tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75470777733139686532024-02-21T03:01:36.680-08:00Hbc ProclaimerHbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-60042821912320799942013-10-27T14:57:00.001-07:002013-10-27T14:57:28.688-07:00The Doctrine of Christ<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Our doctrine of humanity leaves us as sinners, completely unholy, completely apart from God who is holy. As God and man are both persons suited to relationship, we are in need of redemption, reconciliation, and re-creation. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This recognition is not outside of God's knowledge, nor is it outside of God's power. God has made a way for humanity to find reconciliation with Him and that is through His Son Jesus. For many of us we know the saving power of Christ—we are believers. This means that we have accepted Christ as our Lord following <strong>Romans 10:9—because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. <br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We cannot rightly understand salvation without understanding the person of Jesus Christ who purchased that salvation for us.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This lesson will look at the person of Jesus Christ. When we understand who Jesus Christ is we have a better understanding of who saved us, how we were saved, why were saved, and our great need for God. It will take a lifetime to understand Christ, because He is God, but as we grow in our knowledge of who Jesus is we will come to have greater appreciation and devotion to Christ and to God the Father and the Spirit. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We will look at Christ from two of the most basic (though not simple) aspects of who He is—His divinity and humanity. From there we should close this lesson by pointing that this God-Man Jesus is our only hope, not just for those who are not saved, but He is the continual hope for those who are saved. We will break down these points by looking at one text in particular: <strong>John 1:1-4, 14-18</strong>. Though there are many other texts that speak of who Christ is, this one sets out the basics of knowing who Jesus is, which helps us know what He has done for us.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Jesus is God<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The first point that we need to make about Jesus is that He is God. This is not the most obvious point about Jesus Christ, especially since it is historically clear that Jesus was a man. But our conception of Jesus needs to be somewhat chronological if we are to understand rightly who He is for us. <strong>John 1:1-4 </strong>states it this way: <strong>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. </strong>From this text we need to see a few correlations to who Jesus is in relation to His divinity.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>First, we see that Jesus is the Word. Much is made of the Greek word Logos which we translate as Word. A word is much more than the nouns of verbs of speech; it is the conception of an idea, and the conversation that establishes a relationship. So Jesus as God is the embodiment of our understanding of God, that abstract definition of God we made a few weeks back.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>John 1:1 directly connects to Genesis<strong> 1:1</strong> to shape our metaphysics, <strong>In the beginning</strong> means "before time." The Gospel writer begins his narrative of Jesus of Nazareth with a connection to the Word, who is eternal. We must remember that eternality is an attribute of no one else besides God. By stating the Word was in the beginning points to the divinity of Christ. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Third, we see that this Word <strong>was with God</strong> and <strong>was God</strong>. There have been those who have re-read and re-written this section of Scripture to say the Word was <em>a </em>god. There is no article in the original language, but by adding this indefinite article is an attempt to infer that there can be multiple gods and a variety of powers to those gods. As we studied in the doctrine of God this cannot be so. There is one God (<strong>Deut 6</strong>). So if there is one God, what is John getting at? The answer is an affirmation of the Trinity. We have God the Father existing from all eternity; here we have with Him the Word which also exists from all eternity. Jesus, the Word is God and is with God, the Father, which is why we can affirm that He is in the beginning with God. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This truth is found elsewhere in the New Testament. In <strong>Hebrews 1:3 </strong>we are shown that Jesus is the <strong>He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature</strong>. <strong>Colossians 1:15</strong> states this as well <strong>He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn </strong>(first cause) <strong>of all creation. Philippians 2:6 </strong>speaks of Jesus as being <strong>in the form of God</strong>. Jesus was just like God because He was and is God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Fourth, we see from this passage that <strong>All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made</strong>. This is a simple statement that the Word, Jesus, was the one who created the world. Jesus the Word was active in creation. If Jesus was not God then how could He create us, since that is something only God could do? In <strong>Genesis 1</strong> we see the <em>Spirit of God</em> hovering over the face of the waters. The whole Trinity was at work in creation. In <strong>Colossians 1:16</strong> we have Jesus as the creator: <strong>For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. </strong>His work goes well beyond His earthly ministry in the flash. He is creator, He is the one that holds all things together, He is God.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Jesus is Man<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The second point we want to make in this lesson is that Jesus is also man, which means human. As we read along in <strong>John 1</strong> we come to <strong>verse 14,</strong> which is a pivotal verse for this section of Scripture and a thought that changes everything the world ever knew and would know. <strong>And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.</strong> Recall the relational nature of God and man, alienated by the sin of man, now to be restored supernaturally. We are confronted with the reality that our great and good God has decided to <em>become flesh</em>; to clothe His perfect divinity and holiness in human flesh; to bridge the divide between God and man.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>There are two ideas from this phrase that need to be highlighted. The first is the literal meaning of becoming flesh. The idea behind the phrase is that Jesus <em>pitched his tent</em> with us. He left the perfect neighborhood of heaven, where everyone wants to be, and moved to the slums of the earth. Because of sin we could not dwell in the presence of God's holiness, but Jesus moved in next door.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The second way to understand Jesus becoming flesh is found in the word <em>incarnation</em>. This word means that Jesus took on our nature. Every part of who we are as humans Jesus experienced. If you have been tempted this week rest assured that Jesus also was tempted in that way. When you find limitations as being a human in knowledge or power, Jesus also experienced that, though still was God. Anything that you can think of as being human is found in Jesus. <strong>Hebrews 4:15</strong> states, <strong>For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. </strong>In the early church this aspect of Christ was heavily debated (as well as Jesus being God) and these early church fathers declared, "What Jesus did not assume, He did not redeem." If Jesus was not tempted as you are He did not die for, and cover the sin that you deal with, but if He did you are covered. That is the simple truth of Jesus' humanity.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We find the full humanity of Christ elsewhere in Scripture as well. Of course we know that Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 we have the birth narratives that show Jesus as a human. We see through the Gospels that He grew, He ate, He got angry, He slept, He wept, He bled, He died. He was human in ways in which we know. Scripture also points to the relationship between His humanity and deity. <strong>Philippians 2:6-8</strong>, says, <strong>who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross</strong>. That is the marvel of the incarnation—God <em>became</em> man to serve us and to be found in our likeness as we are created in His.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Jesus is Our Only Hope<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We see that Jesus was God and clearly He was man. Are these affirmations that important and significant? The answer is a resounding YES! Without Jesus being God and being Man, that is, being a God-Man, there is no hope of reconciliation. As we conclude this lesson lets look at the end of John's prologue. <span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us. </span><strong>John 1: 18.</strong> What we need to notice about Jesus here is that apart from Him coming and <em>revealing</em> Himself to us in the incarnation we, humanity, would have no way to <em>know </em>God. This is not an overstatement, we know that without Jesus we would not be saved, but without Him coming as the God-Man we would not know God in a personal way at all. We need to read this passage as: <strong>No one has ever seen the invisible God</strong>…but Jesus has made God known. At minimum Jesus as the God-Man brings us the hope of the personal knowledge of God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>As we close out this lesson we should read <strong>Romans 5:12-17</strong> for it shows Jesus, as the new Adam who overcame sin for us.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This mystery of the God-man Jesus is remarkable to us. But because we were alienated from God by sin, there is really not any other way for God to be reconciled to man. And in Jesus the relationship is restored, and we can know Him and be known by Jesus, who is the perfect image of God.</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-15438825763858772392013-10-20T14:00:00.001-07:002013-10-20T14:00:25.776-07:00The Doctrine of Man<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Since the publishing of Charles Darwin's book "The Descent of Man", the secular world has tended to view mankind as just an evolved animal. This materialist reductionist view means there is nothing to man but the cells that make up our bodies. But this view has a number of problems for which a proper theological understanding of mankind can answer.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In this lesson we are going to look at two areas of humanity that will aid us in establishing our view of what humanity is. In short we are trying to answer the question, "What is man like?" The first is the creation of humanity in the <em>image of God</em>. The second is the makeup of man from that image as we relate to God.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Man—In One Image<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>As created beings we share commonality with the rest of creation—plants, animals, etc. However, we are distinct from the rest of creation as well. One could say that humanity is the pinnacle of God's creative force. At the end of the last day of creation God made man and woman. This timing sets us off a little bit from the rest of creation, but the element that really distinguishes humanity from plants and animals is the <em>image of God</em>. Look at <strong>Genesis 1:26-27</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Then God said, "Let us make man <em>in our image, after our likeness</em>. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man <em>in his own image</em>, <em>in the image of God</em> he created him; male and female he created them. <br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In theological jargon this doctrine is called the <em>imago dei</em> (image of God in Latin). Since it is an important factor in the makeup of humanity and also the distinguishing feature of humanity we should strive to know in what way are we in God's image.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When most people read "in our image, after our likeness" they think the phrase is redundant, but there are two different ideas in that passage. The Hebrew word for image means shade or shadow. The great kings of the earth would mark their lands with statues or symbols of their own image, so the shadow or silhouette would mark the extent of their authority. Recently on our trip to Eureka Springs on the grounds of The Great Passion Play, we went to see this giant Christ of the Ozarks statue we called "big Jesus" one afternoon, and parked our motorcycles in the shade of big Jesus, and looked at the vast shadow of his image. To me this is the reminder that all of mankind is always in the shadow of God's domain and authority. The second phrase "after our likeness", means similitude. Just how man is similar to God? There are some Bible verses that can aid our understanding.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Genesis 5:1—This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Genesis 9:6—Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>1 Corinthians 11:7—For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>James 3:9—With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>2 Corinthians 3:18—And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In all of these passages we see two things. First, humanity is unique. How we are made and how we act both are in direct correlation to the likeness of God. So the rest of creation is in some sense <em>unlike </em>God. This means that we need to see the importance of humanity over against other creations. We should be good stewards of the world God created and called good. As we are under God's dominion he gave man dominion over the rest of creation. We should be especially good to other humans since they all possess this quality of God's image. It is always a disturbing site to see people that treat animals better than some humans. God has not intended for us to be on the same level with animals since He has given us His image. We are unique from the rest of creation. A recent study on gene expression was trying to understand the differences between man and chimpanzees since our protein coding DNA is similar, but our bodies are so different. The abstract spoke of "</span><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'>the evolutionary chasm that exists between humans and chimpanzees", </span><span style='font-size:12pt'>and that is only considering our physiology, which is actually the least of our differences.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Second we need to note that the likeness in which we are made is related to the <em>person </em>of God. God is a spirit and does not have a body, but God is also a person. This means that He has relational qualities. In the Trinity there is an interrelation between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In that relationship a likeness was created and given to humanity so we too can relate to one another and relate to God. This means that it was God's intention for us to be in a relationship with our Creator. He wants to know us and relate to us because He gave us His quality of personality so we can know and relate to Him. It is true that in the animal Kingdom we find examples of relationality and even communication, but none compare to the abilities of humanity. We have the capacity to know and be known by God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Unfortunately humanity fell (see <strong>Genesis 3</strong>) and sin was introduced into the created world. This affected the relationship between humanity and God, but it did not eradicate the <em>imago dei</em>. Humanity still has the capacity to know God and relate to Him, even if only a little. Moreover, because God is love, He sent His son to come and restore the broken relationship that sin caused between humanity and God. Those who are in Christ Jesus now have the ability to know God and be known by Him again. Our <em>imago dei</em> is restored to set us on the path of continually growing into the likeness of God. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In application, the <em>image of God</em> in our lives means a few important things. First, it means that <em>we belong to God</em>. Everything does belong to God because He created it, but we are His special creatures that He has given His image to and we must be reminded whose we are (especially if we are Christians!). Second, it means that we should <em>pattern our lives after Jesus</em>. In <strong>Romans 5</strong> we are shown that sin came through Adam, but righteousness came through Christ. Jesus has re-established humanity by becoming human. He is the example of what true humanity should be in God's image. So we should live our lives in the example of Christ. Third, since we are created in God's image, we should recognize that we are <em>most human</em> when we are <em>living in a proper relation to God</em>. When we rightly subject ourselves to God and seek a relationship with Him we are living the humanity God intended. Fourth, <em>we should work</em>. Humanity was not created to simply exist, Humanity existed to subdue and rule the world, which was God's will. As proper humans in God's image we should strive to work and do God's will daily. Finally, we need to see that being made in God's image means that <em>we are valuable</em>. This value is because God thought us were worthy of bearing His image. We must not forget this point. Satan constantly wants us to believe that we are alone, or that because of sin we are worthless. Not so, we are made in God's image, sin can tarnish but not erase that image.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Man—As One Person<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The second aspect of our humanity that we need to consider is how we are constructed. In the Bible there are many ways that the persons are spoken of consisting. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The first major view is the <em>dichotomist</em> view. This view believes there are two parts to humanity—body and spirit/soul (thus the <em>di</em>, which means two). This is the most widely held view throughout the history of the church. Throughout the Bible it is clear that there are at least two parts to humanity. We can call these two parts the <em>material</em> and the <em>immaterial</em>. The material part is the body, that which we can see and feel. The immaterial is the part that we cannot feel or see, but know it exists. Clearly we have a body. We see God create it in <strong>Genesis 2:7 </strong>with His very breath forming man from the dust of the ground. The body is an important part of who we are, so we must strive to take care of our body while we have it on this earth. (practically speaking, we should go to the doctor, work-out, eat healthy, abstain from bodily immorality, etc.)<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The question that divides the positions concerns the immaterial aspect of our person. In the Bible the terms that are used are soul and spirit. When we die we will give up our body and a part of us will go away until we are untied once again with our glorified bodies. This part for the dichotomists is the soul/spirit part. In the Bible the words for soul and spirit seem to be used interchangeable. Often soul could also be translated as life, and it is the spirit that gives life, and departs at death so they are closely related:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), (Genesis 35:18)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." (1 Kings 17:21)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. (Psalm 31:5)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"<sup><br /> </sup>(Luke 23:46)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The dichotomist (two-part) view then would see the terms in the Bible for soul and spirit as being interchangeable and applying only to the immaterial part of a person. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The other major view is the <em>trichotomist</em> view. This sees three parts to the human person—body, soul, and spirit. Those who hold this view do not hold that soul and spirit are used interchangeably, but are distinct parts of the human person. They will appeal to verses like <strong>1 Thessalonians 5:23— Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. </strong>Here we clearly see that Paul is addressing three different parts of a person. If they are interchangeable, why would he list three? <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Of these three the body is the only part a naturalist would recognize. <strong>1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>So last week we looked at God in three persons Father, Son, and Spirit, all as God in relationship with each other. So a part of the threeness of man must be our ability to relate to God, to know God, and be known by Him. It is clearly the spirit of man that is designed to relate to God. Remember the Greek word "spiritus" meaning breath is the way God animated man to life in the beginning. <strong>Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we studied creation last year the one creation day lesson I worked hardest on, but was the least satisfied with, was the 6<sup>th</sup> day including the creation of man. I think the reason for this was my focus on the body and evidence that would refute evolution. In retrospect though, it is not the body of man that provides the clearest differences for humanity. It is the soul including the mind, not the brain (the human computer) but rather the software that runs on that computer. We spoke last week about abstract reasoning (to understand an immaterial God) being unique to humanity, but there is much more. Humans are ultra-social even compared to other primates, with one study finding human 2 year olds many times more highly refined in their interactions and ability to learn from each other than adult chimpanzees. Even in creation God did not consider man to be complete until he was in a relationship with God and with woman.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Humans are unique in their God-awareness. The Hebrew word Yir-ah rendered as the "fear of God" means reverence or awe. It is not dread or terror "pachad" but a god-sense that includes our need to worship. Studies confirm Humans are also unique in altruism, even to the point of self-sacrifice. Only humans make use of symbolic language to enable us to accumulate knowledge and pass it to the generations; a capability specific to the special revelation making recorded scripture possible. Furthermore the consciousness of humans our self-awareness and introspection is useless in evolutionary terms, but makes us moral beings as God intended. The cheetah chasing a herd of antelope aren't saying "no don't take the baby antelope that would be wrong", animals are not capable of moral judgments. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>As God exists Father, Son, and Spirit so man exists body, soul, and spirit. We are made with distinct capabilities, endowed to equip us to relate to God, other people and the rest of creation in a way that is uniquely human. We carry the image of the immortal God, and live for His purpose; this is the doctrine of man.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><br /> </span> </p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-34659870472155914592013-10-19T07:20:00.001-07:002013-10-19T07:20:34.057-07:00God Defined<span xmlns=''><p>In the words of The Village Church pastor Matt Chandler "Everyone is a theologian, but some of you are heretics". Theology is the study of God; His attributes, person and character. When people talk about God they have in their mind their own abstract ideas of what God is like. Evan an atheist, before he can claim to reject God, has to define in his own mind, what it is that he is rejecting. Thus what we believe about God can influence whether or not we believe in God.<br /></p><p>The earliest prayer I learned as a child was this: "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food; Amen". Now most would say that is a really shallow prayer, but it contains the foundation of an outline we can use to define God. "God is great" speaks of the Excellency of His attributes. "God is good" reveals the virtue of His character.<br /></p><p>Defining an abstract idea like God may seem odd but it has a very practical application. As a software developer I practice Object Oriented Programming (OOP); wherein you must define system objects with their attributes and functions before you can use them in a program. So today we will begin a theology program by creating an abstract definition of God, using the dual revelation of nature and scripture to aid our understanding.<br /></p><p><strong>God is great – The Excellency of His attributes<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Spirit and Person</strong> – We learn from the origin of creation is that God is not made of or constrained by the matter and energy of this physical world. He is immaterial, he is Spirit (John 4:24). Spirit defined is vital principle or animating force within living beings. Life is not possible without God, He is the animating force behind all life. <strong>He (Jesus incarnate) is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)</strong> and <strong>To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17).</strong> We also see God as a person in that he has relationships within the Trinitarian God-head and with his created beings (angels and man). So God as Spirit and person can relate to us, but is not limited by the physical realm. We experience God as three persons Father, Son, and Spirit.<br /></p><p><strong>Eternal</strong> – In Genesis we see God existing before creation. In Exodus God identifies Himself as the "I AM", that is the self-existent one. Revelation 1:8 calls him the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. When we think of eternal, we tend to think a long time, but that is incomplete. Standard Model physics has learned that the Cosmic Creation Event not only created all matter and energy but space and time itself. Time as we understand it did not exist before creation and God exists in this eternal dimension unlimited by time.<br /></p><p><strong>Omnipotent</strong> – All powerful, God can do whatever he wills. Genesis 18:14 asks "is anything too hard for God"? Job 42:2 says of God "I know you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted". Further we see God's power at work in us in Matthew 19:26 "with God all things are possible". The power that formed the worlds, positioned the stars, brought up continents, and created life, is the same power that will redeem sinful men.<br /></p><p><strong>Omniscient</strong> – All knowing. A part of this is tied to God's eternal attribute. Where we experience life like a movie one frame or picture at a time, God sees all time as though it were now. What will be true in the future is just as clear to Him as what was true in the past, or what is true in the present. Job 11 asks "Can you find out the deep things of God"? <br /></p><p><strong>Have you not known? Have you not heard?<br /></strong></p><p><strong> The Lord is the everlasting God,<br /></strong></p><p><strong> the Creator of the ends of the earth.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>He does not faint or grow weary;<br /></strong></p><p><strong> his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28)<br /></strong></p><p><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>Whereas we can know God and be known by Him, we cannot know everything God knows. Our temporal minds are limited by our physical reality so we will surely be able to know more once we are translated to be like Jesus. <strong>Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Omnipresent</strong> – Just as God is not limited or constrained by time, so He is also not limited by space. There is no place where God cannot be, not physically, but just as certain. God moves in a way that transcends our 3 dimensions of space. Comparing God to us is like comparing us to a paper doll on a table, with only two dimensions. <strong>Psalm 139:7-12</strong> highlights this attribute God:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Where shall I go from your Spirit?<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Or where shall I flee from your presence?<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>If I ascend to heaven, you are there!<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>If I take the wings of the morning<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>even there your hand shall lead me,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>and your right hand shall hold me.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>and the light about me be night,"<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>even the darkness is not dark to you;<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>the night is bright as the day,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>for darkness is as light with you.<br /></strong></span></p><p><strong>Unchangeable</strong> – Immutable. Whereas the physical world works on the law of decay or entropy always changing in every way; the immaterial God does not change. <strong>Malachi 3:6 </strong>says, <strong>I the Lord do not change</strong>. So as we look at each of the attributes we need to remember they are static, thus once established, they cannot be changed. Thus we see if God is constrained by anything it is only by His own nature.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>God is good – The virtue of His character<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Holy </strong>– Holiness is a purity or incorruptibility of character that begins and ends with God. Recently preacher taught us to chant "holy, holy, holy", like the angels of heaven. The angels only say this in the center of God's presence. Any holiness we experience as people we obtain from our relationship with God. <strong>Exodus 15:11</strong> illustrates this, <strong>Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness</strong>. <br /></p><p>God is free from evil and from any evil influence. <strong>James 1:13</strong> speaks of this, <strong>Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.</strong> The holiness of God also explains the difficulty of sinful man to approach God. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Proverbs 15:9—The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord</strong>, and <strong>Isaiah 59:2—but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.</strong><br /> </span>Because of His holiness God cannot ignore sin, and he has a few ways of dealing with it, which we will see next.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Just</strong> – God is perfect in justice and thus all the judgments he renders are righteous. God separates himself from sin either by purifying it sacrificially, or destroying it. Jesus is revealed in scripture as the righteous judge, and when looking at scripture we saw last week it is the words of God that will judge the actions of man, and it is this justice that sinful men find most objectionable. <strong>"And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Rev. 20:12-15</strong><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p><strong>Love</strong> – 1 John 4:16 tells us flatly that God is love. God can love deeper, forgive more perfectly, and wait more patiently than any other relationship you will experience. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 54pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:7-10)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Who demonstrate their love like God? <strong>Greater love has no one than this, than that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13).</strong> This is what Jesus did for us, but it also is the love of the Father for us, <strong>For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)<br /></strong></span></p><p><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Though we are sinners and stand in front of a holy God, we also are standing in front of a loving God who loved us so much that He created a way for us to overcome His wrath because of sin (derived from the justice of God) and redeems us. This is love. Any other concept of love is derived from it. <br /></span></p><p>Conclusions about God<br /></p><p>Philosophers don't start with the question "Is there a God?" they ask, "Why is there something, rather than nothing"? One of the great philosophers on the subject of God and creation was Thomas Aquinas. And he made a few fundamental observations that still plague those who argue against God's existence. 1) If it is possible that something might not exist, then it is certain that at some time it did not exist. 2) Everything that begins to exist has a cause; the universe began to exist, so the universe has a cause. 3) If anything exists contingently, at least one thing exists necessarily.<br /></p><p>Plug what we know from modern cosmology into this philosophy and the answer is obvious. The universe at one time did not exist. To come into existence the universe had to have a cause. A universe with a beginning, and a cause, points to a supernatural existence outside of creation. This supernatural eternal existence, the uncreated cause, is best described as the God of the Bible.<br /></p><p>An old rabbinical proverb puts it like this: Being what he is, God could not fail to be who he is, and being who he is, God could not fail to be. So the sum of the matter from the Bible is thus, God is the eternal creator, because an eternal creator was necessary. The infinite God exists, because he must. The temporal cannot exist without the infinite.<br /></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'>namespace Theology<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'>{<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> protected abstract class God<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> {<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> #region Great //Excellent attributes<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Spirit_and_Person;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Eternal;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Omnipotent;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Omnicient;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Omnipresent;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> static Attribute Unchangeable;<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> #endregion<br /></span></p><p> <br /> </p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> #region Good //Virtuous character<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public bool Holy(object nature) { return true;}<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public bool Just(object judgments) { return true; }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public bool Loving(object relationships) { return true; }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> #endregion<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public sealed class Trinitatian_Godhead //3 persons one God<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> {<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public class Father : God { }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public class Son : God { }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> public class HolySpirit : God { }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'> }<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Consolas; font-size:9pt; background-color:white'>}</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-1296218945244585892013-10-08T18:14:00.001-07:002013-10-08T18:14:40.243-07:00The Doctrine of Scripture<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This week we begin seven lessons on doctrines of the faith. In the next seven weeks we are going to cover some of the important doctrines that the church has believed, upheld, and defended through the years. We are going to highlight what we think are the most important: Scripture, God, Man, Jesus, Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Last Things (eternity). <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This week we are going to look at the doctrine of Scripture. We will to discuss the nature of the Holy Bible as has been believed by Christians for thousands of years. More than that, it is important to also show how the Bible is important for humanity today. One could say that we should start a series on doctrine with the doctrine of God since He existed (is existence) before the Bible, but the reason we start with Scripture is that most of our knowledge about God comes from Scripture. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Scripture is Revelation from God<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The first aspect of the Bible that we need to note is that it is a revelation from God. God reveals to us things about himself, mankind, and his plans by revelation in scripture. This is exactly what God does for us. His nature (discussed next week) is one that is separate from creation. He is accessible and works within creation, but He is beyond it as well. Because of this He has to come to us to <em>reveal</em> Himself to us. Without Him revealing Himself to us we would not be able to know anything about Him personally. Thus, we know that God reveals Himself to us, and He does that in two ways: General and Special Revelation.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Our topic today is on Special revelation (the Bible) but we must briefly mention General Revelation. This type of revelation is a disclosure of God that is <em>addressed to all people of all times and is therefore available to all people at all times</em>. We find this throughout the Scriptures. God is revealing Himself through nature, by moving His redemption plan through history, and through the very makeup of man. <strong>Psalm 19</strong> is the best example of this type of revelation:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The heavens declare the glory of God,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Day to day pours out speech,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and night to night reveals knowledge.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>There is no speech, nor are there words,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> whose voice is not heard.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Their voice goes out through all the earth,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and their words to the end of the world.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>In them he has set a tent for the sun,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Its rising is from the end of the heavens,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and its circuit to the end of them,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In this passage we can see that God has revealed Himself through creation, however we must not stop (or even begin) with general revelation. For in it we do not know the more important things of God—salvation, law, God's Person—rather we only know that a god exists.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Because of that we are in need of what we call Special Revelation. Special Revelation is a disclosure of God <em>to certain people at certain times</em>. Overall we could find a few different types of special revelation in history. For instance Moses' conversations with God are considered special revelation. The sacrifice at Mt. Carmel with Elijah is another instance of special revelation. In these instances we see that God revealed Himself to certain people at a specific time (Moses and Elijah and company).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The main idea of special revelation, though, is found in Scripture. By Scripture we mean the Bible in two testaments—Old, with 39 books; New, with 27 books. This is the Christian Bible and the church has believed it to be the sole source of special revelation from God. In it we find the plan for humanity, the Law, Salvation, and most of all, the Person of God. This is why we call it the <em>Word</em> of God. When we read Scripture we are coming into contact with special revelation, and as such we can say that we are coming into contact with God's very own word and words. In short, we hear from God through the Bible. This truth alone should compel us to read the Bible more and more. The remainder of <strong>Psalm 19 </strong>speaks to this as well as the entirety of <strong>Psalm 119</strong>. The Law, the writings, the Gospels, etc. are the words of God revealed to us.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Scripture is Authoritative for Man<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we think about authority we think of those who have the power to tell us what to do or not to do. We may think of our boss at work, a teacher at school, a police person, or a parent in the home. In the church we think of Jesus as having authority as <strong>Matthew 28</strong> shows that all authority is given to Him and He has given that authority to us to do His will. But there is another side of authority we must comprehend and it relates to truth.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we read Scripture we must come to believe what Scripture says as being true and beneficial for us. In a sense we can see the authority of Scripture in affirming that there is <em>power</em> and <em>meaning</em> in Scripture. It is powerful because it is God's very Word. It is meaningful because it is applicable to our lives. Our main text today attests to this very nature of Scripture: <strong>All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).</strong> We see that all of Scripture is breathed out by God—His power—and all Scripture is profitable.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The Bible is God's Word. This means that if we believe God is speaking to us in Scripture then we must <em>trust</em> the words of Scripture, since they are God's very Words. A great example of this in Scripture are the words of Jesus in <strong>John 12:47-50</strong>:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we read the words of the Bible we are reading a book that has been well preserved through time so that we can hear the authoritative words of God. When we do not heed these words we are judged because of it, but when we submit to their authority we find eternal life.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>If we are to grow in our faith we must submit to the authority of the Word and do what it says, for we have no other authority. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Scripture is Inspired by the Holy Spirit<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>It is important to understand that the Word of God is also powerful, as mentioned above. If the Bible is not powerful then it cannot really help us no matter how meaningful it may be. But if it is powerful it will bring great help to us to be able to save us and complete us as Christians. That power comes to us in the nature of Scripture as <em>inspired</em> by God. That word <em>inspired</em> literally means to exhale. The words of Scripture have been breathed out by God and are thus full of His power.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Another important Bible text on Scripture is found in <strong>2 Peter</strong>:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>prophetic word more fully confirmed</span>, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit</span>. (2 Peter 1:16-21,)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Although Peter was able to receive a certain special revelation at the transfiguration of Christ he points to Scripture as being <strong>more sure</strong> (as other translations have it) than him seeing Jesus glorified. When we read Scripture we need to realize that the words written therein are not man's words, as many in our world would like to believe. These are the very words of God given to man to write down.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In both <strong>2 Timothy </strong>and <strong>1 Peter</strong> we have the concept of inspiration. Peter speaks of Scripture not being written by man but being <strong>carried along</strong> by the Holy Spirit. Paul writes to Timothy to show that Scripture is <em>theo-pneustos </em>(God-theo; breathed-pneustos). Another word for Spirit in the Greek language is wind (<em>pneuma</em>). Both of these texts show us that God has been active in the writing of Scripture through His Holy Spirit. This means that when we read the words in Scripture we are coming to read the words that God intended to be written and the words that God has preserved through the centuries to be read. We are reading divine, authoritative, words of God. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we read Scripture we must submit to what it says because it is the Word of God, but we also must know that it has the ability to empower us <em>because </em>it is the Word of God. There is no other writing in history that will affect you like Scripture. You can read the best prose, the most enticing philosophy, or the greatest literature from Homer to Shakespeare and not find anything comparable to Scripture. The nature of Scripture is that it is the divine revelation of God in authority in word form for us—it is God's power. If we want God's power in our life we must follow Scripture.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Scripture is Inerrant in Itself<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Finally, we must state that Scripture is what is called <em>inerrant</em>. For most of church history the authority and inspiration of the Bible was not questioned, but in our Modern times we do nothing but question to the point we are not sure of anything. The Bible came under great attack and those who believe it to be true and trustworthy have had to respond back by declaring it to be <em>inerrant</em>.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Inerrancy means that there are no errors in Scripture. This is a term not found in the Bible itself, but has been used to clarify what is meant in the trustworthiness of Scripture. It can be defined a variety of ways, but we will define it as: <em>without the possibility of erring</em>. This means the Bible is not wrong, it is truth. For many of us who have accepted the authority of Scripture this is an easy acceptance. We trust the Word of God, so why do we need to claim it to be inerrant. We assert this for our friends and family who lose their trust in parts of Scripture.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>One reason we spent so much time teaching through the days of creation last year showing how the science actually confirms what the scripture is saying is that some have failed to address the challenges of evolution and theoretical physics; and many stopped presuming the Bible is right about creation. A problem arises though, if the Bible is wrong here, then it could be wrong elsewhere and the slippery slope goes from denying the Bible in relation to how we got here, to denying the Gospel. That is a simplified overstatement, but it is the trajectory for those who disbelieve parts of the Bible. A statement on the truthfulness of Scripture needs to be affirmed and that is found in stating that the Bible is without error or inerrant. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This line of thought goes well beyond fact checking science and comes into play in the moral arenas in our churches where Christians are choosing to believe some Scriptures and not others. For instance, Jesus is accepted as savior, but is denied in His teaching on marriage, divorce, and sexuality. Some have called this <em>limited inerrancy</em>, but the problem is that there is no consensus on what limits are drawn up. Either Scripture is without error and therefore trustworthy or it has errors and we don't know what to trust. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In conclusion, we have a great gift of God in Scripture that is able to make us complete not only because it has wise sayings, but because it is the authoritative, inerrant, inspired, revelation of God given to us and preserved for us. We must see its permanence and importance most of all since it is something that will not pass away.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)</strong></span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-81895505650882369892013-09-29T15:03:00.001-07:002013-09-29T15:03:50.530-07:00It’s Not about You<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:8-11, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This week we look at the final lesson from the book <em>I am a Church Member</em>. For those who are utilizing the book this lesson is based upon chapter three, "I will not let the church be about me." As we broach this subject and look at what the Bible says, we need to keep in mind two things about being a church member. First, as members of a larger body our preferences are not most important. In other words, its not about you. Second, what it is about is service, serving, and being a servant.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>At the beginning of the book Rainer pointed out that there is a difference between a church and a social club. In a social club, because of the dues that are paid (among other things), personal preferences can be sought out, argued for, and accomplished. However, in the church, the body of Christ, we are not to exist for our own desires, but solely for the desire of the one who bought us and brought us out of darkness into glorious light. Though we know this truth at times we allow our individual preferences to eclipse our work for Christ. We all fall prey to this in one form or another and it is just selfish. In the realm of the church a selfish church is labeled an inwardly focused church. Rainer provides a list of areas that kept churches inwardly focused:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Survey of Inwardly Focused Churches<br /></span></p><ol style='margin-left: 45pt'><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Worship Wars<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Prolonged minutia meetings<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Facility Focus<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Program driven<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Inwardly focused budget<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Inordinate demands for pastoral care<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Attitudes of entitlement<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Greater concern about change than the gospel<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Anger and hostility<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Evangelistic apathy<br /></span></div></li></ol><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In reading this list we may find the areas that we have been more inward focused than outward focused, falling short of the will of God in the great Commission. The way to ensure that we are not being inwardly focused is to make sure we are serving, as a church body and individually members of it. The topic of service is an integral element in the life of the church.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Service Helps us Love One Another<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we looked at unity we saw as God was adding people to the church as it pleased Him, he was also supplying two kinds of supernatural glue to bind us together. One mentioned in Ephesians 4:1-3 is peace (<span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace)</span>. The second one highlighted here is love.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The beginning of the passage takes us directly to the way in which we are able to live together and serve each other: <strong>keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins</strong>. We have discussed the interplay between the varieties of gifts found within the body, but they do not work well together without love. Paul exhorts us here to love one another because without love we are nothing (<strong>1 Cor 13</strong>). <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Not only must we love one another, but we must do so <em>earnestly</em>. Found in this word is the concept of loving <em>unfailingly</em>. It is further highlighted by the next clause: love covers a multitude of sins. All of the problems of the inward focused church (made up of fallible people like us) go away when love abounds unfailingly. When we consider love first we begin to see each other as Christ sees us: forgiven. We find empathy with others when we love them first (we saw this last week as an effect of praying for others). Most of all we find that it becomes easier to serve with others in the church when we eagerly desire to love them.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The Bible elsewhere speaks of the need for the body to serve one another. In <strong>Mark 9:35</strong> it says, <strong>And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."</strong> We are not to seek to be first, but lovingly we consider others greater than ourselves. The greatest example of this is in the life of Jesus as presented in <strong>Philippians 2</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Jesus considered our humble estate and loved us by coming, but he also served us in coming as well. He came in the form of a servant in the greatest act of love ever presented in the history of mankind. We, as the church and church members, are to follow suit and be like Jesus. We are to be servants who love those we serve.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This means that we are to have an outward view of our church membership. Every other person we come across in our church needs to be an object of our love. This is not always easy, but it is necessary for the church to function properly and be healthy. It also is the only way we are going to be able to serve, and, consequently when we serve and love find it becomes easier and easier to serve and to love others.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Service Helps us Strengthen One Another<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>As just mentioned, the result of service in our lives and in our church brings great benefits to us. In a world that is always out for number one, the benefits of charitable acts are lost. Why would we spend time at a food pantry? Why would we give up a Saturday to fix someone's car? Why would we give away hundreds of dollars to people we do not even know? These are the questions of the world and often we believe them. However, those who know how to serve know the intangible benefits of serving.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Service is an attitude that is prevalent in the New Testament. We find <em>servant</em> 57 times and the word <em>serve</em> 58 times. So over 100 times in the New Testament we have the concept of service presented. Sure it seems necessary that we practice serving one another. Jesus did when he washed the disciples feet (<strong>John 13</strong>). We see it throughout the early church in the book of Acts. Christians are caring for one another and are being exhorted to care for one another. This is what our text in <strong>1 Peter</strong> says as well. It is the common activity of the church.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We are to be those who serve each other because we cannot do everything. When we read: <strong>As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another (v 10), as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies (v 11)</strong>, we are coming across the idea of the Body of Christ again. We each have different abilities and are to utilize them not only for the kingdom of God but also for the embitterment of each other. God has gifted us to take care of one another.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we chose to be selfish with our spiritual gifts we are not only withholding needs from others we are also withholding the blessings that come along with serving. It is pure selfishness to keep these services to ourselves. We must remember that we are better together as a church body than we are as each individual members. When we practice our gifts in service to one another we all find strength from it. When we do not we only find weakness. We must strive to strengthen each other through service.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Service Helps us be the Body<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Finally, we need to see that service helps is be the body. We have already mentioned this is in brief in the points above. When we are serving one another in love and finding strength from one another we are being the Body of Christ. When we are the Body of Christ we are able to fulfill the final part of our verse: <strong>in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. </strong>When we lovingly serve and act as God intended His churches to act, then we give Him glory. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>With that being said, we must state a few things. First, by being inwardly focused, by seeking our preferences most of all, by withholding our gifts, we are limiting the glory God receives from the church in that the church is more our reflection than His. We are limiting the ability of God's church to worship Him. We are limiting the ability of the church to do what it needs to do. A service-centered attitude in the church <em>is</em> a Christ-centered attitude. We are no better in the Body of Christ than we are doing Christ's work as the Body.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Second, we must make sure that we are doing the work and not expecting others (or hiring out) to do our work. In many churches the answer to more ministry and service is a new staff member. Hire a new pastor and then we can do many more things. Sure there will be a productivity increase, but not to what it needs to be. In <strong>Acts 6 </strong>we have a passage that I believe introduces the role of the deacon. The apostles could not give proper attention to leading the church in the ministry of the word because they were waiting tables. They chose out men to help with this so they could teach. It is true to this day. Pastors are to function in the church as the leading and training agents for the rest of the church to do what God has called them to do. In <strong>Ephesians 4</strong> Paul presents this:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>And</strong><br /> <strong>he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, <em>to equip the saints for the work of ministry</em>, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:11-14, ESV)</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Notice that the job of these offices is to equip the saints. It is not their job to do everything. They are just one part of the body—a visible part—but just one part that relies upon the remaining members to do their part. Members are to share in the work of the church with their leadership, not leaving the work to church staff.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Find ways to serve others in the church. Encourage others to serve more. It will make our church more loving, stronger, and able to glorify our Lord and Savior greater. </span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-49955573444954484032013-09-22T14:39:00.001-07:002013-09-22T14:39:04.185-07:00The Indispensability of Intercession<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This is our third week in our Core Values Series and the third of four from Rainer's <em>I am a Church Member</em>. We will be addressing the chapter on prayer, chapter four. I think it is greatly valuable for all of our classes to hear the introduction that Rainer provides to this chapter:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>It's Thursday morning. Pastor Mike [not Haley] has a clear calendar, an aberration in his busy schedule. Actually, the calendar is not really clear. He has set aside time to finish his sermon for Sunday. His Bible is open. Study aids are nearby. He begins to study.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Then the phone rings.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>His assistant tells him about a car accident involving a family in the church. The ambulances are already on the way to the hospital. Mike leaves all his study material on his desk and jumps into the car.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>On the way to the hospital, his assistant calls him again. The entire Godsey family of five were in the car. None are seriously hurt except for Gary, the father and husband of the family. His condition is grave.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Pastor Mike walks into the emergency room. The family has just been told that their husband and father did not make it. They see their pastor and run to him sobbing, in total shock. Mike is there for them. He stays with the entire family for three hours until he is certain enough people are around to care for them.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>He stops by his home to see his wife and grab a quick sandwich. It is now afternoon. He's not sure if he can return to his sermon preparation, but he knows he must. He must fight the emotional exhaustion of the morning and finish the message. But as he walks back to the church, his assistant apologetically tells him that two people need to speak with him. They consider it urgent.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Mike meets with the two men. One of them is the worship leader of the church. He is struggling with his ministry and is considering giving up. For two hours Mike listens, consoles, and attempts to encourage the staff member.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The next visitor then catches Mike off guard. George is one of the key lay leaders in the church. Mike considers him a friend and an incredibly vital person in the overall leadership of the congregation. George struggles to speak: "My wife is having an affair . . ." There are no more words for five minutes. Just tears and sobs.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Mike stays with George for over two hours. They pray together and talk about the next steps.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>It's nearly five o'clock in the afternoon. Mike is too drained to get back to his sermon. Instead he begins to look at his crowded e-mail inbox. He cringes when he sees one of the senders of an e-mail. But he cannot stop himself from opening the message. It's from one of Mike's most frequent critics in the church. She has two complaints. The first irritation was something he said in last Sunday's sermon. The second complaint addressed Mike's failure to visit her sister-in-law who had minor outpatient surgery yesterday. The woman is not a member of the church. And mike knew nothing about the surgery.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Pastor Mike shuts the laptop cover and moves to his car slowly. He'll stop by the house to grab a quick bite to eat. Then he needs to check on the Godsey family. He will stay with them for a while, but he must leave prior to 7:30, when he is to give the invocation for a local high school basketball game.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Several people corner him at the game, so he doesn't get home until after nine o'clock. He goes to his small study in his home, shuts the door, and begins to cry.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Gary Godsey, the father and husband who was killed in the car accident was Mike's best friend.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This was the first chance Mike had to grieve. (Rainer, 43-46).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I find this story to be a sobering glimpse into the reality of the life of a pastor. Sure not every day for a pastor is like the one Rainer pointed out, but these days exist. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In this lesson we will cover two different aspects of the life of the church member. First, we will look at the nature of intercession in a church member's prayer life. This is an indispensable job for every member of the body on behalf of every other member of the body. Second, we will look at the importance of that intercession especially applied to the pastor, the man for whom God has called, equipped, and gifted to shepherd the flock He gathered at a particular place. Because of this divine calling, this person has many demands and many adversaries. We need to be aware of the important ministry of intercession for these men in our lives.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Nature of Intercession<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>If we are going to argue that intercession is a needed activity of the body of Christ, the church, then we should have an appropriate working definition of what intercession in our prayer lives is. The passage in <strong>1 Timothy </strong>lists intercession alongside other types of prayers in which we are to be involved. So we need to understand what it means. To intercede means to change a person's standing by personal involvement in the circumstances at hand. In terms of prayer this means we take up the cause of another and pray as though it were our problem not theirs.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This means that we are to become a people that stand in the gap for others, so to speak. The prime example of this is our own salvation in Jesus Christ. Our sin left us in a precarious position before God since there was nothing we could do to save ourselves. Then in steps Jesus, the only one who could stand in the gap for us and overcome our sin problem. His life was an act of intercession to God, but He also has a continual ministry now as an intercessor for us: <strong>Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make <em>intercession</em> for them. (Hebrews 7:25). </strong>So just as Jesus is constantly making intercession to God the Father for us, so we should make intercession for others.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Last week we looked at the unity of the church from <strong>Ephesians 4</strong>, which encouraged us to <strong>bear with one another</strong>. Part of bearing with one another is found in the way in which we pray for one another. Often we are aware of the problems of those in the church and we long to pray for those people. This is intercession; it is us asking God to take care of others in our church. Now this raises an interesting theological question: Is God unaware of our church's problems? If not then why are we praying? Though one can argue because the Bible tells us to I like the answer that Philip Yancey provides in his book <em>Prayer:<br /></em></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I once envisioned intercession as bringing requests to God that God may not have thought of, then talking God into granting them. Now I see intercession as an increase in <em>my</em> awareness. When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person. (Yancey, <em>Prayer</em>, 303).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We need to realize that intercession is far more than petitioning God on behalf of others. In praying for others through intercession we are able to act as the body that rejoices and grieves together as <strong>1 Corinthians 12:26</strong> exhibits. In short, by interceding to God for others in the church we are able to come to love and support them in a manner similar to how God does. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Necessity of Intercession for our Pastors<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>With the command from Paul for us to intercede on behalf of all people, we need to remember that within that grouping are those who are called to lead the local church. We as Baptists usually refer to these shepherds as the pastor. And though there are different job titles there really is only one set of qualifications for these titles.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, <span style='text-decoration:underline'>lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil</span>. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, <span style='text-decoration:underline'>lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil</span>. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>There are a variety of practical reasons for all of the requirements for the life of the pastor of a church, but they all can be boiled down to the difficulty that comes along with the job. Managing people is never easy, but shepherding (that means managing lovingly so) people is even harder. Now add to that mix the constant assaults from the enemies of God and you have quite a difficult job. This is why the end of the text says, <strong>so that he may not fall into reproach, and a snare of the devil</strong>. Pastors are in need of our intercessions since the job is difficult.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>There are quite a few lists of things that pastors personally deal with:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Loneliness<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Stress<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Feelings of Inadequacy<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Depression<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Spiritual Warfare (Maxwell, <em>Partners in Prayer</em>, chapter 6)<br /></span></div></li></ol><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In addition to these striking problems he also provides these statistics of pastors: <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>90 % work more than forty-six hours a week<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>80% believe ministry has affected their families negatively<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>33% say that ministry is a hazard to their family<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>75% report a significant stress-related crises at least once<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>90% feel inadequately trained<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>70% say they have a low self-image<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>40% report a serious conflict with a church member at least once a month.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>70% do not have someone they consider a close friend (Maxwell, <em>Partners in Prayer</em>, 80)<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Given these statistics and requirements for our pastors in the church we should definitely be interceding for them as <strong>1 Timothy</strong> exhorts us to. The question that only remains is: How? Rainer provides four areas in which we can pray:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Praying for Pastors, Staff, and Church Leaders<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Praying for the Pastor and His Family<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Praying for the Pastor's Protection<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Praying for the Pastor's Health<br /></span></div></li></ol><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In addition the following is an exemplary prayer for pastors.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>"Things I pray for pastors and leaders:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they would love Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that their ministry would never steal from them their first love, Jesus Christ.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they would love and serve their wife and family with glad hearts and that their family would have love for the ministry instead of resenting it for "stealing" their husband and daddy away.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray for a <em>passion</em>; for conviction and dedication to their calling and to Jesus Christ.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they will walk in confidence while kneeling in humility as gentle shepherds who care for their sheep.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray for encouragement in their faith and ministry, and against those who attack, slander, harm, or speak evil against them.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that their teaching and preaching will be accurate, true, bold, convicting, encouraging, anointed, and <em>Christ-centered</em>.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that God will guard them from burnout and depression.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they will never fall prey to envy, jealousy, insecurity, or comparison.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray for their holiness and purity, and against lust, affairs, love of money, and pride.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray for rest spiritually and physically, and that they know that it is not their ministry they are leading, but God's.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they will finish better than they started.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that they will take time to have fun, do things they enjoy, spend time with their wives and play with the kids, and get away often to find peace and solitude.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray for God to raise up people around them to assist them, serve them, honor them, encourage them, pray for them, admonish them, and protect them.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray that ministry, teaching, preaching, and leading will never become a chore for them, but that it would always be a joy and blessing to serve the Lord and His people with kindness and gladness, and that they would enjoy every aspect of leading, whether easy or hard, for the glory of God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>I pray these things for pastors or leaders. I hope all of us will pray them for one another." (Written by Pastor Dick Hester)<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>As you close out your time with your class let me suggest that you take time to pray for our pastor. Perhaps you can pray in groups or you may just want to pray altogether, but the best application to this lesson is to be an intercessor for our pastors. </span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-39058927665833126322013-09-10T08:59:00.001-07:002013-09-10T08:59:31.581-07:00What is a Church Member?<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. <br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:10pt'><strong>Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'>True or false, the church is a volunteer service organization?<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'>Church is the "ecclesia" the called out assembly, so to be in a church you need two things; one is to be called by God, and two is to assemble together, but many misunderstand the concept of assembled as just gathered (I went to church on Sunday) but in reality it means arranged and combined in a specific way for a particular purpose.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Based on our research of 557 churches from 2004 to 2010, nine out of ten churches in America are declining or growing at a pace that is slower than that of their communities. Simply stated, churches are losing ground in their own backyards. . . .<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We can blame it on the secular culture. And we often do.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We can blame it on the godless politics of our nation. We do that as well.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We can even blame it on the churches, the hypocritical members, and the uncaring pastors. Lots of Christians are doing that.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>But what I am proposing that we who are church members need to look in the mirror. I am suggesting that congregations across America are weak because many of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>(Rainer, <em>I am a Church Member</em>, 5-6).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Before we jump into this text let us be reminded of the context of the passage. The first letter to the church at Corinth was written by Paul as a way of reprimanding them for the practices they were allowing within their church. In short, Paul uses this letter to point out what was wrong with them and then teach them what is right. The topic he covers varies from spiritual gifts, to the Lord's Supper, and factions within the church. Overall, Paul wants the believers in Corinth to understand that there is a proper way for a church to conduct itself and Paul is giving them that model.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In particular to our passage Paul is redressing the concern he broached in <strong>chapter 1</strong>. There he states, <strong>I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:10-12, ESV).</strong> The divisions that are mentioned here are also highlighted in <strong>chapters 12-14</strong> with special attention made to spiritual gifts. Apparently there were believers in the church who were touting their particular gifting as being <em>the</em> gift and division then occurred. In the middle of this discussion about who is better in the church Paul presents us with an illustration of how the church exists.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Church has Many Members<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We live in a place that still has cultural Christianity. Growing up I have seen people come to church for business, politics, and social status. And if you go to a really big church this is amplified due to the local celebrity status of Mega-church pastors. One Mega-church recently dis-invited about two thirds of its members. They looked at the records and found that one third of their families did all the giving and volunteering, and asked the others to get in or get out.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We must have a definition of a church member that sees its benefit beyond itself and exists in an outward functioning manner. This is where Paul's analogy of the body in <strong>1 Corinthians 12</strong> is extremely helpful. Notice what he says in <strong>verse 12, For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body so it is with Christ</strong>. Illustrations are often the best teachers and it is especially true in construing a correct construction of a church member. The body is appropriate not only because the analogy works, but because we all have one. All of us have (or have had) these various parts: hands, feet, arms, eyes, mouths, etc. So as we think through what a church member is let us do so by contemplating our physiological selves.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In <strong>verse 14</strong> Paul mentions the diversity of the body but highlights that there is <em>necessity in diversity</em>. <strong>For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? <br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Some people disqualify themselves from active church membership because they don't think they have one of the high-profile gifts like teaching or singing. But your body has more interior parts that go unseen then, those that get all the attention. People write poems about eyes not livers, but people function pretty well as blind, but you can't survive without your vital internal organs.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We must affirm with Paul that God has beautifully and perfectly built us together, <strong>But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. </strong>Practically speaking, this verse means that even though everyone has a different gifting (and maybe even not the one most desired at times) each gifting is necessary for the church to operate as God wants. John Calvin states it well on how the diverse members of the church are to work together, "each member ought to rest satisfied in its own station, and not envy others." Calvin goes on to show the result of those who do not <em>rest satisfied</em>, "That member, therefore, which will not rest satisfied with its own station, will wage war with God" (Calvin, <em>1 Corinthians</em>, 409-10).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>But as we affirm the necessity of diverse gifts and callings we also need to expect diversity in service. If God is fitting the church for service with each one he calls, what ministry did he have in mind when he called you? The inescapable conclusion of diversity is that it is there of necessity as a part of God's plan, so we must embrace diversity in service so we don't waste God's gifts, allowing the uninvolved to stay uninvolved.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong> The Church is One Body<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The second part of what Paul wants to show us in the illustration of the body is that we are not only many different members, but we are <em>one</em> body. In <strong>verse 13</strong> we are reminded that we have all been <strong>baptized into one body . . . and made to drink of one Spirit</strong>. Many scholars disagree about what Paul is particularly referencing here (some say water baptism, some spirit baptism, some say the Lord's Supper), but it is clear that the common unity that the church has is its connection to Christ, as the end of <strong>verse 12</strong> shows—<strong>so it is with Christ</strong>. Paul could have said "church" here, but he said Christ. This is the completion of the picture of the body, for we must remember that our unity is found in our commonality, which is <em>in Christ</em>. We are the community of the faith, whom God has called, and we responded in repentance (change your mind), confession (surrender), and belief (trust).<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In <strong>Colossians 1</strong> we have a picture of Jesus as <strong>the head of the body, the church</strong>. Paul here is making this same connection to the church and the body, and in both we have our headship in Jesus Christ. Our unity to Him as our Head is most important for us as a church and as individuals. For what Augustine said long ago still is true, "Since we are <em>in</em> Christ, a fruit-bearing vine, what are we <em>out of</em> him but dry twigs?" Our unity is in Jesus Christ alone.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>So the relation then between various body members, that are church members, is their relation Christ. That is to say, we are to find unity with one another because we are unified with one another in Jesus Christ. In that unity then we need not be ashamed of our giftings (or purposes in the church) thinking that some giftings are better than others. All giftings are needed for a healthy church body. This is why Paul mentions the relationship to the weaker body parts, <strong>On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.</strong> All of these body parts, though some weaker or more modest, are integral for the body of Christ to function properly. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Not only can we make that simple statement that we are needed and necessary in the unity of the whole body, but Paul encourages us with the note that <span style='text-decoration:underline'>God has placed each of us in our positions for His great purposes</span>. <strong>But <span style='text-decoration:underline'>God has so composed the body</span>, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. </strong>That unity exists so that there is not division in the body (as the Corinthians had been facing). We must exist as unified members of the body in the way Paul mentions it here. When one suffers all suffer, when one rejoices all rejoice. This is what it means to be unified in one body.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Church Serves in Love<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>God can replace anyone at any moment (and often does). What I am saying is that God wants us to do a job in our church and our spiritual health and that of the church depends on us doing our part. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Rainer points out in his book that only about one third of church members actually serve, or are functioning members in their churches. He concludes from this, "But if we are true biblical church members, we will be functioning members . . . <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Sometimes people ask, "How can God use me?" I often answer them that they probably already know, for God gives us the desires to do His will. But if you do not know there are many programs that can help you figure out how you can be used and serve in the church. We have utilized in the past spiritual gift inventories, and most recently a program called SHAPE (put out by Saddleback Church). These are tools and by no means are authoritative on where and how you should serve, but they greatly help. In reality, if you are not serving the answer to what you should is to just do something; there is plenty of work to be done.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Second, we must remember that when we serve in the church as functioning members we must do so in love. Following chapter 12 is the famous <em>Love Chapter</em><br /> <strong>1 Corinthians 13</strong>. In the same context relating to divisions in the church, Paul presents to us the need to be a people of love. <strong>If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). </strong>Though we may think we are serving God and the church sometimes, we must be mindful that all our serving must be done so in love. Love is the unifier of the church and the motive that keeps us serving. It was the motive for Christ to die for us and will always be our motive to "die" for others as members of the church body.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The only true church members are those united by Christ (called) and assembled to serve his purpose.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'>That's right: membership in the body of Christ, the church, is a gift from God. It's not a legalistic obligation. It's not country club perks. It's not a license for entitlements. It's a gift. A gift from God. A gift that we should treasure with great joy and anticipation. (Rainer 71)</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-85764828674419046372013-09-01T18:28:00.001-07:002013-09-01T18:28:10.181-07:00Firm Foundation<span xmlns=''><p>Matthew 7:24-29<br /></p><p>1 September 2013<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:24-29, ESV)<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></p><p>Live with purpose<br /></p><p>Begin with the end in mind<br /></p><p>Put first things first.<br /></p><p>These are the first 3 of "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", a book that has sold 25 million copies, and they are all represented in these 6 verses.<br /></p><p>We have finally come to the last lesson from the Sermon on the Mount. This has been a half-year trek through three chapters of the Bible. At least that is one perspective of what we have done. Though you could have this perspective and be critical of the time spent in the text I believe that we should take a different perspective, that is: We have spent seven months unpacking the core of Jesus' teaching so that we can now spend the rest of our lives trying to do it. Jesus claims the teaching of this one sermon as foundational. If you understand His purpose, then you also understand yours. And once you understand your purpose you must choose what kind of life will achieve it, and what will be its end. Finally with any purpose or goal, we must prioritize; put first things first, and put some things away altogether.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Below we cover the content of this passage, but we must note here that this is <em>the</em> summary statement of Jesus. The phrase that we have, "<strong>these words of mine,</strong>" references the entire Sermon, all three chapters. All throughout this series we have reviewed what has been taught before, but I think there is no better place to do that than the beginning of this lesson. First, because this is the summary application section (note the word therefore in verse 24) and, second, because the verse that immediately follows the text points to the nature of the teacher of the Sermon. Verse 29 states that <strong>the crowds were astonished </strong>and noticed that Jesus <strong>had authority, and not as their scribes.</strong> The connection of these two thoughts brings together all of the Sermon on the Mount as well as the teaching of Jesus. This is not the last time that we will see Matthew speak about Jesus' authority. In the <strong>Great Commission</strong> we also find the <strong>authority</strong> of Jesus. <strong>And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18). </strong>He is a great teacher because He is divine. This means that when we listen to the Sermon on the Mount we are hearing the best teaching there could be and therefore must strive to accomplish what it has for us. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>As we look at the allusion to the two foundations we must keep in mind that Jesus is giving us two paths to live our lives. The wise path is the followed by the one that respects His authority and hears and does <strong>these words of mine</strong>. The foolish path is the followed by the one who ignores these words either wholly or partially. This lesson is intended to encourage all of us to follow the wise path and build a foundation on Jesus Christ.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Don't Live in the House of Folly<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This text clearly presents two different houses: one that is wise and one that is foolish. Before we look at the differences between these two homes we must see what is common in both allusions. First, we notice that both are homes or houses. When we read this we must think of our house or home. For many the house is the place where much time is spent away from work and with the family. Once the work day is over it is the location to which the family returns. As such, it becomes a place from which we find rest, love, enjoyment, encouragement from family members, and it becomes the launching point for more days of work. This is why we call it a home sometimes instead of just a house. It is the place where we start and finish each day. So what we have in mind in this text is a place that represents the way in which we live. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This is not the only place in the Bible where the connection between our household and our living is found. In the Old Testament we find this connection especially in reference to the Law. A transgression of the Law meant not only punishment for the lawbreaker, but for his family too. <strong>Ezra 6:11 </strong>provides a vivid example of this thought: <strong>Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, <em>and his house</em> shall be made a dunghill. </strong>Needless to say that the way in which we live affects our homes, which means our families. This is why one of the qualifications for leadership in the church is related to the home: <strong>He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? (1 Timothy 3:4-5). </strong>How we live is directly related to our home, which is why Jesus uses the analogy of the building of a house in this passage. In fact the manner in which we live our lives functions as a foundation for our homes. In short, conforming to Jesus' message is wise and ignoring it is foolish. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The picture that Jesus provides for a foolish way of living is a house built upon sand. Now at first thought this may not seem like a bad idea. Sure we do not want to keep dragging sand into our homes, but we can deal with that if the view is worth it. After every Hurricane and every flood we look at the ruin and wonder why so many people lived in harm's way? For when the rains come and floods afterwards we soon find that his house that was built upon sand has had its foundation destroyed and without a firm foundation the entire house is ruined. This picture is a simple way to see the foolishness of our lives. Just like we would tell people not build a house in a flood plane we need to remind ourselves that we must not build our spiritual lives on something that will not endure. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>So the obvious question is, what are the false foundations upon which we build our lives? What is the sand? The answer to that will be different from person to person, but in short we can say that anything that would not fit into the life picture Jesus paints in the Sermon on the Mount would be sand. For instance, if we are self-reliant we are building upon sand. For when things are going well we are good, but when struggles ensue we worry and fret and have nothing to trust in but ourselves and ultimately implode. Another "sand" could be our outward righteousness. We believe that because we come to church, tithe, and attend other churchly functions we will be blessed and/or saved. However, the Sermon clearly points out that these actions of outward righteousness only reward us momentarily and may even leave us saying "lord, lord" and hearing in return "depart…" We must strive to stay away from the "sand" in our lives and the only way to do that is to make sure our foundation is built on the rock.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Live in the House of Wisdom<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The wise thing for any of us to do is to live in the house of wisdom. Notice this is not the house of knowledge, though that is important, it is wisdom (applied knowledge) that we must seek. In this particular picture we see that the wise person is building their house upon the rock. The rock here is a firm, solid foundation, for when we know that the house has a solid foundation we know that the house will stand.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>If you have ever gone shopping for a home you know (or should know) that the foundation is one of the things to pay attention to, especially here in Texas. With the nature of our soil and the extreme weather often we find that foundations shift and crack, which causes great problems for the house. So when you are looking over a house you need to look for cracks in walls to see if there is a bigger foundation problem. If there is you may want to reconsider buying the home. Foundations matter greatly for our physical houses.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>We also know that foundations are greatly important for our spiritual houses. We need to find a rock upon which to build our spiritual house. Jesus lets us know that the foundation we need is found in a life that is hearing and doing the things He has told us. This means that we are living out the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. We are seeking true blessings, we are striving to be salt and light, we acknowledge that we must keep the Law that is written on our hearts, we practice our righteousness for God alone and ultimately we live lives by the Golden Rule, and most of all begin with conversion to become a follower of Jesus. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Throughout the Bible God has been telling us about the foundation we are to have in His Son. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Psalm 118:22—The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Isaiah 28:16—therefore thus says the Lord God,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>"Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>a stone, a tested stone,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Acts 4:11—This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Ephesians 2:19-22—</strong><br /> <strong>So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>1 Peter 2:4-?—</strong><span style='font-family:Times; font-size:10pt'><br /> </span><strong>As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. <br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Sandcastles can be cool, but everyone understands that they are temporary. We don't live in sandcastles because we know that eventually the storm will come. Only a strong dwelling with the right foundation endures through the storms of life.</p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-80454095783172970662013-08-31T12:54:00.001-07:002013-08-31T12:54:19.832-07:00The Gospel of Jesus Christ<span xmlns=''><p style='text-align: center'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>The message of the gospel is very direct. Being made aware of your status as a sinner by the preaching of God's Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you <span style='text-decoration:underline'>repent (change your mind)</span> and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>believe (are persuaded to trust)</span> that Messiah (Jesus) has come and offered himself as the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>atonement (sacrifice to turn away punishment)</span> for sin, to <span style='text-decoration:underline'>reconcile (reestablish the relationship)</span> you to God, so that you may be <span style='text-decoration:underline'>converted (return to worship)</span>, through <span style='text-decoration:underline'>confession (to concede or surrender)</span> and faith in God's mercy. This is completely an act of God's loving grace, and in no way dependent upon any righteous works we may do or attempt. No one can earn this salvation; it is a gift available by invitation only. Any person so converted is <span style='text-decoration:underline'>regenerated (reborn)</span> in spirit and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>released from the guilt of sin (forgiven)</span> receiving a new nature, desiring to worship God, being liberated from the control of habitual sin. (Acts 3:19, Mark 1:15, Romans 5:8 6:23 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9,Titus 3:3-7& John 10:27-30)</p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-52555521440883434452013-08-31T06:22:00.001-07:002013-08-31T06:22:44.598-07:00False Faith<span xmlns=''><p>Matthew 7:21-23<br /></p><p>25 August 2013<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Profession or Conversion<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one <span style='text-decoration:underline'>who does the will</span> of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, <span style='text-decoration:underline'>and do many mighty works in your name</span>?' And then will I declare to them, <span style='text-decoration:underline'>'I never knew you</span>; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This is a disturbing passage and anyone presenting the gospel needs account for the consequences of a false profession. Jesus says that on that day when God's elect are separated from the condemned, that some people will be taken by surprise thinking they would inherit the kingdom but in reality they have been deceived.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Throughout the entire Sermon Jesus has again and again referenced the Kingdom of Heaven, this week He looks at it in particular by showing us who enters that kingdom. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>There is quite a connection here to the last few portions of the Sermon. We have just talked about the Narrow way and False Teachers and next week we will look at false foundations. It is natural for teachers try and simplify a message but the problem is that some will take a single salvation verse and oversimplify the conversion process. If you look at historical times of great evangelism the word frequently used is "converted", but sometime in the later part of the 20<sup>th</sup> century the message seemed to change from "be converted" to "profess your faith and do righteous works". And righteous works would change depending on whose teaching you were following. Some emphasized baptism, others had classes like confirmation, and others will say you must speak in tongues. But the common thread was profession + righteous works = salvation. Romans 10:13 says "<span style='color:black'><span style='font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved". </span><span style='background-color:white'>So if you just had Romans 10:13 and looked at this passage in Matthew 7 you would struggle to explain why "many" who say "Lord, Lord" are not saved, as Jesus said.</span></span><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>This week I post the following paragraph on Facebook:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The message of the gospel is very direct. Being made aware of your status as a sinner by the preaching of God's Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you <span style='text-decoration:underline'>repent (change your mind)</span> and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>believe (are persuaded to trust)</span> that Messiah (Jesus) has come and offered himself as the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>atonement (sacrifice to turn away punishment)</span> for sin, to <span style='text-decoration:underline'>reconcile (reestablish the relationship)</span> you to God, so that you may be <span style='text-decoration:underline'>converted (return to worship)</span>, through <span style='text-decoration:underline'>confession (to concede or surrender)</span> and faith in God's mercy. This is completely an act of God's loving grace, and in no way dependent upon any righteous works we may do or attempt. No one can earn this salvation; it is a gift available by invitation only. Any person so converted is <span style='text-decoration:underline'>regenerated (reborn)</span> in spirit and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>released from the guilt of sin (forgiven)</span> receiving a new nature, desiring to worship God, being liberated from the control of habitual sin. (Acts 3:19, Mark 1:15, Romans 10:9-10, Titus 3:3-7& John 10:27-30)<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Acts 3:19 Repent (change your mind) and be converted (return to worship God), that your sins may be erased.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Mark 1:15 Repent (change your mind) and believe (be persuaded to trust) the gospel (Messiah has come).<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Romans 10:9-10 Confess (concede) and believe (be persuaded to trust)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>"For with the heart a man is persuaded to trust in Christ's righteousness, and with the mouth he concedes (surrenders) to salvation."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>John 6:40 "<span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son <span style='text-decoration:underline'>and believes (persuaded to trust) in Him</span> may have everlasting life".</span><br /> </strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>So contrast those who profess Jesus to whom he says "I never knew you" with <strong>John 10:27-28 "</strong><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. <span style='font-size:9pt'><strong><sup>28 </sup></strong></span>And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand". </span><strong><br /> </strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>There are 3 kinds of people in the world; trespassers who uses the blessings of God's creation while refusing to acknowledge Him, posers who profess to be Christians but do not follow Jesus, and true followers who experience Jesus as the good shepherd leading his flock of faith in all grace and mercy.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Profession without conversion produces posers, false Christians who are themselves deceived by their own self-righteousness, demonstrated by righteous works. When I posted my paragraph on the gospel this week Stephen Hayes one of our former worship pastors sent me a note saying that my narrative was a great fit for a graphic they had introduced to teach Christians how to tell their story.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>The following lesson will look at this text and present four applications and four truths, but we must see these three verses as one unit of thought. That unit of thought creates the reality that what and man believes and what a man does are connected to one another and have eternal consequences.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Don't be Deceived; Hell is Real<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The first thing I think we need to notice about this passage is that Hell is real. We covered this already with the Narrow Gate, but we need to make sure people know about it. In our 101 class we teach at Hallmark there is a section on what we believe, one of those beliefs is about eternity. It states,<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'>People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>There are many Scriptures that support the idea of eternity in heaven or hell:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Matthew 18:8-9—"And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." <br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>John 3:16—"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>John 14:1-3—"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>2 Corinthians 5:10—"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>2 Thessalonians 1:9-10—"They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Revelation 20:15—"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Eternity is real and the places of eternity, Heaven and Hell, are real as well. However, this is a reality we like to think about only so often. It is an uncomfortable one especially for those who do not know for sure that Jesus is their Lord. Notice I did not state those who know they are going to heaven. This is an important distinction, for many people think they are going to heaven because of something they have done and not because of Jesus. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This may seem like simple, no brainer, basic Christianity. However, we cannot assume that people are believing correctly. There is too much at stake. Hell is real, but we also must not be deceived. Just like we need to watch out for false teachers we must watch out for false teaching. Anyone who teaches that there is no Hell or that we will somehow be saved from it apart from personal repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord is providing false teaching and it is deceptive. We must not be deceived and we must proclaim this reality, uncomfortable as it might be.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Don't be Diluted; Belief Matters<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The second thing we need to see in this passage is the emphasis on belief. Belief matters in faith. There is right belief and there is wrong belief, but there also are half-truths that people believe. These half-truths are definitely wrong, but they seem to be correct. This passage is addressing those people who think they have been following God. They have called Him "Lord" so they think they know Him, but He knows them not. This is like someone who has a person they idolize, say a movie star. This person has watched every movie, read every biography, knows details that few know about this person that most do not know. In addition this person has even been in the presence of the movie star a few times and gloats about shaking a hand or taking a picture with them. However, if we were to go to the movie star and ask them if they knew this person we would find they have no idea who that person is. Though they knew all about the star, the star knew little about them, and that makes all the difference.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The problem is that so much of what we believe has been diluted, that means it has been watered down to what someone thought was the bare essentials. These people often are false prophets who promise the blessings of God for small sacrifices from us. "Come forward and repeat after me and you will be saved." "Give to my ministry and you will be blessed." <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Don't be Distracted; Actions Matter<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Jesus said "my sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me". Following Jesus is evidence of your conversion. To hear his voice is both to respond to the gospel call and to love his words as a believer. Also his sheep love being a part of the flock, they love the church family, and they love being led by Jesus.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Christians will be active in their faith. Though we are not works-based, we are works demonstrated. I believe this is exactly what James what combating when he said, <strong>"Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18)</strong> The Christian that is living the life will have a life that is doing the work of the kingdom, that is, doing the will of the Father. Though we have just learned that we will know a False Teacher by his fruit, the same can be said of a Christian, we will know him or her by their fruit, which is the work they are doing. <br /></p><p><strong>Don't be Discouraged; Jesus has Overcome<br /></strong></p><p>In conclusion, we must not be discouraged. It can be quite a downer to talk about Hell and wonder if we are truly going to Heaven or not. But the encouragement that we must look for is the Gospel itself. Jesus has overcome and those who believe in Him truly have found Heaven and then will truly do the will of the Father. But none of that will happen unless we know Jesus as our Lord. When we do know Jesus as our Lord in that final day we will say "Lord, Lord" and His reply will not be like this passage, but "Well done my good and faithful servant."<br /></p><p><strong>Titus 3:3-7<br /></strong></p><p><strong>For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but <span style='text-decoration:underline'>according to His mercy</span> He saved us, through the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>washing of regeneration</span> and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been <span style='text-decoration:underline'>justified by His grace</span> we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.<br /></strong></p><p>So if you were asked by Jesus for the testimony of your hope of heaven; would it be profession plus works or would you describe your conversion saying something like this?<br /></p><p>"Lord, did you not call me; did you not die in my place; was I not convinced of my sin; was I not persuaded to trust you; did I not surrender to your grace when I cried out for mercy, do you not lead me as Lord"? That is a faith in salvation as the work of Jesus, not the self-righteousness of man.<br /></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-6481234565546980972013-08-04T16:07:00.001-07:002013-08-04T16:07:45.179-07:00The Golden Rule<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Matt. 7:12<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets</strong>" (NKJV).<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>This statement has been called, "the capstone of Christ's discourse" and "the Everest of all ethical teaching". Go pretty much anywhere in the world and you'll sense that this appeal to man's conscience applies, in some form, even there.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>This is because, in a negative form, the golden rule is found in the teachings of: Socrates, Aristotle, Confucius, Buddha, and Hillel. Rabbi Hillel's version read, "What is hateful to yourself do not do to someone else." Jesus, however, changed the rule from the negative to the positive and from the passive to the active: enshrining it in every heart and mind through His matchless life. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Before we are reminded of the golden rule's straightforward explanation it's important for us to see where it lands in the context of Christ's sermon. He begins verse 12 saying, "Therefore"; and any committed student of the Bible should ask the question, "What's it there for?" <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>1. The Context of the Statement<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus essentially says, "<strong>Therefore</strong>, in light of: <br /></span></p><ul><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The Beatitudes (5:1-12)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The Similitudes (5:13-15 - salt & light)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Sins begins in the heart (5:21-30)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Divorce (5:31-32)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Vows (5:33-37)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Retaliation (5:38-42)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Love (5:43-48)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Giving (6:1-4)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Prayer (6:5-13)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Forgiveness (6:14)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Fasting (6:16-18)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Wealth and Worry (6:19-34)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Righteous Judgment (7:1-6)<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Ask, seek, & knock, God answers (7:7-11)<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'>"Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." It's basically Christ's summary point before entering the conclusion of His sermon in verses 13-28. He could have also said, "In summary, do unto others as you would have them do unto you…" Now that the context is clear, it's important to understand that the golden rule is a…<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>2. The Command by Our Savior<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus took this well know negative and passive code of conduct and created a positive and active command. In simplicity and Divine wisdom He takes the second great commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself", which is more of an attitude than an action; and he reminds us that our actions should be driven by our attitudes. He condensed all moral conduct down to one filter, "Treat others the way you want to be treated." But do not mistake simplicity of recitation for simplicity of application…<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus did not say, "Do AS others do unto you" or "Do WHEN others do unto you". No, He advised us to adopt other people's perspective and then act accordingly. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus commanded this affirmative action because He designed "The Golden Rule" to be the "Golden Ticket" to healthy relationships. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Do you want a better marriage?</strong> Put yourself in your spouse's shoes and love accordingly (figuratively of course, no cross-dressing please). Paul, essentially says this in <strong>Eph. 5:28, "In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself"</strong> (NKJV). <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Do you want a better parent/child relationship? </strong>Give honor to one another by considering each other compassionately. <strong>Eph. 6:1-4 says, "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 'Honor your father and mother.' This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 if you honor your father and mother, 'things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.' 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord"</strong> (NKJV).<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Do you want a promotion at work?</strong> Put yourself in your boss' shoes and work like you would have someone work for you. Like Paul says in <strong>Eph. 6:5-8, "Slaves [employees], obey your earthly masters [bosses] with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 9 Masters [bosses], treat your slaves [employees] in the same way. Don't threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.</strong> (NKJV). <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Do you want unity in the church? </strong>Treat your faith family the way you would like to be treated. <strong>Romans 12:10 "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other"</strong> (NKJV). <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Do you want a good relationship with your neighbor? </strong>BE the kind of neighbor that you would like to have living next door. <strong>Mark 12:31, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" </strong>(NKJV).<strong><br /> </strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus says that embodied in the Mosaic Law and amplified in the prophetic word, the golden rule is the underlying principle of all morality. We are to consider the needs of others then behave accordingly. This is a difficult rule to apply to your life, as it will be challenged often, but the ultimate fruit of its application is worth the effort.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>3. The Christ-like Spirit in Every Saint<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'>True followers of Jesus Christ not only recite the golden rule they incite the golden rule. The good news about the golden rule is that we are not left to ourselves to muster up the drive and determination to implement it daily in our lives. We have the wonderful Help of the Holy Spirit. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><span style='color:#262626'>The Word of God clearly tells us that the moment we trust in Christ for salvation we are indwelt with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Jesus said in <strong>John 7:38&39, "'</strong></span><strong>He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified"</strong> (NKJV).<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier and our source of spiritual strength to serve. He gives us the: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to "Do unto others as we want others to do unto us." He also enables the doing of it by His resurrection power. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Believers are not just good people they're God's people; gifted and empowered by His Spirit. When the world witnesses Christians living out the golden rule: at home, at church, at work, and in the community – they see Christ! <br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'>The Son of God is glorified in and loved by the Father and the Spirit, so when Jesus walked the earth the Spirit was constantly drawn to him. When Jesus sent out His disciples He sent them in the care of the Holy Spirit. After Christ ascended, the Holy Spirit was naturally drawn to the ones Jesus loved, His redeemed. He left us in the care of the Holy Spirit, to live and love as He did.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'><span style='color:#262626'>Paul writes, <strong>"</strong></span><strong>Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to<br/>the point of death, even the death of the cross"</strong> (Phil 2:1-8 NKJV).<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Jesus was the perfect embodiment of the golden rule in that He put Himself in our shoes and then lovingly met our need. So, "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus". Jesus came NOT to be served but to serve and give His life (Matt. 20:28). <br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'>When we talked about the Holy and precious things (verse 6) I told you the simple truth of things that are sanctified and holy is that God chose them for Himself. Likewise we know that God has chosen His redeemed and placed us in the loving care of His Holy Spirit. And the Golden Rule is the way God has chosen for us to love each other, as He commanded. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is the embodiment or the active sense of love your neighbor as yourself. The Golden Rule is a sign of our faith; because we really believe that God is good, merciful, and righteous, we can love others by treating them the way we want to be treated.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>Questions to consider:<br /></strong></span></p><ol><li><span style='color:#262626; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Why do you think the golden rule has universal application?<br /></span></li><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Why did Jesus take the commonly known golden rule, "What is hateful to yourself do not do to someone else" and turn it into "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them"?<br /></span></li><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Share some examples of implementing the golden rule in every day life then share how these actions could open the door for the gospel.</span></li></ol></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-38076406475974987022013-08-03T09:49:00.001-07:002013-08-03T09:49:05.293-07:00Ask, Seek, Knock<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>Matthew 7:7-11<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>28th July 2013<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>A recent survey of people with over 1 million dollars in investments revealed that most of them do not feel wealthy until their assets, not counting their home exceed 5 million dollars. This shows the flaw of a world system that tells you to rely on yourself, or your government for what you need. Most people will never reach the point of feeling secure, in their ability to provide all that they want and need.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>So to put this passage in context, our focus has been on the kingdom of heaven and repentance. We pray and fast to claim our dependency upon God, not just for righteousness but for life itself. We are to be beacons of hope serving with good motives, and rejecting worry. We are not to judge un-righteously, we are not to treat holy and precious things as common, for what is holy has been given to us from God. What we see are the ways in which we are supposed to respond to God. He is King and we are His citizens. Our position is to be one of dependence and trust to our benevolent king.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>God wants our Petitions<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>As we begin to look at this text we see two main ideas. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>One, we are encouraged to ask for things from God</span>, <span style='text-decoration:underline'>and two, God is pleased to give us what we need</span>. So, first we must see that God wants our petitions, he desires for us to ask from Him. In this passage we see three imperatives from the get go: Ask, Seek, Knock. Though we will go into more detail about these below, in general these three words convey the message that God wants us to be in the practice of petitioning him with our requests.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This is the practice of prayer throughout the Bible. We see it displayed greatly in the psalms of David. We find many Psalms with requests for God.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Sometimes David is asking for repentance.<br /></p><p>Psalm 51:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Have mercy on me, O God,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>according to your steadfast love;<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>according to your abundant mercy<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>blot out my transgressions.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>and cleanse me from my sin! (Ps 51:1-2)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Sometimes it is in praise:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>and to you shall vows be performed.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>O you who hear prayer,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>to you shall all flesh come.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>When iniquities prevail against me,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>you atone for our transgressions.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>to dwell in your courts!<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>the holiness of your temple! (Psalm 65:1-4)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Still there are other petitions that are when we are in distress:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>From your presence let my vindication come!<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Let your eyes behold the right! (Psalm 17:1-2)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>and by night, but I find no rest. (Psalm 22:1-2)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>David shows that we are to pray to God in any circumstance that we are in. God longs for our petitions. Even in the last psalm that we cited we find Jesus Himself reciting it from the cross. In fact it was the common practice of Jesus to beseech the Father for things in His life. We can remember His High priestly prayer where Jesus is asking many things, but in particular prays for us:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>We have a great God who wants to hear our prayers, in fact the entire way in which our relationship with Him works is based upon us communicating to Him. Not because He has an ego, but because He desires children who seek after Him. With such a simple declaration to ask, seek, and knock, it should come as no surprise to us the Scripture that states, <strong>You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:2-3)</strong> We need to be a people who are in the practice of asking, seeking, and knocking because we have a God who desires us to be so.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>God is Pleased to Grant our Petitions<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The second thing that we need to see from this passage is that God is pleased to answer our prayers. When we ask, seek, and knock, he answers, is found, and responds. Look at what the text says, <strong>For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened</strong>. This is not just a simple no brainer about prayer, but points to the charity of our God towards us. He is a God that loves us greatly, and as such he wants to answer our requests.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Jesus demonstrates that desire to us with a few analogies by drawing on our own understanding of what a Father should be. He says, <strong>Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?</strong> When we look at these stories we would find the Father who did such things to be a horrible Father. In fact some of us would call CPS as soon as possible for such a dad. Fathers are not supposed to be unloving and cruel. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>Fathers are to care for their children, feed them, clothe them, and train them up in love</span>. Though it does not always work this way and though many fathers fail, we still known deep down what a Father is supposed to be like. The reason for this is because it is a truth written on our hearts (cp. Rom 2:15), it is the truth that God is our loving Father.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Since we have such a Father who always is loving towards us (even in discipline and punishment) we should understand that He is always going to give us good things. When we ask, seek, and knock to Him we are able to receive good things back from Him because that is His desire. This is the truth of <strong>Jeremiah 29:11</strong>, <strong>For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.</strong> We need to recognize that it is in the nature of God, in His love, that He wants to care for us and answer our petitions that we offer to Him. God will give us what is good for us; he will give what is best for us.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This also means that God will never give us what is evil for us. Just as the character of God is loving and from that He gives us good things, the reality is that God's character is not evil and cannot give evil things to us. Though it may seem at times that we are struggling with different things in the world (temptations, pain, problems, etc.) we must know that these do not come from God. The character of God is depicted well in this story. When we ask God for something like food or money He is not going to respond to that request with a snake or more trouble. It is against His character. God is not going to give us what is evil.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>It seems like a simple thing to say that God wants to grant our petitions and that He gives us what is good and what is not evil. However, we run into problems when troubles come. This is where we need to be mature in our faith and aware of what is going on around us. Sometimes when we pray to God the answer is no or wait, in the moment we may not understand why it is that God did not answer with a yes. It is in hindsight that we can look and see that God had indeed answered our requests in a good way. Though it may be less than spiritual, the sentiment of Garth Brooks' song "Unanswered Prayers" is legitimate here. (Look it up if you do not know it). Things that we have prayed for have often been the wrong things for our lives, and our all-loving God knows this and as a good Father always gives us what we need. The hard part is that it is only in hindsight when we realize it. So, we need to learn to trust more in the loving, good God who desires to answer our petitions.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>We must be Persistent with our Petitions<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Finally, from this passage we have seen that God wants us to pray and wants to answer our prayers, so, we must be a people who are persistent with petitions. We must embody the Scripture that says, <strong>Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)</strong>.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This passage in particular addresses this on a grammatical level. The three main verbs of this text, Ask, Seek, and Knock, are all Present Active Imperatives. What that means is that these are commands that Jesus is giving to His hearers. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>We are to be asking, seeking, and knocking all the time</span>, and when we are doing these commands we know that we are persistent in seeking God's best for our lives. Though there are many important imperatives throughout the Bible, the imperative to pray is the life force behind the rest for we cannot make disciples without the power of God on our side, and we do not have that power apart from asking for it from God.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>So what does it really look like to be a person who is persistent in petitions? Jesus has already provided that illustration for us in the beatitudes. In <strong>Matthew 5:6</strong> He says, <strong>Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.</strong> We see that the satisfactions, the good things, that come from God, are given to those who are hungering and thirsting for it. There must be a longing in our souls to consistently cry out to our creator. If we taste and know that the Lord is good we will always want to come back for more. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>In conclusion let me leave you with a quote from the famed pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'>Our Lord does not promise to change life for us; He does not promise to remove difficulties and trials and problems and tribulations; He does not say that He is going to cut out all the thorns and leave the roses with their wonderful perfume. No; He faces life realistically, and tells us that these are things to which the flesh is heir, and which are bound to come. But he assures that we can so know Him that, whatever happens, we need never be frightened, we need never be alarmed. He puts all that in this great and comprehensive promise: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, <em>Studies in the Sermon on the Mount</em>, 2:196)<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Life Group Discussion Questions:<br /></p><ol><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>How persistent is your prayer life?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Do you feel like God answers your prayers?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Have you had times where you felt God was not giving you good things? Why?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Describe sometimes when you have heard God say yes and provide?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Describe a time when God withheld and it was for your good.<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>How can you build a more persistent prayer life?</span></div></li></ol></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-36538222777700515762013-07-23T11:18:00.001-07:002013-07-23T11:18:43.434-07:00Holiness to Dogs and Peals before Swine<span xmlns=''><p><strong>Matthew 7:6 </strong>"<strong>Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces</strong>" (NKJV).<br /></p><p>Last week, we learned from Matthew 7:1-5 about "Good Judgment". A person with GOOD judgment follows a particular process before approaching someone else in judgment. First, he examines himself for any sin in. He prayerfully searches the Scriptures to see if his life is in line with the Lord. Second, he determines if the "splinter" in his neighbor's eye is of eternal significance. Is his brother/sister truly overtaken by some sin or are they simply living contrary to a personal preference? Third, a person with GOOD judgment prays for their neighbor; realizing that Jesus is their ultimate Judge and, if they truly belong to Him, He has promised to sanctify them and conform them to His own image. <br /></p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>Holiness & Pearls <br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>Jesus warns us, "Do not give what is HOLY…nor cast your PEARLS". Just what is our Lord referring to here? It must be something that is in our possession as believers if He is commanding us NOT to give it. <br /></p><p><strong>Holiness<br /></strong></p><p>There are two requirements for something of this world to become Holy; first God chooses a person, place, or thing for Himself, second people recognize God's choice and reserve that person, place, or thing for God's chosen purpose.<br /></p><p>Sacrifices were often used to sanctify the holy thing. The tabernacle and the temple were made by man but according to God's instructions and for His purpose. Everything used for worship in the OT was never used for anything else. <strong><br/></strong><br /> </p><p>We know that Jesus came to be the ultimate holy sacrifice for our sin. He shed His innocent blood that we might find forgiveness and live forever with Him in His kingdom. This Bible tells us that all who receive His gracious gift of salvation are now "set apart" to serve Him and live for Him. <br /></p><p>1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a HOLY nation, <strong>a people belonging to God</strong>, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light". <br /></p><p>Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a <strong>living sacrifice, HOLY</strong>, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. <strong>2 </strong>And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what <em>is</em> that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.<br /></p><p>1 Peter 1:15-16 says, "But just as He who called you is holy, <strong>so be HOLY</strong> in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'"<br /></p><p>To be holy means that all we are and all we have belongs to God, and that every aspect of our lives is to be shaped and directed toward God. Our warning for holy things is to avoid using them for a purpose that God himself has not chosen.<br /></p><p><strong>Pearls<br/></strong>Jesus compared His kingdom to precious pearls in Matthew 13:44-45, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, <strong>the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it</strong>" (NKJV).<strong><br /> </strong></p><p>Christ's Kingdom is the most precious possession on planet earth; nothing compares. In fact, what price tag would you place on your eternal salvation? It's PRICELESS! The symbolism of pearls in God's Kingdom tells us it is precious, worth more than all our earthly goods.<br /></p><p>So, how is holiness and the pearls of God's kingdom measured out in our everyday existence? In other words, how and where do we make investments of these commodities we have in Christ? I propose at least four - our: Trust<span style='color:#262626; font-size:14pt'>, </span>Time<span style='color:#262626; font-size:14pt'>, </span>Treasure<span style='color:#262626; font-size:14pt'>, and </span>Testimony.<span style='color:#262626; font-size:14pt'><br /> </span></p><p>If you think about it, these are the investments of our daily lives. We trust certain people and certain systems, we spend our time doing certain things, we spend our money on certain things, and we share our testimony along the way. All of these resources are considered "pure" and "precious" to God because we belong to Him. <br/>1 Cor. 6:19-20 reminds us, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (NKJV).<br /></p><p>Everything we have and do is a stewardship from God. We can either waste or invest it. There are a number of Scripture passages that instruct how and where we can invest these resources, but Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:6 how and where they will be wasted… <br /></p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>Dogs & Pigs<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p><span style='color:#272727; font-size:13pt'>The symbols of dogs here are not the family pets, but the wild feral animals which live on the edge of town. They usually traveled in packs and were very dangerous. In fact, if you were to travel to places like Cambodia and Guatemala even today to visit some MANNA feeding centers in outlying areas you would be warned to "STAY AWAY from the dogs".<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727; font-size:13pt'>Matthew 15:21-28<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'><strong>21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'><strong>25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'>Jesus refers to a Canaanite woman who is a Gentile, as a dog. When know from the OT that Messiah was to be a light to the Gentiles, but he was first fulfilling God's promise to Israel. Yet this woman instead of being insulted, accepts His rebuke and asks in all humility if He would just let the crumbs of his grace and mercy save her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus was so impressed by her humility and faith that her daughter was instantly healed. Jesus had still not chosen the gentiles, because he must first be rejected by the Jews, to fulfill all prophecy. Only later would he instruct Peter and Paul, then demonstrate by the Holy Spirit that salvation is also for the Gentiles.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'>The only thing worse than being called a "dog" was to be called a "pig" (It's still pretty insulting today). Under the dietary laws given by God for Israel, the pig was a forbidden, unclean animal. Jesus uses these strong comparisons to warn us that there are those who would treat the holy and precious things like our: trust, time, treasure, and testimony with disrespect and hatred.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'>If we offer the pearls of God's kingdom to "swine" they will trample in the mud your most sincere efforts and then turn and tear at you with their tusks. <br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#272727'>Peter portrayed false teachers in the same way in 2 Peter 2:9-22. We don't like to think that there are actually folks in the world that have been "reserved for judgment", but even Jesus told His disciples in <strong>Matthew 10:14-16, "</strong></span><strong>And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves".<br /></strong></p><p>Jesus has called us to wisely discern both where and how we invest the things entrusted to us for His Kingdom. We go and give and preach the gospel to all nations for the glory of God, but instead of shaking trees for the green apples to fall, we search for those who are ripened and ready by the Holy Spirit of God.<br /></p><p>Instead of wasting all of our God-given resources trying to teach a dog the difference between prime rib and his own vomit; and training a pig to stay clean and wear fine jewelry we should be vigorously investing in those whose spiritual eyes are being opened by the power of the Holy Spirit. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. <br /></p><p>If you've been pouring your trust, time, treasures, and testimony into someone's life that just seems now even more antagonistic, needy, and resistant than ever perhaps it's time to turn them over to God and invest in someone else. Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Pick <em>ripe</em> fruit, plant in <em>fertile</em> soil, and invest where there is <em>good</em> return. <br /></p><p>"Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge" <br/>(Proverbs 14:7).<br /></p><p>"Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease" (Proverbs 22:10).<br /></p><p style='margin-left: 18pt'><strong>Questions to Consider:<br /></strong></p><ol><li><span style='color:#272727; font-size:12pt'>Have you ever encountered someone that has been aggressively disdainful of the King and kingdom you represent?<br /></span></li><li><span style='font-size:12pt'>How did God "ripen" you to the gospel?<br /></span></li><li><span style='color:#272727; font-size:12pt'>When do you think a person is most "open" to the precious message of the kingdom?<br /></span></li></ol><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p><br /> </p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-13465437924583536992013-07-15T07:09:00.001-07:002013-07-15T07:09:43.788-07:00Don’t Judge Me<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV) </strong><br/><span style='color:black'><sup>1 </sup></span>"Judge not, that you be not judged. <span style='color:black'><sup>2 </sup></span>For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. <span style='color:black'><sup>3 </sup></span>And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? <span style='color:black'><sup>4 </sup></span>Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank <em>is</em> in your own eye? <span style='color:black'><sup>5 </sup></span>Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.<span style='color:black'><sup><br /> </sup></span></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Jesus' words about judging may be the most-often-misquoted text from the Bible. People frequently apply it as if it were a flat command against all moral judgment, quoting verse one alone and out of context. In fact, people use it to judge what they consider a judgmental attitude on the part of another. Jesus, however, gave these words as one negative application of the Golden Rule. That is, we should not treat others as we do not want to be treated. We should seek to measure ourselves and others by the same standards<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>First of all using verse one alone is false, YOU WILL BE JUDGED!<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>"And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Rev. 20:12-15<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The Greek word "krino" usually translated "Judge" means to pick out, prefer, approve or select. An unbelieving friend first introduced me to the term "cafeteria Christian", to mean those who pick and choose what parts of the Bible they will accept and reject. Of course when we condemn one sin and wink at another we bring great discredit on the church. Instead we must learn to judge righteously.<br /></span></p><p style='margin-left: 18pt'><br /> </p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Be Advised: </strong>not a command, but a guideline<strong><br /> </strong></span></li></ol><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong><em><span style='color:black'><sup>1 </sup></span>"Judge not, that you be not judged. <br /></em></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Nobody wants to be judged, but yet we all are guilty of being judgmental. Jesus condemns in this passage the pick-and-choose judgment of the self-righteous; and makes that clear to everyone who takes the time to read past verse one. We are called to judge many things: 2<sup><br /> </sup>Timothy 2 tells us to rightly divide the word of truth; 1 John 4 tells us not to believe every spirit or every messenger, but to test them and judge what is true. A pastor as the shepherd must guard the flock from wolves in sheep's clothing, even teachers are required to grade their students and account for their actions (Hebrews 13:17). Jesus advises us that our judgment must be consistent. <br /></span></p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Be Aware: </strong>there is a flip side to judging others<strong><br /> </strong></span></li></ol><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong><em><span style='color:black'><sup>2 </sup></span>For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. <br /></em></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When we judge others, we are setting the table for how we would like to be judged in return. When we judge quickly and with harshness, we will be judged in the same way. When we judge with grace and love, we will likewise be judged accordingly. Measure for measure.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Jesus is laying the ground work for what he is going to mention in a few verse later in the passage. This is the negative application of the Golden rule(vs.12): In other words: Judge unto others the way you would want to be judged.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When we judge others we should take in consideration how we would like to be judged ourselves. In essence, this thought should be our primary motive when called upon to judge… If it was me, how would I want to be judged?<br /></span></p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> Be Attentive: </strong>take inventory of yourself, there is something that needs tending.<strong><br /> </strong></span></li></ol><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong><em><span style='color:black'><sup>3 </sup></span>And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? <br/><span style='color:black'><sup>4 </sup></span>Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? <br /></em></strong></span></p><p style='margin-left: 18pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>First we should notice the question in vs. 3 - Why do you look at the speck in your brothers eye? This needs to be answered as soon as we look at someone. Why do I even care? Why do I need to form an opinion about what I see in others? Why does their sin make me feel what I feel, to go and cast judgment? Getting to the root of this issue will help us move to the next question.<br /></span></p><p style='margin-left: 18pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Did I consider the plank in my own eye? Our response is usually "What Plank? What problem? I don't have a problem!" Listen to verse 4 in the NLT <strong>"How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?"</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='margin-left: 18pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When we look at others and see a speck… Jesus is saying that it should trigger something in us to first look and evaluate ourselves. This is incredibly important, if we don't do this we are simply showing favoritism to ourselves. It is as if we are saying "I am not in need of correcting my problems, but I do need to fix others." On the other hand, if we do this first and take care of our plank, not only will we be better off but also so would they.<br /></span></p><ol style='margin-left: 54pt'><li><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Be Appropriate: </strong>first thing first<strong><br /> </strong></span></li></ol><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><br/><strong><em><span style='color:black'><sup>5 </sup></span>Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye,<span style='text-decoration:underline'> and then you will see clearly</span> to remove the speck from your brother's eye.<br /></em></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Fill in the blank: That church is full of a bunch of _________________! (hypocrites) Is it true that most of our culture writes Christians off as a bunch of hypocrites? Why? Could it be because Christians have completely botched the spirit of this passage for far too long? Are Christians more willing to point out the problems in others rather than themselves? Are we more willing to point out the problems in the world rather than our own homes? The problems at our work rather than our attitudes and behavior? The problems with our children rather than our ability to parent properly? <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The simple truth of the matter is that the world, our culture, and communities have witnessed first-hand us in the church being self-righteous and irresponsible.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Our Responsibility:<br /></strong></span></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>First:</strong> Fix me. Deal with me not them, I need to look in the mirror and make adjustments. Fix what is wrong with me. Correct me. Repair and resolve me. You may say "But how will this fix their speck"? It's not about them, it's about you.<br /></span></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Second:</strong> Wait to see clearly. (step #1 may take a while to take effect). What should we do during this time? Pray for them? Serve/minister to them (w/o motive)? <br /></span></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Third:</strong> then go to a brother, and remove the speck from your brother's eye, help them. When I am willing to fix me first, then I am able and empowered to lovingly talk with them. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>We are not supposed to hypocritically judge each other, but we are supposed to love each other and help remove the speck of dust out of our brother's (brother: implies a relationship, not necessarily a genetic relationship, but one that is spiritual and founded on love). Take note of the placement of the instruction to "remove a speck" in this passage. Of the 5 verses/sentences, it is the last one, and it is only half of the last sentence. Jesus is putting emphasis on the first 4 ½ verses and desires us to do the same before we begin speck removing in others. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Is there a perfect Christian in the room? No, so we do need someone to help us get the speck out, this is an action that is needed in the Christian community. But first, and most importantly, look in the mirror so we can see clearly. When we go to a brother for "speck removal" consider the following passages: <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Galatians 6:1 (NLT) </strong><br/><span style='color:black'><sup>1 </sup></span>Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>James 5:19-20 (NLT) </strong><br/><span style='color:black'><sup>19 </sup></span>My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, <br/><span style='color:black'><sup>20 </sup></span>you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When it comes to casting judgment the goal is always restoration… and this should be reflected in our spirit when we go to a brother. <br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>"Here is a good rule for reprovers; first reform thyself" - Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>The flip side:</strong> If you think you are the one being judged, before you resist the judgment, consider for a moment that maybe you are being confronted by someone who loves you. Maybe they have been where you are and they do have your best interest at hand.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>No matter how many times you hear "Don't judge me" this passage will never be a call to become permissive, passive and uncaring about the sin that destroys so many lives. This is a call to humility, repentance, and compassion. Judge yourself because Jesus will judge you. Judge yourself so that you can repent. Judge yourself so that you can see clearly help others.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>There is no doubt we live in a morally permissive culture; and if Satan can have his way the church will fall silent on the subject of sin and let the world go to Hell. Sadly too many of us won't judge others because we are unwilling to go through the pain of first judging ourselves.<br/>I do not endorse a legalism that turns personal conviction, or personal preference into moral law. But if we live righteousness, and virtuous lives then we will learn to judge with the wisdom and compassion that Jesus showed.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The modern world wants us to accept everyone just the way they are. A friend of mine posted a picture on-line of a church sign where they bragged of being an "open and accepting congregation". I replied that " I openly accept that God is right, and men need to repent". I regularly tell people that Jesus loves you just the way you are; but he loves you too much to leave you that way. "While we were still sinners Christ died for us", but never so that we would stay sinners.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>1 Thessalonians 5:22-24<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your <span style='text-decoration:underline'>whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ</span>. 24 Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Whereas the Lord's Prayer says "forgive us as we forgive", so this one says "judge us as we judge".<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The judgment that comports to the righteous of Christ is humble, consistent, compassionate, and blameless. May we all learn to judge like that.</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-2514907811161674562013-07-07T06:26:00.001-07:002013-07-07T06:26:13.765-07:00God or Money<span xmlns=''><p>Matthew 6:19-24<br /></p><p>30 June 2013<br /></p><p><strong>Lay Up Treasures in Heaven<br /></strong></p><p><strong>19 "Do not lay up <span style='text-decoration:underline'>for yourselves</span> treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>The Lamp of the Body<br /></strong></p><p><strong>22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!<br /></strong></p><p><strong>You Cannot Serve God and Riches<br /></strong></p><p><strong>24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.</strong><br /> </p><p><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This week we turn to a familiar passage of the Sermon on the Mount. There are countless lessons, sermons, and studies based upon <strong>You cannot serve God and Money</strong>. This phrase has led to many discussions about the usage of money and the Christian Life. It is important for us to consider it as well, not just because money is an important topic, but also because it is an important part of the argument for practicing righteousness that Jesus is presenting in the Sermon on the Mount.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>We need to remember that this passages comes in the section of the Sermon prefaced with <strong>Matthew 6:1</strong>. <strong>"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."</strong> The issue of "practicing righteousness" is also apparent in the way we deal with our own money. Previously the sermon spoke of how one's gives money, so when we look at this passage we must keep in mind that the topic is more concerned with the way in which the Christian handles his/her's own money, and from that we can also include the possessions with which one spends one's money.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In general we must make the point in this lesson that there is a righteous way to handle your money and possessions and there is an unrighteous (or self-righteous) way to handle it. We will walk through this passage thought by thought to show how we are to practice righteousness with our money and possessions. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Invest in what Lasts<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>When we come to this text the first thing that we must notice is the imperative that sets off the section <strong>don not lay up</strong>. This phrase is important to notice because it is a command. Jesus is talking to us directly and telling what not to do. In this command one is confronted with the age old decision of obeying or not, but before that decision is to be made the reasoning for such a command are given as well.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In this passage we are told not to lay up treasures on earth <strong>where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal</strong>. This last phrase points out the temporary status of the things that we have on this earth, including money. Everything that we have will fall apart at one point. The clothes we buy will wear out, the gadgets we gather will be obsolete in a year, even the larger investments, like homes and vehicles, will ultimately fail us. The things of the earth are temporary; they can be destroyed, decayed, or stolen and we are left without them when that happens.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>If you follow the idea of fasting and prayer to express your dependency upon God, then you can understand that our finances also express our dependency on God, and a desire for His eternal kingdom.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In comparison to not laying up temporary treasures on earth is the command <strong>to lay up treasure in heaven</strong>. The basic meaning of this is that what we have in heaven is eternal. Nothing can break it, destroy it, or steal it. The treasures of heaven are those things serving God. Our relationships with God's people, our investing in God's work, and ultimately our relationship with God Himself, all are treasures we can lay up, investments in the eternal. What we have in heaven will last forever. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This text is very similar it <strong>1 John 2:15-17</strong>:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>In this passage we also have a negative command: to not love the world. When one love's the world one is incapable of loving the Father. There is a mutual exclusivity between the two. Moreover, this text in 1 John indicates that what is in the world is passing away. The Greek language here indicates a downward spiral. Thus, we can say that the things of this world are not worth investing in because they are progressively getting worse. Temporary things are a bad investment.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The close of this section of Scripture states it simply: <strong>For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.</strong> An illustration we used here before is to imagine carrying all your valuables with you in a duffle bag. And anytime you set that bag down your focus would be constantly drawn to that bag. To watch it, keep it and protect it. In that behavior is the natural understanding that earthly treasure can be lost, devalued, even destroyed as with all temporary things.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Consume what is Healthy<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The next paragraph in the text seems to be odd at first reading. It may appear that Jesus is now just quoting proverbs to His audience, but that is not true. Though this is proverbial, it is nevertheless germane to the topic. <strong>The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>There is a behavior called tunnel-vision, which is being so focused on one thing that you miss all the other things around us. If your focus is already on the light of God's kingdom, then that focus will enlighten everything you do. But if you can only see the temporary, and focus on those things then your life will full of darkness.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Think of the current campaigns to stop texting and driving. The campaign is important because when we are texting our eyes' attention is on our phone instead of on the road in front of us. In a way we have darkened our eyesight to that which is most important in the moment: keeping watch on the road.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Though our eyes are small they take in much around us that aids us in our bodily tasks. It is also true of our spiritual lives. The things we allow ourselves to see have a great effect on the way in which our spiritual life functions. If we allow ourselves to consume the evils of the world, <strong>the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and pride of life, </strong>(as 1 John said) we will be left with something that will fade away and darkness is all we will see. On the other hand, if we choose to focus on that which is light, that which is Holy, then we will have great light and will be able to see better. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>This illustration of the eye has direct implications to the money and possessions we have in life. If we look to them to fulfill the God shaped vacuum we all have in our hearts (Pascal) then we will find ourselves groping around in darkness. However, if we look to God and His righteousness then we will know the proper way to utilize the possessions and money that God has afforded us in this life. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Choose what is Holy<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Finally, we are given the task of making a choice. In the beginning of this passage the two imperatives leave us with a choice. The final part of this passage finalizes the extent of that choice.<br /></span></p><p><strong>No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>At first glance this passage seems to have the treasures we are laying up as neutral things of the world. We may believe they are just things and we should lessen some and increase others. However, this last sentence denies such a reading. The treasures we lay up can become Masters for us. In other words we can become slaves to money or be slaves to God. Dave Ramsey likes to say that money makes a good servant, but a terrible master. He uses this to emphasize making a budget every month so that your money goes where you tell it and nowhere else.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Though the word-choice of slave is important for it shows that, though we can choose between which masters we have, that is the extent of our choice. If we choose to seek money (Mammon as a personification of wealth) then we must know that serving money will dominate our lives. If we choose to seek God then make ourselves a servant if Him and His kingdom. There is no middle ground. One cannot have the proverbial cake and eat it too. A choice must be made between God and Mammon. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>There is a fine line between owning things and having things own you. Once we buy these things they have to be maintained and insured, and if we finance them, then they have to be paid off. Use extreme caution concerning material possessions. Always remember they are temporary, corruptible, and depreciate constantly. We must not forget that it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. (<strong>Matt 19:23</strong>) This does not mean that owning things is bad, God blesses us in diverse ways. What it means is that we must not let our hearts turn from God to the temporal things of this world.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Where is your treasure and where is your focus? These things reveal who or what really has our heart. The First commandment is to love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind and strength. Lord means Master, so the relationship is clear. If God has your heart it's easier to fix the things where we stumble. But if our affections are on this world, and God only has a small slice of our life; then we lose our motivation to focus on and serve the eternal. We become eternally blind.</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-62930720382956007182013-06-27T16:33:00.001-07:002013-06-27T16:33:24.416-07:00Prayer and Fasting<span xmlns=''><p>Matthew 6:5-18<br /></p><p>23 June 2013<br /></p><p><strong>The Model Prayer<br /></strong></p><p><strong>5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>11 Give us this day our daily bread.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.<br /></strong></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>Fasting to Be Seen Only by God<br /></strong></p><p><strong>16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.</strong><br /> </p><p><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Last week we began chapter 6 of the Sermon on the Mount as it addressed the major theme of the chapter of not practicing our righteousness before others. From 6:1 to 6:33 we are given the examples of seeking God's Kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus illustrates how we go about "practicing our righteousness" through giving, prayer, fasting, money, and worry. Today we will look at two of these topics: prayer and fasting<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>This past year we have discussed both of these topics in our classes, and have spent several weeks on the topic of prayer (even using this passage). These two disciplines of the Christian Life are intended to be practiced consistently, so it is imperative that we come across them from time to time. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Motives matter! As we have gone through this sermon defeating self-righteousness, Jesus has consistently shown that actions alone are not enough to reflect the holiness of God. He is exposing unholy attitudes that will nullify righteous works, and erase heavenly rewards.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Prayer and Fasting are Assumed<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Beyond the larger context of the practicing of righteousness in this passage, one should immediately notice that Jesus says, "when you pray" and "when you fast." There is an assumption from Jesus of His followers that they will be a people that fast and pray. These were all common practices among his Jewish audience and were often practiced in the early church<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>In the context of the sermon this clause, "when you" is placed to point out the different ways that Christians are to act compared to those who seek self-righteousness life the Pharisees. Prayers are essential to the Christian life and fasting is used for fervent prayer, a total emersion in seeking God. So every one of us will participate in prayer and fervent prayer with fasting; and when we do the good and righteous works it's important to examine ourselves, so that no selfish motive will turn us into seekers of earthly honor and praise for ourselves.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Both prayer and fasting are disciplines of the faith set down from the Old Testament. Like giving, prayer and fasting are things that we are supposed to do. They are assumed in the Christian life. With this stated, the larger question is, "Why don't we do them?"<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>To not pray is to not communicate with God, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Healer, etc. It is through prayer that we are connected to God, the giver of Life and sole source of power. In any other arena we would find it foolish to cut off our power source, but we often do so in the realm of prayer. Communication is important in any relationship and Jesus died to reconcile us to God, to give us that personal relationship as a gift of grace.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Fasting, also, is the way in which we find our dependence upon God. In our society we are ever striving for more independence, but through the discipline of fasting we are able to find ourselves dependent upon God reminded of our position to Him. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Both of these disciplines are essential to the Christian Life, we must move from having a flippant attitude toward prayer and fasting to seeing them as essential, assumed practices we follow.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Prayer is to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Spirit<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>With so many studies on prayer, and with this prayer being one of the most memorized in the world, we must not miss out on the teaching found here and gloss over the simple truths of prayer. For this lesson we will look at prayer from the basis of the trinity, the Father, Son and Spirit. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>First of all prayer is to be offered to God, and specifically here to the Father. Many of us know this by heart, "Our Father…", yet we must note that it is addressed to God the Father. Now much can be made about the Fatherhood of God here, but we want to highlight the direction of our prayers are to solely go to God the Father.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>When we pray to God the Father we must remember we are not praying to anyone else. Not to Mary, or any official Saints; our prayers belong to God. The self-righteousness Jesus highlights here are the prayers of other religious types who are trying to impress people with their personal piety. We have all heard these prayers before and perhaps are even cynical about them. Here is a test to see if your prayers are self-righteous or directed to God: when you finished praying do you feel like you have worshiped or do you feel like you did a good job. When we rightly pray to God we understand our position before Him and are left thankful and worshipful, all thought of pride is gone.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Second, we must pray in the Son. The ability that we have to communicate with God comes through the work of Christ in our lives. In this passage we have the Son, Jesus, teaching us how to pray, but it is only for those who have "ears to hear." In <strong>John 8:48</strong> Jesus also says, <strong>"Whoever is of God hears the words of God."</strong> Though unbelievers can pray to God, prayer is most operative for those who believe in Jesus as Lord. When an unbeliever prays he is seeking the position and relationship we have in Jesus, reconciled to our Father in Heaven. In this Model Prayer Jesus mentions that we must forgive others so that God can forgive us, but any forgiveness from God has to come solely through Jesus Christ, who paid the price of our forgiveness. When we pray we need to be mindful of our position to God because of our unity with the Son.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Third, we must pray in the power of the Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples the last week of His life that he must go so that the Spirit may come. <strong>John 16:13</strong> says, <strong>"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."</strong> This guiding of the Spirit in all truth is also true of our prayer lives. We need to make sure that we are praying in the power of the Spirit and not just offering up our thoughts alone. For when we pray in the Spirit we are able to worship, we are reminded of sins that we need to ask forgiveness, we are even able to pray things <strong>"too deep for words"</strong><br /> <strong>(For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26). <br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Fasting is Beneficial<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Finally, we must see the benefits of fasting. As we look around the churches in America, and especially Baptist churches, it is not an overstatement to say that this discipline has almost been lost. It is true there are people who regularly fast, but it is not common. This is not what Jesus intended, nor is it the practice of the early church. Twice a week the early church members would fast as a part of their spiritual life. So in our contemporary setting where this discipline is lost we need to address two important questions. 1. What is fasting? 2. Why should we fast?<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The first question is What is fasting? The dictionary definition is: "an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance." In short, fasting is not eating for the sake of religious reasons. Most religions have fasts as part of their rituals. In particular a time period is chosen for a person to abstain from food (and other drinks). So one would perhaps not eat from sunup to sundown and only drink water; one could take a 24 hour fast; one could take a fast of a week. The human body can go 30-40 days without food (so a fast is not detrimental to the average person's health, though some cases should confer with a doctor). There are other "types" of fast (from TV, Facebook, etc.) and these are in the similar spirit and are beneficial, but should not replace the fast from food.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The second question is, why should we fast? The answer is for spiritual benefits. Not only is it assumed that we should fast, but there are quite a few benefits from fasting. First, it places us in the correct relationship with God. By removing food, a necessity for life, from our routine we are able to focus on the main necessity for life: God. During these times of fasting one could take the normal meal time and use it for fervent prayer relying on God to sustain us, both disciplines that are also spiritually beneficial. Second, it allows us to remove dependences in our lives. Though the main thing we abstain from is food, it teaches that not only can we do with less food, but we can do with less _______. When we find our sole dependence on God we release ourselves from other dependencies, fasting greatly aids this process. Finally, fasting can help us find clarity from God. Many times we are uncertain what God wants us to do: a move, a job promotion, dating and marriage, legal matters, etc. When these times occur a period of fasting can help clear the mind and seek God's will in our lives.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Life Group Discussion Questions:<br /></p><ol><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Do you regularly pray?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>What does your prayer time look like?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>Do you regularly fast?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-size:12pt'>What benefits have you received from fasting?<br /></span></div></li></ol></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-31255172803163146012013-06-03T05:04:00.001-07:002013-06-03T05:04:32.864-07:00Yes, No, and the Truth<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Matthew 5:33-37<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>2 June 2013<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Jesus continues his commentary on the law defeating self-righteousness, pointing to law-keepers who do not reflect the holiness of God, and calling us all to repentance. If you escaped the judgment of anger and lust; perhaps deception is the source of your self-righteousness.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>We have covered much thus far, some very difficult passages, this week we cover another area that we need to make sure that we are both righteous (see Matt 5:20) and perfect (Matt 5:48). The topic for this week in many of your Bibles may say "Oaths" or "Vows," and this is true, but the major topic of concern is the topic of Lying and the Truth.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana'><strong>"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>The Legacy of Lies</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>This particular passage is one of six examples, or illustrations, of what Jesus has for the Christian Life. The particular rule of the Jews that He is addressing concerns oaths, but the underlying issue is truth and deception. We will address the passage in particular shortly, but it is beneficial for us to see the larger problem underneath the text of the heart's desire to cover up truth, or to lie. From the very beginning the temptation was to distort truth and hide from truth. We see this in <strong>Genesis 3:4</strong> where the serpent says, <strong>"But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die.'"</strong> Following this Adam and Eve eat and then hide themselves from God. <strong>And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." (Gen 3:8-10)</strong> From this day onward it has been a part of humanity to distort and hide the truth. We see this in Cain <strong>(Gen 4:8-9)</strong>, Abraham <strong>(Gen 12:10-20; Gen 20:1-7)</strong>, Jacob and Laban <strong>(Gen 29)</strong>. We also find it in the New Testament in <strong>Acts 5:1-11</strong> where Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money they had given to the church. Lying is a big deal for God.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>The Bible is replete with commands to not lie, here are but a few:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><ul style='margin-left: 58pt'><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exod 20:16)<br /></strong></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. (Lev 19:11)<br /></strong></span></div></li><li><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>There are six things that the Lord hates, <br/>seven that are an abomination to him:<br/>haughty eyes, a lying tongue,<br/>and hands that shed innocent blood,<br/>a heart that devises wicked plans,<br/>feet that make haste to run to evil,<br/>a false witness who breathes out lies,<br/>and one who sows discord among brothers. (Prov 6:16-19)<br /></strong></span></li><li><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. (Prov 12:12)<br /></strong></span></li><li><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. (Ps 101:7)<br /></strong></span></li><li><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Col 3:9-10)<br /></strong></span></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Eph 4:25)<br /></strong></span></div></li></ul><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Even in Revelation 21:8 liars, those who practice deception are numbered among the worst of all sinners being cast into the lake of fire.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>It is clear that we are not to be liars and are to be people who seek after the truth, but we cannot come to that place of truth and honesty without acknowledging that we battle against our flesh and its desire to tell lies and cover up truth. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Most of the time people lie to deceive others to think better of us than we deserve. "Oh, I wanted to come to your party but my husband (or wife) had to work late". Translation – there are other things I'd rather do.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>The Result of Rules<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>"A liar is always lavish of oaths." ― Pierre Corneille<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Knowing that we are indeed in a world of lies and liars we need to see what it was in particular that Jesus was addressing in this passage. At first glance it appears to be solely about oaths and vows, <strong>"<span style='color:black'>Do not take an oath at all." </span></strong>But if we look <span style='color:black'>closer at the passage there is much more to it that First Century Jews would recognize immediately. <br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><span style='color:black'>The first thing to notice is the common phraseology of Jesus in this part of the sermon, "You have heard it said…" Here we must look back to the Old Testament and find out where they have heard this said, since this was a teaching of the religious leaders. This teaching comes partly from the Jewish <em>Mishnah</em>, an important religious work for the Jews second only to the (Hebrew Bible). Here you find intricate teachings and commentaries on the Law. </span>"For example, one rabbi says that if you swear <em>by</em> Jerusalem you are not bound by your vow; but if you swear <em>toward</em> Jerusalem, then you are bound by your vow." (Carson 47) As we can see from our passage this is exactly what Jesus was dealing with for he says not to take oaths by heaven, or Jerusalem. It was a practice of the Jews to make these oaths and Jesus was addressing that practice.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Second, we need to see in this passage that Jesus is not saying that making an oath is wrong, bad or sinful. There have been many in the history of Christianity (and many Baptists are in the number) who read this passage as forbidding any oath. For example, the Anabaptist of the Reformation era, would not work for the government because it required an oath to take the office. This is why the "swearing-in" witnesses says "solemnly swear or affirm", because some refused to take any oath due to this scripture.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>But we find throughout the Bible other oaths that are taken and appear to be accepted as good. <strong>"You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear." (Deut 10:20) </strong>After the Flood God made a covenant (a type of oath) with Noah in <strong>Genesis 9:9-11. </strong>In the New Testament Paul is repeatedly calling God as his witness to what he is saying, <strong>(Rom 1:9; 2 Cor 1:23; 1 Thess 2:5, 10; Phil 1:8). </strong>There are appropriate ways in which we can take oaths, vows, covenants, and bear witnesses that do not violate what Jesus is teaching here in the sermon.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Third, we need to see that what is really being addressed is the Result of Rules. Though it may be exclaimed by some that the additions to the Law that were made were done so to protect the Law and keep people from violating the Law, what it did was create a new law unto itself. What once was a religion based upon a relationship became a religion based upon rules. When we live a life based solely upon rules we inevitably create new rules to bend older rules, which is exactly what was going on. Unfortunately deceptive people use oaths for the "halo-effect"; that if they swear by something important, they are presumed to be more truthful.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Think about it for a moment. Why would anyone need to clarify truth by an oath? Does saying, "I swear by my mother's grave" make a statement any more or less true? What it does is that it tries to convince a hearer that this statement is more true than other statements. By doing such we are living a life that accepts lies as a part of living. We create rules, like oaths and vows, that allow us to have degrees of truthfulness, which is just a justification for lying. The reality of Jesus' words here are that such rules only show the motive of the heart to live in lies. If we live by rules we will be run by rules, but that is not what Jesus has in mind for the Christian Life.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>The Honor in Honesty</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>So what does Jesus want for us if we are not to live by rules? The answer is honesty and the honor that comes with it. Look at the response Jesus provides for what a Christian is to do: "<span style='color:black'><strong>Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil." </strong>The simple answer of "yes" or "no" or of just the truth without anything else is all that is needed, but there is more to this. In order for us to just be able to say "yes" or "no" means that we live lives that are honest. <br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana'>Your personal integrity becomes your constant oath endorsing the words you say.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana'>When we live lives that are honest people have tendency to believe what we are saying. When we live lives that are dishonest we have the tendency to disbelieve anything without further evidence, we become cynical. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana'>What we must do is live a life that is "above reproach," a requirement for a pastor found in 1 Timothy and Titus. This means that we live in such a way that no one can have reason to doubt, or reproach us. It is living a life that is full of integrity and honesty. It is living a life where people trust every word that comes out of your mouth. This is what Jesus means when he says let your yes be yes and your no be no. It is a life of honesty, and when we live a life of honesty we receive the honor that comes with it. We must be people that strive after both of these things.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>The Triumph of Truth<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Finally, we are confronted again with the realization that this is indeed a difficult thing to do. We do come from a legacy of lies and often we try to cover them up by appealing to rules and loopholes in those rules. In the case of living a life of honesty and honor what we must do daily is to fall upon Jesus, who is the only Truth and in whom we triumph over every adversary in life.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>We see this especially throughout John's Gospel. We are told to abide in the truth of Jesus, <strong>"and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)</strong> By living in Jesus we are able to live in truth, we are able to live honesty and in honor, but we can only do so by abiding in Him. Jesus further teaches his disciples about how He is the Truth. <strong>"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. … I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:1, 6). </strong>Finally, we see Jesus even asking the Father to help his disciples (and us) to abide in truth, <strong>"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17) </strong>Without the help of God and the life abiding in Christ we are unable to shrug off the legacy of lies that we have inherited. So, once again, the only way to conquer the heart issue of lying and untruth is to live in the righteousness and perfection of Jesus Christ.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Discussion Questions for Life Groups<br /></span></p><ul><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Is there an appropriate time for anyone to tell a lie?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Have volunteers discuss how they have inherited a "legacy of lies"<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>What are some of the loopholes and bending of the rules that we use?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>How do we know if someone is honest or not?<br /></span></div></li><li><div style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Verdana'>How can we become an honest, honorable person?</span></div></li></ul></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-25707490610418485472013-05-30T08:23:00.001-07:002013-05-30T08:23:24.843-07:00Lust, Adultery and Divorce<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Jesus continues his commentary on the law defeating self-righteousness, pointing to law-keepers who do not reflect the holiness of God, and calling us all to repentance.<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>When we first started the Sermon on the Mount, this was the passage where my mind immediately went. We will talk about marriage, adultery, and divorce; these are very personal topics that touch a raw nerve with many people. Quite honestly some modern-day Pharisees have used these and other passages against people with a less-than-ideal marriage experiences; and if that is their take-away from this sermon, they have flatly missed the point. Nevertheless it is as awkward for me to tell as it will be for you to hear, and even this week I was having my garden-of-gethsemane moment with God, asking him if there was any way for me to avoid this topic. But we are committed to teach the full council of God's Word, so hang on tight and we'll get through this together.<br /></span></p><p> <br /> </p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>Matthew 5:27-30<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>The SAT College entrance exam is infamous for its similes, and you could almost teach this passage in Matthew 5 simply by drawing a simile between the two. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>Anger is to murder as Lust is to Adultery.</span> As we continue Jesus' commentary on the Law He is showing examples where self-righteous people claim to keep the Law, while harboring thoughts and attitudes that do not reflect the holiness of God.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Just as we were shown that harboring anger sows the kind hatred and bitterness that leads to violence, so we will see how lustful looking leads to adultery. This week we will touch on the marriage relationship, what it means to God, what it should mean us, and the dangers that threaten our homes.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>While everyone is familiar with the law against adultery, how many really take seriously the warning in verse 28 that adultery begins in a lustful heart? We have a tragic illustration of this principle in <strong>2 Samuel 11</strong>.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>2 Samuel 11<span style='color:black; background-color:white'><br /> </span></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'><strong><sup>2 </sup>Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof <span style='text-decoration:underline'>he saw a woman bathing</span>, and the woman <em>was</em> very beautiful to behold. <sup>3 </sup>So David sent and inquired about the woman. And <em>someone</em> said, "<em>Is</em> this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" <sup>4 </sup>Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Due to boredom or a sense of entitlement one of the great warrior kings in history goes for a stroll and becomes a voyeur, from the palace rooftop he sees Bathsheba bathing. She is beautiful so he allows himself to lust for her. And even after he discovers that she is his servant's wife, the lust is already settled in his mind, so he uses the power of his position to have sex with her. This sets in motion the judgment of God and a chain of violence that would not leave David's house for a generation. There is no sense in which David could have thought his lust was harmless, after all the law against coveting your neighbor's wife is one of the 10 commandments.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Now a Pharisee legalist might think it is OK to lust after single women but turn it off when you find out they are married, but the mind simply doesn't work that way. So the general rule against covetousness, reminds us to worship only God, and the obsession of coveting really challenges our affections, and what we truly worship.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>Just this month David Loveless the lead pastor of Discovery Church, a 4 campus mega-church in Orlando Florida, resigned after admitting to a past affair (adultery). The article I read in the Christian Post also mentioned that two other Orlando area pastors of large churches had resigned in the last 6 months because of extra-marital affairs. It is clear to me that Satan can easily use lust and adultery to attack the Christian churches, and leave them leaderless, discouraged and confused. We need to guard our hearts and minds, and that begins with guarding our eyes. Do not think that lustful looking is a harmless fantasy, because the evidence tells a different story.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>The most common form of lustful looking is Pornography. Internet statistics reveal that more people visit pornographic web sites than visit Amazon.com and Ebay combined. Estimates rank the porn industry as an 8 billion dollar business, with the same revenue as the bottled water industry. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Seminary has written several articles on the dangers of pornography and one of them quoted researchers with the following:<br /></span></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Verdana'><em><span style='color:black; background-color:white'>"A man's brain is a sexual mosaic influenced by hormone levels in the womb and in puberty and molded by his psychological experience." Over time, exposure to pornography takes a man or boy deeper along "a one-way neurological superhighway where a man's mental life is over-sexualized and narrowed. This superhighway has countless on-ramps but very few off-ramps. </span><br /> </em></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Ricky Chelette director of a sexual-sin recovery ministry in Arlington, says that when men come to him and say they don't have the same passion for their wives that they once did, the first thing he asks them is "have they been viewing pornography"? He said more often than not, pornography is the origin of sexual dissatisfaction in married men, comparing their wives to imaginary women with no other purpose than sexual pleasure. This sin is harmful to your marriage, and Jesus identifies as a sin (lust) leading to a worse sin (adultery).<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>Matthew 5:31-32<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong>31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except "sexual immorality" causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>In the Movie "Juno" about a teenage girl who gets pregnant, she has a conversation with her Father and says "I need to know if two people can really be happy together forever?" If your daughter asked you this, would you answer hopefully? Or would your answer include a warning of the temptations, and sins that tear marriages apart?<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Statistics show that in the U.S. 50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second, and 73% of third marriages end divorce. Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 % of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 % have been divorced.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Jesus presents a challenging view of marriage that the world still rejects. His most comprehensive teaching on marriage is in <strong>Matthew 19</strong> where the Pharisees ask "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" Jesus, replies in the strongest possible terms explaining God's ideal of marriage as <span style='text-decoration:underline'>heterosexual</span> (man and wife), <span style='text-decoration:underline'>monogamous</span> (<span style='color:black; background-color:white'>no longer two but one flesh), and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>permanent</span> (what God has joined, let not man separate).<br /></span></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>If you have a reference Bible Matthew 5:31 will point you to one part of the Law in Deuteronomy 24. Now in fairness I cannot give you a comprehensive study of OT marriage laws in one week. From Genesis to Deuteronomy there are many verses and about 5 complete chapters dedicated to marriage; but we will concentrate on the ones Jesus mentioned.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'><strong>Deuteronomy 24:1 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts <em>it</em> in her hand, and sends her out of his house"<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>I see this passage as a newlywed law, to protect a man from a wedding night surprise. The word translated uncleanness means nakedness, but with the connotation of something unprotected or unguarded. The idea is clear that a man should not be deceived by a woman with a longer sexual history than he imagined. <br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>We see this demonstrated in the marriage of Mary and Joseph when she was found with child before they had been intimate. Before the Angel spoke to Joseph his intent was to "put away" Mary as the law allowed. She would not be accused of adultery because she and Joseph had not yet been united as "one flesh", but she could have been guilty of sexual uncleanness; except her conception was not by any man. Joseph was called a "just man" for his understanding of the law, and his willingness to show grace by handling the divorce in private.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>Among the Jews, there were two schools of interpretation regarding the Mosaic teaching on divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1): the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel. The school of Shammai followed a strict reading of this passage, as I have explained it. Hillel's school, on the other hand, was liberal in the extreme. They taught that a man could divorce his wife for almost anything he found displeasing in her; a woman had no rights at all.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>A woman could not divorce a man, so it's easy for this law to become oppressive to women unless it is limited in its usage. And this unlimited divorce taught by Hillel, is what Jesus opposes in Matthew 5 & 19. A woman's highest standing would be to marry an honorable man a raise good children in a loving home. Unlimited divorce means that could be taken from her at any time for any reason; that is not God's ideal of marriage.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>The "sexual immorality" in Matthew 5:32 is the Greek word "<em>pornea</em>", or sexual uncleanness, which is perfectly consistent with Deuteronomy 24:1 being read as a newlywed law. Can a man really be a law-keeper if he takes a wife in his youth, only to replace her with a trophy-wife when they are older? A Hillel Pharisee would say yes, but this is a reading of the law that does not reflect the holiness of God. Jesus is calling us to a higher standard. Remember in creation woman, was made of flesh taken out of man. In Biblical marriage husband and wife are reunited as one flesh. This concept permeates the OT and our civil laws today. Any vow or promise made by the wife was binding against her husband. Even today if one spouse borrows money, or cheats on their taxes the money owed is equally binding against husband and wife.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'>Jesus fulfills the law of marriage as the bridegroom who gave himself for his bride, the church. And he has promised that those who come to him in faith will never be "put away", or cast out. If the ideas of lustful-looking or Biblical marriage are challenging to you; that is their purpose, Jesus is calling us to repent. If your marriage experience is less-than-ideal, the take-away for all of us is that I need Jesus in my marriage. Our standard of righteousness is the holiness of God, and He has chosen marriage to teach us about his own grace, in choosing and loving us "for better or worse". What a beautiful example to follow, and a challenging standard to keep. God, give us the grace to practice marriage the way Jesus taught.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:black; font-family:Verdana; background-color:white'><br /> </span> </p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-87624912731697970082013-05-20T19:08:00.001-07:002013-05-20T19:08:55.342-07:00Christians and the Call<span xmlns=''><p>19 May 2013<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Being a part of Hallmark Baptist Church means that, at some point, we are a part of sending out those who have answered a call from God to go to the uttermost to take people the gospel. This month in particular we have the opportunity to send off three families that have answered this call. We know of many more families that we have sent out and continue to support as well. It is an important part of church life to send out people to others for the furtherance of God's kingdom. From the beginning God has called out people for specific tasks to accomplish specific goals. As we take time today to honor these that are going out let us also take time to discern our own calling in the Christian Life.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>It may seem odd to compare the calling of the missionary to the calling of the average member of the local church, but nevertheless we need to do so. It is true that the decision to go across the globe is different than the decision to move down the street, but both are called to "go." It is true that it is financial difficult, at times, to be dependent on the offerings of other people rather than a regular type of pay check, but nevertheless it still is true that <strong>Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (Jas 1:17)</strong>. It may be true that we are not educated like missionaries or pastors, yet we all use the same Bible given to us from God. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The truth of the Christian Life is that we all have a calling. We all have a purpose in the kingdom of God. We all must find our place in the great commission (<strong>Matt 28</strong> or <strong>Acts 1:8</strong>) and we all must discern the giftings we have been given to aid us in this calling (see <strong>1 Cor 12ff</strong>). For all have been called, and the Bible tells us to consider that call: <strong>For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Cor 1:26ff)</strong><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>This morning we are going to take a few moments to look at calling in the Bible and see how God is still calling us even today.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Our Calling is God Ordained</strong><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>In the first chapter of the book of <strong>Jeremiah</strong> we have one of the most famous passages about calling in the Bible. It is the calling of Jeremiah the prophet:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>and before you were born I consecrated you;<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:5)<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>There are few things we need to notice about this passage. The first thing to notice is that a calling from God is just that: a calling from God. For us to consider our calling we must remember that God is the one who called us in the first place. We cannot respond to God unless he first called to us. A great example of that is the life of Samuel, whose mother we studied last week. As a child Samuel grew up in the Temple and one night he thought he heard Eli calling to him, but in fact it was the Lord. God initiated the work that he was going to have Samuel do in his life. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>God ordains the calling that we have in our life and will see us through that calling. The passage in 1 Samuel concludes with this verse: <strong>"And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground." (1 Sam 3:19) </strong>God indeed called out this boy, but as the boy kept to that calling God never left him. That means that God sustains the calling He gives. We also see this in Jeremiah's life. A few verses down we have the Lord responding to a Jeremiah in protest:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." But the Lord said to me,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>and whatever I command you, you shall speak.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>Do not be afraid of them,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>for I am with you to deliver you,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 72pt'><strong>declares the Lord."<br /></strong></p><ul><li><div style='text-align: justify'><br /> </div><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>to pluck up and to break down,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>to destroy and to overthrow,<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>to build and to plant." (Jer 1:6-10)<br /></strong></p></li></ul><p style='text-align: justify'>Jeremiah was afraid to go through with the calling of God, but God answered Him, as He answered all of us, that He, God, was the one to empower, the one to fear, the one that would provide him the capacity to complete the call. It is the same for us, even though we are not prophets like Jeremiah, we have been placed in certain places to accomplish a calling from God that only we can accomplish. Therefore, we must trust in the one who calls us that He knows better than we do of what we are capable.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Our Calling Requires our Response</strong><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'>However divine the call is in our lives God still allows us to be obedient to Him or to be disobedient. Whether this call is for a lifetime or the everyday callings we have moment by moment, we all can choose to obey or disobey them. What we must do is try to respond as the prophet Isaiah did in <strong>Isaiah 6:8 "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'"<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The response of Isaiah should be the response of all of us. When God calls us to a specific purpose (which He does more than we are willing to acknowledge) are answer should be a resounding: "Yes Lord" or "Send Me." In the presence of God, and understanding his sinful and forgiven nature at that place, Isaiah heard the call of God and knew there was not other choice, he must tell God he is the man for the job. He did not wait for the outline of the call, which might discourage him considering his life. He did not phone a friend to see what they thought. He did not research all the other callings to find the best fit for him. He heard the call and he responded. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Our own reality is that we live in a society that preaches self above all else. We say, "Watch out for no.1," but in reality we totally forget that the number one in our life is not ourselves, but God. Christ cannot merely be our savior without also being our Lord and when the Lord calls we have to answer. It is the only responsible thing to do. We must have the tenacity of Isaiah and Jeremiah we see here as well as the resolve of Peter and John, who in <strong>Acts 4:19-20</strong> say, <strong>"But Peter and John answered them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.'"<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>These men all responded to the call of God in their lives. We must listen to the divine call in our lives and follow the example of these men and follow it at all costs.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Our Calling is Affirmed by the Church<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>A necessary question may be arising in your mind at this point. We may concede that all calls come from God and that it is our responsibility to follow that call. This is all well and good as long as you have discerned that God has indeed called. So how do we determine the calling of God? This is an important question for many have attempted the work of God apart from His calling and have found dire results. <br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Though prayer is the main way to know of the calling God has on our lives, it is also the church that aids in discerning our calling. God has chosen to work through His church throughout history. It is the church that gathers in <strong>Acts 15</strong> in Jerusalem to hold a council about circumcision. Here the church, the elders, and the apostles work together to discern God's will in this matter. God also utilizes the church in discerning and accomplishing his call upon people's lives.<br /></p><p><strong>Acts 13:1-3 </strong>exhibits this:<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><strong>Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>We see this affirmation of the church of the call on Barnabas and Saul for some of the greatest missionary endeavors of all time. God could have pulled Paul and Barnabas aside and told them to go, he had done it with Paul before (<strong>see Acts 9</strong>). However, he chose to work through the local church to affirm their call and to send them out.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>God has not changed how he affirms this calling. When we come to answer the call of God alongside the church, we find that God has been working in other's lives to help us know our calling. If we have questions about our calling we can take it to the church to find help and answers. It may very well be that God has been speaking to someone in the body about another who needs to do a particular work. He often works in this way. Let the church be the body that affirms, guides, and aids in completing one's calling<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>Our Calling Must Be Fulfilled<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>In conclusion, we must see that God does call us to action in this life, but He allows us the ability to obey or disobey that calling. What we must resolve is to make sure we're completing the call God has for us. <strong>2 Peter 1:10 </strong>says, "<strong>Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble" </strong>Though this passage is saying quite a bit about salvation it also helps us understand that we must ever be seeking to confirm the calling God has in our lives.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>"Calling and election" may sound redundant but it's actually a very detailed thought. Election, as we know, means to be chosen, and <span style='text-decoration:underline'>to be called or named among the elect is exactly what it means to be redeemed</span>. Revelation 20:15 tells us that those who are not "named" in the Book of Life, are cast into the lake of fire, the second death.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>But what confirms our election? Go back a few verses in 2 Peter 1, beginning in verse 5.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>2 Peter 1<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'><strong>5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Some people read about making your election sure, or "working out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), begin to believe you must earn your salvation. But our study in Romans and other passages clearly refute this idea. As Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us salvation is by grace through faith, rather than works; so verse 10 reminds that we are created in Christ Jesus "for good works".<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Likewise here in 2 Peter 1, verse 5 refers to a reason for our works, and that is given in verse 4 it is because we have received the "divine nature", the Holy Spirit which is ours through Christ. For this cause we do not work "for" our salvation, but we work "out" our salvation; allowing our lives to confirm the work of grace that faith has performed in our hearts.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>So verse 5 begins the "works" that "confirm" our calling and election. To your faith add "virtue", usually meaning moral works but from a root word meaning "good children". He's saying our faith should produce children, good children, and he names our children for us <strong>Knowledge</strong>, <strong>Discipline</strong>, <strong>Perseverance</strong>, <strong>Godliness</strong> (which means holiness or purity), <strong>Kindness</strong>, and <strong>Love</strong>; these are the children of our faith. These are the works that confirm God's calling, in the life of the redeemed.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Verse 8 says that if our faith has these children, we won't be barren or unfruitful, keeping with the reproductive theme. But that a person that lacks these things is shortsighted, even blind, forgetting that he has been redeemed. So these works confirm our salvation, in our own hearts and minds. They remind us of the grace of God, and how we came to faith. Without the children of faith, we stumble in doubt and fear, shrinking from every challenge of Satan with the question, "Am I really saved"? Without confirming works, we forget what God has done for us.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>The call of God is a precious thing; it should always be confirmed and followed in our lives. It should never be forsaken, forgotten, and neglected. For those who confirm the call of God with our lives, we have the promise of verse 10, "you will never stumble". <strong>11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.<br /></strong></p><p style='text-align: justify'>Make your calling and election sure. Let your life and works confirm the work that God has done in your heart.</p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-45500070165131745222013-05-13T18:37:00.001-07:002013-05-13T18:37:08.510-07:00Holy Hannah: A Model for Motherhood<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>1 Samuel 1:1-2:11<br /></strong></span></p><p><br /> </p><p>In a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin is standing by his Mom's bed when he says, "Hey, Mom! Wake up. I made you a Mother's Day card." His mother was pleasantly surprised and started to read it out loud.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>"I was going to buy a card with hearts of pink and red.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>But then I thought I'd rather spend the money instead.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>It's awfully hard to buy things when one's allowance is so small.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>So I guess you're plenty lucky I got you anything at all.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>'Happy Mother's Day!' there, I've said it. Now I'm done.<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10pt'>So how about getting out of bed and fixing breakfast for your son."<br /></span></p><p><br /> </p><p>It's not easy to be a mom! A mother was talking to an old college friend and said, "I remember before I was married that I had three theories about raising children. Now I have three children and no theories." <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>In our English translations of the Bible, the Book of Ruth comes after Judges, but in the Hebrew Bible, 1 Samuel follows immediately after Judges. The situation is bleak. The nation of Israel is torn apart by a lack of leadership and lawlessness. According to <strong>Judges 21:25, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit."</strong> The nation of Israel was often oppressed by the surrounding nations. God would appoint a judge to lead His people, but their freedom generally lasted only as long as the judge was alive. On top of that, many of the judges, like Samson, had some fatal flaws. Their spiritual decay was linked to the absence of a king. When we come to 1 Samuel, we're introduced to Hannah, who is the mother of the prophet who will designate Israel's chosen king.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>As we look at the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, we'll see <strong>5 defining traits that make Hannah a model for motherhood</strong>. The first one may surprise you.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>1. Hannah's Problems (1:1-8).</strong> It's easy to think that the heroes in the Bible were somehow different than we are. We might think that it's tough to relate to them because their lives were so perfect and their culture was so different than ours. Actually, the Bible is filled with real people who have real problems; who then face those problems with real faith.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>In 1 Samuel 1, we're introduced to a man named Elkanah. Verse 2 tells us that "He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Penninah. Penninah had children, but Hannah had none." The wife's chief role in those days was to provide children. A barren womb was considered a curse and Hannah would have been looked down upon. She was spiritually disturbed, socially disgraced, and emotionally depressed. She joins a long line of other women of faith who battled barrenness: Sarah (Abraham's wife), Rebekah (Isaac's wife), Rachel (Jacob's wife), Ruth (Boaz's wife), and Elizabeth (John the Baptist's mother). In fact, the Bible describes most of the childless women as righteous women, matriarchs of the faith. This shows us that the cultures' perception of our condition does not always match God's. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Verse 3 tells us that Elkanah and his two wives made a yearly visit to Shiloh, about a twenty-mile journey, to worship the Lord. This shows us something about his devout spirituality. When the whole culture was headed south spiritually, Elkanah swam against the tide of apathy, and took his family to worship. The last part of verse 3 indicates that Hophni and Phineas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. These two boys were hypocrites at best and evil at worst. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Verses 4-5 show us something about his devoted heart. He gave portions of the sacrificial meat to Penninah and her children, "But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her…" This sacrifice was a thank offering, which allowed the worshipers to eat the part that was not offered to God. This "double" portion literally means, "to show the face." He showed his face to her, indicating that she was worthy and that he cared deeply for her. In that culture, honored guests were given a "super-sized" meal. It had to be difficult for Hannah to eat the food that was associated with the "thank offering," when she probably wasn't all that thankful. Having a husband who expressed his love probably helped a lot.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Even though these two wives did not get along, the most difficult thing that Hannah faced is the phrase that is repeated twice, once at the end of verse 5 and again at the beginning of <strong>verse 6: "And the Lord had closed her womb."</strong> The problem that she was having was allowed by the Lord. This is one of the hardest lessons we will ever learn, our problems are allowed by the Lord Himself. It is God who is behind the circumstances of life. We don't really want to believe this. We'd rather blame it all on Satan, or on someone else. But it is God who allows good things and bad things to come into our lives. God is in charge and as such we should echo Job's faith in <strong>Job 2:10: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"</strong><br /> <strong>Ecclesiastes 7:14</strong> puts it well: <strong>"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other."</strong><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>2. Hannah's Prayers (1:9-18).</strong> Hannah had some problems but she didn't shut down or lash out at those around her. She expressed her faith in prayer. God uses our problems to get our attention and to teach us according to <strong>Psalm 119: 71: "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." </strong>Our problems should drive us to prayer. Look <strong>at verses 10-11: "In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying, 'O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.'"</strong><br /> </p><p><br /> </p><p> As part of her prayer, she is making a vow that if she's given a son, he will be dedicated to the Lord for his entire life. Her son would become a Levitical priest, serving in the temple and a Nazirite. A Nazirite was bound by a vow to be set apart to the Lord's service and had to abstain from the fruit of the vine, was forbidden to cut his hair, and was not allowed to get near any dead body. Samson was another Old Testament character who had taken the Nazirite vow. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>It's significant that <strong>verse 12 says, "she kept on praying to the Lord."</strong> This wasn't just a quick popcorn prayer. This was a repeated request, bathed in tears. Notice also that she prayed this prayer in her heart, not audibly like most Hebrews prayed. She prayed secretly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. We don't have to always pray out loud, but simply pray from our heart because our thoughts are as words to God. Her quiet prayer had an unfortunate consequence when Eli, the priest, accused her of being drunk. That says a lot about the culture at that time there were probably drunken people around the temple and Eli thought she was one of them.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>When she had the opportunity to explain herself, Eli answered in <strong>verse 17: "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him."</strong> This benediction was a huge blessing to Hannah. He didn't know what she was praying about, but as high priest, gave his "amen" to her request. Her whole countenance changed in verse 18 when we read that "…she went away and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast." This is really cool. After spending time in prayer, her face was no longer sad. She had left her concerns with the Lord and now she's experiencing the "peace that passes all understanding." <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Hannah had real problems and expressed vibrant prayers. That leads to a third defining trait…<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>3. Hannah's (God's) Provision (1:19-20). </strong>Verse 19 tells us that once again they got up early the next morning and worshipped before the Lord. This was their practice, not something they did just once in awhile. Then they went back home. A short time later, Hannah conceived and give birth to a son, naming him Samuel. His name sounds like the Hebrew for "heard of God." Every time she said his name she was reminded of his origin and destiny.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>4. Hannah's Promise (1:21-28).</strong> After Samuel was born, Elkanah went once again to Shiloh in order to worship. Hannah decided to not go until Samuel was weaned, which would have been at around three-years-old. She dedicated herself to her child, nursing and nurturing him, knowing that when he is able to eat on his own, <strong>she "…will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."</strong> Many people make promises to God, only to forget them in time. Not so with Hannah. She fully intended to keep her promise because she knew that Samuel did not really belong to her anyway.<br /></p><p><br/>Hannah not only dedicated herself to her child, she dedicated her child to the Lord. She then brings Samuel to the house of the Lord and says <strong>in verse 28: "So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD…"</strong> She repeated this twice as if to cement her commitment, knowing that she will never revoke it. While she gave Samuel to her Savior, she never bailed on her responsibility. Look at 2:19: "Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice."<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>Verse 28</strong> ends with a glimpse into young Samuel's heart: <strong>"And he worshiped the LORD there."</strong> Even at three-years-old, he was able to worship. How do you think he learned how to do this? Hannah no doubt took the exhortation of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 seriously: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." It's one thing to say that our children are dedicated to the Lord; it's another thing altogether to give them to the Lord. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>5. Hannah's Praise (2:1-11).</strong> We don't have time this morning to walk through the details of Hannah's beautiful psalm of praise, but I do want to point out that there is no element of sadness here at all. She has just dropped off Samuel at the temple and now she breaks out into praise. She was thrilled to be able to parent a prophet! Listen <strong>to verses 1-2: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."</strong> Notice that she doesn't brag about how handsome Samuel is, or how smart he is, or how neat it is that he can say prayers at his young age. She overlooks the gift and gives praise to the Giver. There is no one else who is holy like the Lord and no one else who will be her Rock through the storms of life.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>In verse 3 she focuses on God's wisdom and knowledge, recognizing that He's the one who weighs the actions of men and women. We shouldn't brag about we have or what we do, because God knows our hearts. In verse 6, she acknowledges God's ability to bring death and to make alive. In verse 7, God is the one who sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and exalts.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Hannah is an example of a woman of faith. She endures years of silent suffering because of her barrenness and the cruel harassment at the hand of her rival, Penninah. She goes to the place of worship, knowing how painful it is. She faithfully worships, pouring out her tears and petitions. And when God answers her prayers, she not only keeps her promise, she explodes with praise.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>Some Closing Thoughts<br /></strong></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>1. Women, you are of great worth in God's sight whether you have a child or not</strong>. Lift up your head and realize that God loves you for who you are, not for what you do. He understands your sorrow and your pain and He'll meet you right where you are.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><strong>2. Mothers, make it your mission to give your children to the Lord for a lifetime of dedicated service.</strong> There's no greater purpose, and no higher honor, than to have your children give their lives in surrendered service to the Lord.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>One Sunday, after dedicating their baby to the Lord during a baby dedication service, a young family was driving home from church. Little Johnny, the older brother, cried all the way home in the back seat of the car. His mother asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That pastor said he wanted us to be brought up in a Christian home…and I want to stay with you guys!"<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Evolutionist will tell you your only purpose is to pass on your DNA to the next generation, but Hanna shows us a different purpose, to live a life with God at the center of our family.<br /></p><p><br /> </p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-5952700069515194342013-05-06T07:16:00.001-07:002013-05-06T07:16:39.937-07:00Anger, Murder, and the Heart<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Matthew 5:21-26<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>5 May 2013<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman'><strong>21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother (without a cause) shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>This week we continue with Jesus commentary on the law, that we began last week. He will address six subjects found in every day life: Anger, Adultery, Divorce, Lying, etc. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Before we discuss the passage before us, let us briefly see the context in which these verses are placed. In <strong>Matthew 5:17</strong> We saw that Jesus was claiming to fulfill the Law in His teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom is inaccessible to anyone who does not have a righteousness greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Ultimately, as we saw, the only way to obtain that righteousness is through Jesus himself. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>We could look at previous verses just by themselves and be quite satisfied. However, they are placed in the Sermon at this point as an introduction to what is to come. Jesus is about to redefine for His Jewish audience what the Law really means. In the following passages we have a similar grammatical construct of "You have heard it said . . . but I say to you . . ." This construct presents a part of the Law as God intended. In other words he will destroy the Pharisees feelings of self-righteousness, while illustrating the holiness of God that should be reflected in the Law. When Jesus claims He has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets he is prefacing the teaching that is about to come in the Sermon. It is to say, "You know the words of the Law but I am about teach you the heart of the Law." What follows are some difficult passages and Jesus is making it clear clear that His teaching is in accordance with the Old Testament, with God's Law, over against the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>So what is important to see in these passages over the next few weeks are issues of the heart. God is not solely concerned about our external actions; but the motivation and temptation that drive those actions.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>The Heart is where Anger is Harbored<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>For most of us we were introduced to the Law of God through the Ten Commandments. In them we find the command to not murder, or kill <strong>(Exod 20:13)</strong>. This seems basic not only to good Christian behavior but it is basic to society at large. For the most part society looks upon murder as a very bad thing (though the growth of abortion and euthanasia are troubling trends). So the introduction of the passage in the Sermon is not seen as Jesus' means of affirming that murder is bad. He knows it is bad, his disciples know it is bad, even the Scribes and Pharisees he is correcting know that murder is bad. But murder is an intentional act fed by anger and hatred; before you learn to kill your heart and mind must first learn to rage, to burn in anger until it explodes into violence.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The soon to be familiar phrase of "you have beard it said…" sets off the beginning of this passage. Verse 21 presents to the topic of concern: murder. This is the topic taught by the Scribes and Pharisees who say that all murderers will be "liable to judgment." However, it is not until verse 22 that we are introduced to what Jesus wants to say about murder. Taking up the theme of liability of judgment, Jesus presents to us two scenarios, or pictures, of what it looks like to be truly liable of judgment. He is not saying the Scribes and Pharisees are completely wrong, rather He is bringing greater clarification to the phrase, "liable to judgment."<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The first scenario he presents to us is the case of anger, <span style='color:black'><strong>But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.</strong> It is always best in reading the Bible to begin with the simplest reading of the text before trying to find an alternate interpretation. It is ever true here. Those who are angry with a brother (sister, cousin, etc.) will be liable for judgment. That is the simple reading. It is placed within the context of what the audience has heard, <strong>'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' </strong>Therefore the simple reading says, "one who is angry with his brother is liable to the judgment that a murderer should receive." (Some versions of the Bible add in "without cause" after "angry with his brother." This is a variant text that most versions now omit.)<br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman'><span style='font-size:12pt'>The second scenario presents something similar, </span><strong>whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' <span style='font-size:12pt'>will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in </span>danger of hell fire<span style='font-size:12pt'>. </span></strong>Here we are pr<span style='font-size:12pt'>esented with the case of an insult, a case of abuse, wherein the result is judgment, but this time it shows it as eternal judgment—hell fire.<br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>With these simple, and perhaps shocking, readings of the text we must then ask the question: what does it mean here to be angry or to insult someone? Concerning anger we must keep in mind that it in itself is not unrighteous, that means, there is a time for anger and, as such, an anger that is not liable to judgment. We know this because God himself has anger, "<strong>Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day." (Deut 29:27-28) </strong>This is just one example of God showing His anger. The Bible also speaks of Christians being angry, <strong>"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Eph 4:26). </strong>There seems to be a possibility for man to have sinless anger, like God's. There are times when it is ok to be angry, but in those times we must remain sinless in our anger and we must rid ourselves of that anger quickly, for the Bible also says, <strong>"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." (Eph 4:31)</strong> and <strong>"for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:20). </strong>The anger in mind here is of a different sort.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Ephesians 4 give us a good hint, "put away malice", malice is evil intent to where you want to do harm to someone. Likewise it says anger must be short lived. What do you do with your anger?<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In a similar way, this passage is not inferring that every insult that we make has the liability of judgment attached to it. Though it is definitely unwise to be flippant with our words and call people "morons" and "idiots." The simple recitation of those words or phrases does not bring about the fires of hell. There is a connection of those words to our hearts.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><span style='color:black'>The anger and insults mentioned here are those thoughts of the heart that manifest into hate. For every murder has some motive attached to it. It has some level of hatred for the person that is murdered. So the judgment is not only in the activity of the murderer but in the murder already committed in his heart. For the conclusion that we can come to from Jesus' teaching is that when we harbor hatred towards someone else we are in effect learning to murder. This thought is no less difficult now to comprehend than it was for the first century followers of Jesus who soon turned away after hearing his teaching (see <strong>John 6:66-68</strong>). However, we must remember that the kingdom of heaven is offered to those whose righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, so we must be aware of the condemnation as murderers coming to all who harbor hate for a brother in their hearts. This is an interpretation of the Law that reflects the holiness of God.</span><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>The Heart must Seek Reconciliation<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>There is no doubt that the point Jesus is making here is difficult to confront since it cuts at the heart of everyone and highlights the perpetual problem of sin we all have. However, this passage does not leave us without a word of hope and grace. We must not walk away feeling completely down by this affirmation of the sin in our heart, rather Jesus' purpose in all His preaching is to bring us to repentance and fellowship with God, under the promise that Jesus himself will fulfill the LAW. So it is in this passage as well.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Moreover here we are offered a model of reconciliation; Jesus says, "<span style='color:black'><strong>So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."</strong> Though the reality of our sin is an encumbrance to all aspects of our life; this knowledge of sin reminds of our duty to seek repentance. In this passage that is exactly what is occurring. The person, who has not repented, is hindered from worship and left with only one true choice: reconciliation. Jesus tells us that we are to leave what we are doing immediately and find reconciliation. We are to seek out the person we have offended, and ask for their forgiveness. <br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>This is the teaching of Jesus throughout the Bible. In <strong>John 20:23</strong> we come across a similar statement: "<strong>If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." </strong>As Christians we have been given forgiveness for all our sins and in the practice of the Christian Life we are to live a life of forgiveness to others. <strong>2 Corinthians 5:17-19</strong> highlight this connection well.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><br /> <strong>17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The message is quite simple: ask for forgiveness. Yet for many of us this may be a harder message than "we may become murders because of the anger we harbor in our hearts." It is hard because of our sinful pride; because we do not want to admit to others we are wrong, especially if they have no idea of our anger. But grace only comes through humility; forgiveness only is offered through repentance. Most of all, God treasures reconciliation so much that Jesus died for it.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>The Reconciled Heart is the one Who truly Worships<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The final part of this section of the Sermon on the Mount contains an image of the unrepentant heart: <span style='color:black'><strong>25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. </strong>The image is of the one who waited too late to find reconciliation and is truly liable to judgment. It is the picture of one who did not see that anger affected every area of life. For what we must not miss is that our anger and bitterness keeps us from truly living life, in particular it keeps us from worship.<br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In verse 24 we are told to leave our gift at the altar and seek reconciliation. Implicitly we can see that Jesus is saying, "unless you find reconciliation with your brother you cannot worship." Week in and week out Christians gather at churches for the purpose of worshiping God. Too often these buildings and meeting places have persons who cannot worship. Their hindrance to worship is not because the music is not right; it is not because the sound was too soft or too loud; it is not because the temperature in the building was too cold or too hot. None of these keep these people from worshiping. What keeps them from worshiping is the anger and bitterness they harbor in their hearts. They may think, what do my relationships, have to do with me being able to worship? The answer is everything. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>There is a direct correlation between how we live our life with God and how we live our life with others. We cannot be two faced lest we be like the man in <strong>James 1:8</strong>, <strong>"he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."</strong> Our faith in God must change us from the inside out so that as we are salt and light in this world the world God is glorified. <strong>"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:16) <br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In conclusion, we must live out lives that are constantly seeking the grace of reconciliation that is available through repentance. We need to repent to God for our sins and repent to others we have offended usually because of pride. Many can testify to the truth in this practice for once where anger and bitterness were harbored and consuming, now the grace and joy of the Lord takes up residence and true worship of God occurs. We must be people who put away all anger and insults and constantly seek repentance and reconciliation.</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-26237418535390228222013-05-01T13:45:00.001-07:002013-05-01T13:45:20.556-07:00Jesus is Lord of the Law<span xmlns=''><p><strong>Matthew 5:17-20<br /></strong></p><p><strong>"17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven"</strong> (Matt. 5:17-20 NKJV).<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>The Law's Fulfillment (v.17)<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>You cannot understand the Law of God in purely materialistic terms. It is a Muslim belief that bringing the earth into order under God's law is all God really wants. But if that is all God wanted then why doesn't an all-powerful all-knowing God, simply enforce His law Himself? There is a deep philosophical question that Islam cannot answer, that holds our key to understanding the LAW. "What does God intend, and what does it say about us? If God is not constrained by the temporal material world, then God must be a part of a higher order than naturalism, and that order cannot terminate on material things.<br /></p><p>Whether a Jew born under the Law or a gentile without the Law, there is a desire in man to escape corruption in a real sense, not to just turn back to dust, but to persist in some form of immortality; and that desire leads us away from our material desires. In that desire for immortality is the opportunity for the soul of man to find his purpose in God himself and there transcend the temporal world. So the LAW cannot be just about rules with no bearing beyond the natural world. The LAW rightly understood must always be focused on God and His purpose for mankind.<br /></p><p>Here Jesus in one passage rejects the two prevailing views of God's law among theist. 1) That the LAW is just about natural order, and God is good and knows what is best for man, so he makes those good things his LAW, and we keep that LAW for our own good. 2) The Gnostic/New Age/Spiritual view that the LAW doesn't matter because it is only about temporary material things and once you have knowledge about the eternal, the temporary doesn't matter.<br /></p><p>Jesus gives us a 3<sup>rd</sup> alternative, that <span style='text-decoration:underline'>the LAW is about God and His holiness, that all material things must be sanctified to enter God's presence; therefore man must be sanctified, made clean, and dedicated to God's purpose to have any hope of entering into His presence</span>. But that LAW perfectly followed only made temporary atonement where one man the priest entered God's presence but for a moment once a year. Furthermore Jesus was about to break down how imperfectly man had been keeping God's LAW, and that will sound hopeless for man except for verse 17 where Jesus cracks open the door to heaven and says "I will fulfill the LAW". Don't you relax it, modify or soften the LAW, because <span style='text-decoration:underline'>the LAW is about God's holiness, and in Jesus sinless self we will see God</span>. Not once a year, but day by day Jesus will live out not only the letter of the LAW in a physical sense, but the purpose of the LAW to see holiness, and our chance to be sanctified by Him escaping corruption.<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Jesus fulfilled the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>moral</span> demands of the law with His amazing life.<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>When the Lord spoke to Moses regarding the Passover requirement to offer a Lamb, he said in Exodus 12:5 "Your lamb shall be <strong>without blemish</strong>, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats."<br /></p><p>2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him <strong>who knew no sin</strong> to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."<br /></p><p>We learned in our study through Hebrews in chapter 4 verse 15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN" (NKJV).<br /></p><p>The apostle Peter, who was in Jesus' inner circle for 3 ½ years of ministry said of his close friend and Savior in 1 Peter 2:22 "Who [Jesus] COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH" (NKJV). <br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Jesus Himself even challenged the fault-finding Pharisees (the masters of Mosaic law) in John 8:46 by saying, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" And no one came up with anything. He was SINLESS; Jesus fulfilled the moral demands of the law with His amazing life. <br /></p><p><br /> </p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Jesus fulfilled the <span style='text-decoration:underline'>ceremonial</span> demands of the law by His atoning death.<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>When Jesus died He fulfilled the details of the ceremonial law concerning sacrifices and offerings. <br /></p><p>Jesus was the unleavened bread of the Passover, and He was the Paschal lamb, and His was the blood that was shed for sin. Because of this, Jesus could say, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to FULFILL" (Matt. 5:17). <br /></p><p><strong>Isaiah 53:4-5<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;<br /></strong></p><p><strong>Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.<br /></strong></p><p><strong>But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;<br /></strong></p><p><strong>The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.<br /></strong></p><p><br /> </p><p>Jesus' life and death leave no doubt about the law's fulfillment, but what about…<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>The Law's <span style='text-decoration:underline'>Future</span> (v.18)<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>Jesus assures His hearers in verse 18 of chapter 5, "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled" (NKJV). <br /></p><p>The jot was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the tittle was the smallest part of any letter. As Hebrew had no vowels the sounds were indicated by small marks above and below the consonant letters, sometimes no more than a single dot.<br /></p><p>As we will learn later in chapter, the Pharisees had sometimes relaxed or changed the Law to suit their own purpose, Jesus will not only keep the letter of the Law but the God glorifying intent as well.<br /></p><p>There will be changes in heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1), but not until their present purpose is fulfilled, and so it is with the Law of God. To show how the substance of the material world can be sanctified for the exclusive use of a Holy God.<br /></p><p> "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 <strong>On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets</strong>" (Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV). <br /></p><p>To emphasize that the law should be taken seriously as a standard, Jesus spoke about the consequences of violating it in verse 19.<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>The Law's <span style='text-decoration:underline'>Force</span> (v.19)<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19 NKJV).<br /></p><p>Jesus exposed the foolishness of the Pharisees who spent their time dividing the Mosaic Law into what they called "great commandments" and "least commandments". Before we judge the Pharisees, we need to recognize that we often do that too. Think about it for a minute. Do you think that someone keeping the Sabbath holy is as big of a deal as not killing someone? How about desiring your neighbors stuff compared with committing adultery? Yeah, that's what I thought. <br /></p><p>Remember the Law is about holiness; God does not treat His commandments casually, and neither should we.<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:14pt'><strong>The Law's <span style='text-decoration:underline'>Insufficiency</span> (v.20)<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>In one simple statement, Jesus dismantles "works salvation" by saying, "unless your righteousness EXCEEDS that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20 NKJV). This was quite a statement to those hearing our Lord because they knew full well the reputation of the Scribes and Pharisees.<br /></p><p><span style='color:#262626'>The Scribes were those whose lives were dedicated to the copying and interpretation of God's law; know one knew it better. They were the religious elite, the brilliant scholars of the day. Scribes were the authority on KNOWING what the law said. Our modern day American equivalent would be the PhD's found in the ivory towers of our Seminaries.<br /></span></p><p><span style='color:#262626'>The Pharisees, on the other hand, were the religious zealots who were better known for DOING what the law said (and then some). They multiplied minute precepts and distinctions to such an extent that the whole life of Israel was hemmed in and burdened by instructions so numerous and hairsplitting that the law was almost lost sight of (Matt. 12:1-13; 23:23; Mark 3:1-6; 7:2-4; Luke 13:10-17; 18:12). <br /></span></p><p>Our modern day American equivalent would be the legalistic Christian whose "holy appearance" takes priority above everything else in life.<br /></p><p><span style='text-decoration:underline'>Verse 20 is our challenge "unless your righteousness is better than the Pharisees", you will not be sanctified, you will not be holy, you will not enter God's kingdom, you will not escape corruption, and you will not see God.<br /></span></p><p> Jesus FULFILLED the moral demands of the law with His amazing life; and He FULFILLED the ceremonial demands of the law with His atoning death! By faith in Him, we are "dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne"! Not only that, but we are also indwelt by His powerful Holy Spirit; who now guides us and instructs us in keeping the standard of God's law by loving Him with all our heart and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The Lord of the law know lives in us and through us!<br /></p><p><strong>Romans 8<br /></strong></p><p><strong>1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. <span style='text-decoration:underline'>3 For what the law could not do in that it was <span style='font-size:14pt'><em>weak through the flesh</em></span>, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh</span>, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.<br /></strong></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-85326420746207311922013-04-21T16:13:00.001-07:002013-04-21T16:13:12.754-07:00Salt, Light, and Mission<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>Matthew 5:<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman'>21 April 2013<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: center'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt 5:13-16, ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>This week we are moving beyond our study on the Beatitudes further into the Sermon on the Mount. We must not forget, however, that everything that follows the Beatitudes are not "more thoughts from Jesus," but are built upon the ideas of the beatitudes. That is to say, the ability to accomplish what Jesus commands in the Sermon on the Mount is dependent on our ability to live a life in accordance with the Beatitudes. We must be humble, repentant, meek, righteous, merciful, pure, peaceful, and completely obedient to God's commands. When we are not we find ourselves at odds with the remainder of commands found within the Sermon. Take a few moments in your class to discuss how you and your class members have practiced the beatitudes, or grown in their faith these past few weeks.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>As we begin to look at the passage for this week we need to see how this passage fits into the flow of the Sermon on the Mount. We know that we have just come out of characteristics for the Christian Life and soon we will be discussing ethical commands for the Christian Life, especially in relation to the Law, however, what do we do with this passage about Salt and Light? Though this may seem trivial, we must not discount the ordering of the Sermon. The placement of this text creates the appropriate flow from <em>who</em> we are supposed to be (the beatitudes) to <em>how</em> we are supposed to be (Jesus' interpretation of the Law). There is a flow here that finds it center in the mission of God in our lives.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In a sense, the passage today answers the "so what?" question of the beatitudes. We are to live like the beatitudes because God has a mission for us in the world. That mission is presented to us in two metaphors (salt and light) and one correlation from those (our mission in the world.)<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Salt—Our Preservation for the World<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Though there are two great metaphors in this passage to which we will shortly discuss, we must first notice that the verb tense of the passage does not change from verse 11. In the beatitudes we had general statements given in the third person, but in verse 11 Jesus changes his tone to address his disciples. He says, "you are." So as persecution was a theme that he was presenting strictly to his disciples as an important part of their soon-to-be Christianity, so too is the meaning and force of being salt and light in this passage. We must not dismiss this text as merely a good illustration and an idea. Rather we must understand the force with which Jesus presents it. What He is talking about is our particular vocation in the world. We are to be salt and light, and with that we must move to understand what those are.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The passage then continues with, "you are the salt of the earth." The looming question that should arise in everyone's mind is, "how can I be salt?" What does that mean? The answer to that is found within that nature of salt itself. We must keep in mind the context of the sermon. Our culture and the culture of 1<sup>st</sup> c. Palestine is quite different. Particularly that means that the way in which we use salt and they way in which they used salt is perhaps not identical.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>One of the main uses of salt is purification, especially for meat. If an animal is killed it immediately begins the decaying process. In order to preserve the meat of the animal one must find a way to stop or slow that process. In our time we can easily do this by refrigerating the meat, however by adding salt one can do this as well. Salt works as a preserving agent for the meat, but also as a purifying agent for the meat. In its own attributes it is able to affect and effect the decaying nature of the thing to which it is applied. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Since this is a metaphor it is good to turn to the correlation between the illustration and the meaning of the illustration. If we are to be the salt as this verse implies then there must also be an object upon which we are to work. That object is the world, as we see in the verse "of the earth." Because of the nature of sin, our world is in an ever-downward spiral to chaos. To follow this metaphor, sin has caused our world to decay and eventually it will spoil. Our job as salt in this world is to aid is slowing and stopping that decay. We could say that our job as salt is two-fold. We are to stop putrefaction and begin purification. As Christians we can do this by helping people see their sin and point them to Jesus who can provide healing. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In addition to this function, salt also adds flavor. We all know that if we eat something and it is bland we add a little salt and the flavor is enlivened and it tastes better. Once again, applying this metaphor to our world, we can see that here too we have the ability to be salt for the world. By living out our Christianity in the world we are able to add flavor to the world. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>What we must be careful of, and this is the warning in this passage, is that salt can lose its taste. When it does lose its taste it is worthless. The warning for us is that if we are not continually doing our duty to be salt to this world we will lose the ability to be salt for the world. It is a sad day when that happens for we will lose all ability that day to be able to be used by God. The warning exists here to keep us on task to be salt for the world.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Light—Our Purpose to the World<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The next metaphor we come to in this passage is on light. This is probably one of the most illuminating metaphors in the entire Bible. With it we not only see this allusion in Matthew 5 but we have the corresponding passage in <strong>Luke 11:33</strong>, Jesus claiming to be the Light of the World <strong>(John 8:12)</strong>, the admonishment to be sons of light <strong>(John 12:36)</strong>, and the command to walk in the light in <strong>1 John 1:5</strong>. Light is an important metaphor to which we must pay special attention.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When we think about light we must come to it on a basic level. Light is "something that makes things visible or affords illumination." When there is no light there is only darkness. We remember the words of <strong>Genesis 1:2</strong> where the world was in darkness until <strong>verse 3</strong> when God said, <strong>let there be light</strong>. There is no such thing as darkness, but only the absence of light (just as there is no such thing as coldness but only the absence of heat). Therefore, by its nature, light is the substance that comes into darkness and provides illumination and visibility. <br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>With this basic understanding of light we must now understand the metaphor in relation to the world and us. We are to be the light of the world. Once again we can see in this illustration that Jesus is alluding to the reality of the world's sin. It is in darkness. It knows not what to do because it has no light. It is our task to go to the world and provide light to it. This is a direct gospel correlation. The dark world needs the light of the gospel that is only accessible from those who have it and take it to the world.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>This brings up two important thoughts from this passage if we are to understand our purpose in lighting the world. First, we must make sure that we do not hide it. The verse says, <strong>"<span style='color:black'>A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket."</span></strong> It would be foolish to spend energy <span style='color:black'>and resources to light a lamp or a light and then to hide it. In essence it would remove the only purpose for the light's existence. Think of a flashlight in the dark woods at night. You would not bring it with you to turn it on merely to put it back in your pocket. When we light something we hang it out in front of us so that we can see. <br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><span style='color:black'>The second thing to understand form this is that it is for others to see, "<strong>and it gives light to all in the house." </strong>Our purpose of lighting the world is to help them see the light of Jesus Christ. We must remember that the only way that we are the light of the world is because Jesus is the light of the world. Our ability to be light is found only in Him. So that when are provided light we must take it to those who are in darkness. There is a great gospel work to be done by purposing our lives around providing light to the world.</span><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Mission—Our Profession in the World<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Finally, we must see that these two metaphors come together in the last phrase, "<span style='color:black'><strong>so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." </strong>All of what we have been discussing find it finality in this phrase. The preservation and purification of salt and the purpose of lighting the world are the only true professions of Christians. All other vocations are secondary to this great work mandated by Jesus here. That is to say: being salt and light means being constantly on mission. </span><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The first few words of this phrase are a purpose clause. They mark off this part of the sentence from has preceded it to let us know the main point. Knowing this grammar helps us interpret this passage correctly. We could probably teach for days on salt and light and might even miss the main point. Jesus brings us this clause to help us understand that being salt and light is about two things: showing our good works to the world and bringing glory to God by doing so.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>First, when we show our works to the world we are on mission. It is true that there have always been those like the Pharisees of the New Testament who tithed, fasted, and prayed well beyond what was required. We might call these people legalists. They live their religion for others to see. This is not what Jesus has in mind here. The good works that Jesus has in mind here is the life that we are to live that he just outlined in the beatitudes. When we live like this, even though it may bring persecution, we know that the world will see the light of Jesus Christ in our lives and will be salted by our actions. Our basic mission endeavor is to live like Christians in the place God has put us. In our offices, homes, and communities we are to live out the Christian faith so that others can be changed by it. For some of these we come in contact with they respond with persecution, for others they recognize the change the gospel has brought to our lives and want it for themselves. We do not know the extent to which our lives can affect others so we must strive to be as consistent in our day-to-day witness as possible.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Finally, we see that the ultimate purpose of being salt and light is that when others see our good works they glorify God. This means that by our good works, our saltiness and illuminating efforts others can come to know God as their savior. Our ability to change the world is found in the basic way in which we live our life on constant mission that ends in the glory of God through the salvation of those we touch. Encourage your classes to be salt and light this week by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and living out the beatitudes daily.</span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-56398135446067734202013-04-17T13:34:00.001-07:002013-04-17T13:34:14.673-07:00Blessed Persecution<span xmlns=''><p><strong>Matt. 5:10-12<br /></strong></p><p>Persecute – to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict. Specifically: to cause to suffer because of belief.<br /></p><p>Persecution is NOT the same as punishment. When we do evil, good people punish us. When we do good, evil people persecute us.<br /></p><p>We don't know what it means to be arrested, beaten, and tortured because of our faith in Jesus. In fact, the only persecution most of us have experienced involved someone closing the door in our face or "un-friending" us on Facebook. But that could all change very quickly. With proposed RFID tags for all citizens, tax records showing who gives money to their church, and universal background checks recording who has a gun. The parts are already assembled for the day when Christians will no longer be allowed to roam free.<br /></p><p> The down side to living in a land without present persecution is the curse of "nominal Christianity". As long as being a Christian is still culturally acceptable and comfortable, counterfeit Christians hang with the crowd. But fair-weathered fans of Jesus fade when the flames of persecution rise; only true followers remain.<br /></p><p>While most Christians here in America have enjoyed relative peace from those in power for the last 200+ years, this has NOT been the case for our faith family throughout the rest of the world. In a recent podcast I heard the writings of a Roman official to tracked practitioners of what he called a "pernicious superstition" and recorded how he tried to get them to recant. While they were beating you they encouraged you to either worship Caesar or curse the name of Jesus. When persecution comes there are no more nominal Christians, only true believers will endure.<br /></p><p>In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million -- fully 65% -- were in the last century, according to "The New Persecuted" ("I Nuovi Perseguitati"). <span style='color:#1a1a1a'>More Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined. 171,000 Christians were martyred in 2005 alone [Int. Journal of Missionary Research]</span>. <span style='color:#1a1a1a'>It is estimated that currently over 200 million Christians are being persecuted worldwide.</span><br /> </p><p>In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus concludes his list of the Christian's character by saying, <em>"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:10-12 NKJV).<br /></em></p><p>In these three verses Jesus provides four points regarding persecution. First, we see…<br /></p><ol><li><strong><span style='font-size:14pt'>Reasons behind Persecution </span><span style='font-size:12pt'>("for righteousness sake…<br/> for My sake")<br /></span></strong></li></ol><p>There are essentially two reasons for persecution:<strong><br /> </strong></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Life We Live – Our Difference<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>When Jesus saved us, He began a purification process called sanctification. Our lives are now lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We strive to live our lives under His leadership for His glory. Paul summarized this situation in Romans 12:1&2, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. <strong>Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect</strong>" (NLT).<br /></p><p>If you are no longer "copying the behavior and customs of this world", then you will stick out like a sore thumb in society. A night and day difference in your belief leads to a night and day difference in your behavior. There is now a contrast in your conduct compared to the culture around you. <br /></p><p>Ephesians 5:8-11 says, "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. <strong>So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true</strong>. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them" (NLT).<br /></p><p>As you live your new life in Christ you will be different. You will think different, speak different, work different, spend different, watch different, listen different, and act different. This "difference" will set you a part from a wicked world and set you up by a wicked world for persecution. <br /></p><p>"Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12 NLT).<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>The Lord We Love – Our Devotion<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>Jesus plainly told His disciples in John 15:18-25, "If the world hates you, remember that <strong>it hated Me first</strong>. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' <strong>Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you</strong>. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn't done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures[<span style='color:#4f0e00'>a</span>]: 'They hated me without cause' (NLT).<br /></p><p>To be partakers of the glory of Christ is to also be partakers of His suffering. Jesus Christ was the sinless epitome of perfect love in the flesh; yet, He was lied about, mistreated, tortured, and crucified just three short years after His public ministry. If the world persecuted Jesus, the world will also persecute you. Guilt by association.<br /></p><ol><li><strong><span style='font-size:14pt'>Rejoicing in Persecution </span><span style='font-size:12pt'>("rejoice and be exceedingly glad")</span><span style='font-size:14pt'><br /> </span></strong></li></ol><p>Jesus, says in verse 12 that we should "rejoice and be exceedingly glad" when they revile, persecute, and say all kinds of evil things against us falsely for His sake.<br /></p><p>Two questions come to mind when I read that statement by our Lord, "Why?" and "How?"<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>Why? <br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>Why would anyone, in his right mind, rejoice and be EXCEEDINGLY glad when they were being persecuted? The answer comes from those who have experienced such persecution and lived to tell about their experience. In Acts 5:22-42 we read how Peter and the other apostles were arresting for preaching about Jesus. The High priest and the Sadducees were confused about the apostles' miraculous escape from prison (angel stuff) and intimidated by the large crowds that followed them, so they decided to have them beaten (probably flogged with 39 lashes) and then let them go with a stern warning. How did the apostles respond to such persecution? Verse 41 of Acts 5 tells us, "So they departed from the presence of the council, <strong>rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name</strong>" (NKJV). <br /></p><p>The apostle Paul, who had a resume stacked with suffering (a persecution "Pro"), valued suffering for his Savior above all the stuff and stature he had accrued his entire life. He wrote in Phil. 3: 7-8, "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. <strong>8 </strong>Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (NLT). Then in verse 10-11, Paul reveals why even suffering can be considered among his supreme desires, "<strong>I want to know Christ</strong> and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. <strong>I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead</strong>" (NLT)!<br /></p><p>Why can we rejoice in the midst of persecution and the suffering that accompanies it? Because, in that moment <strong>we relate</strong> with the One who suffered for us. We are never more like our Lord than when we endure unjust treatment. We are never more like Jesus than when we suffer for His Name. <br /></p><p>As an angry mob rushed young Stephen in Acts 7:55 he looked to heaven and saw Jesus, His Lord standing to welcome him home. And as the stones of death were flying through the air he cried, "Lord, receive my spirit"; and He did.<br /></p><p>Have you ever felt like you really knew someone, but then you go through a similar life experience as them and it dawns on you that you didn't <em>really</em> know them before, but you do now? It's because you joined them in the fellowship of their sufferings. Stephen was more intimately connected to his Savior at his death than he was in his life. Paul walked closer to His Lord in chains than he did while free. The disciples were even bolder for their Lord after suffering for His Name's sake.<br /></p><ol><li><span style='font-size:12pt'><strong>How?<br /></strong></span></li></ol><p>O.k., we can understand "Why" we are supposed to rejoice in the midst of persecution, but "How?" I mean how, when you're in torturous pain, are you able to genuinely rejoice? That doesn't sound natural… Well, that's just it; it's not natural. It's Supernatural. <br /></p><p>Only the Holy Spirit of God can give us the strength we need to heed the words of Jesus. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are: love, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control (Gal. 5:22). <br /></p><p>On the day of Pentecost the disciples received the Holy Spirit, which gave them power to witnesses for Christ. Luke wrote that Stephen on the day of his death was "full of the Holy Spirit". It's that same Holy Spirit that gives every believer exactly what he needs when he needs it. Our ability to rejoice in the midst of persecution comes from our strong and sovereign God, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6KJV)<br /></p><ol><li><strong><span style='font-size:14pt'>Records of Persecution </span><span style='font-size:12pt'>("the prophets who were before you")<br /></span></strong></li></ol><p>We also rejoice in our persecution because of the faithful men and women who have endured before us. Jesus, reminds us of the prophets. In James 5:10 we are told, "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience" (KJV).<br /></p><p>John Phillips has a wonderful reminder for us all, <br /></p><p style='margin-left: 36pt'>"Hardly any of the prophets were welcomed by their contemporaries. The two who did have instant and spectacular results were Jonah and Nahum, both of whom prophesied regarding Nineveh. In the one case, instantaneous repentance resulted; in the other case, instantaneous and spectacular ruin occurred. For the most part, the prophets were highly unpopular preachers to the consciences of their countrymen. Hosea was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Amos was doubtless popular enough in Israel – as long as he denounced the surrounding nations – but the high priest of the calf cult threatened him at once when he denounced Israel. Micah was the first prophet to threaten Jerusalem with destruction. He must have been about as popular as a skunk at a Sunday school picnic! Habakkuk was called upon to utter woe after woe against his countrymen. Haggai saw success, but his contemporary and colleague Zechariah was murdered. Isaiah, after a distinguished career, was sawn in half in a hollow tree by Manasseh. And as for Jeremiah, he wept his way through life. John the Baptist was murdered, and so was Jesus" (<em>Exploring the Epistle of James, </em>178-179). <strong><br/></strong><br /> </p><p>Jesus was a realist. He knew that His program would be unpopular. He knew it would lead to His own death and to bitter hostility toward His followers. The Lord certainly did not envision His program bringing about a gradual evolution of love, joy, peace, and goodness that would sweep over all nations throughout the centuries until society was at last perfected. That postmillennialist view is simply not supported by the facts of history or the forecast of Scripture. The Lord spoke of hostility, hatred, and bitter persecution for His people. We should not be surprised when it happens; we should expect it. When it comes, it's important to remember that it is a part of God's sovereign plan and that we have not, do not, and will not suffer alone.<br /></p><ol><li><strong><span style='font-size:14pt'>Rewards for Persecution </span><span style='font-size:12pt'>("Blessed…the kingdom of heaven…<br/> great is your reward in heaven")</span><span style='font-size:14pt'><br /> </span></strong></li></ol><p>The thing that ultimately makes suffering persecution bearable is knowing the blessed reward that awaits us. If there's anything that Jesus reiterated time and again it's this, "My kingdom is not of this world"<span style='font-family:Verdana'><strong><br /> </strong></span>(John 18:36). <br /></p><p>Our physical existence on this planet is "but a vapor" (James 4:14), here for a moment. But the spiritual kingdom to which we belong as believers in Christ is ETERNAL. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 10:28,<strong><br /> </strong>"Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (NLT)<br /></p><p>We are eternal beings who are eternally saved from death AND the second death. HEAVEN awaits the believer. Death is simply a dark door that opens into eternal JOY, PEACE, & PLEASURE in the PRESENCE OF OUR LORD! No dictator, torturer, or executioner can hold us back from heaven! <br /></p><p>Revelation 6:9-11<br /></p><p>When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?" Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.</p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7547077773313968653.post-21655499588477969882013-04-07T20:08:00.001-07:002013-04-07T20:08:13.973-07:00Blessed are the Peacemakers<span xmlns=''><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Matthew 5:9<br /></span></p><p><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>7 April 2013<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt 5:9 ESV)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Introduction<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>If you are paying close attention to the news you will find that there ever is some war going on. Right now we have troops in Afghanistan and have recently sent planes and ships to Korea. We hear of the rebellions in the Middle East, especially in Syria. We hear of these wars and battles so often that we are accustomed to them, too accustomed. Wars are common place to us, at least as they are happening throughout the world. Though there are organizations that exist to promote, instill, create, etc. peace, those attempts are elusive. World War 1, was known in its time as the "war to end all wars". It was followed by the "League of Nations" which would resolve territorial disputes without war. Then World War 2, The United Nations, and many wars since show humanities failure to find peace even when we strive for it.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>This is also true in our own lives and in the communities in which we live. Though we do not have guns often pointed at us, we are ever at war with others around us. Perhaps people in your class are dealing with strife in their home, with their children, with their jobs. All of us have these man-to-man battles we face weekly. Still yet, we find that we battle within ourselves. Inner conflict sometimes leaves us depressed, wrecked, and uncertain where to turn. These are things with which we all find in common and because of that we all are in search of one thing: <strong>peace</strong>.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>We would like to see peace from the wars in the world and the wars in our lives. John MacArthur accurately speaks of worldly peace, "Peace is merely that brief glorious moment in history when everyone stops to reload." (MacArthur, 136) We all would like to find peace, sometimes at whatever the cost. The wonderful thing about the gospel is that it proclaims a peace to come to all mankind too. There is a strong correlation between the good news of Jesus Christ and attainable peace in this world. This is why the seventh beatitude says, "blessed are the peacemakers." This morning we are going to look at what this verse means and how we can have peace in our lives.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Sin is Our Impediment to Peace<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>There is an innate desire for peace in every person. When we find those brief moments of peace, we exhale and try to make it last. Commercials even capture that moment with the slogan "Calgon take me away". It can be said that there are some people so contentious they are always looking for a fight. But if we were to ask that person, perhaps their answer would be that they were trying resolve all conflict in their life; they were trying to achieve peace. That desire to seek peace come from the subtle awareness that we do not belong here. It is the realization that something in this world is not right. This only points to the reality of the biblical message. In Genesis we see that God created the world and saw it good. <strong>(Gen 1:31)</strong>. It was at peace, there was no conflict. It is also true in Revelation that at the end of all things there will be peace again <strong>(Rev 21:4)</strong>. It is clear that God intends for us to be at peace.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The real problem for peace is that the world is utterly opposed to it. It is against peace because of sin within it. As soon as sin entered the world in <strong>Genesis 3</strong> we wiped away every notion of peace from our histories. Mankind closed himself off from a relationship with God and a relationship with others. His inner attentions turned from doing the will of God to doing only as he pleases. This is the nature of sin and as such it is not surprising to see that it is against all that is peaceful. For a man who only looks to himself and his interests (the true life of the sinner) can never find peace for he will always be working against others.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Sin is the real impediment to peace in our lives. If we are to achieve peace in this life we must find a way to overcome sin. This is indeed a real problem. In <strong>Isaiah 48:22</strong> it says, <strong>"'There is no peace,' says the Lord, 'for the wicked.'" </strong>If we are to be people who live in peace, we must find an end to the sin in our lives, for sin is ever roadblock to peace.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Christ is The Giver of Peace<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>For many of us the declaration of sin as an impediment to peace is as obvious as the second point that Christ is the great giver of peace. However, lest we gloss over this point too quickly let me ask, if we know the problem and the solution to finding peace, why then do many of us still long for peace? The answer is that we still struggle with the knowledge of Christ as the giver of peace. So, let us not move too quickly over the point of our need for Jesus as the bringer and giver of peace in our lives.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>For us to understand the peacemaking we are to do we must understand the way in which peace is connected to Jesus. In <strong>Isaiah 9:6</strong> we are given the picture of Christ, <strong>"Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."</strong> In this messianic prophecy we see that the very nature of Christ will entail peace, and not just any peace, but all peace. For it is in Christ, as the prince of peace, that is the fountainhead of all peace. No peace comes apart from Christ. In another prophecy we see this function of peace in Christ's work:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Behold, your king is coming to you;<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> righteous and having salvation is he,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>humble and mounted on a donkey,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> on a colt, the foal of a donkey.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> and the war horse from Jerusalem;<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>and the battle bow shall be cut off,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> and he shall speak peace to the nations;<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>his rule shall be from sea to sea,<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong> and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech 9:9-10)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>It is no wonder that the Jews thought of the Messiah as a conquering hero for them, but in that they miss his type of peace. He comes not riding a war-horse, but a donkey. His peace is not through force, as with the Romans, but through a different plan. The first appearance of Messiah is for reconciliation through sacrifice rather than conquest.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The ultimate peace that Jesus has brought to us is through His work on the cross and the resurrection. He knew our biggest obstacle to peace is sin, and in defeating it on the cross he gained peace for us. As Paul tells us, "<strong>Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1) </strong>or <strong>"and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (Col 1:20).</strong> What we must not miss in this is that in order to gain peace that comes from Christ, the only peace there truly is, we must attain it in similar ways that he did. He suffered and died, so too do we. Maybe we do not suffer and die ultimately, but everyday we suffer and die for our faith, we die to sin, we die to our wills, wants, and desires, and we live for God's. For in conforming our minds and hearts to God's will (something for which the progression of all these beatitudes trains us) we are able to attain peace from Christ, because when we are in His will we are at the place where He grants it. Whereas the more sin we allow into our lives the more conflict we invite.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Christians are the Promoters for Peace</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>With that foundation laid, we may ask so what? What are we to do now? We have the knowledge that we need Jesus' peace, but what are we to do with it? This is the main thrust of the beatitude. We are happy when we are peacemakers. We are happy when we are making peace. This is an adjective and it modifies our actions. This verse is not just encouraging us to be peaceful, rather it is encouraging us to make peace (something altogether different and perhaps even un-peaceful at times). It is as the NLT says, "Those who work for peace." It is an activity we must engage in. So how do we <em>make</em> peace?<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>First, in order for us to make peace, we must do so evangelistically. If we are to understand that peace only comes through the overcoming of sin in the world, and that only through Christ, then our first duty to make peace in the world is to take that message of peace to the world. We are to sow the gospel and in doing so we are sowing peace. This mandate is in <strong>Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15,</strong> and in <strong>Acts 1:8. </strong>By doing the work of an evangelist we are providing peace for people at the same time. This is the will of God for us. Another way of being a peace maker is found in <strong>2 Corinthians 5:18-20:</strong><br /> </span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>When we were reconciled to God in Jesus Christ we found peace, and it is God's will for us to take that reconciliation to the world so that they too can find peace in God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Another way to look at how we promote peace is in our everyday actions. <strong>Romans 12:18 </strong>says, <strong>"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."</strong><br /> <strong>Hebrews </strong>says, <strong>"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14). </strong>We are to try to find peace with all. This means our co-workers, our bosses, our spouses, our children, and even our n-laws. The way in which we do this is with our everyday actions. Too often we get irritated at the people around us. We become bitter and angry and we do not live at peace with them. We have already noted that peace comes through God and especially through His righteousness. It is that righteousness that we are to seek daily, but we also know that <strong>"for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (Jas 1:20). </strong>We must strive to find peace with all men daily. Later on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, <strong>"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt 5:23-24).</strong> We must decide to seek forgiveness and in that we find peace.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>We also must act, at times, for the benefit of others. If we see that there is strife in our family or friends we should find ways to aide peace in these situations. This does not mean that we have the license to stick our noses with they do not belong, but it does mean that if believe we can help people find reconciliation we need to do so. Though this sometimes means that we must engage in suffering in order for others to find peace, we must seek it out. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this best, "Peacemakers will bear the cross with their Lord, for Peace was made at the cross." (Discipleship)<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>We must be people who strive for peace, even at our expense, because Jesus Christ acquired peace for us with the greatest cost.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Sons of God are the Recipients of Peace<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Finally, we come to the promise for those who are making peace in the world: "<span style='color:black'><strong>for they shall be called sons of God."</strong> This is an important part of this verse and we must forget it in our discussions of peace and making peace. As we first look at this phrase we must note that the appropriate translation is "sons of God" as opposed to older translations "children of God." There is a word for child <em>tekna</em> but this verse uses the word for sons <em>huios</em>. There is a difference between these two words, especially in relation to God. "Children of God" has a connotation of position, and affection. It is true that we are adopted <strong>(Romans 8:15)</strong> and that we have the love of God, but that is not what this verse is getting at. The term "Sons of God" has the force of character, dignity, and honor. When we are called the sons of God we are likened to God himself, and not just as a member of His family; meaning we readily see the Father in the Son.<br /></span></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='color:black; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>Later on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus explains this sonship:<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matt 5:43-45)<br /></strong></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>The important clause in this passage is the <em>so that</em> clause. We are to love others, to make peace with others, to be reconciled to others, <em>so that</em> we may be sons who cause others to see our Father in heaven. It is does not get plainer than that. Our ability to take on the character of God in this life (and beyond) is directly related to the way in which we make peace in the world around us. We must be people who make peace if we are to marked as the sons and daughters of God.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'>In sum, to be a sons of God means, as Martyn Lloyd-Jones puts it, we are <em>owned</em>. Everything about us is related to our relationship with Jesus Christ. He owns His sheep and His sheep do what He commands. To be owned by Jesus is to be a peace maker in this world.<br /></span></p><p style='text-align: justify'><br /> </p><p style='text-align: justify; margin-left: 36pt'><span style='font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:12pt'><strong>Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)</strong></span></p></span>Hbc Proclaimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692174732986308739noreply@blogger.com0