Podcasts about Christophany

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2024 55:25

Heavenly Father, we come to You not on the basis of our righteousness. We come to You not on the basis of our uprightness or our morality. We come to You on the basis of the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus, we thank You that You made a way for us to have a loving relationship with God the Father, a meaning to experience this Person, to experience His presence and to experience His power. And we thank You, Jesus, because of Your work on the cross, because of Your death, burial, resurrection, Your ascension and You sent us the Holy Spirit. You offer the Spirit of God to each person who humbly asks. I pray, Lord, today, that You do unleash Your great power in our lives, in our homes, in our households, in our families, in our church and in our city. We do believe in You that You are a great God and You long for people to come to know You. You long to adopt many into Your household, to make those who are not Your children, Your beloved children in whom You delight.I pray, if anyone is far from You, far from the household of God today, give them the gift of repentance, give them the gift of faith and draw them to Yourself. And Lord, for the rest of us, I do pray that You embolden us to speak the gospel, give us opportunities to proclaim the gospel, unleash our tongues, to proclaim the gospel, the truth to the people around us. There's so many that don't know You and they haven't experienced Your presence and Your power and we believe on their behalf and we long to bring them to You, Lord. And I pray that You give us much grace in that. Lord, bless our time in the holy scriptures. Bless everyone who's here today. What a great way to start off the brand new year. And Lord, I pray that You prepare our hearts for holy communion, which we'll celebrate later. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.Well, good morning and welcome to Mosaic on this communion Sunday. We're continuing our sermon series through the incredible Gospel of Mark. We've called it Kingdom Come, the Gospel of Mark and the secret of God's kingdom. And in the gospel, Jesus is revealing, He's unveiling, He is regulating revelation. And those that do believe in Him, they take Him at His word. They begin to see that He really is who He is and His power is unleashed in their life. The title of the sermon today's Great Faith Unleashes Great Power. And what we've seen so far in the Gospel of Mark is that God, who created everything, the great God overall, He takes on flesh. The Son of God is sent by God the Father. He's anointed by God the Holy Spirit to establish the kingdom of God here on earth where God's presence and His peace reigns.And how does Jesus Christ, the Son of God, establish the kingdom of God? He does so with a message. And this is the good news, the gospel. It's the gospel that changes hearts because the kingdom of God is an inside out kingdom. God changes our hearts when we believe in the good news. He changes our desires. We begin to desire prayer. We begin to desire fellowship with God's people. We begin to desire to do the will of God, to live in submission to God out of love for Him and love for neighbor. And what was the gospel that Jesus preached? It was very short. His very first sermon is documented and it went like this.He says, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Repent and believe the good news that the King of the Universe has come to save us, save us from Satan, sin and death by laying down His life on a cross." And we are to repent and believe in Him, believe that He is God, believe that He is the King of the Universe. Now, how many people believed this message? During Jesus' three year ministry, how many people believed this message and how many people were saved? I think, statistically speaking, it was a very small percentage. If you look at First Corinthians 15, it says that the resurrected Christ appear to 500 people. 500 people, what a small percentage of all the people that He ministered to.And who believed? Well, those who were seemingly crazy enough to take Jesus at His word. He spoke, they believed, and all of a sudden, they were saved and God's power was unleashed in their life when they really believed that He was the Great I Am when they humbly believed. Those people experienced the power of God. His family, Jesus' family, we read, they thought He was out of His mind. The good folks back home and His hometown mocked Him as, "Oh, you're just a carpenter. You're just the Son of Mary." And the Pharisees we read that they joined forces with the Herodians to kill Jesus. Some thought Jesus was John the Baptist come back from the dead. Herod Antipas believed that. Some thought He was Elijah even when He fed the 5,000 miraculously. They understood that He was presenting Himself as the Messianic King, but they didn't realize what kind of king He was, the king of people's hearts.The religious establishment said that Jesus was demon-possessed, a sorcerer, a false teacher. And even the disciples we read who saw His power over and over and over had said that they were hardened in their hearts and they had trouble believing. Amazingly, the only ones that truly recognize Jesus for who He is all of the time are the demons. The demons understood. But the few who took Jesus at His word, they experienced His power and they experienced His salvation. And today, we come to such a woman. We come to a woman who amazed Jesus Christ with her faith. To her, Jesus said, "Oh, woman, great is your faith." And her great faith released great power in her life. And great faith does release great power. Why? Because God honors bold faith because bold faith honors God.So that brings us to Mark 7:24-37. Would you look at the text with me? "And from there, He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden. But immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' But she answered Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.' And He said to her, 'For this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter.' And she went away and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying, 'He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word. May He write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Three points to frame up our time. First, great faith is humble chutzpah before God. Second, great faith is humble hunger for God. And third, great faith is humble bringing and begging. First, great faith is humble chutzpah before God. Chutzpah, it's from the Yiddish. It means nerve. It means courage. It means impudence. It means confidence in action. I like that word. And it definitely perfectly characterizes this woman's posture of heart. She comes boldly with confidence, yet it's humble confidence. So this is point one, the great faith is humble chutzpah before God.We saw the progression from chapter 7 verses 1 through 23 to this one, which is very logical where Jesus said, He called all food clean, meaning He removed the barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles, the barrier of the dietary laws that separated Jews socially from Gentiles. And now Jesus is positioned perfectly to enter Gentile territory, something a Jewish rabbi would have never done because they consider the Gentiles unclean. And Jesus said, "It's not what comes from the outside that makes you unclean. It's that which comes from the inside that makes you unclean and Jesus can cleanse all.So now He comes into Gentile territory. This is verse 24. From there, He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon and He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden. The human, Jesus, God incarnate, He did grow tired at some points. He just had ministered to many people. He's exhausted and now He journeys into Gentile territory, tries to keep Himself hidden. He can't do it because His fame had already proceeded Him. Tyre had a long history of antagonism toward Israel. Josephus, the Jewish historian, he said, "The inhabitants of Tyre were notoriously our bitterest enemies." There was bad blood between these two groups of people, the Galileans and people from Tyre. So that's the context.So this woman who is from the other people, she's from the other religions, she's from the other socioeconomic status, she's from the other-other everything, she comes to Jesus and she comes to Jesus boldly. Verse 25, "But immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet." The unclean spirit is a demon that's made clear in verses 29 and 30. So here, we meet a mother, a desperate mother. She comes to Christ. She's heard of His explosive power and she throws herself at His feet in an attitude, a posture of heart, of self-abasement and supplication. She prostrates herself before Him, which shows the level of her distress, her pain.The pain of her child had brought her to Jesus Christ. The pain of her child had brought her to her knees. And she's interceding for her child. A mother is praying for her child. And whenever I see texts like this, just a reminder that we are to intercede for our loved ones. We are to intercede in prayer for our children and for our siblings and for our families and for our neighbors, and for our city. We are to pray. And when we intercede, God hears those prayers, especially when they're prayed with this posture of heart. The mother prayed for her child because the child couldn't pray for herself and the mother persisted until her prayer was granted.We see that this woman is very similar to the woman that was suffering 12 years from a hemorrhage in chapter 5. The likeness has seen that they were both ritually impure. They both needed miraculous power from the Lord. And despite her impurity, the Syrophoenician, like the woman with the hemorrhage, comes boldly hoping for healing from Christ. Verse 26, "Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'" The Matthew parallel calls her a Canaanite woman. The word for Gentile here, it's a word that means that she was Greek speaking or Hellenized. So she's a Greek-speaking pagan Gentile from Tyre and the woman hopes that Jesus is going to heal her. She asks, she begs, she pleads. And it seems like He says no. It seems like Jesus' response dashes her hopes in a very hard way. And what is Jesus doing here? Jesus is showing that He ... First of all, there was an order to the salvation process. There was an order to the revelation that, first of all, He came to the children of Israel. Romans 1:16 says, "For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, but it's for anyone who believes."Or 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." Why the Jews first? Because the Jews became the first rebellious children of God. He chose them as His people. They rebelled against Him. He sends His Son into this vineyard, so to speak, to then save them, save the elect from Israel. And Isaiah 1:2-3 explains or opens, reveals the Father's heart, "Hear, O heavens and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know. My people do not understand."The word first is used in our text proton. It's always used in order to explain that in the eschatological timeline of God's revelation, there is progress. The coming of Elijah was supposed to come before the Messiah. The binding of Satan needs to happen before despoiling of His house. Jesus' ministry to His fellow Jews was first, but He's in Gentile territory, meaning He's there to bring home the elect as well. Jesus expands His gospel ministry beyond Israel even when He was here. Only after these events have occurred in their divinely ordered sequence can the end come. As Mark says in chapter 4, "First a shoot, then an ear, then full grain in the year." There's a pattern here.The word proton and the thought behind it are similar to those of Paul in Romans 1 and Romans 11. Jesus did come for the Jew first but also for the Gentile. And here, it seems very derogatory if you think about it. He's calling her a dog. He's like, "I'm going to feed the children first and then you don't feed the dogs before the children." And you read the commentaries and they're like, "Well, it's not that offensive. It's the diminutive. He's calling her a little dog." No, that's offensive. You call anyone a little dog in that ... In our context, we love dogs. Dogs are domesticated. I have a daughter that prays on just as persistently as a Syrophoenician woman for a dog and ... Long story.But in our context, we love the dogs. People even consider themselves dog parents. Back then, they didn't domesticate dogs. Dogs were wild. Dogs lived outside of cities. Dogs were considered unclean and the New Testament continues this negative attitude. St. Paul says, "Beware of the dogs." In Philippians, Jesus says, "Don't throw what is holy to the dogs or the pigs." In Revelation 22:15, "The dog is an outsider to the community of God's grace." So using the terminology dog, he's calling her a dog, is an insult. That's what's happening. He's insulting her so to speak.And the question really is, how is she going to respond? Is she going to say, "No, I reject your verdict. I reject your bad news. I don't want your good news because I reject your bad news about my current state"? She doesn't do any of that. She hears it and she desperately continues in her persistence. Despite Jesus' seeming cool indifference and silence, she got His no. And she's like, "Okay, great, but I still ask for Your yes." Matthew 15 in the parallel context, in Matthew 15:22, "And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.' But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him saying, 'Send her away, for she is crying out after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and knelt before Him saying, 'Lord, help me.' But He answered, 'It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'"You'd expect her to get angry. You'd expect her to call Jesus all of the isms and call him all of the ist names, but she doesn't get all huffy. She's not too proud to accept the verdict. She doesn't say, "How dare You? How dare You mock me? How dare You belittle me?" She could have said, "I didn't choose to be a Gentile. I didn't choose to be born here. I didn't choose to have a daughter that suffers. I'm not even asking for myself, Jesus. Do You know how much we've suffered together? We deserve something from You." She doesn't do any of that. She realizes that she cannot stand before Jesus, before Christ, before the Son of God, before God Himself on her rights, on her moral record.Even on the basis of her own suffering, she understands that God owes her nothing. She understands who she is in relation to the God of the universe. She remains humble. Even when she hears really hard words from Jesus, she gets a really hard no, but she continues asking. She continues believing, humbly believing, humbly understanding that she has absolutely zero grounds upon which to claim His favor. She says, "Yes, I am a dog. In relation to God, I am a dog. I'm unfit for the Father's favor. I have transgressed commandments. I have lived as though God does not exist. I have broken the first commandment, it's because I've broken the first one, I've broken them all. The first commandment is, 'Thou shall have no other gods before me.' I haven't worshiped Yahweh. Yes, I am a dog. Yes, I'm outside, but, but I see Your house is big enough even for me, but I see that there's enough bread on Your table even for a dog like me." That's her posture of heart.And when we present the gospel, we say, "Look, it starts with the bad news." The bad news is we have broken God's sovereign law. Whenever you break any law, there are to be consequences for the breaking of the law, especially when it comes to God. Whoever transgresses even one law deserves death. The word of God says, "Deserves eternal damnation." The word of God says, "That's the bad news. Apart from God, we are not children. Apart from God, we are sinners." "And yes, Lord, I am a sinner. I am a filthy, wretched dog. I am a dog. Can I be Your dog? I hear You're a good master." That's what she's saying. That's why I use the word for chutzpah, it's nerve, it's brass, it's confidence and actions gall. It's audacity.And this brings us to point two, great faith is humble hunger for God. And you see this, you see what she's doing. She's not just asking for the miracle. She's relating to Jesus. She's conversing with Jesus. She wants more of God in her life. She's hungry for God. Verse 28, "But she answered Him, 'Yes Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.'" The Syrophoenician woman, she's like, "Yes, I am a dog," but all of a sudden, she's so smart, she switches everything. She puts the dog in the house. I don't know if you notice this. She's like, "I am a dog, but I'm a dog in Your house under Your table." That's what she's doing.And this reminds us, this whole encounter with a Gentile woman, a Gentile woman's daughter, it reminds us of Elijah. Elijah the prophet was sent to the people of Israel, but the people of Israel didn't obey. They didn't believe in God. So then he goes to the Gentiles. And Jesus, when He started His ministry in His hometown, He goes to the synagogue and He reminded them of that story. He said, "Look, I've come here to the children of Israel, but the children of Israel refuse to believe. So I'm going to the Gentiles, just like Elijah was sent to the Gentiles," Luke 4:24, "And he said, 'Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months and a great famine came over the land. And Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath and the land of Sidon to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elijah and none of them was cleansed, but only Namaan the Syrian.When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath and they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went away." And you say, "Why did they get so mad? Why do they get so angry?" They got so angry because He reminded them that God loves Gentiles as well. And it's not your birth, it's not your DNA, it's not your ethnicity that makes you right with God. It's your humility. It's your humble repentance where you say, "God, I don't deserve to be Your child. God, I don't deserve a relationship. God, I don't deserve cleansing in Your power, but I'm going to ask anyway."After His rejection at Nazareth, Jesus gives a clear warning of the coming mission to the Gentiles that He's going to the Gentiles. And it is in light of this background that we must read the initial response to this woman. He went to the children of Israel who said, "We don't want You. Jesus, we don't need You. We're children of Israel by birth." And Jesus said, "No one's a child of God by birth. You can't be born into the Family of God physically, only spiritually. You need to be born again." And they didn't want to hear that. They didn't want to hear that they needed to repent, that they needed to follow God.And yet this woman, she's told, "You're not a child of God. You're a dog," and she doesn't get huffy. She continues the conversation. She calls Him Lord, "Yes, Lord. Even the dogs on the table eat the children's crumbs." She says, "Yes, Lord, but there's plenty on that table even for me." She lays hold of Christ's word and bases her plea upon Him. The woman's response transforms the dog of Jesus metaphor into a domestic dog in the house. She, here in the stories, part of the household of faith. One translation says, "Since then, I am a dog. I'm not a stranger. I'm not outside." Another translation, she says, "Let me be a dog. I'll accept that I am, but even a dog has his day or her day. Yes, I'm a little dog, but can I still have some crumbs from the table? Yes, I'm a little dog, but I'm Your dog and You're my master."She calls him, "Lord, I am a humble part of the household. I don't deserve to be here, but I'm just asking for a crumb. I'm just asking for a little bit of your grace." And Jesus hears that. Jesus hears her plea and her plea is actually based on a promise from the Old Testament, a promise that God gave to Abraham. When He blesses Abraham, He says, "I'm going to extend the blessings I'm giving you to the rest of the world." Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. All of the families. All of the families shall be blessed. All of the families, all of the people that come to God and say, "God, I don't have any rights to assert, that I'm coming to You with a right less assertiveness. I'm not coming to You on the basis of my goodness. I'm coming to You on the basis of Your goodness and Your generosity."Thomas Cranmer, in The Book of Common Prayer, he says, "We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table, but thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy." Jesus hears her and He likes her response. In verse 29, He said to her, "For this statement," another translation says, "Good answer. Good answer." I wish I was there to see the twinkle in His eye, "Good answer." "For this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter," and she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.In response to the woman's audacity, her impudent faith, She wrestles a blessing from Christ. And in this, she reminds us of someone else's scripture. She reminds us of Jacob. Jacob, when he wrestled with God, when he took hold of God, and most likely, that was a Christophany because it says that he wrestled with God and it said that he wrestled with a Man. It was a Man God, the God Man, Jesus Christ. This woman is much like Jacob in her persistence, her refusal to take no for an answer. She's content to get the no, "Yes, I am a dog," but she still keeps asking for the yes.And Jacob did the same thing. Jacob in Genesis 32, he was a man in need. The next morning, he was going to meet his brother, Esau, his estranged brother, Esau, and he thought he was going to meet Esau with murderous intent, that Esau wanted to kill him. He feared for his own life, Jacob did. He feared for the lives of his wives and children. So he prays. He sends them ahead and he prays with God. And the Lord appears to him as a man and wrestled with him through the night. And of course, the Lord was play wrestling. He's not really wrestling with Jacob. Jacob thought He was wrestling. Jesus was playing.This is Genesis 32:24, "Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. And when the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as He wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go for, the day has broken.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me.' And He said to him, 'What is your name?' He said, 'Jacob.' Then He said, 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked Him, 'Please tell me Your name.' And He said, 'Why is it that you asked My name?' And there, He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been delivered.'"And you say, "Why did Jesus tell a woman no in the beginning? What is He doing? Did she change His mind from a silent indifference to helping her?" I don't think that's what's happening. When He says for this statement, He's not saying, "Because you have said this or because you have changed My mind," He's saying, "Because you've passed the test." He was testing her. He said, "No," to test her. "Is she going to persist? Is she going to continue asking?" It was a ploy designed to evoke even greater levels of faith on her part. Martin Luther commenting on this text, he said, "Christians need to persist in trusting God even when He seems to turn His back on them. We must learn to see the yes hidden in His no."I think that's really powerful, especially if you meditate on or you apply it to your life. We must work to see His yes and His no. If He says no, now He has a better yes for us. So we keep asking, we keep asking, we keep asking, and obviously, in all the Lord's will. Matthew 15:28, "Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire. And her daughter was healed instantly." Her faith delighted Jesus Christ. My daughter, sometimes they come to me and they test me to see how strict I am regarding grades. And they're like, "Yeah, but if I get an A-, is that okay?" "Oh, yeah, that's fine.""What if I get a B+?" "You're pushing it. You're pushing it." "What if I get a B ..." And my conversation is, "Look, I don't care about your GPA honestly. I can't tell you that I just did, but I really don't care. I don't care. I do. Do your best in your sports. Do your best. I care about your soul above all else. I care about your faith. I care that you grow in your relationship with the Lord. I care about you growing in wisdom." And Jesus is in the same way. He's delighted by this woman's faith. May your faith and may my faith delight the Lord in the same way. She took Christ at His word, and when He said, "You're dog," and then He blesses her like a child.And this is really how God speaks of salvation, that when we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, we get regenerated, we get a new heart, but we also get a new identity. We become a child of God. God adopts us into His family. God says, "You are not My children, but I'm going to make you My children," and it's all because of His Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." He rewards those who seek Him. Do you seek Him with the same posture of heart persistently, "Lord, I want more of You. Lord, I want more of Your presence. Lord, I want more of Your power."And that's why Jesus is called the Bread of Life, and we are to hunger, our souls are to hunger for Jesus as the Bread of Life. "Lord, I'm starving. I am famished for You." What do you do when you're hungry? You can't stop thinking about food. You're just salivating. You're thinking about that next meal that's coming and this is ... What is humility? It's recognizing, "Lord, apart from You, I'm starving. My soul is starving. Lord, I seek you." And the word of God says, "Whoever seeks God will be found. He will be found by them." Her faith is dramatically contrasted with the heartened unbelief of the Pharisees who were Jewish. They consider themselves children of God, but they weren't because they had no faith in Christ. And her faith even outshines the understanding of the disciples whose hearts were hardened at times. And God loves persistent pursuit of Him and He rewards this lavishly.Matthew 11:12, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force." What does that mean? He's talking about John the Baptist. John the Baptist, he sacrificed everything to proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, to proclaim that, "Jesus Christ is here. He's willing to save people." John the Baptist sacrificed everything for the kingdom of God to expand. The violent, he took it by force. It took effort. It took work on his part and the same way, if you pursue God, if you sacrifice to pursue God. And yes, this does take sacrifice like, "Rain, snow, whatever, I'm going to church." That's who you are. I commend all of you. You're here at first service. Praise be to God.I had a phone call from a pastor and he's like, "Are you guys canceling church?" I was like, "This isn't public school. We don't believe in snow days. Forget that. We're going to church." Yeah, we'll get a little wet. That's fine. We do close church if the tea's not running. That's because of the temple situation. But what I'm saying is, yes, it does take effort. You want to experience more of God? It takes effort to wake up just to study the scriptures. It takes effort to pray. It takes effort to pursue the Lord. Like the paralytic friends, remember that the house is full, they couldn't get through to Christ. They climb into the roof. They break through 18 inches of sod and branches in the roof lowering the man and the man is healed and Jesus forgives him of his sins as well.Jesus delights in persistent faith like that of this woman. Another example is Luke 18 and Luke 18, there's a woman who keeps returning to a judge, pleading her case over and over and over. And verse 4 of Luke 18 says, "For a while, he refused, but afterward, he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And this is a comparison, opposites of course, that God, He wants to give us mercy, He wants to give us justice, He wants to pour out His power in our life, but do we keep coming to him persistently, doggedly, voraciously, yet humbly like this woman does?She depended on Christ's goodness, not her own, so she finally understood grace. She understood grace. "It's not because of anything in me, Lord. I plead Your mercy. I plead Your grace. And faith is such a picture. It's not this bloodless, flaccid, distracted, half-hearted acceptance of certain propositions or theorems of theology about God. No, you realize that God is a person and that God does bless those who pursue Him. Faith is driven. It's determined. It's an unyielding grip upon God Himself and that's why hunger is such a good metaphor. Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."Matthew 5:3-6, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." And we continue the text, point three is great faith, humble bringing and begging. And verse 31, "Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him." Who are these people that brought this man that needed healing to Jesus? We're not told. We just know that these people heard about Christ. They heard that Christ has power to help, so they bring their friend and they beg God on behalf. They beg Christ on behalf of their friend."Lord, just Your hand, one hand touch our friend. Heal him." Verse 33, "And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, touched his tongue." Why does Jesus do this? I think the simplest explanation is probably the best one. He's speaking with this man, communicating with this man in the only language the man can understand. He puts His finger in his ears as though He's saying, "I'm going to do something to your hearing. I'm going to do something with your tongue, with your speech." Jesus is entering the man's world, the Great King of heaven, the Great Creator of heavens and the earth. The Sinless Lamb of God is coming down. He's identifying with this man and his condition and all of its wretchedness and all of its agony and angst. Jesus is coming right down to where the man is.Verse 34, "Looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' which is an Aramaic, "that is, 'Be opened.'" He looks up to heaven, so he's invoking God's power. He sighs. Why does Jesus sigh? And this is a sign of His deep feeling, His compassion for the sufferer. If you remember when He comes to Lazarus' tomb, He knows He's about to resurrect Lazarus, but before He does, He reveals His emotion in John 11:33, "When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' And they said to Him, 'Lord, come and see,' and Jesus swept." So the Jews said, "See how He loved him."The phrase for deeply moved or greatly troubled, that phrase is a word used in another context to describe a horse snorting. One translation says, "He gave way to such distress of spirit, has made His body tremble." One commentator says, "This great sigh came out of His wounded heart." So what's happening? Jesus is moved by Lazarus' condition. He's moved by this man's condition. It offends Him, "This is not the way the world was supposed to be. The world was created and it was perfect and we were supposed to live in perfect harmony, perfect shalom, but we rebelled against God and sin entered the world and the ravages of sin, the consequences of sin are felt by each one of us." And when Jesus dies, He knows, this isn't the way it's supposed to be and everyone knows this.If you ask even an unbeliever, someone that doesn't believe in God, you ask them, "Is the world the way it ought to be? Are you the way you ought to be?" And everyone says, "No, because everyone knows deep down inside there's something wrong, something wrong with us, something wrong with the world." Where does that knowledge come from? The knowledge of a perfect reality and knowledge of a perfect world. It's written on our hearts. This is not how creation was meant to be in all of its beauty and all of its glory and now it's marred with sin. This man was made to reflect the image of God, the glory of God, and here, he's a poor wretch of a man suffering and Jesus is moved by that. He sighs and he says, "Be opened," and this is called a divine passive. He says, "Be opened by whom? By God." That's what he's saying. He's invoking the power of God. In verse 35, "His ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly." The ears were opened. That's another divine passive. His tongue was released by whom? By God. His tongue was unshackled, so to speak. The bond of his tongue was released.Jesus is creating a new world. That's what bringing the kingdom of God into the world means, that He's recreating things from the inside out and it starts with the message of the good news and it transforms our hearts from the inside. And then everything in the world, little by little, becomes transformed. Verse 36, "And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. He has done all things well."And this echoes Genesis 1:31 where God creates, He sees everything He's made and he says, "It is good." They say, "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak," and that's an illusion to Isaiah 35, talking about the Messianic kingdom, verse 5 of Isaiah 35, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped and shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert." Of course, Jesus' miracles weren't just miracles for miracle's sake. His miracles were always a sign, a sign of a deeper reality, a sign of who Jesus is, a sign of what Jesus has come to accomplish, which is to redeem people, to redeem the world, to save souls. And this motif of the opened ear is a symbol for revelation.Same people hear the same message and someone's ears are opened and they believe and they know that this is the truest truth in the universe. This is the truth beyond any truth, underneath every single truth. And some people, they hear the same message and they walk away and they're like, "That was nice. That was a good message. What's for lunch?" The opening of the man's ear is meant to be understood as a symbol of the way in which a person is made receptive. So this is the miracle, the greater miracle. It is a great miracle that the woman's child is freed from the demon. It is a miracle that this man is healed of his deafness and his muteness, but the greater miracle is the miracle that these are pointing to and that's the miracle of the ears being opened and you hear the good news, "Oh, yes, I am a sinner. Oh yes, I have transgressed the law of God. Yes, I am guilty as charge. Yes, I accept that verdict, and yes, Jesus Christ is the only one who could save me."The problem was that Jesus wasn't clear in His teaching. You say, "Why didn't more people get saved?" The problem wasn't that His message was confused or complicated. The problem was that these people's ears were not receptive to the message. That's why Jesus often said, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." He means that there was a kind of supernatural hearing or understanding that many people are incapable of. The unbeliever certainly hears the words physically spoken, certainly maybe even understands them to an extent. They're perfectly ordinary words. We have done wrong. A great deal of wrong. We do need forgiveness and God will forgive you for all of the sins that you have ever committed only if you believe in His Son who is sent into this world to die on a cross precisely to secure forgiveness for those who trust in Him. Those who are in Christ will go to heaven when they die and only those.Nothing in those English sentences is difficult to understand, but the unbeliever does not understand them not in a way that saves them. Why? Because the unbeliever doesn't understand that they cannot come to God whenever they want. They can't come to God on their own timetable. It happens as a miracle. When you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, when you hear the Holy Spirit saying, "Repent of your sin. Come to Christ," at that moment, do not stop up your ears. At that moment, say, "Yes, Lord, I believe. Yes, Lord, I repent. Yes, Lord, save me."Therefore, it's important for us, for those who have been given ears to hear to bring people to Christ. We're not the ones that can save. Just like the friends that brought the deaf person to Jesus, they brought Him, they begged Him, but it's Jesus that does the work, not them. Verse 32, "They brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him." And that's our job as believers. We are to bring people to Christ. We are to have gospel conversations with people. Any opportunity I have to speak about the Lord, I am going to use, I'm going to take. That's our job, but I can't transform a heart. I can't give ears to hear. Only the Lord can do that.In the same way that this man's tongue was unshackled, in the same way that this man's ears were opened, that's what the Lord has done for believers. Some of you have had your ears opened. You understand the gospel, you love the gospel and you love sermons, you love church, but your tongue is still shackled when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. You've heard it, you understand it, but you can't really speak about it. And I'm telling you why, because you feel a little ashamed. There's just a shame like, "I don't want them to think I'm a believer Christian like those Christians."I pray that the Lord unshackle our ... You know how Jesus tells these people, they saw the miracle and he's like, "Don't tell anyone," and then they go and they tell the whole world? And now I'm like, "Jesus, why do You do it? Is it like reverse psychology?" It's like in the great commission, Jesus went to us and said, "Do not go and make disciples of all the nations. Do not do that. We'd be making so many more disciples." Whatever it takes, this is our job. We are to unshackle. We are to speak. We are to bring people to church. We are to bring people to community. We have to bring people to read scripture together. We are to bring people to have conversations about the Lord. We are to pray for people.If you have unbelievers in your life and they have needs, ask if you can pray for them. So easy. So easy. And pray to Lord and like, "Lord, can You please flex? Lord, reveal Yourself to these people." And in the same way that these friends, anonymous, they drag their friend to Christ, the friend gets the miracle. We are to do the same here. We're meant to see the Lord's power to heal the spiritually deaf and He can give the chief of sinners even, that was what Paul called himself, a hearing ear. He can save absolutely anybody. When Jesus pours forth His Spirit, nothing is impossible and we must never despair of others. We must never regard our own hearts as too bad to be changed.You are not too much of a sinner for Jesus. Every single one of us can receive grace, can receive the crumbs from the Lord's table. All we need to do is ask. All we need to do is what this woman did. Matthew 15:2, she comes to Jesus, gets on her knees and what does she say? "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." May that be the constant cry of our hearts, "Lord, have mercy on me." And if you pray that today, if you pray to Jesus Christ, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me," the word of God says that you are saved, that you have received eternal life. Now, follow the Lord Jesus Christ the rest of your days.This woman asked for a crumb from the Lord's table and she received what she received. She received power of God in her life. For the power of God to be unleashed in our lives, for the crumbs to fall from the Lord's table, what did Jesus Christ have to do? The Bread of Life had to come into this world and that His body was broken. And that's what today we're celebrating in the holy communion, we are remembering the suffering of Christ. His body was broken, so that we could get the crumbs from the Lord's table to be saved. His blood was shed in order to cleanse us, to redeem us, to ransom us from our sins.With that said, I'm going to transition to holy communion. For whom is holy communion? It is for repentant believers in Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you've repented of your sin, you are welcome to partake, even if today for the first time you repented and believe in Christ. If you do not believe in Christ, we ask that you refrain from this part of the service, or if you are living in unrepentant sin, also please refrain. I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, and while I do that, if you would like to partake and you haven't received the elements, please raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring them to you.1 Corinthians 11:23, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way also, He took the cup after supper saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died, but if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world."Would you please pray with me over communion. Heavenly Father, we thank You that You, the Great God of the Universe did not leave us in our sins and trespasses and You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, we thank You that You live that perfect life. You obeyed the Father's will perfectly from the heart at all times, every second of Your incarnate life. And Lord, You were sacrificed. You sacrificed Yourself on the cross. You gave Your life in order to save us. We thank You that on the cross, You took our sin upon Yourself. You became our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.Lord Jesus, we thank You that You offer us mercy. You offer mercy to whoever would plead Your name, the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy on us and You extend it graciously, willingly. And I thank You, Holy Spirit, that You are with us and I pray that You help us meditate now in the suffering of Christ to remember that His body was broken and His blood was shed in order for us to be healed from the inside out and given new hearts in order for us to be cleansed from shame and guilt. Lord, bless our time in the holy communion now. We repent of any sins, known sins and unknown sins, and we come to You with complete contrition of heart, asking for mercy and grace as we remember Your sufferings in our behalf. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.If this is your first time taking communion with us, there's two lids. If you open the top one that opens the cup and then the bottom one opens the bread. On the night that Jesus Christ was betrayed, He took the bread, and after breaking it, He said, "This is My body broken for you. Take, eat and do this in remembrance of Me." He then proceeded to take the cup and he said, "This cup is the cup of the new covenant of My blood, which is poured out for the sins of many. Take, drink and do this in remembrance of Me."Lord Jesus, as we meditate on Your sufferings and we think of what a great miracle that was, the Son of God, Son of Man dying on our behalf, we also thank about the great miracle of the resurrection, incredible that You rose from the dead verifying everything that You taught to be true. And Lord, we think of our own conversions, our own regeneration, our own salvation. What a miracle that is, that we were given faith, we were given ears to hear. And we pray that we don't take that for granted, Lord, and we pray that You, in the same way that You've saved us, in the same way that You made the great miracle of our salvation, I pray that You save many around us. Save them miraculously. We believe in a great God. We believe in your great power.And with our faith, Lord, we believe, help our own belief, but we pray that you pour out Your Spirit upon our city and upon this region, upon New England. Pour out Your Spirit in a way that the world has never seen, that I pray save hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands and more. And Lord, as this woman pleaded with You, we plead, Lord. We plead for our neighbors. We plead the blood for our loved ones. We plead the blood of Jesus Christ for our city. Lord, we thank You in advance for the great revival that is coming and we pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.

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Great Faith Unleashes Great Power

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2024 55:25

Heavenly Father, we come to You not on the basis of our righteousness. We come to You not on the basis of our uprightness or our morality. We come to You on the basis of the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus, we thank You that You made a way for us to have a loving relationship with God the Father, a meaning to experience this Person, to experience His presence and to experience His power. And we thank You, Jesus, because of Your work on the cross, because of Your death, burial, resurrection, Your ascension and You sent us the Holy Spirit. You offer the Spirit of God to each person who humbly asks. I pray, Lord, today, that You do unleash Your great power in our lives, in our homes, in our households, in our families, in our church and in our city. We do believe in You that You are a great God and You long for people to come to know You. You long to adopt many into Your household, to make those who are not Your children, Your beloved children in whom You delight.I pray, if anyone is far from You, far from the household of God today, give them the gift of repentance, give them the gift of faith and draw them to Yourself. And Lord, for the rest of us, I do pray that You embolden us to speak the gospel, give us opportunities to proclaim the gospel, unleash our tongues, to proclaim the gospel, the truth to the people around us. There's so many that don't know You and they haven't experienced Your presence and Your power and we believe on their behalf and we long to bring them to You, Lord. And I pray that You give us much grace in that. Lord, bless our time in the holy scriptures. Bless everyone who's here today. What a great way to start off the brand new year. And Lord, I pray that You prepare our hearts for holy communion, which we'll celebrate later. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.Well, good morning and welcome to Mosaic on this communion Sunday. We're continuing our sermon series through the incredible Gospel of Mark. We've called it Kingdom Come, the Gospel of Mark and the secret of God's kingdom. And in the gospel, Jesus is revealing, He's unveiling, He is regulating revelation. And those that do believe in Him, they take Him at His word. They begin to see that He really is who He is and His power is unleashed in their life. The title of the sermon today's Great Faith Unleashes Great Power. And what we've seen so far in the Gospel of Mark is that God, who created everything, the great God overall, He takes on flesh. The Son of God is sent by God the Father. He's anointed by God the Holy Spirit to establish the kingdom of God here on earth where God's presence and His peace reigns.And how does Jesus Christ, the Son of God, establish the kingdom of God? He does so with a message. And this is the good news, the gospel. It's the gospel that changes hearts because the kingdom of God is an inside out kingdom. God changes our hearts when we believe in the good news. He changes our desires. We begin to desire prayer. We begin to desire fellowship with God's people. We begin to desire to do the will of God, to live in submission to God out of love for Him and love for neighbor. And what was the gospel that Jesus preached? It was very short. His very first sermon is documented and it went like this.He says, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Repent and believe the good news that the King of the Universe has come to save us, save us from Satan, sin and death by laying down His life on a cross." And we are to repent and believe in Him, believe that He is God, believe that He is the King of the Universe. Now, how many people believed this message? During Jesus' three year ministry, how many people believed this message and how many people were saved? I think, statistically speaking, it was a very small percentage. If you look at First Corinthians 15, it says that the resurrected Christ appear to 500 people. 500 people, what a small percentage of all the people that He ministered to.And who believed? Well, those who were seemingly crazy enough to take Jesus at His word. He spoke, they believed, and all of a sudden, they were saved and God's power was unleashed in their life when they really believed that He was the Great I Am when they humbly believed. Those people experienced the power of God. His family, Jesus' family, we read, they thought He was out of His mind. The good folks back home and His hometown mocked Him as, "Oh, you're just a carpenter. You're just the Son of Mary." And the Pharisees we read that they joined forces with the Herodians to kill Jesus. Some thought Jesus was John the Baptist come back from the dead. Herod Antipas believed that. Some thought He was Elijah even when He fed the 5,000 miraculously. They understood that He was presenting Himself as the Messianic King, but they didn't realize what kind of king He was, the king of people's hearts.The religious establishment said that Jesus was demon-possessed, a sorcerer, a false teacher. And even the disciples we read who saw His power over and over and over had said that they were hardened in their hearts and they had trouble believing. Amazingly, the only ones that truly recognize Jesus for who He is all of the time are the demons. The demons understood. But the few who took Jesus at His word, they experienced His power and they experienced His salvation. And today, we come to such a woman. We come to a woman who amazed Jesus Christ with her faith. To her, Jesus said, "Oh, woman, great is your faith." And her great faith released great power in her life. And great faith does release great power. Why? Because God honors bold faith because bold faith honors God.So that brings us to Mark 7:24-37. Would you look at the text with me? "And from there, He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden. But immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' But she answered Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.' And He said to her, 'For this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter.' And she went away and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying, 'He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word. May He write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Three points to frame up our time. First, great faith is humble chutzpah before God. Second, great faith is humble hunger for God. And third, great faith is humble bringing and begging. First, great faith is humble chutzpah before God. Chutzpah, it's from the Yiddish. It means nerve. It means courage. It means impudence. It means confidence in action. I like that word. And it definitely perfectly characterizes this woman's posture of heart. She comes boldly with confidence, yet it's humble confidence. So this is point one, the great faith is humble chutzpah before God.We saw the progression from chapter 7 verses 1 through 23 to this one, which is very logical where Jesus said, He called all food clean, meaning He removed the barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles, the barrier of the dietary laws that separated Jews socially from Gentiles. And now Jesus is positioned perfectly to enter Gentile territory, something a Jewish rabbi would have never done because they consider the Gentiles unclean. And Jesus said, "It's not what comes from the outside that makes you unclean. It's that which comes from the inside that makes you unclean and Jesus can cleanse all.So now He comes into Gentile territory. This is verse 24. From there, He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon and He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden. The human, Jesus, God incarnate, He did grow tired at some points. He just had ministered to many people. He's exhausted and now He journeys into Gentile territory, tries to keep Himself hidden. He can't do it because His fame had already proceeded Him. Tyre had a long history of antagonism toward Israel. Josephus, the Jewish historian, he said, "The inhabitants of Tyre were notoriously our bitterest enemies." There was bad blood between these two groups of people, the Galileans and people from Tyre. So that's the context.So this woman who is from the other people, she's from the other religions, she's from the other socioeconomic status, she's from the other-other everything, she comes to Jesus and she comes to Jesus boldly. Verse 25, "But immediately, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet." The unclean spirit is a demon that's made clear in verses 29 and 30. So here, we meet a mother, a desperate mother. She comes to Christ. She's heard of His explosive power and she throws herself at His feet in an attitude, a posture of heart, of self-abasement and supplication. She prostrates herself before Him, which shows the level of her distress, her pain.The pain of her child had brought her to Jesus Christ. The pain of her child had brought her to her knees. And she's interceding for her child. A mother is praying for her child. And whenever I see texts like this, just a reminder that we are to intercede for our loved ones. We are to intercede in prayer for our children and for our siblings and for our families and for our neighbors, and for our city. We are to pray. And when we intercede, God hears those prayers, especially when they're prayed with this posture of heart. The mother prayed for her child because the child couldn't pray for herself and the mother persisted until her prayer was granted.We see that this woman is very similar to the woman that was suffering 12 years from a hemorrhage in chapter 5. The likeness has seen that they were both ritually impure. They both needed miraculous power from the Lord. And despite her impurity, the Syrophoenician, like the woman with the hemorrhage, comes boldly hoping for healing from Christ. Verse 26, "Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'" The Matthew parallel calls her a Canaanite woman. The word for Gentile here, it's a word that means that she was Greek speaking or Hellenized. So she's a Greek-speaking pagan Gentile from Tyre and the woman hopes that Jesus is going to heal her. She asks, she begs, she pleads. And it seems like He says no. It seems like Jesus' response dashes her hopes in a very hard way. And what is Jesus doing here? Jesus is showing that He ... First of all, there was an order to the salvation process. There was an order to the revelation that, first of all, He came to the children of Israel. Romans 1:16 says, "For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, but it's for anyone who believes."Or 1 Corinthians 1:22, "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." Why the Jews first? Because the Jews became the first rebellious children of God. He chose them as His people. They rebelled against Him. He sends His Son into this vineyard, so to speak, to then save them, save the elect from Israel. And Isaiah 1:2-3 explains or opens, reveals the Father's heart, "Hear, O heavens and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know. My people do not understand."The word first is used in our text proton. It's always used in order to explain that in the eschatological timeline of God's revelation, there is progress. The coming of Elijah was supposed to come before the Messiah. The binding of Satan needs to happen before despoiling of His house. Jesus' ministry to His fellow Jews was first, but He's in Gentile territory, meaning He's there to bring home the elect as well. Jesus expands His gospel ministry beyond Israel even when He was here. Only after these events have occurred in their divinely ordered sequence can the end come. As Mark says in chapter 4, "First a shoot, then an ear, then full grain in the year." There's a pattern here.The word proton and the thought behind it are similar to those of Paul in Romans 1 and Romans 11. Jesus did come for the Jew first but also for the Gentile. And here, it seems very derogatory if you think about it. He's calling her a dog. He's like, "I'm going to feed the children first and then you don't feed the dogs before the children." And you read the commentaries and they're like, "Well, it's not that offensive. It's the diminutive. He's calling her a little dog." No, that's offensive. You call anyone a little dog in that ... In our context, we love dogs. Dogs are domesticated. I have a daughter that prays on just as persistently as a Syrophoenician woman for a dog and ... Long story.But in our context, we love the dogs. People even consider themselves dog parents. Back then, they didn't domesticate dogs. Dogs were wild. Dogs lived outside of cities. Dogs were considered unclean and the New Testament continues this negative attitude. St. Paul says, "Beware of the dogs." In Philippians, Jesus says, "Don't throw what is holy to the dogs or the pigs." In Revelation 22:15, "The dog is an outsider to the community of God's grace." So using the terminology dog, he's calling her a dog, is an insult. That's what's happening. He's insulting her so to speak.And the question really is, how is she going to respond? Is she going to say, "No, I reject your verdict. I reject your bad news. I don't want your good news because I reject your bad news about my current state"? She doesn't do any of that. She hears it and she desperately continues in her persistence. Despite Jesus' seeming cool indifference and silence, she got His no. And she's like, "Okay, great, but I still ask for Your yes." Matthew 15 in the parallel context, in Matthew 15:22, "And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.' But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him saying, 'Send her away, for she is crying out after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and knelt before Him saying, 'Lord, help me.' But He answered, 'It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'"You'd expect her to get angry. You'd expect her to call Jesus all of the isms and call him all of the ist names, but she doesn't get all huffy. She's not too proud to accept the verdict. She doesn't say, "How dare You? How dare You mock me? How dare You belittle me?" She could have said, "I didn't choose to be a Gentile. I didn't choose to be born here. I didn't choose to have a daughter that suffers. I'm not even asking for myself, Jesus. Do You know how much we've suffered together? We deserve something from You." She doesn't do any of that. She realizes that she cannot stand before Jesus, before Christ, before the Son of God, before God Himself on her rights, on her moral record.Even on the basis of her own suffering, she understands that God owes her nothing. She understands who she is in relation to the God of the universe. She remains humble. Even when she hears really hard words from Jesus, she gets a really hard no, but she continues asking. She continues believing, humbly believing, humbly understanding that she has absolutely zero grounds upon which to claim His favor. She says, "Yes, I am a dog. In relation to God, I am a dog. I'm unfit for the Father's favor. I have transgressed commandments. I have lived as though God does not exist. I have broken the first commandment, it's because I've broken the first one, I've broken them all. The first commandment is, 'Thou shall have no other gods before me.' I haven't worshiped Yahweh. Yes, I am a dog. Yes, I'm outside, but, but I see Your house is big enough even for me, but I see that there's enough bread on Your table even for a dog like me." That's her posture of heart.And when we present the gospel, we say, "Look, it starts with the bad news." The bad news is we have broken God's sovereign law. Whenever you break any law, there are to be consequences for the breaking of the law, especially when it comes to God. Whoever transgresses even one law deserves death. The word of God says, "Deserves eternal damnation." The word of God says, "That's the bad news. Apart from God, we are not children. Apart from God, we are sinners." "And yes, Lord, I am a sinner. I am a filthy, wretched dog. I am a dog. Can I be Your dog? I hear You're a good master." That's what she's saying. That's why I use the word for chutzpah, it's nerve, it's brass, it's confidence and actions gall. It's audacity.And this brings us to point two, great faith is humble hunger for God. And you see this, you see what she's doing. She's not just asking for the miracle. She's relating to Jesus. She's conversing with Jesus. She wants more of God in her life. She's hungry for God. Verse 28, "But she answered Him, 'Yes Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.'" The Syrophoenician woman, she's like, "Yes, I am a dog," but all of a sudden, she's so smart, she switches everything. She puts the dog in the house. I don't know if you notice this. She's like, "I am a dog, but I'm a dog in Your house under Your table." That's what she's doing.And this reminds us, this whole encounter with a Gentile woman, a Gentile woman's daughter, it reminds us of Elijah. Elijah the prophet was sent to the people of Israel, but the people of Israel didn't obey. They didn't believe in God. So then he goes to the Gentiles. And Jesus, when He started His ministry in His hometown, He goes to the synagogue and He reminded them of that story. He said, "Look, I've come here to the children of Israel, but the children of Israel refuse to believe. So I'm going to the Gentiles, just like Elijah was sent to the Gentiles," Luke 4:24, "And he said, 'Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months and a great famine came over the land. And Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath and the land of Sidon to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elijah and none of them was cleansed, but only Namaan the Syrian.When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath and they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went away." And you say, "Why did they get so mad? Why do they get so angry?" They got so angry because He reminded them that God loves Gentiles as well. And it's not your birth, it's not your DNA, it's not your ethnicity that makes you right with God. It's your humility. It's your humble repentance where you say, "God, I don't deserve to be Your child. God, I don't deserve a relationship. God, I don't deserve cleansing in Your power, but I'm going to ask anyway."After His rejection at Nazareth, Jesus gives a clear warning of the coming mission to the Gentiles that He's going to the Gentiles. And it is in light of this background that we must read the initial response to this woman. He went to the children of Israel who said, "We don't want You. Jesus, we don't need You. We're children of Israel by birth." And Jesus said, "No one's a child of God by birth. You can't be born into the Family of God physically, only spiritually. You need to be born again." And they didn't want to hear that. They didn't want to hear that they needed to repent, that they needed to follow God.And yet this woman, she's told, "You're not a child of God. You're a dog," and she doesn't get huffy. She continues the conversation. She calls Him Lord, "Yes, Lord. Even the dogs on the table eat the children's crumbs." She says, "Yes, Lord, but there's plenty on that table even for me." She lays hold of Christ's word and bases her plea upon Him. The woman's response transforms the dog of Jesus metaphor into a domestic dog in the house. She, here in the stories, part of the household of faith. One translation says, "Since then, I am a dog. I'm not a stranger. I'm not outside." Another translation, she says, "Let me be a dog. I'll accept that I am, but even a dog has his day or her day. Yes, I'm a little dog, but can I still have some crumbs from the table? Yes, I'm a little dog, but I'm Your dog and You're my master."She calls him, "Lord, I am a humble part of the household. I don't deserve to be here, but I'm just asking for a crumb. I'm just asking for a little bit of your grace." And Jesus hears that. Jesus hears her plea and her plea is actually based on a promise from the Old Testament, a promise that God gave to Abraham. When He blesses Abraham, He says, "I'm going to extend the blessings I'm giving you to the rest of the world." Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. All of the families. All of the families shall be blessed. All of the families, all of the people that come to God and say, "God, I don't have any rights to assert, that I'm coming to You with a right less assertiveness. I'm not coming to You on the basis of my goodness. I'm coming to You on the basis of Your goodness and Your generosity."Thomas Cranmer, in The Book of Common Prayer, he says, "We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table, but thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy." Jesus hears her and He likes her response. In verse 29, He said to her, "For this statement," another translation says, "Good answer. Good answer." I wish I was there to see the twinkle in His eye, "Good answer." "For this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter," and she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.In response to the woman's audacity, her impudent faith, She wrestles a blessing from Christ. And in this, she reminds us of someone else's scripture. She reminds us of Jacob. Jacob, when he wrestled with God, when he took hold of God, and most likely, that was a Christophany because it says that he wrestled with God and it said that he wrestled with a Man. It was a Man God, the God Man, Jesus Christ. This woman is much like Jacob in her persistence, her refusal to take no for an answer. She's content to get the no, "Yes, I am a dog," but she still keeps asking for the yes.And Jacob did the same thing. Jacob in Genesis 32, he was a man in need. The next morning, he was going to meet his brother, Esau, his estranged brother, Esau, and he thought he was going to meet Esau with murderous intent, that Esau wanted to kill him. He feared for his own life, Jacob did. He feared for the lives of his wives and children. So he prays. He sends them ahead and he prays with God. And the Lord appears to him as a man and wrestled with him through the night. And of course, the Lord was play wrestling. He's not really wrestling with Jacob. Jacob thought He was wrestling. Jesus was playing.This is Genesis 32:24, "Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. And when the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as He wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go for, the day has broken.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me.' And He said to him, 'What is your name?' He said, 'Jacob.' Then He said, 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked Him, 'Please tell me Your name.' And He said, 'Why is it that you asked My name?' And there, He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been delivered.'"And you say, "Why did Jesus tell a woman no in the beginning? What is He doing? Did she change His mind from a silent indifference to helping her?" I don't think that's what's happening. When He says for this statement, He's not saying, "Because you have said this or because you have changed My mind," He's saying, "Because you've passed the test." He was testing her. He said, "No," to test her. "Is she going to persist? Is she going to continue asking?" It was a ploy designed to evoke even greater levels of faith on her part. Martin Luther commenting on this text, he said, "Christians need to persist in trusting God even when He seems to turn His back on them. We must learn to see the yes hidden in His no."I think that's really powerful, especially if you meditate on or you apply it to your life. We must work to see His yes and His no. If He says no, now He has a better yes for us. So we keep asking, we keep asking, we keep asking, and obviously, in all the Lord's will. Matthew 15:28, "Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire. And her daughter was healed instantly." Her faith delighted Jesus Christ. My daughter, sometimes they come to me and they test me to see how strict I am regarding grades. And they're like, "Yeah, but if I get an A-, is that okay?" "Oh, yeah, that's fine.""What if I get a B+?" "You're pushing it. You're pushing it." "What if I get a B ..." And my conversation is, "Look, I don't care about your GPA honestly. I can't tell you that I just did, but I really don't care. I don't care. I do. Do your best in your sports. Do your best. I care about your soul above all else. I care about your faith. I care that you grow in your relationship with the Lord. I care about you growing in wisdom." And Jesus is in the same way. He's delighted by this woman's faith. May your faith and may my faith delight the Lord in the same way. She took Christ at His word, and when He said, "You're dog," and then He blesses her like a child.And this is really how God speaks of salvation, that when we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, we get regenerated, we get a new heart, but we also get a new identity. We become a child of God. God adopts us into His family. God says, "You are not My children, but I'm going to make you My children," and it's all because of His Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." He rewards those who seek Him. Do you seek Him with the same posture of heart persistently, "Lord, I want more of You. Lord, I want more of Your presence. Lord, I want more of Your power."And that's why Jesus is called the Bread of Life, and we are to hunger, our souls are to hunger for Jesus as the Bread of Life. "Lord, I'm starving. I am famished for You." What do you do when you're hungry? You can't stop thinking about food. You're just salivating. You're thinking about that next meal that's coming and this is ... What is humility? It's recognizing, "Lord, apart from You, I'm starving. My soul is starving. Lord, I seek you." And the word of God says, "Whoever seeks God will be found. He will be found by them." Her faith is dramatically contrasted with the heartened unbelief of the Pharisees who were Jewish. They consider themselves children of God, but they weren't because they had no faith in Christ. And her faith even outshines the understanding of the disciples whose hearts were hardened at times. And God loves persistent pursuit of Him and He rewards this lavishly.Matthew 11:12, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force." What does that mean? He's talking about John the Baptist. John the Baptist, he sacrificed everything to proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, to proclaim that, "Jesus Christ is here. He's willing to save people." John the Baptist sacrificed everything for the kingdom of God to expand. The violent, he took it by force. It took effort. It took work on his part and the same way, if you pursue God, if you sacrifice to pursue God. And yes, this does take sacrifice like, "Rain, snow, whatever, I'm going to church." That's who you are. I commend all of you. You're here at first service. Praise be to God.I had a phone call from a pastor and he's like, "Are you guys canceling church?" I was like, "This isn't public school. We don't believe in snow days. Forget that. We're going to church." Yeah, we'll get a little wet. That's fine. We do close church if the tea's not running. That's because of the temple situation. But what I'm saying is, yes, it does take effort. You want to experience more of God? It takes effort to wake up just to study the scriptures. It takes effort to pray. It takes effort to pursue the Lord. Like the paralytic friends, remember that the house is full, they couldn't get through to Christ. They climb into the roof. They break through 18 inches of sod and branches in the roof lowering the man and the man is healed and Jesus forgives him of his sins as well.Jesus delights in persistent faith like that of this woman. Another example is Luke 18 and Luke 18, there's a woman who keeps returning to a judge, pleading her case over and over and over. And verse 4 of Luke 18 says, "For a while, he refused, but afterward, he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And this is a comparison, opposites of course, that God, He wants to give us mercy, He wants to give us justice, He wants to pour out His power in our life, but do we keep coming to him persistently, doggedly, voraciously, yet humbly like this woman does?She depended on Christ's goodness, not her own, so she finally understood grace. She understood grace. "It's not because of anything in me, Lord. I plead Your mercy. I plead Your grace. And faith is such a picture. It's not this bloodless, flaccid, distracted, half-hearted acceptance of certain propositions or theorems of theology about God. No, you realize that God is a person and that God does bless those who pursue Him. Faith is driven. It's determined. It's an unyielding grip upon God Himself and that's why hunger is such a good metaphor. Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."Matthew 5:3-6, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." And we continue the text, point three is great faith, humble bringing and begging. And verse 31, "Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him." Who are these people that brought this man that needed healing to Jesus? We're not told. We just know that these people heard about Christ. They heard that Christ has power to help, so they bring their friend and they beg God on behalf. They beg Christ on behalf of their friend."Lord, just Your hand, one hand touch our friend. Heal him." Verse 33, "And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, touched his tongue." Why does Jesus do this? I think the simplest explanation is probably the best one. He's speaking with this man, communicating with this man in the only language the man can understand. He puts His finger in his ears as though He's saying, "I'm going to do something to your hearing. I'm going to do something with your tongue, with your speech." Jesus is entering the man's world, the Great King of heaven, the Great Creator of heavens and the earth. The Sinless Lamb of God is coming down. He's identifying with this man and his condition and all of its wretchedness and all of its agony and angst. Jesus is coming right down to where the man is.Verse 34, "Looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' which is an Aramaic, "that is, 'Be opened.'" He looks up to heaven, so he's invoking God's power. He sighs. Why does Jesus sigh? And this is a sign of His deep feeling, His compassion for the sufferer. If you remember when He comes to Lazarus' tomb, He knows He's about to resurrect Lazarus, but before He does, He reveals His emotion in John 11:33, "When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' And they said to Him, 'Lord, come and see,' and Jesus swept." So the Jews said, "See how He loved him."The phrase for deeply moved or greatly troubled, that phrase is a word used in another context to describe a horse snorting. One translation says, "He gave way to such distress of spirit, has made His body tremble." One commentator says, "This great sigh came out of His wounded heart." So what's happening? Jesus is moved by Lazarus' condition. He's moved by this man's condition. It offends Him, "This is not the way the world was supposed to be. The world was created and it was perfect and we were supposed to live in perfect harmony, perfect shalom, but we rebelled against God and sin entered the world and the ravages of sin, the consequences of sin are felt by each one of us." And when Jesus dies, He knows, this isn't the way it's supposed to be and everyone knows this.If you ask even an unbeliever, someone that doesn't believe in God, you ask them, "Is the world the way it ought to be? Are you the way you ought to be?" And everyone says, "No, because everyone knows deep down inside there's something wrong, something wrong with us, something wrong with the world." Where does that knowledge come from? The knowledge of a perfect reality and knowledge of a perfect world. It's written on our hearts. This is not how creation was meant to be in all of its beauty and all of its glory and now it's marred with sin. This man was made to reflect the image of God, the glory of God, and here, he's a poor wretch of a man suffering and Jesus is moved by that. He sighs and he says, "Be opened," and this is called a divine passive. He says, "Be opened by whom? By God." That's what he's saying. He's invoking the power of God. In verse 35, "His ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly." The ears were opened. That's another divine passive. His tongue was released by whom? By God. His tongue was unshackled, so to speak. The bond of his tongue was released.Jesus is creating a new world. That's what bringing the kingdom of God into the world means, that He's recreating things from the inside out and it starts with the message of the good news and it transforms our hearts from the inside. And then everything in the world, little by little, becomes transformed. Verse 36, "And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. He has done all things well."And this echoes Genesis 1:31 where God creates, He sees everything He's made and he says, "It is good." They say, "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak," and that's an illusion to Isaiah 35, talking about the Messianic kingdom, verse 5 of Isaiah 35, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped and shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert." Of course, Jesus' miracles weren't just miracles for miracle's sake. His miracles were always a sign, a sign of a deeper reality, a sign of who Jesus is, a sign of what Jesus has come to accomplish, which is to redeem people, to redeem the world, to save souls. And this motif of the opened ear is a symbol for revelation.Same people hear the same message and someone's ears are opened and they believe and they know that this is the truest truth in the universe. This is the truth beyond any truth, underneath every single truth. And some people, they hear the same message and they walk away and they're like, "That was nice. That was a good message. What's for lunch?" The opening of the man's ear is meant to be understood as a symbol of the way in which a person is made receptive. So this is the miracle, the greater miracle. It is a great miracle that the woman's child is freed from the demon. It is a miracle that this man is healed of his deafness and his muteness, but the greater miracle is the miracle that these are pointing to and that's the miracle of the ears being opened and you hear the good news, "Oh, yes, I am a sinner. Oh yes, I have transgressed the law of God. Yes, I am guilty as charge. Yes, I accept that verdict, and yes, Jesus Christ is the only one who could save me."The problem was that Jesus wasn't clear in His teaching. You say, "Why didn't more people get saved?" The problem wasn't that His message was confused or complicated. The problem was that these people's ears were not receptive to the message. That's why Jesus often said, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." He means that there was a kind of supernatural hearing or understanding that many people are incapable of. The unbeliever certainly hears the words physically spoken, certainly maybe even understands them to an extent. They're perfectly ordinary words. We have done wrong. A great deal of wrong. We do need forgiveness and God will forgive you for all of the sins that you have ever committed only if you believe in His Son who is sent into this world to die on a cross precisely to secure forgiveness for those who trust in Him. Those who are in Christ will go to heaven when they die and only those.Nothing in those English sentences is difficult to understand, but the unbeliever does not understand them not in a way that saves them. Why? Because the unbeliever doesn't understand that they cannot come to God whenever they want. They can't come to God on their own timetable. It happens as a miracle. When you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, when you hear the Holy Spirit saying, "Repent of your sin. Come to Christ," at that moment, do not stop up your ears. At that moment, say, "Yes, Lord, I believe. Yes, Lord, I repent. Yes, Lord, save me."Therefore, it's important for us, for those who have been given ears to hear to bring people to Christ. We're not the ones that can save. Just like the friends that brought the deaf person to Jesus, they brought Him, they begged Him, but it's Jesus that does the work, not them. Verse 32, "They brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and they begged Him to lay His hand on him." And that's our job as believers. We are to bring people to Christ. We are to have gospel conversations with people. Any opportunity I have to speak about the Lord, I am going to use, I'm going to take. That's our job, but I can't transform a heart. I can't give ears to hear. Only the Lord can do that.In the same way that this man's tongue was unshackled, in the same way that this man's ears were opened, that's what the Lord has done for believers. Some of you have had your ears opened. You understand the gospel, you love the gospel and you love sermons, you love church, but your tongue is still shackled when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. You've heard it, you understand it, but you can't really speak about it. And I'm telling you why, because you feel a little ashamed. There's just a shame like, "I don't want them to think I'm a believer Christian like those Christians."I pray that the Lord unshackle our ... You know how Jesus tells these people, they saw the miracle and he's like, "Don't tell anyone," and then they go and they tell the whole world? And now I'm like, "Jesus, why do You do it? Is it like reverse psychology?" It's like in the great commission, Jesus went to us and said, "Do not go and make disciples of all the nations. Do not do that. We'd be making so many more disciples." Whatever it takes, this is our job. We are to unshackle. We are to speak. We are to bring people to church. We are to bring people to community. We have to bring people to read scripture together. We are to bring people to have conversations about the Lord. We are to pray for people.If you have unbelievers in your life and they have needs, ask if you can pray for them. So easy. So easy. And pray to Lord and like, "Lord, can You please flex? Lord, reveal Yourself to these people." And in the same way that these friends, anonymous, they drag their friend to Christ, the friend gets the miracle. We are to do the same here. We're meant to see the Lord's power to heal the spiritually deaf and He can give the chief of sinners even, that was what Paul called himself, a hearing ear. He can save absolutely anybody. When Jesus pours forth His Spirit, nothing is impossible and we must never despair of others. We must never regard our own hearts as too bad to be changed.You are not too much of a sinner for Jesus. Every single one of us can receive grace, can receive the crumbs from the Lord's table. All we need to do is ask. All we need to do is what this woman did. Matthew 15:2, she comes to Jesus, gets on her knees and what does she say? "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." May that be the constant cry of our hearts, "Lord, have mercy on me." And if you pray that today, if you pray to Jesus Christ, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me," the word of God says that you are saved, that you have received eternal life. Now, follow the Lord Jesus Christ the rest of your days.This woman asked for a crumb from the Lord's table and she received what she received. She received power of God in her life. For the power of God to be unleashed in our lives, for the crumbs to fall from the Lord's table, what did Jesus Christ have to do? The Bread of Life had to come into this world and that His body was broken. And that's what today we're celebrating in the holy communion, we are remembering the suffering of Christ. His body was broken, so that we could get the crumbs from the Lord's table to be saved. His blood was shed in order to cleanse us, to redeem us, to ransom us from our sins.With that said, I'm going to transition to holy communion. For whom is holy communion? It is for repentant believers in Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you've repented of your sin, you are welcome to partake, even if today for the first time you repented and believe in Christ. If you do not believe in Christ, we ask that you refrain from this part of the service, or if you are living in unrepentant sin, also please refrain. I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, and while I do that, if you would like to partake and you haven't received the elements, please raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring them to you.1 Corinthians 11:23, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way also, He took the cup after supper saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died, but if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world."Would you please pray with me over communion. Heavenly Father, we thank You that You, the Great God of the Universe did not leave us in our sins and trespasses and You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, we thank You that You live that perfect life. You obeyed the Father's will perfectly from the heart at all times, every second of Your incarnate life. And Lord, You were sacrificed. You sacrificed Yourself on the cross. You gave Your life in order to save us. We thank You that on the cross, You took our sin upon Yourself. You became our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.Lord Jesus, we thank You that You offer us mercy. You offer mercy to whoever would plead Your name, the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy on us and You extend it graciously, willingly. And I thank You, Holy Spirit, that You are with us and I pray that You help us meditate now in the suffering of Christ to remember that His body was broken and His blood was shed in order for us to be healed from the inside out and given new hearts in order for us to be cleansed from shame and guilt. Lord, bless our time in the holy communion now. We repent of any sins, known sins and unknown sins, and we come to You with complete contrition of heart, asking for mercy and grace as we remember Your sufferings in our behalf. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.If this is your first time taking communion with us, there's two lids. If you open the top one that opens the cup and then the bottom one opens the bread. On the night that Jesus Christ was betrayed, He took the bread, and after breaking it, He said, "This is My body broken for you. Take, eat and do this in remembrance of Me." He then proceeded to take the cup and he said, "This cup is the cup of the new covenant of My blood, which is poured out for the sins of many. Take, drink and do this in remembrance of Me."Lord Jesus, as we meditate on Your sufferings and we think of what a great miracle that was, the Son of God, Son of Man dying on our behalf, we also thank about the great miracle of the resurrection, incredible that You rose from the dead verifying everything that You taught to be true. And Lord, we think of our own conversions, our own regeneration, our own salvation. What a miracle that is, that we were given faith, we were given ears to hear. And we pray that we don't take that for granted, Lord, and we pray that You, in the same way that You've saved us, in the same way that You made the great miracle of our salvation, I pray that You save many around us. Save them miraculously. We believe in a great God. We believe in your great power.And with our faith, Lord, we believe, help our own belief, but we pray that you pour out Your Spirit upon our city and upon this region, upon New England. Pour out Your Spirit in a way that the world has never seen, that I pray save hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands and more. And Lord, as this woman pleaded with You, we plead, Lord. We plead for our neighbors. We plead the blood for our loved ones. We plead the blood of Jesus Christ for our city. Lord, we thank You in advance for the great revival that is coming and we pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.

god jesus christ family children father lord english israel spirit man dogs gospel christians holy spirit dna romans universe satan psalm jewish greek blessed corinthians praise heal savior jews rain kingdom of god sea hebrews philippians old testament bread new england new testament lazarus pharisees amen john the baptist gentiles bless repent verse nazareth heavenly father galilee syrian o lord yahweh his son deserves esau martin luther kingdom come mosaic his spirit god himself o god tyre gpa canaanites because god messianic great faith great powers yiddish aramaic god man great god by god sidon in revelation unleashes zarephath josephus great king first corinthians syrophoenician herodians common prayer galileans decapolis chutzpah great i am man god your spirit peniel yes lord him lord ephphatha herod antipas your son during jesus thomas cranmer great creator namaan christophany despite jesus hellenized

To Every Man an Answer 1/5/2024

To Every Man An Answer

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024 56:19

10:22 - Daniel 9:27, who bans the sacrifices in the Tribulation? / 23:41 - The devil is bound in the Millenial reign, what passage is that? / 30:17 - Are believers in the Millenial Reign indwelt by the Holy Spirit/ How could anyone see the face of a Christophany? / 38:23 - Do the Tribulation saints get the Holy Spirit? / 43:08 - Thanks for Pastor Mike/ When do we get our new bodies? / 47:51 - Genesis 18, who is God here, and who are angels? / 50:11 - Can you give your soul to the devil?

Advent Christophany

St. Mary of Bethany Parish Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2023 22:34

psalm corinthians advent rev tn readings first sunday advent isaiah christophany

Ilia Delio - Merton's Christophany and the Second Axial Monk

Tuesdays with Merton Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 73:51

Thomas Merton's epiphany on the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets was a significant breakthrough into Christ consciousness and the opening up of what Raimon Panikkar calls, “Christophany.” This new consciousness propelled an inversion of Merton's monastic life toward ever deepening relationships with a world of complexity. Relying on insights from Carl Jung, Raimon Panikkar and Teilhard de Chardin, I will explore Merton's Christophany as a radical theology, a mutational disruption of the Neoplatonic quest, and the ushering in of a new monastic consciousness reflective of the second axial age, marked by the hyperpersonal monk of planetary consciousness. Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC and American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics and neuroscience and the import of these for theology. Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University, and is the author of twenty books including Care for Creation (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods), The Emergent Christ and The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution and the Power of Love (Orbis, 2013).

jesus christ american power washington care phd evolution dc theology monk relying carl jung villanova university thomas merton ilia merton chardin axial osf being god teilhard delio franciscan sisters christophany neoplatonic raimon panikkar keith warner

Exodus 3:1-4:17 Bible Study - God speaks to Moses! The great "I AM" statement.

Iron Sheep Ministries Inc.

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 54:39

This week we look at Exodus 3.1-4.17 and the story of God talking to Moses through the burning bush. Within this text we see God call Moses to be his mouthpiece and instrument to show his wonders and to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. We also see God define Himself as the great I AM. Outline below. Support Iron Sheep Ministries: https://Ironsheep.org/donate Listen to the podcast: https://anchor.fm/ironsheep Contact Dave & the ISM team: info@ironsheep.org Join the email list: http://eepurl.com/g-2zAD Outline: 02:12 - Exodus Chapter 3 06:26 - Tending the Flocks - Moses was a shepherd for 40 yrs in Midian. King David was also a lowly shepherd before he was called to be the future king (1 Sam. 16.11). 09:06 - Horeb, the Mountain of God, Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai? Ras Safsafa or Jabal Mousa? 11:18 - An Angel of the Lord. Was it a Theophany, an Angelophany, or a Christophany and what do each of those mean? 14:01 - Fire from within a bush. 16:00 - Fire - God is often represented by fire. Examples: Exodus 13.21; 19.18; 24.17; Deuteronomy 4.24; Judges 13.20; 1Kings 18.24-39; Hebrews 12.29, “our God is a consuming fire” 16:59 - Take off your sandals, holy ground 17:38 - I am the God of your father, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You know me, I am the same God you have heard all the stories about…. 18:52 - What is God's Name? What is the Tetragrammaton? I AM that I AM, I AM, YHWH, Adonai, Elohim, Yahweh, Jehovah. Revelation 1.8, Matthew 6.9-13; John 8.48-59. 29:26 - 3 day journey 31:44 - You will not leave empty-handed 33:32 - Exodus 4.1-17 36:25 - Moses' Doubts 39:34 - Exodus 4.3 - why did God turn Moses' staff into a snake? Uraeus is the symbol of the Egyptian goddess Wadjet. 44:45 - Application: God can use anyone. Numbers 12.3, 1 Corinthians 1.26-31. 48:21 - final thoughts - be encouraged to take a leap of faith --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ironsheep/support

The Greatest Act of Faith

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2023 47:47

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic BostonChurch. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston,or donate to this ministry, please visit MosaicBoston.com. Heavenly Father, you are blazing in your holiness, and we thank you that you are tender in your love, and we thank you for the holy scriptures in which you reveal your will to us, and we thank you that you reveal yourself to us. Lord, as we meditate on a text of one of your saints approaching death, I pray, Lord, minister to us, remind us that we are mortal, that we will die, but it's not our souls that die, it's just our bodies. Lord, I pray that as we meditate on death, that you give us an extra portion of the Holy Spirit to think about these things seriously and sober-mindedly, so that each one of us is prepared today to meet you. For those who do not yet know you, Lord, I pray give them a desire to know you, give them a desire to know if these things in the holy scriptures are true, give them a desire to know is Jesus God, and give them the desire to wrestle with you, Jesus, to wrestle with your claims and to wrestle with your person. I pray that as they do, that you meet them, and that you bless them, and that you walk with them. For those who are not yet Christians, Lord, save them today and usher them into your kingdom by giving them the gift of the new birth. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen. We are continuing our sermon series called Graduate Level Grace, A Study in the Life of Joseph. We are nearing the end of it., As we near the end of it, the story goes from Joseph primarily to now Jacob. The title of the sermon today is The Greatest Act of Faith. The narrative here shifts from Joseph to his father, Jacob. The text slows down, and it does so deliberately to focus our attention on a man's last days. We've seen the life of Jacob, and we've learned many truths, and now we get a glimpse into how he prepares to die. The lesson here is that we ought to think about death. Do you think about death? You should. Few things in life teach us how to live in a more profound way than meditating upon death. Once in a while, the Lord reminds you that you're going to die. Sometimes it's through a near death experience. This week, or it was last week, I was on Bible Gateway. On Bible Gateway there's the Google Ads, and they target you. They're always kind of funny for they think they got me with this ad. They didn't get me. But then I'm preparing this sermon on death and the ad that comes up, I see this gentleman in the ad, I'm like, "What are they trying to sell me?" Then at the bottom I see it's an ad for Depends. It's a product called Depends. If you don't know what Depends are, you're lucky and probably young. Now I'm getting targeted with these ads. Unfortunately, with every day we are getting closer to death and we are to prepare. Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For this is the end of all mankind and the living will lay to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter. For by sadness of face, the heart is made glad. And the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." And as Jacob approaches his death, we see that his faith is never stronger. It actually grows. How he behaves himself in this chapter, what he says, what he does, the posture of heart, this text is marked as his greatest act of faith in all of scripture. Why do I say that? Because of what Hebrews 11 says. If I was writing Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, this is the greatest saints and the greatest act of faith. If I was writing that chapter about Jacob, a little paragraph about his greatest act of faith, what would I choose? What act would I choose? Most likely it's that one occasion where he wrestles with God and it says that he wrestled with a man who then it turns out to be God. Theologians call this a Christophany, an appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wrestled with Jesus Christ and he wouldn't let go and they wrestled all night. If you know anything about wrestling, it's exhausting. That's why most matches are six minutes. He's wrestling all night. He's saying, "Lord, I'm not going to let you go until you bless me." I think the Lord was letting him win. I think that's what was happening. Then the Lord Jesus just touches his hip, bop, something happened and then the rest of his life he walked with a limp. He had the blessing of wrestling with God himself. Or was it the occasion where he has another vision in Bethel where he sees a staircase between heaven and earth and he sees angels ascending and descending on the staircase of God? The Lord had some incredible moments with Jacob to test his faith, to grow his faith. But in Hebrews 11, the act of faith that is pointed out, that is singled out as the greatest act of faith in Jacob's life was this Hebrews 11:21, "By faith Jacob when dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph bowing in worship over the head of his staff." Perhaps we wouldn't have chosen this incident, but God, the Holy Spirit did. Why is this his greatest act of faith? Well, what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, faith. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The conviction that the most important things in life, the most meaningful things in life are not seen. The most important things in life are spiritual, they're invisible, they're immaterial, and in many ways they are future things. Jacob's greatest act of faith comes in his last days. This is a great vision for life, knowing that if the Lord is giving me life, today could be the day of my greatest act of faith. You may have peaked physically, but certainly while you're still alive, you have not peaked spiritually. II Corinthians 4:16, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." May this be true for you and for me. The context of our chapter here in Genesis 48 is that prior to coming to Egypt, Jacob stopped in Bathsheba and he worshiped and he made sacrifices to the Lord. He was wondering, "Lord, are you with me? Are you going to Egypt with me?" The Lord appeared to him and said, "Do not fear. I will go with you and Joseph will close your eyes with his hand as you die," a tender promise there. And three times in these last chapters, Joseph comes to the bedside of Jacob. Today. We're looking at the second such occurrence. Jacob is facing death, but he's not doing it with fear. He's doing it with faith. Three points as we walk our way through the text. First, the greatest act of faith is sharing the faith. Second, share the faith by sharing your faith. And third, salvation is by grace through faith. First, the greatest act of faith is sharing the faith. By sharing, I mean doing everything you possibly can to transmit the faith, to compel, to persuade, to teach, but then also to live it out. Because faith in many ways is taught, but also in many ways it's caught, like in the parable of the great banquet, the Lord says, "Go out to the highways and the hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled." This is what the Lord Jesus Christ told us in the great commission, "Go out and make disciples of all people." I had a conversation after one of my sermons recently and I was asked, "Are you trying to make America a Christian nation?" It was a very loaded question. I said, "Look, I'm trying to make people Christians and people from all nations. That's my job. We are called to convert." She said, "Are you trying to change people's minds about..." "Yes, oh yes. Yes we are. Yes, that's our mission, that's our job." She's like, "But don't they get offended when you're telling them they're wrong?" I'm like, "At least they're paying attention. Now we can start a relationship and actually deal with the things that cause offense, but this is our job." Why do we do this? Because we care for people's eternal destinies. We care for people's eternal souls. We want people to live an eternal bliss and glory with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. This is what the text shows us that Jacob does with his sons and what they do in Egypt. Genesis 48:1-4, after this, Joseph was told, "Behold your father is ill." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and it was told to Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed and Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me and said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply, and I will make of you accompany of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession." It says He summoned his strength and he sat up in bed. He rallies his strength. It's a dose of fresh strength that comes with purpose. He knows he's got to get up. He knows he's got to do this thing that the Lord is calling him to do, to bless Joseph's sons. The first thing he remembers is that God appeared to him. "God almighty appeared to me," he says. Loses the old name for Bethel. And God appeared to Jacob twice in Bethel, 20 years apart. The first time when he was leaving the Promised Land, and then when he was coming back to meet with Esau. God appears to him twice. And then he says, "God Almighty appeared to me and he blessed me." In his last moments, in his last days, he wants to be remembered for what? For this. For God. For his relationship with God. He's saying, "Son, whatever you remember of your father, remember God Almighty. May God Almighty appear to you. May God reveal himself to you. May God bless you." And you can feel the authenticity of Jacob's faith in his voice. It's almost palpable as he's trembling, the gravitas, the seriousness. How does he want to be remembered by his grandsons? Like this, believing, worshiping, prophesying, praying over them, blessing. He's loving, he's affectionate, he's personal, he's tender. This is the greatest legacy that we can leave to our children and then to the people around us. The greatest legacy that we can leave, the greatest inheritance that we can leave, be a father or a mother to our children, or just as a believer to those who are not yet Christians, it's the knowledge of the Lord. Children, I want you to know God. I had a personal relationship with God. You too can have a personal relationship with God and this is the best thing for you. The greatest thing you can do for your children is to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The greatest thing you can give them is teaching them that God is the greatest blessing. A relationship with God is the greatest blessing. So to worship him, to glorify him, to thank him is the greatest blessing for our souls. Scripture teaches us that whoever doesn't provide for his household is worse than an unbeliever. And yes, that has to do with material provision. We are to provide for the bodies that God has entrusted to us, but how much more so is it imperative to provide for their souls? Why was this event considered Jacob's greatest act of faith? Because he believed and he believed so authentically and sincerely that his faith was transmitted to the next generation. It was transmitted to his sons and then it was transmitted to his grandsons. What's fascinating here is that Ephraim and Manasseh, the grandsons of Jacob, they didn't receive a direct revelation from God. God did not speak to them. No. This is how God chose to reveal himself to them through the testimony of their grandfather. What's fascinating is that God does not speak out loud audibly for another 400 years after Genesis ends, until he finally speaks to Moses in the burning bush. So Jacob is transferring the promises of the covenant to his son and to his adopted sons, both with his words and with his life. Psalm 78:1-7 says, "Give ear, oh my people to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done." He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to our children, that the next generation might come to know them and might know them and the children yet unborn and arise and tell them to their children so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. One of the beauties of sharing your faith is once you start speaking your faith out loud, you begin to realize your gaps in knowledge or your gaps in faith. The more you share your faith, the better you become at it because God gives grace of knowledge to those who share. This is a promise that's given to us in Philemon that we can know God deeper, the things of God in a more profound way and the path to that profound knowledge of the faith, that depth of faith is sharing our faith. Philemon 1:4-6, "I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." Well, you can't share what you don't have. So if you are to share your faith, you got to say, "Do I really believe this? Am I living as if I believe this? And why does he have to pray for effective sharing of your faith?" Because sharing your faith is more effective when your faith is real. So he's praying for their faith to be ignited in such a way that they can't but share it. And as they share it, the more you share your faith, the deeper and fuller your knowledge of every good thing becomes the more effective you are. We are to share our faith at every opportunity we can and we are to use... In Genesis 48:5-6, the text continues. "And now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Ruben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance." So Joseph comes in with his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Manasseh is the oldest. He says, "Your sons, Joseph, are mine." In what sense? In the sense that he's just their grandfather? No, because then he wouldn't have to say it. That's just understood. No, he says, "Now they're mine in the same way that Reuben and Simeon are mine." Reuben and Simeon are his real biological children, but in a sense Jacob displaces them with his grandsons. Why did he do that? Because of Reuben and Simeon's sins against their father. I Chronicles 5:1-2 comments on this, "The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son. "Though Judah became strong among his brothers and the chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph." So here, Reuben and Simeon through their sin, have squandered the blessing of the birthright and they squandered the blessing of their father. There's many a lesson here. The very moment you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and you repent of sin, he forgives you for the penalty of sin. But often in life there are sins that when you commit you will bear the consequences of that sin for the rest of your life. Through sin, we do squander blessings. That's what happened with these guys. Therefore by adopting them, Jacob is making them leaders in the tribes of Israel. Therefore, there were not just 12 tribal figures in Israel, there were 13 because Joseph is given two places as his great honor with Ephraim and Manasseh. Then Levi was the tribe that belonged to the Lord and they ministered in the tabernacle. So the land was divided amongst the 12 tribes, which included the sons of Joseph. Joseph's two sons here, their dad's still alive, they're introduced into the heirship of their father, Joseph, who's still living. They become joint heirs with Joseph. This is very relevant to us because the moment you trust in Jesus Christ, he becomes your Lord and Savior. We become joint heirs with Christ. His inheritance becomes our inheritance. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. We share as the sons of God and the firstborns right in the privilege of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so what is Jacob doing? He's imputing something to the sons of Joseph, and this is how grace works. We repent and we turn from sin and we trust in Jesus Christ and his blood sacrifice on the cross in our stead, substitutionary atonement the moment you believe you become joint heir and you are adopted into the family of God. This is exactly what happens when sinners through faith are counted reckoned righteous by virtue of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're adopted into the family of God. God is our father. Jesus is our older brother with his righteousness, inheritance imputed to us. This is important to know, that just by virtue of you being a human being, that's not enough to be a child of God. We do not enter the kingdom of God through natural birth. Therefore, there are human beings who have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ. They're outside of the kingdom of God and they are not children of God. This for many people, this comes as a surprise because we've been taught God loves everybody and you don't have to do anything about it. You're just a child of God. That's not true. If you're living as an enemy of the cross, by not trusting that Jesus Christ had to die for your sins, that this was absolutely necessary for your salvation, you are not born again. And if you're not born as a child of God, a scripture says that you are child of the enemy. Jesus even said to the Pharisees, "Your children of Satan," harsh words to melt hard hearts so people repent and turn to Christ. Jesus is clear about this in John 1:11-13. "He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Imagine that. No matter what your family status, no matter what kind of family, faith background you have, no matter what your pedigree religiously speaking, no matter what you have done, no matter the sins that you have committed, no matter how you much you've transgressed God's law, no matter how much you've spat at the honor of God, the very moment you come to Lord and you receive him, "Yes Lord, I receive your grace. Lord, forgive me. Pardon me, Lord. I repent of my sin." The very second you believe in him, receive him, you will be born again. That's the promise of God and you're born into the family of God. Genesis 48:7 continues, "As for me, when I came from Paddan to my sorrow, Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem." Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel, is standing before Jacob and reminds him of his mom, Rachel. He includes a comment here. Then verse eight, when Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?" Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me please that I may bless them." Now the eyes of Israel were dimmed with age so that he could not see, so Joseph brought him near and he kissed them and embraced them. I love that verse, that very end, just to see this man, this great man of faith, him in his most intimate moments. What does he... He's affectionate. He's affectionate with his children. He's affectionate with his grandchildren. Here just a word of reminder, in particular dads are... And to anyone to whom this perhaps doesn't come naturally, do you hug? Do you embrace? Do you kiss? Do you bless your children? This should be the natural rhythm of your lives. I have four daughters. It's so easy to be tender with them. They're so sweet. My third daughter is eight. Ekaterina is her name. We call her Ekat. She texts me sometimes from her mom's phone and she said, "Dad, this is Ekat." I know it is Ekat because she's got the emojis, what are they called? She got that game going. She's a little kissy and she always includes a dog at the end because she's trying to get a dog from us still. And then I respond with what? I heart it and I send little kissy things. But this should be the natural rhythm of our lives to love and to love tenderly and to love affectionately. This is a reminder that grandchildren are a blessing. Proverbs 17:6 says, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged and the glory of children is their fathers." This was a blessing upon Israel. Psalm 128:6, "May you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel." And then verse 11 of Genesis 48, "And Israel said to Joseph, I never expected to see your face and behold God has let me see your offspring also. Then Joseph removed them from his knees and he bowed himself with his face to the earth and Joseph took them both, Ephraim on his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand and brought them near to him." What's Joseph doing? Joseph understands how hugely important this moment is. Jacob, as the patriarch of the family, is also the priest of the family. His blessing is important because it's effectual. Ephraim, the younger son, he directs toward Jacob's left hand. Manasseh, the older son, he directs toward Jacob's right hand. Throughout scripture, the right hand is considered the place of honor and the place of greatest blessing. That's why Jesus Christ, the resurrected Christ, right now is sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Verse 14, "And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the hand of Ephraim, who was the younger and his left hand on the head of Manasseh crossing his hands for Manasseh was the firstborn." Now this right here throws Joseph for a loop. We'll get to what he does. What's happening is that Jacob is breaking societal norms. The firstborn who's blessed by the right hand gets a double share of the inheritance. For example, Joseph got the double share of the land by virtue of the fact that he got the blessing that should have gone to Reuben or Simeon. And Judah got the double portion of authority while Joseph got the double portion. That's supposed to go to the oldest. The oldest gets a double portion. Everything that the other children get, the oldest is supposed to get double that, double share of the inheritance. But Jacob here crosses his hands, and the Hebrew it's sakal, to lay crosswise. Joseph isn't happy about this, but he waits to interject knowing how solemn the moment is. This brings us to point two, share the faith by sharing your faith. Verse 15, "And he blessed Joseph and said The God before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac walk, the God who has been my shepherd, all my lifelong to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys and in them let my name be carried on in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." So he's blessing the sons of Joseph, but the text tells us in verse 15, "He blessed Joseph." He blessed Joseph by praying a prayer of blessing upon the sons of Joseph. What's the text communicating? It's communicating that the greatest blessing he can give Joseph is to bless his grandchildren because the greatest blessing a parent can receive is to see their children being blessed by the Lord. Does this sound like a man who thinks death is the end? No. He knows that God is going to be with them after he passes on to be with his fathers in heaven. This whole prayer is full of hopeful immortality. The prayer is triple pronged. It's a triune blessing. He talks about God and then he talks about God, and then he talks about the angel. He mentions three persons, the God, the God, and then the angel, which is Christ. In verse 16, he uses the singular. He says, "You," singular, "God bless these boys." This isn't a full revelation of the trinity, but it's certainly in accord and consistent with the trinity. First, Jacob calls the Lord his shepherd with emphasis on the Lord's holistic provision. As a shepherd, he knows intimately, in depth he understood what it means that the Lord has been shepherding him. He knows the Lord as a good shepherd has been with him in good times and has led him through the valley of the shadow of death. This is how the psalmist speaks about our relationship with the Lord. The question as we read this text is, is God your Lord? Is God your shepherd? Do you follow Jesus Christ as your shepherd where he tells you what to do, understanding that everything he tells us is for his glory and our good? Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in path of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me and your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Jacob hasn't been the best sheep. He's been stubborn in many ways in many seasons of his life, but he knows, "The Lord, the good shepherd has been with me." He says the angel, "The angel who redeemed me from all evil." Who's he talking about here? "The angel that redeemed me." Well, how can an angel redeem? The only way redemption was done is through a blood sacrifice. What is he talking about here? Well, this is a prophetic text about Jesus Christ. The word for redeemed is the same word that's used in the context of the kinsman redeemer, Goel, in the story of Ruth and Boaz. He says, "I have lived an evil life in many ways, but Jesus Christ whom I wrestled with, he tamed me." "He broke my hip. The rest of my life, I was walking with a limp as a reminder of the fact that he is God and I am not." In many ways he wrestled with Jesus Christ in the same way that we are called to wrestle with Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian, if you're not sure what you believe or if you are a believer, I am just telling you most of the people in your life are not believers. We're going to finish this sermon series and then we're going to do a one week of vision, Lord willing, and then we're going to start a sermon series through the Gospel of Mark. We're calling it Kingdom Come, Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom. The intention of that whole series is we want to introduce people to Jesus Christ, to his teaching from the holy scriptures, present it as best as we can that there is reason to believe. And then give people an opportunity to wrestle with Christ yourself. If you want the greatest blessing in life, and that's to know God and be known by God and to have all your sins forgiven, the responsibility is on you. It's not on me. It's not on Christians. We do the best we can and we share our faith just like Jacob is sharing his faith. Remember 17 years before this text, he met with Pharaoh and Pharaoh said, "How many are the days of your years?" And he said, "The days of my years have been evil and few." Even to Pharaoh, he was already sharing his faith. "My life has been evil, Pharaoh, but I have been redeemed by the angel who is Jesus Christ. I have wrestled with him. I have known him, and I have had my evil in my sin redeemed." When you do that and when you trust in the Lord, and when you believe that Jesus took your evil upon himself in order to redeem us, in order to give us grace, well that puts everything into perspective. He does share his faith here. As we share the faith, we are to share our faith and share the moments in life where, you know what, this was evil that I did. I have transgressed God's law, but God saved me. God gave me grace. And because God gave me grace and I'm so sure of it, he's redeemed me. He's taken off the shame. He's taken off the guilt. He's given a new purpose in life. He's done that for me and I am more wicked than you could ever imagine. He can do that for you as well. That's what he's doing. Then point three is salvation is by grace through faith. Verse 17, "When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, Not this way, my father. Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head." Well, this is the law of primogeniture, it's called. It's the cultural norm that the oldest was supposed to be more blessed, but Jacob himself broke that manmade law by supplanting Esau, Ishmael, and we see the other examples. Ishmael was the firstborn, but it was Isaac through whom the seed would come. Reuben had lost the blessing of the firstborn. Judah is the one through whom the seed will come. And so here, Ephraim is firstborn. His firstborn rights among the tribes Israel are over that of Manasseh. Ephraim was blessed. The successor of Moses, Joshua, came from Ephraim, which is a big deal. But why does he do this? Why does that happen and why does that happen in scripture all the time where it's like this guy is expected to be blessed above and beyond and then God just crosses his hands? Well, the point is that nature does not necessarily inherit the things of God. We don't inherit blessing through our physical body or through the things that are physical. If the oldest always necessarily inherited the blessings, we might get the idea that blessings come from our nature. God reverses things over and over and over again to remind us that if God is going to bless people despite their sin, it has to be by grace and by grace alone. The first Adam was rejected while the last Adam, Christ has the firstborn rights by virtue of a saving work on the cross. We're not blessed because we do good works or hold some high position in society. We're blessed by God's sovereign grace. If we're blessed, we're blessed because God chose to bless us. In I Corinthians 1:26, "For consider your calling brothers, not many of you are wise according to the 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. And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that as it is written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. Praise be to God that Jacob crossed his hands, and praise be to God that God the Father sent his son Jesus Christ to go to the cross. That's the ultimate cross of blessing. Whereas like Jesus, you did not deserve our curse. You did not deserve to die like that. You did not sin. We sinned. I deserve to be on that cross, not Jesus Christ, the blameless Son of God. But God crosses everything at the cross. He takes our curse so that we could have the blessing of God. It's so good because it's true. All of this is true. God, so to speak, crosses his hands and bestowing his blessings, giving them to those who in our eyes are least worthy of them and least likely to receive them. God is responsible for the blessing of man and he blesses sovereignly. Joseph says, "No, no, no. Father, no. Father, do I have to remind you I am the vice president of Egypt? Father, not like that." That's what he's saying. "It's not fair." That's what Joseph is saying. "This isn't fair, this isn't the way." But the Lord doesn't do what we deem fair. He does what his will determines should be done and whatever his will determines should be done is right. What's right? What's fair? It's what God decides. This is one of the reasons why Jesus gave us this parable in Matthew 20 where he talks about grace and that the owner of grace, that's God, can do whatever he wants with grace. Matthew 20:1-16 says, "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And after agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, You go into the vineyard too and whatever is right I will give you. So they went going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour he did the same thing. And about the 11th hour, he went out and found others standing and he said to them, Why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You go into the vineyard too. And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, Call the laborers and pay them their wages beginning from the last up to the first. When those hired about the 11th hour came, each of them received the denarius. And now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. On receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house saying, These last worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go, I choose to give to this last worker as I gave to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me or do you begrudge my generosity so the last will be first and the first last? Do you begrudge my generosity?" That's exactly what Jacob is saying, "I am giving out the blessings." By the way, he was filled with the Holy Spirit as he was doing it. H chooses to bless the younger over the older. Verse 19 of chapter 48, "But his father refused and said, I know my son. I know. He also shall become a people and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." Perhaps this is why this moment is considered Jacob's greatest act of faith because he hears the word of God. He hears God speaking in his heart and he acts on the basis of it even in the face of displeasure-filled counsel from his prime minister son. Verse 20, "So he blessed them that day saying, By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. Thus, he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow." You in verse 21, "God will bring you out of Egypt." That's plural. Joseph and all of his descendants will come out. This land that he's giving him was the land of the Shechemites. Jacob had purchased a plot of land from Shechem and he now bequeaths this to Joseph and his sons. He promises that "God will be with you. No matter what happens, Joseph, when I pass, in the same way that God has been with me, may he be with you and your children and your children's children. May God be with you." This is what makes heaven heaven. It's the place where God will be our God and we will be as people and in fellowship. It begins here. "I will be your God and I will be with you, my people here on earth." Isaiah 59:21, "As for me, this is my covenant with them says the Lord. My spirit that is upon you and my words that have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth or out of the mouth of your offspring or out of the mouth of your children's offspring, says the Lord, from this time forth and forever more." As we close and as we transition to Holy Communion, a question before us is do you fear death? That's really a good test of how strong your faith is. Do you fear death? I was at my gym last Saturday, it was like 95 at 9:00 AM and it was a hundred percent humidity. I go to this old school boxing gym where air conditioning... I asked the guy one time, "Is there air conditioning?" And he just laughed in my face. It was one of those places on a Saturday workout. It was a 90-minute workout. This guy that shows up regularly and we know each other, he's like, "Dude, after work, I almost died. I think I almost died. That was the closest I've ever been to death." I just looked at him. Any opportunity I have to Jesus juke someone and bring in the gospel, I do it all the time. I said, "Well, good thing I'm ready to die." I said it like that in a way that caused him to pause. He's like, "What do you mean?" I was like, "I am ready to die right now after this workout. That would be easier I think than driving home after this thing." He's like, "What do you mean? Do you go to Valhalla?" Because he thinks I'm a Viking. Long story. I call him the Italian Stallion. He calls me the Vike. That's true Brother Lilo. I was like, "No, because I believe in Jesus Christ." He's like, "Believing in Jesus Christ keeps you from dying?" I was like, "In a sense. Death is just a transition." It's just a corridor for the believer in Christ. You just transition from living here and now to living in the presence of God. And the promise is given to us that when we believe in the gospel that we can have eternal life that begins now. Why can we believe in that promise? Because Jesus Christ on the cross, he didn't just vanquish sin, he also vanquished death. In the death of Christ we see the death of death itself. I'll close with this and then we'll transition to Communion. I Corinthians 15:50-58, "I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, the movable always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." Every first Sunday at Mosaic, first Sunday of the month, we celebrate Holy Communion as was commanded to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, for whom is Holy Communion at Mosaic? Holy Communion is for repentant believers in Jesus Christ. If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we ask that you refrain from this part of the service. It'll do nothing for you. Instead, meditate on the gospel. If you even today repent of your sins, you are welcome to partake. If you have not received the elements, please raise your hand and one of the ushers will hand them out. In the meantime, would you pray with me over Holy Communion? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love that you lavished upon us and sending your son Jesus Christ. And Jesus, we thank you that you lived the life of perfect obedience to God, the Father and everything, and you loved God and you loved neighbor as yourself perfectly. And you loved us so much so that you gave yourself as a blood sacrifice for our redemption. We thank you Jesus, that you didn't stay dead, but you conquered death itself as you triumphantly rose from the grave on the third day. We, Lord, repent of our sins corporately, and we repent of our sins individually. Lord, forgive us. Forgive me. Lavish your grace upon us and upon me. Lord, continue to sanctify us by the power of the Holy Spirit and draw many to yourself. We pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen. There's a top and a bottom lid. If you take the bottom lid off the bread is there. On the night that Jesus Christ was betrayed, he took the bread and after breaking it, he said, "This is my body broken for you. Take, eat and do this in remembrance of me." He then proceeded to take the cup and he said, "This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Take, drink and do this in remembrance of me." Lord God, we thank you for your promise where you said that to all of those who come to you, with humility and contrition of heart, though our sins are like scarlet, you will make us white and pure as snow. Lord, I pray that you give each one of us that purity of heart. We thank you for the promise that those who are pure in heart shall see God. We pray for the gift of purity of heart and we pray for ever deeper revelations from you and revelations with you. Continue to bless our worship service Lord, and fill our hearts with joy, and help us sing with everything we've got to the God of the universe who's worthy of our worship. We pray all this the beautiful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wise & Innocent

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2023 49:44

This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Father, we thank you for the gift of holy scripture in which you reveal to us your mind, your will, your purposes. Lord, you long to bless us, and I pray that you make us a people that long to be blessed, and care about your blessing. We thank you for the greatest blessing that we can have as a relationship with you, to be reconciled with you, to have our evil redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we come to your holy scriptures with trembling, and contrition of heart, recognizing that this is the posture of heart that you bless. And Lord, we fear you, and we recognize that to fear you is to love you. And to love you is to fear you to stand in awe, and reverence before your glory, your majesty. And Lord show us that the beginning of wisdom is to fear you.We are people who are naturally inclined toward evil, and folly. And Lord, as you redeem us from our evil, we do ask that you also save us from our folly, and make us a people who are good, but also who are good at life guided by your wisdom. Holy Spirit, we pray that you bless us today with your presence. And also, Lord, take these words, and apply them to each one of us specifically only as you can. We pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen. We're continuing our sermon series called Graduate Level Grace Study in the Life of Joseph. We are today in Genesis 47, and the title of the sermon is Wise and Innocent. A few years back, the Brookings Institute named Boston as one of the knowledge centers of the world. And by this they mean that Boston is full of very intelligent, highly productive people, talented, and they come here to get more knowledge, and that knowledge is taken to the world.Knowledge is great. We're told knowledge is power, we're told, and scripture agrees. Proverbs 18:15 says, "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." But acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge is never enough. What do you do with that knowledge? That's what matters more. Can you skillfully execute upon this knowledge when necessary in the real world, and real time with real life consequences, and implications? And it doesn't matter how great of a game plan you have, if you can't execute in the real game, well then, it meant nothing. So, scripture does call us to knowledge, but to something more than just knowledge. It calls us to wisdom. And if knowledge is power, then what is wisdom? Well, wisdom is a superpower. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his disciples before sending them out to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. He says, "Behold, I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Wise and innocent. And Joseph is marked by this razor sharp discernment, and strategic execution.The great Puritan, Thomas Watson. He said that, "The godly man acts both the politician, and the divine. He retains his ingenuity, yet does not part with his integrity." And one of the beauties about wisdom is you can grow in wisdom how through practice, and through training. Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food is for the mature for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." And in our text today in Genesis 47, we see Joseph exercising this divine wisdom, and he does so in order to provide in four points to frame up our time as we walk through the text together first, Joseph provides for his family. And by doing so, Pharaoh is blessed.And then Egypt is blessed, and Israel is blessed. First, Joseph rides for his family. With shrewdness, and wisdom, Joseph sets out to accomplish his objective. His objective as his family moves from Canaan, his father, and his brother's multitude of people, hundreds. His goal is to provide prime land for them so that they can continue to prosper despite the famine that's still in the land. And in Psalm 105, 16 through 22, it's a Psalm that comments on the story of Joseph. It says, "When he summoned a famine on the land, and broke all supply of bread, he" that's the Lord, "Had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent, and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions to bind his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom."So, meaning all the suffering that Joseph went through, he went through with a purpose. God gave him a purpose to teach wisdom to whom? To Pharaoh, to Pharaoh's court, and then also the elders of Israel. Wisdom comes as a gift from the Lord for all who ask humbly. Scripture says, "Is there anyone lacking wisdom?" Well, just ask of the Lord, Isaiah 30:21, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying "This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left." And this is what Jesus promised. He's a good shepherd. And he said, "My sheep hear my voice." And Jesus' voice teaches us how to follow God's moral law but also how to walk in wisdom.Psalm 25, eight, and nine, "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way." To get the context of Genesis 47. I'm going to read the paragraph right before this is Genesis 46:31, Jacob, the brothers are before Joseph, and Joseph has a game plan, and he's coaching them. He's coaching his family's audience before Pharaoh, here's what you say, here's what you don't say. Here's how we are going to present ourselves in order to get what we want. Genesis 46:31, Joseph said to his brothers, and to his father's household, "I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, 'My brothers, and my father's household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. And the men were shepherds for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.""When Pharaoh calls you, and says, 'What is your occupation?' You shall say 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers in order that we may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians." There are five more years left of the famine. And Joseph is thinking not just about himself, not just about his immediate family. He's thinking as a provider for his extended family. He understands that God has put him in this position, and God wants him to use his power, use his position in order to bless others. And he begins to think about the wider family, and he's thinking as a patriarch, and this is how a patriarch thinks, not how can I be most comfortable? Not how can I live a comfortable life, and have people serve me?No, a patriarch thinks how comfortable can I become with discomfort to serve as many people as possible? How can I leave a lasting legacy? How can I serve my family, and my descendants for generations? How can I provide for their needs both materially, and spiritually? And even with Joseph's approval, he knows that he could have just given them Goshen, and you guys can have that land, but he also understands that taking these men who are of fighting age, bringing them into Egypt is going to raise eyebrows, and it's going to give ammunition to Joseph's enemies in Pharaoh's court. No, he needs to get clearance from the very top, from Pharaoh himself. He needs Pharaoh to speak, and say, "Yes, you can have this land." It's only with the king's word that Joseph could protect himself from the charge of nepotism. So, he has the foresight to anticipate this, and craft a strategy with the proper precautions.So, he wants to focus on the fact that Egyptians did not like shepherds. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians. Why? Because they probably felt that they were part of an impure cast. So, here you got to pause, and say, "Why would Joseph lead with this very unflattering information?" Here's my family, and their shepherds, which are an abomination. Won't people say you're from this family, you're related to these people? Well, he realized this was the best move to get the best land for his family, and also they'd be living in this land with autonomy which would allow them to grow their families, and grow their faith in the Lord. So, Joseph here he is taking a massive risk, and he's going out on a limb, but he's doing it because he understands he needs to provide for his family. So, that brings Genesis 47 verses one, and two."So, Joseph went in, and told Pharaoh, 'My father, and my brothers with their flocks, and herds, and all that they possess have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.' And from among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh." Which five did he pick? Most likely brought Benjamin. Which six did he overlook? We're not told. Most likely operating out of wisdom, he's bringing the most unintimidating looking guys before Pharaoh, and he does say, "This is my father, and these are my brothers." He's not ashamed of his family. He proudly introduces them to his boss, which is very much like Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ our Lord, and savior, scriptures tells us he's our older brother, and as our older brother who welcomes us into the family of God, he provides adoption for us by his blood.Well, Jesus is unashamed to call his brothers, Hebrews says, Hebrews 2:10, "For it was fitting that he, for whom, and by whom all things exist, and bringing many sons to glory should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies, and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he's not ashamed to call them brothers saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." Joseph tells Pharaoh, they're already in the land of Goshen. He has them camp out in the prime real estate, which is really smart. They're already there, and the text continues. Verse three, "Pharaoh said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your servants are shepherds as our fathers were.' They said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants flocks for the famine severe in the land of Canaan. And now please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'."Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Your father, and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father, and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." Pharaoh asks about the occupation question just as Joseph had anticipated, and the wisdom, Joseph has been studying his boss for nine plus years. He anticipates the moves, and they say we've been shepherds for generations. Yes, it's an abomination in your eyes, but we've been doing this for years, and the emphasis here is on sojourn. We've come to sojourn, meaning there's no talk of permanence. This is temporary, and just as Joseph needed him to do, Pharaoh confirms publicly, Israel can have the best of the land. Not only that, he goes beyond, and he says, "If you know anyone that could take care of my animals, my livestock, you can put them to work", which is just incredible favor from the Lord.Especially, as you read at the end of the chapter, the people of Egypt, and the people from of all the other countries, they ran out of money, currency. So, they start bringing their livestock, and their animals to Pharaoh, which meant this was a wonderful work opportunity, and this is how the Lord often works with us. Not only does he long to bless us, he longs to bless us in a shocking way, a way that's unexpected. For example, Ephesians 3:20 verse 21. "Now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask, or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." More than we can ask, or even think, or even imagine. In Genesis 47:7, "Then Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." The blessing isn't recorded, but most likely it's a customary greeting before a king, something like long live the king, which is partially perhaps why Pharaoh asks Jacob's age.But here you see this contrast. A simple, old shepherd is standing before a powerful Egyptian monarch, and spiritual gravitas meets political gravitas. Yes, Pharaoh is an incredible person of power, but Jacob is an incredible person of spiritual power, and the character of the saint surely made an impression on the king. Although Jacob didn't have a crown of gold, he had a crown of glory. You say, "What's a crown of glory in scripture?" Well, Proverbs 16:31, gray hair. "Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life." Our culture idolizes youth, and dishonors people in their old age. And this is wrong. Leviticus 19:32 says, "You shall stand up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord." My grays have been coming in around my temples.I keep it nice, and short. In my beard, they're coming in. I don't have a full crown of glory just yet. So, you don't have to stand up completely in my presence, but maybe a head nod, or something. But we are to respect older people, and we do pray for the Lord to continue to send us older people to teach us wisdom, and teach us the ways of righteousness. And you see what dignity now marks Jacob, what a contrast from the day when he bowed himself seven times before Esau. But here there's no cringing, there's no fawning. He carries himself as a representative of God. He carries himself as an ambassador of the most high. He is a son of the king of kings. And in fact, the scene actually conveys the impression that Jacob is actually greater than Pharaoh no matter how great Pharaoh is, because who's doing the blessing?It's Jacob. And Hebrews 7:7 says, "It's beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior." So, the feeble patriarch blesses the mighty monarch, and in verse eight it says, "Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many are the days of the years of your life?" How many are the days of the years of your life? Not just how old are you, not just how many years have you lived? What an interesting turn of phrase. How many are the days of the years of your life? The emphasis here is on the individual days that go up, and that make up the total of your life. It's a great way to think about life. Why? Because today is all we have. Today is all we're given. Someone said days are long, and years are short. So, we are to think about daily. Today, am I living for the glory of God? Today, am I serving God, loving him, and loving people? I had a brother come up to me after the service, this was his second service ever. Second time in church ever.He came up, and he's like, "I could've gone to the club last night. Instead, I stayed home, and read chapter 47." Much better use of your time, brother, much better use of your time. Genesis 47:9. "And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning." And you see this phrase repeated sojourning. What does that mean? It means a pilgrimage. Jacob understood that life is a journey. It has a beginning, and it has an end. And for the people of God, every single moment that we're alive is a moment of sacred significance. As a matter of fact, everything in a believer's life is sacred except for sin. Sin is the only thing that a secular in the life of believers. Do you view your life like this? It's a pilgrimage.Hebrews 11:13 through 16, "These all died in faith not having received the things promised, but having seen them, and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers, and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they're seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city." Philippians talks about our citizenship, Philippians 3:20, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And from it we await a savior of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."The apostle Peter in First Peter 2:11 says, "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners, and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds, and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil, and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a coverup for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." And this is exactly what Jacob is doing, what Joseph is doing, what they're emulating. Jacob says, "Few have been the days of my years, and they've been evil."Why use the word evil? Well, he's emphasizing that his life has been hard in many ways. From his flight to Mesopotamia, from his brother Esau, his miseries at the hand of Laben, he wrestled with an angel, and then scripture says that it was actually God himself most likely Christophany. He wrestled with Christ, and Christ touches his hip. And then the rest of his life he walked with a limp, the rape of his daughter, Dinah, which led to the bloody revenge by Simeon, and Levi, and his beloved Rachel's death, his eldest son's power seeking incest, and his favorite son's apparent death. Evil have been his days, he says, and few. At 130 years old, he says, "Few are my days." Well, Abraham lived 175 years, Isaac 180 years. Few, and evil was the unadorned truth. Martin Luther said the theologian was made by three things, oratio, meditatio, and tentatio. Oratio is prayer, meditatio, meditation on God's word, and tentatio means trial.And what he meant was that theologians are made by praying, and meditating God's word, and then also through pain, and suffering, and afflictions that give you a perspective on life, and God. And this characterized his life. I wonder, do you have a vision for long life? Do you have a vision to live a long time, a healthy life? And if so, to do what? Is it to just enjoy your retirement, and your twilight years? Or is it to care for people, care for your family? Is it to care for God's family? I have not given this much thought in my twenties, and my thirties, but I'm 40 now, and now I'm giving this more thought. And I do have a vision for a long life. And I like Caleb in the Bible. Caleb in the Bible, he goes to see the promised land when he's 40. And then God made the people of Israel wander in the desert for 40 years for disobeying him, and disbelieving.And then Caleb at 85 goes to Joshua, and says, "Hey, man, I'm going to take that mountain over there, and I'm going to lead the charge myself." And Joshua's like, "What are you talking about?" And Caleb says, "I am as strong today at 85 as I was at 40." So, I'm actually working out more now because I'm 40, and this is the benchmark I got to at least maintain the benchmark so that at 85, Lord willing. But there is something about a purpose like when you have a vision to live a longer life, you care for yourself, you care for your body. The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. But you got to make sure it's not just selfish, because living for yourself is never enough to make the impact that God has for us. Ephesians 5:15, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil." What a great filter for our calendars, and what we do with our time.Is this the best use of my time? Genesis 47:10, "Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh." Do you think Jacob's blessing on Pharaoh was meaningful to him, to Pharaoh? I think so. Here stands before him, an aged saint who walked with the Lord faithfully in worship, and service for years. He didn't do it perfectly. He's a sinner. He's lived evil days. He knows. But scripture teaches that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Meaning the more you grow in righteousness, and experiential righteousness, the more powerful your prayers become. The King James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." And as Jacob prayed over Pharaoh, no doubt Pharaoh has never heard a prayer like this, a prayer to Yahweh. Pharaoh received that blessing, and he was blessed. Pharaoh first blessed God's people with his generosity speared Joseph promoted him, and then personally invites the family of Joseph to Goshen, sends them grain to preserve them, wagons, to transport them.And when they arrive, they're receive royally. Pharaoh blesses the people of God. And God in return blesses Pharaoh. Genesis 12:3, God promised Abraham, "I'll bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I'll curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Text continues, Genesis 47:11. "Then Joseph settled his father, and his brothers, and gave them a possession of the land of Egypt, in the best of the land in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food according to the number of their dependents." In the Hebrew that were dependents is little ones according to their little ones. Joseph provided. And that's the emphasis on the text. And this should be the ambition of every godly person in particular godly men, men as heads of household to provide for your family, and to provide the best that you can for your family, which is actually an outward working of our faith.First Timothy 5:8 says, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." Well, what's the connection between provision, and our Christian faith, where our Christian faith at the heart of it is a father who provides. God, the Father provides us with life, and he sustains us, and he cares for us. He sends Jesus Christ to procure salvation for us. God is a God who provides, and therefore his children, believers are to be people who provide, who receive his blessing, and become conduits of blessing so that the blessings that we receive are cascaded to the people around us, and beyond. So, in the throes of a deepening world, starvation, God prospers his people. So, Joseph provides for his family. And then we see that Pharaoh is blessed. This is point two, Pharaoh prospered as Joseph affects this plan that nationalizes the land, the livestock, and then turned Egyptians into tenant farmers.Genesis 47:13, "Now there was no food in all the land for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt, and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, and exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, 'Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes for our money is gone.' And Joseph answered, 'Give your livestock, and now we'll give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.' So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.""And when that year was ended, they came to him, in the following year, and said to him, 'We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There's nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we, and our land? Buy us, and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh, and give us seed that we may live, and not die, and that the land may not be desolate". Tenant farming becomes the norm with Pharaoh providing the seed, verse 20. "So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy for the priest had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land."So, in short order, all of Egypt except the pagan clergy were serfs. So, Pharaoh becomes greater than he could have ever imagined. Prospered thanks to Joseph. Point three, Egypt is blessed, blessed in terms of what? Well, they were on the brink of starvation, and now they're provided for. So, Genesis 47:23. "Then Joseph said to the people, 'Behold, I have this day bought you, and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land, and at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own as seed for the field, and as food for yourselves, and your households, and as food for your little ones.' And they said, 'You have saved our lives. May it please my lord we will be servants to Pharaoh.' So, Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt. And it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's."They said, "You have saved our lives may please my lord, we will be servants of Pharaoh. You've saved us, therefore of course we will serve you." And they understood this in political terms, and they understood this in real life. And how much more so does this apply to us as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, you saved us. Jesus, you paid it all. Jesus, of course to you, I owe everything. And this is how the great saints talked about the relationship with the Lord, the Apostle Paul. In his letters, he introduces himself I Paul in Apostle. And then he says over, and over, "I'm a doulos", and the Greek is, "I'm a slave. I'm a slave of Jesus Christ, and I serve him willingly. Why? Because he served me. He saved me." The royal serfs are taxed 20%, which was normal percentage back then, and 40% was not uncommon in Mesopotamia.The happy result of all of this was that Egypt thrived, the coffers were overflowing, bolstering the economy, and the people didn't complain about it. Joseph was Egypt's national hero. Without him, they'd all be dead. Joseph was led by the Lord. And scripture does teach that the closer you walk with the Lord, the more the Lord reveals his mind to you. The closer you walk with Christ, the more Christ reveals his mind to you. Well, what's Christ's mind like? Well, he's all knowing. And the Colossians Two, one through three comments on the treasures of wisdom found in Christ, "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding, and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden, are the treasures of wisdom, and knowledge." And the emphasis here is on the mystery. And that it is hidden. It takes effort.It takes work to study God, study his scriptures, and to walk with him. And if you study the gospels, you see that Jesus Christ applied this shrewdness, this wisdom in particular with his enemies. And he had many enemies. Enemies came to him, and they said, "John the Baptizer, you got to stop him. What is he doing? He's proclaiming the kingdom of God." And Jesus says, "Is baptism of John, of God, or of man?" Well, if they said of man, then all the people would've rejected him, because they saw the power of God. And if you say from God, well then you can't argue against that. Remember when the woman who was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees?What does he say? He who is without sin cast the first stone, and they all walk away. Incredible wisdom. When the Pharisees came to him, and they questioned his divinity. And Jesus said, "Look at Psalm 1:10. What does David the Psalmist write as he is inspired by the Holy Spirit? He writes, the Lord said to my Lord, sit my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." And Jesus said, "How is David's son also David's lord?" And in that text he reveals the Trinity, the Pharisees when they came to him, and said, "Should we pay taxes to Caesar?" They want to catch Jesus so that Caesar, and the Roman authorities would arrest him. And Jesus said, bring me a coin. They bring him a coin. And he says, "Whose inscription is on this coin?" And they said, "Caesar's." And Jesus said, "Well give onto Caesar, what is Caesar's onto God? What is God's?" And the inscription, and the Greek his, icon image.So, this coin has the image of Caesar, give that back to Caesar, and whatever has the image of God, give that unto God, and he's calling them to obedience, or a question about the Sabbath. Can we do good works on the Sabbath? And Jesus said, "Which of you who has a sheep if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it, and lift it out?" And obviously we can heal on the Sabbath as Jesus did. Standing before Pontius Pilate, "Are you the king of the Jews?" And Jesus said, "You said that I am the king of the Jews." Leaving Pilate silent. Incredible wisdom as we study Christ, as we study how we operate, and as we walk with the Lord daily. Point four is Israel is blessed. This is verse 27, Genesis 47, "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it, and fruitful, and multiplied greatly." They settled, they gained possessions, and they were fruitful, and multiplied greatly.They were fulfilling the great mandate that was given to Adam in Genesis 1:28. And it was given as a blessing, and God bless them. And God said to them, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And then after God sends the flood, and then Noah, and his family come out of the ark, God repeats this, and he repeats this twice, in Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah, and his sons, and said to him, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth." And verse seven, "And you'll be fruitful, and multiply, increase greatly on the earth, and multiply it." God loves people, and God wants more people, more people who are created the image of God, and are redeemed by Jesus Christ, and are adopted into the family of God.I had a gentleman at the gym ask me, and he found out I have four. I shock people all the time. I'm like, "I have kids." They're like, how many? "There's four." And they say, "Four?" And I always say, "Four daughters." And they're like, "Four daughters?" Same conversation every time. And he said, "How much do kids cost?" And my response is, "Well, they cost as much do you spend on them? That's how much they cost." But the principle is that the Lord does provide. And one of the things I told them, I was like, "Look, how much do you spend on going out? How much do you spend on entertainment? Well, here's the beauty of having kids. You just don't have time to go out, and they become your entertainment. And then you're like, actually this is a much better investment of my time, and money." The Lord provides for them. And that's the emphasis of this text. Someone could have said, "Jacob, why are you procreating? Why are you having so many children? How are you going to feed them all? Especially when a famine comes."But you see how the Lord blesses them. And Israel's prosperity far outstrips that of the average Egyptian. It's astonishing, but the citizens of Egypt lost their money. They lost their cattle, they lost their land. And all the time the children of Israel are over in the land of Goshen. They don't lose their money, they don't lose their land, they don't lose their livestock, or cattle. As a matter of fact, they became more, and more fruitful while the citizens of Egypt became servants of Pharaoh. And that's God's way of taking care of God's people. What Israel experienced in Egypt was a forced foretaste of the ultimate blessings of Canaan when the land, and its fatness would be theirs. And here I do just want to pause, and apply this to us. Joseph used his power, and he used his influence to bless his family. And we need to think about this in terms of our immediate family, our flesh, and blood, but also in terms of those who are not yet our family, those who don't yet know Jesus Christ.The Lord teaches us that when we repent of our sins, we become part of the family of God. So, evangelism is welcome people into the family of God. Hey, I've been saved by grace through faith. I am now a child of God, not because of anything I've done, but because of the work of Christ. And so I want to tell you about grace. I want to tell you about the fact that Jesus Christ saves people if you just ask, and receive the gift. And Jesus does teach us to think about being good stewards of everything he has given us in order to help people meet the Lord in order to gain eternal life. And Jesus does it by sharing this parable that's very curious upon a first reading. But as we meditate on it, incredible spiritual truths.In Luke 16, "He also said to the disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him, and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management for you can no longer be manager. And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do since my master's taking the management away from me, I'm not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I'm removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write 50.' And then he said to another, 'How much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'take your bill, and write 80.' The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.""For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings."So, Jesus commends this manager for his shrewd use of the vanishing opportunity before him. The manager understands my window of opportunity is going to be gone soon. And he begins to give these people discounts on what they owed the master while he still had power to do so. And the lesson for us is our time is limited, our money is limited, and we need to be thinking like good managers, like good stewards of what God has given to do what? To love people. He says, "Make friends with your wealth." People love generosity. People love generous friends. And when we're generous with time, and money, that opens up opportunities to talk about more meaningful things, and talk about the things of God.And he says, "When your wealth fails, when your health fails, well what's left is eternal souls." And he says, we are to think about it like that. And here also as we're talking about resources, a few comments on work. Jacob's sons were shepherds ordinary working men. And although their choice of vocation seemed an abomination to the Egyptians, there was nothing unworthy about their trade, but there was actually honor, and glory in their toil. And the capacity, and opportunity for work is a gift from God, whether the work is mental, or manual. And I grew up with my dad who was, he started a painting business as an immigrant, and I remember he would drop me off at college in his painting truck, and it pains me to say this. I said, "Dad, can you just drop me off like half a mile away from campus? I don't want anyone to see that my dad, the painter is dropping me off at college", which is terrible.That's a terrible mindset where we do rank people's worth depending on what kind of work they do, if they work with their hands, it's almost as if they're lesser. And that's not true. Scripture actually tells us that we are to aspire to work with our hands. First Thessalonians 4:9 through 12, "Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers through throughout Macedonia. But we urge you brothers to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders, and be dependent on no one."So, we are to work, and we are to work, and think about working in a way where we are not dependent on other people. St. Paul funded his ministry by making tents, and this idea of being dependent on other people as the culture becomes hostile toward Christians, or to those who are faithful to the faith. Well, this idea of being dependent on someone for a salary, or for your livelihood, well this is a conversation that needs serious thought. Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do in word, or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." In the verse 23 of that chapter, "Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord, and not for men. Knowing that from the Lord you'll receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." First Corinthians 10:31. So, whether you eat, or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Genesis 47:28, "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So, the days of Jacob, the years of his life were 147 years."Joseph had spent 17 years with his father Jacob in the beginning of his life. And then Jacob spent 17 years at the end of his life with his son Joseph, and then in Genesis 47:29, "And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph, and said to him, 'If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and promise to deal kindly, and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place. He answered, 'I will do as you have said.' And he said, 'Swear to me'; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed." Jacob here binds Joseph doubly. Twice he says, "I want you to promise this." Why was this so important to Jacob be buried in the promised land, the land of Canaan? Well, there's a declaration of promise. He believed that God would bring them back, and he wanted his family already to see that.And this was the symbol Jacob going to die, and we're going to bring his body to be buried in Canaan. Jacob was a man who cared about God's blessing, not just on his life, but he cared about God's blessing on the lives of his children, and his children's children. And that's why he makes Joseph promise. Jacob from his early days knew that God's blessing meant everything to the point where he even connived a away to get his father's greatest blessing when he stole it from Esau. And the text tells us that Esau did not value God's blessing. And we as people of God, we are to value God's blessing. We're to long, "Lord bless me, Lord bless my family, bless my family's family. Lord bless us." Remember Jacob even wrestling with the angel who was God himself. And he says, "I'm not going to let you go until you bless me." So, we are to value God's blessing, and God's greatest blessing is redemption.God's greatest blessing that he offers us is a relationship with God, forgiveness of our sins. Here in this text before Pharaoh, he said, "My days have been few, and evil", but perhaps he had some years to meditate on that in the land of Egypt. And in the next chapter in Genesis 48, as he's blessing the sons of Joseph, verse 15, "And he blessed Joseph, and said, 'The God before whom my father's Abraham, and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them, let my name be carried on, and the name of my father's Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." Verse 16, the angel, that's the angel that he wrestled with. It was a God man, most likely Christ himself. He has redeemed me from all evil. Yes, there were days in my life he recognizes where it was evil, where I have done evil because I am evil, but he redeemed me.And that's the greatest blessing that Jesus Christ offers us. That when we come to him, and when we repent of our sins, when we acknowledge, "Lord, I have done things that are evil. I have transgressed your law. I have lived selfishly, I have lived as if I'm my own God. Lord, forgive me." John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Not only is Jesus the good shepherd, but Jesus is also the only way to heaven. Jacob had another dream where he saw a staircase, and he saw the angels of God ascending, and descending. And then Jesus commenting on that dream says the following in John 1:51. "And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you'll see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending, and descending on the Son of Man." Jesus Christ is the only staircase to heaven, the only staircase to God.The cross of Jesus Christ is the only means of attaining the greatest blessing that God offers, and that's himself. God offers eternal life, which is a relationship with him by grace through faith. As Joseph provided a place for his family in Egypt, Jesus provides a place for us in heaven. He told the disciples, "I'm going to go, and prepare a room for you." The wisest thing in the world you can do today is to accept the free gift of eternal life by repenting, and believing in Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice for you when he died for you, when he bled for you, when he was buried for you, when he was resurrected for you, when you believed that that's what he did for you, that your sins are paid for, your eternal life is secure.I'll close it with Matthew 11:28, an invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ. "Come to me all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Let us pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you for this invitation. We thank you for your shed blood on the cross. We thank you that you, you used your position, and your power, and your influence, and you used it to serve us.

Wise & Innocent

Christian Apologetics Research Ministry

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2023 49:44

This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Father, we thank you for the gift of holy scripture in which you reveal to us your mind, your will, your purposes. Lord, you long to bless us, and I pray that you make us a people that long to be blessed, and care about your blessing. We thank you for the greatest blessing that we can have as a relationship with you, to be reconciled with you, to have our evil redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we come to your holy scriptures with trembling, and contrition of heart, recognizing that this is the posture of heart that you bless. And Lord, we fear you, and we recognize that to fear you is to love you. And to love you is to fear you to stand in awe, and reverence before your glory, your majesty. And Lord show us that the beginning of wisdom is to fear you.We are people who are naturally inclined toward evil, and folly. And Lord, as you redeem us from our evil, we do ask that you also save us from our folly, and make us a people who are good, but also who are good at life guided by your wisdom. Holy Spirit, we pray that you bless us today with your presence. And also, Lord, take these words, and apply them to each one of us specifically only as you can. We pray all this in Christ's holy name. Amen. We're continuing our sermon series called Graduate Level Grace Study in the Life of Joseph. We are today in Genesis 47, and the title of the sermon is Wise and Innocent. A few years back, the Brookings Institute named Boston as one of the knowledge centers of the world. And by this they mean that Boston is full of very intelligent, highly productive people, talented, and they come here to get more knowledge, and that knowledge is taken to the world.Knowledge is great. We're told knowledge is power, we're told, and scripture agrees. Proverbs 18:15 says, "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." But acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge is never enough. What do you do with that knowledge? That's what matters more. Can you skillfully execute upon this knowledge when necessary in the real world, and real time with real life consequences, and implications? And it doesn't matter how great of a game plan you have, if you can't execute in the real game, well then, it meant nothing. So, scripture does call us to knowledge, but to something more than just knowledge. It calls us to wisdom. And if knowledge is power, then what is wisdom? Well, wisdom is a superpower. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his disciples before sending them out to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. He says, "Behold, I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Wise and innocent. And Joseph is marked by this razor sharp discernment, and strategic execution.The great Puritan, Thomas Watson. He said that, "The godly man acts both the politician, and the divine. He retains his ingenuity, yet does not part with his integrity." And one of the beauties about wisdom is you can grow in wisdom how through practice, and through training. Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food is for the mature for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." And in our text today in Genesis 47, we see Joseph exercising this divine wisdom, and he does so in order to provide in four points to frame up our time as we walk through the text together first, Joseph provides for his family. And by doing so, Pharaoh is blessed.And then Egypt is blessed, and Israel is blessed. First, Joseph rides for his family. With shrewdness, and wisdom, Joseph sets out to accomplish his objective. His objective as his family moves from Canaan, his father, and his brother's multitude of people, hundreds. His goal is to provide prime land for them so that they can continue to prosper despite the famine that's still in the land. And in Psalm 105, 16 through 22, it's a Psalm that comments on the story of Joseph. It says, "When he summoned a famine on the land, and broke all supply of bread, he" that's the Lord, "Had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent, and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions to bind his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom."So, meaning all the suffering that Joseph went through, he went through with a purpose. God gave him a purpose to teach wisdom to whom? To Pharaoh, to Pharaoh's court, and then also the elders of Israel. Wisdom comes as a gift from the Lord for all who ask humbly. Scripture says, "Is there anyone lacking wisdom?" Well, just ask of the Lord, Isaiah 30:21, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying "This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right, or when you turn to the left." And this is what Jesus promised. He's a good shepherd. And he said, "My sheep hear my voice." And Jesus' voice teaches us how to follow God's moral law but also how to walk in wisdom.Psalm 25, eight, and nine, "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way." To get the context of Genesis 47. I'm going to read the paragraph right before this is Genesis 46:31, Jacob, the brothers are before Joseph, and Joseph has a game plan, and he's coaching them. He's coaching his family's audience before Pharaoh, here's what you say, here's what you don't say. Here's how we are going to present ourselves in order to get what we want. Genesis 46:31, Joseph said to his brothers, and to his father's household, "I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, 'My brothers, and my father's household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. And the men were shepherds for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.""When Pharaoh calls you, and says, 'What is your occupation?' You shall say 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers in order that we may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians." There are five more years left of the famine. And Joseph is thinking not just about himself, not just about his immediate family. He's thinking as a provider for his extended family. He understands that God has put him in this position, and God wants him to use his power, use his position in order to bless others. And he begins to think about the wider family, and he's thinking as a patriarch, and this is how a patriarch thinks, not how can I be most comfortable? Not how can I live a comfortable life, and have people serve me?No, a patriarch thinks how comfortable can I become with discomfort to serve as many people as possible? How can I leave a lasting legacy? How can I serve my family, and my descendants for generations? How can I provide for their needs both materially, and spiritually? And even with Joseph's approval, he knows that he could have just given them Goshen, and you guys can have that land, but he also understands that taking these men who are of fighting age, bringing them into Egypt is going to raise eyebrows, and it's going to give ammunition to Joseph's enemies in Pharaoh's court. No, he needs to get clearance from the very top, from Pharaoh himself. He needs Pharaoh to speak, and say, "Yes, you can have this land." It's only with the king's word that Joseph could protect himself from the charge of nepotism. So, he has the foresight to anticipate this, and craft a strategy with the proper precautions.So, he wants to focus on the fact that Egyptians did not like shepherds. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians. Why? Because they probably felt that they were part of an impure cast. So, here you got to pause, and say, "Why would Joseph lead with this very unflattering information?" Here's my family, and their shepherds, which are an abomination. Won't people say you're from this family, you're related to these people? Well, he realized this was the best move to get the best land for his family, and also they'd be living in this land with autonomy which would allow them to grow their families, and grow their faith in the Lord. So, Joseph here he is taking a massive risk, and he's going out on a limb, but he's doing it because he understands he needs to provide for his family. So, that brings Genesis 47 verses one, and two."So, Joseph went in, and told Pharaoh, 'My father, and my brothers with their flocks, and herds, and all that they possess have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.' And from among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh." Which five did he pick? Most likely brought Benjamin. Which six did he overlook? We're not told. Most likely operating out of wisdom, he's bringing the most unintimidating looking guys before Pharaoh, and he does say, "This is my father, and these are my brothers." He's not ashamed of his family. He proudly introduces them to his boss, which is very much like Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ our Lord, and savior, scriptures tells us he's our older brother, and as our older brother who welcomes us into the family of God, he provides adoption for us by his blood.Well, Jesus is unashamed to call his brothers, Hebrews says, Hebrews 2:10, "For it was fitting that he, for whom, and by whom all things exist, and bringing many sons to glory should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies, and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he's not ashamed to call them brothers saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." Joseph tells Pharaoh, they're already in the land of Goshen. He has them camp out in the prime real estate, which is really smart. They're already there, and the text continues. Verse three, "Pharaoh said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your servants are shepherds as our fathers were.' They said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants flocks for the famine severe in the land of Canaan. And now please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'."Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Your father, and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father, and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." Pharaoh asks about the occupation question just as Joseph had anticipated, and the wisdom, Joseph has been studying his boss for nine plus years. He anticipates the moves, and they say we've been shepherds for generations. Yes, it's an abomination in your eyes, but we've been doing this for years, and the emphasis here is on sojourn. We've come to sojourn, meaning there's no talk of permanence. This is temporary, and just as Joseph needed him to do, Pharaoh confirms publicly, Israel can have the best of the land. Not only that, he goes beyond, and he says, "If you know anyone that could take care of my animals, my livestock, you can put them to work", which is just incredible favor from the Lord.Especially, as you read at the end of the chapter, the people of Egypt, and the people from of all the other countries, they ran out of money, currency. So, they start bringing their livestock, and their animals to Pharaoh, which meant this was a wonderful work opportunity, and this is how the Lord often works with us. Not only does he long to bless us, he longs to bless us in a shocking way, a way that's unexpected. For example, Ephesians 3:20 verse 21. "Now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask, or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." More than we can ask, or even think, or even imagine. In Genesis 47:7, "Then Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." The blessing isn't recorded, but most likely it's a customary greeting before a king, something like long live the king, which is partially perhaps why Pharaoh asks Jacob's age.But here you see this contrast. A simple, old shepherd is standing before a powerful Egyptian monarch, and spiritual gravitas meets political gravitas. Yes, Pharaoh is an incredible person of power, but Jacob is an incredible person of spiritual power, and the character of the saint surely made an impression on the king. Although Jacob didn't have a crown of gold, he had a crown of glory. You say, "What's a crown of glory in scripture?" Well, Proverbs 16:31, gray hair. "Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life." Our culture idolizes youth, and dishonors people in their old age. And this is wrong. Leviticus 19:32 says, "You shall stand up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord." My grays have been coming in around my temples.I keep it nice, and short. In my beard, they're coming in. I don't have a full crown of glory just yet. So, you don't have to stand up completely in my presence, but maybe a head nod, or something. But we are to respect older people, and we do pray for the Lord to continue to send us older people to teach us wisdom, and teach us the ways of righteousness. And you see what dignity now marks Jacob, what a contrast from the day when he bowed himself seven times before Esau. But here there's no cringing, there's no fawning. He carries himself as a representative of God. He carries himself as an ambassador of the most high. He is a son of the king of kings. And in fact, the scene actually conveys the impression that Jacob is actually greater than Pharaoh no matter how great Pharaoh is, because who's doing the blessing?It's Jacob. And Hebrews 7:7 says, "It's beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior." So, the feeble patriarch blesses the mighty monarch, and in verse eight it says, "Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many are the days of the years of your life?" How many are the days of the years of your life? Not just how old are you, not just how many years have you lived? What an interesting turn of phrase. How many are the days of the years of your life? The emphasis here is on the individual days that go up, and that make up the total of your life. It's a great way to think about life. Why? Because today is all we have. Today is all we're given. Someone said days are long, and years are short. So, we are to think about daily. Today, am I living for the glory of God? Today, am I serving God, loving him, and loving people? I had a brother come up to me after the service, this was his second service ever. Second time in church ever.He came up, and he's like, "I could've gone to the club last night. Instead, I stayed home, and read chapter 47." Much better use of your time, brother, much better use of your time. Genesis 47:9. "And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning." And you see this phrase repeated sojourning. What does that mean? It means a pilgrimage. Jacob understood that life is a journey. It has a beginning, and it has an end. And for the people of God, every single moment that we're alive is a moment of sacred significance. As a matter of fact, everything in a believer's life is sacred except for sin. Sin is the only thing that a secular in the life of believers. Do you view your life like this? It's a pilgrimage.Hebrews 11:13 through 16, "These all died in faith not having received the things promised, but having seen them, and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers, and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they're seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city." Philippians talks about our citizenship, Philippians 3:20, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And from it we await a savior of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."The apostle Peter in First Peter 2:11 says, "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners, and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds, and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil, and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a coverup for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." And this is exactly what Jacob is doing, what Joseph is doing, what they're emulating. Jacob says, "Few have been the days of my years, and they've been evil."Why use the word evil? Well, he's emphasizing that his life has been hard in many ways. From his flight to Mesopotamia, from his brother Esau, his miseries at the hand of Laben, he wrestled with an angel, and then scripture says that it was actually God himself most likely Christophany. He wrestled with Christ, and Christ touches his hip. And then the rest of his life he walked with a limp, the rape of his daughter, Dinah, which led to the bloody revenge by Simeon, and Levi, and his beloved Rachel's death, his eldest son's power seeking incest, and his favorite son's apparent death. Evil have been his days, he says, and few. At 130 years old, he says, "Few are my days." Well, Abraham lived 175 years, Isaac 180 years. Few, and evil was the unadorned truth. Martin Luther said the theologian was made by three things, oratio, meditatio, and tentatio. Oratio is prayer, meditatio, meditation on God's word, and tentatio means trial.And what he meant was that theologians are made by praying, and meditating God's word, and then also through pain, and suffering, and afflictions that give you a perspective on life, and God. And this characterized his life. I wonder, do you have a vision for long life? Do you have a vision to live a long time, a healthy life? And if so, to do what? Is it to just enjoy your retirement, and your twilight years? Or is it to care for people, care for your family? Is it to care for God's family? I have not given this much thought in my twenties, and my thirties, but I'm 40 now, and now I'm giving this more thought. And I do have a vision for a long life. And I like Caleb in the Bible. Caleb in the Bible, he goes to see the promised land when he's 40. And then God made the people of Israel wander in the desert for 40 years for disobeying him, and disbelieving.And then Caleb at 85 goes to Joshua, and says, "Hey, man, I'm going to take that mountain over there, and I'm going to lead the charge myself." And Joshua's like, "What are you talking about?" And Caleb says, "I am as strong today at 85 as I was at 40." So, I'm actually working out more now because I'm 40, and this is the benchmark I got to at least maintain the benchmark so that at 85, Lord willing. But there is something about a purpose like when you have a vision to live a longer life, you care for yourself, you care for your body. The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. But you got to make sure it's not just selfish, because living for yourself is never enough to make the impact that God has for us. Ephesians 5:15, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil." What a great filter for our calendars, and what we do with our time.Is this the best use of my time? Genesis 47:10, "Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh." Do you think Jacob's blessing on Pharaoh was meaningful to him, to Pharaoh? I think so. Here stands before him, an aged saint who walked with the Lord faithfully in worship, and service for years. He didn't do it perfectly. He's a sinner. He's lived evil days. He knows. But scripture teaches that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Meaning the more you grow in righteousness, and experiential righteousness, the more powerful your prayers become. The King James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." And as Jacob prayed over Pharaoh, no doubt Pharaoh has never heard a prayer like this, a prayer to Yahweh. Pharaoh received that blessing, and he was blessed. Pharaoh first blessed God's people with his generosity speared Joseph promoted him, and then personally invites the family of Joseph to Goshen, sends them grain to preserve them, wagons, to transport them.And when they arrive, they're receive royally. Pharaoh blesses the people of God. And God in return blesses Pharaoh. Genesis 12:3, God promised Abraham, "I'll bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I'll curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Text continues, Genesis 47:11. "Then Joseph settled his father, and his brothers, and gave them a possession of the land of Egypt, in the best of the land in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food according to the number of their dependents." In the Hebrew that were dependents is little ones according to their little ones. Joseph provided. And that's the emphasis on the text. And this should be the ambition of every godly person in particular godly men, men as heads of household to provide for your family, and to provide the best that you can for your family, which is actually an outward working of our faith.First Timothy 5:8 says, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." Well, what's the connection between provision, and our Christian faith, where our Christian faith at the heart of it is a father who provides. God, the Father provides us with life, and he sustains us, and he cares for us. He sends Jesus Christ to procure salvation for us. God is a God who provides, and therefore his children, believers are to be people who provide, who receive his blessing, and become conduits of blessing so that the blessings that we receive are cascaded to the people around us, and beyond. So, in the throes of a deepening world, starvation, God prospers his people. So, Joseph provides for his family. And then we see that Pharaoh is blessed. This is point two, Pharaoh prospered as Joseph affects this plan that nationalizes the land, the livestock, and then turned Egyptians into tenant farmers.Genesis 47:13, "Now there was no food in all the land for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt, and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, and exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, 'Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes for our money is gone.' And Joseph answered, 'Give your livestock, and now we'll give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.' So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.""And when that year was ended, they came to him, in the following year, and said to him, 'We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There's nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we, and our land? Buy us, and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh, and give us seed that we may live, and not die, and that the land may not be desolate". Tenant farming becomes the norm with Pharaoh providing the seed, verse 20. "So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy for the priest had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land."So, in short order, all of Egypt except the pagan clergy were serfs. So, Pharaoh becomes greater than he could have ever imagined. Prospered thanks to Joseph. Point three, Egypt is blessed, blessed in terms of what? Well, they were on the brink of starvation, and now they're provided for. So, Genesis 47:23. "Then Joseph said to the people, 'Behold, I have this day bought you, and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land, and at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own as seed for the field, and as food for yourselves, and your households, and as food for your little ones.' And they said, 'You have saved our lives. May it please my lord we will be servants to Pharaoh.' So, Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt. And it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's."They said, "You have saved our lives may please my lord, we will be servants of Pharaoh. You've saved us, therefore of course we will serve you." And they understood this in political terms, and they understood this in real life. And how much more so does this apply to us as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, you saved us. Jesus, you paid it all. Jesus, of course to you, I owe everything. And this is how the great saints talked about the relationship with the Lord, the Apostle Paul. In his letters, he introduces himself I Paul in Apostle. And then he says over, and over, "I'm a doulos", and the Greek is, "I'm a slave. I'm a slave of Jesus Christ, and I serve him willingly. Why? Because he served me. He saved me." The royal serfs are taxed 20%, which was normal percentage back then, and 40% was not uncommon in Mesopotamia.The happy result of all of this was that Egypt thrived, the coffers were overflowing, bolstering the economy, and the people didn't complain about it. Joseph was Egypt's national hero. Without him, they'd all be dead. Joseph was led by the Lord. And scripture does teach that the closer you walk with the Lord, the more the Lord reveals his mind to you. The closer you walk with Christ, the more Christ reveals his mind to you. Well, what's Christ's mind like? Well, he's all knowing. And the Colossians Two, one through three comments on the treasures of wisdom found in Christ, "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding, and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden, are the treasures of wisdom, and knowledge." And the emphasis here is on the mystery. And that it is hidden. It takes effort.It takes work to study God, study his scriptures, and to walk with him. And if you study the gospels, you see that Jesus Christ applied this shrewdness, this wisdom in particular with his enemies. And he had many enemies. Enemies came to him, and they said, "John the Baptizer, you got to stop him. What is he doing? He's proclaiming the kingdom of God." And Jesus says, "Is baptism of John, of God, or of man?" Well, if they said of man, then all the people would've rejected him, because they saw the power of God. And if you say from God, well then you can't argue against that. Remember when the woman who was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees?What does he say? He who is without sin cast the first stone, and they all walk away. Incredible wisdom. When the Pharisees came to him, and they questioned his divinity. And Jesus said, "Look at Psalm 1:10. What does David the Psalmist write as he is inspired by the Holy Spirit? He writes, the Lord said to my Lord, sit my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." And Jesus said, "How is David's son also David's lord?" And in that text he reveals the Trinity, the Pharisees when they came to him, and said, "Should we pay taxes to Caesar?" They want to catch Jesus so that Caesar, and the Roman authorities would arrest him. And Jesus said, bring me a coin. They bring him a coin. And he says, "Whose inscription is on this coin?" And they said, "Caesar's." And Jesus said, "Well give onto Caesar, what is Caesar's onto God? What is God's?" And the inscription, and the Greek his, icon image.So, this coin has the image of Caesar, give that back to Caesar, and whatever has the image of God, give that unto God, and he's calling them to obedience, or a question about the Sabbath. Can we do good works on the Sabbath? And Jesus said, "Which of you who has a sheep if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it, and lift it out?" And obviously we can heal on the Sabbath as Jesus did. Standing before Pontius Pilate, "Are you the king of the Jews?" And Jesus said, "You said that I am the king of the Jews." Leaving Pilate silent. Incredible wisdom as we study Christ, as we study how we operate, and as we walk with the Lord daily. Point four is Israel is blessed. This is verse 27, Genesis 47, "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it, and fruitful, and multiplied greatly." They settled, they gained possessions, and they were fruitful, and multiplied greatly.They were fulfilling the great mandate that was given to Adam in Genesis 1:28. And it was given as a blessing, and God bless them. And God said to them, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And then after God sends the flood, and then Noah, and his family come out of the ark, God repeats this, and he repeats this twice, in Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah, and his sons, and said to him, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth." And verse seven, "And you'll be fruitful, and multiply, increase greatly on the earth, and multiply it." God loves people, and God wants more people, more people who are created the image of God, and are redeemed by Jesus Christ, and are adopted into the family of God.I had a gentleman at the gym ask me, and he found out I have four. I shock people all the time. I'm like, "I have kids." They're like, how many? "There's four." And they say, "Four?" And I always say, "Four daughters." And they're like, "Four daughters?" Same conversation every time. And he said, "How much do kids cost?" And my response is, "Well, they cost as much do you spend on them? That's how much they cost." But the principle is that the Lord does provide. And one of the things I told them, I was like, "Look, how much do you spend on going out? How much do you spend on entertainment? Well, here's the beauty of having kids. You just don't have time to go out, and they become your entertainment. And then you're like, actually this is a much better investment of my time, and money." The Lord provides for them. And that's the emphasis of this text. Someone could have said, "Jacob, why are you procreating? Why are you having so many children? How are you going to feed them all? Especially when a famine comes."But you see how the Lord blesses them. And Israel's prosperity far outstrips that of the average Egyptian. It's astonishing, but the citizens of Egypt lost their money. They lost their cattle, they lost their land. And all the time the children of Israel are over in the land of Goshen. They don't lose their money, they don't lose their land, they don't lose their livestock, or cattle. As a matter of fact, they became more, and more fruitful while the citizens of Egypt became servants of Pharaoh. And that's God's way of taking care of God's people. What Israel experienced in Egypt was a forced foretaste of the ultimate blessings of Canaan when the land, and its fatness would be theirs. And here I do just want to pause, and apply this to us. Joseph used his power, and he used his influence to bless his family. And we need to think about this in terms of our immediate family, our flesh, and blood, but also in terms of those who are not yet our family, those who don't yet know Jesus Christ.The Lord teaches us that when we repent of our sins, we become part of the family of God. So, evangelism is welcome people into the family of God. Hey, I've been saved by grace through faith. I am now a child of God, not because of anything I've done, but because of the work of Christ. And so I want to tell you about grace. I want to tell you about the fact that Jesus Christ saves people if you just ask, and receive the gift. And Jesus does teach us to think about being good stewards of everything he has given us in order to help people meet the Lord in order to gain eternal life. And Jesus does it by sharing this parable that's very curious upon a first reading. But as we meditate on it, incredible spiritual truths.In Luke 16, "He also said to the disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him, and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management for you can no longer be manager. And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do since my master's taking the management away from me, I'm not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I'm removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write 50.' And then he said to another, 'How much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'take your bill, and write 80.' The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.""For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings."So, Jesus commends this manager for his shrewd use of the vanishing opportunity before him. The manager understands my window of opportunity is going to be gone soon. And he begins to give these people discounts on what they owed the master while he still had power to do so. And the lesson for us is our time is limited, our money is limited, and we need to be thinking like good managers, like good stewards of what God has given to do what? To love people. He says, "Make friends with your wealth." People love generosity. People love generous friends. And when we're generous with time, and money, that opens up opportunities to talk about more meaningful things, and talk about the things of God.And he says, "When your wealth fails, when your health fails, well what's left is eternal souls." And he says, we are to think about it like that. And here also as we're talking about resources, a few comments on work. Jacob's sons were shepherds ordinary working men. And although their choice of vocation seemed an abomination to the Egyptians, there was nothing unworthy about their trade, but there was actually honor, and glory in their toil. And the capacity, and opportunity for work is a gift from God, whether the work is mental, or manual. And I grew up with my dad who was, he started a painting business as an immigrant, and I remember he would drop me off at college in his painting truck, and it pains me to say this. I said, "Dad, can you just drop me off like half a mile away from campus? I don't want anyone to see that my dad, the painter is dropping me off at college", which is terrible.That's a terrible mindset where we do rank people's worth depending on what kind of work they do, if they work with their hands, it's almost as if they're lesser. And that's not true. Scripture actually tells us that we are to aspire to work with our hands. First Thessalonians 4:9 through 12, "Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers through throughout Macedonia. But we urge you brothers to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders, and be dependent on no one."So, we are to work, and we are to work, and think about working in a way where we are not dependent on other people. St. Paul funded his ministry by making tents, and this idea of being dependent on other people as the culture becomes hostile toward Christians, or to those who are faithful to the faith. Well, this idea of being dependent on someone for a salary, or for your livelihood, well this is a conversation that needs serious thought. Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do in word, or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." In the verse 23 of that chapter, "Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord, and not for men. Knowing that from the Lord you'll receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." First Corinthians 10:31. So, whether you eat, or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Genesis 47:28, "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So, the days of Jacob, the years of his life were 147 years."Joseph had spent 17 years with his father Jacob in the beginning of his life. And then Jacob spent 17 years at the end of his life with his son Joseph, and then in Genesis 47:29, "And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph, and said to him, 'If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and promise to deal kindly, and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place. He answered, 'I will do as you have said.' And he said, 'Swear to me'; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed." Jacob here binds Joseph doubly. Twice he says, "I want you to promise this." Why was this so important to Jacob be buried in the promised land, the land of Canaan? Well, there's a declaration of promise. He believed that God would bring them back, and he wanted his family already to see that.And this was the symbol Jacob going to die, and we're going to bring his body to be buried in Canaan. Jacob was a man who cared about God's blessing, not just on his life, but he cared about God's blessing on the lives of his children, and his children's children. And that's why he makes Joseph promise. Jacob from his early days knew that God's blessing meant everything to the point where he even connived a away to get his father's greatest blessing when he stole it from Esau. And the text tells us that Esau did not value God's blessing. And we as people of God, we are to value God's blessing. We're to long, "Lord bless me, Lord bless my family, bless my family's family. Lord bless us." Remember Jacob even wrestling with the angel who was God himself. And he says, "I'm not going to let you go until you bless me." So, we are to value God's blessing, and God's greatest blessing is redemption.God's greatest blessing that he offers us is a relationship with God, forgiveness of our sins. Here in this text before Pharaoh, he said, "My days have been few, and evil", but perhaps he had some years to meditate on that in the land of Egypt. And in the next chapter in Genesis 48, as he's blessing the sons of Joseph, verse 15, "And he blessed Joseph, and said, 'The God before whom my father's Abraham, and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them, let my name be carried on, and the name of my father's Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." Verse 16, the angel, that's the angel that he wrestled with. It was a God man, most likely Christ himself. He has redeemed me from all evil. Yes, there were days in my life he recognizes where it was evil, where I have done evil because I am evil, but he redeemed me.And that's the greatest blessing that Jesus Christ offers us. That when we come to him, and when we repent of our sins, when we acknowledge, "Lord, I have done things that are evil. I have transgressed your law. I have lived selfishly, I have lived as if I'm my own God. Lord, forgive me." John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Not only is Jesus the good shepherd, but Jesus is also the only way to heaven. Jacob had another dream where he saw a staircase, and he saw the angels of God ascending, and descending. And then Jesus commenting on that dream says the following in John 1:51. "And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you'll see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending, and descending on the Son of Man." Jesus Christ is the only staircase to heaven, the only staircase to God.The cross of Jesus Christ is the only means of attaining the greatest blessing that God offers, and that's himself. God offers eternal life, which is a relationship with him by grace through faith. As Joseph provided a place for his family in Egypt, Jesus provides a place for us in heaven. He told the disciples, "I'm going to go, and prepare a room for you." The wisest thing in the world you can do today is to accept the free gift of eternal life by repenting, and believing in Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice for you when he died for you, when he bled for you, when he was buried for you, when he was resurrected for you, when you believed that that's what he did for you, that your sins are paid for, your eternal life is secure.I'll close it with Matthew 11:28, an invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ. "Come to me all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Let us pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you for this invitation. We thank you for your shed blood on the cross. We thank you that you, you used your position, and your power, and your influence, and you used it to serve us.

Matt Slick Live 04-25-2023

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 48:00

The Matt Slick Live daily radio show broadcast is produced by The Christian Apologetics Research Ministry -CARM.org-.-During the show, Matt answers questions on the air, and offers insight on topics like The Bible, Theology, Apologetics, Religions, Atheism, and other issues-- The show airs live on the Truth Network, Monday through Friday, 6-7 PM, EST -3-4 PM, PST---Topics include---- 05- Social Media Evangelism, Luke 24-13 Christophany-- 20- Agnosticism and Atheism-- 27- 1 John 2-2 propitiation-- 48- Romans 1,- Federal Headship

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Did Melchizedek Have Parents?

VC Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 18:47

A listener asked a great question recently based on something the VC said in an episode. Melchizedek had parents, but Hebrews 7:3 seems to say the opposite. This episode answers the question and helps us to make sense of how to understand Christ in the book of Hebrews.

jesus christ parents hebrews priest vc melchizedek psalm 110 christophany

MSL: April, 25 2023

Christian Podcast Community

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2023 48:00

The Matt Slick Live daily radio show broadcast is produced by The Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM.org). During the show, Matt answers questions on the air, and offers insight on topics like The Bible, Theology, Apologetics, Religions, Atheism, and other issues! The show airs live on the Truth Network, Monday through Friday, 6-7 PM, EST (3-4 PM, PST) MSL: April, 25 2023 Topics include 05- Social Media Evangelism, Luke 24:13 Christophany 20- Agnosticism and Atheism 27- 1 John 2:2 propitiation 48- Romans 1, Federal Headship MSL: April, 25 2023 ==> Subscribe to the CARM YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/carmvideos ==> Subscribe to the Matt Slick YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mattslick ==> Like CARM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carm.org ==> Visit the CARM Website: https://carm.org ==> Donate to CARM: https://carm.org/about/partner-with-carm/

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MSL: April, 25 2023

Matt Slick LIVE

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2023 48:00

The Matt Slick Live daily radio show broadcast is produced by The Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM.org). During the show, Matt answers questions on the air, and offers insight on topics like The Bible, Theology, Apologetics, Religions, Atheism, and other issues! The show airs live on the Truth Network, Monday through Friday, 6-7 PM, EST (3-4 PM, PST) MSL: April, 25 2023 Topics include 05- Social Media Evangelism, Luke 24:13 Christophany 20- Agnosticism and Atheism 27- 1 John 2:2 propitiation 48- Romans 1, Federal Headship MSL: April, 25 2023 ==> Subscribe to the CARM YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/carmvideos ==> Subscribe to the Matt Slick YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mattslick ==> Like CARM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carm.org ==> Visit the CARM Website: https://carm.org ==> Donate to CARM: https://carm.org/about/partner-with-carm/

bible religion romans theology atheism apologetics carm agnosticism matt slick live christophany

Jesus, the Priest in the Order of Melchizedek

Cities Church Sermons

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023

Several years ago, I was a pastor in Orlando, Florida, and I developed a friendship with a guy by the name of Jeff. And Jeff was a world renowned magician. Like not just like pull a rabbit out of a hat kind of guy, like legit did shows in Vegas, traveled. He's kinda this really well known illusionist, lived in Orlando. We got to be friends through kind of a unique circumstance set of events. And he ended up attending our church regularly, even though he was not a Christian. And so I got to know Jeff and I knew him for about a year and a half, and he had been attending church services every Sunday pretty much regularly for a year and a half, even though he did not profess to be a Christian. It was mostly related to a girl, not a total surprise. I'd have conversations with Jeff.I remember one day we were sitting at Chipotle in Winter Garden, Florida. We'd had some gospel conversations over the course of our friendship. And I decided that today was the day I was gonna push the envelope. I was gonna really push and go like, today's the day Jeff's gonna become a Christian. Like, that was what I decided in my mind. And, so we started pushing and I started having conversation. We ended up having this really long conversation, probably almost two hours at Chipotle one day. And he was giving me a lot of really good insights. And he really is like, I'm an atheist, I'm not even sure, maybe I'm an agnostic at best, but I've really tried to believe. It just doesn't make sense to me. I was like, why? Why do you keep coming? I'm just curious. And he's like, boy, I really like the friends I've made. I like the community I've built there. I I think there's a lot of good things. I get a lot out of the sermons actually. I think there's really a lot of good stuff said. Like, I didn't realize the Bible had so many good slogans. I'm like, oh, it's slogans. That's what he said. I think that's interesting. And he's like, you know, I really get a lot out of it. I feel like there's a lot of wisdom on like how to be a better man, how to be a better husband one day if I'm ever a husband or a father. And you know I feel like there's a lot of just good life lessons.You know, it's like a supercharged Ted talk. It's interesting. And then he said to me, there is one thing that really bothers me though. I was like, what's that? And he kinda had a back and forth and he said, it's just what really annoys me is that like, I know you really believe in the Jesus thing, so I don't wanna offend you, but like every sermon just keeps coming back to Jesus. Like, I just feel like sometimes you guys kind of overdo it on the old Jesus thing. Like it's a little overboard. Like the sermon is going really good. There's a lot of like good stuff in it. And then it's just like, bam, right hook every time. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And it's just I feel like if you guys just did a little less Jesus. You know, like it'd be better conversation. Went on for a few more minutes after that. And I just, at one point I said to him, Jeff, I'm gonna be honest with you. You know why our sermons keep coming back to Jesus. You know why we have one simple thing? Cause I have nothing else to offer you of any value other than Jesus. In fact, all of those good things that you like about our sermons that you think you're getting out of them, none of them are of any value if they're disconnected from Jesus.He didn't quite like that answer. But I kept going. I say, listen, we recognize that the only way for people to stay close to Jesus is if they love Jesus. And the only way people will love Jesus is if they are continually reintroduced to the goodness of Jesus. That's what we do. So every week we want to remind people how good Jesus is, so they will continue to love him and continue to stick to the Christian faith. And he just looked at me and said, I just think that's weird.Maybe that was, maybe that's weird, but I believe it to be true. And we at Cities Church, we take a very similar approach than my church in Florida did. And that is our number one goal over and over again around here, is to reintroduce you to Jesus, to remind you of the goodness of Jesus. That's it. I've got nothing else to offer you that's of any value other than Jesus. And I want you to stick close to Jesus. I want no one in this church to ever walk away from the faith. And I know to ensure that no one walks away from the faith. You have to love Jesus. People don't walk away from things they love and to ensure that you love Jesus, we talk about Jesus. So if you ever feel like man the sermons at Cities Church, they just kind of say the same thing over and over again. Like, Jesus is great. Jesus is the best. Jesus is awesome. We love Jesus. If that's what you think about us, I take that as a compliment. This is why the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter two, listen closely to what you've heard about Jesus. He has the same philosophy. The writer of Hebrews wants his audience to stay firm, to not walk away from the Christian faith, but he knows in order for that to be a reality, they've gotta love Jesus. And in order for them to love Jesus, he has to continually remind them that Jesus is better. The writer of Hebrews is constantly reminding his readers, who Jesus is, more than a dozen times throughout this letter, he tells them, consider Jesus or look to Jesus. That's it. And as we look to Jesus, we will be strengthened and inspired. We'll be inspired to love him more and will be strengthened to stick with the faith even in the midst of difficulties.That's what the writer of Hebrews is all about. He's like, here's my goal. Over and over again in this letter, I'm just gonna tell you about Jesus in every different way I could possibly think of. He comes up with multiple different ways to talk about Jesus. And here in chapter seven of Hebrews, he does it again, and he does it in a unique fashion. He, in this case, leverages a unique character from the Old Testament. This man by the name of Melchizedek is this interesting character that appears in the book of Genesis. And he was very well known to the first century audience. There was actually a bunch of different theories kind of running rampant in the first century.Melchizedek was kind of a hot topic. We don't really know precisely why this was, but there's kind of a resurgence.It's kind of a buzz in pop culture to talk about the guy, Melchizedek and there are all sorts of weird and wacky theories about who Melchizedek is. There's a bunch of them floating around the first century. And the writer of Hebrews knows that his audience knows about these weird things. There's a bunch of weird ones. The one that's the weirdest is that, Melchizedek was born and that within a few minutes of being born, he became a fully grown teenage boy. There's other ones, but that's probably the weirdest one of the bunch. And so the writer of Hebrews is kind of like, you guys have buried the lead. You guys are all into these obscure details, but who is Melchizedek?Melchizedek shows us something about Jesus.The writer of Hebrews is going to use the account of milk in Genesis to make a clear point that Jesus is better. So that's what we're gonna look at. Quick caveat before we look at the passage together. This sermon will be lighter on application. You know, some passages sort of lend themselves to more clear application. I think this passage kinda lends itself to less application. So there'll be less sorts of specific things that you can apply and more just one overarching exhortation and reminder this morning. And, the reminder this morning is simply this, Jesus is better. Jesus is better. And if you believe that, that will hold you close to the Christian faith. Would you pray with me and then we'll look at Hebrews chapter seven together.Father in heaven, you are so kind. Holy is your name. You are merciful. You are great. You are slow to anger abounding in steadfast love. You are faithful to us. And I praise you for that. I adore you, God. And now I ask, Lord, you would bless our time together this morning. Would you use your word this morning to shape us, to mold us, to make us to be more like Jesus, to be the Christians that we ought to be.God, thank you for sending your son Jesus. And would you help us? God, would you help us continually look to Jesus when we are weak, when we're floundering, when we're failing, Lord, when we are doubting, would you help us, remind us to look to Jesus as Lord, as we consider Jesus, may that be the source of our strength. God, I also pray for my friend Jeff, would you open his heart? Would you grant him the gift of repentance? And I pray for anyone here this morning who does not know you. I pray this morning, would you open their hearts and cause them to believe. I ask if there's anyone here that does not know you may today be the day they be born again, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.Now, the writer of Hebrews feels the need to do what he's about to do, and that is to prop up the new covenant and make sure everyone knows that the new covenant is better than the old covenant.The reason why he feels the need to do this is in all likelihood, because there are many people who have been a part of the church, who have now left the church and have gone back to Judaism, right? It it seems like there's a group of people who were Jewish by ethnicity, and they joined the church. They seem to be genuine believers. They seem to profess their faith in Christ. And then at some point there's some significant persecution that happens. And many of these people walk away from the faith. They leave the new covenant of Jesus and they go back to the old covenant of Judaism. They go back to the sacrificial system. And the writer of Hebrews wants them to know, listen, hey, if you're going to leave, if you're gonna abandon the new covenant and go back to the old covenant, I want you to know very clearly that you're going back to a lesser covenant.I want you to know that very clearly. That you're going back to a covenant that has been rendered obsolete by a newer, better covenant. So if you're gonna go back to it, fine. But I want you to know you're going back and you're putting your soul in jeopardy. And he uses Melchizedek as the primary means to make this point here. Now, this isn't the first time we've talked about Melchizedek in a Sunday morning service here at Cities Church. In fact, several years ago we were going through the book of Genesis. On September 17th, 2017, pastor Jonathan preached from Genesis 14. That's the chapter from which Melchizedek is mentioned. Pastor Jonathan preached that sermon. I went back and listened to it this week, brother, great sermon. And so I actually remember it. I remember, remember it live.I had been a part of Cities church for about four or five weeks at that point. But I was great to go back and listen to it. So if you want, you can go find that on our website and go back and listen to Genesis 14. But if you weren't there, you don't remember. Let me give you the context of Genesis 14.Genesis 14: the picture here is the region that we would call Palestine or the land of Canaan. And in this region there are a bunch of cities and Abraham is living in this region. And Abraham's nephew Lot is living in this region in one of the cities in this region. He's living in the wicked city known as Sodom. Now by Genesis 14, Sodom has already been alluded to as a wicked city, but we don't know how disgusting this city is quite yet at this stage in Genesis 14, that comes up later.But in Genesis 14, we learn that there's four cities from the north. They ban together and they raid the south. And there's five cities in the south. They get raided and attacked. And the, the cities in the north end up having tremendous success in battle against the cities in the south. And they plunder, they destroy a bunch of stuff. They take a bunch of resources and possessions and supplies, and they take slaves. They take people captive and they drag them off, back up to the north. One of the people who are taken captive is Abraham's nephew lot. And Abraham gets wind of this. So Abraham gets his entourage together. He's got a large entourage. Hundreds of people are a part of his estate, and he gets more than 300 men.He puts together kinda this mini militia of sorts. And then he goes north more than 120 miles, and he wages war against the cities and he's victorious because God is with him. And so then he brings the captives back and he takes a bunch of the supplies that had been taken and he plunders the north and he brings it back down with him. Genesis 14, verse 16 says this, then Abraham brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsman lot with his possessions and the women and the people. So Abraham is coming back with the captives and he's going through this region known as the Kings Valley. And in the Kings Valley, he is connecting with the king of Sodom. The king of Sodom says, listen, you can keep all the possessions, all the stuff you got, just give me back my people.And then Abraham basically says to him, actually, I'm gonna give you back all your supplies. I don't want anything to do with you. That's kinda the sense you get from Abraham here. Abraham's like, I don't want anyone in the world thinking that I got rich off of you. I don't want anyone in the world thinking I'm associated with you. He thinks it's a very hard stance to not be associated with the wickedness of Sodom. Side note, I think we would be wise in our lives to take that sort of stance to not be associated or try to get rich off of wickedness.After he meets Sodom, another man comes out by the name of Melchizedek. And when Abraham meets Melchizedek, you get the sense that there's some familiarity here. This is probably not the first time they met.They probably know each other to some extent. And the writer of Hebrews here in Hebrews chapter seven, leverages this encounter between Abraham and Melchizedek ultimately to make a point about Jesus. Right? So this encounter in Genesis 14 is being quoted or cited by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter seven. Look with me at Hebrews chapter seven, verse one. It says this, it says, Melchizedek was the king of Salem, priest of the most high God. So this Canaanite king, this man named Melchizedek is both a king and a priest. He's the priest of the most high God. He worships the one true God that Abraham worships. And we should not assume that Abraham was the only one who worshiped the one true God. There are others, right? Another example would be job, job lived in this region around this time period. Job also worshiped the one true God, right? There are other people in the region worshiping the one true God.There are some people in church history that have said that this moment, this guy named Melchizedek is what we call a Christophany. Christophany is an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament before the incarnation. And there's a lot of people that I respect that hold to that position. However, I don't think that's the best interpretation of the biblical data. It appears to me when I'm reading this, it appears that Melchizedek is a real human living in this city called Salem. If it's a Christophany, that means that Jesus shows up on the scene, becomes the king of a city and functions as the priest for a long period of time. And that just doesn't make sense in light of what we know about Jesus, and it doesn't fit the pattern elsewhere. In addition, the only other place in the Old Testament where Melchizedek is mentioned is in Psalm 110, and we've already seen that quoted in Hebrews, it's a messianic psalm.David seems to have a clear distinction between the Messiah and Melchizedek in Psalm 110 when you read that. So I think the biblical data points me to think that Melchizedek is not a Christophany. He's actually a normal human king who happens to live in the region Abraham's living in, and he happens to be a priest as well as a king. And he happens to be the priest of the one true, most high God, the same God that Abraham worships. Alright, let's continue. Look at the second half of chapter seven, verse one with me. Second half of verse one. It says, “Melchizedek met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. And to him, Abraham apportioned a tenth of everything.” So Abraham slaughtered these kings. I love that language by the way. He slaughtered these kings.He makes his way back. He meets Melchizedek and Melchizedek blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tenth or a tithe in return later. In this passage in verse seven, the writer of Hebrews says that the superior person is the one that blesses the inferior. So we have this very clear picture that Abraham shows up and the one being blessed is Abraham because he's inferior. And the one doing the blessing is Melchizedek because he is superior. He's a superior one, and Abraham knows this, which is why he gives a tithe. He gives 10% of all of the supplies that he had that he had gotten in the battle, and he gives it to Melchizedek. Look at the second part of verse two with me. He says, this is speaking of Melchizedek.He is first by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also King of Salem. That is king of peace.So the writer of Hebrews here is saying, listen, I'm gonna give you the definition of this guy's names and they matter. His name is Melchizedek, which means king of righteousness. Or, you could think about that as he is the king that points us to the way of righteousness. And he is the king of the city, Salem. And the word Salem there means peace. Say he is the king that will point us to the way of peace. We read in the New Testament that we as humans by nature, are actually enemies of God. We are not at peace with God. Melchizedek is a high priest that points us to the way to have peace with God. He's the king of righteousness. He's the one that can point us to how to be in right standing, how to be righteous. And he's the one that mediates the covenant that leads us to peace with God. The writer of Hebrews is using these names to make a point. Now look at verse three with me. He says this, he is without father or mother or genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the son of God. He continues a priest forever.He's pointing out that he has no genealogy. And that's actually unique in the Book of Genesis. There are a few characters in the Book of Genesis that don't have any genealogy, but they don't bother to be important. So the only ones that are important, any person who has any major role in any narrative in the book of Genesis, has a genealogy. We know who their father was. We know when they were born. We know when they died, all of them. Melchizedek is the only one that does not. And the writer of Hebrews here is pointing that out, saying, this guy Melchizedek doesn't have a genealogy. There's no mentioning of his mother and father here. This is really, really important. Then he says, he resembles the son of God. So when you look at Melchizedek, you get the sense that the writer of Hebrews is saying, if you wanna understand Jesus better look at Melchizedek because he points to Jesus, right?That's the sense we're getting here. Then he says this in verse four, see how great this man was? To whom Abraham, the patriarch gave a tenth of spoils. Skip the verse six. He says this, he's speaking of Melchizedek who does not have his dissent from them, received from them, who received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises saying, this guy Melchizedek, he's not descendant from the tribe of the Levites, the ones that receive the tithes. He receives tithes because he is superior to Abraham. I mean, how great must you be to get tithes from Abraham, right? I mean, Abraham is the one, he's the main character in the story of Israel. He's the founder of the Jewish faith, the founder of the Christian faith.He is the one that God says through you, I will bless all the nations, but Melchizedek is greater than he is. And so Abraham gives tithes to Melchizedek and points forward to Jesus. He points forward to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is starting to make the point. There's a sacrificial system in the Old Testament, in the old covenant, and there was one of the tribes that received tithes, but there was someone greater than them. That's Melchizedek. And Jesus does not fall in line with the protocols of the Levites. He's actually more like Melchizedek. And since Melchizedek is superior to the old, Jesus is superior to the old, Melchizedek is superior to the old way. Therefore, all that Melchizedek points to is superior to the old way, namely Jesus. He begins to unpack this a little more.The writer of Hebrews says this. Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it that people receive the law, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise? If you could have reached perfection through the old covenant, there would be no need for a new covenant. If the old priestly system could give you perfection, there'd be no need for another priest to arise. But the old one could not give you perfection. So there was a need for a new one because a new one can indeed give you perfection. The word perfection here in the Greek alludes to wholeness or completion, like the task is done. The sentiment that the writer of Hebrews is saying here is that there was a job that needed to be accomplished. They needed to be completed, and the old covenant wasn't sufficient to complete the job.So God sent a new covenant with a new priest to accomplish that which could not have been accomplished. The old system was weak in that it could not save us. The old system could not redeem us. Therefore, it was weak or useless when it came to the redemption of souls. Quick side note, I think sometimes people read these passages and they assume that means that the Old Testament is of no value. It's useless, we just throw it out. We completely ignore it. That is not the way the New Testament authors or orthodox Christians throughout church history have thought about the Old Testament. It's not how we do it. In fact, around here, we love the Old Testament. Pastor Jonathan mentioned this a few weeks ago. We've probably preached more sermons from the Old Testament than the New Testament.We spent a significant chunk of the last few years going through Exodus and Leviticus. We love the Old Testament. We love God's law. We think there's tremendous value in studying God's law. However, we want to follow the writer of Hebrews in saying, when it comes to redemption, when it comes to purchasing your salvation for eternity, the old covenant could not accomplish that. It was weak in that way, the old covenant could not complete the job. Look at the second half of verse 11. This begins to explain who the priest will be like. It's speaking of Jesus, that he will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, meaning he will be a priest that is superior to the old way of doing things. So listen, if you're gonna go back to the old covenant, that's not ideal. I can't stop you. You just know you're going back to something that's already been rendered obsolete by something that is better and greater: Jesus.In verse 16, he says that Jesus became a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily dissent. Jesus did not become a priest because he's descendant from the tribe of Levi, okay? But by the power of an indestructible life, the reason why Jesus is the better priest is because he has at work with him the power of indestructible life. The word indestructible here can also be translated unending life. And this is the parallel being drawn by the writer of Hebrews between Melchizedek and Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is saying in Genesis, we never see when Melchizedek dies. We never see that in the same way. We will never see when the priesthood of Jesus comes to an end because it will never come to an end. It will go on forever and ever and ever. Then the writer of Hebrews here quotes from Psalm 110. It's very important, messianic Psalm in verse 17, he quotes from Psalm 110, speaking of Jesus, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek in the previous chapter in Hebrews chapter six, verse 19, the writer of Hebrews says, because this goes on forever and ever. That's the implication. He says in chapter six, verse 19, the fact that we know that Jesus' priesthood goes on forever and ever, like Melchizedek is a sure and steadfast anchor.He mentions that in chapter six, and he's foreshadowing, what is to come at chapter seven, which what we're seeing now. So chapter seven is the fulfillment of what we saw in chapter six. The thing that would be our sure and steadfast anchor, the sure and steadfast anchor of your soul is the fact that the priesthood of Jesus will go on forever and ever. And ever.You can build your life on that truth. You can stake your eternity. You can stake your soul on that. The Old Testament priests, they were not capable of doing that because they died. And we can read in the Old Testament, when they died. They were not capable of doing what Jesus could do. So, Jesus is better.A Better HopeThe last verse we'll look at is verse 19. This is what Jesus accomplished. All the work that the the priesthood of Jesus accomplishes. This thing right here we see in verse 19, the writer of Hebrew says that Jesus gives us a better hope. A better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. There's an old covenant that attempted to bring us near to God, but it could not accomplish the job. So God established a new covenant with a better priest. Jesus himself, the priest of this new covenant, and Jesus ensures that this covenant will draw us near to God. It's a better hope than the last one because we are confident that this one accomplishes the job and it goes on forever and ever and ever. People sometimes ask, how do we know that in the future age we won't fall away?How do we know that we won't be able to lose our salvation in the future ages to come because your salvation is tied to the priesthood of Jesus and your salvation will not be lost until the priesthood of Jesus comes to an end, which is never. It is not based on your efforts or your ability to white knuckle it and stick with it. No, your salvation remains strong. It is a anchor for your soul because of what Christ accomplished on your behalf, because of the covenant he established that he mediates. That will go on forever and ever and ever.So the writer of Hebrews would say to his audience, if you're tempted to go back to that old system, don't do it because this new system, it's better because it's got the better priest. And I would say to you this morning, Cities Church, I don't know what systems you've come from. I don't know what you previously trusted in for salvation before you came to faith in Christ. I don't know what you were dabbling with or what you believed or what you previously staked your soul upon, but now that you are a Christian, I say to you, do not ever go back to that old system. It's useless, it's weak, it cannot save. Stick with the covenant that will last forever mediated by the priest who will be a priest forever. Don't go back. Pay close attention to what you've heard about Jesus.The TableLast thing I'll mention this morning, it's something from Genesis chapter 14 that I think is worth highlighting that the writer of Hebrews actually doesn't feel the need to mention in chapter seven of Hebrews. In Genesis 14:18, Melchizedek meets Abraham in the Kings Valley and it says that Melchizedek goes out to Abraham with bread and wine. He goes out to meet Abraham and he sets a table for them to enjoy a meal together, and Melchizedek points to Jesus. So just as Melchizedek drew near to Abraham and offered him bread and wine, also, Jesus draws near to us and he offers us bread and wine at this table that we come to every single week. Melchizedek said to Abraham, I'm gonna come to you and I want you to enjoy fellowship with me. And that is a model of what Jesus does for us.Jesus comes to us and he says, I want you to enjoy fellowship with me. Jesus invites us to a meal every single week at this table and every single week we accept his invitation. Every single week we come to this table to remember that there is a better covenant mediated by a better priest, a priest who will be a priest forever. We come to this table to remember that Jesus, our great high priest, is in the order of Melchizedek. In just a moment, the pastors are gonna come. We're gonna serve the bread and the wine, and we invite you to participate. If you are a believer in Jesus, if you are someone who has put your trust in the great high priest, I encourage you to participate with us and allow this moment to be a moment where you draw near to Jesus.When we come to the table each week, allow this moment to be a corporate activity that ushers us into the presence and intimacy with our great high priest.

Ep.139 - What is a Christophany?

Grassroots Church Roundtable Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 55:03

Welcome to a conversation between a couple of local church leaders!

christophany

Matt Slick Live 03-09-2023

Christian Apologetics Research Ministry

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2023 48:00

Open calls, questions, and discussion with Matt Slick LIVE in the studio. Topics include- --1. Censorship, moving to RUMBLE-2. 04- John 14-12 -3. 07- Church Fathers and confession-4. 14- Prosperity Gospel churches-5. 23- Who did Adam and Eve see-- Anthropomorphic form Christophany-6. 25- Who wrote Genesis-7. 32- Romans 8-34 KJV error exposed-8. 44- LDS Missionaries and witnessing, false prophets

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935: The King's Return // The Storyline of Scripture 07 (Nathan Johnson)

jesus christ israel scripture storylines nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 31:06

The King is returning soon! In this study we examine what it means to live in light of Christ's return and what Scripture commands us to do as we wait. The day is drawing near and this message encourages all of us to have an excitement and hope in our souls for that long-awaited day.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the time of Israel waiting for their true King. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

A Foreshadow of the Return of Christ (Christophanies 7 of 7)

god jesus christ scripture old testament storylines return of christ foreshadow christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 12:10

Jesus is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture.In this episode, we examine an Old Testament passage that foreshadows the return of Jesus Christ.-----------------This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.» Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 271View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/271

932: The King's Mission // The Storyline of Scripture 06 (Nathan Johnson)

jesus christ church israel mission gospel holy spirit scripture storylines his kingdom before jesus nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 30:51

Before Jesus ascended, He gave the Church a mission—to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all the nations. This mission from our King has not changed, yet many of us prefer to be passive in our faith, rather than be bold and risk everything for the King and His Kingdom. In this session, we examine the King's mission and our call to live empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill it.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the time of Israel waiting for their true King. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

Discover the Strategic Location of God's Mission (Christophanies 6 of 7)

god jesus christ discover mission scripture strategic location ephesus promised land storylines capernaum christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 16:39

Jesus is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture. In this episode, we examine the strategic locations where God fulfills His mission—from Abraham in the Promised Land to Jesus in Capernaum to Paul in Ephesus. We also discover how this profound truth applies to our calling to fulfill the commission of Christ.-----------------This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.» Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 270View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/270

Christmas, B.C. | Sunday Message

A New Beginning with Greg Laurie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2022 43:28

Here's something surprising: the story of Christmas relates to a time before Christ's birth. Pastor Greg Laurie explains just how and leaves us with a stronger appreciation for the holiday. Listen in! Notes This story of redemption, the Christmas story, started a long time ago in a garden—and it began with a tree. The tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil. “The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise. So she ate some of the fruit.” —Genesis 3:6 The Lord gives the first Christmas verse, not Isaiah 9:6 or Micah 5:2 but Genesis 3:15 where God speaks directly to Satan. God the Father was effectively saying, “Satan, there is coming One who will crush you.” Jesus would be born to die so that we might live. The shadow of the cross lay over the beauty of that first Christmas night. The Pharaoh tried to exterminate the Jews, starting with the Hebrew baby boys. The wicked Haman tried to have the Jews wiped off the face of the earth. King Herod, hearing that One was born “The King of the Jews,” tried to kill Jesus. Nothing will stop Christ from coming again! Jesus being God, pre-existed, and He, along with the Holy Spirit and the Father, are co-equal and co-eternal. From our perspective on Earth: Unto us, a child is born. From Heaven's perspective: Unto us, a Son is given. Jesus is in the Old Testament, concealed, and in the New Testament, revealed. A Theophany is an appearance of God. A Christophany is an appearance of Christ before Bethlehem. Note: It was not an angel of the Lord but the angel of the Lord. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and staff they comfort me.” —Psalm 23:4 A shepherd has two tools: a rod and a staff. Read: Genesis 32:24–30 Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. Something changed in the heart of Jacob. He went from wanting to win to worshipping, from fighting to surrendering, from wrestling to nestling. Jesus has always been there, and He will always be there in the future. Even when we sometimes forget about Him, He never for a moment forgets us. Scripture Referenced Isaiah 9:6 Isaiah 43:2 --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas, B.C. | Sunday Message

Harvest: Greg Laurie Audio

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2022 43:28

Here's something surprising: the story of Christmas relates to a time before Christ's birth. Pastor Greg Laurie explains just how and leaves us with a stronger appreciation for the holiday. Listen in! Notes This story of redemption, the Christmas story, started a long time ago in a garden—and it began with a tree. The tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil. “The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise. So she ate some of the fruit.” —Genesis 3:6 The Lord gives the first Christmas verse, not Isaiah 9:6 or Micah 5:2 but Genesis 3:15 where God speaks directly to Satan. God the Father was effectively saying, “Satan, there is coming One who will crush you.” Jesus would be born to die so that we might live. The shadow of the cross lay over the beauty of that first Christmas night. The Pharaoh tried to exterminate the Jews, starting with the Hebrew baby boys. The wicked Haman tried to have the Jews wiped off the face of the earth. King Herod, hearing that One was born “The King of the Jews,” tried to kill Jesus. Nothing will stop Christ from coming again! Jesus being God, pre-existed, and He, along with the Holy Spirit and the Father, are co-equal and co-eternal. From our perspective on Earth: Unto us, a child is born. From Heaven's perspective: Unto us, a Son is given. Jesus is in the Old Testament, concealed, and in the New Testament, revealed. A Theophany is an appearance of God. A Christophany is an appearance of Christ before Bethlehem. Note: It was not an angel of the Lord but the angel of the Lord. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and staff they comfort me.” —Psalm 23:4 A shepherd has two tools: a rod and a staff. Read: Genesis 32:24–30 Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. Something changed in the heart of Jacob. He went from wanting to win to worshipping, from fighting to surrendering, from wrestling to nestling. Jesus has always been there, and He will always be there in the future. Even when we sometimes forget about Him, He never for a moment forgets us. Scripture Referenced Isaiah 9:6 Isaiah 43:2 --- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

929: The King // The Storyline of Scripture 05 (Nathan Johnson)

god jesus christ israel gospel scripture storylines nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 30:34

All of Scripture leads us to the pinnacle of the King and His birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. In this study, we examine how the Gospels declare forth the beauty and blessing of God coming in the flesh. To miss this, is to miss everything we need for life and godliness.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the time of Israel waiting for their true King. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

See the Beauty of the Birth of Jesus (Christophanies 5 of 7)

god jesus christ gospel beauty scripture storylines birth of jesus christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 18:11

Jesus is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture. In this episode, we examine the birth of Jesus and look at two aspects of how the incarnation declares the wonder of the Gospel. -----------------This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.» Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 269View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/269

926: The Kingdom in Waiting // The Storyline of Scripture 04 (Nathan Johnson)

god jesus christ israel kingdom scripture king david storylines king saul nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 28:47

Our modern culture dislikes waiting for anything. Yet we see the incredible patience of God and His people as they waited a millennium for the coming King. Through the time of kings and prophets, there was a yearning for the fullness of the King and Kingdom. In this session, we examine the overarching time period of waiting from the time of Joshua, to the crowning of King Saul and King David, through the divided Kingdom, the declaration of the prophets, and the four hundred years of “silence”—and how the nation of Israel was a Kingdom in waiting.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the time of Israel waiting for their true King. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

See Jesus in the Old Testament Prophecies (Christophanies 4 of 7)

god jesus christ scripture old testament storylines prophecies see jesus messianic christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 17:24

Jesus is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture. We have called these glimpses of Jesus (specifically in the Old Testament) “Christophanies.”In this episode, we examine the Old Testament prophecies and see how Jesus has perfectly fulfilled them.» See the entire list of Messianic prophecies mentioned in this episode.-----------------This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.» Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 268View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/268

DONNA & ALLIE INTRODUCE US TO THEIR LATEST BOOK WITH DR. THOMAS HORN!

SkyWatchTV Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 29:00

The Mysteries of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. She is joined by one of her co-authors, investigative researcher Allie Anderson who uncovers the differences between a "Theophany" and a "Christophany," and how these play into revealing our Lord God throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations just in time for the Christmas season! Make sure to subscribe so as to not miss out on this amazing 4-part series! MAKE SURE TO GET THE INFLATION-BUSTING MEGA GIVEAWAY NOW! AVAILABLE FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME: Sold separately these items hold a retail value of over $2,000.00, yours now for your donation of only $35.00 plus S/H. The Mystery Of Jesus Grand Giveaway includes the following: • All 3 groundbreaking volumes of THE MYSTERY OF JESUS FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION—YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW (summaries linked below). • The NEW Best-Of Defender Publishing E-book collection on data disc! This eBook collection is 120 of our best-selling and most impactful books all in one set —This digital collection is valued at thousands of dollars all by itself! Now for the first time, this must-have assortment features 120 of the most information-packed and best-selling books in Defender history, including the never-before digitally-released version of the Defender Family Bible, featuring Old and New Testament WITH Expanded Apocrypha! These unabridged works are in popular E-book formats so you can read them on Kindle, E-Pub, PDF, and other hand-held electronic devices! Give this collection as the ultimate gift to somebody you know this holiday season, or take them with you wherever you go! • That's not all, with the holidays just around the corner you'll also receive bonus overstock merchandise to add to your library, or to give away as gift

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SimplyHIS | The Mystery of Jesus Part 1

SkyWatchTV Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 29:00

The inspiring Reverend Donna Howell applies mathematical probability to the biblical prophecies of our Great Messiah as she introduces us to the latest book set from Defender publishing, The Mysteries of Jesus. She is joined by one of her coauthors, and investigative researcher Allie Anderson who uncovers the differences between a Theophany and a Christophany and how all of this plays into revealing our Lord God throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations just in time for the Christmas season! You won't want to miss it!!! MAKE SURE TO GET THE INFLATION-BUSTING MEGA GIVEAWAY NOW! AVAILABLE FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME: Sold separately these items hold a retail value of over $2,000.00, yours now for your donation of only $35.00 plus S/H. The Mystery Of Jesus Grand Giveaway includes the following: • All 3 groundbreaking volumes of THE MYSTERY OF JESUS FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION—YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW • The NEW Best-Of Defender Publishing E-book collection on data disc! This eBook collection is 120 of our best-selling and most impactful books, including the never-before digitally-released version of the Defender Family Bible! • You'll also receive bonus overstock merchandise to add to your library, or to give away as gifts this coming holiday season! FIND OUT MORE HERE: https://www.skywatchtvstore.com/collections/featured-products/products/the-mystery-of-jesus-grand-giveaway OR CALL 417-723-0148 or 844-750-4985 DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW US ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES BELOW! Facebook: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHIS @EdensEssentials Instagram: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHisShow @EdensEssentialsUSA TikTok: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHisShow @EdensEssentia

christmas jesus christ bible mystery mysteries defenders revelations sh lord god jesus part theophany christophany

The Mystery of Jesus | SimplyHIS

SkyWatchTV Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 29:00

The inspiring Reverend Donna Howell applies mathematical probability to the biblical prophecies of our Great Messiah as she introduces us to the latest book set from Defender publishing, The Mysteries of Jesus. She is joined by one of her coauthors, and investigative researcher Allie Anderson who uncovers the differences between a Theophany and a Christophany and how all of this plays into revealing our Lord God throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations just in time for the Christmas season! You won't want to miss it!!! MAKE SURE TO GET THE INFLATION-BUSTING MEGA GIVEAWAY NOW! AVAILABLE FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME: Sold separately these items hold a retail value of over $2,000.00, yours now for your donation of only $35.00 plus S/H. The Mystery Of Jesus Grand Giveaway includes the following: • All 3 groundbreaking volumes of THE MYSTERY OF JESUS FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION—YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW • The NEW Best-Of Defender Publishing E-book collection on data disc! This eBook collection is 120 of our best-selling and most impactful books, including the never-before digitally-released version of the Defender Family Bible! • You'll also receive bonus overstock merchandise to add to your library, or to give away as gifts this coming holiday season! FIND OUT MORE HERE: https://www.skywatchtvstore.com/collections/featured-products/products/the-mystery-of-jesus-grand-giveaway OR CALL 417-723-0148 or 844-750-4985 DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW US ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES BELOW! Facebook: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHIS @EdensEssentials Instagram: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHisShow @EdensEssentialsUSA TikTok: @SkyWatchTV @SimplyHisShow @EdensEssentia

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923: The Kingdom Rehearsed // The Storyline of Scripture 03 (Nathan Johnson)

god jesus christ israel law gospel kingdom scripture lamb wilderness storylines tabernacle nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 32:08

God has an eternal purpose and plan which is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Yet 1500 years before God became flesh, God wove the story of Scripture into the everyday life of Israel. In short, they were rehearsing and foreshadowing the Kingdom and coming King in the Law, feasts, Tabernacle, and everyday life of Israel. In this session, we examine how Israel left bondage to Egypt through the blood of the Lamb, led into the Wilderness by Moses, and began to rehearse the incredible reality of the Kingdom and Gospel of Jesus Christ.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the life of Israel in the Wilderness. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

See the Cross in the Life of Moses (Christophanies 3 of 7)

god jesus christ israel bible cross scripture storylines christophany wilderness wanderings ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 15:34

Jesus is seen on every page of the Bible. He is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture. We have called these glimpses of Jesus (specifically in the Old Testament) “Christophanies.”In this episode, we examine the life of Moses and the people of Israel during the Wilderness Wanderings and show how two key stories point to the grand truth of the Cross of Christ.This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.-----------------Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 267View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/267

920: Kingdom People and Promise // The Storyline of Scripture 02 (Nathan Johnson)

god jesus christ kingdom christians scripture storylines his kingdom kingdom people nathan johnson christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 28:50

In the midst of a world that rejected God and His Kingdom, God had a plan to choose for Himself a people so that through them He might come and save the world. We see in Genesis 12 that God called Abraham and gave him a promise; a promise that was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In this session of the Storyline of Scripture, we examine the Kingdom people and promise, look at the entire book of Genesis, and show how Abraham becomes a pattern for living for Christians today.» Take this concept even deeper by joining Nathan in the Deeper Christian Podcast as he shares a companion episode giving his favorite glimpse (Christophany) of Jesus seen in the story of Abraham. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

See Jesus in the Life of Abraham (Christophanies 2 of 7)

god jesus christ bible scripture storylines see jesus christophany ellerslie

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 26:21

Jesus is seen on every page of the Bible. He is the focus and foundation of the entire storyline of Scripture. We have called these glimpses of Jesus (specifically in the Old Testament) “Christophanies.”In this episode, we examine the life of Abraham—specifically the sacrifice of his son Isaac—and show how it is a shadow and glimpse of the grand sacrifice of THE sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ.This special Christophany series is in partnership with Ellerslie's Daily Thunder Podcast. In Daily Thunder, Nathan is teaching through a series called The Storyline of Scripture and then dives even deeper on this podcast to show one of his favorite Christophanies from that part of God's Word.-----------------Join the Weekly Wrapup and get all the quotes, articles, podcasts, and resources from Nathan and deeperChristian from the week.-----------------Deeper Christian Podcast • Episode 266View the shownotes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: deeperChristian.com/266

917: The Kingdom Introduced and Rejected // The Storyline of Scripture 01 (Nathan Johnson)