpretation of the dietary laws is enough to change the practice of God’s people. One must see Him as the one who has sight while orthodox Judaism is blind. We must recognize the strong demand here to bow the knee to Jesus as the ultimate authority over life and faith.
Moral: Don’t sweat the superficial and small things. Don’t focus life on things that end up in the sewer or the trash. Do be concerned about your words and deeds. Do worry about what your words and deeds reveal about the condition of your heart. Don’t view yourself as righteous and good because you keep a few “outward” Christian things. Instead recognize the depth of your sin within your heart and the need for forgiveness. Do not be a blind person leading another blind person. If you are blind then admit it and lead no one. Put first things first. Above all else ask God to give you a pure heart.
Eternal: The greatest joy of heaven will be that the controversies will be over, the questions will be all answered, and most important of all our hearts will be pure of all sin. The greatest joy of heaven will be that we are really morally clean, washed pure from all sin, and no longer defiled. We will be cured of our moral cancer and actually experience in our entire being love for God and love for others. We will become an incarnation of love, purity, and holiness. This will be the fulfillment of our greatest potential as human being. Lord, come quickly that we may be pure!
Prayer: Lord, continue to purify my heart. Keep me from superficial self justification of my actions. Lord, work in my heart to give me a greater and greater love for righteousness. Thank you for cleansing me of my sin by your sacrifice on the cross.
Contemplation: Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see me
Action: Make a list of every impure thought, word, and deed today. Seek to become sensitive to wrong intentions, wrong words, and wrong actions. At the end of the day confess these very specific things knowing that the blood of Christ washes away all my defilement. Then be really thankful for Christ’s death for my sins.
8/23/2008
Reading: NLT Matthew 15:10 Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, "Listen to what I say and try to understand. 11 You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do. " 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?" 13 Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be rooted up, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch." 15 Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat." 16 "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. 17 "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. 18 But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"
Meditation
1. Literal – This section has two features of Jesus’ teaching ministry that stand out most when one reads the New Testament. First, Jesus’ teaching in conflict and offends the Pharisees and Jesus uses parables to get his point across. The first teaching here seems very straight forward. We become “unclean” or defiled not by breaking the washing rituals and dietary code of Israel but by our sinful actions. Now this was teaching contradicted the idea that it was important to follow all the outward dietary laws and rituals to be righteous.
The entire section of Matthew 15:1-28 is concerned with ritual purity -- who is clean/unclean and what makes them that way? There is a connection from beginning to end with the word artos = "bread". Unfortunately, this Greek word is usually left untranslated in v. 2b: "For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." It is a key image in Jesus' conversation with the Canaanite woman, v. 26 and in the feeding stories before and after our text: 14:17, 19; 15:33, 34, 36. (Note also its use in 16:5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). The chapter begins because the disciples have not followed the ritual cleansing riturals of the Pharisees when eating bread, a women is humble enough to ask for the crumbs of bread that fall of the table filled with Messianic blessing for the Jews, and the blessing of the kingdom is given by the multiplication of bread given like Manna from heaven.
Pharisees have come to Jesus asking why his disciples break the oral law, which they believe to be God-given and to have equal status with Mosaic Law: why do they not wash before eating? He has pointed out to them that at times they give priority to the oral law over the biblical Law. The Pharisees teach rules of human, rather than divine, origin.
Now (v. 10) he tells the crowd a “parable” (v. 15), a saying with a hidden meaning. He sees moral behaviour (“out of the mouth”, v. 11) as important, not food laws (“into the mouth”). When the disciples point out that he has offended the Pharisees (v. 12) by his reply to their question, he is blunt: do not follow them; being “blind” (v. 14), they and their followers will be judged adversely (“pit”). When Peter asks for an explanation, Jesus addresses all the disciples (“you”, v. 16, is plural). What is eaten, Jesus says, even though ritually clean, ends up unclean (“sewer”, v. 17), so food laws are unimportant (for their purpose was to keep Israel pure from idols and separate from the nations not to become viewed as magical). The “mouth” (v. 18) was seen as the channel by which the “heart”, the very being, expressed itself. Immoral behavior (“evil intentions ...”, v. 19) does alienate one from God (“defile”, v. 20) but not breaking laws of human origin or misunderstandings of God’s own Word.
Christocentric: We are confronted here with the reality of Jesus being the Christ. He is the authoritative prophet, priest, and king from God. His word is greater than the tradition of the rabbis of Israel. His interpretation of the dietary laws is enough to change the practice of God’s people. One must see Him as the one who has sight while orthodox Judaism is blind. We must recognize the strong demand here to bow the knee to Jesus as the ultimate authority over life and faith.
Moral: Don’t sweat the superficial and small things. Don’t focus life on things that end up in the sewer or the trash. Do be concerned about your words and deeds. Do worry about what your words and deeds reveal about the condition of your heart. Don’t view yourself as righteous and good because you keep a few “outward” Christian things. Instead recognize the depth of your sin within your heart and the need for forgiveness. Do not be a blind person leading another blind person. If you are blind then admit it and lead no one. Put first things first. Above all else ask God to give you a pure heart.
Eternal: The greatest joy of heaven will be that the controversies will be over, the questions will be all answered, and most important of all our hearts will be pure of all sin. The greatest joy of heaven will be that we are really morally clean, washed pure from all sin, and no longer defiled. We will be cured of our moral cancer and actually experience in our entire being love for God and love for others. We will become an incarnation of love, purity, and holiness. This will be the fulfillment of our greatest potential as human being. Lord, come quickly that we may be pure!
Prayer: Lord, continue to purify my heart. Keep me from superficial self justification of my actions. Lord, work in my heart to give me a greater and greater love for righteousness. Thank you for cleansing me of my sin by your sacrifice on the cross.
Contemplation: Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see me
Action: Make a list of every impure thought, word, and deed today. Seek to become sensitive to wrong intentions, wrong words, and wrong actions. At the end of the day confess these very specific things knowing that the blood of Christ washes away all my defilement. Then be really thankful for Christ’s death for my sins.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Gospel Not Law
Our sermon series on Romans has focused us on the reality that it through the person of Jesus theMessiah alone that we have union and communion with God. Our obedience to the law of God is the basis of our having fellowship with God. The reality is that we should speak more of our disobedience to the law than our obedience for we have all fallen short of the demands of the law. We are in need of forgiveness and restoration. These are found in Jesus the Christ who has paid for our sins and been raised to life again to give us hope and fellowship with God. This "good news" is the focus, foundation, and center of our Christianity. It is not just a "front door" by which we enter the Christian life; it is the Christian life.
I hope you will join us for our meditations on Romans
I hope you will join us for our meditations on Romans
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