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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2025 38:21

Title: Love and Honor Text: Acts 20:36-38 FCF: We often struggle having a good relationship between leaders and followers. Prop: Because the relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, we must devote ourselves to love and honor one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 36. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had longer sermons covering Paul's final exhortation to these Ephesian Elders. So, this week I am giving you a break and a chance to digest everything before we celebrate easter next week. This will certainly be a shorter sermon, but there are still many things we can glean from this text. Last week Paul concluded his thoughts toward the Elders of Ephesus. He serves as their template and commands them to shepherd the flock of God well. His last words express a great truth spoken by Jesus Himself, it is more blessed to give than to receive. They must be givers, spending themselves for the sake of the flock which God purchased with the blood of Christ. What follows is the response. What does Paul do after saying all these things, and what do the Elders do after hearing all these things? In this we see a pattern emerge. Just as Paul is a Pastor to these Pastors, so his example and their example serves as a pattern for our Elders and our church to follow. Let us stand to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most gracious Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, our Great Shepherd. He laid down His life for His sheep. He knows His sheep. His sheep hear His voice. He prayed… not for the world, but for all those lambs whom You gave to Him. He protected them. He Loved them. He made them vessels of honor. Now Father, Your Spirit has appointed undershepherds to continue shepherding while Christ is physically absent from us. We know that Jesus is always with us, but we also know that the Spirit is now our comforter and counselor and that He has equipped men called Elders to shepherd your precious lambs. May we be grown in this text to be a church who holds the right relationship between these Spiritually appointed men and those whom they have been given to shepherd. May we have a ministry where mutual love and honor is given to each other. Show us this in Your Word today we ask in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Throughout all of God's creation, there are several examples of relationships He has made that are symbiotic. For instance, clownfish dwell inside sea anemones which protects them from predators while living there, the clown fish cleans the anemone of parasites. Remora fish attach themselves to sharks and whales eating scraps of food from when their host eats. In exchange they clean the shark or whale of parasites. Bees collect nectar from flowers pollenating and reproducing the plant in the process. These animals need each other to survive. The very first humans were created to be two halves of the image of God. It could be said that Husbands and Wives need one another in a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Today we will see that this entity God created called the church is also in a symbiotic relationship. The Elders and the church exist in a symbiotic relationship of mutual love and honor – because neither can exist without the other. At least not for long. Let's look at this relationship as it is displayed in the epilogue of this meeting between Paul and the Ephesian Elders. I.) The relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, so Elders must pray for the church. (36) a. [Slide 3] 36 - And when he had said these things, i. Because we had to divide Paul's final exhortation message into two, it would behoove us to review even for a few minutes what Paul said. ii. The text this morning provides to us this opportunity, as it references that everything that follows is after he said what he said. iii. First Paul walked them through his own personal example among them. iv. How he was humble and gave of himself through many tears and trials to teach them all that God had revealed through Christ and calling all men to repentance and faith. v. In the same way they needed to be blameless and do the work of an Elder to share the gospel and teach thoroughly all that God had revealed. vi. Second, Paul charged them to dutifully and diligently shepherd the church. He told them to do this because the church has been given infinite value in the blood of Christ and because false teachers are coming who will destroy them. vii. And since they had received freely from God and from him, they must give of themselves freely, even to the point of supporting those who are destitute among them. Teaching them and encouraging them so they can be givers and not just takers. viii. Because as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. ix. After Paul said all this… he continues to instruct them as to what kind of Elders they should be, but he does so by demonstration. b. [Slide 4] he knelt down and prayed with them all. i. The final component of what it means to be an Elder, is to be a man of prayer. ii. In a sign of humility, Paul kneels down and prays with them. iii. This probably means that Paul knelt first to pray and that they joined with him. iv. Luke does not give us the content of his prayer, but I don't think it is a stretch to assume that his prayer consisted of both praises to God and also deep and tearful pleas for God to preserve and protect the ministry in the church in Ephesus. v. That God would guide and lead the Elders and that He would prevent doctrinal error from destroying the unity and the effectiveness of the Ephesian church and the impact they would have on the rest of the province of Asia and beyond. vi. In this he demonstrates how leaders, who are truly caring for the body of Christ, are to be men who spend time in earnest prayer for God's people. vii. Truly, without God we are nothing. viii. Knowing that they are but undershepherds who do not have all the answers, who are not able to administer and guide of their own strength, being humble and meek, Elders must seek the Lord in all their duties. For it is only by His strength and will that anything accomplished will endure. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: In this final epilogue, ending the 3rd missionary journey of Paul and closing out the mission to the city of Ephesus, we see Paul's relationship with the Elders through the lens of this final scene with them. After exhorting them and warning them of the challenges which they will face, Paul prays with and for them before he departs. This illustrates for us that the proper relationship between the Elders and the church is one of love and honor. One way that the Elders express love and honor to the church is to pray earnestly for the sake of the church. This shouldn't be surprising to us. In the book of Acts we saw already how the apostles created the office of Deacon in order to allow themselves the freedom to focus on prayer and the teaching of the Scriptures. Since the office of Overseer inherits several functions of the apostolic gift, we might expect the roles of an Elder to mimic that of an Apostle. And one of those roles on display is to pray for the church. So, we Elders must also pray earnestly for our people. In this we express love for them and honor to them as the flock which God purchased with the blood of His Son. Transition: [Slide 6(blank)] But since this relationship is one of mutual love and honor, what is the role of the church toward the Elders? II.) The relationship of an Elder to the church is one of love and honor, so the church must appreciate their Elders. (37-38) a. [Slide 7] 37 - And they began to weep aloud and falling on Paul's neck, they were kissing him, i. In the last two verses of chapter 20 we have the general response of the Elders to Paul's exhortation and closing prayer. ii. All of the Elders present began weeping aloud and falling on Paul's neck. iii. This is an idiomatic expression for hugging or embracing. iv. Why are they crying so much, hugging and kissing Paul? v. Some of why they were weeping no doubt had to do with the threat of false teaching that was coming to Ephesus. vi. Some of it was due to the great weight being placed on their shoulders to lead like Paul did. vii. Some of it was the revelation that some of them would become false teachers in the future. viii. But the primary reason for their tears is pointed out to us by Luke. b. [Slide 8] 38 - being in agony especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again and they were accompanying him to the ship. i. They are weeping because of what Paul suggested to them that they would not see his face any longer. ii. Perhaps they thought this meant that Paul would die soon. I don't think Paul thought he was going to die, only that he would not enter into ministry with them again before he did. iii. They were hugging him, kissing him, and weeping in agony over this. iv. Just as Paul served as an example to these Elders on how to be Elders. So now, these Elders serve as an example to the church on how to love and honor their Elders. v. Therefore, this is the appropriate response of the congregation to an Elder who has served well and is retiring or is approaching death. vi. The congregation should know what a great gift godly leaders are to their assembly. vii. They should know this to the point of giving honor to those who serve well. Honor, respect, submission and love. viii. We see their love and honor of Paul expressed in their desire to see him to the ship and spend every last second they could with him. ix. Some scholars suggest that “accompanying him to the ship” is an idiom suggesting that these Elders put into practice what Paul had taught them and gave him many provisions for his trip to Jerusalem. x. What an amazing expression of gratefulness for his service to them as an apostle. c. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Once again we see that the relationship between the Elders and the church which is illustrated in Paul's relationship to these Elders, is one of love and honor. These Elders know of Paul's love and honor for them. In turn, they loved and honored him. As he turns to Jerusalem to face whatever the Lord has in store for him there, the Elders embrace him, kiss him, and provide for him and his journey. This illustrates the church's love and honor of their Elders by being grateful for them. Elders who serve well are worthy of honor. And those who labor long in leadership and the study of the word are worthy of double honor. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 10] Over the last several weeks Paul has been the example that Luke sets before us of what constitutes a godly church leader. We've seen how godly church leaders prioritize the spiritual instruction of God's people. We've seen the character qualities an Elder must possess in order to lead, chief among them being blamelessness. We've seen that Shepherding God's flock is the primary role of an Elder which includes both their protection from false teaching by rooting them in truth and also their physical care. And today we pivot slightly to show the mutual relationship of love and honor that ought to exist between the Elders and the church. Elders who are excellent shepherds show love and honor to the church by praying for them and with them. And the church shows love and honor to the Elders by appreciating them and their efforts. But let me express some more tangible applications for us today from this tiny little sermon. 1.) [Slide 11] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the relationship between the Elders and the church should be characterized by love and honor. a. Paul is the Pastor of these Pastors. b. He demonstrates who they should be and what they should do for the church. c. In this sense, we see the mutual relationship of love and honor between the church and their leaders. d. We've seen the great care that Paul put into these men. We've seen his heart for them, his passion for them, his sacrifice for them. They must go and do the same. e. And if they do, the church should and must respond like these Elders did to Paul. f. The church should show love and honor to them by appreciating their heart, their passion, and their sacrifice as they care for their souls. g. The relationship between our Elders and the church should look like the relationship between a husband and his wife. h. This shouldn't shock us since the relationship between a husband and wife should look like the relationship between Christ and the church. i. And the Elders are undershepherds and stewards of Christ's church until He returns for her. j. So in many ways the Elders have responsibilities that Christ would perform if He were here among us bodily. k. But no matter how many years you've lived on this earth – it is difficult for us to imagine a form of leadership or government that we could love and honor. l. In fact, it seems like we can pendulum swing far and wide when it comes to our view of leaders. More on that in a moment. m. But the picture that the Bible paints for us concerning the Elders/Pastors or Overseers and the church body itself is one of mutual love, honor, and even dependence. Neither can exist without the other. Elders have nothing to lead if the church is absent and the church is rudderless and disunified when they do not have Overseers. n. As difficult as it may be for us to do so – we must affirm and even seek to have this relationship between the Elders and the church. o. But what are some ways we get this wrong? 2.) [Slide 12] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Elders must be served without question or treated with constant suspicion. a. In a perverted sense of honor, some churches view their pastors or overseers as leaders who have absolute authority over their lives. i. They obey whatever their Elders say without question as if the Lord Jesus Himself had said it. ii. Now although Elders are undershepherds and do tend the flock of Christ, we do not for one instant consider this flock ours. We know that you all are His, because He purchased you with His precious blood. Why do we know that so well? Well, because He had to purchase us the same way. We are mere sheep. iii. We also have absolutely no authority to command you to do anything except what the Scriptures have said. iv. This does not mean that our advice and counsel is meaningless or should be easily ignored or dismissed – but it does mean that on anything we advise that is not a command of the scriptures, it is at its best wise counsel and not a command. v. For example. 1. The Elders may NOT come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from dating another Christian from a different congregation. Now the Elders may advise, based on what we know of the person, whether it would be wise to enter into a relationship pursuant to marriage with them. But we cannot forbid it. Why? Because we do not have a command from the scriptures. 2. But the Elders may come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from having premarital sex, also known as fornication. Why are the Elders permitted to do this? Because this is what the scriptures teach. We are merely commanding what the scriptures have commanded. 3. Some may say – if that is all that is happening, why must the Elders command anything at all? 4. Well, that is our role! Our role is to preach and teach what the scriptures say. Not just from the pulpit but in the counseling room, in your living room, in your car, over the phone and everywhere where we give counsel, we must give the whole counsel of the Lord. And not just when it is palatable for the church, but in season and out of season too. Whether you are going to like it or not is irrelevant. It is our job to bring to bear all that God has said concerning the situation you are in. 5. We are not adding our authority to scripture but we are drawing your attention to what God has said and we must also be his earthly executives making sure His will is known to all and to a certain degree… followed. 6. You see the Lord has given us (the church) the keys to the kingdom. This means that whatever we bind on earth will have been bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. When two or three are gathered in His name He is with us. Helping us. And when we find a member refusing to obey the commands of God… this is when we execute church discipline. First in private exhortation and correction but eventually in excommunication. 7. The Elders then are to enforce the commands of Christ upon His church. We rebuke, reprove, correct and instruct to thoroughly equip God's people to do all that He has commanded them to do. And to a certain degree – as much as we are humanly able – we, in gentleness, see to it that Christ's instructions are followed. b. Another abuse we often have when it comes to leadership is to have a persisting and underlying sense of suspicion and distrust toward them. i. Now certainly I would be a fool to combat this by pretending there is no such thing as ungodly leaders. ii. Of course there is. iii. Not only in the political realm but even in the clergy there have been several examples of leaders abusing their authority and lording over their people. iv. But just because someone is in leadership does not automatically make them worthy of suspicion. v. Elders should be trusted, loved and honored until there is some reason that they have provided to suspect something different. vi. There is no reason to withhold your trust from Elders simply because they are in a position of authority. vii. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything it is that people don't very much like being told what to do. And they will only go along with being told what to do for so long before they push back. Why? Because people are suspicious of their government leaders – and to be honest, those in government have earned that suspicion. viii. But godly Elders are not the same as government leaders. Especially in a small country church like ours. My friends there is no power here worth manipulating you for. There is no money here worth bilking you out of. And let me tell you something, there are a lot of easier and quieter and more fulfilling ways to gain authority than being an Elder of a church. If I wanted power with few headaches… Elder isn't the right choice. ix. Don't be suspicious of your Elders. Especially when they haven't given you a reason to be. x. What must you do instead? 3.) [Slide 13] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” The church must love and honor their Elders by being grateful for them and submitting to them. a. Elders who lead boldly, who are godly men, who possess truly blameless character, who are apt to teach, and strong in their faith, should be trusted, loved and honored. b. Putting your trust in Jesus means that you obey Him. The Lord actually says that if you love me, you will keep my commandments. c. And although it is to a different and lesser degree, the Lord makes it plain in Hebrews 13 that if you truly love your Elders, you will submit to their authority so that they may watch over your souls with joy. d. One way you show love to your Elders is by submitting yourself to our authority. i. As I have already said, the Elder's authority extends only as far as the Scriptures allow. ii. You should trust your Elders and submit to our authority out of a heart of love for us so that we may be joyful in our responsibility to help guide you safely to heaven's shore. iii. Go willingly and passionately with us. e. Secondly, you show honor to your Elders by being grateful for our wise and godly leadership and teaching. f. How do you show gratefulness? i. Well, in Paul's case these men fell on his neck, kissed him, and wept over his leaving. They even potentially gave him provisions for his long trip to Jerusalem. I'm not saying that is THE way – I am saying that is what they did. ii. But let me make some suggestions. iii. First, it would be wise to be thankful to the Lord. Express thankfulness to God for wise and godly leadership. Ask for His blessing on our lives and that He would keep us and preserve us in our role. Do this in your family devotions and family worship times to let your children hear that you are thankful for our sacrifice. iv. Second might be to express gratitude to the Elder personally. A card, a phone call, a gift, a strong handshake. Especially when a particular Elder has helped you through a difficult trial or has devoted extra time to your family. It is wise and even obvious to express heartfelt thankfulness to that particular Elder. Let him know that you appreciate his sacrifice for you. Even doing so toward his wife and children. Knowing that they too have had to sacrifice his presence among them so that you could be ministered to. v. Finally, you might express gratefulness publicly. You might pray a prayer of thanksgiving at a family gathering, in a church service, or express a praise during prayer request time. You might make a special service or event to honor our sacrifice and service. g. Let me clear the air really quickly. Every single Elder in this room today has been absolutely squirming at the mention of every single way you could express gratefulness. And I felt REALLY uncomfortable saying it too. h. You need to understand that I am saying this not because I want to, but because the text so obviously leads us to that conclusion. i. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. j. Let me read that again. k. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. l. I wrote that last sentence the day before we met. That is how confident I was that it wouldn't happen. And I was right. m. Why was I so confident that we wouldn't do that? n. Because we don't do that. o. The reason we are squirming today at the mention of these practical ways you can show your gratitude for us…is because WE DON'T DO THIS FOR YOUR GRATITUTDE. p. Which is exactly the reason you should express your gratefulness to us. q. Ugh – I hate saying it. But it must be said. I am holding my nose up here saying it. r. Show love and honor to your Elders by submitting and expressing your gratefulness to us. s. Yuck! t. Ok moving on. Let's beat up the Elders now. 4.) [Slide 14] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders must love and honor the church by praying for her. a. My brothers. b. I have continued my quest this year to pray through our membership directory every week. c. It isn't enough. I've had to add more times of prayer. I've had to start praying immediately after hearing a request to make sure that I do actually pray for it before the next week rolls around. d. Understand, I don't hold myself up as the standard – I am simply giving a testimony of what it has done for me. e. I have grown in my love for these folks over the last couple years and I think that is because I pray for every member by name, every single week. I pray for everything I can think of regarding that member. f. I just walk around this room with my membership directory in hand praying for every name in it. g. Some weeks it takes over an hour to get through. h. I usually do this on Tuesday and hit my 8000 steps by noon.

76 Acts 20:28-35 The Assignment: Protect and Provide

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 55:26

Title: The Assignment: Protect and Provide Text: Acts 20:28-35 FCF: Church leaders often struggle understanding their assignment and fulfilling it. Prop: Because Elders must shepherd the flock well, they must protect and provide for themselves and the church. Scripture Intro: Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard bible starting in verse 18 and going to verse 25. You can follow along in the pew bible or the version you prefer. Last week, Paul began his final exhortation to the Elders of Ephesus. He used his example to depict for them the kind of men who they must be to lead the church well in his absence. These qualities could be summarized in the primary trait of blamelessness. Paul makes it abundantly clear that if the Elders are not blameless, the Ephesian church will fail. Today Paul will continue his exhortation to them, this time issuing commands on what they must do. Let's take a look. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most loving and Gracious God. We come to You as the bride You came from heaven to seek. We come to You as the earthen jars You have placed Your treasure in. Though we are without worth, You have given us infinite value in what You spent to save and to predestine us for a most holy purpose. We are now citizens of the Kingdom of Light. I pray that You would shine Your light on us today and reveal to us our new purpose, which you purchased for us with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Build our faith, strengthen us in Your Word of Grace today. We pray this in the name of The Word… Amen. Transition: Let us press on this morning to the text. We have much to discuss. I.) An Elder's role is to dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock, so we must protect ourselves and the flock from false teachers. (28-31) a. 28 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, i. Up to this point in his exhortation Paul has pointed to his own example which the Ephesian Elders observed while he was among them. ii. Although Paul does not overtly command them to imitate him, it is implied that he wished for his example to be a pattern they must follow. iii. Specifically, a pattern of character. iv. After this, Paul now turns to exhorting the Ephesian Elders directly. v. Paul's opening word in this section is the command to be on guard. vi. The word means to give attention to, to be alert to, to be concerned about, to devote or apply yourself to something. vii. What does Paul command these Elders to guard? viii. He actually points their guard toward two targets. ix. First, they are to guard themselves. Second, they are to guard all the flock. x. Of course, by “all the flock” Paul means all the church in Ephesus. Let no one slip through the cracks. Be on guard for everyone, yourselves included. b. among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, i. They are part of that flock in Ephesus. ii. They are sheep too. iii. So how did they get in the position they are in? Did Paul put them there? iv. Paul may have appointed them, and the congregation may have received them as Elders… v. But the primary agent in their becoming Elders is by the work of God the Spirit. vi. The Holy Spirit made or appointed them to this duty. vii. The character qualities and spiritual giftedness of each Elder serves as an assurance to the congregation that God's Spirit has appointed these men to their office. Their humility, their care, their teaching, their servant's heart has all authenticated the Spirit's appointment. viii. But what role has the Spirit appointed them to? What duty must they fulfill? ix. Paul uses a word that in other letters he uses interchangeably with Elder. x. He uses the word overseer. xi. The term Elder emphasizes the maturity of the man in the office and the term overseer emphasizes the responsibilities of the office the man holds. xii. To oversee means to watch over, direct, and be held accountable for those in your charge. xiii. So, we know who they are to guard and we know the relationship between themselves and those they guard, but what is the purpose of or the intended result of their guarding work? c. to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. i. Again, Paul uses another word that is used interchangeably with Elder and Overseer. ii. It is the word Shepherd or Pastor. iii. Here it is used as a verbal infinitive adverb modifying the command to be on guard. It answers the question why the Elders must guard themselves and the church. iv. The goal of an Elder's oversight is to care for those in their charge. v. Not just spiritually but for their entire being, body and soul, including protection, provision, guidance and accountability. vi. As a shepherd would care for his sheep, so Elders/Overseers/Pastors are to shepherd the lambs which they lead. vii. Why? Why must they be cared for? viii. The first reason they must be cared for, is because they are precious to the Lord. ix. Notice the reason why. Christ purchased the church with His blood. x. Some false teachers today claim that we can determine our inherent worth by how much God was willing to spend to purchase us. Using this text as proof of that claim. xi. However, the bible also describes us as children of wrath, broken vessels, and leaky cisterns. In a sense, the bible communicates to us that we only have value when we can be used for what we were created to be used for. xii. God made us to be His image bearers. To reflect, represent, and worship Him forever. Sin has utterly destroyed all men's ability to do any of that. Meaning we are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. xiii. Christ purchasing us with His blood should not communicate to us that we are inherently valuable. For to conclude this would be to contradict other parts of scripture. xiv. Instead, Christ purchasing us with His blood gives to us our infinite value because of what He spent on us to remake us into a new creation. xv. And to those who oversee and shepherd the redeemed of God – they had better take exceptional care of what Christ has purchased with His precious blood. xvi. Another reason that these Elders should guard this flock with the intent to shepherd them, is because there is a looming threat on the horizon. d. 29 - I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 - and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. i. What a terrible revelation given to these Elders – but one they should not have been shocked to hear. ii. They must be diligent and on guard to shepherd Christ's church because as soon as Paul departs, false teachers will come and try to destroy what God has done. iii. How did Paul know this? Is he making a prophesy? iv. Friends, Paul has been dealing with this since day one. v. In the late 40s after completing his first missionary journey to southern Galatia, only a few months after he returned to Antioch of Syria, Paul had to send a letter to the churches there strongly correcting them for abandoning the gospel. vi. False teachers had come in among them and led them astray. The turn around on this was so quick that Paul wondered if they had been bewitched. “Has someone cast a spell on you?” he asked. vii. The same kinds of things have happened to him in several cities since. At some point a pattern emerges and prophesy becomes merely predictability. viii. And unfortunately the scriptures reveal to us that Paul was exactly correct. 1. In the 60s AD, from I and II Timothy, we find that Paul sends Timothy to Ephesus to right the ship and reestablish order there. Meaning that only a few years after Paul spoke these words to them, the church was under attack by false teaching. 2. And by the time John writes to the church in Ephesus in the 90s, only a little over 20 years after Paul was executed, they had left their first love. ix. Paul's warning is that these people will come in like ravenous wolves. They will rip and tear apart the unity and maturity of the church and will shipwreck the faith of the people. x. But perhaps one of the most blood curdling things Paul says here, is not only that false teachers will come from without, but even some of the ones standing before him, will rise up and speak wicked and crooked things and draw away people from the truth. xi. In I and II Timothy Paul calls out three men who had led to the shipwreck of the faith of many and were gangrenous to the church. He calls them out as Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus. xii. What a sobering thought it is that very likely these three men are standing there listening to Paul say these very words. xiii. What are we to do if the threats are from without AND from within? e. 31 - Therefore, be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. i. Paul issues another command. ii. He says that because of this, because the church has been given infinite worth being purchased by Christ, because there are threats from without and within to destroy it – iii. They must remain alert. They must not only dutifully guard themselves and the church in order to shepherd these people but they must be vigilant in this task. They must be diligent. iv. Then Paul calls to their attention, again, his example. He labored night and day to continually admonish each of them with tears. v. Of course, Paul doesn't mean that he never slept. But Paul's point is that he worked hard. He labored long. He wasn't passive or lazy. He labored… to do what? Admonish everyone with tears. vi. He labored to counsel, exhort, rebuke, and instruct with great passion, pleading with all the church to follow Christ. f. Summary of the Point: Paul gives two commands in this passage, but those two commands are really describing what an Elder is to do. They must be on guard and be watchful. They must be dutiful and diligent. But neither of these commands mean much divorced from the primary aim of their duty and diligence. What is the goal of their guard and their watchfulness toward the church? It is to shepherd the flock of God. This is THE assignment of every Elder. But this assignment takes on two distinct flavors in Paul's exhortation. The first, which becomes our first application point, is to dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock by protecting ourselves (The Elders) and the flock (The rest of the church) from false teaching and false teachers. Paul makes it abundantly clear and with the luxury of hindsight we see the nauseating truth of it, that false teachers are everywhere. From without… and sadly… also from within. It is the assignment of every Elder – if they are to shepherd the flock of God well – to protect themselves and the flock of God from false teaching. Transition: But as I said, there are two particular flavors of this concept of diligently shepherding God's flock. Not only must the Elders protect themselves and the church from false teaching, they must also be providers. II.) An Elder's role is to dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock, so we must provide for ourselves and those who are weak. (32-35) a. 32 - And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, i. Paul now prepares them for the second aim of their assignment to shepherd the flock. ii. Again, he teaches them from two examples. The first is God Himself. iii. He begins by entrusting them or puts them into the care and protection of God. iv. God is ultimately going to keep His people safe. Paul knows this. This doesn't cancel his command to them to protect the flock. Instead, they should perceive God's sovereign hand using them to accomplish this purpose. v. What has God done to protect His people, including His undershepherds, from believing error? vi. He has given us The Word. And even though you do not see it, in my notes this is capitalized. vii. The word of God's grace is another way to say the gospel. But oftentimes New Testament writers when they say the gospel they mean far more than simply the fact that Christ was crucified for sinners. viii. In fact, all of Christ's words to us, all of the revelation of God through Christ to His people would constitute the good news. The Word of Grace. ix. The Word of God's grace is how God continues to give His riches to us because it is given through Christ's work both passively and actively. And Christ is The Word. x. Christ did not only come and die to purchase our pardon but also lived, obeyed God, and taught His disciples and His church. xi. The Word continues to be God's riches dispensed to His church via The Spirit inspired teachings of the apostles recorded in our New Testament. xii. God has given a marvelous gift to us in His Word in that we find all we need for life and godliness. We find all we need to be prepared to do everything that God has commanded us to do. xiii. Paul entrusts the futures of these Elders to God because he knows that God gives grace freely to His people when they need help, and He does this through His Word. xiv. Help to do what though? b. which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified. i. We know that for those who have received Christ by true faith, we cannot lose our salvation. Therefore, we will not fail to endure. ii. But we are also told in the scriptures that it is only those who grow and endure in their faith who will inherit the kingdom of God. iii. How do we harmonize these thoughts? iv. Quite simply, those who have true faith will grow and endure. v. Those who have true faith will take the warnings about enduring faith seriously and pursue any means to mature and perfect their faith so it endures. vi. And Paul here says that The Word of God's grace is the means by which we are built up and given an inheritance among those who have been sanctified. vii. We are continually sustained by feasting on The Word of God's grace. To not read, study, mediated, memorize, learn, and live out the commands of Jesus Christ, is to starve yourself and risk proving that your faith… is actually dead faith. viii. Again, The Word of God's grace is a gift freely given. And God has given us this Word of His grace to help us grow and endure and assure us of a clear conscience before Him. ix. This is God's example. God freely gives to help those who are weak. Like us. x. Let's move on to Paul's example. c. 33 - I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. 34 - You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to those who were with me. i. Paul's example is also of one who is not greedy for gain but is instead a servant to all providing for himself and those who ministered with him. ii. Now this is not to say that pastors and missionaries should not accept support from other believers. We know that Paul himself did accept monetary support from the church in Philippi while he was in Thessalonica. He mentions this in the book of Philippians. iii. So, Paul isn't giving these Elders the absolute statement of never being supported by the church. iv. Instead, he is targeting one key area which often destroys leaders. v. Covetousness. Greed. And seeing the flock of God as servants to them. vi. Paul's example is that he did not see each church member as a bank account or a means to make him rich. vii. Instead, he worked with his own hands to support himself and his companions in their missionary endeavors. viii. He continues… d. 35 - In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak i. He did this so that he could be an example to them of what it means to labor hard and long and help those who are weak. ii. Paul isn't saying they can never be supported by the church… but he is saying that if they are to shepherd well, they must not only provide for themselves but also for those who are unable to provide for themselves. iii. The poor and the weak and the destitute among them. iv. This ought to be the goal of Elders. To not only provide for themselves but to be in a position financially to provide for others. v. Why? e. and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” i. Although we do not have this specific teaching of Jesus recorded for us in the scriptures, there is no doubt that Jesus said this at some point to Paul directly or to his disciples. ii. It is certainly something we can piece together from the rest of the teachings of Jesus. iii. It is certainly more blessed to give than to receive. iv. God should know – He is constantly depicted as a giver in the scriptures. v. In fact, the doctrine of God's independence or Aseity teaches us that God has no need of anything from His creation. There is nothing that we can give to Him that He needed. vi. Therefore, God is the ultimate giver because there is literally nothing we could ever do to “pay Him back” for all that He gives to us. vii. Paul should know that it is more blessed to give than to receive for he has given of himself for the sake of these Ephesians and did so for 3 years admonishing them night and day. He earned his own living and paid for his mission with very little help from others. He did not charge a fee to hear him but only took enough to provide for himself and to help those in need. viii. Paul's point is this. These Elders had freely received from him the gospel of God… so they must freely give of themselves and exercise servant leadership, providing even the financial needs of those who are desperate, and refuse the temptation to Lord over the congregation expecting to be served. f. Summary of the Point: Again, Paul's primary point is that the Assignment of an Elder is to dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock of God. The first aspect of shepherding well involves protecting the flock from false teaching. But because God has given all we have and we are simply blessed receivers of His grace, and because Paul's pattern was to provide for himself and those who were destitute, we conclude that another necessary component to shepherding the flock of God well is to be a giver and not a taker. Elders must diligently and dutifully provide for themselves and those who are destitute. In this sense they, who have richly received from God, must richly give to those who are weak. Elders must be servant leaders, positioning themselves in a way that they are neither needing financial aid, nor are they withholding help from those who are in need. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: As Paul addresses the Ephesian Elders, he has already shown them through his example the character qualities required to be an Elder. Today, he gives them their assignment as he goes off to Jerusalem never to see them again. Their assignment is to dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock of God. This command divides into two basic roles they must fill in order to shepherd well. The first arises from the impending threat of false teachers peddling other gospels which will shipwreck the faith of the flock and act like gangrene to the body of Christ. So, to shepherd dutifully and diligently means that we must protect ourselves and the flock from doctrinal error and those who teach them. The second role in shepherding well arises due to the threat of covetousness and greed which is so common among leaders. Failing such a role leads to the pervasive want of those who are destitute in the church. So, to shepherd dutifully and diligently means that we must provide for ourselves to the point that we have enough to give to those who are weak among us. But let us look deeply into these applications. There is quite a lot here and although the actions commanded are aimed at Elders, the key concepts necessitating those actions are profitable for all God's people to affirm. 1.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that false teachers will continue to arise from without and within our church. a. Oh it could never happen here. We are just a small country church in a township without a major city in not quite the thumb area of a state that isn't even the most well-known peninsula in the USA. b. It could never happen to us. Right? Wrong. c. There are many churches in our area that get the gospel right. There are even a few who share our perspectives on the specifics of the gospel and several other secondary matters. d. But make no mistake, there are many churches in our area peddling a false gospel leading people to trust in themselves, their inherent goodness, and their own faith so that they can be healthy, wealthy, and earn their spot in heaven. e. Indeed, in our nation heresies abound. And not new heresies. There is nothing new under the sun. Arianism, Modalism, Partialism, Pelagianism, Sabellianism, Universalism, Gnosticism, Montanism, Marcionism, and many more all still exist in some form or another. f. And they don't just exist in the cultic offshoots of Christendom. My friends some of these heresies exist in churches that are minutes from us. They are preached from their pulpits. They are swooned over in small groups. g. And some teachings which have been part of the church orthodoxy for thousands of years are being chucked out the window by people who think they know the bible well enough to unceremoniously cancel what Theologians from hundreds of years ago bled and died to prove to be true. h. My friends, we must hold fast to the teachings which we have received from faithful witnesses which have been passed down through the ages for thousands of years. i. This is why it is absolutely imperative that we study the scriptures and have the scriptures be our final authority but that we also do not study the scriptures and have our interpretation of them be our only authority. j. The church is not comprised of several individuals! We are one body untied by one faith and one Lord in one baptism from the garden to now. Thus, the essential doctrines of our faith must be known by us and known well, including not only where we find it in the scriptures but also why the church arrived at these beliefs through the study of those scriptures. k. No one here is exempt. Everyone here is a theologian already. But no one is an island either. l. Once again, I advise that you read the books Know the Creeds and Councils and Know the Heretics. m. The ancient Creeds and Councils define for us what orthodox Christianity looks like and how the church has always interpreted key doctrines from the scriptures. Knowing the Heretics helps us to understand how the church engaged with those who did not agree on these ancient teachings of essential doctrines. n. Knowing both the creeds and councils and the heretics will provide for you some guardrails for what has always been taught in the church of Christ. And with these books and diligent study of the scriptures you will not fail to remain steadfast in the essential and ancient doctrines of the church. o. Incidentally I just ordered 10 more of each of these books and they should be here this week. I highly… HIGHLY recommend you read them – if you haven't already. And maybe read them again if its been a while. p. Why is this so important? Without drawing paranoia or undue suspicion on one another – we must keep in mind that the threat of false teachers is always present. Not just from without but also from within these very walls. q. The biggest antidote to this as a member of this congregation or even as an Elder is to remain humble and when you find yourself disagreeing with something, search the scriptures and assume you are the one out of bounds. And only when you cannot harmonize your view with what is being taught, should you approach the Elders and seek clarification or… even… correction. r. Unsurprisingly the greatest inoculation against false teaching is humility. 2.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm the church is valuable to God because He purchased it with the blood of Christ. a. You have often heard me teach against the self-esteem movement. b. You have often heard me criticize the modern overemphasis on the love of God to the point that some preachers make it seem that God would be really lucky to have us join Him. c. You have often heard me teach on the wretchedness and wickedness of natural man and how we are all enemies of God and hate His law and do not seek after Him naturally. d. All of this is true. All of this I will continue to preach until I die. e. But I want to make it very clear – dear children of God – that God has given every single one of us eternal and infinite value by redeeming us with the precious and priceless blood of His Son. f. For His bride Christ came and sought her. He found her prostituting herself to various gods and passions. She was a slave of Satan and her own lusts. g. But He found her and bought her with His death. He has granted her new life in His resurrection. He has made her new. h. The value God has given to His church is bound to His holy and eternal purpose for her. She will be glorified with the Son and she will reign with Him forevermore. i. My friends… God has lavished His love on us in that while we were yet sinners… Christ died for us. j. We are worth so much to God, because He gave us worth in His Son. We are no longer slaves… but sons and daughters. And if we are sons and daughters, we are heirs to the throne of God. We are a holy and royal priesthood. We are Princes and Princesses, unblemished Priests and Priestesses, and preaching Prophets and Prophetesses… why? Because we are His bride. k. He loves us so much. Not because we are loveable… but because He has poured into us His love. We love God because He loved us first. l. Oh the depth and the riches and the glory of the Love of God! His church is the apple of His eye… the reason He became a man, lived a sinless life, and suffered and died… we are His Holy Church. m. My friends, He is ours… but we are also His. We are His portion. We are His prize. We are His children. We are His bride. n. Oh the depth and the riches and the glory of the Love of God which He has lavished on His church! From heaven He sought us. Through death He bought us. Forever He loves us. o. Oh the depth and the riches and the glory of the Love of God which He has lavished on His church! 3.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the Word of God's Grace is able to grow our faith in maturity and endurance. a. God loves His church so much that He has supplied His Son not only to redeem us but to grow us and sustain us and to remake us into what He desires us to be. In this we walk worthy of the expensive name we have been given. b. The Word of His Grace continues to shape us, grow us, mold us, and strengthen us to endure to the end. c. The Word of God is powerful to destroy and rebuild to mold and purify. d. We are of great value to our King, which is exactly why He has not left us to fend for ourselves. He has given us the Word of His grace. e. Why oh why do you deprive yourself of the gift of God's Word? Do you enjoy starving yourself or feasting on that which will never satisfy? Do you enjoy feeding yourself at the pig trough when you could be dining on the fatted calf your heavenly Father has slain for you? f. Why do you like baby birds desire the prechewed and predigested food of books about the Word of God's grace when you could study the Word itself? g. My friends – it is time for you to take up the means that God has provided to grow you and make you strong and consume it daily! h. What have you to do with your time that is better than eating and drinking? Who among us today can go a week without water? How many among us have gone a week without food? i. Why then do you consume spiritual food only on Sunday, and only food that has been prepared for you. Food that is so large a meal that your stomach, being accustomed to short 2 minute devotions, cannot seem to linger over for more than 10 minutes before you have eaten your fill and thus drifted off to sleep. j. Do you not know the price God paid to give you the Word of His grace? k. Elders and church members alike… feast often and feast long on the meals arranged for you in the Word of God's grace. See how big and strong your faith becomes. See how humility becomes your default setting when day after day the Word strikes you down to the nothing that you are only to pick you up in the potential of His Spirit's plan for your life. 4.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders must dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock of God by protecting ourselves and the assembly from doctrinal error. a. Elders we must lead the way in this. b. All that I have said so far is for everyone here… but we must lead the way. c. We cannot be prone to hobby horse doctrines, theological musings, endless discussions over genealogies and mythologies, or answering the questions of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. d. My friends, we must devote ourselves to the rigorous study of the Word of God and the Creeds, confessions, and historical dogmas of the church to ensure that we do not stray to the left or the right. e. Why? f. Because where we go others are sure to follow. g. We must hold one another accountable. We must stay on guard for all teachings which could lead others astray from the truth and even for teachers rising up… even from among us… who must be corrected and if they will not be corrected, they must be silenced. h. We have been given the duty to shepherd this flock. To do so well, we must protect them from ravenous wolves. And some of them we may even know personally. i. We must be courageous and bold in this. 5.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God freely gives to His children all we need to be godly. a. God is the greatest example of a giver. b. God has given freely, without cost, without need of repayment, all we as His children need to be godly. c. God owns all of us, everything we have, everything we are… all of creation is His… yet He gives us life, hope, peace, repentance, godliness, faith, grace, and mercy. d. He gives out of His abundance. e. No one can outgive God. f. He has lavished His love on us, His people. g. Indeed, God even gives glory to us through Christ. h. Although the scriptures say that God will share His glory with no one… the scriptures also teach that God will glorify us in Christ. i. In fact, God is glorified by glorifying us in Christ. How? j. Because for all eternity we will live to declare the matchlessness of His grace to us in that He has lavished upon us all His riches at Christ's expense. k. God is the greatest example of a giver that there ever could be. 6.) Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” Elders must deny that the church exists to serve us. a. As no surprise then, men, if we are the undershepherds of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… then we must be givers too. b. From heaven… He sought His church and bought them with His own blood. c. How could we EVER conclude that the church exists to serve us? d. They are not here for us… we are here for them. They are His precious bride, His children, His heirs. e. And so are we. f. Those who wish to be first, must be last. g. As Elders, we have desired this noble office… we have desired to be first among these people… h. But that means we must be last. i. We must be servants of all these dear ones whom Christ has purchased with His blood. j. Like God… like Paul… we must give of ourselves to them… until we are empty and extinguished. 7.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that it is more blessed to give than to receive. a. But not just the Elders need to understand this principle. b. All of us must heed the words of our Lord. It is more blessed to give than to receive. c. Giving of our time, talents, abilities, strength, financial resources – is the heartbeat of the Triune God as He gave freely to save His church. d. We are blessed when we are holy as our heavenly Father is holy. e. When we are stingy, self-focused – we are only cursing ourselves. f. Our culture says take care of #1. And many today are keyboard activists standing up for the rights of those who are oppressed or hurting… but when it comes to actually DOING something to help… they have only excuses for not doing so. g. Let that not be said of us. Let us be generous first to the household of faith. Let us be generous to all whom the Lord purchased with His blood. Let us not allow even one among us who are truly His child to be poor and destitute. h. Let us intervene and meet the needs of those who cannot meet their own needs. And let us encourage and train them to go from needing help, to helping others. Why? i. Because it is more blessed to give than to receive. j. It is not God's will for you to remain a taker… because it is more blessed to give than to receive. If you must receive, do so without shame. But see to it that you seek to become a giver as soon as you are able. 8.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders must dutifully and diligently shepherd the flock of God, by providing for ourselves and the destitute in the assembly. a. Men this leads once again to us leading by example. b. We must labor hard and not be lazy. c. We must devote ourselves to providing for all our own needs so that we may take our excess and give out of our abundance, like our heavenly Father does to us. d. It is very uncomfortable for me to say this you all as the vocational Elder here. I have to just voice that. I labor each week to bring the text of scripture to bear upon all of us – myself included. For this the church graciously supplies my needs, giving my family enough to be generous to others as well. e. But for you all my brothers, you earn your living via another job and then give of yourselves here by pure sacrifice. f. Nevertheless, the scriptures must be presented as they are. All of us must be providers to those who are destitute in our fellowship. g. As it stands at this moment, the Elders are not aware of any that are… but it is our job to ensure it stays that way men. Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan John Flavel Lord, cleanse our churches, and repair their walls, so they may become gardens of delight for Christ to walk in and take pleasure in. May her ministers be faithful and wise: faithful so they do not deceive others; wise so they do not deceive themselves. May their wisdom prevent deceivers imposing on them, and their faithfulness prevent them imposing on others. May their wisdom enable them to discern wholesome food for the flock and their faithfulness oblige them to distribute it. May our leaders be pure with spiritual aims and intentions; serving not their own honour and interest, but yours. May our leaders show sincerity, not appearing outwardly spiritual while being inwardly carnal. May our leaders be diligent, like men in harvest, like women in labour, like soldiers in battle, watching while others sleep. May our leaders lack favouritism, as those who will appear before an impartial God. May they take the same care, manifest the same love, show the same diligence to the poorest and weakest souls in their care as they do the rich, the great and the honourable. For all souls are rated the same in your book of life, and our Redeemer paid as much for one as the other. May their faithfulness fix their eyes on the right end, and may their wisdom direct them to the best means of attaining it. May they lay a good foundation of knowledge in our souls, choosing subjects that will meet our needs, shaping the language in which they address us, using their own affections to move us, being careful of their behaviour. Send them often to their knees to seek your blessing upon their labours, knowing that all their success entirely depends upon you. It is in Jesus' name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: May our God who called Abraham when he was but one, And blessed him and made him many, Show you the incomparable riches of his grace, That you might know you are His workmanship, To do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Until we meet again, go in peace.

74 Acts 20:7-12 Church Leaders: Priority #1

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2025 49:56

Title: Church Leaders: Priority #1 Text: Acts 20:7-12 FCF: We often struggle listening and obeying church leadership. Prop: Because obedient church leaders give their highest priority to the spiritual growth of the church, we must consider it our highest priority by listening to and obeying our leaders' spiritual instruction. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 7. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Some have noted that last week's message was somewhat surprising. In reading what amounts to essentially an itinerary, perhaps you too did not think that there would be much to learn from such a text. Nevertheless, we see Paul's consistent desire to exhort, encourage, and teach the scriptures to believers all around the Aegean Sea. In what is quickly becoming Luke's emphasis, we will notice yet again the character of Paul in this text this morning. I dare say that as many were surprised by last week's message hidden in a seemingly empty 6 verses, many will be equally surprised by this week's message. Because many a believer has no doubt entered this text and been led to believe that Luke's primary point is the miracle of raising a young boy back to life. However… would it shock you to hear that the death and resurrection of this young boy is actually just an interruption in what is the main point of this passage? Don't believe me? Let's look. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most loving and gracious Father. You have sent Your Son to purchase us from the domain of darkness. You have sent Your Spirit to dwell in us and make us new. And to guide us in Your ways you have raised up for us godly church leaders whose primary objective is to do all that is in their power to ensure our spiritual success. Father, I pray that you might send your Spirit among us today to reveal to us the blessing of Your Dear Son's Undershepherds and their purpose which has been ordained by Christ Himself. May Your people grow in their attentiveness, submission, and love for spiritual instruction. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: Let us get right to the text this morning… there is much to cover. I.) Obedient church leaders give their highest priority to the spiritual growth of the church, so we must be attentive and submissive to spiritual instruction. (7-9) a. [Slide 2] 7 - And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, i. From some of the earliest writings we have of church fathers that are not the writings of the apostles, we understand that the early church met together on the first day of the week to worship God together. ii. They called it the Lord's Day. iii. On the first day of the week in creation God created the heavens and the earth. His Spirit moved upon the formless waters and brought order out of chaos. He created light and separated the light from the darkness. On the first day of the week our Savior rose from the dead and brought spiritual light to His people separating them from spiritual darkness forever, bringing them the dawn of new creation. iv. While there are many Christians who believe that the Lord's Day is the equivalent of the Christian Sabbath, there is actually very good reasons to conclude that this is, in fact, not the case. v. At some point in the near future, I plan to do a deeper dive into this matter. The title of that study will be, “Should we celebrate a Christian Sabbath on Sunday?” We'll discuss the arguments posited by both sides and see if we can't find an answer together. vi. Until then, it is important to understand that the church at this time both obyed the Sabbath on Saturday, if they were Jewish, and also gathered together on Sunday as the church, Jew or Gentile. vii. Luke points out here that gathering together to celebrate the Lord's Supper, sharing a fuller meal together, worshipping God and hearing preaching of the Word on Sunday – was all normal and common practice in the church since its beginning. b. [Slide 3] Paul began speaking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. i. Luke and Paul spent a week in Philippi celebrating the feast of unleavened bread, they traveled for 5 days to Troas and then stayed in Troas 7 days. ii. This is the seventh day of their stay in the city of Troas and Paul and Luke intend to leave the next day. iii. Paul is trying to make it to Jerusalem for Pentecost. Pentecost is on the 50th day after Passover. So, if we are tracking, we are about 14 days into that 50. iv. Given what could happen during travel, Paul and his companions are eager to press on – but not so much so that they abandon believers seeking discipleship. v. We see Paul staying up to midnight preaching a message of exhortation from the word of God to the brothers and sisters there in Troas. vi. Although church services would no doubt be held after sunset to accommodate lower class workers, it is certainly not a normal thing for services to have gone on this long. We can infer that from Luke telling us that Paul prolonged his message until midnight. vii. Paul wishes to leave them with as much teaching as possible. viii. The word for speaking here is often used of dialectic teaching where there are questions and answers. It would have been structured and ordered – but there would have been opportunities for discussion as well. ix. Because of this we can reasonably assume that the vast majority of the believers here at Troas were interacting with Paul and Paul was not droning on and on to a group of people who were bord out of their skulls. x. Inferring these details from what Luke has told us, helps us to see this narrative episode for what it is because so often people see it for what it isn't. xi. More on that as we go forward. c. [Slide 4] 8 - Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. i. I literally laughed out loud after the fourth or fifth time reading this passage through. ii. It suddenly occurred to me the potential comedy associated with this little verse. iii. Luke seems to imply that everything upstairs was well lit with many lamps. It wasn't dark. Paul was preaching, so it wasn't quiet. iv. In other words, Eutychus didn't have a lot of great excuses to fall asleep. v. Now as I turned to commentators and scholars to confirm that this is what Luke is saying, I was shocked to see how many different opinions there are on the significance of this little verse. 1. Some, but very few, saw it the way I did where these lights were meant to exonerate Paul and the church in Eutychus' falling asleep. a. There were actually punishments associated with young people falling asleep in the synagogue at that time. b. You could actually be expelled from the Synagogue for 30 days if you were a youth that fell asleep during the teaching of the Word of God. c. Therefore, Luke may be hinting that Eutychus has some of this blame as Paul and the church did not make it easy to fall asleep since it was loud and well-lit. 2. Some conclude that Luke is implying that the upper room was very warm with so many lit lamps. a. Thus, it was very conducive for sleep… in other words the opposite reading of what I saw. b. But, if it were too warm, wouldn't Eutychus have stood a better chance at staying awake at the window? 3. Other commentators, knowing that they were no doubt oil lamps, suggest that the oxygen in the room would have been in low supply. a. Again, indicating that it was conducive to sleep. b. But Eutychus being at the window has the best chance of breathing easy. 4. Still others suggest that this comment of many lamps is intended to suggest that the room was quite full of people, who have brought their torches with them. a. The strength of this interpretation seems to be in keeping with Luke's emphasis. b. Luke is emphasizing Paul and his conduct as a good church leader and with many people there and only 1 falling asleep, again Eutychus is to blame for falling asleep. 5. And even others suggest that the many lights indicate that the Christians were not hiding or meeting in secret. a. Again, a valid interpretation. b. However, if this is Luke's point, it seems to be well hidden since there is no indication of persecution by the authorities in the city of Troas. vi. When we come down to it, we must understand verse 8 in the context of the whole. The miracle, as we will see, and Eutychus' part in all this, is very… VERY small. vii. Luke is telling this story to further authenticate Paul as a servant of God like previous servants you may have seen in the scriptures including both Peter and even Jesus Himself. viii. Therefore, I conclude that this comment about the lights has to be related to exonerating Paul from any blame associated with this accident. d. [Slide 5] 9 - And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep. i. Nevertheless, despite there being many lamps and despite Paul speaking with power and authority, and despite all these folks gathered and discussing the scriptures together, this young man named Eutychus, was sinking into a deep sleep. ii. Now to be fair, it is midnight. Assuming he woke that day at sunrise, and assuming that he spent all day working as a slave boy, which the word “boy” in verse 12 could also be interpreted to mean, and assuming the evening had been full of celebration with the church, feasting, many songs, and long sermons… we can see why Eutychus might have been a little sleepy. iii. And perhaps he sought the window because it WAS getting stuffy in the house and Eutychus sought the cool breeze off the Aegean to keep himself awake? We can assume noble intentions. iv. In any case, Eutychus fights a losing battle with his weak humanity. v. He does not take enough necessary steps to stay awake. e. [Slide 6] And as Paul kept on talking, he sunk into that sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. i. Paul continues to preach because the message is not finished. ii. We even get the impression that most of the church gathered there in the upper room were attentively listening and even participating in discussion. iii. Indeed, Paul seems to be the one making a great sacrifice here. Despite having to leave in the morning, he continues to preach. iv. Nevertheless, Eutychus succumbed to his human need for sleep and fell out of the third story window. v. The expression, picked up dead, is an idiom suggesting that he was dead when he hit the ground. Most likely a broken neck. vi. There is absolutely no reason to believe anything different in this text other than that Eutychus was dead. Not unconscious or appearing dead. Luke is a physician remember. He would certainly be able, with relative precision, to determine if the boy was merely unconscious or dead. vii. Luke says he is dead. f. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Since, as we've said, Luke's emphasis seems to be less on Eutychus and the miracle and more on Paul and his excellence as a spokesperson of God in a long line of prophets all the way back to the Old Testament, it is important to see that the message of this text is primarily rooted in a truth about obedient and godly church leadership. Paul is not an Elder of a church, although he is certainly qualified to be one. He is a missionary and an apostle. A Preacher, an Evangelist. His role encompasses various roles we still have even now in the church. Meaning Paul is able to provide an example for us for all church leaders. And we see very clearly in this text, the priority that Paul puts on the spiritual growth of the church. Even though he must leave the very next day, he meets, into the late hours of the night, with these believers in Troas, ministering to them and growing them in spiritual instruction. He lingers with them, at the expense of himself. We see prophets, priests, kings, other apostles, and even Jesus Himself doing similar things. Paul then is a model for us of what Godly and obedient church leaders value most. What they prioritize most in their ministries. And it is, quite simply, the spiritual growth of the church. So, what ought to be the response of the church to such a church leader? We ought to listen attentively and submissively to our spiritual leadership. Yes, Eutychus provides for us a negative example. Even though we can excuse him for being tired – the bottom line is that to a certain degree, he allowed himself to fall asleep. Much like Jesus rebuked his disciples for sleeping while he prayed in Gethsemane, so also, we must see Eutychus' example as a rebuke to us, and recognize that we cannot passively grow in spiritual maturity. We cannot grow closer to Christ by osmosis. Instead, we must actively listen and obey instruction from the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] Well, we already know what happens to Eutychus. In fact, the story is so well known that there isn't a lot of suspense here on what will happen next. But after Eutychus is raised… it might be a shock to you what happens then. Let's get into it. II.) Obedient church leaders give their highest priority to the spiritual growth of the church, so we must also greatly appreciate spiritual instruction. a. [Slide 9] 10 - But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” i. Paul, pauses his sermon for the immediate physical need of the young boy Eutychus. ii. He goes down to the street and falls upon the boy. iii. In a scene which is reminiscent of Elijah and Elisha laying upon someone in order to raise them from the dead, Paul embraces the young man and pulls him close. iv. Luke does not tell us that Paul prayed for him. He does not tell us that Paul commanded him to live again. v. Given the fact that he was dead when he hit the ground, one thing we can be sure – it was the power of God, not Paul, that raised Eutychus from the dead. vi. When Paul recognizes that life has returned to him, he assures everyone that there is no reason to be worried or troubled. The boy is alive. vii. So, what now? The boy is raised? Probably time to dismiss everyone and go home right? b. [Slide 10] 11 - And when he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. i. In what could certainly be seen as rather unkind or lacking compassion, Paul returns inside and fellowships and speaks with the church until daybreak. ii. Some may suggest that after such a terrible tragedy being averted only by a miracle from God, perhaps that was a good time to call it a night and return home. iii. Instead, Paul continues to fellowship with the church and even speak further with them concerning the things of the Lord. iv. Probably Luke intends The Lord's Supper here when he mentions breaking bread. v. He stays until the sun rises. vi. This is a true expression of Paul's priorities. vii. Certainly, he did not ignore the physical world, as if it did not matter or was evil – like the Gnostics would later conclude. viii. Instead, he had compassion on the boy who had died, but when he was alive again, he returned to spiritual matters and matters of fellowship with the body of Christ – for these were of utmost priority to Paul before he left them for Jerusalem. ix. Perhaps because he assumed he would never return. c. [Slide 11] 12 - And they took away the boy alive, and were not a little comforted. i. And just in case there was any doubt as to the boy's condition as the night went on – he went away alive with his family. ii. He did not swoon back as if he hung on the balance between life and death. iii. Instead, he was dead, and was now alive. iv. His family left the church assembly after daybreak greatly comforted because he was as he came. Alive and well. d. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Luke again emphasizes the priority that church leadership must give to spiritual growth. Just because something is the highest priority doesn't mean other things aren't important. Paul was obviously not done instructing the congregation in Troas. But he interrupted all that he was saying to go and minister to the young man. However, once he was raised back to life, Paul went right back to breaking bread and teaching the believers again. No doubt even using the vivid death to life illustration to teach on Christ through the Lord's Supper and further explain the nature of Christianity to them. It is very clear that Paul's top priority, even in the midst of someone dying during one of his sermons, was to ensure the spiritual growth of God's children. What do we see as the response? Paul's continued ministry of the Word is met by people who have reordered their life to appreciate the instruction. Even the newly raised Eutychus stays until Paul is finished. If the church leadership is prioritizing spiritual growth, that should also be the priority of the church as well. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 13] Every episode in the book of Acts exposes the work of God to spread the gospel and the kingdom of Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth through His apostles. And in this particular context, we see the priority of those God is using to do this. The priority of church leaders, even missionaries like Paul, is to focus on the spiritual growth of the church. Paul needs to leave on Monday, but the Christians of Troas need his instruction. So, Paul stays up with them until daybreak to instruct them in the Word. Even when he is interrupted by a young man falling from a window and dying, Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, raises the young man back to life and then continues ministering to the spiritual growth of the believers in Troas… including the young man who had just been raised. This is a pattern for us describing what every obedient and godly church leader ought to prioritize above everything else. Namely, the spiritual growth of the children of God to be mature and Christlike people. In this little story we see two responses to the priority Paul places on spiritual growth. The first is a negative example of Eutychus. He did not remain attentive or submissive to the spiritual instruction of Paul. Second, we see that after he was raised, Eutychus stayed, proving that his priorities had reoriented around the importance of spiritual instruction. So we too much put spiritual instruction as our primary objective by attentively listening and obeying it. But let me apply this more directly to us today. Let me give you some rather toe crunching applications this morning. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that church leaders are required by God to focus on the spiritual growth of those in their charge. a. Though a miracle occurs in this text, it is very obviously an interruption in what is the priority for Paul. b. Paul sacrificially gives of himself to teach and preach to hungry believers in Troas. He has to depart the very next day, but stays up with them until midnight discussing the things of the Lord. c. They are interrupted by this tragedy, but the moment it is resolved, Paul goes right back to preaching and fellowshipping with the church there. d. The heart of Paul shows a clear priority on the spiritual instruction and growth of God's people. e. If we go back, we see this same heart found in the prophets and godly kings of Israel. We see this same heart in Jesus as he corrects Martha for working while spiritual instruction was occurring. f. No matter what your preconceived ideas of what a Pastor or Elder should be… you must come to grips with the reality that our primary role… the one for which we will stand before God to be judged… is whether or not we focused on the spiritual instruction and growth of God's people. g. Knowing this, it may require you to discard some expectations you may have of your Elders. h. Our culture expects pastors to be all kinds of things that would cause us to sacrifice spiritual instruction as our primary objective. i. Many were raised expecting their pastor to make house visits, hospital visits, go do to door evangelizing, conduct weddings, perform funerals, call on everyone in the church just to check in with them, come to people's houses and mow their lawns, fix their plumbing, and a whole host of other expectations that could require an Elder to sacrifice the one priority that the Lord has placed on his shoulders. j. Now, can an Elder do these things? Should an Elder do these things? Certainly. k. But not at the expense of our primary objective. l. It has been almost a decade, so I feel as though I can speak of it plainly without seeming like I am airing dirty laundry. m. But before I became the pastor here, I was an associate pastor of another church for about 6 years. n. About a year before I was fired, the lead pastor met with me and told me that he did not think that I was called to be a pastor. He explained that I did not seem to have a heart of compassion for others as a pastor should and suggested I become a professor at a seminary since I spent most of my time preparing to teach the scriptures. o. My friends, this pastor was deceived. He was duped to believe that compassion for others, specifically in acts of kindness, should be the primary focus of a pastor. p. And he believed it so much that he was convinced that something was wrong with me for prioritizing teaching God's people His Word. q. I bear no ill will toward him, because the Lord's hand of providence clearly led me to this church, and in June I'll have been your pastor for 9 years. r. But one of the things I have appreciated the most about you as a church family, is that you have allowed me to put your spiritual instruction as my highest priority. s. I must confess that I often feel a longing in my heart to call each of you to check in. I feel a longing in my heart to visit you when you are ill. And when the Lord allows, I do enjoy visiting or calling you and by the end of our conversations I always feel a desire to make it a more frequent occurrence. t. But among the other Elders or the congregation, I have never felt an expectation to do anything other than devoting most of my time to deep study and diligent instruction of the Word of God. u. And for this – I say, thank you. v. And also, let's keep it that way for all the Elders. w. God's primary objective for every spiritual leader, is to see to the spiritual instruction and growth of those to whom He has entrusted to us. x. But, of course, we can pendulum swing too far, can't we? 2.) [Slide 15] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that church leaders should only focus on the spiritual growth of the church. a. We notice in this text that in the middle of a long discussion about spiritual things, Paul is interrupted by such a petty little thing as the death of one of the church members.

73 Acts 20:1-6 A Peculiar People

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2025 49:21

Title: A Peculiar People Text: Acts 20:1-6 FCF: We often struggle pursuing what produces unity in and the victory of the church. Prop: Because the true church of Jesus is united and triumphant, we must continue in submission to the Word and the love of one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we will read starting from verse one in the Legacy Standard Version. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Sermon Intro: Well, I did some math this week to discover where we are in our study of the book of Acts. Today, as we begin our study of chapter 20, we are around seventy percent done with the book according to verse count. That means we have a little over three hundred verses to go. Now my average for verse per sermon is a little under 10 verses. That being said, we probably have somewhere around 30 sermons remaining in the book of Acts. Meaning that sometime before the end of the year, Lord willing, we should be finishing the book of Acts. I hope and trust you have enjoyed the study of Acts so far. I know I have. But it seems that we are in the final stretch. That being said, let's come back to chapter 19 and 20. Last week Luke recorded for us the final episode of the Ephesian mission. But unlike similar examples where riots formed against Paul and his associates, no real harm or danger even approached any of them. From this we noted that Luke records this to prove that the Christians were not purposefully trying to cause issues around the Roman Empire. The only thing causing the offense, was the gospel of Jesus Christ. We noted that one of the primary reasons that people so hated the message of the gospel spoken through Paul and his associates, was because of the gospel's intolerance or exclusivity. And the world is the same 2000 years later. Today we will see what largely amounts to the beginning of the end of the third missionary journey of Paul. In it we will see one very important truth about the church and a couple responses that flow into and out of that truth. So please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most Holy and Loving Father, we approach You today with our hearts held up to You. We come to be exhorted, to be encouraged, to be edified by Your Word. We come to hear from You and to obey. We come to feed our faith on the Bread of Life. We come to drink deeply from the Everlasting Fountain of Living Water. I pray that You would reveal to us today what You have made us to be in this thing called the church. Reveal what graces You have given us to keep us in Your purposes and reveal what responses You require from us as a church. Bind us together as one body in Your truth and for Your glory we pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: Last time we saw the narrowness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The intolerance of the gospel to any other faiths, worship, gods, or practices that it does not teach. Related to that today we will see the church being united around a very narrow set of essentials and that unity producing victory and love for one another. Let's look closer at the text this morning. I.) The true church of Jesus Christ is united and triumphant, so we must submit to continual exhortation from the Word. (1-3) a. [Slide 2] 1 - Now after the uproar had ceased, Paul having summoned and exhorted the disciples, said farewell and left to go to Macedonia. i. Luke doesn't often give us chronological markers, and when he does, they are not typically very precise. ii. We might be irritated by this, but this irritation is probably borne from our western culture. We have somewhat of a hypersensitivity to time and chronology that those in the east do not seem to always share. iii. Still, Luke does give us a definite chronological marker here even if it is lacking in specificity. iv. After the uproar had ceased. v. From the context the uproar in question is clearly the riot or almost riot brought on by some tradesmen in Ephesus. vi. We unpacked all of this last week, but as a reminder these tradesmen feared the financial and religious impact that Christianity may have on them and the city of Ephesus. vii. Because of this they were overcome with civic and religious pride and began shouting and dragging certain companions of Paul to the theater where city disputes were often heard. viii. It all came to an end after the chief executive officer of the city warned them that they are in danger of being punished by Rome if they continue this illegal assembly. ix. With this in mind the crowd dispersed. x. We should probably not rigidly infer that the next hour or the next day is when Paul does what he does. xi. More likely we should see this as after the events and when people had moved on with their lives. xii. Now people do tend to move on shockingly fast. They get distracted by other things and what was very important one day tends to become very unimportant in a few days' time. xiii. After the dust settles, Paul says farewell to the church in Ephesus and leaves to go to Macedonia. xiv. In the process of saying farewell though, he summons and exhorts the disciples. xv. Paul does not overtly go to the hall of Tyrannus to bid farewell to the Ephesian Christians. This no doubt indicates that although he isn't leaving the city due to the recent trouble, he is not a fool. He won't flaunt a large gathering of believers right before he leaves. xvi. In this we see the heart of Paul. It is not enough to simply say farewell… he must preach to them. He must instruct and apply to them the scriptures so they can be ready to face what is coming. xvii. Paul will be giving a good number of goodbyes in the next several chapters of Acts. I think it might be good for us to observe how often he accompanies his goodbyes with some sort of exhortation, encouragement or preaching of the Word of God. b. [Slide 3] 2 - And when he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece. i. Once again, we remind ourselves that Luke is not writing a history of the early Christian church. ii. Or at least we can conclude that if he is writing a history of the early Christian church, he is doing a horrible job. iii. Why do I say that? iv. He summarizes Paul's travels through Macedonia in 10 Greek words. v. What are some of the “districts” that he probably visited? vi. 2 Corinthians chapters 1-7 actually dovetail nicely with the events of these two verses, since it was probably during this time that Paul wrote the letter. vii. Taking what 2 Corinthians says we can be assured that Paul probably visited Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. And potentially spent time in several other cities and even further west into the Latin speaking region of Illyricum, which he speaks about in Romans 15. viii. Luke does not give us the where, but notice he does give us the what. ix. What was Paul doing in these districts? x. He was exhorting. xi. The same thing he did in Ephesus to the disciples there before he left. xii. Paul continues to preach the word and train believers to live in submission to all that Christ had commanded. xiii. So, if Luke is not recording a history of the early church, what is he doing? xiv. Luke describes the purpose of his two books at the beginning of his gospel. He is writing these two books to Theophilus, a wealthy and potentially powerful person involved in the government of Roman Empire, who has professed faith in Christ. xv. He writes to Theophilus to describe both the certainty and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. xvi. The certainty and the power of the gospel is on display in these 10 Greek words. How? xvii. Even though it has been years since Paul has visited these places in person – he returns not only to find believers still, but also, he returns with the authority to preach to them, encourage them, and commands their respect to listen to him. xviii. If the gospel was false and impotent, we would expect to find few if any believers here, or to find them reject Paul having wandered from his teaching. xix. Instead, he is welcomed and respected and the Word is preached again to them. xx. But how long did Paul spend in Macedonia? It is difficult to say. But some suggest that he spent as much as a year going back through these regions ministering to the local assemblies in these areas. xxi. Then, Paul goes on to Greece. xxii. There are two likely congregations that Paul visited in Greece. xxiii. The city of Athens and the city of Corinth. xxiv. We are not given any indication of how much time he spent in each city or whether he even went to Athens. We do know that he went to Corinth based on the writings of both Romans and the two books to the Corinthians. c. [Slide 4] 3 - And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. i. So, Paul spends three months in Greece, probably most if not all of it in the city of Corinth. ii. There is a reason for that which we will talk about next. iii. [Slide 5] Now based on our timeline of the New Testament I'd like to take us on a little tangent so we can shuffle in to these events exactly when Paul wrote some of his letters. 1. Because in 1 Corinthians Paul expresses his desire to winter in Corinth before going back to Jerusalem, we can reasonably guess that while Paul was in Ephesus, and probably toward the end of his stay, he had written 1 Corinthians. 2. In 1 Corinthians there was indication that he had sent another letter to them before that. Which could have also been written from Ephesus or even before he began his third missionary journey. This is a letter that the Lord did not preserve for us. 3. In 2 Corinthians we learn of another letter that Paul had sent the Corinthians that is referred to as a harsh letter. This too could have been written from Ephesus. This is also another letter the Lord did not preserve. 4. As we have already said, 2 Corinthians covers some of the events after Paul leaves Ephesus. Paul travels north to Troas where he expects to meet Titus who will bring back word for him on the results of the harsh letter to the church in Corinth. However, Paul did not meet Titus there, so he went on to Macedonia. It was there that Titus met him with word that the Corinthians had received his harsh letter graciously and had repented. Therefore, during his time in Macedonia, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians which prepares them for his arrival in a matter of months. 5. This is why we conclude that Paul spent most of the three months he was in Greece in the city of Corinth, because there was some needed time of reconciliation. 6. Since Paul's mind was already on visiting Rome after he went to Jerusalem, since in the book of Romans he indicates that he has not yet visited them, and since Paul greets the Roman church from individuals we know were from Corinth, we can infer that Paul most likely wrote the book of Romans from Corinth during this three month stay. 7. [Slide 6] This means that by this time, before Paul goes back to Jerusalem, he had written six of his thirteen letters that we have in our New Testament. Galatians, I and II Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans – in that chronological order. iv. [Slide 7] Of course, we know that the Jews had always given Paul problems. It seems that in Corinth, again, they will stir up trouble against him. v. Apparently, the plot had something to do with his travel plans from Corinth to Syria. vi. So, Paul alters his travel plans to go back through Macedonia to set sail from somewhere else. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Luke presents to us via the travels of Paul as his third missionary journey comes to a close the unity and victory of the true church of Jesus. Although there have been many trials and tests, although there have been betrayals and even outright failures, the church continues to thrive in unity and victory over the forces of darkness and the wicked schemes of men. The church is the kingdom of Christ spreading to the uttermost parts of the earth, waging war against the dark domain of sin. Paul revisits these churches he helped establish with a message of encouragement and exhortation. This is the fuel of the church. The church is built up, energized, and rejuvenated by submitting to continual exhortation from the Word of God. And these churches were no different. They were united and they were victorious, but they still needed and welcomed encouragement and exhortation from the Word. We too must be continually encouraged and exhorted with the Word of God. The moment we neglect the regular preaching and teaching of the Word of God, is the moment we become weak and susceptible to error and compromise which disunifies us and defeats us. You see my friends, the Word of God is the key to unity and victory. That is why it must be continually preached and taught in every church claiming to be Christ's church. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] The true church of Jesus Christ is united and triumphant and the Word of God continually preached keeps it that way. But what else must continue since the church is united and triumphant? II.) The true church of Jesus Christ is united and triumphant, so we must continually love and care for one another. (4-6) a. [Slide 10] 4 - And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. 5 - But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. i. Look at the brotherhood of believers that the Lord has raised up for the cause of Christ. ii. What began in Jerusalem around 20 years earlier had not only gone out to the uttermost parts of the earth, but even now there are missionaries from all over going to many other places helping with the spread of the gospel. iii. What a glorious testament to the power of God's grace and His work. iv. Let me briefly discuss each of these individuals or at least all we can about them and then I'll make some further comments about the significance of this list. 1. Sopater which is potentially a shortened form of the name Sosipater is only mentioned in this text and in Romans 16:21. From both texts we understand that he was a companion of Paul and from this text we see that he was from Berea and was the son of a man named Pyrrhus of whom we know nothing. 2. Aristarchus is no doubt the same one that was dragged to the theater by the Ephesian mob. During the riot we discovered he was a Macedonian and here we see that specifically he was from Thessalonica. We also know that Aristarchus accompanies Paul to Rome for his imprisonment because he is named in the letter to the Colossians and to Philemon, both of which were written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome which is recorded at the end of the book of Acts. 3. Secundus is not mentioned in any other passage of scripture. He was from Thessalonica too. 4. There are four Gaiuses mentioned in the scriptures and because of what is revealed about them, it is really impossible for them to all be the same person. a. The Gaius that Luke records in Ephesus during the riot was from Macedonia. b. The Gaius mentioned here is from Derbe which is located in what is now south central Turkey. c. The Gaius mentioned in 1 Corinthians and Romans seems to be a member of the church of Corinth whom Paul baptized and whose home the church used for its gatherings. d. Finally, 3 John mentions a Gaius who is thanked personally by John for putting up traveling missionaries. John does not specify much more and this could be the same Gaius who put up the house church in Corinth, but because John is traditionally associated with the church in Ephesus after the fall of Jerusalem, we may wonder if the Gaius mentioned in his 3rd letter is the same Gaius from the riot or another Gaius altogether. e. In short, Gaius seems to be a fairly common name across the empire at this time. 5. Timothy of course is Paul's spiritual son, won to Christ in Lystra on his first missionary journey and accompanying him to various locations throughout Asia and Macedonia on his second missionary journey. Timothy is mentioned quite frequently in the scriptures, even having two books bearing his name as a recipient. We won't go into much more detail today about Timothy, but his role in the church could be the subject of an entire sermon. 6. Tychicus, besides being one of my favorite names to say in the scriptures, is found as a continual companion of Paul's. We find him being sent with the prison epistles of Ephesians and Colossians. In both letters Paul says that Tychicus, a beloved and faithful brother, will come and explain everything to them. He is also with Paul in Nicopolis and is being sent to Titus to relieve him on Crete so that Titus can come to Paul in Nicopolis. And of course, as we see here, he is from Asia, which typically means what is now western Turkey, although a city is not mentioned. 7. Finally, Trophimus. Trophimus is from Asia and has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the primary reasons that Paul is arrested when he goes to Jerusalem. Paul is seen with Trophimus in Acts 21, there noted that he is from the city of Ephesus. Because Paul is seen with this gentile and because Paul went into the temple it is assumed that Paul brought Trophimus in the temple with him. Of course, he didn't. But that didn't matter very much. Trophimus is also mentioned in 2 Timothy during Paul's final imprisonment in Rome. Paul tells Timothy that he left Trophimus in Miletus because he was ill. v. Such is the wide variety of Paul's companions. People from all kinds of origins and backgrounds joining him in the work. vi. They all go ahead of him to Troas where they await his arrival to go on from there to Jerusalem. vii. But I said that I would remark on the significance of this list and their region of origin. And that I will do, but only after the list is complete. Because for now it lacks 1 more name… b. [Slide 11] 6 - And we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; and there we stayed seven days. i. In verse 6 another unnamed traveling companion joins Paul as he heads to Troas to meet all those mentioned in verse 4. ii. Did you notice it? iii. That's right. iv. Paul picks up the author of the book Luke, probably from Philippi. v. Luke traditionally has been said to have been from Antioch of Syria, but with familial ties to Macedonia. Here we see him still in Phillipi where Paul left him all the way back on the second missionary journey. Since Paul picked up Luke in Troas and deposited him just across the Aegean Sea at Philippi it is safe to assume that Luke is probably living in this area at this time – even if he was from Antioch of Syria. vi. Paul and Luke wait until after the days of unleavened bread, probably to celebrate with the small group of Jews in Philippi. They make the trip to Troas in 5 days, probably against the headwind, and then stay an additional week there in Troas. vii. That will be the subject of next week's sermon as Paul has a very well-known episode concerning a young boy named Eutychus. We'll get to that next time. viii. So, what is the significance of this list? ix. Remember that during this time after Ephesus and heading to Jerusalem, Paul is gathering a collection for the Jerusalem church. He is gathering aid for them because they are experiencing great financial hardship. x. Not only is it safer to travel with a large group, especially when you have a good sum of money on you, but also, because Luke mentions where all these men are from, we can infer from this that each of these men represent churches all across the empire who are giving this financial aid to the church in Jerusalem. Indeed, from almost every city in which Paul has preached, we find members of that city church coming with Paul to give their gift to the church in Jerusalem. xi. What a wonderful testimony to the unity, compassion, love, and care that is present in the universal church. c. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Once again Luke presents to us a true church of Jesus Christ, from various backgrounds, that is united and victorious. In our last point we noticed that the way the church stays united and victorious is through regular exhortation from the Word of God. But, what we see here is an effect that is caused by the church being united and triumphant. We see that the church is abundant in love and sacrificial help to those who also bear the name of Christ. Even if we do not know them, even if we have never met them, those who bear the name of Christ have more in common with us than our own unbelieving family members. Those who have shared in the death and resurrection of Christ have become members of one body. That is something that family can never be. Although our family is DNA of our DNA they can never be one body with us. The unity and victory we share in the church produces a love for one another that exceeds all other loves possible from one human to another. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 13] In the process of Paul closing out his third missionary journey Luke gives us a wonderful picture of the culmination of the work the Lord has done through Paul. Paul's legacy is the same as every other apostle and missionary of the early church. The Lord has produced through His abounding power and grace a church that is united and triumphant over the deception and darkness that permeated the Roman Empire. In less the 20 years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, the church has been established and has permeated the Roman Empire leading various cities with long histories of pagan worship to be turned upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the nature of this status of the church and the effect of this status on the church is at the heart of these first six verses of Acts 20. The church is kept unified and victorious by continual exhortation from the Word of God. And one particular expression of church unity and victory is the unconditional and sacrificial love the church has for one another as the body of Christ. These two aspects come together to give us our application today. But let me get a little more concrete with these applications and explain how they might impact us on a daily basis. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the true church of Jesus is united and triumphant. a. Once again, every word in this application sentence is very important. If you remove one word here it could miscommunicate a few things. b. But if I had to draw your attention to the most important word in this application it would be the word “true”. c. I would love to use a word that is found in the ancient creeds. The word Catholic. However, today the word Catholic is only associated with the Roman Catholic Church. And it is probably so associated to it that to change it would be nigh unto impossible. Therefore, I use true here. d. By true church I mean the universal church. The invisible church. The church of people who are actually believers in Jesus Christ, the elect of God, called out from all the nations to be His people and do the works for which He has created them. e. The total of the true church of God is not found in one local assembly nor is each local assembly comprised solely of the true church. Every church is a mix of those who are actually believers and those who are not. f. Because of this, there are local assemblies that are not united and they are not triumphant. g. There are even entire regions where the visible church is not united or triumphant. h. So it is important for you to understand what I am saying here. i. We do not need to affirm that every single visible church is united and triumphant. Because that is, simply, not true. j. But we must affirm that the true church is united and triumphant. k. We are united and triumphant because we have been given true faith which unites us to Christ. Upon this true faith we receive the core essentials of the gospel of Jesus Christ which is found both in the early creeds and in the 5 Solas of the Reformation. l. In this the true church is united by doctrine and practice and we are triumphant because we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of God and be heralds of His Kingdom. m. The Scriptures tell us that we will not fail in this. If we are the true church, we will be united in what we believe and if we are the true church we will not fail. n. Therefore, we must affirm that the true church is united and triumphant. o. Unity is a much desired and often used buzz word in Churchianity today. Everyone wants unity. But we remain in disunity over how to be unified. p. And there is a reason for that… 2.) [Slide 15] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that in order for the church to be united we must compromise essential doctrine or practice. a. The call of many pastors, priests, bishops, reverends, apostles and whatever other titles there are out there in broad Christendom, is for us to be unified on what we agree on and discard the rest. b. The only problem is that this is NOT how we see the church unite in the scriptures. c. They do not unify over what they hold in common and then discard every thing else. d. Instead, they unify on all the essentials of the Christian faith and practice and show love in the areas that are not essential. e. There are some churches in broader Christendom that if we had to unify with them by discarding everything we don't hold in common, we would have to discard salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. f. There are some churches that we would have to discard the Deity of Jesus Christ. g. There are some churches that we would have to discard the inerrancy of the Scripture and its final authority over us for doctrine and practice. h. There are some churches that we would have to discard definitions of righteousness, holiness, and upright lifestyles, taking what the Scriptures call deeds of the flesh, and even celebrating them. i. You see the problem, I hope. j. If we would unify right now… today… every single church in broader Christendom with the one rule that anything we do not share a common belief on would be discarded… My friends there would be nothing left. k. The folks that are begging for unity pursue unity based on a cause. The cause is to come together to love and serve humanity. l. But the church is not supposed to be united in cause only… but also in identity. Indeed, our cause is only unified when our identity is unified. What happens when we unite over cause but sacrifice identity? m. We would lose unity because we would lose doctrinal clarity. In fact, we would be a unified group of nobodies who believe nothing and do nothing. n. We would lose victory because we would discard godly lifestyles in favor of a vague notion of loving people… which is only the second greatest command and not the first. o. These folks that want unity under these conditions have left their first love in order to pursue their second and in so doing have lost both. p. No, my friends, unity is only established when we demand that the essentials of our faith and practice are held in common… and if they are not – we do not discard the belief or the practice… we discard the church who does not conform. q. In the Athanasian creed it boldly declares that any who do not believe it cannot be not saved. r. Any church that does not hold to the creeds and salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone – also cannot be called the church in any sense of the word. s. There is no unity if we must compromise on doctrine or practice. t. But as the united and triumphant church… what must we do with this text today? 3.) [Slide 16] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must submit to regular exhortation from the Word of God. a. One motto that came from the reformation is Semper Reformanda. b. Always be reforming. c. This is essentially a recognition of what song writers have pointed out. We are individually and generationally prone to wander. d. We often go through spells of ups and downs and we as a race of man go through cycles of reformation and darkness. e. The church is called to continue to reform and purify itself. f. How do we do that? g. By submitting to regular exhortation from the Word of God. h. The Word of God is the foundation of all that we believe. It is the final authority for what we believe and how we live. And the Word of God never changes. i. It is not our only authority – but it is our final authority. j. We need constant reproof, rebuke, correction and instruction from its pages. k. It is only then that we will be complete and thoroughly equipped to do everything God has commanded us to do and be everything God has commanded us to be. l. Paul as he visited these churches… exhorted them. He may have eaten with them, fellowshipped with them, enjoyed the Lord's Supper with them, talked with them for all hours of the night… but the one thing Luke chose to record for us under inspiration of the Holy Spirit… is that Paul preached to them. m. If we are to stay united and triumphant, we need the constant reformation that only the Scripture can bring. 4.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must love the universal church unconditionally and sacrificially. a. This universal church is comprised of all those who are believing on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. b. We are called one body. c. Our friends and our families are close – but compared to any unbelieving family member, our brothers and sisters in Christ are much closer. They are united not by their own blood, but by the blood of Jesus Christ. d. Even our love toward our spouse is amplified because they are believers. e. And those who have spouses that are unbelievers understand the disconnect of that. They desire greatly for their spouses to know the Lord for they know that will truly bind them much closer together with their spouse. f. In our text we see members of churches from everywhere around the Aegean taking money to Jerusalem with Paul. What a glorious testimony to the love they shared with those whom they had probably never met. Those with whom they shared only their faith in Christ. g. We too must be unconditionally and sacrificially loving of the global body of Christ. h. We must weep with those who have been killed in Syria. We must mourn with those persecuted in India. We must help those impoverished in Africa. We must rejoice for those who come to Christ in Asia Pacific. These are our brothers and sisters. And one day we will be united with them in one body – a bride prepared for her groom. And we all will be with Him forever. i. Look around you and mark those whom you know to be a true believer. Now hear me… you will be living with these folks forever. We better start loving each other now. 5.) [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will not allow the true church of His dear Son to fail. a. God is doing a work through us. b. It doesn't depend on us… it depends on Him. And that is why it will not fail. c. He will uphold us and ensure that the work that He has commissioned for His church to accomplish, is accomplished. d. Knowing the end does not spoil our desire to work hard for His Kingdom. e. In fact, knowing the end means we have no fear of failure. f. We can press on and continue to share the gospel and disciple one another, preparing for that coming Kingdom – knowing that we won't fail. Christ will not lose even one that the Father has given Him. g. And all that the Father has given Him will hear His voice and follow. h. So let us take heart and set out to the work knowing that the Lord is faithful and will ensure that His church is united and triumphant to the very end. [Slide 19 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the English Puritan Ezekiel Hopkins Lead us not into temptation, nor allow us to be assaulted and buffeted by the wicked one. Or if, in your all-wise counsel and purpose, you permit us to be tempted, yet deliver us from the evil to which we are tempted. Let us endure temptations as our affliction, but let us not say yes to them, nor make them our sins. Thy kingdom come, Lord! Raise, Lord; enlarge, Lord; establish your kingdom! For yours is the glory. And unless you want your glory confined only to heaven, or account the praises and eternal hallelujahs of saints and angels enough adoration for your great name, Lord, have regard to this your poor decaying kingdom. For only in it, and in heaven, is your glory celebrated. And if you leave this kingdom to be overrun by the agents and ministers of the devil, or if idolatry and the profane gain ground here so as to push you off the throne, would that not be giving your glory to another-which you have promised not to do? Lord, you are still the same God. Your essence is eternal. Your attributes will never change. Your power, wisdom, and mercy are the same as ever. So in your mercy, grant us the same favor. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: May the Lord, Who longs to be gracious to you, Who waits on high to have compassion on you, Plant you firmly in the faith, established, steadfast and unmovable Through the hope of the Gospel, proclaimed to all the creation under heaven. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Land Me Safe on Canaan's Side

Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church Sermons

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2025 53:00

Sermon Series: “Be Bold & Courageous: The Gospel According to Joshua” Sermon Text: Joshua 3:1-17 Sermon Title: “Land Me Safe on Canaan's Side” Sermon Slides: SLIDE 1 – Sermon Title Slide SLIDE 2 – Today's Big Idea: Because of God's Secure Presence … We Can Safely Place All our Fears and Anxieties … into His Strong Hands. SLIDE 3 – Point 1: Israel Faithfully Prepares … To Cross the Jordan River. (vv. 1-13) SLIDE 4 – Principle (from vv. 1): “Part of our preparation to do God's work, is to be humbled by God to such an extent until we realize we have nothing to offer but our mess. Thus, without God, we are impotent.” SLIDE 5 – Principle (from vv. 2-5): “Idols can't love you back, but they can blind you to what is false.” SLIDE 6 – Exodus 19:10 – “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments.'” SLIDE 7 – Insert a Copy of Point #1 of Sermon SLIDE 8 – Conclusion: “So, Israel (and we) must trust God for a fresh work of miraculous grace. We must learn to adapt and trust God anew. God won't pour new wine into old wineskins.” SLIDE 9 – Point 2: Israel Follows Obediently … To Land Safely on Canaan's Side. (vv. 14-17) SLIDE 10 – Principle 1: “Following God is always restricted to one way.” SLIDE 11 – Principle 2: “Following God is never conventional.” SLIDE 12 – Principle 3: “Following God always means dying to self.” SLIDE 13 – Insert a Copy of Point #2 of Sermon SLIDE 14 – Conclusion: “What God is saying to Israel (and to us) is don't look to the left, don't look to the right, don't look down, and don't look back … but look right here … eyes on me.” SLIDE 15 – Sermon Uses: Three to Help Us Grow in Our Boldness and Courage. SLIDE 16 – What Failures, Fears, and Worries … Do You Need to Give to God? SLIDE 17 – We Must Still Expect the Miraculous Grace of God. SLIDE 18 – Will We Walk Forward Like Israel … or Sink Down Like Peter?

god fear lord israel land courage safe exodus principle copy idols slide following god jordan river anxieties help us grow conclusion so

71 Acts 19:17-20 God vs. Magic Part 2

The Hilary Silver Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2025 49:28

Title: “God vs. Magic” Part 2 Text: Acts 19:17-20 FCF: We often struggle to believe that God alone is sufficient for all we need. Prop: Because God's power is greater than magic, we must fear the Lord and turn from our former ways. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 19. In a moment I'll begin reading starting in verse 11 from the English Standard Version. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we took a deep look at the events that transpire in Ephesus surrounding the use of magic, sorcery and exorcisms and how they compare to Yahweh and His power. We saw how God stooped to demonstrate His power in an unusual way in order to prove that He is more powerful than all the magic that the Ephesians were depending on. God being more powerful than everything else must lead us to trust Him and not to try to use His name for selfish ends as some kind of good luck charm or talisman. Indeed, He cannot be used in such a way, for He doesn't need us for anything and we need Him for everything. Today we will see the effect of these events on the Ephesians and even the Ephesian Christians. Their response will both prove that they thought God is more powerful than all other powers and it will give us a pattern for a couple other responses we should have to His great power. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Almighty God. We come today as Your dear children hoping to hear from You and Your Word. We know that we are sustained by the life-giving precepts which You have graciously given through inspiration of Your Spirit and preserved for us today. We ask that Your Spirit would be with us today as we peer into Your power and authority. We ask that You would show us Your might and that it would lead us to respond in a way that is pleasing to You. Help us Lord to grow in our faith in response to who You are. We ask this in the Son's name and by His authority and power, Amen. Transition: Let us get right to the text this morning as we seek to wrap up this narrative episode. I.) God's power is greater than magic, so we must fear the Lord and revere His name. (17) a. [Slide 2] 17 - And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. i. Luke begins assessing the effect of these two episodes by looking to the city as a whole. ii. All the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, heard about these events. iii. As is often the case in the scriptures it is ok for us to understand the word “all” not to mean all. iv. We are not doing damage to the inerrancy of scripture if we are to question whether or not Luke took a census to ensure that every single person in the city had heard about these things. v. I would say that Luke uses hyperbole as we normally do in conversation. 1. Everyone loves pizza! We might say. 2. Really? 3. Does every single person love pizza? I actually know for a fact that there are some people… if you want to call them people

What I've Had Done to Look 10 Years Younger at 52

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 18:13

People are shocked when they find out Hilary is 52. They see the abs, the energy, and the glow, and immediately want to know the secret. Well, in this episode, she's spilling it all—the workouts, the mindset, the aesthetics, and yes, the cosmetic procedures she's done (and proud of). Because here's the deal: taking care of yourself isn't vain, it's self-respect. This is not about fighting aging—Hilary loves getting older. But embracing aging doesn't mean just rolling over and accepting every wrinkle and change if it doesn't feel good to you. It's about choice. Confidence. Owning what makes you feel powerful. And not giving a damn about what anyone else thinks. Episode Highlights: Why loving yourself and getting cosmetic work aren't opposites The truth about Botox, fillers, and why she stays very picky The brutal reality of post-baby body changes—and the surgeries that changed everything Why cruelty-free skincare is a must (no excuses) The real key to looking and feeling amazing at any age—spoiler: it's not just lasers and serums Episode Breakdown: [00:00] Introduction [02:09] Loving Aging and Self-Confidence [03:02] Pro Being Your Best, Not Anti-Aging [05:09] Making Choices for Yourself [06:02] Self-Love and Cosmetic Procedures [07:39] Personal Transformation Journey [08:00] Pregnancy and Body Changes [12:02] Physical and Emotional Impact [14:08] Non-Surgical Maintenance [14:28] Botox and Fillers [15:10] Invisalign and Dental Care [16:14] Skincare and Animal Cruelty-Free Products [17:17] Lasers and Microneedling [17:39] The Real Secret to Looking and Feeling Your Best [18:00] Conclusion So whether you're Botox-curious, all-natural, or somewhere in between—this episode is a reminder that it's your face, your body, your rules. Do what makes you feel amazing and own it unapologetically.

70 Acts 19:11-20 God vs. Magic Part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2025 51:20

Title: “God vs. Magic” Part 1 Text: Acts 19:11-16 FCF: We often struggle to believe that God alone is sufficient for all we need. Prop: Because God's power is greater than magic, we must trust God alone without polluting His exclusive worship. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 19. In a moment we will read from the ESV starting in verse 11 and going to verse 20. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last time we learned of the incredible success that the Lord is giving to Paul in his third missionary journey. For two years he is able to preach the gospel and teach the commands of Christ to many in the city of Ephesus. He does this with very little opposition and the Lord blesses his ministry allowing the gospel to go out from Ephesus to all the province of Asia and many believers are strengthened. Today, we will see one final episode occurring in Ephesus forming the climax of Paul's missionary career. The reason I say this, is because in the book of Acts we will see Paul endure a great number of trials from this point forward. God will test him as Jesus said He would to Ananias the day Paul was converted. Paul will know what it is to suffer for the name of Christ. This final episode includes two scenes that go hand in hand with one another. We won't quite have time to see the effect of these two scenes on the city of Ephesus and on the believers there – but we will get a deep look into the cause of that effect this morning and God willing we will pick up the rest next time. So, without further delay, please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most High God, we come to You today as Your children whom You have called out of the kingdom of darkness to join You in Your Kingdom of light. We were once Your enemy, deserving only Your wrath. We were the children of the devil and had unknowingly but willingly sworn allegiance to him and his vile program against You. We were subject to his tyranny over us with his weapons of sin and death. But Your Son has conquered both of these weapons formed against us. He has borne our sin, bearing in His flesh the wrath of God that was meant for us. He has died our death and has been raised to life. We now inherit Life through Him. And though the forces of darkness pursue us and hunt us – we know that when we resist and submit to You, they must flee. Your power is great. And the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. We beg You today to be among us and to teach us from Your word. We ask this in the name of Your Dear Son, the Second person of the Godhead, co-equal in essence and authority eternally begotten by You, Amen. Transition: We have much to get to today, so let us get right into the text. I.) God's power is greater than magic, we must trust God. (11-12) a. [Slide 2] 11 - And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, i. Holy relics have been a part of many religions since the age of ancient empires. ii. Even Judaism had holy relics placed inside the ark of the covenant, which was itself a holy relic. iii. The Israelites began to treat the ark of the covenant as a good luck charm, taking it into battle to assure their victory. iv. This led to God judging them and having the Philistines defeat them in battle and take the ark from them. v. From this we can see that completely divorcing relics from the God who is behind them or treating them as if they were as special as the God behind them is a form of idolatry and something the Lord hates. 1. Some branches of Christendom today come dangerously close and I would say actually do cross the line into this error concerning relics. 2. They venerate or regard with great respect or reverence certain relics which are said to have great significance being connected to Christ, His apostles or famous members of the church. 3. The line between worship and veneration is not clear though. Even for these Christians who venerate these relics, it would be difficult for them to parse out exactly what it means to worship God and how that is different from what it means to venerate a relic. vi. So why all this discussion? vii. I think this passage has a great lesson for us regarding religious relics and what we should think about them. viii. Luke tells us that what God does in this passage is extraordinary. ix. The Greek literally says, that God was doing not ordinary miracles. They are odd, different than He usually does. x. This doesn't necessarily mean better or more powerful or more magnificent. xi. The NLT actually translates this – unusual miracles. I think that hits the nail on the head. xii. Luke's point is not to suggest that what is happening in this text is grand or marvelous. Simply what is not usual. xiii. So, what is happening through Paul that is unusual? b. [Slide 3] 12 - so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. i. So, with all that discussion about relics, I want to point out something here that I think we might miss. ii. Since Luke is not saying that what is happening with Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons is majestic or magnificent, or marvelous – but is instead not the same kind of miracles God normally does… iii. We can reasonably conclude that nothing is special about the handkerchiefs, aprons, or even Paul for that matter. iv. In other words, these relics are not special because Paul had them or even that they had touched his skin. That is not why they are different. v. They aren't even really different because of the miracles they perform. God has done these miracles of healing and exorcism through His apostles before. vi. They are different because God is using them to heal people and cast out demons of people, by someone simply touching them. vii. God does not normally do this. viii. That should lead us to ask the question… Why? Why is God doing this? What is the purpose that Paul's clothing should give healing to others? ix. The answer to this question is abundantly simple. x. God chose to heal in this way because of the superstitious nature of the Ephesians and their love of magic, incantations, spells, witchcraft, sorcery and exorcisms. xi. Although the Roman empire in general was awash with all kinds of magical practices connected to pagan gods and even the worship of the Emperor, Ephesus was at the very center of that. xii. So much so, that Clement of Alexandria, when speaking of magic spells written on papyri, calls them Ephesian writings. We get the impression that all spells had earned this monicker because of the city of Ephesus' connection to magic. xiii. God stooped to heal people in this way to draw a direct comparison between Himself, His Kingdom, His Son and His apostle Paul, to the magical powers and spirits that were an integral part of the Ephesians' lives. xiv. But God does not normally function this way. xv. What did Abraham say to the rich man in hell when he asked if Lazarus might go and warn his brothers about that terrible place he was in? Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets, if they will not listen to them, then even if someone who was raised from the dead goes to them, they will not be convinced. xvi. God's only means of drawing people to Himself is by His word. xvii. Mere miracles won't convince anyone to believe. xviii. But God does sometimes send signs and wonders to people who are slow to believe. He provided many such signs to the Israelites in leading them out of Egypt. xix. God also provides signs to those who are especially wicked - to deepen their punishment for continuing in disbelief. xx. He provided a sign for Ahaz that God should be believed and the sign was that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son. xxi. Jesus during His ministry said that a wicked and perverse generation asks for a sign, because it is only people who are slow to believe or wicked who need signs. And only wicked people would want to be a people who need signs in order to believe. xxii. In other words, miraculous signs and relics are only as good as their ability to authenticate God and His messengers. xxiii. And that is exactly what it did for Paul in the city of Ephesus. xxiv. Suddenly Paul has been granted a voice to speak the message because he is apparently… more proficient at magic then their magicians… at least this is what the Ephesians would have thought. xxv. But Luke tells us that it was God… not Paul. c. [Slide 4] Summary of the Point: Luke's point in reference to the entire book of Acts here is again proving that God is the gatherer and grower of His church. He expands His Kingdom's reach. The specific permutation of that teaching here is by comparison to the Kingdoms that stand opposed to His. The kingdoms of darkness and the kingdoms of this world are becoming the Kingdom of God and His Christ. In the heart of the Roman Empire, in the heart of magic and pagan worship, with the temple of Artemis on full display, God stoops to prove that He is more powerful than the magic that they have trusted. He condescends to prove this to them by providing unusual miracles done through Paul's sweaty clothes. In this He shows that there is nothing that can stop His Kingdom and His gospel power. Nothing at all. By direct comparison all the attempts of men to gain power, natural and supernatural, fail to compare to the stooped power of our God. So, what application shall we draw from this? What else other than that we must trust God. Not in God as if to believe He merely exists. But to trust God. All that He says, all He commands, all He does, all He will do, we must put our trust and hope completely in the triune God Yahweh. Transition: [Slide 5 (blank)] In what seems like a new episode, Luke moves on from this event to another event during the course of Paul's stay in Ephesus. But I believe Luke sets this in close proximity, and even that they are chronologically related to one another. To the extent that we must view verses 11 through 20 as one narrative episode and not two. What follows is the strength of those who wield magic. What is their power compared to God's? Let's look. II.) God's power is greater than magic, we must not take the Lord's name in vain. (13-16) a. [Slide 6] 13 - Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” i. What is recorded here is the object of Jewish myth and legend. 1. Josephus in his work of Jewish Antiquities noted that Solomon had legendary power to cast out demons. This power was believed to have been transmitted via incantations and formulas by family blood lines to first century exorcists. 2. Both in Matthew 12 and Luke 11 it is presupposed that these exorcists existed. And to some degree they were able to have success although it is clear from their writings that the Jewish Rabbis of the day did not approve of the practice. 3. Therefore, these Jewish exorcists were outliers. Jewish to some degree but only tangentially. 4. They would be something like those who practice Voodoo today. Voodoo has elements of paganism but is mixed with elements of Christianity. 5. Most Christians would not perceive those who practice Voodoo as being Christians. In a similar way, most Jews, especially those from Judea, would not perceive these Jewish exorcists as being Jews. 6. But the Gentiles would. In fact, they would probably care very little as long as the exorcists were successful in their craft. ii. The art of exorcism is another matter we must discuss. 1. Exorcisms at this time were primarily the use of one spirit or deity's power to cast out another spirit. 2. This gives some clarity as to why the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. a. Beelzebub is the Philistine God of flies or filth. By the first century the Pharisees had come to regard Satan as this same entity and described him as the lord or prince of demons. b. With both of these things in mind, Jesus' comments about a kingdom divided against itself make a lot of sense and repudiates the common thought of how to perform exorcisms. c. Although it may seem like one spirit invoked causes the removal of another – Jesus' words considered would lead us to understand that though one demon may give way to another more powerful one – ultimately, they are all on the same side. d. The removal of a spirit by any power save by the power of God is at best a stall and at worst, part of a grander plan to possess the person to an even greater degree. e. Why do I say that? f. For two reasons really. i. First, In Matthew 12 where this confrontation occurs with the Pharisees, 1. Jesus actually gives an example of how demons return to people after they have gone out of them. 2. And when they return, they bring more spirits more powerful than they are with them. ii. Second, in Luke's gospel, the man who was possessed by a large number of demons that called themselves Legion, had been possessed many times before. iii. Perhaps this indicates that he had received exorcisms before, which only increased the appeal of more demons to return and possess him in greater numbers. 3. Along with exorcisms, the name of the particular spirit or deity is of great significance. a. According to Jewish and Pagan legend and mythology, to know the name of a demon or spiritual entity is to possess power over it. b. This is no doubt where stories like Rumpelstiltskin got their inspiration. c. And so, unsurprisingly, these exorcists had observed Paul and his preaching and recognized Jesus as nothing more than a great power source to tap into and ply their trade. d. They attempt to use Jesus' name in vain (using it without the honor or respect it deserves to do something selfish), namely to bind or force this demon to leave this man. e. The word adjure means to command someone under penalty for failure. iii. Before we get to what happens, Luke has a few details he wishes to convey to us about these men. b. [Slide 7] 14 – Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. i. The significance of this comment is somewhat lost on us. ii. Sceva is a Latin name. It means “the left-handed or The Left hand”.” His name occurs nowhere in the records of the high priests associated with the temple in Jerusalem. iii. Having seven sons who are all powerful in exorcism magic communicates the inherited nature of some special bloodline of power. iv. Sceva being linked to the high priests may indicate that he is of a Levitical line. v. Some suggest that he pretended to be of the high priestly line but it was only a title he gave himself. vi. I think that he was probably of a line of so-called priests, descended from those who inherited the legendary secrets of Solomon for casting out demons. Perhaps a priestly line different than the Levitical line that God established. vii. Perhaps the title meaning Left-handed actually refers to him being the Left hand of God. A way God works that is through evil or darkness. viii. But assuming any of this is true, why does Luke tell us this without explaining its significance? ix. I believe this comment is primarily for Theophilus insomuch that perhaps the line of Sceva and his great spiritists were still known when Luke wrote to Theophilus in the early 60s. x. To know what happens next in light of these people still be regarded as great magicians, would do much to prove to Theophilus that what he believes is true beyond doubt. c. [Slide 8] 15 - But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” i. This verse is, perhaps, one of the most chilling verses in the scriptures. ii. Not perhaps as chilling as “depart from me for I never knew you” but it is certainly high on the list of sending chills down your spine. iii. Here we are given the words of this evil spirit, and they are a warning to us as we consider the power of demons and their place in the world, even to today. 1. First, we should observe that Luke says it is the evil spirit that answers. Is this with the use of the vocal cords of the person he possesses? Perhaps. a. We do know that these spirits are intelligent spirit creatures, meaning that they are probably able to speak and have voices of their own. b. Indeed, as creepy as it might be to consider, the voice could have come from within the man and without his lips moving. c. We spoke about this in Acts 16 where the girl was crying out with a demon's voice. The word used there is where we get our word for ventriloquism. 2. Second, we should take a look at what this demon says. Essentially, it says three things. a. Jesus, I know. i. The word “know” here is the Greek word which implies an experiential knowledge of something. ii. It is a more deep, more personal, more intimate knowledge. iii. Obviously not going so far as to mean love… but it is a knowledge borne of familiarity. iv. This demon knows Jesus. v. It is well aware of the God-Man Jesus Christ and His defeat of the forces of darkness via His death and resurrection. b. Paul, I recognize. i. The word for “recognize” is the Greek word which implies cognition. ii. Something learned, heard of, acquainted with, or recognized. iii. This does not imply a familiarity or experiential knowledge but rather a passed down through the grapevine kind of knowledge. iv. It is the word from which we derive the word epistemology, which is the study of how we come to know something as more than merely opinion. c. But who are you? i. Greek sentences do not have punctuation. ii. Sometimes it is difficult to know whether what is being said is a question or a statement. iii. In this case, whether we put a question mark or not, the evil spirit is not asking a question at all. iv. It is not asking who these men are… it is making a statement. v. That statement is that they do not have the pedigree to be able to cast it out of the man it is possessing. 3. This is quite the chilling little sentence for a few reasons. a. First, it is chilling to know that the demons do not resist Jesus because they do not know Him. Indeed, they are quite familiar with Him and still hate Him. James says they believe in Him and tremble. b. Second, it is chilling to know that the demons know our names… or at least can know our names. For this demon had heard of Paul. c. Third, it is chilling to know that demons do not fear any of us. Not in and of ourselves. iv. One final point before we move on… 1. What is clear here is that invoking the name of a more powerful deity or spirit to push out another spirit is obviously not the “key” or “secret” to exorcisms. 2. Combining what we observed from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees, it seems Jesus was well aware of the game that demons would play with these exorcists, allowing themselves to be removed to convince these exorcists that they had some sort of power and to make room for even more possessions in the future. 3. In this particular case, this demon wasn't playing along. Why? 4. My guess is that it probably didn't want to voluntarily leave at the behest of Jesus' name – for to do so would only give the name of Jesus and Paul credibility among the Ephesians. 5. One thing we are clear on here, is that merely invoking Jesus' name is not enough to cast out demons. As if it were some magic spell that beats them every time. 6. In fact, to invoke Jesus' name in such a way for selfish ends, while not being His servant, is a form of breaking the third command not to take the Lord's name in vain. 7. But when Jesus' name is invoked by one who knows Him, serves Him, and it is the will of God to do as the one who invokes His name has requested… then there is nothing that can stop it… 8. This, my friends, is why we pray in Jesus' name. v. So, how does the demon react to these men who think they have power over it? d. [Slide 9] 16 - And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. i. In short, the spirit used the body of the man he possessed to beat the snot out of these 7 sons of Sceva. ii. The fact that there were 7 of them contributes to the supernatural aspect of this beating. iii. Even some of the most well-trained martial artists, if they are outnumbered 7 to 1, it is not likely they will make it through unscathed if they make it through at all. iv. The more people you face at the same time in a fight exponentially increases the likelihood of losing. v. The only way this can be overcome, is by significant difference in force. 7 starving men against a Master, or 7 men against 1 with a machine gun. vi. The fact that these 7 men were so squarely defeated, to the extent that their robes were ripped from them and they all left wounded… proves that this man was indeed possessed. e. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: Luke's primary point endures as we take the somewhat comical story of some people being healed and cleansed of evil spirits by Paul's sweat rag, while others cannot cast out demons even though they invoke the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches. This proves once again that God is greater than magic. All the powers and all the forces and all the works of witchcraft and wizardry – all the legends, all the ancestry, all the secret and forbidden knowledge, all the might of all the armies of all the kingdoms of hell, if we stack it all up against God's divine will and power… it is not a comparison worthy to be made. God wins. Without effort. Without breaking a sweat. So, what is the application for us? The name of God, The Father, His Son, and His Spirit, is not to be used in association with anything else. In fact, it is not able be used for personal gain, power, or selfish purposes. We must refuse to see Jesus, the Father, or the Spirit, as little more than a talisman or good luck charm to make our lives better. Instead, His name must be honored and revered. He must be worshipped and served. We are His. And because we are His and because He offers Himself to us, and because we desperately need Him to be what HE wants us to be… He is ours. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 11] Although we must leave the text this morning before we take a deeper look at the effect of these events on the people of Ephesus, there is already much for us to process this morning. Luke's primary point in this passage is a direct comparison between the power of God and all the would-be powers that exist in this world. We saw the wisdom of the gospel proved to those who were the wisest that humanity had to offer in Athens, but now we see the power of God and His gospel directly compared to the greatest power that can be attained in the world. The power of magic. Though magic is often a concept only conveyed to us in stories, the bible speaks of magic as real power granted to people through created beings who are opposed to the work of God. These real powers by force or by permission lend their aid to humans for their sinister purposes. To consider them to be extinct or in hibernation would be to adopt a hyper materialistic view that any missionary who has spent time in darker countries could immediately rebuff. These forces still exist today – not just in cute stories, but in reality. And there is real power that can be gained from the use of magic. But hear me now… it is nothing compared to the power of God. Even when God condescends to display His power in the same way magic does, His power still dwarfs it. There are two things we must do because of this. First, we must trust God. What He says, commands, does, will do – we must put all our eggs in His basket because there is only hope in Him. Secondly, which is a further explanation of what it means to trust God, is to not trust Him only so we gain something from Him. Our God cannot be used as a talisman, a good luck charm, a relic, or an icon to give us blessings or good fortune. He will not allow this to be the case. He is too great to enter into some kind of pact with us. He needs nothing from us. In fact, we are completely dependent on Him. We are nothing without Him. We cannot use Him to help us get what we want… because He is all we should ever want or need. That is the only relational arrangement that is appropriate with Yahweh, the God of the bible. He is either our everything or we are nothing. But how do we apply this more concretely to our lives today? 1.) [Slide 12] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that there are other sinister powers at work in this dark world. a. We have all grown up in an age of materialism. b. What I mean by that is that the basis for rational thought, science, philosophy, psychology, medicine, and even theology to some degree, is built upon the belief that all things are material. c. All that is can be experienced by our senses. d. Added to this we have TV shows, books, movies, and video games, and other media conveying to us through the medium of make believe the absolute absurdity of the spiritual realm being in any way real. e. Whether we want it to or not, this concept infects our understanding of biblical passages to where many so-called churches now find materialistic ways of explaining the miracles we see in the scriptures. f. And stories like the one we have seen today, are interpreted through the lens of dramatic license of the biblical authors. As if Luke spins a yarn to convey a deeper theological truth. g. But the bible speaks of a spiritual world that runs parallel to this one. It does not do so to any degree of grand specificity. It does not provide to us the exact hierarchy of the angels or demons. It does not tell us the inner workings of the war between light and darkness to any great detail. h. But occasionally it does prove to us, through stories like these that sometimes that spiritual world connects, intersects, and pushes into our physical world. i. And unless they are messengers of God, all other powers and forces have sinister and nefarious intentions toward the God who created them. They have rebelled and have aligned themselves with Satan. They have taken up the cause to oppose the Lord and His people. j. If the bible is true, then how dangerous is it to be convinced that such forces and powers do not exist in reality. k. This is a terribly frightening story, the thing of horror novels. l. Magicians and exorcists, necromancers and witches performing spells and incantations, invoking spirit beings to force them to use their power for the benefit of the spell caster. m. If the scriptures speak of these things, we gain nothing by denying their existence. In fact, we put ourselves in a rather vulnerable position on a couple levels. i. First, we are vulnerable because we have to interpret these passages in such a way that it calls into question what exactly we can ever glean from the scriptures. 1. We must have a consistent hermeneutic. 2. It is not a strange coincidence that those who deny the miracles in the bible are now claiming that women can be pastors and have authority over men in the church. 3. It is not a coincidence that those who deny the spiritual nature of these dark powers are suddenly supporting the LGBTQIA+ agenda. 4. Once you begin to interpret the scriptures in such a way that what is plainly said is interpreted to mean the opposite somehow – that hermeneutic applied to every other passage of scripture allows for you to make the bible say whatever you want it to. ii. Second, we are vulnerable because if the bible is true and these dark powers do actually exist, we can rest assured that we will never see their oppression or possession coming. 1. If these creatures are real and are intelligent evil in our world – do you think they would want the world to believe they exist? 2. Perhaps at one time they did. Prior to Christ's coming and achieving victory over them. 3. But now, they hide in plain sight. They do not reveal themselves to the whole world. So that they might do their hunting in peace. n. We gain nothing by denying that magic, witchcraft, sorcery, demonic possession and oppression exist. o. Indeed, we stand to lose much in doing so. p. I do not have a command from the Lord for you to stop reading, watching, or playing things where these powers are included in the make-believe world… but I do have an application for you – DO NOT ALLOW these pass times to convince you that these forces are fake, benign, or under your control. q. But while we affirm that these horrible forces and powers exist… as we concede that these principalities and powers of this dark world do continue to oppose our God even now, and even here in the US… r. We MUST deny… 2.) [Slide 13] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that such powers are greater than our God. a. It isn't even close folks. b. That doesn't mean that God does not allow them to have minor victories. That doesn't mean that God does not grant them minor successes and minor influences in the world. c. For as we see with the crucifixion of Christ – such successes are actually grave defeats to them. d. God turns their victories into defeats and their defeats into His glory. e. He is not troubled by them. He is not bothered by them. f. Though we call it a war between Light and Dark – that is creature talk. If the Lord so desired, the war could be over with a mere thought. g. But God's purposes are bigger, even bigger than the war between Angels and Demons. h. Bigger than the souls of mankind. i. Bigger than the kings and kingdoms of this world. j. Bigger than this world itself. k. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is so far beyond all that is a creature… l. All else besides Him is a finite creation. He is the infinite Creator. m. My friends. As real and as powerful as magic, demons, witchcraft and sorcery are – They are nothing compared to the glory, the majesty, the power, the wisdom, the might, the holiness of our great God, Yahweh, the Most High. n. Indeed, although other things are called gods in the scriptures, because God is so far above them – they do not deserve the classification. For the Scriptures also plainly declare that there is no God but Yahweh. He is in a category by Himself. And none approach Him. o. So, what must we do? 3.) [Slide 14] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust God alone. a. If these powers exist and actively oppose our God, but they do not even come close to His power, then we would be fools to attempt to oppose them without His strength. b. Like the sons of Sceva, we would find ourselves woefully outmatched. c. Instead, we must put our full confidence, hope, and trust in God alone. d. Not just for salvation, but for everything. e. For life, for eternal life, and for protection from these forces. f. God is all we need. g. He tells us to seek His Kingdom and righteousness first and then, when we do that, all our other concerns will be taken care of. h. Because His Kingdom and His Righteousness are all that really matter. Everything else… is just extra. i. We must trust the God who saves and the God who is in a category all to Himself. j. But that means we must stop doing something else… 4.) [Slide 15] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop merely adding God to what we already worship. a. Many people in America claim to be Christians. b. They claim this because they attend a Christian church, or their family did, or they prayed a prayer and asked Jesus into their heart, or they have some vague affiliation to or affection of Jesus. c. But in reality, most people who claim to be Christians in this nation do so with little better motives than these sons of Sceva who used His name to try to gain power over this demon. d. Many people claim Jesus as their Savior because they want to be saved from hell, but that is as far as the relationship has gone. They want forgiveness but no commands. Love but no Lordship. Acceptance but no correction. Mercy but no authority. They want heaven but would very much like to keep practicing all the fruits of hell. e. They live their lives as if Jesus is a wonderful addition, giving them security for their next life as they live this first one for their own pleasures, lusts, desires, and plans. f. My friends, such affiliation to Jesus is idolatry. It is taking the Lord's name in vain. g. To profess belief in Jesus only insofar as he forgives the sins you keep committing and gets you out of the hell you keep living for – such a Jesus doesn't exist. h. Jesus' name cannot be invoked, manipulated, manhandled. He cannot be strongarmed, seduced, deceived or abused. i. Our God is so far above you – that the only person you are fooling… is you. j. Our God demands exclusive, unpolluted, undivided, worship. And You don't bring anything to that worship that God actually needs from you. You only bring what He deserves from you. k. In this we find His mercy, for without Him we are nothing. l. God is all we need and God is all we have. m. Without Him we are nothing. Without us, He is the same. n. Therefore, to add God, Jesus, His Spirit, to our lives and live for ourselves is the most subtle of all forms of idolatry… and no man will be saved who confesses Christ in this way. o. God is either all you worship or you don't worship Him at all. p. My friends, God is too big and too powerful, too wise, too holy to be a god you add to your life. q. He demands to take over your life. That is true Christianity. That is true conversion. 5.) [Slide 16] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” There is no other god besides our God. a. The passage today is scary. b. These beings exist. They know our names. And they hate our God. c. It would be all we could do but to flee in fear… d. But our God is greater. e. Our God is stronger. f. There is no god but our God. g. Trust in nothing else. Trust in nothing less. [Slide 17(end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer Martin Luther Lord, there is no doubt that we are poor sinners, and by our disobedience we have deserved infinitely more severe discipline than we are now bearing. But look, Lord, at the wicked enemy's intentions. The enemy hates you and your name, and hates us too because we hold fast to you and your name, because we find comfort in your word, and because we hope for mercy through your death and merits. Therefore, dear Lord Jesus Christ, punish our enemy, and help us for your name's sake! Such a thought cheers our hearts, giving us confidence and boldness to pour ourselves out to you in prayer. For this reason the prophets also prayed in this way, constantly pleading the name of God, as David does: "Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered" (Psalm 44:22). So we now pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Benediction: May the Lord your God be to you a safe retreat In troubled times, a stronghold and refuge when you are oppressed, So that you can say, I will be glad and rejoice in you, I will sing praise to your name O Most High. Until we meet again, go in peace.

america god tv love jesus christ trust father lord master spirit christians creator christianity left holy satan acts psalm jewish angels greek jerusalem ephesians savior jews dark kingdom of god demons latin acceptance scriptures lazarus pharisees amen athens gentiles trust in god israelites lgbtqia ephesus legion magicians emperor book of acts slide added cbc roman empire pagan his son yahweh his kingdom voodoo artemis exorcism kingdoms his spirit judea mere ananias lordship in matthew acts 19 philistines esv most high clement godhead nlt christendom beelzebub ephesian god vs ahaz levitical theophilus josephus rumpelstiltskin your kingdom sceva magic part his christ god yahweh his righteousness o most high title god jewish rabbis conclusion so

69 Acts 19:8-10 A Time to Reason and a Time to Leave

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2025 46:54

Title: A Time to Reason and A Time to Leave Text: Acts 19:8-10 FCF: We all struggle doing what God has commanded to grow His church. Prop: Because God will gather and grow His church, we must make disciples of those who are willing to hear. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 19. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 8. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last week Paul arrived in Ephesus to find Jews whose profession was somewhat questionable. Paul searched for evidence of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, and discovered that the 12 men before him were not yet believers in Jesus as their Messiah. After sharing the gospel with these men, they believed and submitted to baptism in His name. The Spirit descended upon them afterward confirming that even Baptistic Jews could become part of the assembly of Christ. Today we will have the first two years of the third missionary journey summarized for us in only a couple scenes. Luke is not recording the book of Acts as an exact history but rather evidence that the faith Theophilus received was genuine and trustworthy. Luke then is describing more how the gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire rather than giving all the details of its expansion. So please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Sovereign Lord, we approach You today to meet You again in Your word. We ask that You will be with us, and that You will send Your Spirit among us to grow our faith through the means of grace found in Your word preached. We ask that You will show us Your providential control of Your church and our place in its gathering and growth. Help us Lord to play our parts well, not for our glory and not even for the sake of those to whom we minister, but for Your glory and Yours alone. We ask this in the name of Your dear Son… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] In the game of pool, you use a cue ball to strike other billiard balls into pockets along the table. If after you pocketed a ball, I asked you what knocked the ball in, you could reply in a number of different ways. To some degree you could say that the cue ball knocked in the ball. This is somewhat true, but in reality, we all know that cue balls don't spontaneously begin moving. As Newton observed, objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless an outside force acts upon them. So, you wouldn't be wrong that the cue ball pocketed the other ball – but you wouldn't really be right either. It would be the same if you said the cue stick pocketed the ball. Surely the cue stick and the cue ball played their part, but ultimately, we'd all have to agree at some point that the player… you… knocked it in. We have observed many times in the book of Acts that the Lord is at work to expand and guide His church. We've seen this over and over again, and news flash, we'll see it again today. But alongside that truth we have also seen that God often uses human agents to accomplish His purposes. God is gathering and growing His children and preparing them for the kingdom that is coming. He does this often by using His own people. It may be the player that knocks in the ball, but the cue ball doesn't let that get in the way of doing its job to the best of its ability. Ok, bad example, the cue ball doesn't make choices on its own. But if you understand the analogy – why would we want to be anything else other than God's cue ball… Let's look at verse 8. I.) God is still gathering and growing His church, so we must share the gospel cogently and compellingly. (8) a. [Slide 3] 8 - And after he entered the synagogue, he continued speaking out boldly for three months, i. Luke continues to record the key events that took place as the third missionary journey began. ii. Paul arrives in Ephesus and after seeing 12 men come to Christ from Baptistic Judaism, he immediately goes to the Jew first with the gospel of their own Messiah. iii. He enters the synagogue and continues to speak boldly for three months. iv. There are a number of details we should notice here. 1. First, Ephesus is the capital city of the Roman province of Asia. It is the center for trade in the eastern part of the empire. It boasted around 250,000 citizens, which does not include slaves. Not to mention the number of people who used this city for travel throughout the empire. This was a massive city. At any given time, it would not be a stretch to think there could have been a million people roaming the streets. 2. Paul is said to go to a synagogue, singular. But with a city this large, and if Josephus is to be believed, with such a large Jewish population, it is more than likely that there were several synagogues in the city. 3. Why then would Paul only go to one of them? 4. It is possible that Luke uses the word synagogue to speak of the system itself and not one particular building. 5. It is also possible that Paul only went to the synagogue closest to him. Synagogues tended to divide along certain perspectives on the Jewish faith. It may be that this particular synagogue would have been the one closest to the teachings of Christ and most likely to receive Him in true faith. 6. In any case, Paul goes to this synagogue in the city of Ephesus and speaks for 3 months. 7. This detail in and of itself is an anomaly to all the book of Acts. 8. Paul has never been able to continue long in preaching in the synagogues before he was run out and rejected. 9. 3 months is easily the longest he's been able to continue to speak. 10. And Luke points out to us that it isn't because he was being slow to reveal the truth or softspoken about it either. Instead, he spoke boldly about the truth of the gospel… b. [Slide 4] reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. i. Paul boldly engaged them with the gospel from a logical and persuasive level. ii. Paul, although the first to admit that it is the Spirit's power that regenerates and enables men to receive faith in Christ, does not take that to mean that he can be flippant or unpolished in his presentation of the gospel message. iii. Paul uses logic to assert that the gospel is a valid and reasonable conclusion based on the Old Testament Scriptures. iv. Paul uses sound arguments to prove that this Jesus is the Messiah prophesied of old. v. From an epistemological standpoint, Paul attacks the strongholds of false belief and false thinking while defending the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. vi. Paul is an example to all of us, that though the triune God leads to the conversion of a man's soul – the human agent must be faithful to present a cogent and compelling argument for the gospel. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: If anyone ever had a reason to utterly give up on a people group, it would have been Paul. How many times has he been run out of synagogues? How many times have his own people rejected the gospel? How many times have the Jews chased Paul out of town? Yet here he is, once again, sharing the gospel with the Jews. But the Lord blessed him in Ephesus. Many were persuaded. Many believed what Paul taught about the kingdom of God. Paul didn't give up. Why? Because he knew that God is still gathering and growing His church from all the nations of the earth. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. Because he knew this, Paul did all he could to reason and persuade his countrymen of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He gave a message that was cogent and compelling. Not because that is what wins people to faith in Christ… but because that is what pleases our Lord Jesus. To speak well of the hope we have in us. And guess what CBC? God is still gathering and growing His church today. In Columbus, in Michigan, in the USA, and in all the world, the Lord is still gathering and growing His church. We are part of that grand plan. What is our part to play? Well certainly some of our part is to share the gospel cogently and compellingly. We must present a well-reasoned, logical, powerful, and persuasive gospel of Jesus… because that is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. The gospel itself is well reasoned, logical, powerful, and persuasive. Transition: [Slide 6 (blank)] But this is not the whole responsibility placed on us as God continues His plan to gather and grow His church. We have more to do than simply to present the gospel in a logical and persuasive manner. Let's look at what happens when Paul encounters resistance. II.) God is still gathering and growing His church, we must use our time and energy efficiently for the growth of Kingdom citizens. (9-10) a. [Slide 7] 9 - But when some were becoming hardened and were not believing, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, i. After three months of reasoning and persuading many about the kingdom of God with Jesus as the head of this Kingdom, eventually Paul met familiar resistance. ii. Something is happening here in the text that we need to see in order to really understand what these Jews are doing. iii. In quick succession Luke uses an imperfect passive verb, followed by an imperfect active verb, followed by a present active participle. iv. Perhaps you think I just spoke in tongues

68 Acts 19:1-7 13 Men Stuck Between Two Faiths

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 45:35

Title: 13 Men Stuck Between Two Faiths Text: Acts 19:1-7 FCF: We all struggle to with the tension of the diversity and uniformity that exists in the church. Prop: Because all kind of people will receive the Holy Spirit, we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 19. In a moment we will read starting in verse 1 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last week Luke closed out the record of the second missionary journey of Paul. As he did this, he gave record of the work as it continued in Paul's absence. Part of this work was to record an episode concerning another major figure in the work of the kingdom. Apollos the evangelist and apologist steps on the scene and heads off to Achaia to continue the work there refuting the Jews. Today, in what is obviously connected thematically to the previous episode of Apollos, Luke will record another interaction with 12 men who were also converts of John the Baptist. But this time we will see Paul address and correct their deficiencies in doctrine. In this narrative episode, we will learn a great deal about how the gospel call will be answered by a broad and diverse group of people, but the gospel effect is quite narrow and uniform. Let's look at chapter 19 verse 1. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most High God, Father of the Nations, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we come to You today as citizens of Your Kingdom. You have called and gathered us from the ends of the earth and granted us sight to see the wonderous truths of Your holy order. You have shone through our blind eyes to awake us to the hope of life in Your son Jesus Christ. You have plunged us into baptism, immersed us into the total work of the Godhead to save us from sin and death and free us to life eternal. You have given us your Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us in all things. Father these truths are so precious to us. Help us to see in Your word today how these truths affect how we engage our culture and even our enemies. Help our faith to be moved to action today by what You have revealed. Help us to love You more. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] It's amazing how catastrophic the smallest piece of information withheld at the worst time can be. Whether it is a navigation system failing to give an audible direction on time, or a text not coming through to inform you of the change of a meeting time or location, or the failure of a coach to give the signal to steal. In these moments, had the information been given, certain catastrophe could have been avoided and all would have gone according to plan. Today we will meet 12 men who missed, by a good 20 years, a rather pivotal piece of information regarding the most important subject that exists… the future of their eternal souls. They had 90% of the message, but unfortunately for them the last 10% was so significant, they were now caught between two faiths, seen as a heretic by one and as lacking by the other. So, are they without hope? Are they too late? Are they just victims of bad timing? Let's find out. I.) All who are genuinely part of Christ's church have received the Holy Spirit, so we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. a. [Slide 3] 1 - While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. i. Although Luke only said that Apollos was going to Achaia, as he continues, it is clear that the capital of Achaia was Apollos' true destination. ii. We know from various other passages of scripture that Apollos made an impression on the city of Corinth. iii. While he was there, Paul comes to Ephesus by the inland regions. iv. We don't quite know when this missionary journey began. v. The best estimates are somewhere between late AD 52 and AD 53. vi. [Slide 4] Paul travels through the inland regions meaning he comes by a direct route to Ephesus. He is visiting some of the churches he planted in the first missionary journey along the way. vii. But it is clear that Paul intends to come to Ephesus and spend a good deal of time there. viii. This verse provides a clear connection between Apollos' story and what will follow. Apollos is referenced along with the beginning of the trip Luke already mentioned in chapter 18 verse 23. ix. It is obvious that the first 7 verses of chapter 19 are intended to be taken together with the previous account of Apollos. x. It is an unfortunate chapter division. b. [Slide 5] He found some disciples there 2 - and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” i. When Paul arrives, he discovers a group of disciples, followers, learners who appear to be believers. ii. Nevertheless, something seems off about them. So, Paul asks them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. iii. The Holy Spirit's indwelling is THE sign of a person being a citizen of the kingdom of God. iv. Paul does not ask first if they believed on Jesus. He doesn't ask first if they have been baptized. He doesn't ask first if they are involved in a local church somewhere. v. The book of Acts makes it clear that the only way we really know that someone is of the Kingdom of God – is if they have received the Holy Spirit. vi. That is the sign given to us that we are redeemed. vii. Furthermore, Paul links the coming of the Holy Spirit with belief. Receiving faith in Jesus Christ for a genuine member of the church is, at least in Paul's mind, linked with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. viii. This is NOT the Spirit's work of regeneration, which happens prior to belief as we have seen in several of our book studies over the last few years. ix. That work is like a wind and happens unpredictably and without warning, like Jesus says to Nicodemus. x. But the Indwelling of the Spirit is a predictable outcome upon genuine belief. At least this is what Paul is assuming. xi. Now because these men answer in the way they do it is very obvious that they are not truly disciples of Christ. 1. There is an untranslated word in the Greek that indicates something that is in addition to in an amplifying manner. 2. In English we often use the expression “not only, blah blah blah, but also blah blah blah” in these instances. 3. The NET translators have done an excellent job expressing this efficiently by simply supplying the word “even” in the text. 4. Not only have they not received the Holy Spirit… but also we have not even heard that there IS a Holy Spirit. 5. This could mean that they have never heard of the third person of the Godhead, but because they are Jews, it is far more likely that they had not heard that the third person of the Godhead was present in this way and was available to be received by anyone or by any means. xii. Since their response obviously indicated that they were not indwelled by the Holy Spirit Paul has another question. c. [Slide 6] 3 - So, Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John's baptism,” they replied. i. Had their statement been either that they had received the Spirit, or that they THOUGHT they had received the Holy Spirit, we might expect Paul's question to be different. 1. In other words, the test of whether or not someone has the Holy Spirit is not what that they have been baptized into the triune God. 2. From other texts of the New Testament, we find that the true test of whether or not someone has been indwelled with the Spirit is knowledge of God on an intimate level. 3. Although assurance can be lost for a time, the New Testament makes it seem that most Christians should live in a constant awareness of the Spirit's indwelling presence. 4. Indeed, so much of the New Testament is given as a means to see, experience, recognize, or assure ourselves of the Spirit's indwelling presence in us. 5. And not only for us but also for assurance of the Holy Spirit's presence in others. 6. And His presence is greatly tied to His changing and grace giving power in us to be and do what God has remade us to be and do. ii. So, notice here Paul's immediate question following their confession that they did not realize that the Spirit was available to be received. iii. Paul immediately associates the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with baptism. iv. In Acts, while sometimes the Spirit comes before water baptism, sometimes after, and sometimes at the same time, there is a close association of the indwelling of the Spirit and baptism. v. Just as there is a close association with the indwelling of the Spirit and belief on Christ. vi. In this, Peter's message at Pentecost remains the definitive test for the normal indicative experience of every person entering the family of God. vii. As Peter puts it “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” viii. Repentance and belief on Christ lead to the indwelling of the Spirit of God and baptism in Jesus' name proves the commitment of one who is indwelled with the Spirit of God. To Paul – all three should be present because all three are necessary, even if they are not necessary in the same way. ix. Paul has taken these men as disciples of Christ and even assumed that they were baptized members of the church. But if they haven't been indwelled with the Spirit of God… then he needs to find out more about their baptism. x. If their baptism wasn't in submission to the indwelled Spirit of God… what was it for? xi. And in this we find that they were baptized into John's Baptism. xii. Since, as we said, Luke has put the stories of Apollos and these men back-to-back, it is clear Luke wants us to see that both Apollos and these disciples were faithful Jews who had been taught from John's school. xiii. Jews baptized to prepare them with repentance for the coming forgiveness of sins through the immanent Messiah. xiv. What is also clear is that the baptism of John, including all John taught, was not enough to fully transition a Jewish persons' faith into a Messianic, New Covenant faith. It was not enough to push them to take the next step of Judaism and become a Christian. xv. The way the book of Acts crafts this whole discussion is that there are not two different faiths, Judaism and Christianity. Instead, there is True Judaism which was for the Jews to receive Jesus as their Messiah and join the church to become Christians… and there were those Jews who had rejected their own Messiah and become dead branches and cut off from their covenant promises. xvi. But in regard to these men, they are somewhere in-between. They are stuck in the Old Covenant still. They haven't rejected Christ; in fact, they are prepared to receive Him… but they have not yet understood what to receive and how. xvii. So, the real question is – are they allowed at this late hour to be admitted into the Kingdom of Christ? Is it too late for these Jews who have not yet rejected their Messiah, to receive their Messiah? xviii. We'll have to see what Paul does with them in a moment. d. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Luke begins this third missionary journey with the record of Paul testing the profession of a group of 12 men. In this we see Luke's point, that the Kingdom of God produces certain uniform and verifiable results to all who enter it. The very first of these is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, which is inextricably linked to receiving faith in Christ and baptism in His name. In this we can draw the teaching that the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence is the standard by which we test if someone is part of Christ's church or not. It is not mere profession alone, nor mere baptism alone. Evidence of the Spirit's indwelling is absolutely essential. And the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is only given to those who have repented and believed the correct doctrine concerning Jesus. And The Spirit's indwelling presence is first evidenced by obedience in submitting to baptism in Jesus' name as a picture of their faith in Christ. Since all this is true, just as Paul did, we must be sure that all who would be part of the church have received the Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ and have evidenced the Holy Spirit's indwelling through obedience first by baptism in Jesus' name. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] So now that Paul knows the problem, what will be his tactic to deal with these men who are stuck between two faiths? Are they disqualified? If not, how will he prove to them that they lack understanding concerning the Messiah? Let's look. II.) The gospel call will be answered by all kinds of people, so we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. a. [Slide 9] 4 - Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” i. How does Paul engage these Jews who are on the edge of taking the next step in Judaism? ii. He engages them in what he knows John taught. He started from what they believed and knew. iii. A wonderful tactic we should emulate when we take the gospel to others. iv. John taught them to be baptized in repentance and to believe in the one who was going to come after him. v. Well John's been dead for about 25 years, and apparently, they had not heard, or had forgotten that Jesus had actually came to John to be baptized, at which point John identified Him as the one who came after. vi. Either they had not heard or had forgotten that John prophesied that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit. vii. Paul's message is – my friends, have you not heard? The One who was to come after John has come. The One who baptizes with the Spirit has come. viii. He is Jesus. b. [Slide 10] 5 - When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, i. Again, we see baptism, belief, and repentance rolled into one event. ii. Baptism is again affiliated strongly with the conversion of a person and not their preparation for conversion. We as Baptists really like to point that out. iii. They were baptized into a new and better baptism. iv. Where John's baptism was anticipatory (like many baptisms in Christendom today seem to be), Jesus' baptism is a declaration of affiliation. v. Where John's baptism was never meant to be the final baptism, baptism into the triune God is final. vi. Where John's baptism was in preparation for a hope of something to come (again like many baptisms in Christendom today), Jesus' baptism is a physical sign of that hope being fulfilled. vii. John's baptism required repentance and admission of sinfulness and desire for forgiveness, but it was not enough. You must believe on Jesus and be baptized into Him in order to be part of the church. viii. Luke recording this immediately following Apollos' experience sheds more light on what is going on here. ix. It is probably safe to conclude that even though Apollos taught rightly about Jesus in what he knew, he too was only acquainted with the teachings of John. Meaning that he too needed to receive faith in Christ and be baptized into Him. x. And even though Luke did not record such an event, because of what we see happening only a few verses later, we can reasonably assume that he too was baptized into the triune God. c. [Slide 11] 6 - and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. 7 - (Now there were about twelve men in all.) i. As we've seen in each of the cases where a new group of people have come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit's indwelling is accompanied with the sign gifts of tongues and prophesy. ii. The same sign indicates that all these different kinds of people are joining the same church. iii. There is not a Samaritan church, a God-Fearer church, a gentile church, a Jewish church, and now a Baptistic Jewish Church. iv. All the different factions of humanity homogenize into one church who are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. v. Some may ask, “Why did the Holy Spirit come after belief and baptism and only when Paul placed his hands on them? 1. To the Jews in Acts 2, the apostles were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues yet we have no passage in the entire New Testament where they were baptized in Jesus' name. 2. Then they preached to other Jews who accepted the message and were baptized, but the timing of the Holy Spirit's indwelling is not mentioned there nor that they displayed sign gifts. 3. To the Samaritans in Acts 8 they accepted the message and were baptized but did not receive the Spirit until Peter and John came down and prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. After this, it is said they did receive the Spirit but not how that was known. We assumed it was due to sign gifts. 4. To the God-Fearers and Gentiles in Acts 10, they heard the message and in their receiving of faith, the Holy Spirit fell on them evidenced by sign gifts such as speaking in tongues. With this evidence, Peter concludes that baptism should be offered immediately since they have the Spirit. 5. Finally, here in chapter 19 we see the apostle Paul (much like Peter and John toward the Samaritans) laid hands on these twelve Baptistic Jewish after they had believed and were baptized and they received the Holy Spirit as evidenced with sign gifts. 6. So, our question is… is the lack of a pattern teaching us a lesson? 7. The lesson is that the Holy Spirit came when He wanted upon those whom He wanted and when He arrived that was a sign not only meant for the person who had just believed, but primarily for those who were already a part of the Kingdom to recognize that this new group of people could join and were now part of the church. 8. People who aren't pure Jews could be part of the church. People who weren't Jews at all but were somewhat Jewish in their faith could be part of the church. People that were neither Jewish in faith or nationality could be part of the church and finally those who were not quite Jewish but not quite Christian… could be part of the church. 9. With this, the last demarcation of human existence is toppled. God so loved the world… All kinds of different people… that He gave His only Son that ALL the believing ones in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. d. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Although Luke's first point was the rigidness and uniformity of the path to become part of Christ's church, his second point shows the diversity and breadth of those who will answer the gospel call. As Baptistic Jews these men were borderline Jewish heretics while at the same time being borderline Christian heretics. They were truly a group of people caught in the middle with no belonging. But just as we have seen the gospel go to the nation of the Jews who rejected their own Messiah, just as we've seen the gospel go to the Samaritans who were Jewish cultists and heretics, just as we've seen the gospel go to those who could never be Jewish like the Ethiopian Eunuch, Just as we've seen the gospel go to God-Fearers who were gentile Yahweh worshippers, just as we've seen the gospel go to gentile pagans who were polytheists, just as we've seen the gospel go to the wealthy, the powerful, the poor, the weak, so now we see the gospel go to this group who don't belong to any faith at all. Religiously ousted by the Jews and not quite Christian either. Yet they respond and come to Christ. Luke's point – is that the gospel is for all kinds of men. The gospel call goes out to all people. And it will be heard by all kinds of people. So we must be sure to call all to receive the Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ and evidence the Holy Spirit's indwelling through obedience first in baptism in Jesus' name. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how shall we live? Doctrinal takeaway: [Slide 13] Two points of doctrine coalesce into the funnel of the Kingdom of God. The gospel call will be answered very broadly. Men and women from all kinds of backgrounds will hear the call of God and receive faith in Christ and be baptized in His name. People coming from various religious backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, political perspectives, ethnicities, skin colors, the powerful, the famous, the weak, the deplorables and every one in between, the Lord is gathering, in the broadest possible way, His Kingdom together. But this is a funnel because as He gathers them from a diverse and broad background, He funnels them into the same narrow gate. They must receive the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ alone and that reception of the Spirit must be evidenced by obedient and submissive hearts to publicly declare with their words and actions that Christ is their Lord and Savior, first in baptism in His name and every day following by living upright and holy lives. Though we may have been very different people before we came to Christ – after coming to Christ we are all more alike than we are different. Why? Because the things that made us different before are insignificant when compared to the thing that makes us the same. Since this is true… we must call all kinds of people from various backgrounds to the exact same gospel. Repent, believe the gospel of Christ and be baptized in His name. You will receive the Spirit of God and then all the world will know you are His. Sealed until the day of redemption. But let me apply this more specifically to us today. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that the gospel call will be answered by people from a wide variety of backgrounds. a. Why must we love our enemies? b. Why must we love those who persecute us? c. Why must we pray for those who spitefully use us? d. Why are we not free to treat others as they treat us? e. In the political realm, in the social realm, at work, in our families – why can't we fight fire with fire? Trade insult for insult? Scream louder? Fight harder? f. My friends, in a moment, according to the will of God, His Spirit can regenerate a heart and prepare it to receive faith in Christ and with faith the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. g. Such a miracle can happen to literally any person we know who still draws breath on this earth. h. Died in the wool democrats with the most liberal agenda, wealthy autocrats, corporate stooges, porn stars, drag queens, transgender people and pundits, Mormons, Modalists, Managers, Swiss people, German people, black, white, red and yellow, bumpkins and geniuses, southerners and northerners… and yes, apparently even Ohioans – My friends the gospel call goes to all and the gospel call is received by all kinds. i. The vision of the New Kingdom is global and the Lord is gathering His church from all the nations of the earth. j. Even these 13 men, forgotten in the middle of these two religious systems., but friends they were NOT FORGOTTEN by GOD! k. He had elected them before the foundation of the world and although they were late to the party… they were given the truth and welcomed to the fold. l. You and I cannot afford to be at war with anyone on this earth. Why? m. Because even if they aren't now… they may one day be our brother or sister in Christ. n. So what does that mean for us? 2.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must take the gospel to all people. a. I'm not saying we should not fight to keep morality and godly principles as the law of the land. b. But when we are talking about actual people. Not organizations or groups… but people… we must assume that even they, if the Lord so allows, will be brought to Christ through His Word. c. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what? The Word of God. d. And what does the Lord say about His word in Isaiah 55? It will not return to him void. It will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. e. The Word of God always accomplishes the purpose that God sends it to do. f. We preach the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ and we call all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel and be baptized in Jesus' name. g. God's purpose for His Word is different for different people. For Pharoah, it hardened Him. But for you and I… it broke us. h. If the gospel call goes out to all men, then all kinds of men are being drawn with that gospel Word. i. We must faithfully give it to all. Even those who persecute us. Even those who spitefully use us. j. Don't get sucked in to fighting battles over policies and earthly issues. k. Preach the Word of God and share His gospel. l. They may hate you for it… but at least then you are doing what your Lord has required of you. 3.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that people can enter the narrow way by various gates. a. But we would also do well to remember that although the ones whom the Lord has called to His Kingdom are from a diverse background… all who come, come by a narrow way. b. In some very unimportant things, we have great diversity in the church. Music preferences, certain doctrinal convictions on dress standards, movie preferences and more. c. But listen, where it counts, in what matters… we are exactly the same. d. We believe in God the Father almighty maker of heaven and earth. e. And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord. f. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified died and was buried and descended into hell. g. The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended in heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. h. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. i. We believe in the Holy Spirit and His indwelling in all who truly believe. j. We believe in the Holy Universal Church which was predestined, called, justified, is being sanctified and will one day be glorified. k. We believe in the communion of this church known in the scriptures as the saints. l. We believe in the forgiveness of sins by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. m. We believe in the resurrection of the body in whom Christ was firstborn of many siblings. n. We believe in eternal life which is given to all the believing ones in Christ. o. This set of beliefs and all the ramifications it has on us are the core of what we are. p. So much so, that to deny any of these points sets one's profession immediately into question. q. There is no room for diversity in these things for those who have entered the narrow gate. r. And for us, CBC, we also believe in being baptized in the name of the Triune God as a picture of belief in Christ and that we will one day be raised to life eternal which begins the moment we are baptized in the Spirit. s. That those who are truly Christ's followers must follow in baptism. There is no such person in the New Testament who after receiving Christ by true faith, was not baptized shortly after if it were possible. t. My friends… doctrine matters. Paul did not tell these men… well… close enough guys. u. Instead, he preached the gospel to them. And baptized them again in the triune God. v. And they are so very glad that he did. w. What does this mean for us? 4.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must test professions of faith for evidence of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. a. Although we preach the gospel to all because all may come… b. Once a person comes, we must expect them to be more the same than they are different. c. In our hyper individualized world, we sometimes forget the communal aspect of the church. d. You cannot join us and be who you wish to be. e. The church is one body. We must function together. We must be more alike than we are different. f. This is why the Scriptures exist. This is why church discipline exists. This is why Elders exist. To ensure that we are all of one body and mind. Unified in doctrine and practice. g. We can have room for diversity in matters that the scriptures do not make plain. h. But there can be no unity when we disagree over issues to which the scriptures clearly speak. i. In this passage Paul expects the Holy Spirit to be present, and a profession in Christ and baptism in His name to be necessary. j. To this list we can add all that the scriptures plainly declare to us concerning all things most important of which being the way of redemption. k. When we find those who lack this by doctrine or practice – we must investigate and reprove, rebuke, correct, and instruct in righteousness so that they will be furnished for every good work. 5.) [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God won't deny any who faithfully seek Him. a. These 13 men faithfully sought the Messiah. b. They believed John and were baptized into his teaching. c. They were simply ignorant of the Messiah's identity and mission. d. God does not forget them. He doesn't leave them behind. He doesn't say – so close… but too late. e. Our friends, relatives, those we love, and those who hate us – if they faithfully seek the Lord… He will reveal Himself to them. f. For our God is a good and gracious God. [Slide 19 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the English Puritan John Bunyan. Lord, we profess the faith, and yet care not for the dying. We profess, and yet long not for the coming of the day of God. We profess, and yet by our whole life show to them that can see how little a measure of it we have in our hearts. Lord, lead us more into the power of things. Then the virtues of Him who has saved us, and called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, will be made known to others. It is in His name we ask this. Amen. Benediction: May He who builds His lofty palace in the heavens And sets its foundation on the earth, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out over the face of the land Grant you an awareness of His love that you may be always joyful, praying continually and giving thanks in all circumstances and bearing witness of this to all For this is the will of God for you. Until we meet again, go in peace.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 The Right Kind of Leaven

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2025 56:27

Title: The Right Kind of Leaven Text: I Corinthians 5:1-13 FCF: We often struggle with dealing with those who claim to be Christians living in unrepentant sin. Prop: Because the mission of the church is to call sinners to the gospel, we must excommunicate unrepentant believers. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Corinthians chapter 5. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 1 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will deviate from our study in the book of Acts to help us understand what many in our theological circles conclude is an essential practice of a biblically sound church. As essential as it is, it is one of the most difficult, unpopular, and challenging things that the Lord Jesus has called us to do. The Lord has called us to exercise church discipline on those who claim to be Christians but openly continue in sin without repentance. The scope of the sermon today is not exhaustive. Today, I want to zoom in on one particular historical example of church discipline which was carried out in the church of Corinth. It seems appropriate since in our study of Acts, Paul is currently seeing souls saved and the church forming there in the city of Corinth. So, without further delay, please stand with me to focus on and show proper honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Heavenly Father, True sheep hear the master's call and obey. At times we cast our eyes to the flock and see some delay in coming to His voice. We wonder – are they not His sheep? How do we know? His sheep will come when He calls. This practice you have given us, for our own spiritual success and purity, is the test of that call. May we be all the more convinced that it is a necessary practice of Your church. We pray this in the Good Shepherd's name… Amen. Transition: Let us dive directly into the text this morning, we have MUCH to see here. I.) For the sake of the one living in unrepentant sin, we must excommunicate unrepentant believers. (1-5) a. [Slide 2] 1 - It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. i. Paul, somewhat in shock, reveals that he has heard about an instance of sexual immorality that is happening among them. ii. The level of this immorality was so perverse that even among the pagans such an act would not be tolerated. iii. The act itself is a man who has his father's wife. iv. What this means is somewhat difficult for us to pin down. 1. First, what does Paul mean by calling this woman “his father's wife”. a. Since Paul is quoting or alluding to Leviticus 18 where the sexual laws against incestuous and illegitimate marital partners is addressed, and since a relationship like this with someone's mother is mentioned before the part he is referencing, it is likely that the Leviticus passage and therefore Paul also is referring to someone who is his father's wife but also not his mother. Like a step-mother. b. Roman and Jewish law would not allow such a union, whether we are referring to cohabitation or in marriage. 2. Secondly, we are not certain whether the word “has” here refers to simply fornication or includes marriage. a. Has implies an ongoing sexually deviant relationship. But the nature of that relationship is unclear. b. Many suppose that since it was illegal in the Roman Empire to be granted official marriage recognition in such cases, that most likely Paul is saying they are cohabitating. c. However, given the disposition of the church toward this man (which we'll get to shortly) it is entirely possible that the church of Corinth allowed for a religious union to occur for this man and his father's wife, even if it was not recognized by the Roman government. d. In either case, such a sexual union is displeasing to God solely on the grounds of the partners being illegitimate for each other. e. But if marriage is what this means– how is this possible if she is his father's wife? i. The Romans and Jews of this time did not allow polygamy, although having a concubine would have been common. ii. More than likely, the father is either dead or he had divorced this woman. iii. But because Paul refers to her in the present as his father's wife, this has me leaning toward the latter. iv. Therefore, she is free to be joined in this way. 3. Third, Paul does not address, at any time, the moral culpability of the woman in this scenario. This indicates to us that this woman, most likely, was not a believer. a. Therefore, it is possible that Paul's charge of sexual immorality has three counts. i. First, it is sexual immorality because she is an illegitimate mate being his step-mother. And this would be illegal in both the eyes of the Romans and more importantly in the eyes of God. It is counter to the natural order. ii. Second, it is sexual immorality potentially because she was divorced unbiblically from his father, and therefore marrying her would be adultery. iii. Third, it is sexual immorality because she was an unbeliever and he, at the time, was claiming to be a believer. b. After studying this passage, I believe that this is exactly what was going on. c. He had married an unbelieving divorced woman that used to be his step-mother. It is impossible for this relationship to be honorable to God on those grounds. v. So, what is the church's reaction to this? b. [Slide 3] 2 - And you have become puffed up and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. i. They have become puffed up … but puffed up in what? ii. What Paul says next helps us answer this question. iii. Instead of mourning (expressing deep spiritual sorrow) and removing the man from among the church itself… iv. They, as a church, were accepting, tolerating, allowing this relationship to continue, and perhaps even celebrating this union. v. In what spirit? vi. Let's keep reading… c. [Slide 4] 3 - For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present: i. Paul, again by saying the opposite gives us the clues we need to understand what is happening in the Corinthian church. ii. They are puffed up, prideful, in what? iii. Their “love”, caution, “care”, and “mercy” to not make hasty judgements against this man. iv. Essentially, they are proud of knowing the bible passage “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” v. They were treating this man with such “love” and “kindness” and allowing him to continue in this relationship because “the Lord is loving and forgiving and receives people from all walks of life.” vi. “We too should be affirming and accepting. Let's not judge too quickly.” vii. As we mentioned before, it is even possible that they facilitated some kind of spiritual union ceremony since the Roman courts would not recognize and would even punish such a marriage. viii. But Paul… what does he say? ix. I've judged him already. It wasn't hard guys. I didn't need to know a bunch of the details. x. I don't need to walk a mile in his shoes. xi. I don't need to look him in the eye. xii. I don't need to empathize with his pain. xiii. I don't need to see it from his point of view. xiv. I don't need to know his temptation to be able to speak on this issue. xv. I am ready to render a judgment. xvi. So here is what you are to do and you should listen as if I were there with you enforcing this… d. [Slide 5] 4 - in the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, i. Paul invokes the name and power of our Lord Jesus… he bookends this statement with the name of Jesus (with His authority) and the power of Jesus (His saving and changing power). ii. And right in the middle he mentions the assembled church. The next time you are gathered and I am with you IN SPIRIT… iii. Paul saying all of this evokes a courtroom scene. The judge, the jury, the prosecution is all set and they must render a verdict. Not of the church alone. But in the authority and power of Jesus. iv. But what is that verdict they should render? e. [Slide 6] 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. i. In this discussion, Paul assumes that this man is a Christian. ii. Here we have the delicate tension the bible gives us of the practice of church discipline. iii. As Matthew 18 says we are to treat people who are excommunicated from the church as though they are tax collectors and gentiles. iv. Tax collectors were betrayers because they worked for Rome against their own people and Gentiles were pagans worshipping false gods and not members of God's covenant community. v. In other words, Jesus is saying to treat excommunicated people as though they are not believers. vi. But to treat someone as an unbeliever is not the same as declaring them to be an unbeliever, nor is it undeniable proof that they are an unbeliever, nor does it do anything to douse the flame of our hope that they are in fact a believer. vii. The tension then, is to treat them as though they are unbelievers, while still hoping that they are believers and that they will repent of sin and return to the covenant community. viii. Paul's language here is domain or kingdom language. ix. Removing this man from the domain or kingdom of Christ, or recognizing that he has removed himself, allows him to be placed in the kingdom of darkness… while being, potentially, a child of the light. x. If indeed he is a child of the light, Satan will have his way with such a person… even to the destruction of his flesh. Why? xi. So that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. xii. What is Paul saying? xiii. There is protection under the Lord's promises that for His people all things will work together for good. xiv. The church is a haven, a nursery, a dispensary of the means of grace that God uses to grow the faith of His people and encourage them. The Faith they need to weather the storms of this life is grown, cultivated, and nurtured in the environment of the church. xv. When a believer is spiritually removed by excommunication from that haven… the promise of all things working together for good remains true – but God will allow/use Satan to chasten them. How? xvi. In a similar way he used Satan to prove Job. xvii. God proved to Satan and the gathered sons of god that Job was righteous. How? By removing every earthly blessing from him except for his life. xviii. God proved He told the truth when He declared Job to be righteous. Job did not curse God and die. In the end, He confessed that God was God and that he was not and shut his mouth in repentance. That… is what righteous men do. They repent and submit to God. xix. By the church coming together to excommunicate an unrepentant believer, it is to test the declaration of God. xx. If God has truly declared them righteous, as He did Job, Satan's blows will prove God's declaration true in the end. xxi. In that process, they will repent and return to the fold so that they will be spared on the day of judgment. xxii. When the church excommunicates someone… it is not a matter of paperwork. It is a spiritual matter of grave significance. xxiii. It is a domain matter. There are only two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of this world. If a person is excommunicated from the Kingdom of Light, they must join the Kingdom of Darkness. There is no third option. f. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Paul's point in this passage is that the only hope this man has to ever be restored and his soul rescued from eternal destruction is for the church to recognize that he has disfellowshipped himself from them by continuing in unrepentant sin. God's Kingdom is a domain of light. Only those who walk in the light belong in the light. If someone is walking in darkness… then they should not be considered as part of the kingdom of light. And it is to their own benefit to be treated as if they are not. It is only when an unrepentant believer is removed from the haven and spiritual protection of the church that they can truly be tested and proved through the fire to be one of God's people. Therefore, we must remove any one who claims Christ but continues in unrepentant sin. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] But the wellbeing of the one in sin is not the only or even the greatest concern of Paul in this passage. There is a problem that must be corrected in the church as well – beyond removing this man. He continues in verse 6. II.) For the sake of the purity and mission of the church, we must excommunicate unrepentant believers. (6-13) a. [Slide 9] 6 - Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? i. Next, Paul is going to slightly deviate from the issue at hand with this man and his sin and broaden his point. ii. He must do this because, as he opens with, their boasting is not good. iii. This is, in some ways, a deeper and more concerning issue than the issue of this man living in unrepentant sin. iv. The issue is with the church itself. v. It is not profitable to the church for the church to be known as a place that tolerates unrepentant sin from its members. vi. Sin should not be tolerated by the church as a whole or by any of its individual members. vii. Every single believer should desire the death of sin in their own hearts and in another believer's life, because they know that sin always leads to death and destruction. viii. So what? Its none of our business what other do right? ix. Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? x. A baking illustration. xi. No doubt many of you bake your own bread or have done so in the past. xii. Approximately how much yeast or bacteria is needed within a 1-pound dough ball in order to permeate the whole lump? xiii. Not much, yes? In fact, given enough time and under the right conditions, the smallest pinch of yeast or the smallest number of bacteria transferred to the lump… will eventually cause it to prove all the way through. xiv. Paul's point is that when sin is tolerated in the church… even to the smallest degree… it pollutes the entire church. b. [Slide 10] 7 - Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, also was sacrificed. i. Paul alters the metaphor to point to Passover. ii. The Israelites would clean their houses of any leaven because it represented sin and pride. iii. And indeed, they have already been made unleavened. How? iv. Christ, our Passover lamb, was sacrificed. It's already been done. v. We have been purified, washed clean. So now we hate sin and seek its eradication. vi. We work to clean out all the old leaven. We are a new lump… a new creation. vii. The old has gone and must continue to stay gone. Why? viii. For the new has come. c. [Slide 11] 8 - Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. i. The feast here could be referring to the Lord's Supper or the Passover, but more than likely this is a metaphor for the spiritual fellowship of the church. ii. God has designed His church as a channel for His grace to flow to His people. iii. We sit and eat of the meals God's provides us… but not with the old leaven, the sinfulness, but instead with sincerity and truth. iv. Our sin has been replaced by hearts that believe and love God. d. [Slide 12] 9 - I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; i. With what is somewhat of a stark transition, Paul moves on to another aspect of this discussion regarding keeping the church pure. ii. Here we see that Paul references a letter he had sent previously. iii. This is one of the lost letters to Corinth. iv. In a previous letter Paul mentioned that they should not associate with sexually immoral people. v. The word to associate means to mingle or to be mixed together with. vi. Again, it is kingdom or domain language. vii. But Paul wants to nuance that command a little. e. [Slide 13] 10 - I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. i. Paul specifies that he did not mean this toward unbelievers who are sexually immoral. ii. But what is Paul saying? iii. Are we to join with, mix up with, mingle with sexually immoral unbelievers? iv. Why can we join with unbelievers who sin but not believers who sin in the same way? v. Let's go back to the illustration of the leaven and the lump. vi. In the church, it is obvious that we are the unleavened lump and sin is leaven. vii. But in the world… what is the leaven? viii. Notice that Paul's conclusion for why we should not disassociate from unbelieving sinners is not because if we did, we would have to remove THEM from the world… ix. It is that WE would have to go out of the world. x. The church, the Kingdom of Christ, is the leavening agent in the world. xi. We cannot be unmixed from the world because we are permeating the world. We are part of the world. We are in the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. xii. As sin infects and infests the church, so the church permeates and prevails in the world. xiii. Only the Lord will remove us when He has determined it is time for us to be removed. xiv. Therefore, we remain mixed with unbelieving sinners in the sense that we are in the world – but not of it since we are the leavening agent. xv. Practically speaking then, to associate with the world, and sinners in the world, is merely to be in it. It is to be a part of it. It is to carry on earthly affairs and earthly jobs. Earthly concerns and earthly activities. We have parts of our lives that are not directly related to the Kingdom of God but are submitted to the pursuit of that Kingdom above all. xvi. We are not to be hermits. We are not to shun human contact or live in a commune or religious monastery. xvii. We must be in the world because we are the leavening agent of the world. xviii. But what happens when the lump we are talking about is no longer the world but is the church? f. [Slide 14] 11 - But now I am writing to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. i. When we shift our focus from the world to the church, everything changes. ii. In the world we are the leavening agent… but in the church, we have no need to be changed, altered, invaded, or permeated with anything since the Lord has purified us. iii. In fact, the goal is to stay holy and pure. We fight against leavening agents. iv. We must associate with the world and sinners because we have the solution to their sin. 1. That is why we can and must be mixed up with the world in the sense that we rub shoulders with wicked people. 2. They probably aren't our best friends. We probably don't become business partners with them. But we don't shy away from interacting and even participating in their lives. 3. Why? 4. So, we can share the gospel with them and live holy lives in front of them. v. But we must not associate with self-professed believers who are unrepentant sinners, because they are the death of the purity and effectiveness of the church. vi. So, what does it mean to NOT associate with so-called brothers living in unrepentant sin? 1. Again, we must change our focus. 2. It cannot mean that we treat them worse than we treat the world. 3. Paul isn't saying that we can participate in the lives of unbelievers but have to shun believers who have been excommunicated. 4. What does it mean then? 5. It means that they are not part of us. They can't be included in anything that is the church. They cannot be affiliated in any way with the church. vii. When we excommunicate someone, we are removing them from the kingdom of light and placing them in the kingdom of this world. At least in how we treat them. Therefore, since we are part of the same world, a world where we are the leavening agent, we must be kind, loving, civil, interacting and participating in their lives – but not closely. We maintain the same distance we would with unbelievers. As Matthew 18 says – we treat them like unbelievers. viii. Well, what about this statement Paul makes about not even eating with them? How do we take that? 1. It seems to me that this whole context so far has been in relation to the entire gathered assembly. a. Therefore, the most likely meals that Paul is forbidding are meals where the church has gathered. b. This would include the Lord's Supper of course, but also love feasts that preceded the Lord's Supper as well as fellowship meals. 2. But even if Paul does mean that individual Christians must refuse to eat with the one excommunicated, there is a certain level of cultural context we must supply to understand this command and apply it rightly to our culture. a. [Slide 15] Let me quote one commentator - “Eating together connotated more than friendliness in ancient culture; it created a social bond. When Christians ate together, it reinforced and confirmed the solidarity established by their shared confession of faith in Christ.” b. The reason Paul commanded this was because in their culture eating a meal together communicated that we are of the same social background. It communicated association. Partnership. Like-mindedness. c. Whether or not this is still true in our culture is something we must consider. 3. [Slide 16] The bottom line is that an excommunicated person is not welcome in any event or occasion where it would communicate, explicitly or implicitly, a bond, a Partnership, or an association to the church. 4. Why? 5. Because although we are a part of them (since they have been removed to the world) they are not a part of us… Not until they repent. ix. Therefore, the “associating” has everything to do with what domain or kingdom we are talking about. x. Why Paul? Why must we make this distinction? g. [Slide 17] 12 - For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Are you not to judge those who are within the church? 13 - But those who are outside, God will judge. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG OURSELVES. i. God is the judge of the world. In the sense that God knows who are His and He will draw His own to Himself in His time. ii. He ultimately will judge and determine the fates of men. iii. He, after all, knows the heart of every man. iv. But within the church, He has given us the keys to the Kingdom. v. We have the authority to bind and loose here on earth. vi. What does that mean? vii. It means we, as the church, have been given the authority and the responsibility to remove from the church any agent which sullies the purity and neutralizes the influence of the church upon the world. viii. Paul's last word is a quote from Deuteronomy 17:7 ix. Remove the wicked man from among ourselves. x. This is his command. xi. Get this cancer out… NOW! h. [Slide 18] Summary of the Point: In what is obviously Paul's primary concern, he reveals that if the church is to remain effective in permeating the world with the message of the gospel of Christ, it is absolutely essential that they must remain pure by removing any leavening agent within their midst. Sin, like a cancer, spreads throughout the body of Christ and pollutes the purity and distinctiveness of the church and therefore neutralizes its effectiveness in permeating the world. To take pride in being slow to act, tolerating, accepting, affirming or even celebrating unrepentant sin is to work against the purpose and purity of the church. Therefore, for the sake of the purity and mission of the church, we too must excommunicate unrepentant believers. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 19] In what was sure to be quite a shocking turn, Paul rebukes the church of Corinth for their pride in doing the exact wrong thing. They were puffed up in what they thought was great love, kindness, tolerance, mercy, acceptance, affirmation, and even celebration toward a man who they didn't want to be too hasty to judge. In reality, Paul reveals to them that they have acted against the man himself and the church as a whole. Indeed, for the sake of the man's soul and the purity and purpose of their church, they must remove the man from their midst. They must do so, hoping that God will use Satan to destroy his physical and earthly existence so that his soul might be rescued before the day of the Lord occurs. Therefore, we too must be faithful in executing church discipline. Why? It is for the good of the believer in sin and it is for the good of the church. But let me address some very practical questions in our applications today. 1.) [Slide 20] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe the worst thing we can do for someone in sin is to affirm or support their choices. a. I trust you see the obvious correlation between the wisdom of the church of Corinth and the wisdom of our world today? b. They were proud, an interesting word given the nature of the sin in question, they were proud that they did not judge this man too hastily. c. They were proud to be tolerating, affirming and perhaps even celebrating this man's choices. d. And what is Paul's assessment of their inaction? What is Paul's assessment of their wisdom? Their love? Their tolerance? e. It is not good. f. The wisdom of this world and the wisdom of many “churches” in our culture tells us that our role as the church must be to support, help, affirm, love, care for, and accept every single person no matter what their lifestyle and identity. g. While we certainly live kindly, lovingly, and holy lives toward those outside the church, and while we would never deny an unbeliever living in sin from coming into our church… h. The least loving thing we could ever do for the world or for a believer is to ignore, accept, or affirm their sinful choices. i. Why is that the least loving thing we can do? j. Because the command of Christ is to repent of sin and believe the gospel. k. Never calling anyone to repent communicates that it is ok to disobey Christ. l. This is entirely antithetical to the gospel. m. The gospel is not to free us from the penalty of sin only but to free us from its POWER and eventually even its presence in our lives. n. Many say, well the Lord will forgive me. He loves me and will forgive me. o. God does love us. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die so that we could be free from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. p. Sin destroys us. Sin is a cancer. q. Would you tell someone with cancer that you are happy for them and will support them in their cancer lifestyle. Would you encourage them to flaunt their cancer and be proud of having cancer? r. NO! This is foolishness. You'd tell them to get it cut out of them. Why? Because it WILL KILL THEM. s. Sin will kill them too. It might kill them physically but it will definitely kill them spiritually. t. The absolute worst thing we can do for anyone living in sin, is to ignore, tolerate, accept, affirm or celebrate it. u. Especially if they claim to be Christians. 2.) [Slide 21] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that the leavening role of the church to the world can continue while the church is impure. a. Paul makes the case that for sake of the church, its purity and its mission are entwined. b. If the church is polluted and full of sin, it cannot maintain its power and distinctiveness to the world. c. Anecdotally, churches who have embraced the LGBTQIA+ agenda are, thankfully, quite empty. d. Why? e. They are just like the world! There is nothing distinct or unique about their message. So the world says – why waste my time? f. On the flipside, the most successful and engaging ministries are those who implore from a heart of love for sinners to abandon their sin and trust in Christ. g. This is the gospel folks. h. We can't be the leavening agent in the world telling the world to repent and seek Christ if we as a church are not telling our own people to repent and trust Christ. i. The purity of the church and the mission of the church work hand in hand. j. If we are to be effective at all in sharing Christ with the nations… we must be a pure church that does not tolerate unrepentant sin. 3.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must execute church discipline on unrepentant believers. a. In my tenure as your pastor we have excommunicated 2 members so far. b. In each case, the sin was not the issue. It was the refusal to repent of the sin and admit any wrongdoing. c. In both cases, they refused to seek freedom from the sin and spurned any correction no matter how kind or loving it was presented. d. This is the nature of church discipline. Although most of us put an equals sign between church discipline and excommunication I would encourage you to resist doing that. e. Church discipline refers to the whole process by which we confront other believers either with sins we have observed them doing or sins they have committed against us. f. As is mentioned in Matthew 18, if in that confrontation, they repent and seek forgiveness and help to gain victory over their sin – then there is no need to continue the process of church discipline. g. Even if, after a period of time, they sin again in the same way, it doesn't mean we can pick up the process where we left off. We would start the whole process again. h. Church discipline is a fancy name for accountability. i. Should we face someone who does not turn from their sin and live differently, then we continue with steps to bring more believers into the conversation to bear witness of the call to repent and their refusal. j. Eventually it is told to the church where the church excommunicates a believer who will not turn from sin. k. Therefore, we as a church must execute church discipline from start to finish. We must confront sin. In our own hearts first and then meekly in others too. l. And if we must, for the good of the one sinning and for the church itself, we must excommunicate any who would continue in unrepentant sin. 4.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not associate with excommunicated believers. a. The bulk of the questions regarding excommunication is, how do we treat those who have been excommunicated from the church? b. I hope and trust this sermon has greatly helped, but to tie all the points up in a nice bow, it comes down to one basic concept. c. To not associate with them and to treat them like an unbeliever should be seen as working in conjunction. d. In one sense we treat them as if they are an unbeliever. We as the church are in the world, part of the world, the leavening agent of the world permeating the Kingdom of God and His righteousness throughout it. e. Therefore, since they have been removed to the world, we are free to speak with them, care for them, pray for them, love them, engage them in conversation, live holy lives before them and generally live peaceably with them. All in an effort to share the kingdom message with them again. f. But, hear me now… though WE are part of THEM… THEY are NOT part of US. g. Normally we would allow unbelievers to join us for a church service to expose them to the gospel – But the excommunicated would not be welcomed among us. Why? Because it communicates that they are part of us… when they aren't. h. Normally we'd invite unbelievers to fellowship meals or church events such as the hay ride and chili cookoff or other such things… but the excommunicated would not be welcome. Why? Because it communicates that they are part of us. i. Thinking back over the ones we have excommunicated and thinking forward to any who we might excommunicate in the future, I have developed a test that I believe will help greatly for determining what we are able to do with an excommunicated member and what we are not able to do. j. It isn't a foolproof test. And it will still require some searching and perhaps even wise counsel. But the test is primarily drawn from this text. k. If you are considering engaging in an activity with, an act of kindness toward, or continuing a relationship with an excommunicated member of the church, it would be good for you to ask two questions before pursuing that action. i. [Slide 24] Does this show, explicitly or implicitly, to the church, the world, and/or the excommunicated, that we the church are part of the world and are acting as salt and light toward this person to reveal the gospel and heavenly principles? 1. If the answer is yes, your job is still not done. 2. For you must also ask the second question. ii. [Slide 25] Does this show, explicitly or implicitly, to the church, the world, and/or the excommunicated, that they, as the excommunicated, are part of the church and are partners and sharers in the kingdom of light? 1. If the answer to this is no, and your previous answer is yes, it is probably a good action to take toward them. 2. If the answer to this question is yes regardless of the answer to the previous question, you must NOT engage with them. 3. For we cannot suggest explicitly or implicitly to the church, the world, or the person excommunicated, that they are still part of us. Because they are not. l. The second question is the most important one. There must be mixed signals here. They are NOT part of us. m. That is, until they turn from their sin and seek restoration. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will never stop chastening His children. a. We know from the scriptures that God, because He is a good Father, chastens His wayward children. b. If they are truly children they will be chastened by the Lord. c. And that is a comforting thought for us. d. We know that while we have removed them from us, if they are truly one of us, the Lord will bring them back. They might be a little worse for wear… but He will bring them back. e. And indeed for this man in Corinth, it seems from Paul's next canonical letter, that he did in fact repent and return. f. We find great hope in this. [Slide 27 (end)] Now let me close with a prayer by the church Father Ephriam the Syrian Lord Jehovah, judge my cause and fight for me against Satan and his host. Lay the strong one low! I have cast off his yoke, and renounced his cursed power. He doubly hates this, and longs to seize me as his prey. I flee to you and to your cross for help. He would win if you did not deliver me-but you have already defeated him. Do not let him conquer me! Put him to shame, O Lord my God! Give me the victory! It is not strength that wins; my weakness is my shield. In lowly trust we fight the fight, and weakness wins the battle. So give me a lowly heart, and cast away each prideful thought. Let gentleness and love come in instead, and abide in my life. Your will, not mine, be done. I resist my selfish desires. Let me ever and always be your servant only. Jesus, I flee to you. I cling to your cross. Save me from Satan's hellish power and pluck me from his grasp. So I will praise you, Lord, and adore your great name. With Father and Spirit one, forever and ever, amen. Benediction: May He Who breaks the power of canceled sin and sets the prisoner free, Whose blood can make the foulest clean; May he increase your understanding so that you may know Him who is true, And that you are in His Son, Jesus Christ. Until we meet again, go in peace.

59 Acts 17:1-9 Terms of Surrender

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2024 49:25

Title: Terms of Surrender Text: Acts 17:1-9 FCF: We often struggle preaching good news that no one wants to hear. Prop: Because God predestined this Redemption to turn back hearts of His enemies it will be opposed, so we must preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again. Scripture Intro: NET [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 17. In a moment we'll begin reading from the New English Translation beginning in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we took a brief pause from our study of the book of Acts as Justin exposited the words of Ephesians 6 to us, where Paul explains how he was able to endure such great trials for the sake of the kingdom with the armor the Lord provides. Today, we will build on that knowledge as the narrative of the 2nd missionary journey of Paul continues with the next episode in the city of Thessalonica. In many ways the episode in Thessalonica serves as the opposite of Philippi. What if Philippi had a large Jewish presence and the leaders of the city were competent at governing? That is essentially the story of Thessalonica. Unfortunately, the outcome is eerily similar. It serves as an ongoing reminder to us that no earthly situation will ever produce a utopian world for the people of God. Only when Christ returns will such a kingdom exist. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father, we your children are gathered here today because you have written us into the grand story of your redemption. You have written our names in the book of life. Your Son sought us from heaven and purchased us with His blood. You have done this before time began and only recently have you brought about the execution of this plan. We now are humble inheritors of a destiny we could never earn and would never believe could be ours. But the great grace that you have given us and the peace you have established with us stands in stark contrast with the hatred the world has for us… your people. We are often caricatured in so many terrible ways. Father use your word today to teach us to love them in spite of their hatred. Help us to promote peace by bearing your terms of surrender… your gospel to them. Even as they take everything from us – help the gospel to be on our lips. Grow our faith for this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Transition: Once again, the sermon runs on the lengthy side. So let us jump right to the text this morning. I.) God's plan has always been to crush His Son to save sinners, so we must preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again. (1-4) a. [Slide 2] 1 - After they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. i. [Slide 3] Having left Philippi peacefully and mostly quietly, leaving Luke behind, Paul, Silas, and Timothy travel 33 miles to a city named Amphipolis. ii. We know that the city held great significance as a military post. But we are not told by Luke what exactly the missionaries did there – if anything more than spending the night. iii. Then they travel another 27 miles, to a city named Apollonia. iv. Again, we are not told much about their time here. It is reasonable to conclude that they could have spent some time in each of these cities proclaiming the gospel – but since Luke does not record anything, we can't be entirely sure how long they stayed. v. [Slide 4] In any case – they travel another 35 miles and arrive in a city named Thessalonica. vi. Luke points out that there is a Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica, which could shed light on why they did not stop in Amphipolis or Apollonia. Perhaps there was no synagogue there? vii. Now they find themselves in this highly coveted and strategic city. Indeed, Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia and no doubt a city the missionaries had always intended to go to after receiving the dream about coming to Macedonia. viii. There are a few details about Thessalonica that will be quite important to the story going forward, but I'll hold on to those until they we need to know them. ix. So, what do Paul and Silas do as they find themselves in Thessalonica where there was a Jewish synagogue? b. [Slide 5] 2 - Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” i. Of course. Paul and Silas go to the Jews first. ii. Indeed, for three Sabbaths (which probably means 3 weeks straight), Paul and Silas go to the synagogue and from the scriptures prove to them that the promised Messiah that the Jews were anticipating needed to suffer and die and then be raised from the dead. iii. Now why is this a point that they must be taught? Why is this so important? 1. First, this is at the very heart of the gospel. Paul summarizes what he preaches by saying – “I Preached Christ crucified for sinners.” The fact that the Messiah had to die and be raised again is at the very core of the gospel Paul preached. 2. But more directly, as to why a Jew must receive this particular teaching, Paul goes on to say that the gospel is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Why? a. Well, the work of Christ is boiled down into three basic ideas. He was crucified for sinners, he was raised back to life, and He is coming again to rule. b. The last two, that he was raised and coming back to rule, would have been foolishness to the Gentiles. Why? No one can come back from the dead. And to even suggest that another King could topple the mighty Roman Empire is laughable and to prophesy it is illegal. c. The first part, that He was crucified, would have been a stumbling block to the Jews. Why? Because God's Messiah was supposed to be victorious over His enemies and free them from their slavery. He was supposed to usher in an eternal Kingdom that would never end. It is very hard to do that… if He died. In fact, the fact that Jesus died would have been great evidence to a Jew that He was not actually the Messiah. 3. Paul knows his audience very well. He knows what the hang ups are with Jews receiving Jesus as the Christ. 4. He and Silas go throughout the Old Testament (probably spending a good deal of time in the book of Isaiah) showing that it was necessary – meaning it was part of the eternal plan of God, that The Messiah must suffer and die and be raised to life. 5. [Slide 6] Paul thus forms a logical syllogism. He does not appeal to their emotions. He does not play 7 stanzas of Just As I Am. Paul appeals to them… LOGICALLY. a. Major Premise: - The Scriptures (which they all agreed is the Word of God) teach that The Messiah of God must suffer and die and be raised from the dead. b. Minor Premise - (Which Paul doesn't need to teach since they already know it.) Jesus suffered and died and was raised back to life and seen by many witnesses, while also claiming to be the Messiah. c. Therefore: It logically follows as a valid argument that if the Major Premise can be shown to be true and the minor premise can be shown to be true, the conclusion MUST be true. Jesus is the Messiah of God prophesied in the Old Testament. iv. After three weeks of teaching this in the synagogue, what is the result? c. [Slide 7] 4 - Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. i. The results are… somewhat surprising. ii. Paul, despite who he was, despite his unique position among them, was not very effective with the Jews. iii. Some of them were persuaded. Paul's words in Romans 11, expressing great anguish over his own people rejecting Christ, are rooted in his experience with them. iv. As we go forward in Paul's missionary efforts – the Jews will, for the most part, reject the gospel. v. But the silver lining is… that the Lord had carved out a large group of God-Fearers… Gentiles who had accepted Yahweh as the only God, now are believing on Jesus as Lord. vi. It is unclear if we should lump these prominent women in with the God-Fearing Gentiles or if they are a separate group. vii. If they are separate, it implies that they were pagans who converted to Christ. viii. This is no doubt the meaning since in I Thessalonians Paul mentions that they turned from idols. Therefore, a large group would have to be those who were formerly pagans. ix. These women were leading or prominent women in the city. x. Meaning of course that the political climate was changing due to the softness of these women's hearts to hear the truth of the gospel. xi. Soon this Jesus teaching will be widely acceptable in the city. xii. And that… if you are an unconvinced Jew… simply will not do. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: A consistent theme in the preaching of the apostles throughout the book of Acts, particularly when they are speaking to the Jews, is that God foreknew and foreordained that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of His people. God predestined that His Son would be crushed and killed as a criminal. That, though He was innocent as a Lamb, He would be butchered and made low. But the scriptures also prophesy that He would arise and would become the eternal King of Kings. Such a teaching is absolutely core to the gospel. Any attempt to remove the violent and bloody death of Jesus from the plan of God or the requirement to believe on it to be saved from our sins is contrary to the very message Paul insisted must be accepted. Therefore, as Paul and Silas, you and I must preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen on the third day, ascended to the Father where He sits in honor at His right hand, and coming again to rule in a New Kingdom… forever. We must preach this. For saying less than this… is not the gospel. [Slide 9(blank)] Transition: So, we see that the gospel had great affect, especially among God-Fearers and pagans. But we know Paul's track record. Is there any chance he is getting out of Thessalonica unscathed? Let's see what happens. II.) The gospel will always be caricatured in the most terrible ways, so we must preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again. (5-9) a. [Slide 10] 5 - But the Jews became jealous, i. Before the events of verse 5, we could see a significant amount of time. Perhaps even several months. ii. This helps to make sense of the pagans coming to Christ in the previous verses, since the pagans would probably not be at the synagogue to hear Paul and Silas teach. iii. We know from Paul's letter to the Philippians that they actually continued to send financial support to them while they were in Thessalonica. iv. That being the case, we anticipate the missionaries staying in the city longer than 3 weeks. v. But the longer they stayed the more inevitable it became that the Jews would oppose them. vi. The meaning of the word jealous can be either envious or zealous. If we would choose zealous, we could see that the Jews were religiously agitated and saw their opposition to the missionaries as righteous indignation against the Jesus heresy. vii. However, there are good reasons not to assume pure religious fury of the Jews here. viii. First, Luke only mentions their response after he shows a clear dichotomy in the response to the gospel. 1. As it was in Antioch of Pisidia, the Jewish people no doubt sought influence among the Thessalonians. 2. And though the Jewish response to the gospel was lackluster, the God-fearing gentiles and prominent women in the city were coming to Christ in great numbers. 3. This heavily indicates an envious motive rather than a religiously zealous motive. ix. Second, as we move along here, we will find that their actions have very little to do with fighting a war on doctrine. Instead, they seem to desire to do anything they can, including lying, to destroy the missionaries. x. But neither of these reasons require us to choose between religious zeal or jealousy. xi. Therefore, I conclude that although I am certain religious purity was A reason to rise up against the missionaries… in reality, it had more to do with the inability for the Jews to win the city to Judaism to the same level of success that The Holy Spirit through the missionaries was winning it to Christ. xii. So, what do they do? b. [Slide 11] and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. i. Well first they go to the marketplace and gather a crowd. Who do they gather? ii. Many translations call them wicked men. And perhaps they are in the sense that they are willing to start a riot for almost any reason. 1. My mind goes to the ease of which entire cities can be stirred into rioting and looting. In the last decade we can see that seemingly overnight, for almost any cause, cities can go up in flames. 2. Why? Because it somehow makes sense to them that the only way to right a wrong or a perceived wrong is to commit a thousand more wrongs. 3. Only wicked men could make sense of that. iii. However, there is an alternate way to translate this term wicked and it is with the word worthless. 1. This would speak certainly to the morals of these individuals but also to their value to society. 2. These are riff raff. Lowlifes. Ne'er-do-wells. They are the street rats and common thugs that would inhabit the marketplace seeking an easy con or the perfect mark. They were thieves and murderers for hire. 3. They are the kind of people that even the world deems… deplorable. iv. So, they gather these degenerates and form a mob and stir up the entire city. c. [Slide 12] They attacked Jason's house, trying to find Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly. i. Luke, in so many words, indicates to us that Paul and Silas were using this man's house as the staging ground for the church in Thessalonica. ii. Jason, like Lydia in Philippi, was probably a convert to Christ who no doubt had substantial wealth and a home large enough to accommodate the large numbers of believers in the city. More than likely Jason was a man of great prominence which will help to explain his fate in a few minutes. iii. They start a riot with deplorables, they attack Jason's house. iv. What will they think of next? d. [Slide 13] 6 - When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, i. Not finding Paul and Silas (the Holy Spirit had no doubt prevented them providentially from being present for this) they instead take Jason and some other believers out of his house and drag them out to the public square where they can present them before the city officials. ii. So, they start a riot. They attack Jason's house. They drag these folks out to the city officials. iii. Why? iv. Well now the city officials have to pay attention. They can't let this go. Even though many prominent women (perhaps even some of the city officials' wives) had become Christians, they cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in their city. They must restore order. v. And so, the city officials are forced to hear the charges against the missionaries and against those the crowd had brought to them. e. [Slide 14] screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, 7 and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!” i. Here are their charges against Paul, Silas, and by extension, Jason and these men. 1. They have stirred up trouble throughout the world. And now they are here. a. Some translations have something to the effect “they have turned the world upside down.” Which is a very cool translation. We could really get some slogans out of that couldn't we? b. But in reality, the NET translation is probably closer to the intended meaning. c. Their charge is not an unintended complement. But instead, would have clearly been an accusation of insurrection. d. In this, we see the great irony. i. Though the Jews accused the missionaries of stirring up trouble – it seems that the constant troublemakers throughout Paul's first and second missionary trips seems to always be the jealous Jews who want nothing to do with their own Messiah. ii. They are truly the ones who stirred up this trouble. iii. THEY formed the mob. iv. THEY attacked people and dragged them out of their homes. e. The crowd concludes that the missionaries are now here in Thessalonica to do the same thing. f. This would be a grave charge against them if found to be true. It would require the immediate attention of the city officials. 2. The second charge is against Jason specifically and is related to the first. a. Jason has welcomed known insurrectionists as guests in his home. b. He is therefore complicit in their activity. c. Therefore, he ought to be punished. 3. The third charge is the most serious of all. a. They accuse the missionaries, Jason, and the others of acting against Caesar's degrees by saying that Jesus is King. They accuse them of Sedition. b. To understand this, we must understand a bit about the city of Thessalonica. i. The city achieved a highly favored status in the empire. ii. It was the capital of Macedonia, the first city, and enjoyed relative favor and economic and political advantage over and above other cities in the empire. iii. One of the reasons for this was the role it played in the civil war that led to the empire being formed and also the well documented worship of Caesar in the city itself. iv. Coins have been found from Thessalonica before and around this time that had the image of Zeus replaced with an image of Caesar on them and the word… THEOS… god. v. Statues of Augustus and archeological evidence of temples to Caesar have been found in and around Salonica (Sa-lone-ike-uh) (present day Thessalonica). vi. In short, the worship of Caesar as a god had endured for some time in the city of Thessalonica. vii. To suggest that these missionaries said there was another King named Jesus… would be to suggest that the pagan motto “No King but Caesar” was false. c. This charge… is the only charge with any truth to it. Paul and Silas certainly would have taught that Jesus was the Messiah and thus was the eternal King of Israel. ii. Because of the seriousness of the charges against the accused, it produced an effect among the city officials. But maybe not the effect we are expecting. f. [Slide 15] 8 - They caused confusion among the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. i. This is certainly a tame reaction of the crowd and the city officials if we consider the charges that were made. ii. The fact that this merely alarmed them rather than outright enraged them is an interesting albeit muted point that Luke raises. iii. For the crimes of insurrection and sedition… these men ought to be punished severely. And for harboring such men Jason and his friends ought to be punished too. iv. But instead, this only produces a disturbed crowd and disturbed city officials. v. They are upset, and they are worried. But they are not enraged. g. [Slide 16] 9 - After the city officials had received bail from Jason and the others, they released them. i. Reading between the lines we see that the city officials imprisoned Jason and the others. ii. But once their bail or bond money was paid, they released them. iii. This is not the same as bail money in our court system. It isn't like they would have to go back to the courts to determine their fate. iv. In fact, this is actually a pledge or a security. It is a money promise or a deposit. v. Essentially Jason, being a prominent person in the city of Thessalonica, is afforded the opportunity to make a monetary promise that Paul and Silas would leave the city and that none of them would cause any further trouble. If they did, this money would be taken from Jason. vi. Having obtained this pledge – Jason and the others were released. vii. So why are the city officials upset but not enraged? Why do they let Jason off with a promise that he won't do it again? viii. There are two reasons. 1. First, these city officials are better leaders than those of Philippi. a. They are alarmed at the charges, but observe that there is no evidence and the accused are not present. b. Therefore, they are not enraged because nothing is proven as of yet. 2. Second, these city officials recognize that without evidence there was every possibility that the charges against the accused were false. They needed to act to avoid the appearance of the city running amuck, but they did not need to overreact. ix. They obtained the promise from Jason – who appears to be a trusted person to them, and that is enough. They have stemmed the tide of the riot and gotten the promise that it won't go on. Their job is done. x. They would continue to look for Paul and Silas though… that is why we will start next week with Paul and Silas leaving quietly from the city. h. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: In this second point we see that the gospel will always be caricatured in the worst ways by those who oppose it. While we assume that the Jews had trumped up these charges against the missionaries, and while we know that ultimately, the missionaries would not knowingly violate the law of Rome if it did not disagree with God's law, we also see that these accusations are rooted in some truth. Paul and Silas were stirring up the empire. They'd been thrown out of several cities. And they certainly were preaching against the imperial cult – if not directly – in so many words. Because men oppose God, they will easily and predictably caricature the gospel in terrible ways, often considering it dangerous, harmful, and even contributing to unrest, controversy and illegal activity. Jesus Himself said I did not come to bring peace but a sword. The gospel divides. Not because the gospel is a message of revolution – but because it separates light from darkness. It separates God's children from Satan's. As followers of Christ, we must not fear what the opponents of the gospel may say – we must remain faithful, no matter the cost, and preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] The themes raised in the Thessalonian episode are familiar in the book of Acts. The message of the gospel is foolishness to Gentiles and a stumbling block to the Jews. That God had always planned to come and die for His people would be quite difficult to swallow to the Jew. And the fact that Christ was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven and is coming again to rule the world – would be quite foolish to the Gentile. Nevertheless, this is the gospel. The earliest creeds of Christendom contain each of these points. To be a Christian you must confess these things as true, or you cannot be a true Christian and if you are not a true Christian then you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. But this truth is so divisive that it is often twisted and manipulated by our opponents to be, not good news, but a message of insurrection, sedition, hate, harm and intolerance. Despite this opposition to the gospel and the guarantee that we will suffer for doing so… we must preach Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again. As you might imagine this one truth divides into many others. Let me attempt to bring this application to us more practically. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that Christ's death was part of God's Redemptive plan. a. As basic as this may seem to some of us, there is a growing movement among evangelical churches to deemphasize and disconnect the death of Christ from the redemptive plan of God. b. Couched as a theory of the atonement, many advocate today for a non-violent theory of the atonement. c. The violence at the cross was merely human violence and God simply did not stop it. d. But my friends – There is too much in the Old Testament to ignore to say such silly things. e. Christ had to be cursed for us. He had to be the scapegoat. He had to be the sacrifice. f. It pleased the Father to Crush the Son g. By His wounds we are healed. h. The list goes on and on. From Old to New Testament… we must understand that God had planned from the foundations of the earth to crucify Christ. i. He did not look on as humans killed the Son and decide to use such violence to potentially wake up humans to how sinful they are. j. The Apostles did use it to wake up the Jews to the fact that they had killed their own Messiah… but in the same sermon the apostles comfort the Jews to let them know that it was God's divine plan for it to be so. k. Yes, both can be true. Yes, God can predestine something to happen that is sinful, yet hold the person who sins accountable for their sin. How? God doesn't tempt them… He merely refuses to prevent them from being their sinful selves. l. This teaching is core to the gospel. m. God prophesied that all who sin will die eternal death. Christ being fully God and man was able to die and take all the eternal wrath of all His people… at the cross. n. That violent, painful, shameful, and brutal death was God's plan A. Because my friends – God has no plan B. o. This is the gospel. And that means… 2.) [Slide 20] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop minimizing the violent and bloody death of Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. a. The fact that our Savior hung from a tree, that he bled, that He died of asphyxiation after yelling out… IT IS FINISHED! b. These truths ought to be the core of our gospel presentations. Because everything Christ endured on that cross… was due to us. c. He took our place. He bore our wrath. He suffered our death. d. No matter how many want to minimize this, we cannot take out the penal substitutionary work of Christ. For it is one of the fullest expressions of the atonement that we have in the scriptures. e. Furthermore, we cannot afford to allow our gospel to stop at the resurrection. f. Many evangelical churches today are making a good deal about the resurrection. Rightly they should. The resurrection is validation that Christ is who He said He was and did what He said He did. g. But one false teacher recently stated that we don't need to believe the bible to be Christians. We simply need to believe that God is the uncaused cause and that Jesus rose from the dead. Then we can be Christians. h. This is not what Paul taught the Jews and Gentiles in Thessalonica. He taught them that Christ died for sinners, the he rose again the third day, and that He was coming again to set up His eternal Kingdom. i. We too must press all people to believe not only that Jesus saves individuals, but that one day He will return and take back His creation. j. We ought to be busy speaking about the coming Kingdom. We ought to be warning people as John the Baptist warned, as Noah warned, as the prophets warned… there is a King that is coming. He is the King of Kings. He is coming in power and in glory. And He will put down all who oppose Him. k. Serve Him now before it is too late. He has died to save all sinners who believe. l. This must be our message to them and it must be our lifestyle as well. To preach that Christ is coming and live like this world will last forever is to disrupt our own message. m. We must live as though the King could return at any moment. For in truth… He could. n. The apostles believed it would be in their lifetime. Does this not logically mean that we are only closer to His return 2000 years later? o. Preach that there is no King but Jesus. Live like there is no King but Jesus. Preach that the King is coming. Live like the King is coming. 3.) [Slide 21] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that though we are peaceful people we will always promote peace. a. Along with the overemphasis on the love of God and His mercy and grace has come the same overemphasis on the peace of the church. b. Some evangelical churches teach that the church is always to be nice. Indeed, as some preachers have said, niceness has become the 11th commandment in these churches. c. But we are not to be nice people. d. Don't mishear me. We should love our enemies. We should pray for those who spitefully use us. We should love one another. We should pursue peace, so long as it depends on us. e. But peace is achieved by two parties who have decided to cease hostility against one another. f. If our message is that Christ died for sinners…. g. If our message is that Christ rose again… h. If our message is that Christ alone is King and will return to establish His eternal Kingdom soon and put down His enemies… i. Then the gospel does not read like a peace envoy. It doesn't read like a treaty. It doesn't read like a mutual agreement to cease hostility. j. The gospel is an envoy discussing the terms of surrender. k. The gospel demands as the terms that each enemy lay down their arms, reject their masters, flee to Christ's Kingdom and never look back. l. While the messengers of the gospel are patient, loving, and kind… the message of the gospel demands surrender or death. m. Therefore, my friends, though we are peaceful people, we should not be surprised that when we preach the true gospel, it doesn't lead to peace. n. Indeed, the gospel, is one of the most hateful, intolerant, not nice, judgmental, and arrogant things we can preach. At least to the world it may seem this way. o. And we will be called all kinds of nasty things and eventually… even here in the US of A… we will be treated to all kinds of nasty rewards for our message of hope… for our… good… news. p. So what must we do? 4.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must proclaim the gospel no matter the cost. a. The most loving thing we can do for the enemies of our Lord is to proclaim to them that His judgment is coming and to plead for them to repent and believe the gospel. b. We can preach this message to them and remind them that Christ has even died for the sins they are committing against us as they persecute and kill us. c. We can plead with them not to mock the Savior as they are mocking us. d. We can declare to them as they take away all our earthly treasures that they can have treasures in heaven. e. We can weep as they take every precious thing from us but remind them that they can never take the Lord of Glory from us… and that they, even now can submit to Him. f. You see my friends – it may cost us everything, but as believers we have nothing to lose. Not really. g. We must boldly proclaim the gospel of Christ. That He was crucified for sinners, was raised, and is coming as Lord and Judge of an eternal Kingdom. h. But if it costs us every earthly thing… we most certainly will be sad. i. How do we know that we can endure this trial until the end? 5.) [Slide 23] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The same God who can plan for Christ to die can keep you until He desires to bring you home. a. God predestined, foreknew, foreordained and brought it to be that His Son would be crucified for sinners. b. He did this before Adam fell. c. He did this before He created the world. d. What does that mean? e. It means that all His true children will be preserved by Him until they are called home. f. Jesus tells the apostles, do not worry about what you will say when you stand on trial for my name. For the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. g. My friends, that same Spirit that seals us until the day of redemption is in each of those who are His true children. h. Each and every true believer will be preserved until the day when the Lord calls them home. And then they will be preserved from all evil… forever. i. Take comfort in this thought. j. The same God who wove the tapestry of events to bring about the redemption of His people… can and will see you safely to His Kingdom. Even if you must first pass through great storms. [Slide 24(end)] Let me close with a prayer by Georg Blaurock, a Swiss born former Catholic priest who became an Anabaptist pastor during the reformation. He recorded this prayer three weeks before being arrested, tortured, and burned alive. Lord God, I will praise you now and until my end. You have given me faith, by which I have learned to know you. You send me your divine word, which I am able to find and understand that it is from pure grace. From you, O God, I firmly hope that it will not return to you empty (Isaiah 55:11). O Lord, strengthen my heart; it rejoices because I know your will. When I have felt the heavy load of sin in me, which severely troubled me, I would have perished and suffered everlasting pain if you had not come to me with the word of your divine grace. For this I will now magnify and praise your glorious name forever. You always prove yourself to be a merciful, dear Father. Do not cast me off, but receive me as your child. I cry unto you for help, O Father, that I may be your child and heir. Strengthen my faith. Otherwise, if your help did not lift me up, my building would soon fall. Do not forget me, O Lord, but be with me always. May your Holy Spirit protect and teach me, that in all my sufferings I would always receive your comfort. And so valiantly fighting in this conflict, I may gain the victory. The enemy fights against me and would drive me from the battlefield if he could. But you, O Lord, give me the victory. He came against me with sharp weapons, with false doctrine and restrictions. But you had compassion on me, and helped your child with your grace and powerful hand. You helped me overcome. You heard me, and quickly came to help. You turned back my enemies. So I will sing praises to your name in my heart, and forever spread abroad the grace which has come to me. Now I pray to you, Father, for all your children. Preserve us forever from all the enemies of our souls. I must not trust in the flesh, which perishes-but I will firmly trust in your word. This is my hope and strength, on which I rely. Lead us into your everlasting kingdom, as I firmly trust that you will, and finish your holy work in us. Grant us strength to the end. In Jesus name I pray… Amen. Benediction: Now may our Savior, Who cheers each winding path we tread, Gives grace for every trial and feeds us with His living Bread, Grant you strength when you are weary, And increase your power when you are weak. Until we meet again… go in peace.

god jesus christ live father lord israel spirit kingdom christians holy spirit reading kings romans satan acts jewish meaning greek judge rome ephesians redemption savior jews kingdom of god catholic philippians old testament bread lamb surrender sabbath new testament crush apostles thessalonians terms john the baptist amen gentiles coins swiss caesar judaism strengthen book of acts preach slide cbc zeus roman empire o lord his son yahweh his kingdom lord god acts 17 preserve antioch o god philippi macedonia statues in jesus because god thessalonica christendom redemptive that god sedition logically thessalonian new kingdom anabaptist it is finished sabbaths lowlifes apollonia no king theos your son pisidia o father just as i am amphipolis serve him couched conclusion so from old

57 Acts 16.26-34 Enemies Made into Friends

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2024 52:41

Title: Enemies Made Into Friends Text: Acts 16:26-34 FCF: We often struggle loving others especially our enemies. Prop: Because God strikes down all His enemies and does so by making some His friends, we must love all, even our enemies. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 16. In a moment we will read from the New English Translation starting in verse 25. You can follow along in the pew bible or in the version you prefer. Last week we saw that in correlation to God being sovereign over His mission and His people responding to His gospel, He has many enemies. We noted that though God allows these enemies to persist, He does so for His glory so that when they are finally put down, His fame will only increase. But we also left one major cliff hanger. The human enemies of God and His children have seemingly won. They were able to beat and imprison Paul and Silas without, as it stood, any response from God. We left Paul and Silas singing and praying in their jail cell as the other prisoners listened in. Where was God? Why did He let this happen to His children? Those answers will come today… and my friends… they come in a big way, especially for a certain warden and his household. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father, we know that were it not for Your grace we would still be Your enemies. Were it not for Your love, we would still be opposed to You. Among us today we have many stories of how You took a wretch and made it Your treasure. Our lives are living testaments to the power of Your grace. Today, as we look into Your word, show us more of Your amazing grace. Reveal to us the power of Your gospel to destroy even the hardest heart so it can receive Your truth. Renew us today in the strength of Your Right Hand. For Your power unto salvation is the gospel of Your dear Son. It is in His name we ask this, Amen. Transition: Once again, we will go right to the text this morning as we attempt to fit all this in to a reasonable time. I.) God will eventually strike down all His enemies, so we must love all, even our enemies. (26-29) a. [Slide 2] 26 - Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose. i. Luke includes in his description of this earthquake, just enough details to assure us of the divine agency in it. ii. First, it must be said that earthquakes are quite common in Greece. 1. Some records indicate Greece on average has a small or moderate earthquake every two or three days. 2. Greater earthquakes are less common. The last great earthquake was in 1956 and they are expecting another large earthquake to occur sometime in the next 2-3 years. iii. Second, ancient Greeks would read considerable religious significance into great earthquakes. 1. They frequently built their temples along fault lines. There are two reasons for this. a. Natural springs occur around or near fault lines and they would be sought after for a temple. b. The connection to the gods, specifically Hades or Pluto and the underworld, or even Poseidon or Neptune and the sea would be far clearer as the faults are literally cracks in the earth to the underworld and the abyss. 2. Therefore, an earthquake would already be seen as a divine act. It is simply a question of which divine being did the shaking and why. iv. Third, is the particularity and specificity of which divine being caused this earthquake. And Luke gives us that by recording that all the prisoner's hands were freed and all the doors were opened. 1. Although this earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the walls did not crumble and the prisoners and the guards were not harmed. 2. The only noticeable result of the earthquake was that the prisoners were freed. 3. It is no small coincidence, nor would anyone think it so, that the earthquake occurs on the one night in which these missionaries who preach the Most High God are imprisoned and then released by such an event. 4. And as we'll see the jailer's response actually points to this fact. 5. He will assume that it is the God of Paul and Silas that is at work here. b. [Slide 3] 27 - When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. 28 - But Paul called out loudly, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” i. We have commented before on this very issue, but as a jailer it would be your primary responsibility to keep the prisoners from escaping. If you should fail at this task, your life is forfeit. ii. We saw how Herod killed the guards who allowed Peter to escape. iii. The same would be true for this jailer. iv. So, waking from the earthquake and seeing all the doors open he assumed that all the prisoners had escaped. v. If he would lose his life for losing 1 prisoner – how much more would he have to pay for losing all of them. vi. Indeed, he most likely faced crucifixion for his dereliction of duty. vii. Certainly, an act of the gods like an earthquake would excuse him from his failure we would think. But I'm not sure this jailer wanted to take that risk. viii. The honorable way to pay for allowing the prisoners to go free – divine act or not - would be to take his own life. And we see him taking out his sword to do just that. ix. Before he is able to complete the deed, Paul calls out to him loudly from within the inner cell. x. Though Paul was imprisoned unjustly and though the jailer was no doubt unkind and lacking empathy for Paul and Silas only a few hours prior – Paul does not want to see this man lose his life arbitrarily. xi. It is unclear how Paul is able to see him. Whether the light from outside allowed for those inside to see out but not for those outside to see in, or perhaps through divine revelation, we don't know, but somehow Paul knew the suicidal jailer's intention. xii. He informs him that every prisoner is safe and secure. There is no need for him to take his own life. xiii. Most likely, Paul knows that none have left, because they are all in the same prison room together. c. [Slide 4] 29 - Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. i. After hearing the voice of a prisoner claiming they are all still present – the jailer calls for torches to be brought in so he can verify that this is true. ii. He would not have been alone. He would have had guards helping him to secure the jail, probably members of his household. iii. After the lights are brought in and Paul and Silas are discovered - he falls down trembling before them. iv. Why is he trembling? v. As we have already discussed, earthquakes served as divine omens of judgment. The fact that these men were only here for one night, now freed by a very specific earthquake, and were kind to him even though he was probably not kind to them, clearly proved to this jailer that Paul and Silas' god –– whoever it was – was angry that they had been imprisoned. vi. And if that god was angry at them being imprisoned, that would mean that this god was also angry at him. vii. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. viii. Sure, he won't be crucified for letting prisoners escape… but now he faces something far more dreadful. ix. He faces the judgment of a god whom he has been caught actively opposing. d. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: Last week we witnessed the apostles face down two enemies of God. Demons and humans. In the power and authority of Jesus' name, the demons were cast out. But last week we stopped short of God's victory over his human enemies. Today we see God acting in such a way that both proves He is above all the false gods that were worshipped by the Greeks and the Romans while simultaneously freeing His people from their grasp. In this process the indomitability of God is on full display. He is not able to be subdued, no creature can tell him no, no one can slap his hand away. The jailer got the point. His fear of this God far exceeded all the would-be gods he had feared in the past. As an enemy of this God, one who mistreated His servants, he was absolutely terrified at what this God would do to Him. But notice what the missionaries did… EVEN BEFORE the jailer knew what had happened. Paul saved his life. My friends, if God will put down all His enemies eventually, then we should love our enemies and show compassion and care for them. What more can you do to the enemies of God than God will do? Did Paul try to cast the demon into the abyss? No. He simply cast him from the slave girl. And Paul could have done nothing and watched this jailer end his own life. But instead, he told him – we are all here. Spare your life. Would I have been so gracious to a man who so recently mistreated me? I shudder to think. We must love all men, even our enemies. Even when they despitefully use us… we must pray for them. Transition: [Slide 6(blank)] But what comes of the Jailer? He is terrified at the coming judgment of God. But what happens? Does God destroy Him? If God truly destroys all His enemies, we might expect that to be the case. Are Paul and Silas as concerned about his soul as they are his life? Let's see. II.) Sometimes God will strike down His enemies by making them into His friends, so we must love all, even our enemies. (30-34) a. [Slide 7] 30 - Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” i. Most likely the prisoners are brought out from the inner room into the courtyard of the prison. Once in the courtyard they could get everyone to safety from the compromised building and do a proper head count of the prisoners. ii. It is here that this warden asks the missionaries a question. iii. His question is flawed in two regards. 1. First, it is probably flawed in its scope. a. While it is possible that the jailer had heard the gospel from the lips of the missionaries, or had heard the proclamation of the slave girl, it is more likely that his theological understanding is quite shallow. b. Thus, his question about salvation most likely has to do with the physical judgment of the God that these missionaries served. He wanted them to tell him how to be spared from that punishment. c. He is not far off the mark – but enough to where he doesn't understand the true depth of his need. d. He doesn't understand that it isn't only his mistreatment of this God's men which has led to him being in danger of judgment, but that all his sin has made him an object of the wrath of this God. e. As so many today, he thinks he has only slightly angered the god of the Jews, when in reality He has committed acts of treason against the Most High God, Creator of all that is and was and will be, Who is the First and the Last and beside Him there is no god. 2. Second, his question is flawed in means. a. Like the Jews at Pentecost when they were pricked to the heart and asked what they should do, like the Ethiopian Eunuch who asked what prevents me from being baptized, like the rich young ruler who lacked some command to enter the Kingdom of God, so also the Philippian Jailer asks what he must do to be saved. b. From a pagan perspective, he is probably asking Paul and Silas to prescribe to him a set of sacrifices or rituals which he can execute to square himself to their god and avoid his or her judgment. c. As many do today, he measured his offense on the cosmic scales of human effort, assessing that he would be able to pay the balance he owed by a few heart-felt rituals and sacrifices. If I do enough good it will outweigh my offenses. d. But should man do exactly what God desires, he has done what God has expected. There is no extra credit. Therefore, there is no way to make up the ground you have lost. Saying it a different way, in order to be pleasing to God you must be Holy as He is Holy. And if you violate the law in one point you violate the whole law and are condemned by it. e. Therefore, the question is asked amiss. f. What can he do? Truly? Nothing. He can do nothing. g. So how will the missionaries respond? Will they say – you can't do anything? b. [Slide 8] 31 - They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” i. The way this reads is much like the way the Elisha/Naaman scene transpired in II Kings. ii. The jailer, having seen the Lord's hand in freeing and preserving the prisoners and himself, and trembling in fear at being found opposing such a god, no doubt asks what great feat he must accomplish to be spared judgment. iii. He probably expected a very difficult task. The Greeks and Romans both had mythologies and legends where the gods assigned difficult tasks to people to get on their good side. It is probable that he expected some sort of task for himself to make things right. iv. But as Elisha told his servant to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan 7 times, so Paul and Silas (the servants of Jesus) tell the jailer to believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. 1. This is a pregnant statement by Paul. What is he saying? Is he saying, “Say a prayer and then you are saved forever.” No. 2. He says believe on the Lord Jesus - which is a command, that in the Greek, emphasizes its completion or fullness. Believe completely and undividedly on Jesus as Lord. 3. And then he says, if you do this, you will be saved. In the future. Believing completely does not immediately produce this salvation. It is something that occurs sometime after one believes completely. 4. Furthermore, your saving, is also done by someone or something else. It is passive. The believer is receiving the saving not doing the saving by their actions. 5. Now does this statement fully address what the warden is asking? 6. No, not really. But it does indicate that Paul probably understood exactly what the jailer was asking when he said “what must I do to be saved.” 7. Paul understood that the man was afraid of being judged by God and desired to do something to be square with Him. 8. Paul does not prescribe some great task… but instead commands him to believe completely in Jesus as Lord of all Lords and any future judgment he has earned, he will be spared of it. 9. Paul declares that this man must abandon every other lord he trusts in, and trust in only one Lord. Jesus. 10. Then He will be saved. 11. Paul speaks of a future aspect of salvation rather than a present one. Because that is what the Jailer feared. Future judgment. v. Before we move on we must address the last statement here. vi. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. 1. Proponents of the infant baptism view point out that here in the Greek the verb believe and the verb saved both occur in the singular form. Proving, they say, that the salvation of the head of the household is applied in one way or another, to the rest of the household. 2. But this construction is not uncommon in the Greek. In fact, the NET translates this in such a way as to help us see how this works. Because we do it in English too. 3. Let me give you a couple of examples in English. a. Wash your hands and you will be healthier, you and your family. i. Now if I said that, would you assume that my whole family will be healthier simply because I washed my hands? ii. Or would you assume that I was saying that if my family does the same, they too will be healthier. iii. Here is another. b. Eat and you will be filled, you and your family. i. This is even less ambiguous. ii. While we could make a case that my whole family would be healthier if only I washed my hands, it makes absolutely no sense that my family will be filled if I am the only one that eats. 4. Basically, the phrase, “You and your family” implies that the same command fulfilled will produce the same promise or reward for fulfilling it. 5. Paul, really, is predicting that the gospel call will go out to his household too. c. [Slide 9] 32 - Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. i. Here we see a further explanation of the gospel to both the jailer and his household. ii. Probably his household consisted of his family and his servants, all of which applied themselves to the keeping of prisoners. Therefore, all of them are up at this late hour dealing with this peculiar situation. iii. His household has joined them in the courtyard where Paul and Silas elaborate on their previous gospel presentation. iv. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, is a true statement, but it certainly could afford to be fleshed out a little right? v. John Calvin called this gospel presentation a “cold and hungry” definition of salvation. vi. And he is 100% right. It is complete… but it would not be enough for the jailer. He will need more. And that is what we see happening here. vii. Believe on him for what? What has He done? What am I being saved from? What am I being saved to? viii. We can assume that the fullest expression of the gospel is given to the warden and his house. d. [Slide 10] 33 - At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away. i. Remember the situation not a few hours prior. The warden secured them against the wall and left them to a painful and sleepless night. ii. Now, moved by compassion that is only explained by saving faith, like the woman who washed Jesus' feet, he as the jailer washes their wounds. iii. My friends, wardens at this time did no such thing. As a jailer, his task was to keep the prisoners and afford them no luxury. He wasn't even required to feed them. That was the responsibility of their loved ones. iv. But here, he washes their wounds. v. And immediately after this – no doubt in the same water mixed with the blood and sweat of the missionaries, he was symbolically washed of his sins. He and all his house. e. [Slide 11] 34 - The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household. i. Again, we see the fruit of the Spirit follow conversion. His hospitality and care for the missionaries which he formerly sought to harm, is evidence of a changed man. ii. He feeds them. A task which could actually get him in a lot of trouble. Why? He willfully released the prisoners to come into his home and fed them. This is at very least risking his career, if not his skin. iii. And again, we must deal with this final statement here in this text which seems to suggest that only the jailer believed even though his entire household was baptized. iv. There is actually a very good grammatical argument for why the way the NET translates it is quite excellent. But I can give that to any interested this Thursday night at Bible Study. v. Long statement short – the words at the end of the sentence show us that both the rejoicing and the belief in God were shared by the entire house. vi. And how remarkable for God to save not only this jailer, but also open the eyes of his entire house to believe the gospel. f. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: In our last point we saw that our God is indomitable. He is unable to be subdued. He is unable to be tamed. He is unable to be controlled. He is the Most High God. And because of this, he will subdue all His enemies eventually. But in the Philippian Jailer's life – we see that that subjugation is not always punishment. Because our Lord is also gracious and loving, He sent His Son so that all the believing ones in Christ would not perish but be given everlasting life. Sometimes God subdues His enemies by making them His friends. Indeed, He is drawing to Himself a bride, a fold, a priesthood, a unified body of people in Christ. And because of this – as we see both the Missionaries and the jailer and his house do, we must love one another. We must love our enemies and we must love God's people. The missionaries loved this man enough to share the gospel with him and his household. And this jailer loved these new brothers so much he risked his career to care for them. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC? How then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 13] Building from the scene from last week, we know that our God has enemies both spiritual and physical. Although our God is sovereign over all things, He allows His creation to oppose Him in His plan to glorify Himself. And today, we are reminded that eventually God will subdue all His enemies. And He will do so in one of two ways. Either He will judge them for their sin, or He will judge another for it and make them His friend. Either you will be destroyed or you will be destroyed and rebuilt. The Philippian Jailer came to the end of himself, and though he was ignorant of exactly what his problem was or what he might need to do to fix it, one thing he knew for sure. He was in trouble. The God of these missionaries was able to shake the foundations of the prison, release his men and everyone else, and yet this God's followers were kind and even saved his life. As the Lord would have it – the Philippian Jailer's destiny was not to be destroyed someday in the future – but to be destroyed that very night in his jail courtyard, in the wee hours of the morning. He and all his household believed on the Lord Jesus and were remade into new creatures. The missionaries and the Jailer serve as our examples of the one application from this text. We must love all men, even our enemies. This application flows out of the fact that God will destroy all His enemies and some by making them His friends. If this is true, it is Anti-Christ to hate God's children. Since they are the body of Christ, His Son. And, it is Anti-Christ to hate God's enemies, for only He is the judge and will determine whether He destroys them or destroys them and remakes them. But let me make these applications much more concrete so that we may take them into our everyday lives all the easier. 1.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that all men, being enemies of God and deserving His eternal wrath, will eventually be subdued by Him. a. There is a lot in this little statement that we must believe. b. The Philippian jailer feared what the Lord would do to him since he had opposed His servants. c. The earthquake sent him quaking, fearing what their God's reprisal would be on him. d. But he underestimated his status before the Most High God, Creator of all things, and Holy Lord of Glory. e. He did not stand in offense… He stood opposed. f. He did not merely trespass, He mutinied. He was not merely an offender. He was an enemy. g. The scriptures declare to us that all men are enemies of God, children of wrath, of their father the devil, incurably sick with sin, desperately wicked, neither seeking nor desiring God. h. All men are guilty of the whole law and are subject to the only just penalty of breaking the whole law. i. Eternal wrath in a death devoid of God's mercy and empty of His grace. j. Many ask, why is the lake of fire eternal? Why cannot a man pay for his sin and then the Lord restore him to heaven or at least just snuff them out of existence? Why must God preserve their eternal souls to suffer forever? k. Such questions reveal the same shallow understanding the Philippian jailer had of his own sin. l. Sin is so heinous, so terrible, so egregious… it is so unnatural… so diabolical… that were we given all eternity to pay for even 1 sin against our Holy God… My friends… it would not be enough. m. That is why God's wrath is poured out eternally on those who are enemies of God. Because in that eternity – they are no closer to paying for their sin. n. And here is the kicker… o. All men are enemies of God. p. And here is the terrible warning I have for you today. q. All men will be subdued by God. All men will be put down. r. Every enemy of the Lord will be destroyed. One way or another. s. That is a terrifying thought. t. But it only gets worse. u. Let me continue with the bad news this morning. And it is found in something that many men believe that is false. 2.) Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that we are able to make up for or help God make up for our sin by acts of obedience, ritual, or sacrifice. a. The Philippian Jailer assumed, like many today, that his sin was only a minor matter. Something that he could easily make right by performing some act of obedience, some ritual, or paying some penance or sacrifice. b. Like the Philippian jailer this thought divides into two categories. c. Either someone may think that they can do good deeds, or give up things they love for a period of time, or perform certain rituals and this will somehow earn extra credit from God who will apply it to their account and allow them to balance the scales of His justice. d. Or as others concede, Christ has to help us in some degree. They believe He has built up for us a storehouse of merit, and because we still sin, we must continue to add to that storehouse lest we potentially run out. We must keep ourselves in this status of salvation and if we do not, then we risk punishment and even hell. e. But given our discussion about the heinousness of our sin, I hope you realize that such a thing is wholly impossible. No amount of good deeds could possibly make up for 1 offense against the Lord because good deeds are what He requires of us. There is no “extra” credit available for doing what He has commanded us to do. f. My friends, no act of obedience, ritual, or sacrifice could possibly make up for any sin we may commit. g. The bad news is… our sin is a real and deadly problem. h. Our sin separates us from a holy God… And there isn't anything we can do about that. Why? Because we are separated from Him. i. How do you make peace with a God you cannot approach? And even if you could get an audience with Him – what would be your offering to Him? j. Would you approach His holy throne with your righteous deeds? He has declared through the prophet Isaiah that all our righteous deeds are like used menstrual rags. Will you bring these to the Most High God and expect Him to be pleased? Pleased enough to forgive you? k. Nothing we can do can make up for our sin. l. We are wholly and completely destitute. Dead in our sin. m. But now it is time for some good news. Something we must believe. The gospel… 3.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that it is in the will of a loving and gracious God, to destroy some of His enemies by making them His friends and conforming them to His Son. a. What must be done with a vessel that does not serve the purpose it was created to serve? b. What does a potter do with a vessel that rips on the wheel? c. He must remake it. d. Yes, God destroys all of His enemies. e. But some of them, He remakes into His friends. He presses them into a new mold. Not the old broken mold of Adam which springs a leak and cannot hold water. f. He presses us into the mold of Christ which is a vessel fit to hold the finest treasures of our Lord. Namely His Spirit. g. God will destroy all His enemies. This is true. h. But some of them will forever praise Him for the glories of His grace because even though they should have been cast into the fire with the rest… i. He chose to save them, remake them, and build them back into a vessel fit for glory. j. What does that mean? 4.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must believe on the Lord Jesus and we will be saved. a. The Holy God, the Most High God, The Creator of all that is, was and will be, The first, the last, the alpha the omega, Yahweh… b. He has supplied exactly 1 way of salvation. i. He loved every nation so much that He sent His only and unique Son, the second person of the Godhead, to humiliate Himself by becoming one of us by taking on a human nature and adding it to His divine nature. ii. This Jesus, who is the Lord of Glory, submitted Himself to a shameful death after living a sinless life, and died as the most wicked sinner that has ever died – having taken on Him the sin of all of His people. And by dying He suffered the full wrath of God for them. iii. By raising again the third day He conquered death supplying a way for all who are in Him to go to the Father of Lights who is the giver of only good gifts. iv. And by ascending He now stands as an advocate for His bride while they are being prepared to be wed to Him. c. My Friends! d. Because you are absolutely, comprehensively, thoroughly, ultimately, exhaustively, extensively, inside out and upside down, through and through, woefully and perfectly wicked and unable to do anything to change it, unable to do anything to prevent this GOD from utterly destroying you… e. WILL YOU NOT BELIEVE? WILL YOU NOT BOW? Will you not cast all your hope on this One who has not commanded you to die for Him so you can be saved, but has died to save you from His own judgment? f. Will you not completely and finally believe no matter what it costs? g. Would you not do something far greater and more taxing to escape the coming eternal judgment of His wrath? h. Why then will you not only believe? i. And I do not speak of a simple mental assent where you just agree that He is who He says He is. j. No. k. I mean a belief that this Jailer had. l. A belief that cast aside everything else in order to obtain it. m. A belief that proves itself out in a changed life. n. One in which… 5.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must love one another, even our enemies. a. My friends, there is no such friend of God who is not completely and irrevocably changed by His remaking hand. b. God's people, those He has destroyed and sought to remake… DO NOT LOOK THE SAME AS THEY ALWAYS HAVE! c. This jailer only moments after his beleif was washing the wounds and feeding these prisoners. d. Why? e. Because He wasn't the same. f. Paul and Silas being ambassadors of the Living God, should have been treated like the Kings … but when they were maligned, abused, mistreated, mocked, ridiculed – they neither retaliated nor did they complain. g. Instead, they sang songs of praise to God. h. And when they had a chance to watch the jailer who treated them so poorly, end his life in front of their eyes so they could escape… they stopped him from doing it! i. And when he asked how to be saved – they could have refused, they could have laughed at his flawed question…but did not. They taught him and his WHOLE HOUSEHOLD the word of God. j. My friends… k. You cannot be a Christian and hate one another. You cannot be a Christian and withhold forgiveness from others. You cannot be a Christian and hate your enemies. l. God will put them down, one way or another. That is His role as a Just Judge. m. Our role… is to love one another. Even our enemies. n. Even those who abuse us. o. Even those who spitefully use us. p. Why? q. Because we've been remade. We aren't the same broken jar we once were. r. We hold living water. s. But perhaps your heart looks to the enemies of God and screams what mine often does. t. There is no hope for these people. They are too far gone. u. Or perhaps… you are saying that of yourself. Perhaps you think… you are too far gone too. v. Take heart… 6.) Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” There is no enemy of God beyond His reach to judge or to save. a. There are only two options in front of every enemy of God. b. Either they will be judged by the just judge and they will pay for every crime they have committed against Him… c. Or Christ will. d. That's it. Either Christ has already paid it, or they will pay it. There is no third option. e. Do you realize that Kamala Harris is 1 earthquake away from being your sister in Christ? f. Do you realize that Gretchen Whitmer is 1 opened heart away from being a friend of God? g. I don't care what you've done sinner… or how wicked you've been. h. Paul sought and killed Christians for a living. He did it zealously. He did it joyfully. He did it as a holy charge to the false god he served. He was the Hitler of the early church… And Jesus Christ threw him on the ground, rebuked him and commanded him to serve him. That Paul died that day. And the Paul we see today was reborn in his place. i. No one… is beyond the reach of God's destructive power. He will destroy all His enemies. And that is a great comfort to we, who were destroyed and then remade. j. And it is a terrible warning to you if you remain His enemy… k. But you don't have to succumb to a future destruction. You can be destroyed… right now. l. That is my prayer for you. Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer John Knox Strong and mighty God, You destroy the word of the ungodly and rid the world of tyrants, whenever You decide. No force can resist Your everlasting determination. Now look on Your cause for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is time, Lord. Bring to nothing all those things that stand against You and Your holy word. Do not let the enemies of Your truth oppress Your word and Your servants. We seek only Your glory, and above all things wish in our hearts that Your holy name would be glorified among the nations. Grant that we Your servants would speak Your irresistible truth and wisdom. Even though we justly deserve this plague and famine of Your word, we pray that You would release us in our true repentance. We vow before You to better use our gifts, and to order our lives according to Your will and pleasure. We will sing unending praises to Your blessed name, world without end, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. Benediction: Let those who trust the Lord be like Mount Zion, Which cannot be shaken but endures forever. May that same Lord establish you in the Gospel So that all peoples might believe and obey Him Who is the only wise God; the glory is to Him forever through Jesus Christ! Until we meet again… Go in peace!

56 Acts 16:16-25 The Enemies of God

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2024 50:14

Title: The Enemies of God Text: Acts 16:16-25 FCF: We often struggle against forces arrayed against us and our Lord. Prop: Because many forces are arrayed against our Lord building His church, we must trust and worship Him who fits us for spiritual warfare. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 16. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 16. You can follow along in the pew bible or in the version you prefer. Last week the 4-man mission team arrived in the city of Philippi and began their ministry to the Jews by going to the river to speak to a group of Jewish women. There was no synagogue in Philippi meaning that the Jewish population was fairly small. We'll get an indication of why that may be today. In the process of speaking to these women one woman came to Christ because the Lord opened her heart to respond in faith. The primary teachings we have seen from this first missionary journey is the Lord's control over the missionaries, the mission, and even the building of His church. But today we will see more opposition to His Kingdom. Let's seen how the mission team handles it. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father, You are maker of heaven and earth. All else in existence is created besides You. Though there are great powers and forces, heavenly bodies, animals, plants, spiritual and physical beings, they are, all of them, unlike You. You alone are uncreated. You alone are high and lofty. Because of this we rely on You for everything. And though much of Your creation has rebelled against You. We know that You are utterly and completely in control of all that You have made. May we learn from You – the Giver of Life – that we may grow and flourish in You. Be with us today we pray this in Jesus name, Amen. Transition: Let's get right to the text again this week. There is a good deal for us to uncover here. I.) There are many forces arrayed against the Lord building His church, we must trust the Lord for spiritual armor to stand against the enemy. (16-18) a. [Slide 2] 16 - Now it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a servant-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. i. The missionary team stayed in Philippi in Lydia's home for many days. In that time, they traveled around the city but also frequented the place of prayer where the Jews met. ii. Again, the gospel to the Jews first is Paul's passion. iii. And so, on one of those trips, sometime after the event with Lydia, this occurs. iv. But what is going on here? v. We have a servant girl with what Luke calls a “spirit of divination.” What is that? 1. While the word here has links to the Delphi oracles and speaking on behalf of the gods, by the time of Roman imperialism this word was used primarily the way we would use the word ventriloquist. 2. Fast forward to the time Luke uses this expression here in Acts, the term would be the same but rather than emphasizing the human agent he is emphasizing the demonic agent. 3. Although we are accustomed to considering all fortune tellers, soothsayers, and star readers to be con artists who merely want to make a buck off the gullible – I would caution us against such generalities. 4. There are forces in this world, spiritual forces, that have power and abilities that exceed our own. 5. We know that Satan is the prince of the power of the air. We know that there are principalities and powers that by God's permission, govern this dark and perishing world. Though their dominion is being overtaken by the kingdom of God. 6. We know that there are still unclean spirits and demons roaming the world. 7. Now certainly some people, even at this time, were pretending to be soothsayers and fortune tellers but were fakes. 8. But that does not mean that all were this way. And that goes for today too. 9. The bible does not speak of these things as if they are fake, falsified, or bunkum. 10. Instead, the bible warns not to participate in them because they are real and not of God. 11. This young slave girl was a slave not just of humans but of an unclean spirit as well. 12. She was possessed by this spirit. vi. Because she was possessed by this spirit, and did have some sort of power or clairvoyance to the unseen world, she was able to conduct a booming business for those who desired a good word for themselves or insight for their coming days. 1. The spirit spoke in her and through her to convey snippets of truth couched in vague generalities and gathered from careful attention and insight into the human condition. 2. These spirits are not all knowing or all powerful. They merely are able to see more than humans and humans are also easily impressed, especially when the promise of money, power, and fame come with it. vii. So, we've been introduced to this cash cow of a fortune teller, but what is she doing? b. [Slide 3] 17 - Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” i. Here we see the activity of this spirit possessed woman. ii. She is following the missionaries around and crying out – probably yelling as loud as her vocal cords could, probably even louder than they were physically capable being amplified by the spirit's power. We also should consider the possibility of her shouting without her lips moving, since this ventriloquist meaning of the word had not completely disappeared. The shouting could have been coming from her belly. iii. And what is she shouting? iv. At first glance this appears to be truth. v. This wouldn't be the first time we see demons speak truth. vi. In fact, in each case that Jesus casts out demons, invariably they speak truth to Him. They address Him as the Son of the Most High. They beg Him not to judge them. vii. So, what is Paul to do with the free publicity? c. [Slide 4] 18 - And she continued doing this for many days. But being greatly annoyed, Paul turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave her!” And it left at that very moment. i. Ok so what just happened? Why was Paul so annoyed? ii. I mean she did this for many days… sure… but isn't she helping his cause? iii. Ironically, Paul in a future letter to these Philippians rejoices over the gospel of Christ being preached… even when it is preached by people who do so for selfish gain. iv. So, what is the big deal? Why is Paul annoyed? v. [Slide 5] Well, the answer to this question hinges on whether or not what the demon speaks is truth or is intentionally misleading. 1. Let's assume what most scholars assume. That although the demon's confession appears to be truthful, it is in fact, quite misleading. What do I mean and how would that cause Paul to be annoyed? a. We already noted that the vast majority of the people in Philippi are Gentiles. b. We recognize the phrase “Most High God” and frequently put that in the context of our Old Testament usage of the same words. i. However, to the predominantly gentile audience, such an expression could just as easily be applied to Zeus or Jupiter. ii. In fact, at the time of these events, such phrases were already in use and ascribed to Zeus the status of the highest of the gods. c. Secondly, her saying that the missionaries proclaimed the way of salvation could be misleading in a couple ways. i. First, the pagan concept of salvation would be ambiguous at best. It might describe success, or rescue from trouble or difficulty. ii. Secondly, the phrase here does not have a definite article in Greek. So, although it could be translated “they proclaim to you THE way of salvation.” It could just as easily be translated “they proclaim to you a way of salvation.” d. [Slide 6] Thus, the reason that Paul became so annoyed and distraught was because the demon was muddying the waters and making it seem like the missionaries were advocating syncretistic blend of paganism and Christianity instead of the abandonment of pagan gods to worship God through Christ Jesus. 2. [Slide 7] There are, however, some reasons to doubt what most scholars conclude. Let me point those out. a. Although it is true that gentiles would not associate the phrase “The Most High God” with Yahweh, we see that Luke has specified that this was happening while they were going to the place of prayer. A place where the Jews would gather. b. Now Luke only points this out once and it is possible that she stops them before they get there or meets them over the course of the next several days in other places around the city – but for now the only location we have been given is the place of prayer. c. This suggests that the audience, being Jewish, would probably understand the phrase “Most High God” to be Yahweh. d. And what she says about the way of salvation is also affected by a primarily Jewish audience. For they would have understood, at least in part, the idea that salvation has to do with God's deliverance into His Kingdom. e. In regard to the other issue with the way of salvation, the whole argument hinges on a translational ambivalence. It could literally be translated either “the way of salvation” or “a way of salvation” and if we take a quick poll of our major English translations – we'll find that the overwhelming majority translate this “The way of salvation” f. Meaning of course that we have to at least entertain the possibility that the demon is speaking pure truth here. 3. [Slide 8] But if the demon is speaking pure truth, and is not misleading, why then does Paul get so irked by it? There are actually several potential reasons. a. First, since this young slave girl was well known around the city as being a fortune teller, it subtly suggests that she and the missionaries occupy a similar position. i. They are both just heralds of truth. Paul can help you with your afterlife… and I can help you with your present life. ii. In essence it communicates that they are both spirit guides. Sure, one is pagan and the other is Christian, but that doesn't matter. iii. We are all on different sides of the same mountain, but we are all going up the mountain to the same god… right? A heresy still alive today. A heresy recently spoken by the Pope. iv. But God will not share glory with any. And Paul doesn't want the message of Christ to be shared by the local diviner as if they are on the same team. b. Second, by the girl confessing what the demon knows to be true, it gives credibility to any future fortune telling efforts. i. A false prophet telling truth once doesn't make that prophet a legitimate prophet of God. But it may convince some that they are. ii. Paul doesn't want the credibility of this demon possessed girl to continue as she piggy backs on the mission team. So, he casts out the demon in Jesus' name, ending the slave girl's career. c. [Slide 9] Third, it isn't like Paul hasn't had issues in the past with a crowd listening too well to him preaching the gospel. i. This slave girl shouting all this out is drawing a good deal of attention to the mission team. ii. At some point that will draw the ire of those who reject the gospel. And perhaps Paul is not ready to be forced to flee the city just yet. iii. This is unwelcomed publicity. He isn't done preaching the gospel here yet. d. Fourth, and although I can't prove it, I did manage to find one commentator, a church father named Bede, who saw it too. i. It seems to me that we could be seeing a Balaam kind of example here. ii. Perhaps the unclean spirit desired to speak falsehoods and slander Paul and the Mission team, but was not permitted to do so. iii. So, Paul's irritation is knowing that the demon desired to speak ill but was prevented. e. Finally, the work of revealing truth about Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of those who believe on Him is a work of the Holy Spirit. i. Last week we saw how the Lord opened Lydia's heart. We observed that this is what the Scriptures call regeneration. ii. Regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit to prepare the heart of an individual to receive and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. iii. This unclean spirit's attempt to reveal the nature of Jesus is, in a way, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In that it takes what is clearly the work of the Spirit and attributes it to the work of demons, specifically itself. iv. In effect, the unclean spirit usurps the role of the Holy Spirit here. v. And Paul is distraught over this. Such a spirit deserves to be removed for its blasphemy. vi. Which is the right one? No idea. Maybe all of them. vii. [Slide 10] In any case – Paul is greatly annoyed by this young girl and her unclean spirit. viii. He turns, and in the power, the authority, and for the sake of Jesus the second person of the Godhead – he commands the spirit to come out from her. ix. And the spirit left at that very moment. x. It may shock you to realize that in biblical times exorcisms were common. In fact, the Jews had been practicing them even before Christ's incarnation. xi. But the incantations and rituals surrounding them were long and not always successful. xii. By contrast, the exorcisms we see in the New Testament are frequently instantaneous and not belabored by long drawn-out processes and incantations. The power rests in the authority of Christ and not in the ritual. xiii. And even in the church post Christ's ascension, we see the pattern continue. In Christ's name this spirit flees. xiv. This leaves no shadow of doubt. God is not fighting a war with the kingdom of darkness where they are evenly matched… or even closely matched. xv. Paul, a fallen and sinful creature, just like the unclean spirit, exorcised this demon… by the power of and for the sake of the one who redeemed him. xvi. Only Christ is King and there is no other. d. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: So, what is the primary point of teaching in this first scene of this narrative episode? What do we learn here? In our previous two weeks we have seen that God is sovereign over the missionaries, the mission and even the building of His church. He is in complete control. But today, we see a counter point that doesn't invalidate that, but merely adds color to that discussion. Although God is in control of building His church, that doesn't mean there will not be opposition. In fact, there are many forces, and some of them quite powerful, that are arrayed against the Lord of Glory as He continues to build His church. What we see here in this text, is that those forces are not equal to or close to equal to Him. He is King… even over the most powerful among them. A command given in His will by His authority, must be followed. The application for us then, is neither to go around rebuking demons, nor is it to ignore them completely. Our task is to put on the full armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. The Lord wants us to engage in battle with His spiritual opponent, but not in our own strength, for our own glory, or for our own temporary gain. Rather in prayerful petitioning for the perseverance of the saints and the proclamation of the gospel we are to hold the line against the enemy being fully protected by the spiritual graces of God. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] So spiritual forces are no match for our Lord. They are easily pacified by His power and authority. Are these the only forces that oppose Him? II.) There are many forces arrayed against the Lord building His church, we must worship the Lord in the midst of seeming defeat. (19-25) a. [Slide 13] 19 - But when her masters saw that their hope of profit had left, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, 20 - and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, 21 - and are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.” i. Upon realizing that the slave girl no longer had the spirit of divination and could no longer predict the future … they sought retaliate. ii. They grab Paul and Silas and drag them to the authorities of the city. iii. But what are they going to accuse them of? Casting out spirits isn't a crime is it? iv. Let's unpack what they charge them with and try to make some sense of it. v. They accuse them of sowing confusion because they are Jews and promoting customs that are illegal for Roman citizens to observe, because they are Romans. vi. So, what is the confusion and what are these customs? vii. Friends, I think us trying to figure out what customs they were talking about, and what they mean by confusion is a fool's errand. Why? viii. Notice not what they accuse them of – but how. They bring up both the ethnicity of these men… and their own. ix. As we saw last week, the Jews were not prevalent in this city. And the city was a Roman colony. So Roman that most of the inscriptions we have found from this city are in Latin and not in Greek. Which is quite telling. x. Jews had always stuck out as monotheists in a polytheist world. xi. This suggests that an Antisemitic sentiment was alive and well in the city of Philippi. Perhaps this is the real reason they don't have a synagogue in the city. Perhaps this is the real reason that there weren't many Jews in the city of Philippi? xii. Added to their hatred of the Jews, they were also quite proud of being Romans. xiii. They don't specify one charge against them. Instead, the only real accusation is that they are being very UN-Roman and telling them to do the same. xiv. The customs and the confusion charge, I believe, is a red-herring. They know that there isn't really anything they can accuse the mission team of. xv. But they can insight the crowd and the magistrates to violence because of racial tensions that already existed between Jews and Romans in the city of Philippi. xvi. And that is just what they did. They knew what buttons to push to really put the hurt on Paul and Silas. xvii. Incidentally, the fact that only Paul and Silas were drug before the city magistrates is more evidence that this is a racial issue more than a legal one. Timothy was only half Jewish and Luke was a gentile. b. [Slide 14] 22 - And the crowd joined together to attack them, and the chief magistrates, tearing their garments off of them, proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. i. Only Roman citizens were guaranteed a right to a fair trial before being physically harmed. ii. As non-Romans (or so they think) these men are not afforded those guarantees. iii. So, they are beaten with rods for having the audacity to be Jewish and to tell Romans to stop being so Roman. iv. Now we will find out later that Paul and Silas both were Roman citizens. So why didn't they say anything? v. Well, let's wait a couple weeks on that question. c. [Slide 15] 23 - And when they had inflicted them with many wounds, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely, 24 - who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. i. It is obvious that the plan is to release them sometime later. We see this later in the narrative. ii. Basically, what we have here is imprisonment is their sentence to pay for their crime. iii. Because they caused a disturbance, they needed to pay for that with their lives being disturbed. iv. So, the plan was that they would be released the following day – but until then they instruct the jailer to hold them fast. v. So, the jailer puts them in the inner prison, where escape would be almost impossible. And he fastened them to the wall so they could not move. vi. Most likely with wooden or metal brackets and most likely not in a very comfortable position. No doubt with arms and legs splayed against the wall. vii. One doesn't have to wonder why we find them still awake at midnight in the next verse. viii. They were probably in a good deal of pain from their “many wounds” while being pinned to the wall. d. [Slide 16] 25 - But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. i. Such were the hearts of God's missionaries. ii. They prayed and sang to the Lord. iii. They prayed – probably not imprecatory prayers against their persecutors but rather prayers of thanksgiving and songs of praise. iv. Requesting the Lord to be glorified and the gospel to go forth no matter what happens. v. Requesting to be released without further incident. vi. And they did this as the rest of the prisoners in the jail… listened. vii. One of the most powerful things you can do to accompany your presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is to suffer for His name while continuing to praise Him and trust Him. viii. So many in the history of the church have been won by the gospel of Christ and the powerful testimony of those who gladly bear His reproach and share in His wounds. e. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Our primary point of teaching endures through this point. There are forces arrayed against the Lord building His church. They are not only spiritual though. As if mankind are merely victims caught in the middle of this spiritual war. No, the greed, bigotry, and selfishness of man actively works against the Lord building His church also. But so far, in this narrative, we have not seen the Lord conquer these wicked men. Now we could peek ahead and see, and I assure you, the Lord will be victorious in more ways than one, but let us not do that. Why? Because Paul and Silas didn't get to look ahead did they. For now, let's stay right there in that inner prison room with Paul and Silas. Let's stay right with them in the midst of their searing wounds. In the midst of their aching joints pinned to a wall. In the midst of their hopeless position. Let's stay right there. Why? So, we can observe what it means to trust the Lord even in the midst of great suffering for His name. Even in the midst of apparent defeat. My friends, we must trust the Lord by worshipping Him in the midst of suffering. This also is part of engaging the enemies of God. Conclusion: So, what have we learned to day CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] In the last couple weeks, we have seen the Lord's control over building His church. He guides His missionaries. He prepares the mission. He opens hearts to respond. But just because He is in control doesn't mean He is unopposed. Today we see that both spiritual and physical forces are actively arrayed against the Lord. Harmonizing these two points is actually relatively easy. It is obviously within the will of God and part of His plan that these forces oppose Him. Although God does not sin, nor does God tempt men to sin, there are times in the scriptures where God uses the sinfulness of men and the rebellion of the forces of darkness to accomplish His will. Therefore, we should not interpret opposition to the Lord as a sign that He is not in control. Instead, we should interpret opposition to the Lord as a way for Him to receive greater glory. For us, when we experience opposition to the Lord and the building of His church, we must see it as an opportunity to trust Him. On the one hand, we must trust Him, putting on the spiritual armor He provides to us and engaging in spiritual warfare against our true enemy, the spiritual forces of darkness who wrestle against the body of Christ at every turn. With the graces of the Lord, and in the power of His might, we will overcome them. Why? Because Christ has already disarmed them and made a public display of them by triumphing over them to free us from sin and death. (Col 2:15). On the other hand, we may face flesh and blood enemies that seem to gain victory over us. In this passage we see the paradoxical story of Paul gaining victory over a demon by casting him out in Jesus' name but also being himself cast in prison by mere men. If God is able to cast out demons, is He not also able to save Paul from mere men? Well of course He is. That is why Paul and Silas trust the Lord by responding in worship. They pray and sing to Him while suffering for His name. Why? Because if He can triumph over demons, and flesh and blood seem to have the upper hand– we can bet that God's victory is almost at hand. And indeed, it was just so for Paul and Silas and I think even a cursory glance at church history seems to paint the same picture. The moment the world is at the bleakest and the opposition against the Lord is at its height is the moment the Lord does something amazing. So let me outline for us some more practical applications of these truths today. How does this affect our everyday life? 1.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that there are forces arrayed against the Lord. a. Now certainly this is not something that I think is difficult to prove to us. b. We know that there are forces actively working against the Lord and His church. c. In this text we see two. We see a demon, which represents the whole realm of darkness and we have bigoted, greedy, prideful humans. d. Let me address each of these specifically. i. The forces of darkness seem to have some measure of organizational structure. 1. The scriptures do not go into detail and although there are many myths, even Jewish myths surrounding these forces, there doesn't seem to be much consensus even among Jews on where these beings came from and how they organize themselves. 2. Still, we can come to a fairly robust understanding that there are intelligent spiritual evil forces aligned against the Lord of glory and at least from a New Testament perspective, they seem to be dominated and led by one particular member known as Satan or the Devil. 3. Paul tells us in Ephesians that if we are going to wrestle against these forces, we must not use physical means of warfare for our enemy is not physical they are spiritual. ii. But a second category of enemies against the Lord exists. And it is wicked humanity. 1. We might balk at this since Paul said in Ephesians that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood but against spiritual evil. 2. But Paul says this, not to deny that humans are wicked, or to say that they are just innocent victims caught in the middle. He merely says this to instruct Christians how to fight. Namely, not with flesh and blood weapons. 3. But even against flesh and blood enemies, the fight is primarily spiritual. So, our weapons and defenses must be spiritual also. 4. To be sure, wicked and unredeemed humanity are outright enemies of God and seek to destroy and kill God's people. 5. The only difference is that mankind is redeemable and spiritual forces of darkness are not. 6. Paul, after all, was one of these wicked men actively opposing the Lord of glory. And we all know how that worked out for him. iii. These two forces of evil work hand in hand to oppose the Lord. With the forces of darkness tempting, nudging and whispering and wicked men all to happy to pursue their passions. e. The Lord is opposed in His work to build His church and bring His Kingdom to earth in full. f. This is absolutely true. g. But.. 2.) Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that when the forces arrayed against the Lord appear to be winning this proves that God has lost control. a. No matter how bleak it may appear. b. No matter how much it seems like God is losing c. No matter how much wicked men prosper and demonic influence thrives – God is still in absolute control. d. We see this exact thing happen in the Old Testament on repeat. Israel gets destroyed by the nations around them. Where was GOD? Using those nations to judge them… that's where. e. God is always in control. Even when these forces appear to be winning – it is by design so that He can get even more glory for their defeat. f. In their opposition they are unwitting pawns for His glory. g. Because this is true we must respond in a few ways. h. First… 3.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must rely on the strength of God's spiritual graces if we hope to stand against the spiritual forces we face. a. Whether we face human beings who are wicked and casting us into prisons or whether we face a legion of the demonic hoard – we cannot afford to fight this battle with human weapons. b. What then are our weapons? What are our defenses? How shall we hold the line? How shall we stand firm? c. They are described to us in the armor of God. Truth, Righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. d. Notice that all of these are spiritual graces that God has given us. And notice how they all, in some way, tie back to Christ Himself. e. If we are to face the enemies of Christ – we must be protected by the strength of Christ. f. No weapon we fashion – wars, rhetoric, reasoning, politics, legislation, revolution, anger, frustration, shouting, hostile take overs, elections, - LITERALLY all of this cannot be our trusted method to stand against the enemies of God. g. Why? h. Because they work IN those things too. i. We need armor and weapons in which they have no share. And that is Christ. j. What else does God being sovereign over his enemies mean for us? 4.) De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not be afraid when the schemes or Satan or the wickedness of men seem to prevail. a. My friends, God uses all of this to increase His fame and His glory. b. The more his enemies seem to be winning, the greater their undoing will be and the greater His glory will be when they are finally and forever put down. c. Most of the time when the church faced its darkest days – that is when the Lord did a marvelous work. d. A modern preacher once said, “Persecution has never hurt the church… only prosperity.” e. When our enemies are strong – our God is stronger. And my friends – we in America are ripe for Him to do something… Big. f. Not through an election. Not through a war. Not through diplomacy. Not through policy making. g. But through the outpouring of His grace. h. We have no need to be afraid at a time like today. i. What must we do instead… 5.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must worship the Lord and expect Him to deliver us one way or another. a. Paul and Silas sat in pain in that prison cell. b. But they were not without hope. c. Because either they would die there or God would see to it that they were released. d. God would deliver them… one way or another. e. For this, He deserves the highest praises and glory. f. What can man do to us? What can any enemy of God do to us that God does not allow? For His purposes? g. My friends – what a great honor and joy it is to suffer for the name of Christ. h. So do not be troubled. In fact, be encouraged. i. Why? 6.) Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Only Christ is King and there is no other. a. Though Christ has enemies… they are not His equal. b. Though Christ has enemies… they are not His match. c. Though Christ has enemies… they are no challenge. d. Though Christ has enemies… they pose no danger. e. Indeed, the work of Christ has already disarmed them. He gathers His church and they are only able to cede ground to the church. f. My friends, there is no King but Christ. g. May this be our motto. Our hope. Our Strength. h. In times of abundance and in times of famine – there is no King but Christ. i. In times of safety and in times of peril – There is no King but Christ. j. In times of moral decency and in times of moral decay – There is no King but Christ. Let me close by praying this hymn. May it be our prayer. 1 Lead on, O King eternal, the day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents will be our home. Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song. 2 Lead on, O King eternal, till sin's fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sweet amen of peace. For not with swords' loud clashing or roll of stirring drums with deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes. 3 Lead on, O King eternal; we follow, not with fears, for gladness breaks like morning where'er your face appears. Your cross is lifted o'er us, we journey in its light; the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might. We pray this in our King's holy name… Amen. Benediction: And now may the Man of Sorrows Who came to reclaim ruined sinners, Who sealed your pardon with His blood, And made a full atonement for helpless we, Bless you from Zion all the days of your life, And direct your hearts into God's love and into the steadfastness of Christ. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

TUC0's Talks Season 2, Episode 3 Shannon Whiteman - "Leadership isn't a Checklist"

TUC0's Leadership Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 28:13

Today on TUC0's Talks, we have COL (Ret.) Shannon Whiteman, where she shares her insights on leadership and personal growth. Shannon emphasizes the importance of caring for people and being a person of integrity. She also discusses the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field and the balance between vulnerability and commanding respect. She encourages leaders to push boundaries, embrace their uniqueness, and constantly learn and innovate. Shannon's final thoughts include the importance of connecting with and listening to others, facing unconscious bias, and leading high-potential individuals. Overall, the conversation highlights the significance of empathy, compassion, and continuous self-improvement in leadership. Keywords: Leadership, personal growth, caring for people, Integrity, Vulnerability, Respect, pushing boundaries, Uniqueness, continuous learning, Innovation, connecting with others, unconscious bias, high-potential individuals, Empathy, Compassion, Self-Improvement Takeaways: - Leadership is about caring for people, being a person of integrity, and having excellent communication skills. - Vulnerability and compassion can coexist with commanding respect as a leader. - Pushing boundaries, embracing uniqueness, and constantly learning and innovating are essential for personal and professional growth. - Connecting with and listening to others, facing unconscious bias, and leading high-potential individuals are crucial aspects of effective leadership. - Empathy, compassion, and continuous self-improvement are key qualities for successful leadership. Sound Bites: "Leadership isn't a checklist. It is about caring for your people. It is about being a person of integrity." "Being vulnerable and compassionate, but then still command respect. It's a difficult balance." "Constantly learning innovation, to think outside the box. That's a skill set that I don't think I like learning, but it was just innate to who I was." Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:05 Taking Time to Reflect and Relax 08:09 The Impactful Leader 12:36 Balancing Vulnerability and Commanding Respect 21:31 Embracing Uniqueness and Pushing Boundaries 28:00 Continuous Learning and Personal Growth 33:50 Caring for People and Facing Unconscious Bias 39:23 Final Thoughts and Conclusion -------------------------------- So, why start the podcast, and why do we talk about Leadership? Well, after 20 years in the military, 19 of which were in combat operations, it was pretty much a guarantee that I was going to have some challenges I needed to work through. Today I share my issues, and hopefully how you can avoid them, or at least minimize the risk. In this informative leadership video, we dive deep into the world of leadership and organizational management. Join us as we leverage the valuable experience of senior leaders, gaining insights and practical advice on how to lead and take care of people. Discover the power of empathetic leadership, and the importance of putting people first. We'll explore the concept of failing forward, and how it can contribute to personal and professional growth. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from leadership experts and enhance your own leadership skills. Subscribe now to unlock the secrets of successful leadership and achieve a healthier work-life balance while taking care of your own mental health. #tuc0talks For more information on TUC0's Talks check out our social media: YouTube Channel: @TUC0talks Rumble: @TUC0talks Instagram: @TUC0talks Twitter: @TUC0talks TikTok: @TUC0talks LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-m-wright

53 Acts 15:36-41 Pride and Providence

reflections acast betterhelp leadership lessons right intention conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 38:44

Title: Pride and Providence Text: Acts 15:36-41 FCF: We often struggle disagreeing with mercy and grace and pursuing unity with one another. Prop: Though God providentially uses even our sinful disagreements over upright things, even so we must pursue unity in truth and love. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 15. In a moment we'll read starting in verse 36 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in the version you prefer. There is no question that Luke is beginning a new section in his book with this text. However, the themes that begin this new section connect in a contrasting way to what we have been discussing for the last 6 chapters. In the last six chapters we've seen the slow build of the church mission to advance beyond the Jews and go to even pagan gentiles. In culmination of that gospel work the Jerusalem council delivers the definitive word on the subject of the Jewishness of the New Covenant. In short, those who are united to Christ by true faith are not of any one specific culture or background. Christ has fulfilled the law and therefore Gentiles need not keep the ceremonial law. But they must submit to the law of Christ and love one another and strive for unity and peace. As Luke moves on now to the second missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, the theme of unity and peace remains – but sadly - with the inverse outcome. Two of the godliest people who were currently setting fire to the world with the gospel of Christ now succumb to disunity over a matter that did not require it. To transition us to the second missionary journey of Paul, Luke provides a cautionary tale on the heels of the great success story of the Jerusalem council. It would be wise for us to take heed. So let us stand to honor and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father, we know that those whom you have united by true faith to your Son, are declared righteous in your heavenly court based on the substitution of Christ for us. But we also know that although we are declared to be righteous and treated as sons and daughters, and although sin's penalty has been paid for us, and although sin's power over us has been broken – we know well that though you call us saints, which is certainly true, we yet remain, for now, sinners also. We recognize that unless we are busy about the work of killing sin, then sin will be busy about the work of killing us. Spirit of the living God, help us learn from the poor examples of these spiritual giants. And help us to be better. Help us to see your hand of providence in all things. Teach us today we pray in your precious Son's name. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] In a discussion with my daughter this week, we asked her how she might engage in battling the selfish temptations of her heart. She replied that she could ignore the impulses within her to be selfish. I said, that in theory this makes sense. But in reality this will not work. I told her that if two armies stood on the battlefield and one fired a round of machine gun bullets at the other and the other decided to simply ignore them, hoping they'd just go away… who would win? She replied that the ones shooting would win. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against intelligent evil both from outside of us and from within us. And no matter how mature in Christ you become, the moment you stop fighting… is the moment you leave yourself open to a terrible defeat. Today, in the afterglow of a wonderful story of the church preserving unity and peace… we have a story of war and division. But even in the mist of this there is hope. Let them hear who have ears to hear. I.) Godly people can come to two upright but different conclusions, even so we must pursue unity in truth and love. (36-38) a. [Slide 3] 36 - Now after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” i. Paul and Barnabas clearly spend a good deal of time in Antioch of Syria. ii. It makes sense. They spent an entire year there preaching together. iii. They were sent out from the church in Antioch of Syria on their first missionary journey. iv. In other words, there is quite a history here. No doubt we could see Antioch of Syria as their home church or sending church. v. The elapsing of time also helps us to smooth over the difficulty we have with Silas suddenly being present in Antioch after leaving for Jerusalem. vi. Since it seems that many days separated the delivery of the Jerusalem council's decision and the events recorded here, Silas could have made his way back to Antioch at some point. vii. Paul, no doubt feeling the tug of the Spirit, desires greatly to check in with all the churches they had set up on their previous missionary journey. viii. We don't know how long it has been, but it is safe to say that it has at least been a couple years. ix. Paul is often known as a great evangelist but he is more than that. Although not an original apostle of the twelve, he certainly is a commissioned one of Christ. He has the zeal of an evangelist, the credentials of an apostle, and the heart of a Pastor. x. He desires to not only preach the gospel to those who have never heard, but to ensure the spiritual growth of those who are believers. b. [Slide 4] 37 - And Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. i. Barnabas seems to be in full agreement with Paul that they should go back to these cities. ii. However, Barnabas desires to take John, called Mark, along with them. iii. We remember that on the first missionary journey, they did take John Mark with them for the first leg of the journey in Cyprus. iv. John Mark is the son of a woman named Mary in Jerusalem whose home was a meeting place for the church. v. In Colossians 4, we see Paul mention that Mark is Barnabas's cousin. vi. This helps us to make sense of why Barnabas might have wanted to take John Mark the first time and to take him again now. vii. Of course, there is a piece of information we have omitted from this discussion of John Mark, isn't there. viii. Yes… and it is the reason that Paul is not keen on the idea to take John Mark. c. [Slide 5] 38 - But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. i. Here we see that Paul did not think Mark was a good choice. ii. The word translated “kept insisting” has the idea of counting something worthy or deserving. iii. In other words, Paul thought that this was not wise to take this man with them. Why? 1. First, because he had already deserted them once. a. If we remember after they left Cyprus, and once they landed in Pamphylia, John Mark went home to Jerusalem. b. Luke so far has not really revealed to us why Mark left. c. Here Paul says that he deserted them, which is the same word used for apostasy. d. Luke's usage of this word to describe Paul's thoughts on the matter reveal that Paul did not think John Mark's reasons for going home were honorable. e. And if he deserted them once, he could do so again. 2. Secondly Paul focuses on the work itself of preaching and teaching the gospel to those who had never heard. a. John Mark did not go with them to do this work. b. He is unfamiliar with the people on the second leg of the missionary journey because he did not feel that they were more important than his reason for leaving and returning home to Jerusalem. c. What other priorities would John Mark place in front of the ministry? iv. But before we assume that Paul's argument is the only valid one, let us look at Barnabas' side. 1. So far, Barnabas has been the poster child for sticking up for people who no one wanted to be around. 2. He did this for the less fortunate when he sold his estate and gave it to the apostles to give to the poor. 3. He did this for Paul himself, when none of the church in Jerusalem wanted anything to do with him - Barnabas took him to the apostles and vouched for him. 4. Although he faltered slightly in declining to eat with the gentile Christians, he quickly rebounded and helped Paul to defend the cause of freedom from the ceremonial law of Moses for the Gentiles. 5. It seems as though Barnabas is doing what he always does. And His track record, thus far, has never faltered. Every person and every cause he has stuck his neck out for, has prospered. 6. Perhaps John Mark has repented of his desertion? Perhaps he is ready now to go on such a journey? v. So, who is right? Should they take Mark? Should they not take Mark? 1. The question is difficult because we don't have all the information, but we have to think that this should not be so great a matter that they cannot solve it. 2. I mean the church just came together in unity regarding the proper place of the ceremonial law as applied to Gentile Christians. 3. If the church can do that… it seems like Barnabas and Paul can figure out whether they should take John Mark or not. Right? 4. Maybe there is a compromise in here where they take Mark and someone else? 5. Maybe Paul can meet with John Mark and explain his hesitations and see if John has changed? 6. Maybe they could cast lots? 7. Maybe Barnabas could spend some time in prayer waiting for unity. 8. Maybe Paul should trust Barnabas who has a knack for supporting those who no one else supports. 9. Maybe Barnabas should trust Paul who has the mission and the gospel burning in his heart. vi. We have the two sides of the argument. vii. Both sides have good reasons and there is no clear indication to us of either being more wrong or right. viii. But before we see if they can work it out, let's draw some teaching and application from this so far. d. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point: Luke continues to deliver the realistic view of the early church in that it was not always peace and harmony. Sometimes there were disagreements. He has already several times when disagreement occurs. But here today, we see another disagreement arise on something as simple as who would be joining Paul and Barnabas on a follow up trip to the churches they had established only a few years prior. Although a simple matter we see both Paul and Barnabas have upright and good arguments for what should be done. So, what must happen next? The same thing that happened at the Jerusalem council. They must pursue unity in truth and love. They must selflessly seek the Lord and the love of one another to do this. We have already observed several things that they could have done toward that end. But of course, many times, it is easier for us to find solutions to problems that are not ours. May we be quick to find solutions to our own disagreements with others who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Transition: [Slide 7 (blank)] So what happens? How do Paul and Barnabas resolve their dispute? Unfortunately… it is not well. II.) God, in His providence, uses even the sin of men to further the gospel of Christ, Even so we must pursue unity in truth and love. (39-41) a. [Slide 8] 39 - And there was such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. i. If you had never read this passage before, and if we did not read it this morning to introduce the text of the sermon… I don't think you'd ever see verse 39 coming. ii. After reading all that Paul and Barnabas had been through. After Barnabas vouched for Paul, after Barnabas went to Tarsus to hunt Paul down and bring him to Antioch so they could minister there for a year, after they toiled in Cyprus and Southern Galatia facing grave persecution and even beatings and a stoning. After this Jerusalem council where they stood shoulder to shoulder representing the gospel of grace and freedom in Christ. iii. If this was my first time reading this – I think I would be completely stunned. iv. And to be honest, even though it isn't my first time reading this… I am still deeply saddened. v. Although some scholars attempt to paper over this and make it seem like an insignificant spat… vi. I believe Barnabas and Paul were sinfully prideful here. vii. They have fallen into Satan's snare. If the forces of darkness cannot get you to divide over faith and practice, they will get you to divide over a trivial matter which is relatively amoral by tempting you to fight for your opinion in an ungodly way. viii. Paul and Barnabas had elevated each of their positions to a matter of principle. They have entrenched themselves and argued themselves into corners to where they could no longer back down nor could they compromise. ix. We look at this situation and ask… x. Neither of them would budge? Really? xi. Neither of them could find a way to get around this issue? xii. Is this a gospel issue? Is this a matter of Essentials here? xiii. I do not believe Luke records this merely as a segue to get to the next missionary journey. xiv. Instead, I believe Luke records this as realistic look at the church. That despite the unity around truth and love that was achieved at the Jerusalem council… even great missionaries like Barnabas and Paul are still sinners wrestling with their own arrogance and selfishness. xv. Only a short time ago they told a crowd of worshippers that they were mere men like them possessing the same nature that they had. xvi. Here they prove that statement to be true. xvii. My friends this is a tragedy. This is heartbreaking. xviii. As UP as we were for the great compromise earlier in this chapter… this is a dark DOWN for the church. xix. But… God still uses it. xx. God in His providence uses the sin of these men to divide one missionary endeavor into two. xxi. That doesn't remove the responsibility of these men who were unable to set aside their pride and come to an agreement. xxii. But it does give us comfort that our God can make magnificence from our mess. xxiii. Luke records for us that Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. xxiv. This is the last time that Luke mentions Barnabas in the book of Acts. b. [Slide 9] 40 - But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. i. Here we see Silas is back in Antioch. ii. In comparing the two statements about Barnabas and Paul's departure, we notice some interesting details. 1. We do know that Cyprus is how Barnabas and Paul began their first missionary journey. So, it appears that Barnabas is retracing their steps chronologically. 2. We know that Barnabas and probably John Mark are originally from Cyprus. So, they are going home in a way. 3. In comparison to what we read in verse 40, Barnabas is not said to have gone with a commissioning of the brothers or with the grace of the Lord. 4. Luke leaves Barnabas for good and focuses on Paul and his missionary journeys for the rest of the book of Acts. iii. With all these details we may be tempted to conclude that Luke is siding with Paul and sees Barnabas in error on this issue. iv. However, I have some counter points to that thought. 1. This is a book inspired by the Holy Spirit. And since the greater context of the New Testament indicates to us that Barnabas was actually right… Mark becomes a very spiritual and useful figure in the church – aiding Peter and Paul and writing one of the four synoptic gospels, perhaps even the first one, we can conclude that Luke who writes several years later, is probably not showing Barnabas to be wrong. 2. Just because Barnabas is not said to have gone with the commissioning of the brothers or the Lord's grace does not mean he has neither of those. 3. The comment about the commissioning of the brethren applied toward Paul could just as easily indicate that Luke thought Paul was wrong and had to assure Theophilus that despite his stubbornness, the church still commissioned him to his mission. But I don't think Luke is supporting either of these missionaries… in reality. 4. Luke is merely transitioning from Paul's time with Barnabas to his time with other companions. One of which will be Luke himself. c. [Slide 10] 41 - And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. i. Here we notice that Paul went the opposite direction as Barnabas. ii. He did not revisit Cyprus at all and chose to go the back way through the gates of Cilicia to get to Southern Galatia to Derbe and Lystra. iii. Paul also went home first, visiting Cilicia whose primary city would have been Tarsus, his home. iv. It is interesting that both missionaries after having a selfish dispute which led to division, went home first. v. In the process of this, he and Silas strengthened the churches that he had helped in these places. d. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: In Luke's effort not to guild the lily, we arrive at an uncomfortable and unfortunate point that is not without its silver lining. The dark cloud of the matter is that even the godliest, most Christlike, most graced and used believers, are still merely human and thus are sinners. Here we see both Paul and Barnabas insisting on their own way rather than seeking unity and peace in truth and love. But the silver lining in all this, is that God's sovereign providence has used even their pride for His glory and the furtherance of the gospel ministry. Now two missions go out instead of one. More people are being trained up for the work of the ministry. But even though God does work things out for our good and His glory… that should not soften the imperative for us to pursue unity and peace with one another through truth and love. God working things out is not the liberty we need to run roughshod over each other and insist on our own way. We are all responsible for our actions even when God uses them to accomplish His greater purposes. So, we must pursue unity and peace through truth and love. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today, CBC, and how should it change how we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 12] Luke shows us a realistic picture of the early church. He does not hide the sometimes-ugly details. He didn't hide Annanias and Sapphira. He didn't hide the widows being neglected. He didn't hide the Jerusalem council. And he didn't hide Paul and Barnabas' disagreement. In his realistic view, he shows that godly people can arrive at two upright conclusions that are seemingly incompatible. This is possible. Barnabas and Paul both had great and upright reasons for taking or not taking John Mark. Unfortunately, this situation also shows us that even godly people reaching godly conclusions can defend those conclusions in ungodly ways. We are shocked to see both Paul and Barnabas caught up in such a small matter. And yet… here we are. And even though the Lord in His providence used this for His glory, it remains a cautionary tale for us. One that requires that we intentionally and purposefully pursue unity with one another. That we be makers of peace. That in truth and in love, we strive to be of one heart and mind and not separate over things that do not matter. But let me enter into a more practical discussion especially as it relates to the Lord's Supper today and our impending fellowship together around the Lord's Table. 1.) [Slide 13] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God uses even our failures to further His Kingdom. a. Let me do a little logic with you to prove this point. i. Do we believe that God is all powerful, omnipotent? Yes. Why? Genesis 18:14 asks is anything too hard for God of which the response is the implied… NO! This and literally hundreds of other verses attest to His omnipotence. ii. Do we believe that God is all knowing, omniscient? Yes. Why? Peter in his answer to Jesus if he loved Him answered that Jesus knows everything so he knows that Peter loves him. This and many other verses reveal overtly and logically that God knows everything. iii. Do we believe that God is everywhere, omnipresent? Yes. Why? David claims in Psalm 139, that even if he made his bed in the realm of the dead, the Lord is there. For He is everywhere. This and many other verses prove that God is not bound by space… or even by time. iv. Do we believe that God is good? Yes. Why? In answer to the rich young ruler Jesus Himself reveals that none are good except God. That and hundreds of other verses prove God is good. v. Now. If God knows everything, is everywhere and every when, is all powerful and good… vi. It makes absolutely no sense that God would allow His people to EVER fall into sin… unless He had a purpose in it that was for our good and for His glory. b. Listen to the text of the 1689 London Baptist Confession regarding God's Providence. i. The perfectly wise, righteous, and gracious God often allows His own children for a time to experience a variety of temptations and the sinfulness of their own hearts. He does this to chastise them for their former sins or to make them aware of the hidden strength of the corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts so that they may be humbled. He also does this to lead them to a closer and more constant dependence on Him to sustain them, to make them more cautious about all future circumstances that may lead to sin, and for other just and holy purposes! So whatever happens to any of His elect happens by His appointment, for His glory and for their good. ii. Let me just say… They nailed it. They nailed it. c. God could have stopped Paul and Barnabas from sinfully fighting over this issue. But He did not. So that 2 missions could go forward instead of one. d. Now, does that mean that Paul and Barnabas get a pass here? e. Absolutely not! f. In a rare instance, we can say, DO NOT BE LIKE PAUL. DO NOT BE LIKE BARNABAS. g. Instead, we must pursue unity and peace around truth and love and not allow petty squabbles like this to divide us. h. And how do we do that? i. Well, a good start for us is to admit a lie that we often believe. 2.) [Slide 14] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that if our opinion is biblically solid, we are free to defend it however we wish. a. My friends, many a man and woman have fallen prey to this lie. b. In the name of conviction, in the name of righteousness, in the name of holiness, in the name of wisdom they have chewed up and spit out their fellow member of the body of Christ. c. Essential matters of faith and practice must be discussed, defended, and if necessary, divided over. d. But so many of our disagreements do not fall into this category. e. So many of our principled stands and worthy causes are insignificant next to the clear teaching of the Word of God. f. Paul and Barnabas each had great reasons… biblical reasons… for their position. Barnabas' heart was to restore the man. Paul's heart was to safeguard the mission. g. But my friends these positions are only incompatible because they allowed them to be. h. They are only incompatible because both men were equally inflexible. i. We must recognize that it is possible for two godly people to come to two godly conclusions about a matter that seem to be incompatible. But what they do from that point comes down to whether or not they are intentionally pursuing unity through truth and love. j. We all can have our own opinions on a great deal of things. From parenting style all the way to music preference, from educational philosophy to our stance on consuming alcohol - we all can arrive in different places. k. In fact, we can all have well-reasoned and incredibly biblical and logical arguments for our particular opinion. l. But what we cannot do… what we must not do… 3.) [Slide 15] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop looking for ways to win and start looking for ways to be united. a. We must not take the nuclear option. We must not destroy unity and peace for the sake of being right or for the sake of winning the argument. b. Instead of unity Barnabas and Paul pursued victory. c. My friends we must learn from the mistakes of men who are spiritual giants to us. d. We must learn that we are all sinners and capable of being pridefully petty. e. And we must learn that some things matter more than winning. f. Like being united around truth and love. g. Paul insisted John Mark not come with them. And although I'm sure his arguments were good, they lacked love for God and for Barnabas and for Mark. h. Barnabas insisted that John Mark come with them. And although I'm sure his arguments were good, they lacked love for God, for Paul, and for the people who might be harmed if John Mark abandons them again. i. If they had fought for unity instead of victory… this may have ended very differently. j. So we must stop fighting to win. Instead… 4.) [Slide 16] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must pursue unity and peace with one another in truth and love. a. This is not our default setting. b. This does not just happen. c. There are certain people it is easier to be united with than others… but even those with whom we have a natural bond, there will come times when unity will need to be fought for. d. Even in a little rural church like this – the temptation to divide over things that don't matter is alive and well. e. We must all do our part to pursue unity through truth and love. f. Truth in the sense that we all affirm and accept the Scriptures as the final authority for our faith and practice. g. Love in the sense that as much as it depends on us, we will be at peace with all people especially with those of the household of faith. h. We must care about people more than our opinions and unity more than victory. i. This must be true of us or it will be the end of us. j. Let us set aside anything we may have against each other and any disagreement we may have and seek to love one another as Christ has loved us. k. And as we turn our attention now toward the Lord's table, let us take some comfort for our souls in this thought… 5.) [Slide 17] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The meal we are about to share not only partners us with Christ but also with one another. a. I Corinthians 10 instructs us that not only are we partnering with the thing sacrificed, meaning we partner, fellowship with, or are united to Christ in the Lord's Supper… b. But also let us see that we are also partnered with one another since we are one body in Christ. c. Although this meal has personal significance in that God uses it for those who approach by faith to grow them and press them and lavish His grace on them… d. We cannot deny that since its beginning the Lord's Supper has always been a meal shared between a family. e. Jesus called His disciples brothers and friends. He ate this meal with them and told them that He would not eat it again until He ate it with them in the New Kingdom. f. My friends, the meal we will partake in soon is a meal of unity in Christ. g. So let us cast aside any non-essential that divides us and pursue unity in truth and love and do so before partaking of the atonement of Christ together. Let our souls feast on His person and work and bind us more fully together. [Slide 18 (end)] Let me close in a prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker How good it is, Lord, to receive a broken Christ into a broken heart. We feed on your body broken, and your blood shed, as the sole, the only, the all-sufficient means of salvation by faith! Lamb of God! Keep your table sacred from all leaven, both in the persons approaching it, and the offerings made upon it. Do not allow the leaven of hypocrisy and wickedness here, but let all who meet around your table be of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. And Lord, please come into your house, to your table, to your people. Let each person hear and joyfully accept the invitation of the kind Master: Eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved! Then Lord, make us yours, altogether yours! Let our whole body, soul, and spirit be all yours, both by the conquests of your grace, as they are justly yours, and by the purchase of your blood. Never, never more may we depart from you, but as did the church of old, may we exult in this blessed assurance, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." For it is for His sake we ask this… Amen. Benediction: For those who are believers, who are not clinging to some sin refusing to repent of it, who desire to have their souls sustained by the atonement of Christ in His body and blood, please follow us up to the upper room for the Lord's Supper. If you are not a believer, or are not joining us for any reason, I'd ask that you go in peace and not distract those who go to the communion feast together.

Reflections on Leadership Lessons

The Right Intention

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 48:16

Life is full of challenges, but intentional navigation can bring clarity. In this episode of "The Right Intention," I, Todd Tononi, reflect on leadership lessons from my experiences and guest insights. We explore leadership styles, personal growth, communication, and ethics, offering valuable takeaways to help you lead with purpose.Key Topics:1 - Leadership Styles:Military Leadership: Lessons from LTC Jason Cortaway on discipline and decisiveness in business.Entrepreneurial Leadership: Antonio Gonzales on innovation and adaptability.Hybrid Leadership: Combining military discipline with entrepreneurial creativity.2 - Personal Growth:Self-Leadership: Importance of a growth mindset and continuous learning.3 - Communication and Ethics:Effective Communication: The role of clear, authentic communication in leadership.Ethical Leadership: Integrity and consistency in building trust.4 - Conclusion:So many nuggets from this episode, make sure you're taking notes and if you didn't make sure you do when you listen to it again. We are so gratitude for your support.Remember the following: Share, rate, review, and connect on social media using #therightintention.Sponsor Message:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. For affordable counseling, visit betterhelp.com/rightintention for 10% off your first month. Never skip therapy day, with BetterHelp!Final Notes:Thank you for supporting "The Right Intention." With over 300,000 downloads, we're excited to continue this journey with you. Please share, rate, and review the podcast, and let us know how these leadership lessons impact your life.Let's connect!BookLinkedInWebsiteInstagramFacebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

51 Acts 15:7-21 In Essentials: Unity, In Non-Essentials: Liberty Part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2024 57:38

Title: In Essentials: Unity; In Non-Essentials: Liberty Part 2 Text: Acts 15:7-21 FCF: We often struggle being unified under truth in the bonds of love and peace. Prop: Because God has purified a people from many nations by faith, we must pursue unity, liberty, and peace. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 15. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 1 and going through verse 21. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. The tag line of this preaching series reveals the entire message of Acts. It is all about the church, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit to be united and triumphant. Well here in Acts 15, that unity and triumph faces its greatest test yet. Last week was part 1 of this pivotal moment in church history. Around 15 years after the ascension of Christ the church finds itself debating two deceptively complex and challenging questions regarding the nature of the ceremonial law and its bearing on the church. We have only just set the stage for the council discussion to unfold. Today, we will see how the debate goes and by extension, what the future of the church will look like. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Our Father in heaven, what kind of love you have given to us, that we should be called children of God! And by this we know that you abide in us, by the Spirit whom you have given us. Father, we beg you, send your Holy Spirit to us; surround us with His presence as we worship. Unify us in Him. We ask this for Jesus' sake…Amen. Transition: Although this is a two part sermon, this part is easily the longer of the two. So let us get right into the debate today and see what God has for us. I.) God cleanses all His children by grace, through faith, in Christ, so we must pursue unity, liberty, and peace. (7-12) a. [Slide 2] 7 - And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. i. We commented last week how there were really two issues facing the church. ii. Both of them concern the nature of the ceremonial law of Moses as applied to the church for Jews and Gentiles. 1. The first reaction or expression of this conundrum comes from the Judaizers. a. They make the chronological assessment that since all the Jews had to be Jews before they came to Christ, so also the Gentiles must be Jews first and then they can come to Christ. b. We pointed out last week that their error is primarily anthropological or concerning man. c. They assumed that the Jews who came to Christ were keeping the law well and needed Christ to complete their Judaism. d. Therefore, their assessment of the nature of man is flawed, in that they thought man was essentially able to please God and just need a little bit of Christ's help to do the rest. e. This is a distortion of the gospel and a variation of several heresies down through the ages and some still exist today. f. This distortion disagrees with the Word of God and paints man's condition as good or barely sick and needing only a little bit of help from God to undo it. g. But the gospel tells us that salvation is 100% a gift of God that He gives to His people by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. h. Mankind is not good, they are wicked. Mankind is not barely sick, they are incurably sick. Their status before God is condemned and children of wrath and they can do nothing to change it… yes… even keeping the law cannot help them get closer to God. i. In fact, as Jesus' presented in His ministry, it is the sinners, those who know they are helpless, who are closest to forgiveness. Those who think they can see and are little sinners are actually farther away from salvation. 2. But the second reaction or expression of this issue comes from the Pharisee Party. a. Theirs was not a soteriological issue but was purely ecclesiological. b. They did not question whether or not the Gentiles were truly believers even though they had not been circumcised nor were they keeping the ceremonial laws. c. They simply believed, that after a gentile came to Christ, they must become like the Jews and submit to the law of Moses. Conversion to Christ meant conversion into Judaism. Or at least a Messianic Judaism. iii. Given the nature of these two issues it makes sense that there was a good deal of discussion and debate surrounding them. Luke does not tell us the specifics about what was discussed between the apostles and Elders but he does record three separate testimonies at the very end of the council. iv. Peter is the first of these. He stands to speak gaining the attention of everyone there. v. He addresses the gathering as brothers, knowing that they all confess the truth of the gospel. The Judaizers apparently being absent from these proceedings. vi. The first point Peter makes concerns the providential plan of God to have him bring the gospel to the Gentiles very early in the history of the church. vii. Although it is difficult to know for sure, Cornelius coming to Christ may have been as early as the late AD 30s. Meaning that only a few years after Pentecost the Gentile mission had begun. viii. Peter also relays how it happened. Cornelius heard the word of the gospel and believed. ix. Now Cornelius was a God-Fearer. Meaning He was morally upright and believed that there was 1 God and that God was Yahweh the God of Israel. x. But he was not circumcised nor did he follow the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic law. Yet he still heard the gospel and believed. xi. But was that enough? b. [Slide 3] 8 - “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; i. God took the belief of this man and his household and counted it to them as righteousness. ii. He gave the Holy Spirit to them based on their faith and on nothing else. iii. And this, as Peter recounted in Acts 11, was the exact same experience the Jews had. iv. They saw the Holy Spirit indwell them too after repentance and faith. v. They saw the Holy Spirit fill them to produce signs and wonders to authenticate His work. vi. All this was the same with Cornelius. vii. In fact… c. [Slide 4] 9 - and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. i. God treated Cornelius in the exact same way He did the Jews. ii. He looked only at whether or not they received by true faith the person and work of Jesus as the Messiah of God who died for their sin and arose according to the scriptures. iii. God did not consider or inspect their bodies for a sign of a covenant, nor did God inspect their ceremonial upkeep for signs of ritual purity. iv. Instead, He inspected their heart and gave the Holy Spirit based on faith alone. v. And notice that the cleansing came by faith not before it. Faith was the instrument God used to cleanse them. To purify them. vi. Peter is making a case both for the ceremonial laws not being required before conversion and after conversion. Purity laws are unnecessary because God has purified us all by faith in Christ. vii. Because this is true, Peter concludes … d. [Slide 5] 10 - “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? i. Peter's charge is heavy. Testing God is a rather aggressive charge to lay at the feet of the Pharisee Party. ii. Since God cleansed both Jews and Gentiles through the commonly held instrument of faith and did not regard who we were before it as something worthy of distinction or consideration… iii. The conclusion is, that after we are saved, after we are converted, after we are cleansed, there should not be another weight of purification or ceremony placed on anyone. iv. Peter does not say Gentiles here. He says disciples. v. Peter is not just advocating for Gentiles to not have to keep the ceremonial law of Moses, he is also advocating for Jews too to not have to keep the ceremonial laws of Moses. vi. Why? vii. God has purified us by faith in Christ. viii. Is it a sin to continue to keep the law of Moses? Peter does not make that case. ix. But he does add that even the Jews, even the pious Jews, have not been able to keep the ceremonial laws of Moses. x. Some of the Jerusalem dwelling Pharisees may have been scrupulous enough to keep most of the laws, perhaps not considering them to be too weighty, but Jews from anywhere else would have had a whale of a time doing the same. Peter being from Galilee would know a little about that. xi. Peter's point is that if they cannot keep themselves ceremonially clean yet God cleansed them by the instrument of faith in Christ… xii. Then they should not treat these laws as a command of God for the church to keep after faith in Christ. For faith in Christ has accomplished this for them… forever. e. [Slide 6] 11 - “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” i. Peter puts a contrasting word at the beginning of this. In contrast to the idea that we should put this weight upon the necks of Christ's disciples. Instead of that… ii. We believe that our salvation is the affect of the Lord's Jesus' grace. iii. We began in this faith by recognizing that we cannot do as God has asked of us and we needed a Savior. We began by confessing that Christ is that Savior. iv. Shall we continue in human effort to keep His law? Or shall we continue the same way we began? In grace, depending on Christ's favor to change our hearts to not only be able to serve Him but to desire to do so also. v. And so, Peter makes the connection between the two issues. vi. He addresses both the Judaizers and the Pharisee party. Refuting both. vii. We began by grace through faith in Christ… therefore we must continue by grace through faith in Christ. f. [Slide 7] 12 - And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. i. The response to Peter is silence. ii. The Pharisee party and those that tended to agree with them could not refute Peter's words. iii. And so, they listen now to Barnabas and Paul as they convey the same kind of idea that Peter did. iv. Proving that Peter's experience with the Gentiles was not a one off. Instead, this was the predictable and even repeated experience throughout Cyprus and Southern Galatia. v. Gentiles were turning to God through faith in Christ without first becoming Jews. And God was verifying this was happening by signs and wonders produced in them by the power of the Holy Spirit. g. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Peter, Paul, and Barnabas' argument is that God did not do anything different to save the Gentiles than He did to save the Jews. Even though the Gentiles were not circumcised and were not following the ceremonial law of Moses, God still, by grace, through faith, in Christ, cleansed their hearts. And if the hearts of believers are truly cleansed, it means that we no longer must keep the ceremonial laws as a binding command. Because of this, we must pursue unity in the essentials of the gospel being by grace, through faith in Christ… but also liberty to keep or not keep the ceremonial law according to personal conviction and pursue peace and love with one another. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] Experience and logic are used as the basis for Peter, Barnabas, and Paul's conclusions concerning the matter. But that would probably not be enough to convince everyone. And certainly, that should not be enough to convince us either. James, the half brother of Jesus the Messiah, and the Elder of the church of Jerusalem will stand next. And he will present a biblical argument for all that has been said. II.) God is creating a new people for himself out of many nations, so we must pursue unity, liberty, and peace. (13-21) a. [Slide 10] 13 - Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brothers, listen to me. i. So right on the heels of Barnabas and Paul giving testimony to their experience in Southern Galatia, James stands to speak. ii. James' position as an Elder in Jerusalem is somewhat uncertain. iii. Scholars think he probably took over the leadership of the church in Jerusalem sometime after Peter defended his actions about preaching to Cornelius. iv. Scholars assume that James was a friendly ear to conservative Jewish Christians, perhaps even suggesting that he was a member of or the leader of the Pharisee party. v. Paul records in Galatians that the Judaizers were from James, and we see that if the Judaizers were a heretical offshoot of the Pharisee Party and James was a primary leader within the Pharisee Party how both those could be true without laying blame on James. vi. Scholars even suggest that one of the reasons that James became the leading elder in Jerusalem was because of his faithfulness to being a good Jew keeping the laws of Moses. vii. If all this is true, then James' words at this council would bear significant weight. viii. If he sees things differently than Peter, Barnabas and Paul, then this thing could get ugly really quickly. b. [Slide 11] 14 - “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. i. James goes out of his way to address Peter with his Hebrew name. Rather than Cephas, Peter, or Simon, he calls him Simeon. No doubt as a way of cementing the idea that everyone who have spoken thus far have been Jews. ii. James leaves no uncertainty as to where he is going to land on this matter. iii. He summarizes what Peter has said by making a completely new point altogether. iv. James points out that God intended to form a people for his name from among the Gentiles. v. This not so subtly tells us how James saw this. vi. God was not bringing people out from the Gentiles to be Jews. Instead, he is bringing people out from among the Gentiles to be His people. vii. A people for His name. viii. James is indicating that God's people, called by His name, will be comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. And their identity as Jew or Gentile will be secondary to this new identity God is giving them. ix. Then James sets out to prove this by the scriptures. c. [Slide 12] 15 - “And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 - ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE FALLEN BOOTH OF DAVID, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, 17 - SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' 18 - SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. i. James quotes from Amos 9:11-12. He certainly quotes the Septuagint but with some variation. ii. James points out how God will rebuild the Jews primarily to draw the rest of mankind to seek the Lord and save all the Gentiles who are called by His name. iii. God is not raising Israel so that the Gentiles can join it. He is raising Israel so He can make a new people from both Jews and Gentiles. iv. Now James makes a conclusion based on this text. d. [Slide 13] 19 - “Therefore I judge that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, i. James' words are primarily concerned with the second matter presented by the Pharisee Party. ii. Perhaps the fact of the gospel being by grace, through faith in Christ had been established enough for James to continue down the conclusion that Peter had begun. iii. In any case, his conclusion is the same as Peter's iv. The gentiles should not be troubled or burdened by the ceremonial law and becoming Jews. v. If they are turning to God by grace, through faith, in Christ – then they do not need the rest of the ceremonial practices of the Jews. vi. But then James suggests a compromise. vii. You see, if this thing is going to work, if the Jews and Gentiles are going to come together in one entity called the church, yes the Gentiles should not be forced to live like Jews, but that doesn't mean that the Gentiles can keep living like they always have either. viii. We remember how difficult it was for Peter to consider eating unclean meat or going to an uncircumcised man's house to share a meal, even though it was God Himself who told him to do so. ix. So also, it would be very difficult for Jewish Christians to square with some Gentile practices within the church. x. And even for Jews not yet converted to Christ, it would make evangelism all the more difficult with some Gentile practices. xi. So, James suggests some concessions by the Gentiles, to accommodate their Jewish brothers. e. [Slide 14] 20 - but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from sexual immorality and from what is strangled and from blood. i. Scholars present to us no fewer than 6 different sources for this list of concessions. ii. The one thing that all 6 have in common is that none of them adequately explain these 4 concessions. iii. Some sources include all 4, but also many more. Leaving us to wonder why only these 4 are mentioned. iv. Some sources omit one or two of these. v. Some scholars suggest, and I tend to agree, that rather than looking for a single source for all of these concessions, it would be better for us to assume that these are pulled from the law of Moses, current cultural practices of the Gentiles, and that they all have something to do with a Jew being rendered ritually unclean by associating with Gentiles who practice such things. vi. So, what are these concessions James proposes? vii. The first is that they abstain from things contaminated by idols. 1. As monotheists in a world surrounded by pagans, one of the core scruples a Jew would hold would be against even the pollution of idolatry. 2. Several times in the writings of the New Testament we find this issue arise about meat offered to idols and meat contaminated by idols. 3. Although it does seem like this prohibition lessens over time, even leading some to say that the church flip flopped on this issue, there is a good explanation for why the church might apply this rule in various degrees and it is right here in Acts 15:21, so we'll get to that in a moment. 4. The heart of this concession aims at the complete separation of the Gentile from his former pagan deities. 5. A Gentile disciple would certainly not continue to worship idols, but he may participate in festivals and feasts which also honor and worship a false god. In so doing, he would pollute himself and would then break fellowship with those Jews who are continuing to keep the ceremonial laws. 6. In light of this, Gentile believers should abstain, even from things associated with these idols. viii. Second is sexual immorality. 1. This concession is always the one that throws people for a loop. Why? 2. Because we know that sexual immorality is a law taken primarily from the moral law of God and not primarily from the ceremonial law. 3. Because of this, there have been several attempts to explain what Luke means by this term. a. Some suggest he means ritual pagan sexual practices. But this actually doesn't fix the problem. For why would Gentile Christians engage in these? And how is it merely a concession for them to stop? Should they not be commanded to stop? b. Some suggest that this refers to marital situations that would not have been wrong for the Gentiles but would have been wrong for the Jews… like marrying your sister. However, generally speaking in Roman society, it was still taboo to marry a close blood relative. So why make a concession that no one is really doing anyway? 4. My explanation is that the Jews saw sexual practice not only as a moral issue but also as a purity issue. There were certain ceremonial aspects of sexuality that would have bearing on whether or not Jews could fellowship with Gentile Christians and remain ritually clean. 5. That being said, I think, meaning I am about 60% sure, that James is referring to the entire sexual ethic of the Jews. 6. If the Gentile Christians want to make sure that they don't unintentionally render Jews or Jewish Christians ceremonially unclean, they must not deviate from the Jewish sexual ethic outlined in the Torah. 7. Of course, this would rule out the moral aspects of sexual relationships including adultery, homosexuality, incest, bestiality and others – but may also include when a Gentile Christian would choose to be intimate with their spouse. 8. For instance, under the ceremonial law, a husband and wife would be ritually unclean after being intimate until evening. Also, being intimate while the wife is unclean from menstruation, intentional or unintentional, would have ceremonial consequences. 9. Gentiles should take this ethic into account when planning to fellowship with Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. ix. The third concession is to abstain from things strangled. 1. Most likely this is referring to the method of food preparation where an animal is strangled to death and then consumed. 2. This is probably not referring to a worship practice so much as a way of preparing food that goes counter to Jewish sensibilities. 3. The Jews, and the sojourners who dwelled among them, were instructed to drain the blood from an animal before cooking and consuming it. The reasoning was that the life was in the blood. 4. This points us back to a cultural law at that time that forbid Jews from eating at Gentiles' homes. This wasn't part of the Mosaic law, but it was in place because it was assumed that Gentiles would prepare their food in ways that would be unclean for Jews to eat. And therefore, would make them ritually unclean. 5. This concession is aimed at Gentiles forgoing that dietary privilege when entertaining Jews or Jewish Christians in their homes. x. The fourth concession is to abstain from blood. 1. Now in one way this might be a redundant accommodation because eating strangled meat would include eating meat with the blood cooked in it. 2. However, this could be a separate prohibition because of the tendency for Gentiles to cook with blood or make dishes with the blood of animals. 3. We have the same kind of concession here on the sensibilities of food preparation and how that would relate to eating with Jewish brothers and sisters as a Gentile. xi. But why are all these concessions made? And for how long? f. [Slide 15] 21 - “For from ancient generations, Moses has those who preach him in every city, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” i. These concessions directly relate to Gentiles and Jews being unified together in one church. ii. In order for this to work the Gentiles need to be sensitive of the ritual purity laws of their Jewish brothers and sisters, and do what they can to not lead them into ritual impurity. iii. And here in verse 21 we have James' reasoning for making these concessions. iv. The Jewish people have been scattered into many cities across the Roman empire. And the law of Moses has been taught for thousands of years in these places. v. In order to dwell peaceably with Jewish Christians and to not be a hindrance to more coming to Christ, the Gentiles must keep themselves from being unnecessarily offensive to them. vi. But as the church expands and becomes more and more Gentile and less and less Jewish, we see the need for these concessions disappear. g. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: James' primary point is taken from the prophets. That God's plan has always been to make a new people for Himself from many nations. His plan was not to join the nations to the Jews but that the whole world would be His. In this James points out that 1 cultural or ethical background will not permeate the Kingdom of God. Indeed, many cultures and ethical backgrounds will comprise the church. He concludes that liberty should characterize the church on this issue. First, that the Gentiles ought not to have the trouble of the ceremonial law placed upon them. No, Gentiles should not look like Jews. But also, that Gentiles should not look like Gentiles anymore either. Instead, for the sake of harmony and unity, liberty is compromise between both. The gentiles will not be forced to keep the ceremonial law, but the Gentiles will also, for the love of their Jewish brothers, not trouble THEM by engaging in practices that render them unclean. Conclusion: So what should we learn from this passage today my friends? How then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 17] Peter, Paul, Barnabas and James combine together to show to the council assembled in Jerusalem and through Luke to us as well, that God performs the same work of salvation to every man. No man comes better prepared than another. God saves by grace, through faith in Christ. And in that salvation, He purifies us by the instrument of faith. We are washed clean by the blood of the covenant. And what God has cleansed cannot be polluted. God has done this to make a people for Himself from every nation that the church may be made up of the whole world and not one cultural background. The application from all this is that the church must pursue uniformity in the gospel essentials but also liberty for the sake of gospel fellowship. Peter emphasized how the gospel must be uniformly received as a gift of God which He bestows on His people through grace by faith in Christ. And Peter and James emphasize that they should neither trouble the Gentiles with the ceremonial laws of Moses, nor should they trouble the Jews with carefree disregard for their desire for ritual purity. Each people group must not force the other to be like they are, but must instead be united together in the church and maintaining fellowship with one another in peace and love. But what does this mean for us? We are all Gentiles here. We have no Jews in our midst trying to keep the ceremonial law? Well, let me try to bring this to our everyday. 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God saves every single person the same way – by grace through faith in Christ. a. On the surface this seems like a fairly benign doctrine. b. Not too many people would say that God saves people differently based on who they are. c. But where this breaks down is in the specifics of doctrine. d. When we start to define grace, faith and how God uses these as instruments to bring His people to Christ. e. When we start to talk about the true nature of man and their absolute helplessness in approaching or seeking God. f. Some people believe that you must clean up your life and live righteously before you can be saved. g. Some Christians believe that God chooses to save people based on their own willingness to believe on Him. h. But the scriptures show us that no matter how close or far away, no matter how righteous, and no matter how fast you believe – God is the only actor in our salvation. i. He is the giver of grace, faith, and of His Messiah. j. Salvation from top to bottom is a pure and free gift that God freely gives. k. He does not show distinction based on who you were before. He still must give grace and faith to save you. l. And it is through grace and by faith that He cleanses the heart of man. These are instruments of His work in us. m. Certainly, our willingness to believe and our righteous living has a place in all that… but the place comes after He gives grace and faith in Christ to us. n. Every single person who is saved is saved in exactly the same way… and the only way that is true is if salvation is all of Him and none of us. And when it is all of Him and none of us – who then can boast? 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God has a special nation or culture we all must join. a. If any nation or culture on earth had the right to think that the church should be like them, it was the Jews. b. Yet here we find definitive prove from the scriptures that God's desire was not to form a New Covenant where everyone became Jews. c. Instead, He formed a New Covenant where a new people is being gathered who are called by His name from every nation on earth. d. This New Nation is uniform and united in the majority of their beliefs and practices. e. But this does not mean that God has gathered His people to be identical. He has not made the church to be Jewish, or European, or Western, or middle eastern, or eastern, or American. The church is global. It is a nation without borders. f. We aren't going to all look alike. And that is ok. g. Those of you who have gone on missions trips where you have observed the church in a culture that is distinct from you own will know that the church functions very differently in various parts of the world. But the same core truths and the law of Christ is written on every heart of those who truly believe. h. So we must be careful we do not make the same mistake as the Pharisee Party insisting that every church and every believer be uniform in everything. i. There was an old believer visiting the United States from Japan. He had long served as a national pastor in his home land and wanted to come to America to give report with the missionary who had been supporting his work there. ii. In his best English he gave testimony to God's grace and work at a church in Alabama. Afterward the pastor of this church asked the man and the missionary to go out to eat. The meal went along splendidly, but when the bill came the Japanese man did not even try to give a tip to the waitress. So the pastor suggested that he cover the tip. With a kind smile the Japanese pastor gave a firm, no. iii. The Southern Pastor' hospitality was hurt over this. How could this sweet old Japanese man be so ungrateful and rude to the waitress that served him? He felt obligated to show his brother his sin. Before doing so his wife advised that he talk to the missionary first before going to the old Japanese pastor. iv. In doing so the missionary told him that in Japan it is a great insult to tip a waiter or waitress. It is a sign of pity and shame. To tip would be a very rude and unkind gesture. v. The pastor suddenly understood this teaching. Just because we may perceive something as rude or unkind or as good and profitable does not mean that all the church everywhere must see the same. i. Let us be uniform in the essentials and at peace in the rest. 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must sacrifice liberties for the sake of our brothers and sisters. a. One of the earliest changes we made to our constitution after I became the pastor here was to lay some language in the membership covenant regarding living in peace and in liberty with one another. b. In one of those statements, we challenge ourselves to consider others more highly “than ourselves by forgoing liberties when others will follow our example and sin against their own conscience.” c. Among other passages, Acts 15 is at the core of this statement in our membership covenant. d. James' concessions for the Gentiles are an expression of this very teaching. e. James does not want the liberties of the Gentiles, which he agrees they should have, to disrupt or even break the fellowship the church is sharing between Jewish and Gentile believers. f. One way that fellowship would be broken is if the Jews would violate their own consciences and also partake in these liberties. g. For a Jew who had determined to follow the purity laws to forgo them because his Gentile brothers were doing so – he would sin against his conscience. For he thought something was wrong and did it anyway. h. As a safeguard for this – we should be ready, willing, and quick to lay aside our liberties for the sake of our brothers and sisters. i. From consumption of alcohol to dress, to music preferences, to hairstyles, we must be ready to discard our liberties if it will lead others to sin. j. And even if they are not led to sin, it is a very unkind thing to flaunt our liberties before people who we know consider such a thing, sin for them. Such an attitude is at best thoughtless and at worst arrogant and uncaring. k. Instead, we must pursue peace with our brothers and sisters – in love and liberty. Being willing to cast it all aside so that they may live abundantly for the Lord. l. But… on the flip side… 4.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not impose our personal convictions on others. a. Our constitution also says, that we must consider others better “than ourselves by loving and fellowshipping with those that do not share our personal convictions.” b. Though those with liberties should be willing to forgo those liberties for the sake of others… those with personal convictions, with particular standards on alcohol use, dress, music preferences, hairstyles and so forth… they must not insist or impose those convictions on others. c. This is the tyranny of the weaker brother. d. The church is not to fall to the lowest common denominator. Those with the highest scruples should not set the tone. How do we know that? e. “We should not lay this burden or trouble on the gentiles…” f. The entire ceremonial law of Moses did not apply for the Gentiles. Wow. g. The tyranny of the weaker brother is absolutely rejected. h. Now what we have said before holds true. If the whole church believes that drinking one drop of alcohol is sin, and there is uniformity in that, then it should be applied that way and lived that way. i. But if each person has come to a different conclusion, then we must pursue peace and even compromise. j. Even down to listing out some points that we can all agree to in order to live a peace with one another or even to prevent future problems. k. This was demonstrated for us in Acts 15… and it must be how we do it today. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is making a new people for Himself from the whole world. a. God didn't make us all Jews. b. He didn't make us all Gentiles. c. God is saving the world and making them… His. d. He is conforming them… not to Jews. Not to Gentiles. But to Christ. e. Praise the Lord for His love for us. He is good. Amen and Amen. [Slide 23 (end)] Let me close with a prayer from the Apostolic Confessions Almighty and everlasting God, just as grain was once scattered, but has now been gathered and baked into one loaf, so would you also gather your church from the ends of the earth and bring them into your kingdom? Our Father, we also thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed for us, and for his precious body, which we celebrate and portray here-just as he himself commanded, to "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). For through him, glory is to be given to You forever, amen. Benediction: May the feeblest among you be like David, May the God who gives encouragement and endurance, Give you the Spirit of unity as you follow Christ, So that with one heart and one mouth we may together, Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

49 Acts 14:21-28 The Home Run After Derbe

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2024 39:55

Title: The Home Run After Derbe Text: Acts 14:21-28 FCF: We often struggle growing while waiting for glory. Prop: Because God assures all those with saving faith will grow in their faith, we must disciple one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 14. In a moment we'll begin reading starting at verse 21 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will close out the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. As we do we will officially pass the half way point of the book of Acts by verse count. Paul and Barnabas's missionary journey to Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Southern Galatia has been full of ups and downs. Successes and perceived failures. Many have come to Christ, many have opposed Christ. We've seen the polarizing effect of the gospel, the natural wickedness of men, and the power of God to overcome it. And we've seen faithful men enduring great peril all for the sake of the Kingdom of God. The close of their journey takes some unexpected turns and ends in an unexpected way – but in a way that provides to us a strong application. Please stand with me to focus better on the reading of and give honor to the Word of God. Invocation: O Lord, You have said that You will search for Your sheep and will seek them out. Seek Your sheep here, we pray, and feed us. Shepherd us today and assist our feeble worship by showing us Yourself in Your Word today. Guide our hearts to greater love and adoration of You through what You have said. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] It is a bright and crisp morning. Dew has saturated every blade of grass. A huge crowd of people have gathered. It is the morning of a 5k run. Hundreds of runners have come dressed in their running attire and are warming up preparing to run in order to win the prize. As the morning progresses and the time for the race to begin draws to only seconds away, the crowd begins to notice that several runners have lined up to begin the race heading in the exact wrong direction. In panic they shout out to the confused runners to turn around and run the other way. As the gun blasts to announce the beginning of the race, quickly the confused runners turn and cross the starting line.Though many who had only just a moment ago been facing the wrong direction, had turned and began running the race with everyone else, oddly, there were a few who upon turning and crossing the starting line… stopped… threw their hands in the air and began celebrating as though they had won the race. The crowd tried to encourage them to run on to win the prize, but they insisted that the prize had already been won, they needed only to wait for it to be given to them. To their great dismay, they, each of them, finished last being disqualified for not finishing the race. As peculiar and nonsensical as this story is, I assure you that such a perspective on the Christian race exists in our day. Many well-meaning Christians truly believe that the race has been won when they cross the starting line. And while it is true that the people who turned and headed the correct way, were rescued from never finishing, they had to still run and finish the race in order to truly be rescued from never finishing. In the same way… as we'll find in our text… we can say we have been saved from sin and death at conversion and it be true to a certain degree. But that doesn't eliminate the need for us to run the race and pursue the prize in order to truly be saved from sin and death at the end of our lives. Let this silly story be a guide for us as we close out this first missionary journey. A missions work that was not completed simply because people were converted. Let's look. I.) Saving faith must be nurtured, grown, and overseen, so we must disciple one another. (21-23) a. [Slide 3] 21 - And after they had proclaimed the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, i. [Slide 4] Filling in the gaps a little, Derbe is 60 miles east of Lystra. That would be over a day's journey on foot. Most likely they passed through several other cities and although we are not told that they preached the gospel in these locations, we can all but assume they did. ii. [Slide 5] Another reason that calling the book of Acts a historical work is inaccurate, is the editorial brevity Luke employs in creating it. iii. Here in Derbe, Luke affords us 8 Greek words to summarize the whole time of Paul and Barnabas in Derbe preaching the gospel. iv. Luke is not recording a history but rather a defense of the Spirit empowered gospel of Christ going forward through the united and triumphant church. v. All we are told of the events in Derbe is that they preached the gospel there and that many became disciples of Christ. vi. But as far as summaries go – that is a very encouraging one. Far more encouraging than the previous three cities. At least they weren't run out of Derbe. vii. Then Luke records that the time of their missionary journey had come to an end. viii. He does not tell us the exact reason, although it is probable that there were many of them. 1. Finances were a likely cause. Certainly, much of the cost was deferred because of hospitable converts hosting and caring for the traveling missionaries. Nevertheless, travel expenses would certainly take its toll eventually. 2. The general health of Paul and Barnabas must be considered as well. Not only is Paul still recovering from Malaria but Paul was recently stoned to the point of death. And Barnabas is probably a good deal older than Paul. Maybe as much as 10-15 years. 3. [Slide 6] Location may have been a cause for them to turn back. Derbe is right on a provincial edge of Cappadocia, Cilicia and Galatia. Perhaps they didn't want to pass through Cappadocia? 4. Perhaps the Holy Spirit revealed either at this time or before they left Antioch of Syria that they were only to go to Derbe. ix. One interesting question we must ask is why didn't they carry on to Tarsus to get back to Antioch of Syria? x. It would have been a much shorter trip for them to continue on through the Taurus Mountains and the Cilician Gates and on to Tarsus and then to Antioch of Syria than it would be for them to go back through Southern Galatia and take a ship back to Seleucia to get to Antioch. xi. Instead, they revisit the places that they had already been (The yellow line on the screen). And certainly, they take added risk on themselves since each of the cities mentioned had run them out and threatened their lives. xii. Why would they risk all this? Why not take the easy way to Tarsus? b. [Slide 7] 22 - strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.” i. Why did they take this risk? ii. Because the mission that the Holy Spirit had sent them on, was only half complete. iii. For now, their missionary work must turn pastoral. Their role now, after preaching the gospel and receiving a harvest, was to make stronger the disciples who had received Christ. iv. Most likely they entered the cities and met in homes avoiding public discourse in order not to re-stir up the mob. v. They ministered to the believers this time, teaching them and even encouraging them to continue in the faith. vi. What does this phrase mean? To continue in the faith. 1. It could mean duration. That the race to the Kingdom of God is a marathon and not a sprint. That their faith must endure and hold fast in the things they have believed. 2. It could also mean depth. That their faith must grow deeper and stronger in order to weather the storms of false teaching and persecution that are sure to come their way. vii. The next phrase is some of the content of their message. They tell these new believers that the only way they can, and indeed must enter the Kingdom of God is through many afflictions. viii. No one gets an easy ride to the throne. No one endures no hardship and pays no cost. No one gets to sit on the bus bench waiting for Jesus to come. ix. Therefore, both interpretations of continuing in the faith prove true. For our faith is not merely a once made decision or choice, but rather an ongoing firmly held constantly deepening knowledge and growth into Christlikeness. x. The apostles saw to it that these new converts were established, rooted, and given a heading for their growing faith. xi. But they didn't stop there. For this one-time encouragement to grow was not enough to make sure they did. c. [Slide 8] 23 - And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. i. Here we find another means of the missionaries to insure that these new converts would continue in their faith both in endurance and in growth. ii. Paul and Barnabas, through the leading of the Spirit, appointed Elders for them in every church. iii. A few things on this point. 1. First, because the term appointed is used here, we cannot conclude that Elders has the denotative meaning of elderly or older people. It would be foolish to appoint someone as or to be old. They either are older or they aren't. 2. Instead, we ought to see the connotative meaning of the term elder here to refer to the Office of an Elder. The office of an Elder is not unique to New Testament times. Indeed, in Jewish cities there would be Elders of the people who were tasked with making judgments on certain issues affecting the citizens. 3. It seems that church Elders take a similar but much more spiritual role in leadership of the people, not just settling disputes but actually caring for and nurturing the souls of the people. Basically, continuing to provide for them all that we saw Paul and Barnabas do in verse 22. 4. In Titus 1 we see that the office of the Elder and the office of the overseer are the same office in the church. Titus was instructed to appoint Elders in every church on the island of Crete and then Paul went on to describe the qualifications of such men who should be above reproach because an overseer must be above reproach. 5. Therefore, we see as early as AD 47, a mere 15 or so years after Christ's ascension, the church establishing a plurality of qualified men to lead the church and care for the spiritual maturing and growth of the disciples of Christ in a particular local setting. Not just in Jerusalem – but in every local place where a church was established. iv. We should also notice the great care that was taken to appoint and direct these men. v. We'd expect nothing less of the missionaries given the role that Elders play in the leadership and growth of the church. vi. They are continuing the work that Paul and Barnabas were only able to begin. vii. They pray and fast asking for God's grace and power to come alongside and go with these Elders to do the job that had been given to them. d. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: The primary point of this section is abundantly clear. Paul and Barnabas' job was only half done after preaching in these various cities. Their view of their mission can be crystalized into a primary point of truth. Saving faith must be nurtured, grown, and overseen. When someone comes to Christ that is the beginning and not the end of their salvation. Paul and Barnabas return to establish and solidify the souls of these people. It is not enough that they believe on Christ. They must continue in this faith. Both enduring and deepening in it. And to ensure that that happens Paul and Barnabas take the most spiritually mature among them and install them as leaders responsible for guiding that spiritual growth. My friends, spiritual growth is not optional for a genuine believer in Christ. It is mandatory. You must grow, for if you don't or can't… then you don't have saving faith. And that is why we must devote ourselves to disciple one another. Transition: [Slide 10(blank)] This sounds like God has put a lot on our shoulders. He saves them and then leaves them to us to take care of? That doesn't sound right. It doesn't sound right because it isn't right. Let's read on. II.) God's grace is at work in His church to expand and strengthen it, so we must disciple one another. (24-28) a. [Slide 11] 24 - And when they passed through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia. 25 - And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 - And from there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. i. If we remember from our study of this first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas after landing in Perga went straight to Pisidian Antioch, passing Perga and several other major cities and populated areas to do so. ii. We guessed that this was because Paul had contracted Malaria on the ship and needed to get into a climate that would slow the progress of the disease in his body as he recovered. iii. Now it seems that on their way back home, they took the opportunity to preach the gospel to these places. iv. Here we see them preaching through Pamphylia and in Perga and even in Attalia. v. Although we are not told of the results it is reasonable to assume that Paul and Barnabas saw the Lord move in similar ways as in the other places they had preached. vi. From Attalia they sailed for Syrian Antioch where as Luke points out, they were commissioned in the grace of God to do this great work that they had now completed. vii. There are a couple things said in such a quick way that we should notice. viii. First, it is by the grace of God that they had embarked on this great mission. His empowering and His favor supported and guided all they did. ix. Second, we should see that it is also by the grace of God that they had completed their mission. His empowering and His favor has led them back from disease, pain, trouble, blessing, encouragement, and various other events to see them safely home having established churches throughout Southern Galatia. x. Thus, God's grace began and completed all that they had done. Luke recognizes this and Paul and Barnabas will recognize this too. b. [Slide 12] 27 - And when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. i. It was here that they bore record to the church of all that had happened and how the Lord had blessed their preaching of the gospel and the establishment of churches throughout the area. ii. Notice also how they bore witness that all that was done, good, bad, great and small, was something the Lord had done with them. iii. They also bore record of how the Lord had continued to open the means of faith to unite even gentiles to Christ. iv. One did not need to be Jewish to be united by faith to Christ and His substitutionary atonement for sin. v. Indeed, faith alone is not only required for Jews but for Gentiles also. vi. And so, God's role in the salvation and growth of His people is highlighted here as the missionaries gave glory to God for all that had happened. c. [Slide 13] 28 - And they spent not a little time with the disciples. i. Most likely this was at the end of AD 47 or beginning of AD 48. ii. The next event recorded in the book of Acts, The Jerusalem Council, occurs around AD 50. iii. So, we can see that at least for a year or two Paul and Barnabas continued to spend time in the church there in Antioch of Syria, discipling and growing the people there and probably gathering financial provision to go on another missionary journey. d. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: Luke is sure to put glory and praise and credit to where it is due. Though Paul and Barnabas were the instrument, the tool, the second cause for these people coming to Christ and seeing spiritual growth… ultimately, the first cause is God. His grace saves and His grace grows His people. His grace began and completed the mission. All the church in Antioch including Paul and Barnabas give testimony to this fact. The Lord alone is able and will save and grow His people. So without pressure for results… we must submit ourselves to disciple one another knowing that the Lord and His grace will bless those efforts in those who are His children. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC and how does it affect how we live? Doctrinal takeaway: [Slide 15] We have learned that Paul and Barnabas were empowered and used of God as a second cause to lead people in Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Southern Galatia to Christ and strengthen and grow them and provide ongoing oversight for their continued and growing faith. This shows us not only that saving faith must be nurtured, grown, and overseen but also that God is still the primary agent behind all of this salvation process. From this we recognize the command of our Lord to make disciples but have the added comfort and promise that He will use us to this effect for those who are His people. Therefore, having this confidence that the Lord will use us, and having this need for ongoing and deepening faith, we must all be involved in making disciples of one another. But let me break this down for us into some very practical ways. 1.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that true conversion is a starting line not a finish line. a. We have talked about this often during the 8 years I've been your pastor. b. But just because it is an often-repeated theme doesn't make it any less important to address. c. There are various churches and Christians who consider salvation to be nothing more than a simple prayer or choice made in a person's life to accept certain facts about Christ and what He has done. d. And if you have prayed this prayer and agree with these facts, then you are saved. You are going to heaven. And there is nothing that can change that. e. You don't need to study the bible, you don't need to pray, you don't need to go to church, you don't need to serve your fellow believers in any meaningful kind of way, because you have prayed the prayer and you are headed for the Kingdom. Essentially – your job is to wait for Jesus to show up and take you home. f. Now parts of what I have just said are true. g. If a person genuinely processes saving faith, then they are headed for the Kingdom of God and nothing can pluck them out of the hand of God. Jesus promises that all whom the Father has given to Him He will by no means lose even one. h. And oftentimes genuine conversion does come by a person crying out to the Lord in a prayer of repentance of their sin and in humble submission to the gospel that Christ died for sinners and is now their Lord. i. But the text today absolutely decimates all the rest of what these folks believe. j. For the apostles did not consider their Missionary work to be complete until they went back to those who had professed Christ, strengthened their souls, encouraged them to press on in their faith, and appointed spiritual leaders to guide them in that task. k. The apostles assumed that saving faith was not finished at conversion… it was begun at conversion. l. Oddly enough the same people who believe that since they are saved they need not worry about spiritual growth or maturity are quite familiar with the children's song He's still working on me. m. Listen to these words i. “He's still working on me. ii. To make me what I need to be. iii. It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. iv. How loving and patient He must be. v. Cause He's still workin on me. n. My friends, there is absolutely no way you can read the New Testament and come away thinking that once you are converted, you can relax and grow at whatever pace is comfortable. o. What does Paul say? I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. p. What does Peter say? Therefore, my brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. q. What does the writer of Hebrews say? Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has now sat down at the right hand of God... But you have not endured in your faith to the point of shedding your own blood. r. My friends… if you want the crown, you must have… first… the cross. s. Saving faith is faith that dies to self every day and lives to Righteousness every day. t. Let me say it very plainly… u. If you are not growing in spiritual maturity… then you cannot know with any certainty that you have saving faith. v. That is why Paul and Barnabas revisited these people… to establish, encourage, and oversee the path of their spiritual growth. w. Conversion is the starting line my friends. 2.) [Slide 17] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that we are the primary cause of anyone coming to Christ or growing in the Lord. a. The first half of this is recycled from much of what we've seen in the book of Acts. b. I won't belabor the point. c. I'll only quickly say that we are NEVER the primary cause of anyone coming to Christ. We are merely tools in the Lord's hand used to draw and call His elect to saving faith. d. But the second half is such a rebuke to me. e. Pastors, as you may or may not know, are not perfect. f. I wrestle too with pride over spiritual growth under my leadership. g. I wrestle also with embarrassment over lack of spiritual maturity under my leadership. h. Although the second sounds to be less serious, I assure you that both are rooted in the same aberrant theology. i. The erroneous theology is this… that I am the first cause of anyone growing in Christ at all. That I am directly responsible for God's people growing in their faith. j. To assume that I am directly responsible for the spiritual maturing of a person or to blame for them lagging behind is to think far too highly of myself. k. Instead, I must simply be faithful in teaching doctrine, holiness and love. Ensuring that this teaching is applied and demonstrated in my own life. Then I must trust the Lord that He will grow His people. l. We, all of us, are simply tools used for this end. May we be found faithful in this. 3.) [Slide 18] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop treating discipleship as an optional phase the follows salvation. a. As a counter weight to the previous point, I have heard the argument made that because God is the one who will see to it that the work of salvation is completed in His people, b. Since God promises that Jesus will present us faultless before the throne of God, c. That means that we can see the imperative of making disciples as optional for us. d. That since God will do it, we really only need to be concerned with sharing the gospel, because once they are saved, God will do the rest. e. The error here is the assumption that since we are not the first cause or the primary cause of someone growing in Christ, then we shouldn't bother being any degree of cause for someone growing in Christ. f. Obviously, Paul and Barnabas didn't think this was so. They knew God was the primary cause of all their missionary success both in conversions and spiritual growth. g. But they still stopped at each city, to their own peril, and strengthened them, and encouraged them, and saw to it that they had overseers to help them grow. h. No, my friends – discipleship is not optional. 4.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must disciple each other. a. Indeed, making disciples, helping others to conform to Christ is one of the primary tasks we have been given as His church. b. So much so that all of us have been given unique spiritual gifts to aid in that process. c. Whether it be service oriented gifts or speaking gifts – all of us have been given gifts to help each other to be more like Christ. d. The work of the ministry is first the responsibility of the church as a whole. e. And the aim of ministry is to mature someone in Christlikenss. f. Ephesians 4 is the blueprint for what every church should be doing. g. Our goal is that every person here become like Christ. A lifelong process that will be completed by Christ when we enter His Kingdom. h. The preaching on Sunday, Foundations, Wednesday Night, Basics class, various bible studies - all of these are there to do just that… but even if every person here were to attend every single one of these, it would not remove the imperative upon you to personally and intentionally go and disciple others. i. Teach them the ways of Christ. Show them how to be like Him. That is what the church is commissioned to do. 5.) [Slide 20] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will use us to lead His children home and to conform them to the image of His Son. a. And of course we come back full circle… b. Reminding ourselves and comforting ourselves with this thought. c. God will ultimately save and keep His children. d. We have a role to play. We have a responsibility that the Lord has placed upon us. But its success does not depend on us. e. All we are called to be is a good hammer. Whether the nail is driven in in 4 whacks, 2 whacks, or we find out we've been hitting a screw instead of a nail and we need a screw driver instead… it doesn't matter. Just be the tool that God uses. f. That is all you are called to be. g. One can plant. One can water. h. God gets the increase. [Slide 21 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father Gregory of Nazianzen (Naz – eeee – an – zen) May we act like children of God, wherever we are, pure and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. And may we never be entangled in the snares of the wicked, or bound by the chains of our sins. May the Word in us never be smothered with the cares of this life, so that we would become unfruitful. But help us to walk on the King's Highway, never turning aside to the right hand or the left, and led by the Spirit through the Straight Gate. Then all that we do will prosper, both now and at the time of judgment, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory now and forever, amen. Benediction: May the One Who takes nobodies and makes them somebodies; Who takes the ridiculous and turns it to the sublime; Who raises those from the dustbins and crowns them princes and princesses; Cause you to prosper in every good work And to increase in the knowledge of God. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

48 Acts 14:8-20- 3 Strikes-We're Out

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2024 49:38

Title: 3 Strikes – We're Out Text: Acts 14:8-20 FCF: We often struggle recognizing our depraved state. Prop: Because all men need the gospel, we must come by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 14. In a moment we'll read from the LSB starting in verse 8. You can follow along in whatever version you prefer. We are quickly coming to the close of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas through Cyprus and Southern Galatia. We've seen the gospel go forward to great success, but more recently we've seen the gospel opposed… violently. In this text the opposition to the gospel will reach its climax. Today we'll see what might seem like a major defeat for the missionaries. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O Lord the God of Israel, Who is enthroned above the cherubim, You and You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth; indeed You have made the heavens and the earth. Incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see. Visit us and move in Your Word today in the name of your son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit… Amen. Transition: A little more to cover today than recent sermons so let's dive right in to it. I.) The gospel is universally necessary because no man is able to save themselves, so we must come by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (8-10) a. [Slide 2] 8 - And at Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. i. In verse 6 we learned that Paul and Barnabas fled to the cities of Lycaonia – namely Lystra and Derbe. ii. [Slide 3] Lystra is the first city in Lycaonia Paul and Barnabas visit. iii. Lystra is about 20 miles south of Iconium. iv. It is another city along a major Roman trade route running through Asia Minor. v. Lystra and Derbe are known for resisting assimilation into Roman culture. Indeed, as we'll see later, they even maintained their own language instead of adopting Latin or Greek. vi. Lystra and Derbe are less populated cities along this trade route. And their Jewish presence was a good deal smaller. vii. [Slide 4] We'll read later in chapter 16 that there was no synagogue in Lystra, meaning that the Jewish population was very small. viii. This breaks a bit with Paul and Barnabas' normal pattern. Up to this point Paul and Barnabas had traveled to heavily populated cities with larger Jewish populations. ix. We could conclude that they wanted to change their pattern since they'd been run out of two cities by the Jews… but more likely Lystra and Derbe were simply the next two cities down the road. x. [Slide 5] In this passage, we see some rather striking similarities to when Peter and John met the lame man in the temple in Acts 3. xi. This man from Lystra is described in the same way as the man at the temple gate, in that he was lame from his mother's womb and had never walked. xii. As we pointed out in chapter 3, such a detail is important not just for Theophilus, Luke's intended audience, but even for us two thousand years later. xiii. It confirms that Paul and Barnabas did not do a medical work that corrected the man from something recent. Instead, it was a miracle changing something he had since his birth. xiv. Even to our day, if a person is truly crippled from birth, there is really nothing we can do for them. xv. And that is the spiritual point being made. Like the Jewish man in the temple, all Jews were spiritually unable to stand before God's presence and walk in the His ways. And like the Jews, Gentiles also are unable to spiritually stand and walk in the Lord's ways. b. [Slide 6] 9 - This man listened to Paul as he spoke, who, when he fixed his gaze on him and saw that he had faith to be saved from being lame, i. Taking the general comment in verse 7 about Paul and Barnabas continuing to preach the gospel and then adding to that that this man was listening to Paul as he spoke, we see that even though Lystra had no synagogue, Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel in Lystra. Perhaps even in the streets or at the city gates. ii. Again, similar to chapter 3, Paul fixes his gaze on the lame man. iii. This seems to be Luke's way of subtly showing us that the Spirit was the primary agent communicating to Paul who he should focus on. Perhaps even giving Paul insight into the man's spiritual condition. iv. Paul in this moment saw that this man had faith to be saved. v. The words “from being lame” do not exist in the Greek. vi. The word for saved can be used generally to speak of deliverance or healing and it can also be used to talk about salvation or spiritual deliverance. vii. So, did Paul see that he had faith to receive Christ? Or did Paul see he had faith to be healed. viii. Virtually every modern translation and commentator goes out of their way to say that his faith was for the healing of his body. However, some grammars and commentators note that they cannot rule out a double meaning. ix. Indeed, as we've said many times, the miracles and healings that are recorded in the gospels and in Acts are physical demonstrations of what happens spiritually when someone comes to Christ. x. As materialists we often try to parse out the physical and spiritual components of things – but perhaps this is a fool's errand. xi. Paul gazes into this man's eyes and sees him attentively receiving the words he was speaking to him. Paul recognizes that faith has come to this man. Faith to heal his body and faith to forgive his sins. Afterall, which is easier to say – your faith has made you well or your sins are forgiven? xii. Certainly, it is easier to say your sins are forgiven for you cannot see it. xiii. It is much harder to say, as Paul said... c. [Slide 7] 10 - said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk. i. Paul, having seen faith in this man, lifts up his voice so all can hear. He is confident the Lord will perform a miracle as a sign of authentication for the message of the gospel. ii. So, in a loud voice he commands the man to stand. iii. The man using His faith in Jesus, the Messiah of God, believed His sent one, Paul, and obeyed the command given to him. iv. He not only stood, he leapt up and began to walk. v. By grace, through faith God enables men to do what they could not do otherwise. vi. Physically and spiritually God makes us whole by grace and through faith in Christ alone. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: As polarizing as the gospel is it is also paradoxically universally necessary. All men, Jew or gentile, slave or free, man or woman, rich or poor, all men are absolutely helpless to stand before a holy God and walk in His ways. All men stand condemned. All men are wicked and deserving of the wrath of God. All men have committed the vilest offenses of treason and do not possess the ability or desire to do otherwise. Just as this lame man in chapter 14 and just like the lame man in chapter 3, all men are spiritually crippled from their mother's womb and have never walked a spiritual step in their lives. Yet they are commanded by God to stand and walk. There is, indeed, none righteous, no not one. There are none who do good. There are none who seek God. But God by grace (giving us power and desire to do what we could not do before) through faith (absolute trust gifted by the revelation of the Spirit through the Word of God) in Christ (only and always in the perfect and perpetual atonement and merit of Christ) has strengthen our crippled legs and made us strong to leap and run for Him. That is the essence of the gospel, both the bad news and the good news. Transition: [Slide 9(blank)] God has authenticated with signs and wonders the truth of the words which Paul and Barnabas spoke. What will be the response of the people of Lystra to such irrefutable proof? II.) The gospel is universally necessary because all men are naturally idolaters, so we must come by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (11-18) a. [Slide 10] 11 - And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” i. Uh oh. That is not what's supposed to happen. ii. Sign gifts are supposed to authenticate the message of the gospel… not this! iii. Again – Sign gifts are part of the outward call of the gospel. All men still need the inward call from God. We shouldn't be surprised that sign gifts do not always prove the truth to all men. iv. Indeed, even at Pentecost when people heard them speak in tongues… not all believed. Some thought they were drunk. v. And here is the problem unique to the Gentiles. vi. At least with the Jews, you entered on common ground. Jews believed in the Torah and the law, and one true God named Yahweh. They believed in the promise of a Messiah. vii. But these gentiles were pagans. They believed in many gods. They believed that the gods were mostly like humans only with a little more power and a little more knowledge. viii. They believed that these gods were to be served and in exchange the gods would use their power and influence to help the mortals. ix. Even though we know Paul and Barnabas were preaching Christ and Him crucified. Even though we know they were preaching the gospel – this sign did not confirm the message of the truth on all the hearts of those there. x. Instead, they thought that the gods had become men and were come down to be with them. xi. But why would they assume this? b. [Slide 11] 12 - And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 - And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and was wanting to offer sacrifice with the crowds. i. Ovid wrote about the city of Lystra and recorded a story of Zeus and Hermes, or Jupiter and Mercury, coming to this city and being refused hospitality. They were taken in by a poor old couple and the couple was rewarded for their kindness by becoming the first priests of Zeus and their home being made into his temple. ii. It is possible that with this story in mind, the people did not wish to fail again but extend hospitality to the gods in hopes that they would be rewarded. iii. Zeus being the chief god over storms and rain and Hermes being the messenger of the gods, the people see great similarities between these false gods and Paul and Barnabas. iv. They called Barnabas Zeus, no doubt because he was the older of the two missionaries. v. They called Paul Hermes because he was the primary speaker and was younger. vi. The question is asked, why did Paul and Barnabas not stop them sooner than they did? vii. Well remember the people were speaking in their Lycaonian language. A language that Paul and Barnabas certainly did not understand. And also notice that the Spirit did not enable them to understand the language at this time either. viii. So, this idea about Paul and Barnabas being gods spread so far and got so far out of hand that even the priest of the temple of Zeus came from outside the city and brought the supplies necessary to make sacrifices with the crowds to Paul and Barnabas. ix. These people were about to start a ritualistic parade back to the temple to worship Paul and Barnabas. c. [Slide 12] 14 - But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15 - and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, i. Recognizing the pagan ritual parade, knowing the 10 commands. Knowing that God is a jealous God. And believing on Christ alone, Paul and Barnabas were more than distraught when they discovered what was happening. ii. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes, which is a culturally significant act among the Jews to express great lament and anguish. Sometimes of guilt, or fear, or sadness. iii. In this Paul and Barnabas in no uncertain terms rejected worship. And they assured them that they were mere men. Having the exact same nature as them. iv. They were not gods. They were not demi-gods. They were mere men granted power by the Spirit of the one true God. v. Why? vi. SO they could be… d. [Slide 13] proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM. i. As we have observed in our foundations study recently, from early on in human history there have been false deities, personas empowered by demonic entities who have rebelled due to their desire to receive worship from men and turn them away from the worship of Yahweh. ii. But in all the pantheons of all the peoples down through the ages, the one kind of god that none of them seem to recognize is a creator. A god who made everything. iii. A god who even made the other gods. iv. And if such a god IS considered, he is an enigma. He is an unknown. Or he is disconnected from reality. v. Paul makes it clear, that the gospel they preach is to turn them away from worshipping created things to worshipping the Uncreated Creator. The one who not only made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is within it – but brought it into order and even now controls it. vi. They did not recognize such a God, but it was this God, Yahweh, that Paul introduced them to. vii. But why should they have recognized Him? e. [Slide 14] 16 - “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; 17 - and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” i. Paul reveals that God permitted all the nations besides the Jews to go their own ways. ii. To follow after other gods. iii. To be led astray. iv. But He did not leave no evidence of Himself. v. He did good to them, giving them rains, and fruitful and happy times. He allowed people to enjoy life and be glad. vi. All of creation and the general pursuit of happiness is an evidence that a creator has made all that is. vii. It is this supreme God, who is so far above all other gods that they are not gods at all. For only He is uncreated. viii. It is this God who has sent His Son to bear the sins of many. f. [Slide 15] 18 - And saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. i. Such a summary statement does not do much for us in the way of declaring victory. ii. Indeed, we see that even with a strong defense here and strong refusal, they scarcely were able to keep them from worshipping them. g. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Even though the gospel is polarizing we have seen that it also, somewhat paradoxically, universally needed by all men. First, because mankind is unable and unwilling to save themselves. In this second point we see another reason that salvation is needed by all men. Even in the great miraculous demonstrations that the gospel is true, mankind defaults to the worship of created things rather than the creator. Why is that? The Puritan commentator John Trapp said it this way, “Man's nature is marvelous[ly] prone to idolatry and the devil helps after… for he knows that creature worship is devil worship.” Trapp points out that there are two forces at work to keep men from seeking God much less being able to please Him. First, their sin nature which is enslaved to worship anything but God. And second the tempter and his demons who labor to keep men worshipping them, themselves, or virtually anything created rather than the Creator. Therefore, if any man comes to God to be made right with Him, he must come by God's grace, through faith, in Christ… alone. There is only 1 narrow path that leads to life. Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] So we have seen that mankind are their own enemy. They naturally are unable and they naturally are unwilling to serve the one true God and Him alone. They are naturally bent on worshipping anything BUT Him actually. What else can we find out about our natures here in this text? III.) The gospel is universally necessary because all men are easily deceived, so we must come by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (19-20) a. [Slide 18] 19 - But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning over the crowds and stoning Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. i. We now see an organized effort on the part of Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium to track down and kill Paul and Barnabas. ii. They hunted and pursued Paul and Barnabas and were able to convince the crowd and led them to stone Paul and drag him out of the city. iii. They stoned him to the point that every one there was convinced Paul was dead. iv. Observe, my friends, the hatred for the gospel and those who preach it. v. These Jews had made it their mission, their solemn duty, their holy cause to hunt down and destroy Paul and the message he preached. vi. And they were able to convince people – most of whom were only a short time ago trying to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods – now they have convinced them to murder these men. b. [Slide 19] 20 - But while the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. i. Filling in the blanks a little here, we can guess that no doubt the disciples were standing around him praying and perhaps even holding some sort of funeral service for him. ii. But Paul stands to his feet, and enters the city again. iii. We have no indication that he went on preaching, nor is there any indication that this is a miracle aside from God's providential preservation of Paul. iv. The next day, he and Barnabas decide to go away again to Derbe, a city southeast of Lystra. v. So, Lystra has proven to be a difficult city with seemingly few coming to Christ. vi. But we know some have come. Here we see some standing around Paul. vii. And from the rest of scripture, we do know of one individual who was greatly impacted by the preaching of Paul and Barnabas. viii. A young man named Timothy is living in this city at this time. His mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois as well. ix. Both Timothy's mother and grandmother came to Christ at this time, and most likely Timothy a short time after. x. Despite the harvest seemingly being few – the Lord has still called His people out from among the darkness to join Him in His light. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: Why do all men need the gospel? We've seen that all men cannot save themselves. Like the lame man they are unable to stand before or walk with the Lord. We've seen that all men are naturally given to idolatry. They are quick to worship created things but slow to worship The Creator. Finally, we see that all men are naturally easily manipulated and incited to oppose God. Here we see that a group of Jews from another city came and were able to turn the whole of the city against these missionaries. To the point of murder my friends. Mankind is prone to mob mentality. We are so easily deceived and so easily manipulated. That is why, in order to truly be a child of God, we must come by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. All other paths look different, but ultimately are lies leading us down the road to destruction. Conclusion: So what have we learned today CBC? How then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] Over the last few weeks we have seen that the gospel has a polarizing effect on men. That given an extended period of time where the gospel is accurately preached it will either produce strong and faithful devotion or strong and often violent opposition. We have said that the gospel promises too much to be received casually and it reveals too much judgment and wrath to be rejected casually. Somewhat paradoxically from this, we see today that all men everywhere are equally in need of the gospel message. We are presented with 3 disastrous and absolutely insurmountable reasons for why this is. First, all men need the gospel message because all men are unable and unwilling to please God. Second, all men need the gospel message because all men are naturally idolaters. And finally, all men need the gospel because all men are easily deceived. How does the gospel break all three of these? The gospel is God declaring to men – I have done all to save you! Repent and believe this. The gospel is by grace alone. Meaning that God must move first, for men are unable to do so. The gospel is by faith alone. Meaning that God has done everything necessary, for men are unable to do anything. The gospel is in Christ alone. Meaning that God through Christ has made a way for men to be declared righteous, for men are unable to be righteous. My friends, if you are to hope to stand before a holy God one day and be told, well done my good and faithful servant, your only hope is to rest in the merits of Christ. And your way to rest in His merits is if God opens your eyes to believe and keep on believing in this Christ. Because you can't do any of this… on your own. So let me get practical this morning. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that we are naturally unable to please God being habitual idolaters and easily deceived. a. The bible reveals to us that all the pleasing things we do for the Lord are like filthy rags. Used menstrual rags. That is the best we can offer the Lord. b. That is why the Lord utters His frustration with His people declaring I am tired of your sacrifices; I desire a repentant heart! c. Paul describes the law as a great schoolmaster designed to teach that no one could possibly keep the whole law, and how God demanded perfect and perpetual obedience from His people. Therefore, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. d. Indeed, the children of Israel are an object lesson for us. e. Over their history we see the constant battle against being manipulated and deceived and led quickly into idolatry. f. Even people brought up in a theocrasy where God is ruling directly over His people… could not keep His law. g. The whole of the scriptures up to the cross presents a unified theme. One which Jesus taught directly prior to His crucifixion. h. Man is not defiled from without but from within. All the worst sins, including worshipping false gods, comes from within us. And that propensity… that slavery to sin is in each and every human being ever born. i. This is why the gospel is necessary for all of us. For all of us are naturally unable and unwilling to be anything but easily deceived, lawbreaking, idolaters. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that reason, logic, miracles, signs, charisma, or any other external means are able to convince men to believe. a. In this text we see a heartbreaking truth. One that we somewhat saw last week too. b. Here in Lystra, they preached the gospel and publicly healed a lame man. Signs are supposed to authenticate the gospel, yes? c. The gospel is authenticated by this sign. d. But it was not enough to topple the idolatry of the people. In fact, it was the catalyst for them to desire to worship Barnabas and Paul as Zeus and Hermes. e. Paul launches into a great and logical defense of the creator God who they all must believe in through His Son. f. But with great difficulty – they kept them from making sacrifices to them. Not to convert them… NO g. With great difficulty they kept them from involving Paul and Barnabas in their idolatry. h. And then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. i. Indeed, they were so successful in this, that they convinced them to attempt the murder of Paul. j. My friends… We need no more evidence. The heart of man is desperately wicked and incurably sick. k. There is no amount of human means or external effort that can be put into it to convince even 1 soul to willingly come to Christ on their own. l. Were we to have the most charismatic, sign working, well-reasoned person on the earth stand before the most amicable crowd, not one soul would come to Christ that day because of the preacher or the hearer. m. The only way any person is received of the Father is by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. 3.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must repent and believe the gospel by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone a. Hear me my friends. b. All of us today, must turn from our sin and place all our hope in the gospel… c. That by God's enabling power and passion we have received all that is necessary from God to be pleasing to Him not by sheer declaration but for the sake of and earned by the merits of His Son Jesus Christ who died to save us from sin's penalty, lived to save us from sin's power and will one day return to save us from sin's very presence. d. This is the gospel. It is none of me. It is all of Him. e. He has done this through the work of Christ. He alone. f. Whether it be your first time doing so, or your millionth… g. Turn and keep turning from the sin that made it necessary for Him to come to earth and die for you. h. Believe and keep believing that He alone Has saved you from sin's penalty, power, and will one day save you from its presence. i. Indeed, keep believing to the extent that He is not only Savior but also Lord demanding holiness from His people… not under threat of death for failure, but under grace and love as His beloved child, as bride being prepared for His Son. j. Oh, believe the gospel today my friends. And never stop clinging to it. For it is good news to those who are sinners. It is good news for those redeemed waiting to be made whole. And it is terrible news for those who love their sin and desire to keep it. 4.) [Slide 25] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop being easily deceived idolaters. a. It is within our fallen nature to be people who are prone to be easily deceived and idolatrous. b. Certainly, God's true children will be preserved by God from apostasy and judgment – for Christ paid for all the sins of all His people and He has promised to present us faultless before the throne of God. c. Still, we can be deceived. We can be distracted by lesser gods of our own making. d. Living in a 1st world country with various creature comforts, we could easily be distracted and even succumb to outright worship of money and things. i. Whether we chase happiness by the purchase of one more item. ii. Whether we find ourselves choosing to resist the pull of the Spirit because it may cost us some measure of comfort. iii. Whether we solve our problems by writing checks or offering favors rather than trusting the Lord. iv. All of these are signs that we have put our hope and trust in things and wealth. v. But Proverbs 11:28 says “He who trusts in riches will fall but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” e. Another idol we are prone to worship is one that we saw in the city of Iconium. The Jews instigated prominent God-Fearing women to oppose Paul and Barnabas. And the men were soon to follow. If we are not careful, we can allow relationships to take priority over the Lord – to the point of idolatry. i. Whether we refuse to make God-honoring decisions because it might cross someone we love. ii. Whether we allow the one we love to manipulate us into treating others poorly or to work us up into overreacting or responding with lack of forgiveness, humility or kindness. iii. Whether we allow the one we love to push us into uncomfortable or conscience violating decisions. iv. All of these are signs that we have put an improper amount of love and affection in a person rather than in the Lord. v. But in Luke 14:26 – Jesus says that “if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children. Brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” f. Still another idol we are prone to worship, especially in an election year, is the hope of a human Messiah come to rescue us from the sorry state of our country. i. Whether it is Joe Biden and the Democratic Party or Donald Trump and the Republican Party or some third candidate. ii. Whether it is hope for morality to be legislated that even the ungodly must obey iii. Whether it is resignation to go to war to insure a certain way of life. iv. All of these are signs that we have put our hope and trust in people, and groups of people – and not in the Lord alone. v. Let me read Isaiah 30:1-3 “1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares Yahweh, who execute counsel, but not Mine and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin, 2 who go down to Egypt—But did not ask Me—to find strength in the strong defense of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore the strong defense of Pharaoh will be your shame and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt, your dishonor.” vi. My friends, we look to the hills. Where does our help come from? Our help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth. vii. And today, especially in light of the Republican National Convention which met this week and all that happened there… I am convinced that to trust in either party is like seeking aid from Egypt against Babylon… viii. Do not put your hope in princes or chariots… Trust only in the name of the Lord Your God. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is still victorious to save His people despite our helplessness. a. My friends… our God is victorious. b. As we already pointed out, a grandma, a mother and her son came to Christ because of this… disastrous visit to Lystra. c. Though we see, what could easily be described as an utter defeat of Paul and Barnabas here… God was still faithful to call His own to His side. d. Even when it looks the bleakest. Even when we are weak. Even when we fail. Even when we are hopeless and helpless… e. Our God rides in with the dawn. He promises a new day where darkness is gone and there is no more night. f. So remember my friends – He is and always will be victorious no matter what. [Slide 27 (end)] Let me close in a prayer by the church father Synesis Christ the Son of God most high, look on us with pity. We come to you as humble beggars. Look on us – will you be disappointed, full of sorrows? In your mercy, let us see you, blessed Jesus. And if someone like us, even we, may appear in your clear glory, in the light you have created, we will worship you in song. Healer of body and soul, in you may we find our rest, with Father and Spirit, blessed. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. Benediction: May the only One Who grants pardon for sin and peace that endures, And Whose own presence guides and cheers, Strengthen and protect you from the evil one. Until we meet again…. Go in peace.

47 Acts 14:1-7 Stand or Flee

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2024 44:54

Title: Stand or Flee Text: Acts 14:1-7 FCF: We often struggle to courageously stand for the gospel without being foolish. Prop: Because the gospel's polarizing effect leads to severe opposition, we must stand against false teaching but wisely preserve our life if we are permitted to. PG - Lycaonia (Lie; K; own; ya), namely Lystra (Lie; struh) and Derbe. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 14. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 1 from the LSB. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1248 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we saw the second leg of Paul and Barnabas' missionary journey come to a close. After traveling to Cyprus and then to Pamphylia, they found themselves in the city of Pisidian Antioch, where they continued their practice of preaching to Jews in the local synagogue. However, things quickly went south as the Jews grew jealous of the influence of the Christians and incited prominent men and women to run them out of town. They travel several miles south east to the ancient city of Iconium. It is here that we have our next scene in this episode of the first missionary journey. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father, Your children take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. We feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give us drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. Gracious Lord, come now and feed Your children from Your Word. Show us again how precious is Your steadfast love. It is for Jesus' sake we ask this… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2A] Scientists have discovered that within each animal species there exists the flight or fight response. When facing danger, oftentimes an animal will begin to fight and then run when they determine they are not able to win. Or they will begin to run until they are cornered and they will fight. In many ways we are similar to animals and this is one of them. Human beings often display this fight or flight response. Let's look at an example of this right now… [Slide 2B] [[VIDEO]]…. Today, we will see Paul and Barnabas face severe opposition and even danger of harm or death. Let's see if they respond the way Moira did. I.) The gospel's polarizing effect produces severe opposition, so we must boldly stand and give a defense for the hope we have in us. (1-3) a. [Slide 3] 1 - Now it happened that in Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. i. Although it is difficult for us to know how much time they spent in Pisidian Antioch, we can guess that it was no doubt several weeks. ii. This means that their missionary journey is probably a few months in. Paul is recovering slowly from Malaria. His eyes are either bloodshot, a milky white, or yellowed. He can't see very well anyway and he looks pretty rough. iii. Nevertheless, the Lord gives him and Barnabas power to travel as they have been chased from Pisidian Antioch. iv. [Slide 4] As we can see on the map behind us, Pisidian Antioch is located over the mountains and into the interior regions of Asia Minor. 1. [Slide 5] Serving as a hub between various trade routes, mountainous and fertile plains, Iconium is a uniquely situated plateau, suited well for commerce. 2. Local legend says that it was the first city built after the great flood. 3. [Slide 6] Historically we know that the city of Iconium has been inhabited since the third Millenium BC. That is since 3000 BC this city has been occupied. And it was first settled by the Hittites. 4. Because of its strategic value, it has changed hands several times. In fact, when Paul and Barnabas arrive it had recently been given the name Claudiconium to reflect the emperor at that time, Claudius. 5. One asks why Luke did not record the city's name as Claudiconium instead of Iconium. By the time Luke writes the book of Acts, somewhere in the AD 60s, Claudius was no longer emperor and the city had reverted back to the previous name – Iconium. v. [Slide 7] Once again, we recognize the general strategy of Paul and Barnabas' mission. They go to highly populated areas where there is a significant Jewish presence. vi. And they once again go to the Jews first, speaking in the synagogue. 1. Despite just being rejected and chased out of a city by Jews, and Paul's physical maladies to boot, he speaks powerfully and many Jews and Gentiles alike believe on the Lord Jesus. 2. We wonder what Gentiles were doing in the synagogue. 3. Although it seems like Luke suggests that this is one speaking engagement, no doubt like it did in Pisidian Antioch they continued to preach and teach once the synagogue was dismissed. vii. Unfortunately, it is a new city with the same old problems. b. [Slide 8] 2 - But the unbelieving Jews instigated and embittered the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers. i. The LSB's translation of a couple of words here in this verse is interesting. ii. The word for unbelieving is actually disobedient. Most translations go with “unbelieving”. This is because the scriptures emphasize that the gospel is not only to be believed but to be obeyed. iii. The gospel is to be obeyed in the sense that all men everywhere are commanded to repent and believe the gospel. iv. The NET and the NLT combine both of these concepts into 1 as they translate this “refused to believe” and “spurned God's message” respectively. v. It is not just ambivalent disregard here – this is active unbelief. As is demonstrated by their actions. vi. They actively instigate and embitter the minds of the Gentiles. vii. To instigate means to stir up, to rouse or excite. viii. The word embitter is a great translation but to bring it to a more updated word we might say they “poisoned” the minds of the gentiles. ix. Luke says that they stirred up and poisoned the minds of the gentiles against the brothers. x. But who are “the brothers”? 1. It could be Paul and Barnabas. Indeed, later we find that factions begin to form among the Gentiles and they either side with the Jews or the apostles. 2. It could also be the believers in general. xi. It is difficult to know with certainty – but it matters little which is intended. If they oppose the apostles or the church, they oppose Christ. xii. It is clear that these Jews, defiant in their unbelief, desire to snuff out the gospel light if they can. c. [Slide 9] 3 - Therefore, they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, i. I love the determination of Paul and Barnabas here. ii. After reading that the Jews were defiant in their unbelief and sought to stir up and poison the minds of the gentiles against them, we might expect this to say – therefore, they left. iii. Or therefore, they met privately in homes. iv. Instead, the opposition they face is the catalyst for them spending a long time in Iconium. v. They see this as a war of belief systems. A war of faiths and ideologies. In this, Paul and Barnabas cannot leave. They must rise up and help defend the new converts there from the lies of those who are resolute in their unbelief. vi. Again, Luke is not exactly precise with his chronology. We don't know exactly how long a “long time” is. vii. But in this time, no doubt several weeks, they preached boldly. viii. They kept preaching the truth. ix. The Greek is a bit ambiguous here. This could mean “speaking boldly in the Lord”. It could also mean “speaking boldly for the Lord”. Or it could be as literal as “speaking boldly upon the Lord” x. The LSB combines the “in the Lord” and the “upon the Lord” and fleshes it out adding the words “with reliance”. xi. This seems to be the most likely translation. xii. Meaning of course that their boldness was not foolish courage or stubbornness. xiii. Their boldness was rooted in their dependance on the grace of God. xiv. As they advised the people in Pisidian Antioch, to continue in the grace of God, they themselves demonstrated. xv. When opposed, they relied on the Lord. d. [Slide 10] who was testifying to the word of His grace, i. The unbelieving Jews had poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the cause of Christ and the word of His grace – or the gospel. ii. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas stood courageously to cast down the strongholds of false teaching and false religion. iii. And God Himself bore witness through them. iv. God Himself gave credence to the word or the message of His grace. v. He empowered them to speak boldly which proved that the gospel they gave was true and right. vi. But that is not the only thing He empowered them to do… e. [Slide 11] granting that signs and wonders be done through their hands. i. Once again, we see the unambiguous purpose of sign gifts in the scriptures. ii. Healing, Miracles, Tongues, Foretelling the future and forthtelling New Revelation from God are all signs and wonders that God grants to His people in order to confirm and validate His message to those who have never heard. iii. Once again God, through His Spirit, confirms His message is true over and against the lies that these Jews have invented and this false religion they have espoused. iv. Here God Himself works against these descendants of Abraham to confirm the gospel and show them that they are wrong. v. This is the definitive proof that they should believe… f. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: So once again we see the polarizing effect of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see many Jews and Gentiles alike coming to Christ and believing on Him as the Messiah. But we also see Jews and Gentiles alike opposing the gospel and those who believe it. Paul and Barnabas stand firm and preach boldly in the power of the Lord and with His authentication of their message, they risk much to cast down false teaching and prove again that Jesus is Messiah and Lord. In this, we see the pattern for us. The polarizing effect of the gospel of Christ will produce strong opposition. In the face of that opposition we must stand firm and remain faithful to give an answer for what we believe and the hope that we have in us. Transition: [Slide 13(blank)] But how much is too much? In Pisidian Antioch, they left. When is it time to leave instead of standing and fighting? II.) The gospel's polarizing effect produces severe opposition, so we must preserve our lives if we are able. (4-7) a. [Slide 14] 4 - But the multitude of the city was divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. i. This statement does much to prove both points we saw last week. 1. First, it proves that God must do an individual, special, and specific work of grace within the hearts of each person who believes. a. God was empowering Paul and Barnabas to perform signs and wonders. b. He was giving them boldness. c. All of this proving that the message of the gospel was absolutely true. d. And yet still many were resolute in their unbelief. e. And this my dear friends is why God's grace is necessary for each individual person's salvation… for the unbelief of man is wickedly strong and will not be toppled by mere reason or logic or sound arguments or charismatic preachers. f. Indeed, even the empowering and authenticating signs and wonders of God Himself on display for all to see, is not enough to overcome it. g. God must do a work IN each person in order for them to believe. h. That is why we teach that salvation is by the grace of God. For without God's special work of illumination, revelation, and regeneration – no man can believe on Jesus. 2. Second, it proves that the human response to reject the gospel is the direct cause of future eternal punishment. a. You were either with the Jews or with the apostles. b. Notice there were none mentioned in-between. c. The gospel requires either devout adherence or resolute rejection. d. In order to devoutly adhere, one needs grace from God. e. In order to resolutely reject, a man need only to follow his heart which is deceitful and desperately wicked. f. No one will join us in the Kingdom of heaven because they believed without God's grace. g. And all who spend eternity in the lake of fire will do so only because they have rejected God's Word and God's law. ii. Another point we must discuss is the use of the term “apostles” here. 1. Paul and Barnabas are called apostles. Why is this an issue? a. Well, Luke uses the term apostle exclusively to refer to the twelve who were with Christ from baptism until His ascension. b. Exclusively, that is, except for this chapter. (He will use it again in verse 14 to refer to Paul and Barnabas.) 2. “Yeah, Chris, but doesn't Paul refer to himself and Barnabas as apostles in his letters?” a. Yes, he does. b. The argument is not over whether or not Paul and Barnabas are apostles. The argument is over what kind of apostles they are being called here. 3. In the scriptures the term angels can refer to spirit beings sent by God or human beings who have been sent. The term is messenger. 4. Deacons can refer both to the office of a Deacon or can be more general to mean simply a servant. 5. In the same way the term apostle has a denotative meaning – sent one. And it also has a connotative meaning – The office of Apostle. 6. Now in one sense, as Paul defends in later letters, Paul is both. Paul has seen the risen Christ and been sent by Him, specifically to the gentiles. He calls himself an apostle untimely born. 7. But Paul is also, more generally, a sent one of God. Like this missionary journey. If you remember, The Holy Spirit said to the leaders at Antioch of Syria “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 8. It makes most sense here, keeping Luke's consistent use of the term that he does not mean the office of Apostle. Rather he means the job of the apostle. Being sent of God. iii. Finally, we should observe the division that occurs here. 1. Jesus predicted that His gospel would be a sword dividing people. 2. They are not divided along ethnic lines. For there are Jews who believed and Jews who did not. There were Gentiles who believed and Gentiles who did not. 3. We should also observe about this division, that it was more of a failure for those opposed to the gospel than it was for the apostles. 4. The unbelievers were trying to convince everyone to oppose Paul and Barnabas. 5. Paul and Barnabas were preaching the message of the grace of God. 6. The fact that it was still divided, with many on either side, was a victory for Paul and Barnabas. 7. What does such a victory bring about in Iconium? b. [Slide 15] 5 - And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia (Lie; K; own; ya), Lystra (Lie; struh) and Derbe, and the surrounding region; i. Again, we see the situation escalate. ii. At first, the Jews stirred up and poisoned the minds of the gentiles. iii. But when that failed, they conspired together with the gentiles and the rulers of the city to do violence to them. iv. They conspired to abuse and to kill them. v. It seems that the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles were not gaining the ground they'd like to have by arguing against Paul and Barnabas. vi. If you can't beat them by forceful argumentation, beat them by physical abuse and extermination. vii. Although the text does not say it, we know that ultimately the Lord allowed Paul and Barnabas to be made aware of this plot to kill them. viii. They do not presume upon the Lord's grace to stay in the city and keep preaching. ix. Instead, they flee south east to the cities of the plain of Lycaonia (Lie; K; own; ya), namely Lystra (Lie; struh) and Derbe. x. What might they do there? xi. Hide? No… c. [Slide 16] 7 - and there they continued to proclaim the gospel. i. Once again, we see that the gospel cannot be stopped. ii. Paul and Barnabas have been chased out of two cities so far. iii. You'd think that would be enough for them to pack it in and go home. iv. But instead, for the sake of the gospel, they go on in the power of the Spirit of God and keep preaching. d. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: And so, we see that the gospel's polarizing effect again seems only increase over time. The more and more the gospel is accurately preached, the more extreme the responses get. Paul and Barnabas stand and defend the truth. In the process the gospel light only increased and the new believers were grown quickly in their faith. But eventually, after a long time of refuting the errors of the unbelievers, they grew tired and sought to silence Paul and Barnabas by torture and death. It is at this point that Paul and Barnabas left for another city. In this we have an example for us to follow. While it is good and right to stand up to false ideologies and cast down strongholds of the mind and false faiths, when our lives are threatened and we are able to escape, we should. Conclusion: So, what have we seen here today CBC? How shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] Last week's theme continues into today with a slightly different emphasis. Last week we proved how the gospel produces a polarizing effect among men. This week we see that effect in action. We see it sharpen into strong opposition against the gospel and its believers. And we see Barnabas and Paul respond in two different ways dependent on that opposition. So, we must respond to opposition against the gospel in the same way they did. We must stand courageously against false ideologies and faiths that undermine or contradict the true gospel of Christ. But if the opposition rises to physical violence and even death, and we are able to escape, we should take that opportunity and flee. But let me expand upon this a little today so we can be adequately prepared for what we might face. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that we will face strong opposition for our devout adherence to the gospel. a. I think for a long time in this country, such a thought would be much more difficult to believe. b. Because religious freedom has been baked into this country, we have enjoyed an extended time of peace here with no real threat of persecution against our faith. c. But in the last decade or so, to consider sin a right, a freedom, and even something to be celebrated, has become the predominant view. d. Just this week I was bombarded three times by the same ad on Youtube. e. The add spoke of the great attack and conspiracy to steal reproductive freedom from women by the great evil plaguing our nation called abortion bans. f. As I watched it sounded like a prolife ad, except it was for the gruesome murder and dismemberment of human children in the womb. g. But the woman in the ad earnestly plead with me to not allow the killing of babies to be taken away from her. h. My friends, our culture IS the culture of Romans 1. We are in the judgment of God because God is allowing us to do whatever we want. He is allowing people to suppress the truth. He is allowing people to sin to their heart's content. i. It is in this environment that a pure hatred can grow against any who would confess Christ. j. You say, well why? What has Jesus loving me and dying for my sin have to do with their desire to sin? k. My friends, man loves their sin and only wishes to keep doing it. A group of people claiming to have been freed from the thing they love by Jesus's brutal torture and murder… what does that not so subtly say about the thing they love? l. No one likes to be told they are wrong. No one likes to be told that what they love is actually terrible and terrible for them. m. No one likes to be told they will answer to a holy God that will judge justly by His law. n. My friends… the gospel of Jesus Christ – if we are preaching it correctly – drives a permeant wedge between those appointed to eternal life and those who have refused to believe. o. And though we never do any harm to them, that we would preach against their sin is harm enough. p. That is enough to raise their ire and spark the flame of their hatred. q. And should the Lord allow, one day, perhaps not too long from now, we will experience exactly what Paul and Barnabas experienced. r. Why? s. Because the gospel is just that divisive. t. It offers too much for us to cling to it loosely. And it is too full of judgment and wrath to be casually ignored. 2.) [Slide 20] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that it is loving or kind to let others undermine our faith or blaspheme the Lord of glory. a. As contradictory as it may seem, in the same culture that loves their sin and hates when people call it that… they also preach tolerance as a primary way to express your love and kindness toward others. b. The one way you can show you love your child is to affirm their choices and love them for their unique self-image. c. Tolerance is king. We must all co-exist. Accept each other and affirm each other. d. But Paul and Barnabas did not do a lot of affirming or accepting of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles in Iconium. e. Instead, they courageously stood against them and by the power of God preached with signs and wonders the gospel of grace. f. No my friends, if we know that the sin which men love will ultimately condemn them to an eternity of the wrath of God on them – then it cannot possibly kind or loving to affirm them in their choices to pursuit it… can it? g. Wouldn't that be more like hate? h. It is unkind and hateful to allow someone to walk around with toilet paper stuck to their shoe or a kick me sign attached to their back… i. How much more so to allow someone to sin with reckless abandon and affirm their choices to do so! 3.) [Slide 21] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that standing courageously to defend the gospel is the same as standing courageously to defend America or conservatism. a. Given the events that have transpired over the last 24 hours, I have added this application for us today to help us to filter our emotions out. b. Standing courageously to defend conservatism or the future of this country is not at all what I am talking about today. c. If you have interpreted anything I have said up to this point or anything after this point to be about the Republican Party, Donald Trump, or the future of the United States of America… then you are missing the point. d. This sermon is not about saving this country. This sermon is not about any political candidate's success of failure. This sermon is not about going on twitter, Instagram, tik tok, facebook or wherever to courageously engage your political opponent. e. Everything I have said is for the success and fruitfulness of the Kingdom of Christ. f. If you can't separate the two, then you have a problem. g. I admit that conservatism is linked in some ways to biblical Christianity. I admit that our culture and our country are in a dire place. h. But let me be clear. i. The only thing that can save us from where we are and what we have become is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. j. We already have The Savior – we don't need another one. k. Every single word of this sermon except for what I have spoken on in this point was written prior to the events that occurred last night. l. Do not go home and think that Pastor Chris gave a message about no longer being timid about speaking out your political positions. m. NO! n. GO and preach Christ! That is what we should not be timid about! o. The events from last night should not embolden you to vote for someone, to speak out against others, to be more engaged politically or any other trivial matter of this earth! p. The events of last night should embolden you to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are perishing! q. Paul and Barnabas didn't give a rip about who was emperor or who was ruling Iconium for that matter. r. They preached Christ and Him crucified. And so should we. s. Christ is King! Let all others bow in humble praise and worship. 4.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must stand resolutely against false teaching and be ready to give a defense for the hope we have within us. a. I Peter 3:15 says “Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.” b. Indeed, we must stand against false teaching and false gospels. We must oppose the love and practice of sin. c. Not with a moralistic message imploring ungodly people to adopt godly standards… but to repent of their sin and believe the gospel that Christ has died for sinners. d. We must do this boldly and compassionately. We must call them to the same salvation that we have been given. Not because we are superior to them, but because we are the same as they are, yet by the grace of God we have received Christ! e. And we must trust the Lord to sustain us and to lead His people to Him. f. We must stand resolute without sacrificing gentleness, and defend the gospel of Christ which is the only hope for men. g. This is our calling. All for the sake of the gospel of Christ. For we have set Him apart as Lord over us. 5.) [Slide 22] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not presume upon the Lord and refuse opportunities to preserve our lives if they are in danger for preaching the gospel. a. Even in the midst of great persecution we are not to be foolish with our lives. b. Yes we must stand resolutely against the false teachings and religions of this age. c. Yes we are to rebuke sin and preach Christ crucified for sinners. d. But when the Lord providentially reveals to us both a danger to our lives and a way of escape, we should not balk at taking it. e. We ought not presume on the Lord's strength to preserve us. Instead, we must see God's provision of a way out as His way of preserving us. f. Not all of us will be spared the fiery furnace. Some of us will need to flee like Paul and Barnabas. 6.) [Slide 23] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The Lord will enable us to stand courageously and He can also deliver us safely from harm. a. But either way, the Lord is still our comfort and strength. b. Either way we are trusting in the Lord's provision. c. Either He provides the grace and power we need to stand boldly before those who oppose us, giving us answers and eloquence to make a strong defense of the gospel, d. Or he provides wisdom and opportunity to flee our oppressors to carry on the gospel work in another place. e. For the first item, we know that God will enable us to stand courageously. He has promised that the Spirit will help us give answers. Not that we should not prepare ourselves accordingly. We must be ready. But we also have been promised Divine assistance in the moment. f. But about the second item, notice, friends, I said can. He can do this. We can't presume that He will always rescue us physically from harm. We know that the Lord at times allows His people to be martyred for Him. We saw that in the twin stories of James and Peter. One was killed by Herod the other was miraculously delivered from Herod. g. God is not obligated to save our physical earthly lives… h. But knowing that He will enable us to stand courageously and that He CAN deliver us from harm … is a great comfort to His people in this world of sin. [Slide 24(end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Lewis Bayly Be merciful O Father, to Your whole church wherever they live upon the face of the earth. Defend them from the rage and the tyranny of the devil, the world, and antichrist. Give Your gospel a free and joyful passage for the conversion of Your elect throughout the world. Bless the churches and kingdoms where we live with continuance of peace, justice, and true religion. Direct the ministers and magistrates of this realm to govern the people in true religion, justice, obedience and tranquility. Comfort Your people who are sick in body or mind. And be favorable to all who suffer persecution for the testimony of Your truth and holy gospel. Give them a gracious deliverance out of all their troubles in whatever way it seems best to Your wisdom, for the glory of Your name, for the further enlarging of the truth, and for the increase of their own comfort. Hasten Your coming, blessed Savior, and end these sinful days. We pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Benediction: May the God who shouted, “Moab is My washbasin Over Edom I toss My sandal, Over Philistia I shout in triumph” Lead you to always triumph in Christ And spread through you everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

45 Acts 13:27-41 God's Greatest Gift

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2024 50:46

Title: God's Greatest Gift Text: Acts 13:27-41 FCF: We often struggle believing the good news of Christ crucified for sinners. Prop: Because God's greatest gift is a fulfillment of his promises leading to forgiveness and a right standing with Him in Christ, we must believe on Christ alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 13. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 13 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You follow along in whatever version you prefer. Last week, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Pisidian Antioch. Paul stands to preach in a synagogue on a Sabbath day and his entire sermon points to the faithfulness of God in spite of the faithlessness of Israel. Since their formation, God has walked with Israel providing for them every single step of the way. And now God has given all of them, Jews and Gentiles alike, the message of salvation… The Savior Jesus of Nazareth. But Paul still needs to prove that this Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Savior – for such a title can really only be applied to God Himself. Thus He must prove that Jesus is God. He must also prove that He was the Suffering servant from the books of prophesy. If He is to be the Messiah He must also be the descendant of David who will reign forever. Paul has a lot to prove. And although this is certainly Luke's Summary of the sermon, there are not many verses in which to do so. So, stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O God, do not keep silence; do not hold Your peace or be still, O God! Your people long to see You and hear Your voice. Visit us with Your Spirit's powerful presence and speak to us with Your Word of truth. In Jesus name we ask this… Amen. Transition: Let's not linger long in the introduction. Since this is part 2 of Paul's sermon, let's jump right back in. I.) God has kept all His promises, the greatest of which is the provision of Jesus His Son, so we must believe on Christ alone. (27-37) a. [Slide 2] 27 - “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. 28 “And though they found no ground for death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 “And when they had finished all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. i. Oh Israel Israel… why do you always do the opposite of what you should? ii. Just like the wilderness… Just like their need for a King… they did not trust the Word of the Lord their God. iii. Instead, they in blindness could not see Jesus for who He was. The Son of David, The Son of Man. The Son of God. No. They read those same prophets who described His coming. They read those same prophets who described his violent rejection and death, and not recognizing Him for who He was, they unwittingly fulfilled those prophesies. iv. But the problem was He was an innocent man. They could charge Him with nothing. So they got the Romans to do their dirty work for them. v. And when every last prophesy about His death was fulfilled, they took the Accursed One down from the tree of shame and buried Him in a tomb, thinking they had won. b. [Slide 3] 30 - “But God raised Him from the dead; i. Once again, IN SPITE OF ISRAEL, God is faithful to them. ii. He raises their Savior from the dead. iii. He rises victorious over sin, death, and hell. iv. Should He stay dead, He could not possibly be the Seed of David – But He arose. v. Therefore, there is no other option than He IS this One whom the Lord has prophesied about. vi. He must be who He claimed to be. He said, “I and the Father are ONE”. That is blasphemy if it isn't true… but if it is true… it is terrifying. Especially if you were the one putting Him to death. vii. But perhaps His resurrection cannot be validated? c. [Slide 4] 31 - and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. i. NO! NO my friends. ii. He appeared to many people for many days. iii. He went to those who knew Him best. iv. He proved to be alive. v. And now those to whom He appeared are preaching his name everywhere in the Empire. d. [Slide 5] 32 - “And we proclaim to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.' 34 “But that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to corruption, He has spoken in this way: ‘I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and FAITHFUL lovingkindnesses OF DAVID.' 35 “Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘YOU WILL NOT GIVE YOUR HOLY ONE OVER TO SEE CORRUPTION.' 36 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God raised did not see corruption. i. Paul keys in on what seems to be a very important tactic of evangelism for Jews in the early church. ii. Jews obviously had great respect for Abraham, Moses, and David. These patriarchs come up often in the sermons and letters of the New Testament. iii. Here we find a similar apologetic as was given in Peter's Pentecost sermon. iv. Paul says that they are also among those witnesses who are now proclaiming to them, in this synagogue, the good news that God has fulfilled His promise to them by raising up Jesus. v. Paul then quotes three separate texts of the Old Testament as proof for this. How has God fulfilled His promise by raising up Jesus? And how is this a message of salvation to them? 1. First, he quotes Psalm 2. a. In this we must define what the word “begotten” means. i. Begotten, although oftentimes referring to the birth or product of having a child, speaks more to the establishment of a relationship than to the actual physical birth. ii. Since having a child begins at conception, such a child would not yet be begotten until they were born. Because that is the moment the relationship is established. b. In this psalm, God is referring to the establishment, or rather, the reestablishment of the relationship between Himself and David as the King. c. Rabbis had long thought of this psalm as conveying a particular Messianic flavor. Meaning it spoke to the coming of another who would fulfill this to a greater degree. d. However, if we think that Jesus' relationship with the Father was established upon his birth, baptism, or resurrection, as some early heretics and even some modern ones assume from this text, you would misunderstand what Paul is saying. e. The sonship of Jesus is eternal. There was… in effect… no beginning to His sonship. So His begetting is also eternal. The Nicene Creed highlights this. Christ's place in the Godhead has always been begotten Son. f. Paul's point is that that Sonship was made evident by the work of Christ on earth, which culminated in the resurrection proving beyond doubt that He is the Son of God. The ONLY Begotten of the Father. Meaning the Only one of His kind in a unique relationship to the Father. 2. Next Paul quotes Isaiah 55 a. In this quote, the word “you” is plural. b. Isaiah is not saying that God will give to Jesus… but to the people of Israel. c. What will He give? d. The holy or holy things and the hesed or lovingkindness which is the old Testament word for grace – the same lovingkindness that God gave to David. e. Paul quotes this to highlight God's promise to the people of Israel. f. He has promised to give them this same Holy One or Holy Things and loving-kindness that He showed to David. g. In this we see that not only is Jesus proven to be the eternally and uniquely begotten Son of God, but also God has promised to give the people the same holy things and grace He gave to David. h. So now for the final piece of the puzzle. 3. Riffing on the image of Holy or holy things, Paul now quotes from Psalm 16 where he says that God's holy One will not see corruption. a. Indeed, death and burial is a guarantee for corruption and decay. b. And as was pointed out in Peter's sermon, David did experience such decay. c. David's death and corruption proved that the promises that had been made to him and every subsequent generation were still awaiting the ONE who would not see decay. d. But Jesus, who was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father's side… did not see such decay. vi. All this proves the unique sonship of Jesus and His fulfillment of these promises of God to the people. vii. In His death and resurrection, He brings the same lovingkindness God gave to David, this same grace, to all His covenant people. viii. Jesus is Son of God, Heir of David, Savior, and God in flesh. e. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point: God continues to faithfully provide for His people. He gives them promises and then raises up people and events to see to it that those promises are fulfilled. In spite of Israel opposing and resisting, their opposition only served to fulfill and bring about the promise of grace. The same grace that was given to David is now offered to all people, Jew, Gentile, and God-fearer, through this One that did not see death. Now God has provided His greatest fulfillment to His promises by providing us with His Son, Jesus the Messiah. Although Paul has not quite gotten to the application yet, we can clearly see where he is going. Jesus is the fulfillment of all these glorious promises in the Old Testament. He is the Messiah. He is the answer. What must they do with Jesus? Believe on Him alone. Transition: [Slide 7(blank)] Being convinced that his proof and defense of Jesus as the Messiah is irrefutable… Paul moves to application. And his application is essentially 1 command with a second command if you should disregard the first one. II.) Through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins and a right standing before God, so we must believe on Christ alone. (38-41) a. [Slide 8] 38 - “Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and that in Him, everyone who believes is justified from all things which you could not be justified from through the Law of Moses. i. This first point, quite simply, is a natural conclusion to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised One that all of the Old Testament promises to Israel are fulfilled in. ii. That He is the seed that will crush the head of the serpent. iii. He is the prophet greater than Moses iv. He is the greater High Priest better than Aaron and in the line of Melchizedek. v. He is the Eternal King of David's line. vi. He is the Suffering Servant vii. He is the one who will bear our sins and sickness and by whose stripes we will be healed. viii. Because this is the Promised One… This must be true and these things we must believe. ix. First, that through God's Messiah, God has provided a way for sins to be forgiven. 1. Not forgiven in the sense that they are forgotten or ignored… but forgiven in the sense that they have been paid. 2. Paul is preaching to them the reality of Jesus providing a way for sins to be forgiven. Truly forgiven. Not covered. Not needing continual sacrifice. But truly and finally forgiven. 3. A true and effective atonement. A true and effective payment. 4. God's wrath extinguished and sin taken away. 5. Propitiation and Expiation. 6. NOT POTENTIAL… but ACTUAL. 7. Paul does not say that through Him there is forgiveness of sins available… but that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. It is. 8. My friends we do not believe in a potential atonement for sin in which we need to do something to apply it. Instead, we believe in an actual and effective atonement for sin through Christ. God unites us to Christ through faith. x. And Second, that in God's Messiah every single believing one not only inherits forgiveness of sins but is justified in all things. 1. That means we are treated as if we are perfect in all things. That we are fully righteous in the Lord's eyes. 2. The law of Moses could never do this. Why? The law of Moses assumes people will fail to keep the law. Not only that, but the mechanism to deal with these failures to keep the moral law, is a ceremony or picture of a greater sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. Not truly. 3. The law of Moses could never render anyone pleasing to God. For one would have to keep the whole law perfectly without ever failing once. The law was a schoolmaster designed to teach the Israelites that they were great sinners needing a greater savior. That in order to be acceptable to God they would need someone to make them acceptable. 4. Saying that the law of Moses could make you pleasing to God is like saying that an excellent teacher guarantees a proficient student, it is like saying guardrails and road signs will guarantee that you reach your destination. 5. The law is good, teachers who teach well are good, and guardrails and road signs are good. But so long as some portion of it depends on someone other than the lawmaker, the teacher, or the sign maker… so long as humans have a role, no law, no matter how perfect, could ever render men pleasing to God. Why? Because we are fallen. 6. But now not only has Christ provided a final atonement for sins… but those who trust in Him are also completely righteous. How? 7. He has learned everything the teacher said – because He is the teacher! He has become the driver. One who follows the road signs perfectly. 8. Or to put it in terms the bible uses, He has become our substitute. He is our mediator. He is our advocate. 9. Our standing with God can never be in jeopardy again. 10. Why? 11. Because we are now IN CHRIST. 12. He inherited our sins and paid for them. We inherit His righteousness and are counted only as obedient children. 13. When God sees those who are IN CHRIST, those who are believing… He sees someone who is righteous like His Son. 14. We are not made righteous in the sense that we never sin again, nor are we put in some kind of state of righteousness whereby we must perform good works to stay there… but we are made righteous in the sense that we are legally free from the law. It does not bind us any longer. Why? 15. We have been acquitted of every infraction and granted perfect obedience in Christ for every law. We have, through Christ, fulfilled the requirement of the law, forever. 16. There is a now, a new law written on our hearts. The law of Christ. xi. Right here in this text Paul, even this early, speaks to the double imputation in the work of Christ. We are forgiven and we are declared righteous. xii. Paul's first application is to believe the gospel. To receive the truth which He is speaking to them at this very moment. That In and through Christ they can be forgiven of sin and declared righteous in Him. b. [Slide 9] 40 - “Therefore watch out, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 41 ‘LOOK, YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH; FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD RECOUNT IT TO YOU.'” i. Paul's second application is for those who are tempted to not obey the first. ii. He issues a warning for those who refuse. iii. The prophet Habakkuk warned about a day that God would raise up the Babylonians to come and sweep them away. iv. Paul borrows this text not as a prophesy about the gospel per se, but to warn these Jews that just like the Jews before the Babylonian invasion were warned not to doubt what God could do and scoff at His plan, so Paul is warning of a greater plan and gift that God is giving. v. God is going to do a work that is unbelievable. A work that is too good to be true. A work that is truly good news. vi. And in that day, the warning is that though God demonstrates it clearly and though someone explains it to them plainly, they will not believe it. vii. Paul warns them not to be like the people of Judah and the nations surrounding them as God promised the rise of the Babylonians. viii. Do not be like the people of Jerusalem who put Jesus to death because they did not perceive who He was and unwittingly became the fulfillment of their own prophets. ix. Do not be like the people who did not trust God and wanted a King to be like the other nations. x. Do not be like the people who did not trust God and wandered in the desert for 40 years. xi. Do not walk away in disbelief. xii. Believe that God has sent His Messiah and that in Jesus of Nazareth, God has provided forgiveness and justification through Him. c. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: Oh my friends! The greatest gift! In the previous point we saw that God has fulfilled His promises to His people by raising up Jesus from the dead. He has proven that HE is the eternal Son, the Messiah, promised to Eve that would crush the head of the serpent and be a second Adam for a new lineage of God's family. And Paul makes it quite plain in his application. Through Jesus there is both forgiveness of sins and a right standing with God to all who believe. The ones who are believing ones. The ones who trust in this Jesus… the ones who receive Him as the fulfillment of the Lord's promises… they are forgiven and they are justified. So, the application is simple. We must believe on Jesus alone for forgiveness of sins and a right standing with God. Conclusion: So, what have we seen today my friends? What should we learn and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 11] The teaching of this passage of scripture could not be more fundamental to Christianity. God is the faithful keeper of all His promises that He has made to His people since the beginning. He has promised an ultimate solution to the problem of sin and death. Though the law provided a temporary solution to sin, it could not defeat death. Death is only disastrous because all who are spiritually dead, or separated from God, when they experience physical death, remain in that state forever. And while the law could provide some check to sin running rampant. It could not find a solution for man's greatest problem. Separation from the life-giver. Paul, excellently, presents Jesus of Nazareth as the great answer to all of this. He is the one who has been proven to be in a special relationship to God the Father. He is the One to whom the great promises are either made or attached. And by Him, those wonderful promises of a final solution for sin and death… are fulfilled. His death has fully atoned for the sin of His people. His resurrection has de-toothed death for all who believe. His advocacy and mediatorial works continue to bring His people close to the Father. Our Salvation is by Him, and through Him. As those dead in our sins… to be revealed such truths, to understand them and perceive their meaning, we need grace from God to do something dead people cannot do…. Listen. And as those unable to be pleasing to God and atone for our sins we must receive what God has taught us here as a drowning man receives a life preserver. Is there really a choice to be made? My friends if God has given you grace to truly understand your predicament and what Jesus has done to save you from it… there is no choice to be made. Only those who are believing in Him will be accepted by God. It is by faith alone that we are declared righteous. You must believe. But let me expand upon this so that you can know exactly what we are getting at. But as I expand, I want you to notice that there is nothing that we can DO with the message today. Our hands, feet, and mouths can do nothing. All the applications must be for our mind. Our mind must grab hold of these things. Nevertheless, understanding them in our heads does not accomplish their work. For we must be born again. We must be given this faith by our Lord. But let me point out for our heads what we must receive and leave the actuality of your receiving it to God. 1.) [Slide 12] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false? ”We must turn from our sin and self righteousness. (Repent) a. Repentance is a change of mind. Repentance is a turning or rejecting of something. b. The gospel call requires all who would receive it to also turn from their own sin and self-righteousness. c. In fact, one cannot believe any of the gospel without also turning from sin and self-righteousness. d. Turning from sin is not saying I'm sorry. e. Turning from sin means that we have forever changed the way we view sin. We do not want it. We do not yearn for it. We desire its death in our lives. f. Turning from self-righteousness means we no longer think we are acceptable to God in our own performance of rituals or moral law keeping. g. For a person to truly be converted the grace of repentance must be an ongoing and continual process. h. Not that we repent every day of our lives in the sense that we sit down and list out every sin that we have ever done… i. But in the sense that we continually reject sin and self-righteousness as our pursuit or our desire. j. We abandon or reject forever the desire for sin or the belief that we can or have earned God's approval by our works. 2.) [Slide 13] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that Jesus was resurrected the third day, conquering death, and proving that He is the Eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, All God and Man. a. If we have truly believed the gospel of Christ, we must have received and placed all our hope in a number of key teachings that the New Testament makes clear to us. b. The first of these is that Jesus is the second person of the Godhead. That He is equally God as the Father and the Spirit, but in person is wholly distinct from the Father and the Spirit. c. The mystery of the trinity is not easily explained with any illustration known because there is nothing truly that is 1 thing in three persons. d. If you have heard of some illustration to help you understand the trinity, I can guarantee you it is a heresy that has been rejected by the church at some point. e. For instance, water – appearing in 3 forms as gas, liquid, and ice yet all being water. This is the heresy of modalism. That God exists in three modes at a time. f. Or the egg; that shell, white and yolk remain one egg. This is the heresy of partialism. That God is three parts of one whole. g. God exists as 1 God in three persons. God the Father is fully God. God the Son is fully God. God the Spirit is fully God. But God the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. God the Son is not the Spirit. And God is one. h. There is literally nothing on earth like this. So we must receive this teaching by faith. But to aid our faith the Father has given us the Son, who after dying was raised from the dead on the third day and was proven then to be the unique and eternally begotten Son of God. i. We also must confess that Jesus was Fully God and fully man. j. He did not empty out some Godness to pour in a little humanity. Instead, Christ has two natures. God and Man. They are joined together but not mixed. k. Much like man has body and soul. They are not mixed but they are joined. So also Jesus is God and man. And I say is… because He is still all God and All man. l. Jesus took a human nature and added it to His divine nature in order to save us… m. He did not recover from that. n. He is still a Man… acting as our High Priest, King, and prophet. o. In order to be a true Christian and receive true saving faith – you must be found believing all of this. p. The second teaching we must be found believing if we have true faith is this… 3.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that we are saved by grace alone. a. Grace is God's power to do in us something that we could not do on our own. b. The bible describes us as dead in sin. It describes us as lost. It describes us as blind. It describes us as crippled. It describes us as slaves to sin. It describes us as under wrath. c. In all of these analogies, there is but one consistent truth. There is nothing that we can do about any of these conditions. We are helpless. d. God describes what He does similarly in that they are things we cannot control or do. He describes it as wind. As new birth. As regeneration. e. This is a work of the Holy Spirit… and it must… by logical order… precede faith. f. Before we believe anything, God must have already opened up our hearts to believe it. g. When we get to Acts 16 we will actually see this spelled out quite clearly in the life of a woman named Lydia. h. God must save us by grace. And grace alone. i. Without His power to open our eyes, to wake us up, to go and find us… we are hopeless. j. And in order to be a true Christian and receive truth saving faith – you must be found believing this. k. The third teaching we must be found believing if we have true faith is this… 4.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that we are saved through faith alone in Christ alone. a. The bible uses language like receive faith or have faith. b. It tells us that faith is a gift. c. Friends saying, receive faith or have faith is a very odd expression. d. How can you hand someone faith? e. Yet we are told to have it. f. Even here Paul says those who are believing (already believing) are justified. He speaks of faith as something you either have or you don't. g. That is because even our faith is not something we conjure from within us. h. It is a gift of God which He offers of His own free will. i. We believe because He has given us the faith to believe. j. The way God joins us to the work of His Son, the way He puts us under His representation instead of Adam's is by first bringing us to life (for in Adam we are dead) and through faith he unites us to Christ and His work for us. k. We trust Him and what He's done because no works of our own add anything. In fact, they would only take away from His perfect obedience. l. So, those who have received this faith from God – lean in to that. Hard. m. Dressed in His righteousness alone – faultless stand before the throne. n. We have no work to offer… and God requires no work. Only trust. Only belief. Specifically, belief and trust in Christ's perfect obedience and submission to Him. o. And in order to be a true Christian and to have recieved true faith that unites to Christ – you must be found believing this. p. The final teaching we must be found believing if we have true faith is this… 5.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that Jesus was crucified as the penal substitute for our sin. a. Although the atonement of Christ no doubt accomplished a great many things. We must believe at least one thing about the atonement if we have truly received faith that binds us to Christ. b. We must believe that being all God He was able in His death to endure the full and complete wrath of God poured out on Him for every sin we have ever or will ever commit. That God cannot punish us for our sins any more because the punishment has been paid in full. Extinguished. Emptied. c. For those in Christ… there is no more wrath left. d. We also must believe that He was our perfect substitute, being all man so He could obey the law in our place and also die in our place. e. He now, therefore, stands like Adam as our representative but one who has endured. f. He kept the whole law and died to save many who didn't. g. And in order to be a true Christian and receive true saving faith – you must be found believing this. h. If we are found believing this… there is a teaching here which brings all true Christians great comfort. 6.) [Slide 17] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” We must rejoice anew in the gift of our salvation. a. Regardless of whether you are believing this for the first time or if you have believed for decades – LET THIS GREAT GIFT HIT YOU SQUARE BETWEEN THE EYES! b. Rejoice with me c. Hallelujah! d. What a Savior! e. My friends. I said to rejoice with me! f. Hallelujah! g. What a Savior! [Slide 18(blank)] Let me close with a Puritan's prayer. Author of all existence, source of all blessedness, we adore You for making us capable of knowing You, for giving us reason and conscience, for leading us to desire You; We praise You for the revelation of Yourself in the gospel, for Your heart as a dwelling place of pity, for Your thoughts of peace towards us, for Your patience and Your graciousness, for the vastness of Your mercy. You have moved our consciences to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May we be always among those who not only hear but know You, who walk with and rejoice in You, who take You at Your word and find life there. Keep us always longing for a present salvation in the Holy Spirit's comforts and rejoicings, for spiritual graces and blessings, for help to value our duties as well as our privileges. May we cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character. Help us to be in reality before You as in appearance we are before men, to be religious before we profess religion, to leave the world before we enter the church, to set our affections on things above, to shun forbidden follies and vanities, to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace, to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good. O God, make us worthy of this calling, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in us and we in Him. For it is in His name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: May the God who wipes out your transgressions, for His sake, And will not remember your sins, Continually set you free from the burdens common to men, That you might praise His name. And that the righteous may gather around the Lord, Who has dealt bountifully with you. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

Ep 201: Insights with Lisa A. Callif: Safeguarding Your Creative Work in Filmmaking

Filmmaking Conversations Podcast with Damien Swaby

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2024 40:10

Today, we have an exceptional episode lined up for you. Joining Damien is the talented Lisa A. Callif, an expert in copyright law. Lisa will share her invaluable insights on a topic every filmmaker needs to understand – navigating the complex world of copyright, fair use, and protecting your creative work.Main Discussion Points:Whether you're an emerging filmmaker or a seasoned professional, understanding these legal intricacies is crucial to ensuring your projects are safeguarded from legal pitfalls.We'll dive into a detailed discussion on the 1976 Copyright Act, its implications for modern filmmakers, and the importance of protecting your creative work from inception to distribution. Lisa will also touch on international copyright issues and provide practical advice on drafting collaboration agreements, ensuring your projects run smoothly and legally.We'll explore critical aspects of fair use and how the 1976 Copyright Act has shaped the way filmmakers protect their work. Plus, Lisa will share insights on automatic copyright protection and the importance of registering your work to strengthen your legal standing.Book Recommendation: Additionally, Damien will share his experience with Lisa's highly recommended book, Clearance and Copyright, which has been an invaluable resource for him and promises to be for all filmmakers, especially those working on documentaries.Insightful Exchange: Lisa discusses the significance of the 1976 Copyright Act's life plus 70 years provision, shedding light on the balance between protecting creative works and public domain considerations globally. She also explains the complexities filmmakers face when dealing with international copyright laws and specific case examples, such as the challenges surrounding characters like Robin Hood in different territories.Collaboration Insights: Addressing the essential elements of collaboration agreements in filmmaking, Lisa emphasizes the importance of documenting agreements early to prevent disputes later on. She outlines key clauses including decision-making processes, profit sharing, and dispute resolution, highlighting their critical role in maintaining project integrity and relationships.Conclusion: So grab your notepads, filmmakers, because you won't want to miss this informative episode packed with essential knowledge for your creative journey.W: https://donaldsoncallifperez.com/attorneys/lisa-a-callif/Clearance & Copyright Everything You Need to Know for Film, Television, and Other Creative Content: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Clearance--Copyright-by-Michael-C-Donaldson-Lisa-A-Callif-Christopher-L-Perez-Michael-C-Donaldson/9781935247296Filmmaking Conversations – where creativity meets clarity.Previous Guests Highlights:James David Redding III: Emmy Award winner for his work on "The Queen's Gambit."Donald Sylvester: Academy Award winner for Best Sound Editing for "Ford v Ferrari."Damien Swaby Social Media Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmmaker_damien_swaby/Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FDamienSwabyAlso, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: The People of Brixton https://www.kweli.tv/watch/kweli/the-people-of-brixton

44 Acts 13:13-26 Perfect Record

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 50:25

Title: Perfect Record Text: Acts 13:13-26 FCF: We often struggle paying attention to the glorious message of our faithful God's salvation of His people. Prop: Because God has always provided for and protected His people and most perfectly in the gospel, we must believe Him. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 13. In a moment we will read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 13. You can follow along in the version you prefer. Last week we saw how the Lord actively expanded His church by sending Barnabas and Saul west to take the gospel to new people and places. Saul, also known as Paul, has a confrontation with a sorcerer and blinds him. As a result of this sign miracle, the proconsul of the Roman province becomes a Christian. But this is only the first leg of their missionary journey. Now Saul, Barnabas, and John Mark head North, crossing the Mediterranean sea to what was then Southern Galatia. It is here that Paul will preach his first recorded sermon in the book of Acts. The similarities to Peter's first sermon are remarkable. What will he preach and to whom will he preach it? Let's look. Stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Our great Comforter, speak peace to your people, to your saints; show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Revive us again with your Word today, that we may rejoice in you. In is in Jesus' name we ask this. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] How do we know that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow? How do we know that when we attempt to draw air into our lungs that there will be oxygen available for us? How do we know that we can plant crops in the ground and the rain will fall on them and cause them to grow? While true that we could study the stars and our world and perform many scientific tests to ensure that such things are true… in reality we all knew long before we were able to read that these things were certain. Why? Well by the time you are 3 years old, you've seen the sun come up, every single day without fail, over a thousand times. After three years of life as a wised toddler living in Michigan, you have seen over 400 days of rain. That means that every day you lived in those three years, you saw a rainy day about 40% of the time. Almost a coin flip's chance. And in those three years, you have taken about 21,024,000 breaths. And each one gave you oxygen without any of them failing. How do we know that all these will happen? Because they have never failed. Does it not stand to reason that the God who set up these systems is equally as reliable? Does it not stand to reason that He is able to do all He has already done and more? That is Paul's sermon… That is what He preaches today to the Jews. And we would be wise… to listen. I.) God has always provided for and protected His chosen people, so we must believe Him. (13-18) a. [Slide 3] 13 - Now after Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. i. Notice Luke points out a subtle shift in leadership of this missionary team. ii. Before it seemed to be right to call Saul Barnabas' companion. But now Barnabas and John Mark are Paul's companions. iii. [Slide 4] The preaching of Paul and the miracles performed in Paphos seems to have shifted the leadership of this mission's team. iv. Pamphylia, as you can see on the map, is located on the southern coast of Modern Turkey. v. This entire region would be known as Galatia. It would be to these churches, after his missionary journey comes to a close, that Paul writes his first letter to the Galatians just before the Jerusalem council convenes in AD 49. vi. Last week I misspoke and said that the missionary journey took place in AD 40. I meant to say, and my notes said, AD 48. And probably very early in AD 48 at that. So apologies for the confusion. vii. But here we see that John Mark left Paul and Barnabas and went back to Jerusalem. viii. In Acts 13, Luke does not get into any details of this departure. In fact, we could read this as if it was a planned departure. ix. However, we will learn in chapter 15 that Paul sees this as a desertion. x. Speculation abounds as to why John left them. xi. Some say perhaps he resented Paul taking leadership of the group over his cousin Barnabas. Some say he grew fearful. Perhaps his mother was ill. We simply do not know. xii. What we do know is that Paul and Barnabas must continue on without him. b. [Slide 5] 14 - But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And on the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down. i. [Slide 6] One potential item of confusion we face here is the question, why did Paul and Barnabas trek all the way up to Pisidian Antioch, through the mountains, passing several highly populated cities in the area, in order to reach this city. ii. The road would not have been easy and the elevation would have been around 4300 feet above sea level. iii. There have been two suggestions put forward by scholars. 1. From many recent archeological discoveries it seems that Sergius Paulus, the proconsul in Paphos who became a Christian, had a family estate around the city of Pisidian Antioch. It is possible that he gave Paul and Barnabas letters of introduction so they could receive safe passage to and in the city itself. 2. Also, because Paul references in Galatians 4 that when he first came to preach the gospel to the people in this area, he was very sick, and that sickness affected his eyes to some extent, the common scholarly suggestion is that somewhere, either on the boat or on Cyprus, Paul contracted Malaria. Since Malaria is a parasitic infection of the red blood cells, and a common treatment for this is to move to colder and higher altitude climates preventing the parasite from gestating quickly in the body, this may be another reason that Paul and Barnabas chose Pisidian Antioch. 3. But for me it makes most sense that probably both of these worked hand in hand. 4. No doubt Paul and Barnabas intended to get to Pisidian Antioch eventually, using the papers they had received from Sergius Paullus to travel there, but because of his illness they may have altered their itinerary to go straight to the city. iv. As the capital of southern Galatia, Antioch, commonly called Pisidian Antioch to differentiate it from other Antiochs around the Empire, was another large city. v. We see very clearly the methodology of this first missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas sought out the largest cities to share the gospel. vi. It is in these large cities that they would be guaranteed to find a significant Jewish population and synagogue, along with many other people to share the gospel with. vii. [Slide 7] Having no doubt arrived on a day other than the Sabbath, they probably had made introductions to various Jewish people throughout the city. So, on the Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas go into the synagogue and sit down. c. [Slide 8] 15 - And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” i. Here we see that this synagogue operated in a similar way to others around the empire. ii. A reading from the scriptures, probably one from each major section, the law, prophets, perhaps a psalm or proverb. iii. After this, the floor would be offered to someone to give a homily based on the text that was read. iv. Here we see that the synagogue officials pass Paul and Barnabas a message to indicate that they were welcome to share an exhortation. v. Why them? Aren't they the new comers? vi. Either Paul revealed that the was a student of Gamaliel, which would have made him a highly prized speaker, or that Barnabas was a Levite, which would have also occupied a prominent position to teach. vii. No doubt Barnabas deferred to Paul who was the better speaker. d. [Slide 9] 16 - So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: i. Paul wastes no time. ii. I'm sure he was chomping at the bit to share the gospel. iii. In all of his travels, and despite his reputation for going to the gentiles, Paul consistently has a heart for his own people to know that their Messiah had come. iv. Unfortunately, as we will see, they didn't love him for his concern. v. Paul addresses the sermon that follows to both the Men of Israel and also to those who fear God. Probably Gentile God-Fearers who were also among them in the synagogue. vi. The way Luke has structured Paul's sermon here conforms to a form of homiletical style that would have been commonly used in synagogues in those days. vii. Verse 16 consists of the preamble. viii. It is here that Paul addresses his audience and pleads with them to listen to him. e. [Slide 10] 17 - “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and lifted up the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. i. Next, Paul moves into another division of the homily where he recounts biblical data or history in order to establish a point. ii. With a birds-eye-view of the sermon we see that it encompasses a quick summation of the history of Israel up to David and the promise for one of his descendants to reign forever as King of Israel. iii. There are two primary emphasizes of the sermon. 1. God is the benevolent, faithful, sovereign giver and keeper of His chosen people. 2. His people continue to distrust and even work against Him. iv. In this opening remark, Paul points out how God chose the fathers of this people Himself. This is no doubt a reference to Abraham who was from the land of Ur which is modern day Iraq. v. God made a nation for Himself rather than selecting a nation that already existed. He did this by calling Abraham out from among the other nations. vi. Fast forwarding a number of years Paul shows that God continued in faithfulness to His people. vii. There is another theme that will come up several times in Paul's sermon. God lifting or raising someone. viii. In this case He is said to lift his people or to make them great. Probably meaning to increase them in number. ix. He is also said to lead them out of slavery to Egypt by His uplifted arm. Again, the imagery of raising them. x. It is by the hand of God that they were led out – and not by Moses or any human representative. A point that many Jews would not have argued with in theory but they did tend to think of Moses as almost infallible. f. [Slide 11] 18 - “And for a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. i. The word “put up with” is 1 letter away from another word “cared for” or “nurtured”. ii. Manuscript evidence is split almost down the middle with a slight edge being given to the former. iii. It is worth noting that although scholars are split on which word goes here, translators are almost unanimous that it should be “put up with”. iv. Both are certainly true, but looking at the general tenor of the sermon, it seems best that Paul subtly indicates the rebellion and disbelief of the people here. v. God put up with them for 40 years in the wilderness as they continued to distrust Him even though He had proven to be faithful to them. g. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: So again, we see Luke emphasize, this time through the sermon of Paul, that God has always been the sovereign provider and protector of His people. He chose this nation and made them great. He lifted them out of slavery and bore with them in the wilderness. Despite the unfaithfulness of the people, God continues to give and provide so that His promises would be true and His name would be glorified. In the sermon thus far, what has Paul called on his hearers to do? He has called on them to listen. Not just to hear… but to pay attention. To take heed. It would be wise for us to observe, to listen, to learn, and believe that God is faithful to His promises and will accomplish what He has decreed. He is faithful though all else be unfaithful. This must be believed. Transition: [Slide 13 (blank)] So, this is the God that He has been. That is all well and good Paul. But what about today? He rescued us from Egypt but then we were stuck in the wilderness for 40 years. It kinda feels like we are in a wilderness now. The Romans are vile yet they control the world. Where is our King that is supposed to reign forever? Where is our Messiah? Where is that Servant that the Rabbis keep insisting is coming to save us? This God you speak of is stuck in the past. II.) This same God now sends the message of salvation to us, so we must believe Him. (19-26) a. [Slide 14] 19 - “And when He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took about 450 years. 20 “After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. i. Again, Paul returns to the faithfulness of the Lord. ii. Even though the people waged war against these seven nations, Paul puts the glory squarely on the shoulders of God as He destroyed them in order to provide an inheritance for this people. iii. From the beginning of the Egyptian enslavement to the taking of the promised land it took around 450 years. iv. Then the Lord GAVE judges and Samuel the prophet. v. Yet another theme arises in Paul's sermon. vi. God as a giver. vii. God not only chooses and raises up he also provides and gives. viii. He gave them judges and prophets… Human guides to keep them from straying. b. [Slide 15] 21 - “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. i. Once again Paul returns to the Israelites. ii. Just like in the wilderness they refuse to trust God alone and want to be a nation like all the other nations around them. iii. They desire a King to rule over them and are not satisfied with God ruling. They aren't even satisfied with the judges and prophet that God had given them. iv. So, God gives them Saul the son of Kish, of Benjamin. v. God allows this man to rule for 40 years. vi. Notice how in each illustration Paul gives of the people's unfaithfulness, they are judged for a generation, for 40 years the Lord puts up with the poor decisions of His people. vii. But… c. [Slide 16] 22 - “And after He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, about whom He also said, bearing witness, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.' i. Paul strings together quotes from I Sam 13 and Psalm 89 to make his point here. ii. God's faithfulness again becomes the theme. iii. God finds and raises up a man after His own heart. iv. Just as God rescued them from Egypt by raising them up out of slavery, so God rescues them from a faithless monarch by raising up one who is righteous. v. A man who does His will. A man completely different from Saul. vi. God gives them David, who is without question the greatest King Israel had ever had from a spiritual perspective. d. [Slide 17] 23 - “From the seed of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, 24 after John had preached before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 “And as John was fulfilling his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of His feet.' i. As just another in a long list of God's faithfulness, God having promised to David a descendant that would reign forever on the throne of Israel, has provided that seed. ii. Jesus, the Savior has come. iii. His way was prepared by the coming of John the Baptist – the greatest prophet of the Old Testament who preached a baptism of repentance to prepare the hearts of the people to receive their own Messiah. iv. John's message was for all of Isarel. That all of Israel needed to turn from their sin and come to God. They needed this One whom he announced. Their hearts would be prepared to receive Him when they turned from their sin in the waters of baptism. v. Though many questioned it, John himself said that he was not the One who was to come but the One who came after him was much greater than he. vi. That is, this Jesus of Nazareth. vii. This is the promised descendant of David. viii. Jesus is the next and final step in the fulfillment of the promises God made to Israel. e. [Slide 18] 26 - “Brothers, sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God, to us the word of this salvation was sent. i. Paul again engages with his audience. ii. This is a pivot point in the sermon. Paul has left the biblical and historical data to make a proposition which flows from all that he has just said. iii. What is that proposition? iv. He reminds them that this final showing of God's faithfulness to them had come in their time. v. That whether they were children of Abraham's family or God-Fearers, the word of this salvation has come to them at this time. vi. In essence what he is going to attempt to prove in the next several verses, is that not only is Jesus this descendant, this seed, the promised Messiah, but that He is also the suffering Servant and the Savior. A role which is always attributed to God in the Old Testament, thus establishing not only His Messiahship but also his Divinity. Everything the Father is, the Son is. vii. Unfortunately, we must save his proof of this proposition for next week. f. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: The same God who raised up Isarel from nothing to give them inheritance in a land and a great King like David, has also raised up for them a Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. He sent them a prophet to prepare them for His coming, and has accomplished their salvation in their very day. Many to whom Paul preached that day were no doubt alive 15 years before when Jesus was crucified. Not only has God provided and protected His covenant people in the past… but He has even now, this very day, provided salvation and protection to them through Jesus of Nazareth.. Once again, the command in this text thus far is simply to listen. To take heed. To pay attention. It is the most important set of truths that you could ever hear. God is faithful and has provided the word or message of this salvation to us. Give ear and take heed. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned and how shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 20] Paul's sermon opens up addressing his kinsmen with the reality of God's enduring and faithful hand of provision and protection over them, not only to their ancestors but even to the very moment he preached to them in that synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. God has provided and protected His people, giving and raising them up from various perils, but today, He gives His greatest gift to them. Today, God raises them up from their greatest enemy. Today, God sends word of their salvation. God has truly and finally protected His true people. He has truly and finally provided all His true people will ever need. Paul's only word of exhortation so far to them has been… to listen. To take heed. To accept, to believe, and to respond in that belief. That same God, that faithful provider and protector, who sent this message to these first century people… He is the same today as He has always been. He sends to us the same gospel the same good news… the same message of salvation. We too must listen. We must hear and heed. We must believe. In only a half sermon, where simple belief in historical fact is so far the application, we may leave feeling a little lost in how exactly we are to respond to Paul's message. So let me do my best to get a little more practical with you today and apply this to our lives right now. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God will always keep His promises to provide for and protect His people because He has always done so. a. What God commands us to believe in the Word of God is not baseless conclusions requiring blind faith. b. God has recorded for us in His Word His dealings with mankind. c. He has proven Himself over and over again to be working for the sake of His own name and to preserve for Himself a remnant. d. He has shown time and time again His faithfulness to that remnant preserving them through the greatest trials and tests and delivering them safely to the other side. e. He has given gifts and people to lead them to spiritual purity. f. He has raised them up out of darkness and spiritual debauchery. g. God faithfully walks with His people rescuing and redeeming them even from their own unbelief. h. My friends, God is always faithful. i. He has loyal love for His people. j. With all of this backdrop, and upon this foundation, the promises of God are laid. k. The promise of salvation through Christ's penal substitutionary atonement for His people is all based upon His track record at protecting and providing for His people. l. As soon as all mankind fell, did He not promise to send a descendant of the woman that would crush the head of the serpent? Did He not clothe them in animal skins as a picture, not only of penalty for sin, but also of substitution as the animal skin covered them? m. And after thousands of years, did He not preserve and deliver on His promises that the Scepter would never depart from Judah? That there would be a prophet like Moses but greater? That there would be a future Savior lifted up on a pole to which they could look to for salvation? n. My friends… everything that has happened, everything that God has done, has proven over and over again that His promises are iron clad. They cannot be broken. o. And that means when God said “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased,” when Jesus said that He and the Father are one, when the Spirit opens the eyes of the blind and regenerates the hearts of the spiritually dead only to proclaim that Christ has been crucified for them… p. Such promises must be believed. For God has never failed to keep a promise. And He never will. q. So when we face times of great suffering or opposition… what then? 2.) [Slide 22] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God has departed or left us during times of great suffering or cultural opposition. a. My friends it is foolishness to doubt the ever present hand of God on us. b. In good times or bad. In suffering or comfort. In reception or rejection… our God is with us. Always. c. He promised He would be. d. Though we be blind to his presence. Though we be deaf to His comforting voice. Though we be numb to His hands holding us. Though our mouths be full of bitterness and we cannot taste that He is good. Though our nose be full of the stench of death, and we cannot breathe in the refreshing wind of His Spirit's strength… e. Though all our senses be dead to Him… He has not left us. And He never will. f. Though all the world hunt us unto death – He is there with us when our last breathe is released. g. Though we lose everything we have held dear and watch it all crumble to dust, He has kept us from becoming dust as well. h. My friends. If you are His child… He will never forsake you. Why? i. Because Christ took every reason God would forsake you on the cross. He cried out “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!” So that you and I would never be able to say the same! j. Even when we sin my friends. God is not far off. We have walked away but He won't let us go far. He stands ready to forgive and cleanse us from our sin. k. This is His relationship to the bride of His Son. For Christ's Sake… we are never forsaken. l. And that means we should stop doing something… 3.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop neglecting or doubting the promises that God has yet to fulfill. a. There are many promises that we as God's people are still waiting to see fulfilled. b. We await the fullest installment of the Kingdom of God. c. We await the return of our Lord to reclaim His people and His world. d. We await the final defeat of sin and the forces of darkness. e. We await the New Kingdom and our Eternal life with Him. f. We await Justice g. We await peace h. We await love… TRUE LOVE that we've never truly known i. We await tearless, painless, sinless, living. j. We await satisfaction in work. k. We await the wedding feast with our Groom l. We await the words “Well done my good and faithful servant.” m. But while we wait, we are surrounded on all sides with injustice, war, hate, pain, tears, sin, death, dissatisfaction, emptiness, loneliness, the appearance that the forces of darkness are winning and the Kingdom is far from here. n. Oh, we may be tempted to see the waves all around us as we try to walk to Jesus. o. And if we have shallow roots in rocky soil our hearts may wither under the heat of suffering. p. And if we are so wrapped up in the cares of the world and distracted by lesser things, we might be choked out from the promises of heaven. q. Oh, we might fear that we might lose all that the Father has given us so we bury it and think that He will be pleased with no return on His investment. r. Oh, my friends we might be those bridesmaids who thought they had enough oil to last until the Groom returned… and rather than getting more they depleted it all before he came. s. Do not doubt my friends the promises we have yet to receive. Why? t. Because unlike us…our God does not lie! Our God's promises are always fulfilled! u. He will keep them. Be ready. 4.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must continue to pay attention and take heed of the truth of the gospel verified by all of history. a. Believer or unbeliever... b. The gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners is a message, a word, that cannot be ignored. c. All of history has flowed to and from this event. All of history has culminated and exploded from this one point. d. God's promises finally fulfilled and expanded. e. Are you an unbeliever here today? Have you never received this truth that Christ was crucified for sinners? Have you never realized that you are such a sinner. A vile, wicked and hopeless creature devoid of anything good, unable to please God with your good works, unwilling to approach the true God of the bible for fear He'd take over your life. Are you such a sinner? f. Now you have heard the gospel truth proven by all of history. g. Today God has sent His message of salvation. God has sent a Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, to trade the sins of His people for His righteousness. He has come to release them from the family of Satan and adopt them into His family as heirs. h. If the Holy Spirit has awakened you today to see this truth… i. Take heed. Listen. And Believe. j. Believe such things as you believe in oxygen. Believe such things as you believe that the sun will rise and that rain will fall. k. Believe these truths in such a way that you depend on them for life. l. Yield your entire being to such truths today. m. God is calling. Do not neglect such a call. n. But what about for believers? 5.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God has sent the message of salvation to us. a. Oh my friends… b. God has sent the message of salvation to us. c. Who here is worthy of such a message? d. Who here loved God first before He loved you? e. Who here can claim that God never revealed the truth to us we simply knew Him from birth? f. Who here can claim that they had only barely sinned and God needed to cover but a small amount to reconcile them to Himself? g. Who here is a Jew of the family of Abraham? h. Oh my friends. To merely have heard the message of salvation… is a grace beyond measure. For none of us even deserve to hear it. i. Christ crucified for sinners. Oh what a glorious message. Christ crucified for sinners. Oh what a glorious word. j. That you have heard it – is a blessing. That you believe it… is a miracle of God. k. Believer… Let the message of the gospel wash over you again and again. May your repentance of the sin that made it necessary continue. And may the grace that made it possible endure. l. Let it sweep you away into heavenly rapture… that God has given you this message and you have received it… m. Christ was crucified for sinners. Us. [Slide 26(end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church Father Gregory of Nyssa. Surely, Lord, you are the pure and eternal fountain of goodness. You were right to turn away from us, and in lovingkindness you had mercy on us. You hated, and were reconciled. You cursed, and blessed. You banished us from paradise, and called us back. You stripped off the fig leaves— an unattractive covering-and put on us an expensive garment. You opened the prison, and released the condemned. You sprinkled us with clean water, and cleansed us from our filthiness. Adam will no longer be bewildered when you call. He will no longer hide himself, convicted by his conscience, cowering in the thicket of paradise. The flaming sword will no longer surround paradise, cutting off the entrance to those who draw near. All is now turned to joy for those of us who were once heirs of sin. We can now walk in paradise-heaven itself. And the creation once in conflict with itself, in the world and above the world, is now knit together in friendship. We humans now join in the angels' song, offering worship of praise to God. For all these things let us sing to God that hymn of joy-a song which lips touched by the Spirit long ago sang loudly in Isaiah 61:10: "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" And surely the one who adorns the bride is Christ, who was, and is, and will be blessed now and for evermore. Amen. Benediction: May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May His goodness and lovingkindness follow you and continually preserve you So that you can say, the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Until We Meet Again… Go in Peace

Day 2375 – Wisdom Nuggets – Ecclesiastes 6:1-9 – Daily Wisdom

Wisdom-Trek ©

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2024 4:00 Transcription Available

Welcome to Day 2375 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Wisdom Nuggets – Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2375 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2375 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today's Wisdom Nugget, I will guide you through the vast landscapes of biblical wisdom. Today, we're continuing our exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes. We'll be delving into Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 from the New Living Translation. Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 (NLT): 10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny. 11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they? 12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone? Acceptance of Destiny: Solomon begins by acknowledging the predetermined nature of human destiny. He says that everything has already been decided, and it was known long ago what each person would be. Therefore, there's no use arguing with God about your destiny. The Futility of Many Words: Solomon then reflects on the futility of many words. He observes that the more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they? Uncertainty of Life: He contemplates life's uncertainty, noting our existence's brevity and meaninglessness. Solomon questions how our days can best be spent in the few days of our meaningless lives. Life's Transience: He compares our lives to a shadow, fleeting and insubstantial. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone? Key Takeaways: As we reflect on Solomon's words, there are several key takeaways we can glean: Acceptance of Destiny: Solomon encourages us to accept our predetermined destiny, as it was known long ago by God. The Futility of Many Words: He reflects on the futility of many words, noting that the more we speak, the less our words mean. Uncertainty of Life: Solomon contemplates the brevity and meaninglessness of life, questioning how our days can best be spent. Life's Transience: He compares our lives to a shadow, acknowledging their fleeting and insubstantial nature. Conclusion: So, as we continue our journey, let's remember to accept our destiny and make the most of our time. Let's be mindful of the words we speak, and let's not be consumed by the uncertainty of life. Join me next time as we delve further into the book of Ecclesiastes. Until then, keep seeking wisdom, keep making the most of each day, and keep making a positive impact on the world around you. Reflect… If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.'. Thank you so...

god uncertainty acceptance ecclesiastes denver nuggets trek nlt futility your guide gramps new living translation daily wisdom conclusion so guthrie chamberlain wisdom trek

40 Acts 12:1-5 You Will Be Hated

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2024 40:43

Title: You Will Be Hated Text: Acts 12:1-5 FCF: We often struggle enduring persecution. Prop: Because the world will hate followers of Christ, we must endure suffering while seeking the Lord for relief. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 12. In a moment we will read the text from the Legacy Standard bible. You can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1244 or in whatever version you prefer. Today continues the previous episode. While the church in Antioch experiences trouble in the form of spiritual immaturity, rejection and temptations toward selfishness, the church in Jerusalem faces a much greater form of trouble. Persecution. And although they have dealt with persecution before, it has never been to this degree nor has it been so widely accepted. But, as the gospel continues to expand to more cultures, lands, and peoples – should we really be shocked that the church is experiencing growing and intensifying hatred? No, we shouldn't. In fact, we should trust the words of our Savior when He said, as the world has hated me, they will also hate you. Stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Lord, You are a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. We call upon Your name today and seek Your face. Visit us that we might rest again under the shadow of Your wings and worship at Your feet. In Jesus name… Amen. Transition: Let us move directly to the text this morning starting in verse 1. I.) As the world hated Christ, it will hate His church, we must suffer for righteousness' sake. (1-3a) a. [Slide 2] 1 – Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. i. Who is this Herod, and what is happening here that Luke doesn't tell us? ii. Remember back in chapter 9 we discussed why the church was able to have relative peace from the Jewish religious leaders. iii. In examining that, we stated that the greatest opportunity for the Religious Leaders to put down the movement was Saul. Now that Saul was converted to the Nazarian Sect, there was little hope for them to stop or even slow it down. iv. However, we mentioned that the next opposition that the church would face would be from the political realm. Outside of the Jewish Religious authority. And in a real way, much more dangerous than the Jewish Religious authority. v. We talked about how Herod Antipas ruled over Judea until Caligula became Emperor. Caligula banished Herod Antipas after he became emperor around AD 39. vi. We didn't talk about why Caligula banished him though. vii. Caligula, prior to becoming Emperor of Rome, happened to befriend Herod Agrippa the First – which was Herod Antipas' nephew. Herod Agrippa the First accused Herod Antipas of conspiracy against Caligula. viii. So, when Herod Antipas came to Caligula asking for more territory, Caligula banished him instead, believing Herod Agrippa's accusation of conspiracy. ix. And guess who inherited Antipas' territory after he was banished? Yep. Herod Agrippa the First. x. But Herod, which is what I will call Herod Agrippa the first for the rest of the sermon, continued to establish friendships with important people. xi. At a party Caligula being quite intoxicated, offered Herod anything he asked for as a show of friendship. Herod being a Jew, and quite a good one at that, requested that Caligula remove his image from the temple in Jerusalem. A request that Caligula granted. xii. This gained Herod a good deal of respect and credit in Jerusalem. xiii. However, later in Caligula's reign he again tried to desecrate the temple with his image. xiv. A short time later, with the help of Herod, Claudius, Caligula's uncle, took the role of Emperor of Rome after Caligula was assassinated. xv. As a reward for helping him, Claudius granted rulership over all the lands in Samaria and Judea to Herod. xvi. For the first time since Herod the Great, Herod's grandfather, All of Judea and Samaria was under the rule of one man… called Herod, the King. xvii. As I mentioned before, He was considered by all accounts to be a good Jew. xviii. He was particularly close to the Pharisee party but played politician to the Sadducees as well. xix. He upheld the feasts, the temple system, the law to a certain degree, and generally acted favorably toward the Religious Leaders. xx. Supporting Claudius over Caligula and calling for the removal of the image of the Emperor from the temple only served to endear him to the Jewish people whom he ruled. xxi. But why at this time was he pursuing people of the church? xxii. Many scholars suggest that because of Peter's eating with Cornelius and the new disposition of the church toward Gentiles, the Jews who lived in relative peace with the church up to this point, now began to believe their religious leaders about how dangerous the Nazarian sect was. xxiii. And even though Herod had many affinities for Greek and Roman culture himself, Jewish people could overlook that in a civil magistrate put in place by Rome. xxiv. The religious unrest over the church's treatment of Gentiles became so disrupting that Herod had to take action against the church to quell the growing hostilities. b. [Slide 3] 2 – And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. i. Who is James the brother of John? ii. While there are several James' in the scriptures there is only one said to have been the brother of John. iii. He was called a Son of Thunder. Also, James the Greater (meaning the older). iv. He was a member of the inner circle of Christ which consisted of James, his brother John, and Peter. v. In short, James the greater was a primary member of the Apostolic church. He with his brother and Peter featured prominently in the gospels. vi. This is a big and bold move by Herod. To capture and execute an apostle of the church, especially one so prominent, would embolden the church's enemies and foment more persecution. vii. Much ink has been spilled to try to understand what it may mean that Herod put James to death by the sword. 1. Some suggest that this is a political execution, which would mean Herod was executing James purely because of the unrest the church was causing Judea and nothing to do with the religious beliefs of the church. 2. Others suggest that such a death, especially by decapitation, would have indicated that Herod took an official position that the church was a heresy and James was an apostate of Judaism. 3. I can't really decide between them because both are very plausible and well-supported. 4. It is good for us to know both options, but in reality, neither may be correct. We simply don't have the historical evidence to know for certain one way or another. viii. And so, the church, for a brief time, had peace… but now that seems to be evaporating. ix. Especially because of how the Jews reacted to the death of James… c. [Slide 4] 3a – And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. i. One commentator pointed out that this is the first time in Acts that the word “Jews” has been used negatively. ii. Why were the events of chapter 10 and 11 so pivotal? Why did Luke record the details several times? Because it changed forever the relationship between the church and Judaism. iii. The church is now utterly distinct from Judaism. And although Jews may see the Nazarian Sect as a heretical cult of Judaism – Gentiles see them as something completely distinct from Judaism. And to add insult to Jewish injury, the Gentiles are calling them Christ -ians. Of The Messiah. iv. Perhaps that helps us to understand why putting James to death was a very popular move for Herod to make. v. The religious leaders of the Jews and even the people themselves who had heard the gospel and not converted to Christ, were growing tired of this heretical sect. vi. And if Herod got such approval from killing James… imagine what it would do for his popularity if he could kill Peter too! vii. The one who started this whole mess of eating with Gentiles! What if Herod killed him? viii. He'd be the most beloved King the Jews have had in a very long time. Greater even than Herod the Great. d. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: Expanding on last week's sermon, we see Luke intensify the truth that the church will experience trouble in this world. Sometimes that trouble takes on a more vicious expression. Sometimes the world will not stop at derision. Sometimes it will be popular, fun, and even noble to abuse, harm and kill the followers of Christ. Should we expect anything less? Christ predicted that as they hated Him, they would hate us. God the Spirit told Peter directly to go to Cornelius' home. And because Peter obeyed God… James is dead and Peter is in prison. My friends, obedience does not always lead to life going well. Sometimes obedience leads to suffering and even death. But what does our Lord say? “Blessed are those who suffer for righteousness' sake. Why? For theirs… is the kingdom of heaven. Transition: [Slide 6(blank)] But do we just keep a stiff upper lip? Do we just bear the cost of righteousness without attempting to get out of it? Is it right to seek to be free of suffering which has been given because of our obedience to God? II.) As the world hated Christ, it will hate His church, we must pray fervently for deliverance from suffering. (3b-5) a. [Slide 7] 3b – Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. i. What is significant about the timing? ii. Well, there are a couple items we should consider. iii. First, many Jews would be in Jerusalem during this week. It would be a prime opportunity for Jews from all over the empire to see Herod's move against the Christians. iv. Second, because it was a religious feast, and because he was a good Jew, he would not wish to interrupt the religious holiday with an execution. v. That is why we see what happens in verse 4. b. [Slide 8] 4 – When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. i. Herod would not repeat Pontius Pilate's mistake to make a martyr out of Peter. ii. Instead, he would wait until after Passover to bring him before the people. iii. To bring him before the people is not some kind of trial or getting their consent. Herod is not as weak or as powerless as Pontius Pilate. He had many of the Jews in his corner and his power rivaled Herod the Great. iv. He meant only to bring him before the people for a public execution. v. Peter was watched over by 4 squads. vi. Each squad was comprised of 4 soldiers for a total of 16 men. vii. Although it is possible that this was the number watching him at all times, more likely Herod set a squad over his watch for each watch during the night. The night watch was divided into 4; 6-9, 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6. viii. But even if we see it as 1 squad per watch, to devote an entire squad to watch him for 3 hours would have been enough to convey the importance of the prize and his intention on making sure he stayed in that jail cell. ix. Afterall, Peter has somewhat of a reputation for getting out of jail miraculously, doesn't he? He has already alluded the religious authorities by a miraculous escape from the Antonian Fortress. x. Herod does not wish to have this embarrassing event duplicated and applied to him. c. [Slide 9] 5 – So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. i. And so, it seems that Peter will join James as the second martyred apostle. ii. But then here is this little comment. A beautiful comment it is. iii. Prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. iv. There are a couple layers to this comment I want to point out. 1. First, it could be seen in contrast to James. a. We know the outcome of James and we know the outcome of Peter. b. Because of this, we may be tempted to believe that the church was not praying for James and that is why he died. c. To do this is not only to fill in what the bible has not said, but it errors a little too much on the human responsibility side and diminishes the sovereignty of God. d. [Slide 10] As one commentator put it, “Luke does not speculate over why James perished but Peter was rescued; it would be highly perverse to deduce from verse 5 that prayer was offered for Peter but not for James.” - I. Howard Marshall e. We know that God appoints unto each man a day to die and then to be judged. f. God is sovereign over life and death. g. When men murder people, we wrestle with God's sovereignty wondering how God could possibly have allowed for and even appointed someone to die by murder from another man. h. But if we allow for God's plans to be altered by men's freedom to sin, then God is not truly Sovereign over life and death as the scriptures say. i. If there are exceptions to his control, then he is not truly in control. j. Just because it is difficult or because it makes God seem less good to us, doesn't mean that God is any less in control of the death of people… even when they are murdered. k. We do not know why James was killed and Peter was delivered. But one thing we cannot do is conclude that it was ultimately up to human agency. l. For this is simply unbiblical. 2. [Slide 11] But on the other side of the coin – we should see positively the church's response to Peter's imprisonment. a. They prayed fervently. Perhaps they prayed fervently for James too? We don't know. b. But we do know they prayed fervently to God that Peter would be spared. c. God will do what He wills. We must do what He has commanded us. d. What has He told us? e. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. f. God chooses to accomplish His plan, which He made in eternity past, through the prayers of His people. g. This is what we confessed earlier about God's Providence in first and second causes. h. But why would God work His plan through our prayer ? i. To build our faith and to increase our dependance on Him. v. But… before we see if God answers their prayers… we must wrap up for today. d. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Peter is imprisoned and heavily guarded. He will be killed soon. He is hated and his death will be celebrated by most of the people in Jerusalem. The church will have trouble. The church will be hated. So, what is the church to do? Here we see that it is appropriate and even necessary to pray. We are not told for what they prayed. Perhaps they prayed that Peter would be released. Perhaps they prayed that at the execution things would somehow go in his favor. They've seen Peter talk his way out of punishment before. Perhaps the Spirit could aid him in that? Perhaps they simply prayed for mercy. In any case – they sought God fervently for this troubling time. They didn't storm the fortress. They didn't lead an uprising. They sought the Lord. We must do the same. When we are hated, persecuted, ridiculed or harmed… we must go to God for deliverance. Conclusion: So, CBC, what must we learn and how shall we live? What doctrine is highlighted here and how does it impact us? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 13] Today's doctrinal teaching is a more specific and extreme view at the same teaching from last week. The church is guaranteed to have trouble in this world. And some of that trouble will be suffering and even death. As the world has hated Christ, they will hate His people. That may begin as simple derision and insults. But taking history as a case study – this eventually and always escalates into outright persecution and harm. So, what are God's people to do when the world hates them? They are to endure suffering for living godly lives and they are to pray fervently for deliverance from suffering. But let me apply this a little more specifically and get a little personal with you this morning. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that Christianity is and will continue to be the most hated religion in the world. a. According to an organization called Open Doors and their 2024 watch list, right now, i. 1 out of every 7 Christians worldwide are persecuted for their faith. ii. 1 out of 5 are persecuted in Africa. iii. 2 in 5 in Asia. b. So far in 2024 i. Almost 5,000 Christians have been murdered for their faith. ii. Almost 15,000 church buildings have been attacked. iii. And a little over 4,000 Christians have been imprisoned. c. It is estimated that over 365 million Christians currently are suffering high levels of persecution for their faith. d. The same group tracks religious persecution in general and says that although all religions face persecution, Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. i. With 12 countries reaching extremely high levels of persecution ii. And another 39 with very high levels. e. In most of these countries, persecution of Christians is encouraged, applauded, and a path to popularity, power, and success. f. My friends… our brothers and sisters around the world are suffering and dying for Jesus. g. Therefore… 2.) [Slide 15] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that it is odd or abnormal for the world to hate the church. a. It is natural for us to conclude that persecution and hatred is a distant possibility. Not normal and even unlikely. Why? b. Because we live in a country where persecution of Christians is very light. We have a recent history of Christian values and morals. These values and morals, at least in some degree, shaped this very nation. c. But ironically, because of that heritage, persecution is ramping up in our culture. d. Our culture is obsessed with liberating and aiding those who are the most oppressed and disciplining the oppressors. What is interesting is that Christians never make the first list. Isn't that odd. e. The most persecuted religion in the world doesn't make the list of “the oppressed” that need to be aided in the USA. f. Instead, Christians are often caricatured as “the oppressors” pushing their morals and faith and worldview upon others. g. To be a Christian in this country, somehow, gives you more privileges and freedoms than to not be a Christian. h. Rather than being defended and championed by our society. We are vilified. i. But that's ok. j. Why? k. Our Lord predicted that they would hate us. So, we ought to take any time of peace, as a temporary time. Times of peace with the world are what is odd and abnormal. l. It is not odd or abnormal that the world hates the people of God. And it doesn't matter how kind, winsome, tolerant, or loving we are – they will still hate us. m. So, what should we do while we wait for the inevitable rise in persecution in our land? n. Well, here is something we should stop doing… 3.) [Slide 16] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop wasting our lives while not suffering persecution. a. Five thousand of our brothers and sisters have died for Christ in the last five and a half months. b. And we struggle to stay awake reading our bibles. c. Four thousand of our brothers and sisters have been thrown into prison because of their faith this year. d. And we fear our friends laughing at us for our faith. e. 15,000 church buildings have been attacked this year. f. And we struggle consistently showing up to our church building on time for worshipping God. A God, mind you, that we are not persecuted for worshipping. g. My friends… h. I don't think it is wise to pray for persecution or to desire it. i. But we better start using the time of peace that we have been given effectively. j. If your faith can't thrive in a time of peace – how do you hope to survive in a time of suffering? k. But if we are faithful now, what should we do when the persecution starts? 4.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must suffer for righteousness' sake and pray fervently for deliverance. a. We can try to achieve peace through political means. b. We can try to vote for the right people to take office to protect us from the hate. c. We can try to write our representatives, run for office ourselves, petition, picket, and perform non-violent protests. d. But my friends… I don't want to be a negative Norman here… but ultimately these tactics will not work. e. We have been fortunate to have relative peace for a period of almost 250 years in this country. But it will not last. The tide is turning. f. Why is that? g. Well, when your government is by the people and for the people and Jesus says that broad is the road to destruction and many go down it – it is only a matter of time for the majority opinion in such a society to be an ungodly one. h. In my lifetime and certainly in my children's, Christians will suffer increasing degrees of persecution in this country for the name of Christ. i. So, what are we to do? j. Suffer. Endure suffering for living righteous lives. Suffer for not obeying ungodly laws that force us to disobey God. Suffer for agreeing with God rather than man's wisdom. k. Suffer for prioritizing God's worship over other lesser prizes. l. Suffer for denying yourself opportunities that would replace God as top priority of your life. m. But we do not need to suffer quietly. n. We can also cry out to God for deliverance. o. As Psalm 20 says, some boast in chariots and some in horses… but we will boast in the name of Yahweh… our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright. Save O Yahweh; May the King answer us in the day we call. p. God can deliver us from persecution. So, we must pray fervently for alleviation if we are suffering for His name. q. The idea of suffering for His name is not completely a pleasant one… but the Lord comforts us with this thought. 5.) [Slide 18 (end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will bless us with His Kingdom for suffering for the sake of righteousness. a. Although we could be tempted to read this as a formula to inherit His Kingdom, in that only those who suffer for righteousness earn it… b. We are better suited to see it the other way. In that true inheritors of His Kingdom will suffer for the sake of righteousness. c. It is a characteristic that He gives His people. d. Those who are true and genuine Christians are able to endure suffering for righteousness' sake. e. For those who are truly united to Christ by faith, this provides to us immeasurable comfort. f. Although we are mostly untested, and certainly by our own strength we could not endure… God's promise to us is that He will not lose one of His own. g. We need not fear the world's hatred. Our God who has saved us will keep us and preserve us through their hatred and escort us safely to His side. h. Though we lose the whole world, we will gain eternal life. i. That is the promise for the bride of Christ. j. May the hope of that promise and our dependence on the Promise Keeper Himself propel us to bold faithfulness in the midst of great peril. Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker. How was it, dearest Jesus, that You graciously reached down to visit your chosen, even so long before your time on earth? To tell your people that your thoughts were for good, and not evil? When You appeared to Joshua in human form as Captain of the Lord's host, he instantly knew Your glorious character as Mediator, and fell to the earth in adoration. Hail then, You Almighty Lord, you Captain of the Lord's host, and of my salvation! You have entered the holy war and led captivity captive. You have fully conquered Satan and sin, and death, and hell, for Your people. And You will surely conquer all those tremendous foes of ours, in Your people, and bruise Satan under our feet shortly. Indeed, dear Lord, You have already brought them under, for by Your sovereign grace in the hearts of Your redeemed, You have made Your people "willing in the day of your power." By the sword of Your Spirit, You have convinced my soul of sin, and by the arrows of Your quiver, You have wounded my heart with deep contrition for sin. Lord, I fall before You, as Your servant Joshua did, and worship You. And with all the church of the redeemed, both in heaven and earth, we cheerfully confess "that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." It is in His name and for His sake we pray these things… Amen. Benediction: May the Lord shepherd you And make you lie down in green pastures; May he restore your soul And lead you in paths of righteousness; May he bless you and keep you and be faithful to you May he turn His face toward you and give you peace May he prepare a feast for you in the presence of the enemies of the cross And bestow his goodness and mercy on you, all the days of your life. Until we gather again tonight for the Lord's Supper… Go in peace.

Day 2368 – Wisdom Nuggets – Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 – Daily Wisdom

Wisdom-Trek ©

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 4:00 Transcription Available

Welcome to Day 2368 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Wisdom Nuggets – Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2368 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2368 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today's Wisdom Nugget, I will guide you through the vast landscapes of biblical wisdom. Today, we're exploring Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 from the New Living Translation. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 (NLT): 13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. Value of Wisdom: Solomon begins by highlighting the value of wisdom. He says it's better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. Success of a Wise Youth: Solomon illustrates this point by saying that such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, despite having been in prison. Fleeting Nature of Success: However, Solomon notes the fleeting nature of success. He says that everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces the former king. Cycle of Rejection: He observes that endless crowds stand around the new king, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. Solomon concludes that it's all meaningless—like chasing the wind. Key Takeaways: As we reflect on Solomon's words, there are a few key takeaways we can glean: Value of Wisdom: Solomon emphasizes the importance of wisdom, stating that it is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king. Potential for Success: He illustrates how a wise youth can rise from poverty and succeed, even becoming king. Fleeting Nature of Success: Solomon highlights the fleeting nature of success, noting how quickly people can be replaced and forgotten. Meaninglessness of Pursuing Power: Finally, he concludes that the pursuit of power and success is ultimately meaningless, like chasing the wind. Conclusion: So, as we navigate our own journeys, let's remember the value of wisdom. Let's seek to be wise, regardless of our station in life. And let's not be fooled by the fleeting nature of success and power. Join me next time as we continue our trek through the book of Ecclesiastes. Until then, keep seeking wisdom, keep striving for excellence, and keep making a positive impact on the world around you. Reflect… If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.'. Thank you so much for

success cycle ecclesiastes denver nuggets endless trek nlt your guide gramps new living translation meaninglessness daily wisdom conclusion so guthrie chamberlain wisdom trek

39 Acts 11:25-30 You Will Have Trouble

The Word Café Podcast with Amax

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2024 40:45

Title: You Will Have Trouble Text: Acts 11:25-30 FCF: We often struggle obeying God while we experience great trouble in this world. Prop: Because the church will always face trouble in this world, we must devote ourselves to growth and love. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 11. In a moment I'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 25. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1244 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we began a new episode in the book of Acts. The Gospel has gone forward once again, this time to Gentiles who have no familiarity or adherence to Judaism at all. Pagans. Worshippers of false gods. Debauched. Wicked. And God saved them through the Lord Jesus. Barnabas arrives and devotes himself to encouraging them in remaining faithful to the Lord. And the Lord continues to add to their numbers of those who were trusting the Lord. Today, we'll see this young church come under peril. They will face deficiencies in their maturity. They will face ridicule from those who used to be their peers. They will face their own temptations toward greed and selfishness. But by the grace of God, they will endure through these troubles and continue to obey their Lord. They will remain faithful to Him. It is a message far reaching and impactful for us today. One with many lessons for us to learn. So please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Father as Psalm 22 says, “You, O God, are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them. To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame.” Today, Your people are again gathered before Your throne, crying out for Your deliverance from their sin, trusting in Your steadfast love, and praising You for Your righteousness. Incline Your ear, O God, to hear the prayers of Your people. Accept their worship and strengthen their souls with Your presence, I pray in Jesus name…Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Although most of you probably didn't know nor do you care – this week was a bad week for video game news. In the last few years the US company Microsoft has spent over 75 billion dollars, that is billion with a B, to acquire two massive companies in the gaming world. But that wasn't the news this week. The news this week was how Microsoft now have well over 30,000 employees and many of them came from purchasing these two huge companies. What does that mean? They are being forced now to lay off people left and right. 3 studios under Bethesda were laid off this week and there is probably more to come. Added to that their sales figures have not done much to compensate their losses. Sometimes when organizations or groups grow too fast over short period of time it is difficult to train, manage, mobilize, and communicate your vision to that great number of people. Oftentimes companies lose competency, integrity, work ethic, or can't adequately transfer the passion and drive of the company to so many people all at once. This is exactly what happens to the church in Antioch. But instead of competency and integrity we are talking about spiritual maturity. Instead of work ethic we are talking about evangelism. Instead of communicating vision and passion, we are talking about love for other believers. This very young but immediately large church in Antioch is faced with a crisis. What will happen? Will they lose people like Microsoft? Let's look and see. I.) The church will always have trouble in this world, so we must devote ourselves to discipleship and evangelism. (25-26) a. [Slide 3] 25 – And he left for Tarsus to search for Saul; 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. i. Although we are only 2 chapters separated from the conversion of Saul, we must remember that it has probably been around 8 years since Saul was sent to Tarsus. ii. We'll dig into the chronology of this a little later. But for now, just realize that several years have elapsed over the last couple chapters. iii. But what was Saul doing there? We don't know. But given Saul's character, we can assume that he was no doubt preaching the gospel in his hometown in the synagogues and to the Greeks, and even the neighboring villages and towns. iv. But here is a question… why did Barnabas go to Tarsus in search of Saul in the first place? If he needed assistance there in Antioch, wouldn't it have been better to send for aid from Jerusalem? v. There are 3 primary reasons that Barnabas went looking for Saul. 1. First, pragmatically, Tarsus was only 110 miles away from Antioch. Jerusalem was 330 miles away. To send word to Jerusalem for aid or to go himself would have taken about a month, one way. He could make it to Tarsus and back in a couple weeks. 2. The second and third reason go hand in hand. a. On the one hand, we must remind ourselves who are the primary converts in Antioch? Yes. The Greeks. The Pagans. Gentiles with no Jewish affiliation or familiarity are turning to Jesus of Nazareth as their Lord and Savior. And even though you do not need to be kosher to be Christian, calling in someone who is both a Christian and an expert in Judaism would be incredibly helpful to get these Gentile Christians up to speed. b. Also, Barnabas, who vouched for Saul's conversion before Peter, certainly had some insider knowledge of the conversion of Saul. What did Jesus say about Saul? Acts 9:15 – Saul will be a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, Kings, and the sons of Israel. So not only is Saul a Christian who is an expert in Judaism – but he has been called out and chosen by Jesus to bear His name to many groups, one of which is the Gentiles. vi. Barnabas recognized that this situation was a perfect fit for Saul to jump in to. He recognized that Saul was the ideal candidate to continue to preach the gospel and teach these Gentiles the ways of God. b. [Slide 4] And it happened that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. i. And so, we see Saul and Barnabas team up to teach. ii. Notice that they are meeting with the church and teaching a great crowd. iii. Although Saul and Barnabas will get to be missionaries soon enough, we should not see their endeavor here as only evangelistic. iv. Instead, as I hinted at before, this was more likely to disciple the fledgling believers who knew almost nothing of Yahweh, His law, or the nation of Israel. v. Again, not necessary to be saved – but certainly necessary to grow in faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. vi. Much like how we grow in the knowledge of God when we study the Bible. For us, it is all culturally distant. And though knowing the intricate details of Jewish history, temple codes, or laws does not contribute to our justification – it certainly contributes to our sanctification. c. [Slide 5] And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. i. Here we see the evolution of the church. ii. As they were Jewish Christians trying to explain that Jesus was the next and final step of Judaism, they were known as the Nazarian Sect. iii. As they expanded and the Jews continued to oppose them, they became followers of The Way. iv. Now as the gospel has gone out to pagans, they have become known as Christians. v. But notice that this is what they were called and not what they called themselves. vi. What does the term Christian mean? vii. Simply it means “Of Christ.” viii. We see similar constructions and titles used to describe people who backed certain political leaders. If you backed Herod, you were a Herodian. If you back Augustus, then you are Augustian. ix. The Non-believing Jews would not have given them this title because it would suggest that they followed the true Messiah. x. The title then was probably given to them by non-believing gentiles in Antioch. xi. The title also further distinguishes and divides the church from the Jews. They are not of the Jews… they are something without ethnic background. Rather than being united by ethnicity or nationality, they were united by belief and devotion. xii. All this comes together to reveal to us that to be called a Christian at this time was probably a derogatory description. xiii. It was a term used to describe how these people were political fanatics of a Judean King… that has been dead for over a decade. xiv. It wasn't until well into the second century that we find writings of believers calling themselves Christians. By that point, they had accepted the derogatory title that was meant to poke fun at them. xv. And we have borne it ever since. xvi. It all began here. In Antioch. d. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point: Luke points out to us a couple areas of challenge that the fledgling church of Antioch faced. First, they were baby Christians who needed to be taught in the more rudimentary aspects of their faith, especially the Jewish roots. Second, as a fledgling church they began to experience the rejection of outsiders. Jewish rejection had been true since the beginning of the church. But along with the gentiles joining the church came opposition from unbelieving gentiles. In all of this we see that the church, no matter what culture, time, size, or maturity, will always face challenges in this world. But through these challenges the church must continue to devote themselves to discipleship and evangelism. Growing each other in the knowledge of Christ and sharing the gospel with those who do not believe. Transition: [Slide 7 (Blank)] But what other sorts of trouble will the church experience in this world? The next sort of trouble Luke brings to light is one that not only spans the church in the whole Roman Empire, but also spans the physical and spiritual troubles we can face. II.) The church will always have trouble in this world, so we must devote ourselves to brotherly love and meeting the needs of believers. (27-30) a. [Slide 8] 27 – Now in those days, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. i. The transition “now in those days” by itself is anything but specific. ii. But as these two verses unfold, we actually get quite a bit of specificity as to what time period we are looking at. iii. Luke mentions a Roman Emperor named Claudius. Claudius ruled Rome from AD 41 to AD 54. iv. Based on several historians, Claudius's reign was riddled with famines. 1. At the beginning of his reign, in AD 41 and 42, Rome and its surrounding lands underwent a famine. 2. In AD 45 the river Nile in Egypt over flooded, delaying the harvest season and making the harvest much less productive. Egypt was known as the bread basket of Rome. If Egypt has a bad harvest… Rome has a bad economy. 3. In AD 46-47 Syria and Judea suffered a great famine, although Judea received the brunt of it. 4. In AD 50 Greece suffered a famine. 5. And in AD 52 Rome again suffered famine. v. Although we do not have archeological or historical evidence to suggest a great worldwide famine occurred all at one time, we do have plenty of evidence to prove that during a 10-year window, throughout the whole Roman Empire, severe famine occurred in various places. vi. Therefore, one of two things are true about Agabus' prophesy. 1. Either we have not discovered the archeological evidence yet to prove a global famine that occurred at the same time. 2. Or more likely, knowing that there were famines throughout the Roman Empire over a 10 year span, this is probably what Agabus meant by his prophesy. For he does not say that the great famine which happens all over the world will be during the same year. Nor does the expression “all over the world” require it to be global. It merely needs to encompasses the Roman Empire, which is controlling the world scene at this time. vii. So, what will this growing church of Antioch do with this prophesy from Agabus? b. [Slide 9] 29 – And as any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the service of the brothers living in Judea. i. Here we can read between the lines to see that Agabus certainly conveyed that the famine would have a greater impact upon the people in Judea than it would upon the believers in Syria. ii. Some of that most likely stems from the more affluent city of Antioch compared to the more agrarian Judea. iii. This is why the believers in Antioch immediately set out to take up a collection to help their brothers in Judea. iv. Notice this is not a compelled gift. It is not a percentage of what they earn. It is not even money taken from every believer. v. As they had means to help, they gave contribution. The motivation is not duty, intimidation, or merit. This isn't holy communism. It is love. Simple Christ borne charity for those who are our brothers and sisters. c. [Slide 10] 30 – And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. i. And so, once a contribution was collected, the church of Antioch sends Barnabas and Saul to take it to their brothers in Judea. ii. Notice that Barnabas and Saul are sent to the elders. iii. There are a couple points we need to consider regarding this. 1. First, we see that even at this early stage in the history of the church, probably less than 15 years in existence, we have the establishment of Elders governing the church. 2. Second, we should try to arrive at the identity of these Elders. a. The city of Jerusalem is only mentioned in this text in reference to where Agabus came from. Many scholars assume that the Elders in question refer to the Elders in Jerusalem. This could be, but based on the text it does not have to be. b. Even if it is the Elders in Jerusalem, since Luke will differentiate between the apostles and the Elders in Jerusalem in a few chapters, we cannot assume as some commentators do that Elders is just a generic name for leaders or the apostles. c. Instead, we find that this is an office now established in the church which serves to make decisions, and particularly in this case, regarding benevolent distribution of aid. d. If this does not refer to the Elders of Jerusalem specifically, but of Judea, this might mean that Saul and Barnabas will take aid to several city churches throughout Judea over the course of the next year or two. iv. One final item we should point out about this verse before we conclude, is that verse 30 serves as a tying of a bow on the events. v. This does not mean that they were sent out right away. vi. [Slide 11] In fact, let us establish a bit of the timeline so we can have that in our back pocket going forward. 1. Based on his own account in Galatians 1 and 2, Saul tells us that from conversion to when he went back to Jerusalem was 14 years. He says in Galatians 2 that he went back to Jerusalem because of a revelation. Certainly, this would have been Agabus' prophesy about the famine. 2. Saul was converted roughly around AD 33. 3. We know he spent 3 years between Damascus and Arabia. 4. We also know from this text that he spent a year in Antioch with Barnabas teaching the church and the large crowds. 5. We know that Herod Agrippa the First died in AD 44 and Luke records that Saul and Barnabas did not complete their charge to distribute support to the Judean churches until after his death. Therefore, Saul was in his hometown of Tarsus for around 8 years. 6. He arrived in Antioch early in AD 44 and taught for a year. In that year Agabus came down from Jerusalem to prophesy about the famine and while the church in Antioch was gathering contributions the events of chapter 12 unfold and Herod Agrippa the First dies in the spring of AD 44. 7. The Antioch church gathers their aid and sends it with Saul and Barnabas to the churches in Judea, which sees them completing that mission in Jerusalem around AD 46, just ahead of the famine. 8. That adds up to around 14 years give or take a few months. d. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Luke again shows us various challenges of the church. We already know that the church in Antioch is brand new and needing to mature in Christ. Now, they have been told that a great famine is coming and that it would hit the Judean church hardest. The challenge here certainly would be for themselves facing the famine… but primarily it would be the battle against their fleshly desires to hoard rather than give. But instead, we see them devoting themselves to meet the needs of believers. Even to meet the needs of believers gathered in places distant from them. So, we too must devote ourselves to meeting the needs of God's people near and far. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC and how then shall we live? What doctrine have we seen and how does that impact our daily lives? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 13] Our Lord Jesus promised that His disciples would experience trouble in this world. In this text we have seen several facets of difficulty the fledgling church of Antioch faced. They grew in numbers very quickly but needed to grow in maturity. They experienced derision early on from folks they probably called friends. They also faced the foretelling of a great famine and were informed of the heavy need of their Judean brothers and sisters. Certainly, they would experience the famine too, but the greater challenge is the battle with their flesh to selfishly hoard their money and food rather than sharing it with brothers and sisters. Another layer of that is, being primarily Gentiles, they would be giving sacrificially to the church in Judea which is primarily… Jews. So, beyond their flesh's desire to hoard you also have a racial element happening here too. But in spite of all of the trouble that this young church faces… what do we see them do? They devote themselves to discipleship, evangelism, and sacrificial care and love to meet the needs of brothers and sisters. Is it the same for us today? Oh yes, we will face trouble in this world. But we must remember that Christ overcame the world. Therefore, we must be devoted to maturing in Christ, sharing Him with others, and loving and helping our needy brothers and sisters out of our abundance. But let me draw some more practical and relevant conclusions for us today. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that we will have trouble in this world. a. Jesus has promised his disciples that they will have trouble in this world. b. Jesus has said that as the world has hated Him, the world will also hate those who follow Him. c. The book of James tells us that we must consider it joy when we fall into various troubles. d. I and II Peter were written to a church suffering for the name of Christ. e. I John was written to a church who had many of their members apostatize the gospel. f. Jude was written to address members of a church who began insisting that they could live however they wanted since they were under grace. g. I and II Corinthians were written to address various internal problems within the church in Corinth. h. The first three chapters of Revelation are written to real churches with various degrees of problems. i. What is my point? j. The challenges that this new church in Antioch experienced, are not uncommon or peculiar. k. Indeed, the church does not fit in to the system of this world, nor are they excluded or exempted from the troubles and trials of this world. l. What does that mean? m. It means that we, in 21st Century America, should expect… we should anticipate… we should be convinced… that troubles will always be a part of our experience while in this world. n. The Kingdom is here… but it is also waiting for the King to return. o. The prince of the power of the air is still here, wreaking havoc. He has been defeated, but he has not been expelled. p. And sin is still present in the lives of those in the church. Its penalty has been paid; its power has been broken. But its presence remains. q. That means that while in this world, the church… from within and without…will have trouble. r. But some churches today… do not believe this. They think that it is only those who have little faith that have trouble. 2.) [Slide 15] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that only those with little faith will have trouble. a. Because God is good and God is all powerful. Because God is sovereign and loving. We tend to conclude that whenever we come upon trouble in our lives it is because we have done something to earn it. b. Inversely whenever we have a good day, or get a good job, or life generally treats us well, it is because we are living lives that are pleasing to God. c. In this, we make the mistake of Job's friends, who insisted that his sufferings were proof that he was living out of step with God's will. d. Yet God called him a righteous man. That there was none like him on the earth. e. So, who is right? God or Job's friends? f. There are churches today that teach that sickness, poverty, failure, and even death are symptoms of Christians who simply do not have enough faith in God. g. They teach that by faith, God has assured us that He will make us healthy, wealthy, and powerful. h. But my friends, nothing could be further from the truth. i. Little faith is not the issue. For it does not actually take big faith to get an easy life. In fact, in Ecclesiastes it seems that the way to have an easy life is to have no faith at all. j. Instead, it takes BIG faith to suffer for His name and endure in hope and joy. That is faith. Faith is trust in something hoped for, promised, yet unseen. k. From Hebrews 11, we observe that all the Old Testament saints died without seeing their faith made sight. l. Indeed, many spent centuries in Abraham's Bosom waiting for their faith to be made sight. m. Then suddenly in walked the King of Kings. He proclaimed victory and promises fulfilled. And He led them out to be with the Father in heaven. n. My friends… it is not BIG faith the leads to easy life. It is BIG faith that endures through troubled life. o. Christ promises His church trouble. But He also promises God's grace in that trouble. p. So, what do we do as the church, when we are guaranteed to have trouble? 3.) [Slide 16] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must grow in Christ, be His witness, and care for His church amid this world's trouble. a. Oh my friends, we will have trouble. b. But that means we must redouble our efforts to grow in Christ. c. When we experience hardship, it means we must double down on sharing the gospel. d. When we are overwhelmed with difficulty, we must selflessly love and sacrificially give to others. e. Trouble does not excuse us from what Christ has called us to. f. For what Christ has called us to is how we can bear up under trouble! g. We need to be like Christ. What did Christ endure to complete His mission? h. Christ became sick so we could be made well. Christ became poor so we could inherit His heavenly wealth. Christ became weak so we could be made strong in Him. i. He endured trouble so that He could save us. j. The path to growth, being His witness, and caring for His church – that path goes through trouble. k. The work of the church doesn't stop when the going gets tough. l. Instead, if we look at history as a teacher, it seems that when the going gets tough is when the church truly gets to work. m. We will experience trouble… so we must, in the midst of that trouble… get to work. n. Growing and maturing in our faith. o. Sharing the gospel with friends, family, neighbors, even while we suffer. p. And alleviating the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ when we have more than we need. q. The church must thrive in trouble… not merely survive. r. But there is a dangerous trap in which we can fall my friends. We must avoid it at all costs. 4.) [Slide 17] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop weathering troubles by fighting to preserve ourselves. a. So often when we experience hardship or difficulty in life, that is when we forsake the church. b. When we are sick we neglect our study of the scriptures. c. When we are out of work we forsake the assembling of ourselves with other believers. d. When we are grieved of loss, we care little for lost souls who have no hope at all. e. When we hear of other believers who are struggling too, we follow the wisdom of the world and turn ourselves to … self-care. f. Oh, my friends, it is natural, fleshly, worldly to weather all manner of trials and troubles by turning our hearts inward and caring only for ourselves. g. It is natural and evil to seek isolation when we are hurting. h. It is ungodly and wicked to keep the good news to ourselves when we are struggling. i. It is perverse and demonic to hoard our help when others of Christ are in greater need than we are. j. My friends. We must not be this way. k. The church will experience trouble. That is sure. But in the mist of that trouble, we must be sure to not collapse into our fleshly desires and tendencies. We must continue to be the church… especially in times of trouble. l. But let me offer a word of comfort for your hearts. Comfort even in the midst of trouble… 5.) [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Though we will have trouble in the world, Christ has overcome the World. a. I can think of no greater comfort than this. b. Though we are guaranteed trouble in this world, in the same text, our Lord assures us that He has overcome the world. c. We live for His Kingdom to come and not for this world. d. Why? e. Because it is passing away. It will all burn up. He will make it new one day. And all the troubles will cease. All the difficulty will end. All the failure will evaporate… forever. f. The assurance that that is true has already been provided in the death and resurrection of Christ. g. Our faith must not be Big to get out of trouble. Our faith must be big to endure trouble. To look to Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. So that we may finish the race. And win the prize. h. Race to win. Endure. Overcome. Let me close with a Puritan's prayer titled “Weakness”. O SPIRIT OF GOD, Help our infirmities; When we are pressed down with a load of sorrow, perplexed and knowing not what to do, slandered and persecuted, made to feel the weight of the cross, help us, we pray. If you see in us any wrong thing encouraged, any evil desire cherished, any delight that is not Your delight, any habit that grieves You, any nest of sin in our hearts, then grant us the kiss of Your forgiveness, and teach our feet to walk the way of Your commandments. Deliver us from our anxieties, and make us a happy, holy people; Help us to walk separated lives with firm and brave steps, and to wrestle successfully against our weaknesses; Teach us to laud, adore, and magnify You, with the music of heaven, And make us a perfume of praiseful gratitude to You. We do not crouch at Your feet as slaves before a tyrant, but exult before You as children with a Father. Give us power to live as Your children in all our actions, and to exercise sonship by conquering self. Preserve us from the intoxication that comes of prosperity; Sober us when we are glad with a joy that comes not from You. Lead us safely on to the eternal kingdom, not asking whether the road be rough or smooth. We request only to see the face of him we love, to be content with bread to eat, with raiment to put on, if we can be brought to Your house in peace. We pray this in Jesus name… Amen. Benediction: In your weakness, may the Lord satisfy you. In your soul's languishing, may He replenish you. He has loved you with an everlasting love; He will continue His faithfulness to you. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

god jesus christ world father lord israel peace spirit bible gospel kingdom race christians sharing kings microsoft acts revelation psalm jewish greek rome jerusalem overcome teach savior jews comfort hebrews old testament mine greece galatians accept wicked syria amen faith in god ecclesiastes gentiles deliver weakness trouble elders judaism nazareth sober bethesda book of acts slide barnabas added corinth herod cbc roman empire endure yahweh his kingdom damascus judea preserve antioch nile acts 11 o god arabia because god worshippers puritan pagans tarsus yet god i john ii corinthians jewish christians claudius roman emperors judean to you ii peter century america bosom gentile christians in you agabus our lord jesus herod agrippa herodian inversely of christ in ad legacy standard bible conclusion so

S3 Ep. 178 The Man Who Sees Tomorrow

Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later May 8, 2024 24:06

Send us a Text Message.Introduction:Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good everything. How are you all doing? It's truly good to be back in this space. Before we dive in, I must ask, sincerely, how are you? I know it's been challenging for many of us. But you know, before I came on, I was reflecting on something. What a wonderful time to be alive. We're experiencing so much on Earth today. Everywhere you turn, there's this common thread, this human theme that weaves through our collective experience. And it's like we're all going through this phase together. So, how are you? I hope you're well.Topic Introduction:Today, I want to delve into a topic that has been on my mind for quite some time: the concept of tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. We're all racing towards something, aren't we? It's like we're constantly chasing after this elusive future, this vision of tomorrow that seems just out of reach. And in the pursuit of this tomorrow, we often find our lives changing before our very eyes. We undergo transformations, sometimes without even realizing it until we look back and see how far we've come.Exploration of the Topic:So, who is the man who sees tomorrow? I'm not talking about some mystical seer or fortune teller. I'm talking about individuals who have a heightened sense of vision, an ability to see beyond the present moment and glimpse into the future. And I want to explore this idea through the lens of two stories from movies that have stuck with me.Storytelling:The first story comes from a series called Eli Stone. Eli, a lawyer with a unique gift of seeing the future, takes on cases that have a moral significance, often at the expense of his career. His ability to foresee events leads him to make decisions that ultimately shape the future for the better.In another movie, Nicholas Cage's character possesses the ability to see a few minutes into the future. However, his power becomes heightened when he enters into a deep relationship with someone. Through this partnership, he gains insights that extend far beyond mere moments, giving him a profound understanding of what lies ahead.Relating to a Higher Power:But seeing tomorrow isn't just about having a special gift or talent. It's about tapping into a deeper relationship, a connection to something greater than ourselves. In the Bible, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the importance of the Holy Spirit in shaping their future. He told them that their ability to impact the world depended on their relationship with the Spirit.Conclusion:So, when we talk about seeing tomorrow, it's not merely about being analytical or predictive. It's about having a relationship with the Holy Spirit, a connection that enables us to see beyond the limitations of our human understanding. Through this relationship, we can craft visions that transcend time and space, shaping a future that aligns with our deepest desires and aspirations.Support the Show.You can support this show via the link below;https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new

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An Anxiety Routine to Help You Get Through the Day | Ep. 383

Your Anxiety Toolkit

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2024 20:36

If you need an anxiety routine to help you get through the day, you're in the right place. My name is Kimberley Quinlan. I am an anxiety specialist. I'm an OCD therapist. I specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy, and I'm here to help you create an anxiety routine that keeps you functioning, keeps your day effective, and improves the quality of your life. Because if you're someone who has anxiety, you know it can take those things away. Now, it's so important to understand that generalized anxiety disorder impacts 6.8 million American adults every single day. That's about 3.1% of the population. And if that is you, you're probably going to agree that anxiety can hijack your day. It can take away the things that you love to do, it can impact your ability to get things done. And so, one of the tools we use—I mean myself as a clinician—is what we call activity scheduling. This is where we create a routine or a schedule or a set of sequences that can help you get the most out of your day and make it so that anxiety doesn't take over. So if you're interested, let's go do that. Again, if you have anxiety, you know that anxiety has a way of messing up your day. You had a plan. You had goals. You had things you wanted to achieve. And then along comes anxiety, and it can sometimes decimate that plan. AN ANXIETY SCHEDULE And so the first thing I want you to be thinking about as we go through putting together this schedule is to plan for anxiety to show up. Those of you who show up in the morning and think, “How can I not have anxiety impact my day?” Those are the folks who usually have it impact them the most. So we want to start by reframing how we look at our lives instead of planning, like, “Oh gosh, I hope it's not here. I hope it doesn't come.” Instead, we want to focus on planning for anxiety to show up because it will. And our goal is to have a great plan of attack when it does. MORNING ROUTINE FOR ANXIETY First of all, what we want to look at is our morning routine for anxiety. We want to have an anxiety routine specifically for the morning. There will be folks who have more anxiety in the morning. There will be folks who have more anxiety in the evening. You can apply these skills to whatever is the most difficult for you. But for the morning routine, the first thing we need to do is the minute we wake up, we want to be prepared for negative thoughts. Thoughts like, “I can't handle this. I don't want to do this. The day will go bad.” We want to be prepared for those and have a strategic plan of attack. COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING Now, what we want to do instead of going down the rabbit hole of negative thinking is use what we call cognitive restructuring or reframing. During the day, at a time where you've scheduled, I would encourage my patients to sit down and create a planned response for how we're going to respond to these thoughts. So if your brain says, “You can't handle the day,” your response will be, “I'll take one step at a time.” If your brain says, “Bad things are going to happen,” you have already planned to say, “Maybe, maybe not, but I'm not tending to that right now.” Let's say your brain is going to tell you that this is going to be so painful and, “What's the point? Don't do it,” absolutely not. I'm going to show up however I can in my lifetime. I'm not going to let those thoughts dictate how I show up. I'm going to dictate how I show up. So we want to be prepared and have a plan of attack for that negative thinking. MINDFULNESS PRACTICE The second thing we want to do is have a solid mindfulness for anxiety practice. Again, you're going to start today, and you'll start to see the benefits of this over the weeks and months, but a mindfulness practice will be where you are able to have a healthier relationship with the thoughts, the feelings, the sensations, the urges, the images that come along with anxiety. A big piece of mindfulness is learning how to stay present. As you are brushing your teeth in the morning, you're noticing the taste of the toothpaste, the feeling of it on your gums, the smell of the fluoride, and the toothpaste that you have. A solid mindfulness practice will help you move through each part of the day's routine that we're creating in a way that reduces the judgment, reduces the suffering, reduces the self-punishment, reduces the reactions that you would typically have. Now, one of the most helpful mindfulness skills I use and I tell my patients to use—we actually have a whole episode on this. It's Episode 3. It's really early on, but it's talking about being aware of the five senses. Again, as you're brushing your teeth, what do you smell? What do you see? What do you taste? What do you hear? What does it feel like? And you're going through systematically these different senses so that you can be as present as you can. And this will help you with panic attacks, anxiety attacks, or just general anxiety that you're feeling. If you're wanting to deep dive into mindfulness and have a mindful meditation practice, we have an entire vault of meditations that are guided by me that you can look into by going to CBTSchool.com, or I'll leave the link in the show notes. There is an entire vault specifically for people with anxiety of guided meditations to help you with different emotions, different sensations, different experiences, different struggles that you may be having. That's there for you. 4. GET SOME EXERCISE Now the next thing I want you to do in the morning is get some kind of movement activity going. Again, this doesn't have to be going for a run, but it could be a light walk, some stretching, some yoga. It could be going to the gym and lifting weights, but try to get your body moving. There is a lot of research to show that exercise can be as effective as medication. That's mind-blowing, and it's free. It's something you can do from home, and it's something that doesn't have huge side effects except for the fact that it's not as fun as we would like it to be. But create a routine. It doesn't have to be every day, either. You might put in your schedule that you just do it a couple of days a week, and that's a great start. But try to at least stretch, move your body, maybe move around the house, light dancing, whatever floats your boat, but get your body moving. 5. NOURISH YOUR BODY WITH FOOD The next morning routine activity that I really want to stress is to nourish your body with food. And I picked the word “nourish” very intentionally. I'm not just saying put breakfast in your mouth because I want you to be thinking of food as something that's fueling your body so that you can be at your best. Again, I believe strongly there is no right or wrong food or good or bad food, but I want you to think about, “How can I nourish my body? Do I need some water? Would it be nourishing to have too much coffee?” Again, coffee is not super helpful if you're someone with anxiety, and it's something you should limit as well. So, really be intentional about the food that you nourish in your body. 6. SET AN INTENTION FOR THE DAY And then the last piece of the morning routine for anxiety is to set an intention for a day of kindness. You are committing to kindness all day. If that doesn't feel good to you, flip it to “I am committing to no self-punishment, no self-judgment, no self-criticism.” That can be a really effective goal. “Okay, if I'm going to do one thing today, I'm committing to no judging,” because literally, there is no benefit to any of those things. Criticism, punishment, judgment, self-loathing, none of it. There's no benefit. It doesn't motivate you if you think that is true. It's actually been proven incorrect by science. These things are not the motivators. We want to work at reducing those. And there are tons of other episodes on the podcast talking about that. So, that's what we're going to focus on for the morning routine. STRUCTURING YOUR DAY FOR ANXIETY ROUTINE Now we're going to move on to structuring your day and creating an anxiety routine that is effective for you throughout the day. Now I want to first acknowledge that I don't know how much you have going on in the day. Some of you are working two jobs, some of you are a stay-at-home mom, some of you don't have a job at all, some of you are at school. Everybody's schedule is going to be different, but I want you all to be thinking about these ideas. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU DID NOT HAVE ANXIETY? The first one is plan and organize your day around what you would do if you didn't have anxiety. Sit down and really think about it. “If I didn't have anxiety today, what would I get done? How would I show up? What activities would I do?” And make sure you schedule those into your schedule because the main thing that you have to know about someone with anxiety is anxiety will interrupt your day and take you away from the things that you value. So please, please, please, think about this question: What would I do if I didn't have anxiety? And your job is to schedule and try and get as many of those things done as you could. We don't want anxiety to run the show here. PLAN YOUR DAY The next thing I want you to do is use a planner to activity schedule these things. There are apps to help track tasks and appointments. Do your best to plan and to have structure. People with anxiety and depression need structure. It helps us to be so overwhelmed and chaotic in our brain to have some structure. And believe me, some people will say, “No, it feels too controlled, and it takes away my creativity.” No. In fact, people who have structure tend to report feeling more creative because their day isn't so overwhelming and they have a little bit of control over where they're doing, what they're doing, and where they're going. Now, if you struggle with this, we have an entire course for this as well. It's called The Optimum Time Management for Mental Health. I walk you through specifically how to manage time, specifically for those who have anxiety, depression, and OCD. I had to create this for myself. I had to read a whole ton of books and take courses. I found none of them really approached it from the perspective of those who had a mental health or a medical issue. And so I created that course specifically for those who struggle in that area. You again can go to CBTSchool.com to get information about that. SET REALISTIC GOALS Now, as you are structuring your day and planning your day, you have to be really intentional about setting realistic goals and prioritizing what's important. Sometimes when I look at the things I want to get done, there could be like 15, 20, 30 things to do. I know I'm not going to get all of those done, so I have to sit down and go, “Okay, which are the most urgent? Which are the things that must take priority?” and work at prioritizing those. Again, as you do those things, you're going to be using those mindfulness skills that we've already talked about. staying present. You're going to be using your willingness skills that we often talk about here on Your Anxiety Toolkit. Bringing compassion, radical acceptance, willingness to be uncomfortable—you're going to bring those with you throughout the day. Again, we are planning for anxiety to come with us every part of the day. SCHEDULE BREAKS IN YOUR DAY Now another important thing to do here is to schedule breaks. If you have anxiety, you know as much as anybody that anxiety is exhausting. Schedule breaks, but no breaks where you're scrolling on Instagram. That's not a true break. That doesn't actually give your brain a break. Go outside, sit in nature, listen to some music, read a book, do something that doesn't drain your battery, do something that increases your battery. It might be taking a walk or doing something active, but make sure you plan those breaks. SCHEDULE THERAPY HOMEWORK The next thing to do, and you have to do this every day, specifically if you have an anxiety disorder, is schedule your therapy homework. If you're not in therapy, still schedule time to be doing something that helps you to work on your mental health, even if it's correcting those thoughts that we talked about at the beginning of this episode. We want to make sure that with planning times to do exposure and response prevention, with planning time to do our mindfulness practice, with planning time to do our, again, cognitive restructuring, making sure that you've scheduled that helps you with your long-term recovery. Not just the recovery of today, not just getting through today, but when we schedule time to do our homework, it means that we push the needle forward in our recovery. EVENING ANXIETY ROUTINE Now we're going to move on to the evening anxiety routine. This is where we prioritize unwinding for the day. You've used all your energy, you've taken anxiety with you, you're exhausted. CELEBRATE YOUR WINS Number one, you have to celebrate. Celebrate what you did get done. Write down what you got done. Because so often, when we have anxiety, we go, “Oh, it's not a big deal. Everyone can do that. I shouldn't be celebrating.” No, you've got to celebrate this stuff. You're working your butt off. And so we have to make sure that we're celebrating every win, even if it's just one teeny win for the day. WIND DOWN FOR SLEEP (SLEEP HYGIENE) The evening is where we must prioritize winding down for sleep. Sleep hygiene is maybe the most important part of your recovery in that it will set you up to do well tomorrow. If you're like me, not having a good night's sleep means your mental health hits the trash tomorrow. So we want to start the evening on how can we reduce the impact of being on technology. Do a digital detox if you can, at least an hour before bed. Do something relaxing. Do something pleasurable. Read, take a warm bath, take a walk, garden, talk to a friend, connect with them—anything you can do. Make a lovely meal, watch a funny TV show, whatever you can do to bring yourself down and rest and repair for the day so that you can be ready for bed and moving into the nighttime routine. CREATE A NIGHTTIME ROUTINE WITH A CONSISTENT WAKETIME You will need a nighttime routine. Have a time or an alarm. You could get an Apple Watch or set an alarm on your phone to prompt you to moving towards the bedroom routine where you brush your teeth or you wash your face or you light a candle or you brush your hair or you start reading, turn the sheets down. Whatever that is, set a timer so that you are prompted to go to bed on time. What we want to do with anxiety is have a very solid routine of waking up at the same time and falling asleep at the same time, as much as possible that you can achieve. That internal body clock of yours really benefits by having it be as balanced and as routine as we can. LIFESTYLE CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR ANXIETY ROUTINE Now, there are some lifestyle considerations you have to consider here if you have anxiety. Number one, you have to also make sure that you've had some time for connection. And some of you are like, “No problem. I've had connection during the day or my colleagues at work or my family or my partners or my friends.” That's great. But if you're somebody who has anxiety and it's kept you home alone and it's kept you in avoidance, now that's going to be really important that you do some type of connection, have a support system, whether it be a support group that you attend or a therapist that you go to because that again is so important for your long-term recovery. MEDICATION AND THERAPY In terms of overall, we may want to incorporate some kind of medication or therapy into your day or into your week. You may need to set alarms to remind you to take your medication. That's okay, too. Please, please utilize as many alarms as you need to help this go as well as you can. Because again, I want to emphasize, anxiety can make all of this routine go out the window. Before you know it, you've spent four hours on TikTok, or you've gotten into bed and pulled the sheets up and hidden there, or it could be disrupting your day by having you go into avoidance behaviors. Absolutely, I understand that. Please be gentle with yourself. But if you're somebody who's really struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out to a cognitive behavioral therapist who treats anxiety. They will be able to help you set up more structure and create a plan specifically for you. FIND A STRATEGY THAT WORKS FOR YOU So, what do we need to remember here? Number one, your routine should have some strategy to it. You will have to sit down and plan for it. I spend about an hour a week planning my week. And while that might sometimes feel like a waste of time, having a plan, knowing what I need to do, making sure I've prioritized me makes me so much more effective, makes my anxiety management and my recovery so much better. So, sit down and make a plan. BE WILLING TO HAVE SOME HARD DAYS Remember, anxiety will come along the way. We actually want to invite it. Tell it, “Come on, anxiety, we're going to get groceries right now. Come on, anxiety, it's time to have a coffee. Come on, anxiety, let's go and do the hard thing or do my homework and my exposures.” That is a positive thing. BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF/ PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION The last thing I want to incorporate here is to be gentle with yourself. There will be days where this falls apart, and that's okay. Self-compassion for anxiety is so important. We're all learning here. So when it does fall apart, because it will, your job is to take a look and see what happened, what got in the way, how can I plan for that tomorrow so that that doesn't happen again. CONCLUSION So there you have it. There is the routine that I want you guys to consider. Some things will work for you, some will not. Just take what you need and leave the rest. But this is an anxiety routine that you can play around with, experiment with, and see what works for you. Before we end, let's do the “I did a hard thing” segment. I'm going to try my best to bring this back. This one is from Lindsay, and Lindsay said: “I've been going through a lapse, or what I like to call a flare-up, for the last month. There have been decent days, blah days, and downright crappy days.” We can agree with you, Lindsay. “The hard thing I've done is to decide it's time for an ERP refresher, and I have started that this week. I will admit that I'm terrified to be venturing into ERP again. However, I refuse to let fear control me. To anyone who's going through a lapse or a flare-up, embrace where you are, love yourself, and fight for yourself because you are so worth it.” And I agree with you, Lindsay. Again, if there's anything we can do to support you on your journey, go to CBTSchool.com. We have all kinds of courses there that can help you get back into the swing of things or get started. So go to CBTSchool.com, and thank you so much for being here with me today.

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S3 Ep. 177 Mind Over Matter

The Word Café Podcast with Amax

Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later May 1, 2024 24:56

Introduction:Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good everything, wherever you are! It's a joy to connect once again, right here in this space where we come together to share experiences and forge a positive path. Welcome back to The World Cafe live show, it's truly wonderful to have you here with me. I hope you're doing well, thriving, and feeling the pulse of life coursing through you, just as I am in this moment.Recap:April has been quite the whirlwind, hasn't it? So many events, so many moments that have left their mark on our journey. But today, let's set aside the negatives and bask in the glow of the positives. Like the recent encounter with a chess master from Nigeria, Tundi Onukoya. It reminded me of the power of perseverance, of not giving up even when the odds seem insurmountable. It's a testament to what happens when we set our minds to something and refuse to relent.Theme Introduction:And that brings us to our topic for today: mind over matter. It's a phrase we've all heard before, but what does it truly mean? I recently came across a profound insight from Dr. Sam Adeyemi, a preacher whose words resonated deeply with me. He said, "What gets into your mind will show up in your life." Simple yet profound, isn't it? Our thoughts, our beliefs, they shape our reality in ways we may not even realize.Exploration:Consider this: throughout history, humanity has recognized the existence of portals, gateways that open up new possibilities and dimensions. And one of the most powerful gateways we possess is the gateway of the mind. It's where our dreams take root, where our desires are nurtured into existence. As I delved into this concept, I couldn't help but be reminded of a passage from Corinthians.Corinthians Passage:In Corinthians 2:9, it is written, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him." Reading it backward, we gain a fresh perspective on its meaning. It highlights the interconnectedness of our senses and our mind, how they shape our perception of reality.Transformation:Our minds are like machines, constantly processing the inputs we receive and manufacturing outcomes based on those inputs. As the saying goes, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It's a call to action, a reminder that we have the power to shape our reality through our thoughts and beliefs.Conclusion:So, as we navigate the complexities of life, let's remember that we have a choice. We can either conform to the images presented to us by the world around us, or we can chart our own course. We can be in something without being of it, simply by being mindful of what we allow into our minds through our eye and ear gates. By doing so, we tap into a dimension of existence where success isn't just a possibility—it's inevitable.Thank you for joining me on this journey of exploration and discovery. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep believing, and keep manifesting the life you desire. Take care, and remember, the power is within you.Support the Show.You can support this show via the link below;https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new

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Acts 11:1-18 Get With HIS Program

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2024 51:17

Title: The Same Story Text: Acts 10:44-48 FCF: We often struggle with assuring ourselves of our and others' faith. Prop: Because all true believers share a common conversion experience, we must observe these in all whom we give assurance and receive into fellowship. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we'll be reading from the LSB starting in verse 44. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1243 or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will conclude the episode of Cornelius, saving the epilogue of chapter 11 for next week. God's hand has been prevalent in this entire episode. Giving two visions, speaking through the Spirit directly to Peter, leading him to the home of a Gentile, finding many gathered there. And after Peter gives a focused explanation of the gospel that Jesus is Lord of all, now we'll see the dramatic conclusion. And although there are few doctrinal issues that arise here in which Christians disagree, even amid those differences we will highlight the common and uniform experience of conversion for all who are truly united to Christ by faith. So, stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O Christ, we have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in you. May your Spirit meet with us today, and guarantee our inheritance in you, to the praise of your glory. In your name we pray. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] If something has fur, a tail and barks. You would probably call it a dog. If something has feathers, a bill, and quacks – a duck. Grey skin, very large, with a trunk… you got it - elephant. Isn't it funny that I can list out three characteristics of an animal and invariably you can guess what it was. Why is that? Well, we come to expect certain characteristics and attributes to be the same across certain animals. Even though no two elephants are exactly the same. Generally speaking they share certain characteristics. Today, Peter will conclude without doubt that the Gentiles before him are genuine members of the body of Christ. He does not conclude this on a whim. Instead, he isolates key characteristics that prove it to be true. Let's see if we can arrive where Peter does. I.) All true believers share a common conversion experience, so we must look for these commonalities for the assurance of salvation. (44-46a) a. [Slide 3] 44 – While Peter was still speaking these things, i. Peter's message was not yet concluded. ii. Most likely Peter intended to carry on preaching like he did at Pentecost to implore Cornelius and his friends and family to repent and believe in the name of Jesus. iii. However, Peter was interrupted. And he was interrupted by the Third Person of the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit. b. [Slide 4] The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word. i. Because we will need to gather all the evidence from this text to do so, we will not comment on the specific meaning of the words “fell upon” here. Nor will we unpack exactly what the Spirit's work is at this point. We'll reserve that for the end. ii. Let's unpack everything else though. iii. First, although we aren't looking at the specific nature of the work, we can generally conclude by context that the Spirit's activity here is indicative of the work of salvation coming to Cornelius, his family, and his friends. iv. Secondly, we should see that not everyone in Cornelius' house that day received the Spirit's work. It was only those who were listening to the Word. Implying of course that not all of them were listening. c. [Slide 5] 45 – And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, i. For us, this might seem almost insulting. ii. The Jews really didn't expect the Holy Spirit to be given to gentiles? Wow. How elitist. iii. Well, no, not really. Even in the Old Testament where God alludes to the global nature of His kingdom and where God prophesies about the coming of the New Covenant… all is shrouded in mystery. iv. Paul comments about this in II Corinthians 3. v. But even if someone were to see through those mysterious shadows and perceive that God's Spirit would dwell in those of the New Covenant, who were all these prophesies written to? vi. Were they not written to Jews? Jeremiah 31 – this covenant will I make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. No mention of the nations here. vii. So, before we get too uppity ourselves, let us stop to consider how sensical the assumption was that Gentiles must become Jews before they become Christians. And even then, it would be uncertain if they inherited the New Covenant in the same way the Jews did. viii. But here, 6 Jewish Christians, 7 if you count Peter, bore witness to the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Gentiles. ix. Of course, the question remains how these Jewish Christians knew for a fact that these Gentiles had received the gift of the Spirit being poured out… x. Verse 46 answers that question. d. [Slide 6] 46a – For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. i. Here we see two distinct evidences that they had received the gifting of the Holy Spirit that He had been poured out on them. ii. First, they spoke in tongues. 1. [Slide 7] To remind ourselves, the tongues of the scriptures are not gibberish or babble , nor are they languages unknown to humans, and the only time they appear as a private prayer to God is when they are unprofitable to public worship and edification since they are uninterpreted. 2. Every single time the bible speaks of the gift of tongues in the scriptures it is always a known human language that is supposed to be uttered publicly unless there is no one to interpret it. Tongues were never intended of as a private prayer language, nor is the gift ever linked with non-human languages. 3. [Slide 8] If we confine ourselves to the book of Acts, we can make some further observations of the gift of tongues. a. We have no record thus far of any person privately receiving salvation and the gift of tongues together. b. When tongues are given, they are given only when a large group comes to Christ. And that group is always one that has never before received the gospel of Christ. c. Meaning what? d. The gift of tongues in the book of Acts so far has been used exclusively as a sign gift. A gift used to be a sign to others. e. Meaning what? f. We have seen the gift of tongues used to authenticate the message of the apostles to unbelievers. g. And although unclear, we have also seen some kind of sign gift used, probably tongues, to authenticate to the apostles that God has saved a new group of people. h. Outside of those two examples… we have not seen tongues linked to salvation, nor have we seen tongues used for any other purpose. iii. [Slide 9] So, we must ask ourselves – what is the purpose of the gift of tongues here? 1. Here it seems like it is not the messenger that needs authentication to the hearer but rather the apostle Peter and generally Jewish Christians, need this sign to authenticate that God has saved these Gentiles. 2. They received the same salvation the Jews received. iv. But this was not the only confirming sign that they had received the gift of the Spirit. v. [Slide 10] Second, they magnified God. 1. Although certainly less flashy, this is the primary indicative experience of all those who genuinely receive the gift of the Spirit of God in conversion. They are changed inside and out. 2. These Gentiles experienced the joy of the Lord in their conversion. They knew God and praised Him for what He had done for them. 3. This again proves to us that these tongues were known languages – probably Hebrew or Aramaic – since these Jewish Christians understood what they said to be magnifying the Lord. 4. And for these 6 Jewish Christians, these two signs proved one astounding truth. God has seen fit in His wisdom and grace to offer Christ and His indwelling Spirit to Gentiles in the same way He has been offered to the Jews. That by faith in Christ they can receive forgiveness and new life in Him. 5. And they can do all this without first becoming a Jew. e. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: All people of every nation, tribe, language, color, gender, social and economic sphere, who through the name of Jesus believe in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and be indwelled with the Holy Spirit and produce evidence of that indwelling. This is the normal indicative experience of those who are united to Christ by true faith. And it doesn't matter what your background is, it doesn't matter what your identity is, there is a uniform experience. So as the church of Jesus today, we must look for this uniform experience for assurance of our own salvation and to help others find assurance of their salvation. Transition: [Slide 12(blank)] But besides gaining assurance for ourselves and that others are truly believers, what else must we do with the fact that the conversion experience among all true believers is held in common? II.) All true believers share a common conversion experience, so we must look for these commonalities to remove all hindrances from baptism and acceptance into the church. (46b-48) a. [Slide 13] 46b – Then Peter answered, i. What exactly is Peter answering? ii. Is he answering the tongues sign or the magnifying of God by the newly converted Gentiles? iii. Is he speaking to the astonished Jewish Christians, even though they haven't actually said anything? iv. And what is the nature of his answer? Is it corrective or instructive? v. How is Peter going to react to all of this? Is Peter going to rebuke the whole thing or has Peter learned from the vision he saw? b. [Slide 14] 47 - “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” i. Peter's answer is full of meaning. ii. First, although it appears that he is looking for consensus or agreement from the 6 Jews who came with him, the LSB's translation is mostly to blame for that. 1. It isn't poorly translated – that is for sure. But there are two words of negation in this text that the LSB does not translate. 2. The NIV translates this much closer to what Peter is saying I think “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 3. This is not Peter asking for consensus. Even though this is a question it is actually a statement. 4. Like when I say to my daughter… If I go out and check your chores to see if you've done them and find that they are undone, can I come back in and punish you? 5. Now am I asking her for consent? No. I am giving her a statement. My statement is, you better have done your chores or you will be punished. 6. Peter in a similar way says – you should see nothing keeping these people from being baptized because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. iii. Second, from Peter's response, we also see his affirmation that the Gentiles received the Spirit in the same way that he and the other Jewish Christians with him had received the Spirit. 1. These 6 Jewish Christians are from Joppa. Meaning that they are not apostles. Therefore, Peter is not speaking to a specific reception of the Spirit as at Pentecost, but rather to a unified reception of the Spirit among Jews who had truly become part of the church. 2. Peter is saying that these Gentiles, though not being circumcised, though not being Jews, had received the Spirit the same way they had. 3. This was all the authentication Peter needed to state that there was nothing preventing them from being baptized. iv. But another point we must consider is that this scripture seems to be a huge difficulty for those who believe in infant baptism. 1. Although many Pedobaptists have attempted to use Peter's response to defend infant baptism, it falls short. 2. They say, that Peter's remarks here highlight the peculiarity that they had received the Spirit prior to being baptized but still needed to be baptized even though what the sign anticipates has already happened. 3. However, under careful analysis of what Peter actually says, it doesn't hold up. 4. Peter is not saying that since the cart was before the horse, we might as well supply the horse. Instead, Peter sees the reception of the Holy Spirit as the irrefutable evidence that they should be baptized. Why? Because that is exactly how it happened for the Jews. 5. This is not pointing to the peculiarity of order but rather to the commonality of nationality. The Gentiles received the Spirit in the same way we have. 6. Therefore, to have received the Holy Spirit serves as the evidence we must look for to confirm without doubt that someone should be baptized. 7. Peter here does not see Baptism as an anticipatory sign but as a confirming sign. Water baptism confirms that Spirit baptism has already occurred. v. And while we are already distracted talking about these doctrinal matters, let's go ahead and insert our discussion on the work of the Holy Spirit in this text. vi. [Slide 15] We are 10 chapters into the book of Acts. In those 10 chapters we have had a fairly large sampling of the activity of the Holy Spirit, especially concerning conversion. 1. In that sampling we can see that The Holy Spirit's work at the experience of conversion is not identical. We'll not take the time to go through it all, but on the screen is a brief sampling we can go through this upcoming Wednesday night. 2. So, what is common among these examples? a. No doubt the reason there is confusion is because Luke uses several terms to speak of the Spirit's work. i. Baptism of the Spirit ii. Filling of the Spirit iii. Pouring out of the Spirit iv. The gift of the Spirit v. Receiving the Spirit vi. The Spirit falling upon b. But we are confused because sometimes multiple things happen at the same time and sometimes they don't. c. We are confused because this is probably a square rectangle situation here. d. Just like all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, so also, all who have had the Spirit fall on them, be poured out on them, or fill them have also received the gift of the Spirit and been baptized with the Spirit also. e. Thus we see the Spirit's work divide nicely into two categories. i. The indwelling of the Spirit which is referred to as the Baptism of the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, and receiving the Spirit. ii. And then we have the empowering of the Spirit which is referred to as the filling of, falling upon, and pouring out of the Spirit. f. Analyzing the book of Acts we find that all who received the empowering had also received the indwelling. But not all who received the indwelling also received the empowering. 3. [Slide 16] In this we can draw some doctrinal teachings. a. All who are regenerated of the Spirit and given eyes and ears to receive faith in Christ, will receive the gift of the baptism of the Spirit of God. Which is being indwelled with the Spirit. b. The empowering of the Spirit is a special and sometimes repeated work of the Spirit in those who have already been indwelled with the Spirit. This empowering is to perform a special task or function for a special purpose of God. c. Pentecostal Christians insist that the sign gifts, particularly the gift of tongues, is either a necessary sign for all who are genuinely Christians, or is a sign that whoever speaks in tongues are a higher tier of Christian than those who do not. i. Many who have attended these churches have felt an inordinate amount of pressure to produce the sign of tongues, but unfortunately, they produce a completely foreign sign to that of the scriptures. For the language they speak is, in most cases, not a human language at all. Nor is it being used as a sign to authenticate anything except that they are connected to God in some unclear way. ii. Much of what occurs in Pentecostal churches is directly contrary to what Paul instructs in I Cor 14 about the priority of preaching and the need for edification to be at the center. 1. Oftentimes in Pentecostal churches the sermon is underemphasized and sign gifts overemphasized. 2. Paul commands that an interpreter be present, which is often disregarded. 3. And Paul even reveals that tongues are a sign to unbelievers, whether they are interpreted or not. But if they are left uninterpreted it will chase them away from the truth of the gospel. vii. And so, we can conclude that the work of the Spirit here in this text speaks to both the indwelling and empowering of the Spirit for these Gentiles. The indwelling accompanied their faith and the empowering produced the speaking in tongues and magnifying the Lord. c. [Slide 17] 48 – And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. i. The six men though convinced that baptism must be administered, hesitated waiting for the Apostle to perform the duty. ii. But Peter commanded them to baptize these who had received the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. iii. We are not told that it was carried out, but the context suggests that Cornelius and a large portion of his household and friends were baptized that day and became members of the growing Church of Jesus Christ. d. [Slide 18] Then they asked him to remain for a few days. i. Here we see one final proof that they had received the Spirit. ii. They were hungry for instruction and fellowship. iii. I'd wager that the same four devotions from Acts 2 were present here. iv. They desired to be taught further the apostles' teaching. v. They desired to fellowship with Peter and the other believers in a new family. vi. They desired to share the Lord's Supper with them. vii. And they desired to devote themselves to corporate prayer together. viii. What a sweet time this would have been! How earth shattering. Even the Gentiles are being saved! e. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: Peter points to the common and uniform experience that the Jews and the Gentiles shared in the salvation of their souls. That they too received the gift of the Spirit after repenting and believing the gospel. Therefore, he saw no reason to deny the Gentiles both the sacrament of baptism and the admission into visible church as a sign of their membership in the universal church. It was the fact of the common experience among all who are united to Christ by faith that made Peter strongly conclude that these Gentiles must be baptized. And so, for us we must also look for the same common experience among those who desire to receive the sacrament of baptism and be received as members of our local body. Conclusion: So, what can we see from this CBC? What doctrinal points can we learn and apply today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 20] As the church expanded and the gospel was preached to Gentiles, the question remained, will this be a separate church? Will the gospel be received by Gentiles and if so, will it be different than how it was received by the Jews? But since there was no essential difference between the conversion experience of the Gentiles and the Jews… When they saw that they repented and believed in Jesus as the Messiah of God and Lord of all, and received the indwelling of the Spirit of God just like the Jews did… Because everything about their conversion experience was the same as the Jews… Peter concluded that they must be baptized into the community of faith with the Jews. There was nothing preventing them… Not circumcision, not becoming a Jew first… nothing. The Gentiles and Jews were no longer divided. Just like God's vision revealed to Peter before. There was no more clean and unclean because God has made the unclean… clean. People of every background so long as their experience includes repentance, faith, and the reception of the Spirit of God – are part of the body of Christ. Truly there is no partiality with God. For us then, when we look for the assurance of our own faith, or to confirm the faith of others and baptize them and receive them as members of our church – we must look for those common traits that all true believers have. The uniform experience of conversion. But let me get a little more specific here and apply this to our everyday lives. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that conversion is a uniform experience among all who are truly in Christ. a. When Jesus began His ministry, it is said that He went about preaching repentance and belief in the gospel. b. When Peter preaches in Acts, he highlights these two essentials. That they repent and believe on Jesus as Lord of all. c. As the New Testament writers penned their letters under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, They encouraged their readers to continue to turn from sin and to continue to trust on Christ, not simply for salvation but to trust Him enough to love and obey Him. d. New Testament writers affirm what Peter says here, that the indwelling of the Spirit is an incontrovertible proof that someone is of Christ and needs to be baptized. e. And if someone has the Spirit of God living within them, they will know it! They will know it by the change in their lives. They will know it by their passions being made new. They will know it by their ability to love and obey the Lord. f. Repentance from sin, faith in Christ, receipt of the Spirit which is evidenced by a changed life. g. These three are necessary components of the religious experience called conversion. This is how God converts us into Christ followers. h. He gifts us with repentance from sin, faith in Christ, and His Spirit indwelling us. i. And my friends, this is all or nothing. j. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never turned from their sin. k. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never trusted in the finished work of Christ. l. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never received the gift of the indwelling of the Spirit. m. And there is no such thing as a Christian who having received the Spirit has not gone on to love and Obey Jesus Christ. n. Every true believer… Has all of these in common as their Salvation Story. o. Even children raised in the church having never done drugs or fornicated… Even they must turn from their sin of self-righteousness and pride. Both of which are abominations to God. p. Even children raised to have always believed that Jesus died on the cross for sin and was raised the third day… must by God-gifted faith embrace and wholly depend on this Lord to save them. q. Even children raised in the church, good mannered and well versed in the scriptures, must receive the Spirit of God to truly walk in the way of Christ and to preserve them in good works until the day of judgment. r. We all have the same story my friends. It binds us together. s. We were wretched sinners. Saved by grace through faith in Christ. And He has put His Spirit in our hearts crying Abba! Father! We are not slaves we are sons and if sons then heirs. t. We all have the same story! u. Therefore, we must confess that all true believers will have the same story we have. They must. Or they are not true believers. 2.) [Slide 22] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that a uniform conversion means an identical conversion. a. Yes, these 3, repentance, faith, and the Spirit's indwelling, are all true of all believers… b. But that does not mean that every conversion will be the same. c. There may be differences in timing. i. Some may experience faith before repentance. They want Christ to save them but it takes time for them to want to leave their sin. ii. Some may wait weeks, repenting and believing before they receive the Spirit. d. There may be differences in form i. Some may pray earnestly in repentance and faith. ii. Some may keep it all in their heads and hearts. iii. Some may wake from dreams or drunken stupors with repentance on their lips and faith in their hearts. iv. Some may hear a preacher preach the Word and come to faith. Others may simply pick up a bible and read and believe. e. There may be differences in degrees i. Some may weep and wail begging for God's forgiveness. ii. Some may yell and leap for joy. iii. Others may feel a weight of sin lifted. iv. Others may make the logical and comparatively colder calculation that Jesus is Lord of all and I must abandon my life and serve Him. Not a tear shed and joy gained but only in the matter being settled and the questions answered. f. There may be differences in theological precision. i. From long winded, tear filled confession of all that the sinner has done to a simple acknowledgement of sin's curse – it is all repentance. ii. From precise declarations of all Jesus is to the simple – Jesus save me… g. Though every story is the same in that we all turn from sin, cast ourselves upon Christ and receive His Spirit… Every story is not identical. It is not one-size-fits-all. 3.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop accepting abnormal or insufficient assurances of true conversion. a. Did you pray a prayer? b. Did you walk an aisle? c. Did you accept Jesus into your heart? d. Were you baptized? e. Do you believe in God? f. Do you affirm these doctrinal truths? g. Are your parents Christians? h. Were you raised in the church? i. Are you concerned if you are truly saved? j. Do you think you can lose your salvation? k. These are all… useless questions. They ask nothing and predictably they answer nothing. l. They neither bring assurance nor comfort to anyone. m. They are tropes that aim at targets they cannot see. And we are surprised when they miss? 4.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must test ourselves and others to prove this uniform conversion experience is true of us. a. Though the questions before ask nothing and answer nothing… because true Christians all have a uniform conversion experience… b. We can boil down our tests to three simple yet pregnant questions. c. Have we truly turned from sin? d. Have we truly believed on Christ alone? e. Have we truly received the indwelling of the Spirit of God? f. But how would we know the answers to these? g. If we have truly turned from sin, we ought to see a fight. A battle. A war. i. We ought to see evidence of a fleeing, fighting, scrapping, brawling person fighting tooth and nail to escape sin. ii. And we ought NOT see someone holding, cherishing, nurturing, or hiding sin. iii. If we've turned from it – it means we don't want it anymore. Not that we don't sin… but we hate it. iv. Sin is described in the scripture as an incurable illness or disease. Think about an incurable disease. Let's go ahead and say it… cancer. Do you treat your sin… like cancer? v. If I could just get a little more cancer. I know its not great for me but I love cancer so much. vi. Foolishness. vii. Have you turned from sin? h. If we have truly believed on Jesus Christ alone, we ought to see a growing love and dependance on Him. i. We ought to see a resting in the Person and work of Christ. ii. We ought to see a cherishing of His Words. iii. We ought to see an emulation of His ways. iv. We ought to see a love for Him and what He's done. v. We ought to see a passion to know Him more and more. vi. We ought to see joy overwhelm us when we speak of the cleansing power of the cross. vii. We ought to see a hope burn in us that He will return and take us home. viii. We ought to see a growing dissatisfaction with the world and a longing for His Kingdom. ix. We ought to see Him be our everything and everything else by comparison become nothing. x. We ought to see a love for His church. We ought to see a desire to worship with them, serve them, love them, and help them. xi. We ought NOT be attempting to earn or keep our salvation by our performance. xii. We ought NOT be flippant toward the church, the Word of God, or sin. xiii. We ought NOT be fearful or anxious over earthly struggles, nor should they overwhelm and undo us. i. And if we have truly received the Spirit of God, we should see change. i. Not change over days or weeks. But over years. ii. We ought NOT be the same people we were. iii. We ought to see a passion and power to love and obey the Lord. iv. We ought to see a passion and power to love and serve His people. v. We ought to see a passion and power to love unbelievers and share the gospel with them. vi. We ought to bear the scars of the Holy Spirit's hostile takeover of our lives. j. If these are true and we have the same story… We can be assured of our identity in Christ. 5.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Sharing a uniform conversion binds us to one another as equal inheritors in the promises of Christ. a. Not only are we assured and comforted by sharing the same story together. b. But such a shared story necessarily binds us to one another. c. We are all unworthy and wretched inheritors of beautiful promises. d. Promises we would have no part in were it not for Jesus Christ. e. We are all paupers turned into princes. f. We are beggars made Barons. g. We have all turned from sin, so we can help each other in the fight against it. h. We have all trusted in Christ, so we can help each other cling ever tighter to Him and what He's done, the joy of what He's doing, and the hope of what He will do. i. We have all received the Spirit, so we are all the temple of the Living God. We are God bearers all of us. We walk around with His Spirit providing the passion and the power to serve Him. j. Do you not find comfort in this? k. We all have the same story. A beautiful story of wretched little street urchins doing the will of our father the devil… but then suddenly adopted and made children of the Most High God. Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Matthew Henry Lord, our souls have told you: you are our God. Other lords have had dominion over us, but we affirm the Lord this day to be our God. We will walk in your ways, keep your commandments, honor your judgments. We will listen to your voice and give ourselves to you as your people-for your praise, and for your glory. Lord, truly we are your servants, born in your house. You have loosed our bonds. We are bought with a price, so we are not our own, but yield ourselves to you. We join ourselves to you in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten. We are yours. Save us, for we seek your ways. We give you what is yours, that which comes from your hand. It is in Jesus name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: May the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you! Until we meet again… Go in peace.

36 Acts 10.44-48 The Same Story

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2024 45:27

Title: The Same Story Text: Acts 10:44-48 FCF: We often struggle with assuring ourselves of our and others' faith. Prop: Because all true believers share a common conversion experience, we must observe these in all whom we give assurance and receive into fellowship. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we'll be reading from the LSB starting in verse 44. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1243 or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will conclude the episode of Cornelius, saving the epilogue of chapter 11 for next week. God's hand has been prevalent in this entire episode. Giving two visions, speaking through the Spirit directly to Peter, leading him to the home of a Gentile, finding many gathered there. And after Peter gives a focused explanation of the gospel that Jesus is Lord of all, now we'll see the dramatic conclusion. And although there are few doctrinal issues that arise here in which Christians disagree, even amid those differences we will highlight the common and uniform experience of conversion for all who are truly united to Christ by faith. So, stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O Christ, we have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in you. May your Spirit meet with us today, and guarantee our inheritance in you, to the praise of your glory. In your name we pray. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] If something has fur, a tail and barks. You would probably call it a dog. If something has feathers, a bill, and quacks – a duck. Grey skin, very large, with a trunk… you got it - elephant. Isn't it funny that I can list out three characteristics of an animal and invariably you can guess what it was. Why is that? Well, we come to expect certain characteristics and attributes to be the same across certain animals. Even though no two elephants are exactly the same. Generally speaking they share certain characteristics. Today, Peter will conclude without doubt that the Gentiles before him are genuine members of the body of Christ. He does not conclude this on a whim. Instead, he isolates key characteristics that prove it to be true. Let's see if we can arrive where Peter does. I.) All true believers share a common conversion experience, so we must look for these commonalities for the assurance of salvation. (44-46a) a. [Slide 3] 44 – While Peter was still speaking these things, i. Peter's message was not yet concluded. ii. Most likely Peter intended to carry on preaching like he did at Pentecost to implore Cornelius and his friends and family to repent and believe in the name of Jesus. iii. However, Peter was interrupted. And he was interrupted by the Third Person of the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit. b. [Slide 4] The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word. i. Because we will need to gather all the evidence from this text to do so, we will not comment on the specific meaning of the words “fell upon” here. Nor will we unpack exactly what the Spirit's work is at this point. We'll reserve that for the end. ii. Let's unpack everything else though. iii. First, although we aren't looking at the specific nature of the work, we can generally conclude by context that the Spirit's activity here is indicative of the work of salvation coming to Cornelius, his family, and his friends. iv. Secondly, we should see that not everyone in Cornelius' house that day received the Spirit's work. It was only those who were listening to the Word. Implying of course that not all of them were listening. c. [Slide 5] 45 – And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, i. For us, this might seem almost insulting. ii. The Jews really didn't expect the Holy Spirit to be given to gentiles? Wow. How elitist. iii. Well, no, not really. Even in the Old Testament where God alludes to the global nature of His kingdom and where God prophesies about the coming of the New Covenant… all is shrouded in mystery. iv. Paul comments about this in II Corinthians 3. v. But even if someone were to see through those mysterious shadows and perceive that God's Spirit would dwell in those of the New Covenant, who were all these prophesies written to? vi. Were they not written to Jews? Jeremiah 31 – this covenant will I make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. No mention of the nations here. vii. So, before we get too uppity ourselves, let us stop to consider how sensical the assumption was that Gentiles must become Jews before they become Christians. And even then, it would be uncertain if they inherited the New Covenant in the same way the Jews did. viii. But here, 6 Jewish Christians, 7 if you count Peter, bore witness to the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Gentiles. ix. Of course, the question remains how these Jewish Christians knew for a fact that these Gentiles had received the gift of the Spirit being poured out… x. Verse 46 answers that question. d. [Slide 6] 46a – For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. i. Here we see two distinct evidences that they had received the gifting of the Holy Spirit that He had been poured out on them. ii. First, they spoke in tongues. 1. [Slide 7] To remind ourselves, the tongues of the scriptures are not gibberish or babble , nor are they languages unknown to humans, and the only time they appear as a private prayer to God is when they are unprofitable to public worship and edification since they are uninterpreted. 2. Every single time the bible speaks of the gift of tongues in the scriptures it is always a known human language that is supposed to be uttered publicly unless there is no one to interpret it. Tongues were never intended of as a private prayer language, nor is the gift ever linked with non-human languages. 3. [Slide 8] If we confine ourselves to the book of Acts, we can make some further observations of the gift of tongues. a. We have no record thus far of any person privately receiving salvation and the gift of tongues together. b. When tongues are given, they are given only when a large group comes to Christ. And that group is always one that has never before received the gospel of Christ. c. Meaning what? d. The gift of tongues in the book of Acts so far has been used exclusively as a sign gift. A gift used to be a sign to others. e. Meaning what? f. We have seen the gift of tongues used to authenticate the message of the apostles to unbelievers. g. And although unclear, we have also seen some kind of sign gift used, probably tongues, to authenticate to the apostles that God has saved a new group of people. h. Outside of those two examples… we have not seen tongues linked to salvation, nor have we seen tongues used for any other purpose. iii. [Slide 9] So, we must ask ourselves – what is the purpose of the gift of tongues here? 1. Here it seems like it is not the messenger that needs authentication to the hearer but rather the apostle Peter and generally Jewish Christians, need this sign to authenticate that God has saved these Gentiles. 2. They received the same salvation the Jews received. iv. But this was not the only confirming sign that they had received the gift of the Spirit. v. [Slide 10] Second, they magnified God. 1. Although certainly less flashy, this is the primary indicative experience of all those who genuinely receive the gift of the Spirit of God in conversion. They are changed inside and out. 2. These Gentiles experienced the joy of the Lord in their conversion. They knew God and praised Him for what He had done for them. 3. This again proves to us that these tongues were known languages – probably Hebrew or Aramaic – since these Jewish Christians understood what they said to be magnifying the Lord. 4. And for these 6 Jewish Christians, these two signs proved one astounding truth. God has seen fit in His wisdom and grace to offer Christ and His indwelling Spirit to Gentiles in the same way He has been offered to the Jews. That by faith in Christ they can receive forgiveness and new life in Him. 5. And they can do all this without first becoming a Jew. e. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: All people of every nation, tribe, language, color, gender, social and economic sphere, who through the name of Jesus believe in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and be indwelled with the Holy Spirit and produce evidence of that indwelling. This is the normal indicative experience of those who are united to Christ by true faith. And it doesn't matter what your background is, it doesn't matter what your identity is, there is a uniform experience. So as the church of Jesus today, we must look for this uniform experience for assurance of our own salvation and to help others find assurance of their salvation. Transition: [Slide 12(blank)] But besides gaining assurance for ourselves and that others are truly believers, what else must we do with the fact that the conversion experience among all true believers is held in common? II.) All true believers share a common conversion experience, so we must look for these commonalities to remove all hindrances from baptism and acceptance into the church. (46b-48) a. [Slide 13] 46b – Then Peter answered, i. What exactly is Peter answering? ii. Is he answering the tongues sign or the magnifying of God by the newly converted Gentiles? iii. Is he speaking to the astonished Jewish Christians, even though they haven't actually said anything? iv. And what is the nature of his answer? Is it corrective or instructive? v. How is Peter going to react to all of this? Is Peter going to rebuke the whole thing or has Peter learned from the vision he saw? b. [Slide 14] 47 - “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” i. Peter's answer is full of meaning. ii. First, although it appears that he is looking for consensus or agreement from the 6 Jews who came with him, the LSB's translation is mostly to blame for that. 1. It isn't poorly translated – that is for sure. But there are two words of negation in this text that the LSB does not translate. 2. The NIV translates this much closer to what Peter is saying I think “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 3. This is not Peter asking for consensus. Even though this is a question it is actually a statement. 4. Like when I say to my daughter… If I go out and check your chores to see if you've done them and find that they are undone, can I come back in and punish you? 5. Now am I asking her for consent? No. I am giving her a statement. My statement is, you better have done your chores or you will be punished. 6. Peter in a similar way says – you should see nothing keeping these people from being baptized because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. iii. Second, from Peter's response, we also see his affirmation that the Gentiles received the Spirit in the same way that he and the other Jewish Christians with him had received the Spirit. 1. These 6 Jewish Christians are from Joppa. Meaning that they are not apostles. Therefore, Peter is not speaking to a specific reception of the Spirit as at Pentecost, but rather to a unified reception of the Spirit among Jews who had truly become part of the church. 2. Peter is saying that these Gentiles, though not being circumcised, though not being Jews, had received the Spirit the same way they had. 3. This was all the authentication Peter needed to state that there was nothing preventing them from being baptized. iv. But another point we must consider is that this scripture seems to be a huge difficulty for those who believe in infant baptism. 1. Although many Pedobaptists have attempted to use Peter's response to defend infant baptism, it falls short. 2. They say, that Peter's remarks here highlight the peculiarity that they had received the Spirit prior to being baptized but still needed to be baptized even though what the sign anticipates has already happened. 3. However, under careful analysis of what Peter actually says, it doesn't hold up. 4. Peter is not saying that since the cart was before the horse, we might as well supply the horse. Instead, Peter sees the reception of the Holy Spirit as the irrefutable evidence that they should be baptized. Why? Because that is exactly how it happened for the Jews. 5. This is not pointing to the peculiarity of order but rather to the commonality of nationality. The Gentiles received the Spirit in the same way we have. 6. Therefore, to have received the Holy Spirit serves as the evidence we must look for to confirm without doubt that someone should be baptized. 7. Peter here does not see Baptism as an anticipatory sign but as a confirming sign. Water baptism confirms that Spirit baptism has already occurred. v. And while we are already distracted talking about these doctrinal matters, let's go ahead and insert our discussion on the work of the Holy Spirit in this text. vi. [Slide 15] We are 10 chapters into the book of Acts. In those 10 chapters we have had a fairly large sampling of the activity of the Holy Spirit, especially concerning conversion. 1. In that sampling we can see that The Holy Spirit's work at the experience of conversion is not identical. We'll not take the time to go through it all, but on the screen is a brief sampling we can go through this upcoming Wednesday night. 2. So, what is common among these examples? a. No doubt the reason there is confusion is because Luke uses several terms to speak of the Spirit's work. i. Baptism of the Spirit ii. Filling of the Spirit iii. Pouring out of the Spirit iv. The gift of the Spirit v. Receiving the Spirit vi. The Spirit falling upon b. But we are confused because sometimes multiple things happen at the same time and sometimes they don't. c. We are confused because this is probably a square rectangle situation here. d. Just like all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, so also, all who have had the Spirit fall on them, be poured out on them, or fill them have also received the gift of the Spirit and been baptized with the Spirit also. e. Thus we see the Spirit's work divide nicely into two categories. i. The indwelling of the Spirit which is referred to as the Baptism of the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, and receiving the Spirit. ii. And then we have the empowering of the Spirit which is referred to as the filling of, falling upon, and pouring out of the Spirit. f. Analyzing the book of Acts we find that all who received the empowering had also received the indwelling. But not all who received the indwelling also received the empowering. 3. [Slide 16] In this we can draw some doctrinal teachings. a. All who are regenerated of the Spirit and given eyes and ears to receive faith in Christ, will receive the gift of the baptism of the Spirit of God. Which is being indwelled with the Spirit. b. The empowering of the Spirit is a special and sometimes repeated work of the Spirit in those who have already been indwelled with the Spirit. This empowering is to perform a special task or function for a special purpose of God. c. Pentecostal Christians insist that the sign gifts, particularly the gift of tongues, is either a necessary sign for all who are genuinely Christians, or is a sign that whoever speaks in tongues are a higher tier of Christian than those who do not. i. Many who have attended these churches have felt an inordinate amount of pressure to produce the sign of tongues, but unfortunately, they produce a completely foreign sign to that of the scriptures. For the language they speak is, in most cases, not a human language at all. Nor is it being used as a sign to authenticate anything except that they are connected to God in some unclear way. ii. Much of what occurs in Pentecostal churches is directly contrary to what Paul instructs in I Cor 14 about the priority of preaching and the need for edification to be at the center. 1. Oftentimes in Pentecostal churches the sermon is underemphasized and sign gifts overemphasized. 2. Paul commands that an interpreter be present, which is often disregarded. 3. And Paul even reveals that tongues are a sign to unbelievers, whether they are interpreted or not. But if they are left uninterpreted it will chase them away from the truth of the gospel. vii. And so, we can conclude that the work of the Spirit here in this text speaks to both the indwelling and empowering of the Spirit for these Gentiles. The indwelling accompanied their faith and the empowering produced the speaking in tongues and magnifying the Lord. c. [Slide 17] 48 – And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. i. The six men though convinced that baptism must be administered, hesitated waiting for the Apostle to perform the duty. ii. But Peter commanded them to baptize these who had received the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. iii. We are not told that it was carried out, but the context suggests that Cornelius and a large portion of his household and friends were baptized that day and became members of the growing Church of Jesus Christ. d. [Slide 18] Then they asked him to remain for a few days. i. Here we see one final proof that they had received the Spirit. ii. They were hungry for instruction and fellowship. iii. I'd wager that the same four devotions from Acts 2 were present here. iv. They desired to be taught further the apostles' teaching. v. They desired to fellowship with Peter and the other believers in a new family. vi. They desired to share the Lord's Supper with them. vii. And they desired to devote themselves to corporate prayer together. viii. What a sweet time this would have been! How earth shattering. Even the Gentiles are being saved! e. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: Peter points to the common and uniform experience that the Jews and the Gentiles shared in the salvation of their souls. That they too received the gift of the Spirit after repenting and believing the gospel. Therefore, he saw no reason to deny the Gentiles both the sacrament of baptism and the admission into visible church as a sign of their membership in the universal church. It was the fact of the common experience among all who are united to Christ by faith that made Peter strongly conclude that these Gentiles must be baptized. And so, for us we must also look for the same common experience among those who desire to receive the sacrament of baptism and be received as members of our local body. Conclusion: So, what can we see from this CBC? What doctrinal points can we learn and apply today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 20] As the church expanded and the gospel was preached to Gentiles, the question remained, will this be a separate church? Will the gospel be received by Gentiles and if so, will it be different than how it was received by the Jews? But since there was no essential difference between the conversion experience of the Gentiles and the Jews… When they saw that they repented and believed in Jesus as the Messiah of God and Lord of all, and received the indwelling of the Spirit of God just like the Jews did… Because everything about their conversion experience was the same as the Jews… Peter concluded that they must be baptized into the community of faith with the Jews. There was nothing preventing them… Not circumcision, not becoming a Jew first… nothing. The Gentiles and Jews were no longer divided. Just like God's vision revealed to Peter before. There was no more clean and unclean because God has made the unclean… clean. People of every background so long as their experience includes repentance, faith, and the reception of the Spirit of God – are part of the body of Christ. Truly there is no partiality with God. For us then, when we look for the assurance of our own faith, or to confirm the faith of others and baptize them and receive them as members of our church – we must look for those common traits that all true believers have. The uniform experience of conversion. But let me get a little more specific here and apply this to our everyday lives. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that conversion is a uniform experience among all who are truly in Christ. a. When Jesus began His ministry, it is said that He went about preaching repentance and belief in the gospel. b. When Peter preaches in Acts, he highlights these two essentials. That they repent and believe on Jesus as Lord of all. c. As the New Testament writers penned their letters under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, They encouraged their readers to continue to turn from sin and to continue to trust on Christ, not simply for salvation but to trust Him enough to love and obey Him. d. New Testament writers affirm what Peter says here, that the indwelling of the Spirit is an incontrovertible proof that someone is of Christ and needs to be baptized. e. And if someone has the Spirit of God living within them, they will know it! They will know it by the change in their lives. They will know it by their passions being made new. They will know it by their ability to love and obey the Lord. f. Repentance from sin, faith in Christ, receipt of the Spirit which is evidenced by a changed life. g. These three are necessary components of the religious experience called conversion. This is how God converts us into Christ followers. h. He gifts us with repentance from sin, faith in Christ, and His Spirit indwelling us. i. And my friends, this is all or nothing. j. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never turned from their sin. k. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never trusted in the finished work of Christ. l. There is no such thing as a Christian who has never received the gift of the indwelling of the Spirit. m. And there is no such thing as a Christian who having received the Spirit has not gone on to love and Obey Jesus Christ. n. Every true believer… Has all of these in common as their Salvation Story. o. Even children raised in the church having never done drugs or fornicated… Even they must turn from their sin of self-righteousness and pride. Both of which are abominations to God. p. Even children raised to have always believed that Jesus died on the cross for sin and was raised the third day… must by God-gifted faith embrace and wholly depend on this Lord to save them. q. Even children raised in the church, good mannered and well versed in the scriptures, must receive the Spirit of God to truly walk in the way of Christ and to preserve them in good works until the day of judgment. r. We all have the same story my friends. It binds us together. s. We were wretched sinners. Saved by grace through faith in Christ. And He has put His Spirit in our hearts crying Abba! Father! We are not slaves we are sons and if sons then heirs. t. We all have the same story! u. Therefore, we must confess that all true believers will have the same story we have. They must. Or they are not true believers. 2.) [Slide 22] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that a uniform conversion means an identical conversion. a. Yes, these 3, repentance, faith, and the Spirit's indwelling, are all true of all believers… b. But that does not mean that every conversion will be the same. c. There may be differences in timing. i. Some may experience faith before repentance. They want Christ to save them but it takes time for them to want to leave their sin. ii. Some may wait weeks, repenting and believing before they receive the Spirit. d. There may be differences in form i. Some may pray earnestly in repentance and faith. ii. Some may keep it all in their heads and hearts. iii. Some may wake from dreams or drunken stupors with repentance on their lips and faith in their hearts. iv. Some may hear a preacher preach the Word and come to faith. Others may simply pick up a bible and read and believe. e. There may be differences in degrees i. Some may weep and wail begging for God's forgiveness. ii. Some may yell and leap for joy. iii. Others may feel a weight of sin lifted. iv. Others may make the logical and comparatively colder calculation that Jesus is Lord of all and I must abandon my life and serve Him. Not a tear shed and joy gained but only in the matter being settled and the questions answered. f. There may be differences in theological precision. i. From long winded, tear filled confession of all that the sinner has done to a simple acknowledgement of sin's curse – it is all repentance. ii. From precise declarations of all Jesus is to the simple – Jesus save me… g. Though every story is the same in that we all turn from sin, cast ourselves upon Christ and receive His Spirit… Every story is not identical. It is not one-size-fits-all. 3.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop accepting abnormal or insufficient assurances of true conversion. a. Did you pray a prayer? b. Did you walk an aisle? c. Did you accept Jesus into your heart? d. Were you baptized? e. Do you believe in God? f. Do you affirm these doctrinal truths? g. Are your parents Christians? h. Were you raised in the church? i. Are you concerned if you are truly saved? j. Do you think you can lose your salvation? k. These are all… useless questions. They ask nothing and predictably they answer nothing. l. They neither bring assurance nor comfort to anyone. m. They are tropes that aim at targets they cannot see. And we are surprised when they miss? 4.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must test ourselves and others to prove this uniform conversion experience is true of us. a. Though the questions before ask nothing and answer nothing… because true Christians all have a uniform conversion experience… b. We can boil down our tests to three simple yet pregnant questions. c. Have we truly turned from sin? d. Have we truly believed on Christ alone? e. Have we truly received the indwelling of the Spirit of God? f. But how would we know the answers to these? g. If we have truly turned from sin, we ought to see a fight. A battle. A war. i. We ought to see evidence of a fleeing, fighting, scrapping, brawling person fighting tooth and nail to escape sin. ii. And we ought NOT see someone holding, cherishing, nurturing, or hiding sin. iii. If we've turned from it – it means we don't want it anymore. Not that we don't sin… but we hate it. iv. Sin is described in the scripture as an incurable illness or disease. Think about an incurable disease. Let's go ahead and say it… cancer. Do you treat your sin… like cancer? v. If I could just get a little more cancer. I know its not great for me but I love cancer so much. vi. Foolishness. vii. Have you turned from sin? h. If we have truly believed on Jesus Christ alone, we ought to see a growing love and dependance on Him. i. We ought to see a resting in the Person and work of Christ. ii. We ought to see a cherishing of His Words. iii. We ought to see an emulation of His ways. iv. We ought to see a love for Him and what He's done. v. We ought to see a passion to know Him more and more. vi. We ought to see joy overwhelm us when we speak of the cleansing power of the cross. vii. We ought to see a hope burn in us that He will return and take us home. viii. We ought to see a growing dissatisfaction with the world and a longing for His Kingdom. ix. We ought to see Him be our everything and everything else by comparison become nothing. x. We ought to see a love for His church. We ought to see a desire to worship with them, serve them, love them, and help them. xi. We ought NOT be attempting to earn or keep our salvation by our performance. xii. We ought NOT be flippant toward the church, the Word of God, or sin. xiii. We ought NOT be fearful or anxious over earthly struggles, nor should they overwhelm and undo us. i. And if we have truly received the Spirit of God, we should see change. i. Not change over days or weeks. But over years. ii. We ought NOT be the same people we were. iii. We ought to see a passion and power to love and obey the Lord. iv. We ought to see a passion and power to love and serve His people. v. We ought to see a passion and power to love unbelievers and share the gospel with them. vi. We ought to bear the scars of the Holy Spirit's hostile takeover of our lives. j. If these are true and we have the same story… We can be assured of our identity in Christ. 5.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Sharing a uniform conversion binds us to one another as equal inheritors in the promises of Christ. a. Not only are we assured and comforted by sharing the same story together. b. But such a shared story necessarily binds us to one another. c. We are all unworthy and wretched inheritors of beautiful promises. d. Promises we would have no part in were it not for Jesus Christ. e. We are all paupers turned into princes. f. We are beggars made Barons. g. We have all turned from sin, so we can help each other in the fight against it. h. We have all trusted in Christ, so we can help each other cling ever tighter to Him and what He's done, the joy of what He's doing, and the hope of what He will do. i. We have all received the Spirit, so we are all the temple of the Living God. We are God bearers all of us. We walk around with His Spirit providing the passion and the power to serve Him. j. Do you not find comfort in this? k. We all have the same story. A beautiful story of wretched little street urchins doing the will of our father the devil… but then suddenly adopted and made children of the Most High God. Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Matthew Henry Lord, our souls have told you: you are our God. Other lords have had dominion over us, but we affirm the Lord this day to be our God. We will walk in your ways, keep your commandments, honor your judgments. We will listen to your voice and give ourselves to you as your people-for your praise, and for your glory. Lord, truly we are your servants, born in your house. You have loosed our bonds. We are bought with a price, so we are not our own, but yield ourselves to you. We join ourselves to you in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten. We are yours. Save us, for we seek your ways. We give you what is yours, that which comes from your hand. It is in Jesus name we pray this… Amen. Benediction: May the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you! Until we meet again… Go in peace.

35 Acts 10:34-43 Lord of All

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2024 47:02

Title: Lord of All Text: Acts 10:34-43 FCF: We often struggle humbly trusting and loyally submitting to Christ in faith. Prop: Because Jesus is Lord of All, we must believe in Him through His name. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we will read from the LSB starting in verse 34. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1243 or in whatever version you prefer. We are more than halfway through the episode now. Cornelius' vision has come to pass. He and his family sit poised to hear the message from Peter. Peter's understanding of the vision he received is expanding to its fullest meaning. As the immediate effect of that… Peter will preach the message Corenlius and his family need. Let's waste no time. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O risen Christ, there is salvation in no one else; there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Let your saving presence be upon us today that we might glory in your abundant love and rightly proclaim your good news of redemption. We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] There is a saying we have. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is this truism that motivated our forefathers to seek out a government that put power in the hands of the many rather in the hands of the few. As power is consolidated, it is more easily and readily used to corrupt and abuse those who are governed. To us the idea of one ruler holding all power is a fearful thing to consider. Peter's gospel presentation to Cornelius and his friends and family… is all about what happens when the RIGHT MAN holds absolute power. Let's look. I.) Jesus is Lord of Jew and Gentile, so we must believe in Him through His name. (34-36) a. [Slide 3] 34 – And opening his mouth, Peter said: i. And just like that, something clicks in Peter's mind. ii. The full weight of the vision and all its implications are now falling on Peter. iii. Regarding the message that Cornelius has several times alluded to. The message that the servants he sent alluded to. The message that Cornelius has said was ordered by the Lord. We have yet to read in Acts what that message might be. iv. God in speaking to Peter never gives him a message to deliver. v. Certainly, as Peter hears this for the second time now, he might have been wondering up to that point what message God would have him give to these gentiles. vi. But taking the vision and the Spirit's instruction into account, and seeing the events that have unfolded more clearly… Peter knows now exactly what message he is to deliver to Cornelius and his house. vii. It isn't a message for the Jews to consider their ceremonial laws fulfilled – although this is true. viii. It isn't a message for the Jews to abandon their scruples about meeting with gentiles – although this is also true. b. [Slide 4] “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality. i. The message… is the gospel of Jesus Christ. ii. We see Peter make the declaration. God is not one to show partiality. iii. What does this mean? iv. Well, we have scriptures that tell us that God has a common grace available to all mankind. That the rain falls on both the unjust and the just. Perhaps Peter thinks that God is generally good to all men, so Peter must share with them the Gospel as an act of common good to them. v. While this is certainly true, it doesn't quite accommodate the aspect of God making the unclean clean does it? vi. We could make this to mean, as some parts of Christianity do, that God has given redemptive grace to all mankind. That God does not show any particular favor to any one but has shown favor to all. In this there are two teachings that diverge. 1. Either all men will be saved – Which is Universalism. 2. Or all men have received grace from God to be saved, they simply must add their belief to receive it – Potential atonement of all men or Synergism. 3. Is this what Peter means that God shows no partiality? vii. I introduce all this in order to teach a principle. The principle is… in scripture… if you don't understand… Keep reading. c. [Slide 5] 35 – but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him. i. The scriptures as a whole may teach that God is generally good to every single man, and even that as part of that goodness that the gospel must go out to every single man. But that is not what Peter means by God not showing partiality. ii. I would argue that the scriptures as a whole neither teach Universalism nor does it teach Synergism. God did not provide saving grace or a potential atonement to all men. Rather He provided regenerative grace and effectual atonement to many men. iii. Such a teaching endures Peter's comment that God does not show partiality. Why? iv. Because Peter does not speak in reference to all men that have ever lived. He speaks in reference to all kinds of men, namely ethnicity and religious heritage. v. These superficial earthy demarcations are not aspects of us that God considers when He gives saving grace and effectual atonement. And this has always been the case. As we read in the psalms, in proverbs, in the history, in the prophets – God's redemptive plan has ALWAYS included the whole earth. All the nations. Not just Jews. vi. Any man, of any background, if they fear God and obey Him… that in itself is enough for them to be welcomed unto God. vii. And lest we be concerned that Peter is teaching some sort of works-based salvation… Fearing God and obeying God can be set next to seeking God, believing God, and loving God. The relationship in the New Testament between trust, repentance, obedience, fear, love, and faith are so intertwined that it is quite difficult to pick them apart as separate experiences. viii. In short, Peter speaks of one who is or is at least becoming a true believer in the name of Jesus. d. [Slide 6] 36 – As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ – He is Lord of all – i. The word, or the message that God has ordained for Peter to give to Cornelius, is the same message or word that God sent to the sons of Israel through Christ. ii. What is this message? iii. It is a message of Peace. iv. Peace between God and men. v. A cessation of hostility. A way to be made right with God. vi. In this Christ is both the messenger and also the message. Christ comes with a message of peace but He is also the means of that peace. vii. How is He able to do that? viii. First, because He is the Messiah of God. He is the Christ, the anointed One. The promised One of God. The One who will crush the head of Satan. The One who will provide a path back into the family of God. ix. Second, He is Lord of All. x. Long were the Jews looking for a man chosen of God to lead them to freedom and prosperity. We've been talking about this in foundations in our study of Micah. xi. Long have they been told that their only Hope is in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. xii. But Peter makes it plain – that in Jesus of Nazareth – He is both the chosen and anointed One of God but also is Lord of all. He is God and Man. xiii. But this is not a message for the sons of Israel only. For God is not one to show partiality. Jesus is, after all, the Lord of all. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: So, in Peter's opening point, which serves as a revelation to himself in addition to a guide to His entire gospel presentation, Peter stresses the idea that Jesus, is the Lord of all men. Although God has referred to Israel as His portion, the entire Old Testament never eliminated a global vision for God's redemptive plan. Anyone, regardless of their heritage, their previous religious persuasion, their ethnicity, their gender, or any other dividing identity characteristic - anyone who has been humbled in fear of the Lord and has submitted to His rule, will not be denied the welcome of God. God's sovereign, unconditional election does not stand opposed to this teaching. Instead, it works in harmony. His sovereign work, which produces this kind of person, is not extended only to people of a particular identifying group. It is extended to all kinds of men for Jesus is Lord of all. What then should be our response? Fear and obedience. Humble Trust and Loyal Submission. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] But is Jesus simply Lord of all men? Are there other aspects of His Lordship that may contribute to our understanding of the gospel? II.) Jesus is Lord of good and evil, so we must believe in Him through His name. (37-38) a. [Slide 9] 37 – you yourselves know the thing which happened throughout all Judea starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed i. Jesus' life had caused quite a stir. ii. It is reasonable for Peter to have expected a God-Fearer to have heard about the baptism of John. John's ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord. To declare the coming of the King and His Kingdom. iii. His ministry also had reached far and wide. We haven't met the last of his disciples in the book of Acts. iv. It is also reasonable for Peter to expect that most everyone would have heard by now of the exploits of Jesus. His miracles. His ministry. v. People came from far and wide to hear him and see him perform miracles. vi. And we know that Jesus had interacted with other centurions of the Roman army, even raising one centurion's servant without having ever seen the servant. vii. We also know Philip the evangelist preceded Peter in arriving in Caesarea preaching the gospel. viii. And perhaps even in his conversing with them Peter was made aware of all they had heard. ix. Therefore, he is starting from what they know and intending to expand on it. b. [Slide 10] 38 – You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. i. Although the words “you know of” do not appear in the Greek text, they are supplied by the LSB here to indicate that this is further pointing to the specifics of all that they knew. ii. And they knew quite a lot. iii. They knew that Jesus of Nazareth had been given power by the Holy Spirit and anointed by God the Father. iv. They knew that He went about doing good v. They knew He went about healing all who were oppressed by the devil. vi. What they did not know… is that He was able to do all of this because God was with Him. vii. Peter proves his point that Jesus is Lord of all by showing that He is Lord OF good and OVER evil and dark forces of the world. He went about doing good and defeating evil and dark powers. viii. Yes, the Lord Jesus reigns… in goodness and over evil itself. c. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: In Peter's first point, as the fullest realization of the vision he saw, he now confesses that Jesus is Lord of all, meaning of all men. That salvation, in its fullest sense, is offered not to Jews only, but to all men. In this second point, in recounting what Cornelius and his close relations and friends have heard, Peter shows that Jesus is not merely the Lord of all men, but is also the Lord of good and evil. By this he means that Jesus not only is the definition of what is good, but also that He rules even over the forces of evil. He is able to cast out evil. He is able to dominate the forces that have dominated men. What is the only proper response to such a Lord? Fear and obedience. Humble Trust and Loyal Submission. Transition: [Slide 12(blank)] Jesus is Lord of all men. Jesus is good and rules over evil. Anything else? III.) Jesus is Lord of life and death, so we must believe in Him through His name. (39-41) a. [Slide 13] 39 – And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Judea and in Jerusalem. i. Peter provides somewhat of a transitional sentence here. ii. He switches not to what the gentiles in front of him knew, but of what the apostles and the early 120-member church were all witnesses. iii. Thus, they may not know any of what he is about to tell them, but he is bearing witness to them of what they saw Jesus do in Judea and Jerusalem. iv. This is the message that they were commissioned by Christ to take to the nations – all that Jesus did, especially in Jerusalem, and especially the last two months before he ascended. v. Which of course includes… b. [Slide 14] They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. i. We know who the they is in this sentence, but it is not readily apparent grammatically. ii. We have 3 options from the text so far. iii. It could be the sons of Israel, it could be the forces of darkness. It could be the Father and the Spirit. iv. In fact, it was all three of these. v. But who put Jesus to death is not what Peter is emphasizing here. vi. The fact that He was put to death by hanging on a tree, IS. vii. The Old Testament affirms that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. viii. Jesus was cursed. ix. But He didn't stay cursed… c. [Slide 15] 40 – God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. i. And so, continuing to add to what Cornelius and his friends and family knew, Peter goes on to tell them that Jesus was raised by God on the third day and appeared to many people. ii. Not to everyone… for those who resolutely remained in their unbelief would then be held in greater judgment for seeing the risen Christ with their own eyes and yet still rejecting Him. iii. Not to everyone… for not all were equipped to testify to His life, death, and Life again like those who followed Him. iv. No, only to some who would believe, chosen by God. Only these saw Jesus and ate and drank with Him proving in fact that He was no spirit or apparition. He was raised indeed and in a new body. v. Thus, He is also Lord over life and death. vi. If God willed to pluck Him, even from death… then He must be Lord of all. d. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Peter has shown that all men are under His Lordship. He has shown that even the forces of evil are under His benevolent Lordship. And as an eyewitness to the fact, even the things that God alone claims to be in control of- things like life and death – Jesus is said to be Lord. “I lay my life down and can take it up again…” He said. God proved that He was exactly who He said He was by raising Him from the dead. He is the Lord of life and the Lord over death. How should we respond to such a Lord? A Lord who has the power of life and death in His hands? Fear and obey. Humble trust and loyal submission. Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] Do we need more? Is the gospel not yet full enough? Shall we leave it here? Or is there still more that He is Lord over? IV.) Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead, so we must believe in Him through His name. (42-43) a. [Slide 18] 42 – And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to solemnly bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. i. Another aspect of Jesus being Lord of all is that having been raised from the Dead and glorified, He is now the Judge of the living and the dead. He is Lord over all. ii. He is the Lord over those who will live and those who will die. He is Lord over those who will be sent to life and sent to death. iii. And the message that God ordained for Peter to preach is Jesus the Lord of all and final judge of all. iv. This message is the message Cornelius referred to. v. This message is the one that God not only extends to all nations, but also enables many of all nations to receive. vi. And it is the message Peter is giving right now to Cornelius and his family and friends. b. [Slide 19] 43 – Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. i. Peter reaches the climax of His gospel presentation on Jesus being Lord of all by declaring that the way to be judged as living and not dead is to receive forgiveness for sins. ii. And how does one receive forgiveness for sins? iii. The prophets of Old spoke of the coming one who would bear His people's sins. They spoke of one Ruler who would rule from Jerusalem and all nations would come to Him to learn and obey. iv. In this, the prophets reveal the truth. That Jesus is this One. All hope is in Him. v. We are saved through His name. vi. [Slide 20] We've talked about this before, but when we use the expression “in His name” or “through His name” there are a couple layers of meaning. 1. First, it means with His authority or with His power. This focuses on our belief that Jesus is the Lord of all, who will judge the living and the dead, and who is over life, death, and all evil. Thus, believing through His name is believing in His power and authority to save us. 2. But the second meaning of the phrase is for His sake or on His behalf. This focuses on our belief that we are not saved because of any righteousness of our own, but only because Christ has paid our punishment and given us His righteousness. It is only for His sake that any are saved. vii. When we are told to believe in or to call on the name of Jesus, it is not speaking to a belief in historical facts alone. Instead, it is a belief that God only saves through Christ's substitutionary atonement and it is a submission to Christ's Lordship. viii. Through His name, everyone who believes (Jew or Gentile) will be forgiven of sins, freed from the power of evil, made right with God, established in peace through Him, and judged among the living. ix. There is hope in no other name but Jesus Christ, The Lord of All who was crucified for sinners. c. [Slide 21] Summary of the Point: Peter is being biblical, but abundantly logical as well. If Jesus is Lord over all men, over all good and evil, over life and death… then it stands to reason that He is also Lord and judge over the living and the dead. By living we mean those who have been granted life and life abundant. By dead we mean those who have been dead in their sins and have never been altered. As Lord over and Judge over He alone holds the keys. He alone holds the gavel. He alone determines who receives life and who is condemned to death. He will separate the sheep from the goats. What is the only proper response to such a Lord? It is belief in Him through His name. Which is what? Fear and obedience. It is Humble trust and loyal submission. Conclusion: So, CBC, after looking at Peter's sermon, what is it we are to walk away with? What orthodoxy and orthopraxy must we leave with? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 22] Jesus is Lord of all. All men, all forces of good and evil, death, life, the dead and the living. He is Lord of all creation. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the Last. He has demonstrated this by being anointed with the Spirit, healing those afflicted by the devil, dying for the sins of His people, raised by God to authenticate His Word, Ascended to God to intercede for His people and will one day return to judge the living and the dead. There is hope in no other name. No other name has the authority of Jesus Christ. It is for no other's sake that God will pass over sin and declare someone to be righteous. It is only on the basis of what He's done and who He is that we can and indeed we MUST humbly trust in and loyally submit to Him and Him alone for the forgiveness of sins. My friends… this is the gospel. He is Lord of all. That is the gospel. It is what gives us peace with God and reconciles us to Him… in that we kiss the Son. Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled, How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Psalm 2:12. But let us apply this more vividly today. Where does this doctrine meet us? 1.) [Slide 23] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that Jesus is Lord of all. a. All men are born naturally believing that they are the determiner of their own destiny. b. Baked into each of us, we believe that we can choose our path and our life. Our destiny is unwritten. c. But the scriptures cast down and smash this lie to bits. d. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. e. Oftentimes well-meaning pastors stand behind pulpits pleading with church goers to invite Jesus into their hearts. Pleading with them ask Jesus to be Lord of their life. f. My friends… Jesus Christ IS the Lord of all. Whether you ask Him to be or invite Him to be… He owns you. He owns all of us. g. And because of His obedience to the Father's will He has been raised to a position above every man. He is the Judge of the living and the dead. h. The scriptures say that all men will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. i. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. j. This application is less an application and more a statement of fact. k. You will have NO CHOICE but to confess that Jesus is Lord of you, of your life, of your eternity, of your destiny, of EVERYTHING. l. The only thing uncertain to you… is when. m. When will you believe that Jesus is Lord of all? n. Will you confess and believe it now, while you yet inhabit this mortal body? Will you bow in humble trust and loyal submission now… or will you do so… later. o. That is the only question associated with this application for all men must believe that Jesus is Lord of all. 2.) [Slide 24] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Jesus will allow even one sin to remain unpaid. a. Because Jesus is Lord of all, and because He is the judge of the living and the dead, one day, on the day that all will confess that Jesus is Lord of all… there will stand a Great White Throne. And the one who sits on that throne, the very presence of earth and heaven flee from Him. b. One day all men, great and small will stand before this great white throne and The Lion of Judah will preside over the court. c. He will call your name and He will open up the books of your life. d. He will read every single thing that you have ever done and He will lay out your sins before you. e. They will all testify against you as acts of treason against Yahweh and His Christ, Jesus, the Lord of Glory, The Judge over the living and the dead. f. And if anyone, including you, are judged by the books of works, you will never be found innocent. g. How do I know that? h. Because Revelation 20 says that anyone who is judged by these books will be cast into the lake of eternal fire. i. If you hope to stand before this throne and hold out for your good deeds to outweigh your bad deeds… my friend the bible has no hope to give you. For if you are judged by your works… you will be found guilty. You will be cast into the lake of eternal torment. j. There you shall remain for all eternity suffering the wrath of God for your sins. k. And the reason that you will be there forever is because were you given 1 eternal lifetime to pay for 1 count of treason against a Holy God, you could not with 1 eternal life adequately pay for your crime against Him. l. How much longer then would you remain in such wrath for your mile long rap sheet full of counts of treason? m. Jesus alone stands at that throne as judge. Jesus alone is the Lord of the living and the dead. n. He will not allow even 1 sin in the sea of all humanity to go unpaid. All sin will be atoned for. Justice will reign at that day. o. How foolish we have become to think… Oh God will forgive me. No my friends. All sin requires atonement. All sin requires someone to pay. All treason against Him will be punished. p. Would that we understood the sinfulness of sin! God open our eyes to see its death grip. A small sip of poison will not hurt us we think. Oh Chase such foolishness away from us Lord! q. So that we may… 3.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must repent of sin and believe in the name of Jesus Christ. a. The same Lord who holds us dangling over the flames. The same Lord we have offended with our treason. The same Lord who is the judge of the living and the dead says to us b. Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. c. The same Lord who condemns… it is also said… d. The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. e. The same God who rides out to war against His enemies tells His angels to declare f. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. g. The same Lord who separates the living and the dead, the goats and the sheep… of Him it was said h. Our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening of our peace fell upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way but Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on… HIM i. This Lord of All… died for sinners. j. My friends… if God has shown you this truth today – how shall you respond? k. You are backed to the edge of a cliff. You know your judgment is coming. You know no sin will be left unpaid. You know you will confess and believe that Jesus is Lord of all one day. And now you know that this same Jesus has laid down His life to bear the sins of many. l. There are only two choices before you. And I implore you to take the only choice that makes sense. m. Turn from your sin in humble trust that this Lord is your Lord and this Savior is your savior. And because of what He's done and who He is… loyally submit to His Lordship. Bow the knee and follow Him. n. Lamentations 3: 25 – the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him. o. Psalm 2:12 – Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled, How blessed are all who take refuge in Him. p. But my friends… I warn you… Do not choose the second option… 4.) [Slide 26] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop resisting the call of the Lord. a. As you stand at the edge of that cliff faced with teaching on all sides showing you are trapped… you may think that you could find solace in the ravine below. b. Perhaps you can escape the gaze of the Almighty by throwing yourself into the chasm. c. Will you walk away from these truths? d. Will you flee the mercy of God? e. Will you continue to assure yourself that you will be found worthy. That He is not Lord. That He is not real? f. Will you continue to deceive and be deceived? g. Oh my friends… None of us are guaranteed another day. Not another moment. h. Should you cast yourself to the mercy of the ravine it may take your life. You may not land and be able to flee any longer. i. The fool has said, let us eat drink and be merry… but little did he know that the Lord would require His life that very night. j. My friends… what will you do with the Lord of All? He beckons you to come. Will you refuse again? 5.) [Slide 27 (end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” Through the name of Jesus, all who believe in Him will receive forgiveness of sins. a. For immature or fake Christians such a message grates against them. b. They despise sermons with no moral push, no ted talk, no life hack. c. They come to be given short cuts and pointers on living the Christian life. d. But to seasoned and Christlike believers… we never tire of hearing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. e. True to hear again and again of our sin, to live and confess it again and again is a pain to our hearts. f. But the sweet balm of the redemption that flowed from the cross of Christ – of this we can never drink too deeply. Our bellies are never full of it. Would that we could submerge ourselves in it every day and every hour. g. To know that the through the name of Jesus we who believe are and continue to receive the forgiveness of and cleansing from our sin. h. Oh glorious truth. Oh wonderful joy. i. The Lord of all… is the Savior of sinners. Sinners like you. Sinners like me. Let me close with a Puritan Prayer. Blessed Lord Jesus, No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel. Acting in eternal grace, you are both its messenger and its message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, applying your life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed. Blessed be you, O Father, for contriving this way, Eternal thanks to you, O Lamb of God, for opening this way, Praise everlasting to you, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart. Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt. Teach me to secure this mighty blessing; Help me to give up every darling lust to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in my will, controlling my affections moulding my understanding; To adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing from them in any instance nor for any advantage in order escape calamity, inconvenience, or danger. Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; Strip me of every pleasing pretense of righteousness by my own doings. O gracious Redeemer, I have neglected you too long, often crucified you, crucified you afresh by my impenitence, put you to open shame. I thank you for the patience that has borne with me so long, and for the grace that now makes me willing to be yours. O unite me to yourself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from you, my Lord, my Saviour: In Jesus name I pray… Amen. Benediction: May that One, in whom we have redemption through His blood, The forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of His grace, Lavish on you all wisdom and understanding. So that you might keep your heart on the right path. Until we meet again… Go in Peace.

33 Acts 10:17-23a He Goes Before Us

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 41:40

Title: He Goes Before Us Text: Acts 10:17-23a FCF: We often struggle sharing our faith with others. Prop: Because God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, we must trust and obey Him. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we will read from the Legacy standard bible starting in verse 17. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Although we had a week break from our study of the book of Acts, and although we will take a break next week again from the study, I hope that by breaking in the middle of a narrative episode that it will enable you to remember what we've been studying since we are essentially pausing the episode to come back to later. But let me review a bit just to make sure you are with me. It is difficult to know where this story truly begins. So let's be safe and start with chapter 9. In the first scene we saw the miraculous conversion of Saul the bloodthirsty hunter of the church. Jesus knocked him off his feet, blinded him, rebuked him, and then commanded him to get up and go to Damasus and wait until he was healed. In the second scene we see Saul begin his life of evangelism in Damascus, Arabia, and Jerusalem where he was approved of the Apostles. He then went to Tarsus to await being sent of God to the Gentiles. The third scene consists of Peter using the peace established by Saul's conversion to begin an itinerate ministry in Northern Judea and Samaria. He miraculously heals Aeneas of being lame. He raises Tabitha from the dead. In each scene it is clear that God is going before them to prepare the way for the gospel to expand and the church to grow. The fourth scene begins another episode within the narrative where a gentile God-Fearer is approached in a vision by an angel of God and told that he could come to Christ without first becoming a Jew. He was commanded to send for Peter in Joppa. The fifth scene is where Peter is put in a trace and receives a vision. This is where we left it last time. So far in this narrative we continue to see the hand of God paving the way for the gospel to go forward. Today, we will continue on to the next scene in this episode. And again we will see the work of God in the expansion of the gospel, but also the responsibility of men within that work. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Although God does not always speak clearly He certainly speaks loudly. At least loud enough for us to hear Him. I think of Elijah who was depressed because after the victory at Carmel the entire nation did not turn to Yahweh and Jezabel desired to kill him. God approached him in a storm and tumult but spoke to him in the calm. Elijah knew God wanted to speak to Him for sure… but the whisper is where he heard him clearly. Peter has just received an amazing but perplexing vision from God. One that he is not readily able to understand. But the same God who puzzled him with a grand vision will now speak clearly as a whisper in His ear. In each case, the Lord moves, the Lord prepares, the Lord leads, the Lord goes before, and we must often run to keep up. Let's see if Peter keeps up. I.) God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, so we must trust Him. (17-20) a. [Slide 3] 17 – Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, i. Last time in the book of Acts we spent a good deal of time trying to understand the vision that Peter was given. ii. We have the luxury of a completed New Testament, in written form, in a language we can all understand, bound together in one book along with the Old Testament, with 2000 years of the Holy Spirit illuminating, revealing, and guarding its meaning for God's children. iii. Even with all that, we must systematically arrive at the conclusion that God has fulfilled the ceremonial laws in the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and ongoing mediation of Christ. iv. Peter does not have these same luxuries. So, he must ponder and mull over all that the Lord revealed in his vision. v. What did he see? vi. He saw, coming out of heaven, all manner of creatures including ceremonially clean and unclean animals, descend on a sheet by the four corners. vii. Then he heard a voice command him to arise and eat. viii. His response was outright refusal. Peter knew what the law said. ix. But the same voice spoke again to him informing him that God had made these animals clean. x. This vision was repeated 3 times and the sheet went back up to heaven. xi. So, what could this mean? xii. Are all foods clean now? xiii. Is Peter free to eat pork? Shellfish? Birds? Bats? Snakes? xiv. Is there a deeper meaning here? Were the animals just an illustration of a greater truth? xv. Is it both and? xvi. This is what Peter was wondering. b. [Slide 4] Behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate; i. We are again clued in to the chronology of the events. Luke is concerned that we understand the cohesive nature to all the events of this episode so far. ii. Peter received this vision less than 24 hours after Cornelius had seen his vision. iii. And while Peter wondered about the meaning of his vision, Cornelius' vision and the command he was given has entered its last stage of fulfillment. iv. The three men he sent, two servants and a soldier, arrived at Simon the Tanner's house, seeking Peter. c. [Slide 5] 18 – And calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was lodging there. i. Notice the obedience of these men. ii. What were they told to do? iii. They were told to go to a house by the sea of a man named Simon who was a tanner. They were told to summon a man named Simon who is also called Peter. This man is lodging in this house. iv. And what did they do? Exactly that. d. [Slide 6] 19 – And while Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 But rise up, go down and accompany them without taking issue at all, for I have sent them Myself.” i. Peter obviously did not hear the men call out for him. Or perhaps he ignored them. He was deep in thought concerning the vision. ii. And most likely a person like Peter would not readily answer any stranger looking for him. Especially not a soldier. iii. But the Spirit of the Lord speaks directly to him. iv. We notice the interesting contrast here. God delivers a rather opaque message to Peter through a trance. In the midst of Peter trying to understand what it meant, the Spirit tells him something … something with perfect clarity. v. God obviously wished to hide the fullness of the vision's meaning from Peter. For if he needed to understand the message urgently, God would have spoken more clearly. vi. The Spirit needed Peter to trust these men. vii. Why might Peter not trust them? viii. Two slaves and a soldier of a Gentile Centurion are asking to take him 40 miles north, close to the border of Samaria. That raises a whole slew of red flags. ix. The political situation was much better for the church at this time, but that didn't mean that they were altogether safe from the authorities. x. Not only this, but it was not permitted in the ceremonial law for a Jew to visit the house of a gentile. By engaging in close contact with the gentile the Jew would become ritualistically unclean. xi. So, the Spirit gets ahead of all this by telling Peter to trust these men for He, The Lord, has sent them. The Spirit further instructs Peter to rise up and go down and go with them. xii. This is now the fifth time in two chapters someone is instructed by God directly or through His messengers to rise up and do something. xiii. It is the second time Peter is instructed to rise up and obey. xiv. The first, he refused because of his understanding of unclean animals. xv. Now the Spirit speaks directly to him to rise up and go down and accompany these men without taking issue at all. 1. [Slide 7] The word translated “taking issue at all” by the LSB is a compound word meaning “with judgment”. It means to weigh two options. Sometimes it can mean to weigh two options but show favor to one of two. 2. There is, then, two possible meanings here which are not overly distinct. 3. One meaning could be that the Spirit is commanding Peter to go with the men without hesitation. Without having two possibilities. In other words – don't weigh the pros and cons to going with them… just go. 4. Another meaning would be that the Spirit is commanding Peter to go with the men without showing distinction, favoritism, or prejudice. Go with them even though you normally might not go with them because of some favoritism or prejudice you may have against them. xvi. Another interesting parallel we must see here is the nature of the vision given to Peter and the words spoken plainly by the Spirit. 1. Just as Peter had received the vision three times, so now there are three men seeking him. 2. Just as Peter had seen clean and unclean animals and was commanded to rise and eat, so also 3 gentiles approached and he is told to rise up and go with them. 3. And just as the voice said that God had made the unclean animals clean, the Holy Spirit did not tell him 3 gentiles had come, but three men. He then said to go without hesitation or without making any distinctions because the Spirit had sent these men Himself. xvii. Thus, The Spirit speaking to Peter not only commands him plainly on what to do next, but also provides a framework to apply the vision to his situation. xviii. The question as to whether or not the vision meant that all food was clean now, or if there was a deeper meaning has been answered. All food is clean… but that is not the end of all that God has done to eliminate distinctions among Gentiles and Jews who are in the New Covenant. xix. So, will Peter do better this time? Will he continue to object or has he received what the Lord is teaching? xx. We'll have to see if Peter obeys in just a moment. xxi. For now, let's wrap up what we've learned so far. e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Although this scene seems to be simply transitional material to get us to Peter's meeting with Cornelius, we do see a very clear and wonderful teaching here. Although God spoke opaquely to Peter at first in a vision, God is faithful to continue to clarify and lead Peter down a path that will eventually end in salvation going to Cornelius, his household, and the gentiles. In this we see the sovereign hand of God to bring about His plan for the expansion of the gospel to go to the uttermost parts of the earth and to unite both Jews and gentiles into one church of His dear Son. We have the privilege of seeing this all from a bird's eye view. But Peter didn't. He simply had to trust the Lord. For us to know that God is sovereign and will work all things together for our good and His glory, this truth motivates us also to trust Him – especially when it seems like things don't make sense. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] But trusting God's leading is only half of our necessary response to His sovereignty. When God sovereignly shepherds us toward His glory and our good, we must not only continue to trust His leading but we must also… obey. II.) God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, so we must obey the Lord. (21-23a) a. [Slide 10] 21 – And Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” i. Peter obeys. ii. He rises up and goes down to the men and reveals himself as the person for whom they are looking. iii. He does so without hesitation. He does ask why they came, but only after he has revealed that he is Simon called Peter. iv. Since the Spirit did not tell Peter why the men had come, only that they sought him and were sent by the Spirit Himself, Peter is in the dark as to the purpose of their coming. But he is not resistant, hesitant or suspicious. v. He merely wants to understand why they have come. Why? vi. Because if the Spirit had sent them, it is reasonable and logical to assume that whatever mission they are on… is now his mission too. b. [Slide 11] 22 – And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and hear a message from you. i. Here we learn a few more details that were not plainly stated before. ii. Cornelius is a righteous man. He was called devout and gave many alms and prayed often. But he was not said to be righteous. iii. We cannot conclude that this term “righteous” refers to either being perfectly righteous, nor can we conclude that he was declared righteous by God. Remember this is his own slaves and a devoted solider speaking about him. iv. High praise from such people though it may be, we should not import our own soteriological definitions on their words. v. What they mean is essentially that he does right. He is a right doing person. He is a man of integrity. vi. We also learn that Cornelius has gained the respect of the Jews. Although not a proselyte, he is still held in high esteem. Esteem that, by all accounts, is not easily earned among Jews of this time. vii. Finally, we learn that Cornelius was told not only to send for Peter, but also that Peter would come bearing a message for him and his home. viii. This was not clearly said by the angel. We deduce that either Cornelius assumed this of what the angel said, or more likely, Luke omitted more of what the angel had said only to reveal its fuller message through the course of the episode. ix. This does sharpen the intent. Peter is not to come simply to see Cornelius – but to deliver a message to him. c. [Slide 12] 23a – So, he invited them in and gave them lodging. i. Peter wastes no time in receiving these men. ii. While there is some stigma against Jews hosting gentiles, it would not nearly be as egregious as Jews being hosted by gentiles. But it is a testament to Peter's trust in the Word of the Lord, he invites these men in and cares for them so they all can prepare for the journey the following day. iii. Though the Spirit did say to not hesitate, we should not see their delay in traveling immediately as a sign that Peter is disobeying the Lord. It is more likely a mercy to these travelers. They had already traveled 40 miles in the last 24 hours. To add an additional 40 or even a portion of it seems to be an unnecessary burden. iv. Peter receiving them and giving them lodging is a sign of his intention to not hesitate to go with them. d. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: From this point we can see the other side of the coin. Peter is still not clear on exactly what is going on. But these three men have just found a man named Simon who also goes by Peter that was staying in the house of another man named Simon, who was a tanner, who lived by the sea in the port city of Joppa. What is significant about that? An angel told their master to fetch such a man, from such a place. Their master obeyed the angel, and they obeyed their master, and that has led them to where they are now. They have found this man, exactly where the angel said he would be. This is a testament to the providential hand of God to bring about His will. And Peter's obedience here too is a response to His belief in the words of the Spirit. In short, God's sovereignty has encouraged both the trust and obedience of everyone in this story. He actively pushes and pulls all the pieces providentially into to place so that His will is done. But this does not eliminate human responsibility. For here we see Peter and the three men not only trusting the Lord, but obeying the Lord. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC and how then shall we live? What one primary point should we walk away with today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 14] We have seen how the Lord providentially and sovereignly works all things to accomplish His purposes. He has broken into the world of Cornelius and his household to invite him to join the family of God, not as a Jew first, but through Christ directly. He has overridden Peter's reality to give him both a vision and clear instruction regarding ceremonial laws and the sudden appearance of 3 gentile men wanting to take him to the home of another gentile. God has done all this to lead to the conversion of many and the expansion of the gospel to all non-Jewish people. But notice how God does this? He invades and commands. He illuminates with truth and demands faith and obedience to what He has revealed. Cornelius, these three men, and Peter all are required to respond to the leading of the Lord. To believe Him and to act on that belief. Thus, the tension of God's sovereignty and human responsibility is on full display. The outcome is never up to chance nor is there ever any doubt that God will accomplish what He has set out to accomplish -but God does not bind men's wills to robotically obey, rather he frees men's wills to be able to and to desire to obey Him. And so my friends, if the Lord has set you free… you are free indeed. God is at work to accomplish His purposes not just in the world at large but in your heart individually. Knowing this – we must trust and obey Him. But let us apply this doctrinal truth in more practical ways this morning. 1.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God exercises His sovereign will to accomplish His divine purposes. a. One of the dangers of preaching through a book of the bible is that you tend to see the same themes, applications, and main points revisited over and over again. b. This can lead to a few negative outcomes. i. Sometimes people can get tired of hearing the same thing over and over ii. Sometimes people assume it is a hobby horse of the pastor, that is why he keep teaching it. iii. Sometimes we can tune out what we think we've already heard. c. But as a common truism says, “repetition is the mother of learning.” d. We as frail and finite creatures often need themes and teachings repeated to us over and over again. Not because the teaching is difficult, but because we are very slow learners. e. I know Luke has really been hammering home this thought. But maybe that is because it is important for us to understand. f. God is in absolute control to orchestrate and accomplish His divine purpose. In the book of Acts in particular it is the extension and expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. g. We have seen this theme on repeat for the majority of this book. God works, God moves, God graces, God gives, God awakens, God empowers, God speaks and His gospel moves. h. Do we need to learn this lesson today? Does it even matter? i. Oh, my friends. In so much of evangelicalism today we have all but rejected this truth. While some churches and movements say they rely on God to advance His Kingdom and gospel work, in application they repudiate this statement j. They design their evangelistic endeavors around convincing men to pray prayers, to believe truths, to confess doctrines, to say or do something. Very quickly it becomes apparent. Although they may say that God is sovereign over the advancement of His Kingdom, they believe they themselves have created a winning strategy to assure the salvation of the lost. k. I am reminded of the book of James when people say that they will go into a city and live there for a year and do business, all without asking or confessing that it is completely up to the will of God the Sovereign one. James rebukes such people for forgetting such a pivotal doctrine. l. I am convinced that our evangelism must begin and end with us on our knees. m. Why? n. We do not go and try to convince those with their eyes closed to open them. We go and tell the blind to see. We do not go and try to convince those sitting to stand, we go and command the lame to leap. We do not go and try to convince those who are ill to take medicine to improve their condition. We go and command the dead to live. o. If God is not sovereign over the expansion of His church… then it will never expand. p. So my friends… as you share the gospel to your friends, your family, your co-workers… recognize that God's providential and sovereign hand must be working in their lives to bring about their reception of the message you bring them. Just like God's providential and sovereign hand worked in Cornelius' life to bring about his reception of the message Peter brought Him. q. So pray. Pray that God would lead you and prepare the soil to receive the Word. Without that… you preach to dead men. Without that… you cast your seeds on deficient soil that will produce no fruit. 2.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God's sovereignty eliminates human responsibility. a. What is the often-repeated retort of those who distrust the ancient doctrine of the sovereignty of God is that if God is truly sovereign even over the expansion of His church, then He simply overrides and overruns His creation to make robots instead of worshippers. b. But this turns out to be little more than fear-mongering and distrust of God Himself. c. For although at times God does override the wills of people in the scriptures, it is not something we see applied directly to every situation. d. Did God override the will of Cornelius? Did He override the will of Peter? No. e. But would Cornelius or Peter be anywhere close to where they are now, let alone where they will be by the end of this chapter, if God did not providentially and sovereignly lead them to that end? f. Before you ponder that question too hard, let me simply answer it for you- no they would not. g. We must allow both truths to stand in full in scripture if we are to not error to one side or the other. h. God must be fully and completely sovereign over every single thing in this universe, including the very will of men. Otherwise, we have compromised or misinterpreted scripture. i. But also, God does not program and puppeteer every man and woman to accomplish His purposes in a divine play called human existence in which they are little more than passive agents. j. God's will must be done. But God often uses human agency to do it. k. Indeed, God delights in delegating His purposes and His will to His people. l. He delegated the dominion of the earth to Adam in the beginning. And at the end He will glorify us to reign with Christ. Never because He needs us my friends. But always because that is what a good King, Father, and Leader does. He grows those He leads. m. God is sovereign… and He employs us to do His will. 3.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust what God has said and obey what He has commanded. a. The first two points combine to make an obvious but important command. b. If God is in complete control, but commands us to bring about His will… what must we do? c. Is such a God trustworthy? Is such a God worthy of obedience? d. These questions asked in this way focus on the human responsibility side. For if God is truly sovereign, it matters little whether we think He is worthy of our trust. If He is truly sovereign it matters little if He is worthy of our obedience. e. But there is more at work here than merely the attribute of God's sovereignty. There is also God's goodness, His mercy, His grace, His lovingkindness. f. True we must trust and obey Him. He is King. But it is not blind trust or robotic obedience. Instead, it is trust and obedience borne out of a faithful, loving, and generous God who gave Himself for us. g. Friends, there is all the motivation you need. h. What has God said that you are having trouble believing? What doctrines are you having trouble accepting? What commands of God are you balking at? i. Is His Sovereignty juxtaposed against His gracious desire for your willing trust and obedience not enough to secure both from you? Is it unreasonable for the one who loved you first to expect love in return? j. Cast aside your hesitancy. Trust and obey Him. 4.) [Slide 18] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not stand in the way of the gospel going forward. a. Peter pondered the vision he had. b. His Jewish sensitivities may have prevented him from receiving these men and going with them. c. God told him to lay aside those doubts and go. d. My friends, if we truly believe that Jesus died for men and women of all nations, backgrounds, and creeds. If we truly believe that there is no one so lost that God's grace cannot reach them. e. Then we must not allow our disdain for their sin or our fear of being stained to keep us from sharing the gospel. f. Let us remember that we were similar kinds of people, enslaved to similar kinds of things… but we were bought with a price. g. Gretchen Whitmer is not beyond the saving grace of God. h. Your transgender neighbor is not beyond the saving grace of God. i. The couple who are sleeping together and are not married – are not beyond the saving grace of God. j. The Muslim at your work is not beyond the saving grace of God. k. Why? l. Because God is sovereign. Let us obey the Lord and take the gospel… even to these people. 5.) [Slide 19(end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God actively pursues His own. a. Jesus gives us an illustration in the book of Matthew of a shepherd who leaves his fold of 99 sheep to go and rescue the one who is lost. b. There is also a story of a woman who had lost a coin. She diligently sought it until it was found. c. Cornelius is a lost sheep of God. Look at all that God has done here to pursue him? He sent an angel to him. A vision to Peter. The Spirit spoke directly to Peter. All so Peter would come and preach the gospel to him and his household. d. My friends as we go out among the lost in our families, in our communities, at our work places… you don't go alone. For God is pursuing His own. He is calling them to Himself. e. He doesn't command you to win them. He simply commands you to bear witness of Him. f. I hope this takes a weight off your shoulders. It isn't up to you and it never has been. g. Simply bear witness. And pray, pray for the sovereign God to open the eyes of the blind, to give strength to the lame, to call the dead to life. Let me close with a prayer by the early church father John Chrysostom Lord, help us to imitate you, and never give up on anyone. For those who fish, they may have cast many times without success, but when they cast one more time, they gain all. So we also expect that you will all at once show to us ripe fruit in the lives of others. The farmer, too, after sowing, waits one or two days, and anticipates a long while… but all at once the crop springs up on every side. This we expect will take place also by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and also to the Holy Spirit be glory, might, and honor, now and forever and world without end. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Now to you who dwell securely under the shadow of God's throne, And who know the sufficiency of God's sovereign arm, May you be active in sharing your faith, so that you have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

Acts 10:17-23a He Goes Before Us

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 41:40

Title: He Goes Before Us Text: Acts 10:17-23a FCF: We often struggle sharing our faith with others. Prop: Because God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, we must trust and obey Him. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we will read from the Legacy standard bible starting in verse 17. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Although we had a week break from our study of the book of Acts, and although we will take a break next week again from the study, I hope that by breaking in the middle of a narrative episode that it will enable you to remember what we've been studying since we are essentially pausing the episode to come back to later. But let me review a bit just to make sure you are with me. It is difficult to know where this story truly begins. So let's be safe and start with chapter 9. In the first scene we saw the miraculous conversion of Saul the bloodthirsty hunter of the church. Jesus knocked him off his feet, blinded him, rebuked him, and then commanded him to get up and go to Damasus and wait until he was healed. In the second scene we see Saul begin his life of evangelism in Damascus, Arabia, and Jerusalem where he was approved of the Apostles. He then went to Tarsus to await being sent of God to the Gentiles. The third scene consists of Peter using the peace established by Saul's conversion to begin an itinerate ministry in Northern Judea and Samaria. He miraculously heals Aeneas of being lame. He raises Tabitha from the dead. In each scene it is clear that God is going before them to prepare the way for the gospel to expand and the church to grow. The fourth scene begins another episode within the narrative where a gentile God-Fearer is approached in a vision by an angel of God and told that he could come to Christ without first becoming a Jew. He was commanded to send for Peter in Joppa. The fifth scene is where Peter is put in a trace and receives a vision. This is where we left it last time. So far in this narrative we continue to see the hand of God paving the way for the gospel to go forward. Today, we will continue on to the next scene in this episode. And again we will see the work of God in the expansion of the gospel, but also the responsibility of men within that work. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Although God does not always speak clearly He certainly speaks loudly. At least loud enough for us to hear Him. I think of Elijah who was depressed because after the victory at Carmel the entire nation did not turn to Yahweh and Jezabel desired to kill him. God approached him in a storm and tumult but spoke to him in the calm. Elijah knew God wanted to speak to Him for sure… but the whisper is where he heard him clearly. Peter has just received an amazing but perplexing vision from God. One that he is not readily able to understand. But the same God who puzzled him with a grand vision will now speak clearly as a whisper in His ear. In each case, the Lord moves, the Lord prepares, the Lord leads, the Lord goes before, and we must often run to keep up. Let's see if Peter keeps up. I.) God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, so we must trust Him. (17-20) a. [Slide 3] 17 – Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, i. Last time in the book of Acts we spent a good deal of time trying to understand the vision that Peter was given. ii. We have the luxury of a completed New Testament, in written form, in a language we can all understand, bound together in one book along with the Old Testament, with 2000 years of the Holy Spirit illuminating, revealing, and guarding its meaning for God's children. iii. Even with all that, we must systematically arrive at the conclusion that God has fulfilled the ceremonial laws in the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and ongoing mediation of Christ. iv. Peter does not have these same luxuries. So, he must ponder and mull over all that the Lord revealed in his vision. v. What did he see? vi. He saw, coming out of heaven, all manner of creatures including ceremonially clean and unclean animals, descend on a sheet by the four corners. vii. Then he heard a voice command him to arise and eat. viii. His response was outright refusal. Peter knew what the law said. ix. But the same voice spoke again to him informing him that God had made these animals clean. x. This vision was repeated 3 times and the sheet went back up to heaven. xi. So, what could this mean? xii. Are all foods clean now? xiii. Is Peter free to eat pork? Shellfish? Birds? Bats? Snakes? xiv. Is there a deeper meaning here? Were the animals just an illustration of a greater truth? xv. Is it both and? xvi. This is what Peter was wondering. b. [Slide 4] Behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate; i. We are again clued in to the chronology of the events. Luke is concerned that we understand the cohesive nature to all the events of this episode so far. ii. Peter received this vision less than 24 hours after Cornelius had seen his vision. iii. And while Peter wondered about the meaning of his vision, Cornelius' vision and the command he was given has entered its last stage of fulfillment. iv. The three men he sent, two servants and a soldier, arrived at Simon the Tanner's house, seeking Peter. c. [Slide 5] 18 – And calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was lodging there. i. Notice the obedience of these men. ii. What were they told to do? iii. They were told to go to a house by the sea of a man named Simon who was a tanner. They were told to summon a man named Simon who is also called Peter. This man is lodging in this house. iv. And what did they do? Exactly that. d. [Slide 6] 19 – And while Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 But rise up, go down and accompany them without taking issue at all, for I have sent them Myself.” i. Peter obviously did not hear the men call out for him. Or perhaps he ignored them. He was deep in thought concerning the vision. ii. And most likely a person like Peter would not readily answer any stranger looking for him. Especially not a soldier. iii. But the Spirit of the Lord speaks directly to him. iv. We notice the interesting contrast here. God delivers a rather opaque message to Peter through a trance. In the midst of Peter trying to understand what it meant, the Spirit tells him something … something with perfect clarity. v. God obviously wished to hide the fullness of the vision's meaning from Peter. For if he needed to understand the message urgently, God would have spoken more clearly. vi. The Spirit needed Peter to trust these men. vii. Why might Peter not trust them? viii. Two slaves and a soldier of a Gentile Centurion are asking to take him 40 miles north, close to the border of Samaria. That raises a whole slew of red flags. ix. The political situation was much better for the church at this time, but that didn't mean that they were altogether safe from the authorities. x. Not only this, but it was not permitted in the ceremonial law for a Jew to visit the house of a gentile. By engaging in close contact with the gentile the Jew would become ritualistically unclean. xi. So, the Spirit gets ahead of all this by telling Peter to trust these men for He, The Lord, has sent them. The Spirit further instructs Peter to rise up and go down and go with them. xii. This is now the fifth time in two chapters someone is instructed by God directly or through His messengers to rise up and do something. xiii. It is the second time Peter is instructed to rise up and obey. xiv. The first, he refused because of his understanding of unclean animals. xv. Now the Spirit speaks directly to him to rise up and go down and accompany these men without taking issue at all. 1. [Slide 7] The word translated “taking issue at all” by the LSB is a compound word meaning “with judgment”. It means to weigh two options. Sometimes it can mean to weigh two options but show favor to one of two. 2. There is, then, two possible meanings here which are not overly distinct. 3. One meaning could be that the Spirit is commanding Peter to go with the men without hesitation. Without having two possibilities. In other words – don't weigh the pros and cons to going with them… just go. 4. Another meaning would be that the Spirit is commanding Peter to go with the men without showing distinction, favoritism, or prejudice. Go with them even though you normally might not go with them because of some favoritism or prejudice you may have against them. xvi. Another interesting parallel we must see here is the nature of the vision given to Peter and the words spoken plainly by the Spirit. 1. Just as Peter had received the vision three times, so now there are three men seeking him. 2. Just as Peter had seen clean and unclean animals and was commanded to rise and eat, so also 3 gentiles approached and he is told to rise up and go with them. 3. And just as the voice said that God had made the unclean animals clean, the Holy Spirit did not tell him 3 gentiles had come, but three men. He then said to go without hesitation or without making any distinctions because the Spirit had sent these men Himself. xvii. Thus, The Spirit speaking to Peter not only commands him plainly on what to do next, but also provides a framework to apply the vision to his situation. xviii. The question as to whether or not the vision meant that all food was clean now, or if there was a deeper meaning has been answered. All food is clean… but that is not the end of all that God has done to eliminate distinctions among Gentiles and Jews who are in the New Covenant. xix. So, will Peter do better this time? Will he continue to object or has he received what the Lord is teaching? xx. We'll have to see if Peter obeys in just a moment. xxi. For now, let's wrap up what we've learned so far. e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Although this scene seems to be simply transitional material to get us to Peter's meeting with Cornelius, we do see a very clear and wonderful teaching here. Although God spoke opaquely to Peter at first in a vision, God is faithful to continue to clarify and lead Peter down a path that will eventually end in salvation going to Cornelius, his household, and the gentiles. In this we see the sovereign hand of God to bring about His plan for the expansion of the gospel to go to the uttermost parts of the earth and to unite both Jews and gentiles into one church of His dear Son. We have the privilege of seeing this all from a bird's eye view. But Peter didn't. He simply had to trust the Lord. For us to know that God is sovereign and will work all things together for our good and His glory, this truth motivates us also to trust Him – especially when it seems like things don't make sense. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] But trusting God's leading is only half of our necessary response to His sovereignty. When God sovereignly shepherds us toward His glory and our good, we must not only continue to trust His leading but we must also… obey. II.) God's sovereign hand guides the expansion of His church, so we must obey the Lord. (21-23a) a. [Slide 10] 21 – And Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” i. Peter obeys. ii. He rises up and goes down to the men and reveals himself as the person for whom they are looking. iii. He does so without hesitation. He does ask why they came, but only after he has revealed that he is Simon called Peter. iv. Since the Spirit did not tell Peter why the men had come, only that they sought him and were sent by the Spirit Himself, Peter is in the dark as to the purpose of their coming. But he is not resistant, hesitant or suspicious. v. He merely wants to understand why they have come. Why? vi. Because if the Spirit had sent them, it is reasonable and logical to assume that whatever mission they are on… is now his mission too. b. [Slide 11] 22 – And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and hear a message from you. i. Here we learn a few more details that were not plainly stated before. ii. Cornelius is a righteous man. He was called devout and gave many alms and prayed often. But he was not said to be righteous. iii. We cannot conclude that this term “righteous” refers to either being perfectly righteous, nor can we conclude that he was declared righteous by God. Remember this is his own slaves and a devoted solider speaking about him. iv. High praise from such people though it may be, we should not import our own soteriological definitions on their words. v. What they mean is essentially that he does right. He is a right doing person. He is a man of integrity. vi. We also learn that Cornelius has gained the respect of the Jews. Although not a proselyte, he is still held in high esteem. Esteem that, by all accounts, is not easily earned among Jews of this time. vii. Finally, we learn that Cornelius was told not only to send for Peter, but also that Peter would come bearing a message for him and his home. viii. This was not clearly said by the angel. We deduce that either Cornelius assumed this of what the angel said, or more likely, Luke omitted more of what the angel had said only to reveal its fuller message through the course of the episode. ix. This does sharpen the intent. Peter is not to come simply to see Cornelius – but to deliver a message to him. c. [Slide 12] 23a – So, he invited them in and gave them lodging. i. Peter wastes no time in receiving these men. ii. While there is some stigma against Jews hosting gentiles, it would not nearly be as egregious as Jews being hosted by gentiles. But it is a testament to Peter's trust in the Word of the Lord, he invites these men in and cares for them so they all can prepare for the journey the following day. iii. Though the Spirit did say to not hesitate, we should not see their delay in traveling immediately as a sign that Peter is disobeying the Lord. It is more likely a mercy to these travelers. They had already traveled 40 miles in the last 24 hours. To add an additional 40 or even a portion of it seems to be an unnecessary burden. iv. Peter receiving them and giving them lodging is a sign of his intention to not hesitate to go with them. d. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: From this point we can see the other side of the coin. Peter is still not clear on exactly what is going on. But these three men have just found a man named Simon who also goes by Peter that was staying in the house of another man named Simon, who was a tanner, who lived by the sea in the port city of Joppa. What is significant about that? An angel told their master to fetch such a man, from such a place. Their master obeyed the angel, and they obeyed their master, and that has led them to where they are now. They have found this man, exactly where the angel said he would be. This is a testament to the providential hand of God to bring about His will. And Peter's obedience here too is a response to His belief in the words of the Spirit. In short, God's sovereignty has encouraged both the trust and obedience of everyone in this story. He actively pushes and pulls all the pieces providentially into to place so that His will is done. But this does not eliminate human responsibility. For here we see Peter and the three men not only trusting the Lord, but obeying the Lord. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC and how then shall we live? What one primary point should we walk away with today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 14] We have seen how the Lord providentially and sovereignly works all things to accomplish His purposes. He has broken into the world of Cornelius and his household to invite him to join the family of God, not as a Jew first, but through Christ directly. He has overridden Peter's reality to give him both a vision and clear instruction regarding ceremonial laws and the sudden appearance of 3 gentile men wanting to take him to the home of another gentile. God has done all this to lead to the conversion of many and the expansion of the gospel to all non-Jewish people. But notice how God does this? He invades and commands. He illuminates with truth and demands faith and obedience to what He has revealed. Cornelius, these three men, and Peter all are required to respond to the leading of the Lord. To believe Him and to act on that belief. Thus, the tension of God's sovereignty and human responsibility is on full display. The outcome is never up to chance nor is there ever any doubt that God will accomplish what He has set out to accomplish -but God does not bind men's wills to robotically obey, rather he frees men's wills to be able to and to desire to obey Him. And so my friends, if the Lord has set you free… you are free indeed. God is at work to accomplish His purposes not just in the world at large but in your heart individually. Knowing this – we must trust and obey Him. But let us apply this doctrinal truth in more practical ways this morning. 1.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God exercises His sovereign will to accomplish His divine purposes. a. One of the dangers of preaching through a book of the bible is that you tend to see the same themes, applications, and main points revisited over and over again. b. This can lead to a few negative outcomes. i. Sometimes people can get tired of hearing the same thing over and over ii. Sometimes people assume it is a hobby horse of the pastor, that is why he keep teaching it. iii. Sometimes we can tune out what we think we've already heard. c. But as a common truism says, “repetition is the mother of learning.” d. We as frail and finite creatures often need themes and teachings repeated to us over and over again. Not because the teaching is difficult, but because we are very slow learners. e. I know Luke has really been hammering home this thought. But maybe that is because it is important for us to understand. f. God is in absolute control to orchestrate and accomplish His divine purpose. In the book of Acts in particular it is the extension and expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. g. We have seen this theme on repeat for the majority of this book. God works, God moves, God graces, God gives, God awakens, God empowers, God speaks and His gospel moves. h. Do we need to learn this lesson today? Does it even matter? i. Oh, my friends. In so much of evangelicalism today we have all but rejected this truth. While some churches and movements say they rely on God to advance His Kingdom and gospel work, in application they repudiate this statement j. They design their evangelistic endeavors around convincing men to pray prayers, to believe truths, to confess doctrines, to say or do something. Very quickly it becomes apparent. Although they may say that God is sovereign over the advancement of His Kingdom, they believe they themselves have created a winning strategy to assure the salvation of the lost. k. I am reminded of the book of James when people say that they will go into a city and live there for a year and do business, all without asking or confessing that it is completely up to the will of God the Sovereign one. James rebukes such people for forgetting such a pivotal doctrine. l. I am convinced that our evangelism must begin and end with us on our knees. m. Why? n. We do not go and try to convince those with their eyes closed to open them. We go and tell the blind to see. We do not go and try to convince those sitting to stand, we go and command the lame to leap. We do not go and try to convince those who are ill to take medicine to improve their condition. We go and command the dead to live. o. If God is not sovereign over the expansion of His church… then it will never expand. p. So my friends… as you share the gospel to your friends, your family, your co-workers… recognize that God's providential and sovereign hand must be working in their lives to bring about their reception of the message you bring them. Just like God's providential and sovereign hand worked in Cornelius' life to bring about his reception of the message Peter brought Him. q. So pray. Pray that God would lead you and prepare the soil to receive the Word. Without that… you preach to dead men. Without that… you cast your seeds on deficient soil that will produce no fruit. 2.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God's sovereignty eliminates human responsibility. a. What is the often-repeated retort of those who distrust the ancient doctrine of the sovereignty of God is that if God is truly sovereign even over the expansion of His church, then He simply overrides and overruns His creation to make robots instead of worshippers. b. But this turns out to be little more than fear-mongering and distrust of God Himself. c. For although at times God does override the wills of people in the scriptures, it is not something we see applied directly to every situation. d. Did God override the will of Cornelius? Did He override the will of Peter? No. e. But would Cornelius or Peter be anywhere close to where they are now, let alone where they will be by the end of this chapter, if God did not providentially and sovereignly lead them to that end? f. Before you ponder that question too hard, let me simply answer it for you- no they would not. g. We must allow both truths to stand in full in scripture if we are to not error to one side or the other. h. God must be fully and completely sovereign over every single thing in this universe, including the very will of men. Otherwise, we have compromised or misinterpreted scripture. i. But also, God does not program and puppeteer every man and woman to accomplish His purposes in a divine play called human existence in which they are little more than passive agents. j. God's will must be done. But God often uses human agency to do it. k. Indeed, God delights in delegating His purposes and His will to His people. l. He delegated the dominion of the earth to Adam in the beginning. And at the end He will glorify us to reign with Christ. Never because He needs us my friends. But always because that is what a good King, Father, and Leader does. He grows those He leads. m. God is sovereign… and He employs us to do His will. 3.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust what God has said and obey what He has commanded. a. The first two points combine to make an obvious but important command. b. If God is in complete control, but commands us to bring about His will… what must we do? c. Is such a God trustworthy? Is such a God worthy of obedience? d. These questions asked in this way focus on the human responsibility side. For if God is truly sovereign, it matters little whether we think He is worthy of our trust. If He is truly sovereign it matters little if He is worthy of our obedience. e. But there is more at work here than merely the attribute of God's sovereignty. There is also God's goodness, His mercy, His grace, His lovingkindness. f. True we must trust and obey Him. He is King. But it is not blind trust or robotic obedience. Instead, it is trust and obedience borne out of a faithful, loving, and generous God who gave Himself for us. g. Friends, there is all the motivation you need. h. What has God said that you are having trouble believing? What doctrines are you having trouble accepting? What commands of God are you balking at? i. Is His Sovereignty juxtaposed against His gracious desire for your willing trust and obedience not enough to secure both from you? Is it unreasonable for the one who loved you first to expect love in return? j. Cast aside your hesitancy. Trust and obey Him. 4.) [Slide 18] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not stand in the way of the gospel going forward. a. Peter pondered the vision he had. b. His Jewish sensitivities may have prevented him from receiving these men and going with them. c. God told him to lay aside those doubts and go. d. My friends, if we truly believe that Jesus died for men and women of all nations, backgrounds, and creeds. If we truly believe that there is no one so lost that God's grace cannot reach them. e. Then we must not allow our disdain for their sin or our fear of being stained to keep us from sharing the gospel. f. Let us remember that we were similar kinds of people, enslaved to similar kinds of things… but we were bought with a price. g. Gretchen Whitmer is not beyond the saving grace of God. h. Your transgender neighbor is not beyond the saving grace of God. i. The couple who are sleeping together and are not married – are not beyond the saving grace of God. j. The Muslim at your work is not beyond the saving grace of God. k. Why? l. Because God is sovereign. Let us obey the Lord and take the gospel… even to these people. 5.) [Slide 19(end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God actively pursues His own. a. Jesus gives us an illustration in the book of Matthew of a shepherd who leaves his fold of 99 sheep to go and rescue the one who is lost. b. There is also a story of a woman who had lost a coin. She diligently sought it until it was found. c. Cornelius is a lost sheep of God. Look at all that God has done here to pursue him? He sent an angel to him. A vision to Peter. The Spirit spoke directly to Peter. All so Peter would come and preach the gospel to him and his household. d. My friends as we go out among the lost in our families, in our communities, at our work places… you don't go alone. For God is pursuing His own. He is calling them to Himself. e. He doesn't command you to win them. He simply commands you to bear witness of Him. f. I hope this takes a weight off your shoulders. It isn't up to you and it never has been. g. Simply bear witness. And pray, pray for the sovereign God to open the eyes of the blind, to give strength to the lame, to call the dead to life. Let me close with a prayer by the early church father John Chrysostom Lord, help us to imitate you, and never give up on anyone. For those who fish, they may have cast many times without success, but when they cast one more time, they gain all. So we also expect that you will all at once show to us ripe fruit in the lives of others. The farmer, too, after sowing, waits one or two days, and anticipates a long while… but all at once the crop springs up on every side. This we expect will take place also by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and also to the Holy Spirit be glory, might, and honor, now and forever and world without end. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Now to you who dwell securely under the shadow of God's throne, And who know the sufficiency of God's sovereign arm, May you be active in sharing your faith, so that you have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

32 Acts 10:9-16 Made Clean

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 47:09

Title: Imperfect Perfection Text: Acts 10:1-8 FCF: We often struggle with the tension of works and faith. Prop: Because Christ is well-pleasing to God, we can live in imperfect obedience and be counted righteous by faith in Christ, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment I'll be reading starting in verse 1 from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Chapter 10 of the book of Acts represents a rather pivotal point in the expansion of the gospel of Jesus. In keeping with its significance, this next narrative episode is quite lengthy. From start to finish it encompasses a chapter and a half, 66 verses. That is the longest narrative episode we've seen yet in the book of Acts. Because it is so long it is difficult to know exactly where to break it up. At first, I had verses 1-23. Then I narrowed it down to 1-20. Then I went 1-16. I finally settled for 1-8. In this way I hope to build each detail of the narrative, one block at a time, as Luke does. The narrative as a whole is somewhat of a puzzle. We have several pieces handed to us, but until they are assembled, we won't see the full picture. So, let's begin with the first detail of the story… lets start with a man from Caesarea named Cornelius. Please stand with me to focus on and show respect for The Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Has this ever happened to you. You are standing in the line at the grocery store. It is a very busy day. Snow's coming tomorrow so people are out in droves to make sure they have their bread milk and toilet paper. You are waiting and waiting, the line is moving slowly. Finally, you are getting close to the front. The magazines in the rack distract you… ok being honest it is the candy in the line that is distracting. All of a sudden you hear those wonderful words… “I can help you in line 3. You look up hoping to meet the gaze of the cashier only to find that this cashier had said this to the person who literally just got in line. Makes you a little hot right? Like, HEY! I've been here this whole time. What would justice be? Would it be that they have to wait the same amount you do, or more? We all kinda feel this way about short cuts don't we. But Jesus taught a parable of men being hired for work at various times of the day and still getting paid the same amount. The employer couldn't be accused of being stingy because he paid everyone a day's wage. But to the one who worked less, it seemed like he got more. Jesus' point was that it was the employer's prerogative to be generous in the way He wished to be generous. Today, we will see the abundant graciousness and generosity of our Lord to offer the Jewish Messiah to a gentile. Let's look at verse 1. I.) No matter how good man is perceived to be, he is not good enough by God's standards, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 – Now there was a man in Caesarea i. [Slide 4] Caesarea as we can see on our map, is the furthest Northwest that the gospel has ever gone in the book of Acts. ii. Damascus represents the furthest northeast. iii. Caesarea is almost at the furthest north border of Samaria. iv. In short, the gospel is spreading far and wide throughout all of Judea and Samaria. It doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. b. [Slide 5] named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort. i. Cornelius is a Latin name meaning Of the horn. Cornucopia means horn of plenty. ii. Having a Latin name is not the only indication that this man is a gentile. iii. He is also a centurion. Meaning he is the leader of about 100 men within the Roman army. iv. He was also part of a larger Italian division of the Roman army called a Legion or a Cohort. v. A legion or Cohort consisted of 600 men. Meaning that Cornelius was no doubt one of 6 military leaders within this particular division of the military. vi. All this establishes Cornelius not only as a gentile but also a prominent one at that. vii. The question arises, if this man was in the Italian Cohort, why was he in Caesarea? viii. Caesarea is a highly valued port city on the Mediterranean and it would not be unthinkable for the Roman Emperor to keep a Legion station here. Especially in the wake of the political upheaval of Caligula becoming emperor and Herod Antipas being exiled around this time. ix. It would actually make a great deal of sense to have extra troops in the area just in case something happens. x. But there is more to this man than simply his prominence and his nationality. c. [Slide 6] 2 - He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; i. What does Luke mean that he was a devout God-fearing man? ii. In some ways this could be a simple description of Cornelius' affiliation with the Jewish faith. However, Luke hasn't shied away from using the term proselyte. In Luke 6 he mentioned Nicholas who was a Gentile proselyte now converted to Christ. iii. So, what exactly is Cornelius? Is he a proselyte or something else? iv. [Slide 7] To answer this question, we must look back among the first century historical and archeological records to understand a hierarchy that existed within the Jewish faith. 1. First there were Hebraic Jews. These were Jews who refused to allow Greek influence to spread among them. They continued to speak Hebrew or at least Aramaic. They did not assimilate into Greek traditions and heritages. They attended all the feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 2. Second there were Hellenistic Jews. These were Jews who had succumbed to Greek influence in some way or another. Though still devout and Jewish, they had lost the ability to speak Hebrew and possibly even Aramaic. They, in some cases, had allowed Greek thought and culture to influence other aspects of their lives. They still attended feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 3. Third there would be gentile proselytes. These would be gentiles who converted to Judaism and submitted themselves fully to the religious, ritualistic, and legal practices of the Jews. They would endure circumcision and offer whatever sacrifices they were permitted to offer though they would not be permitted in the inner courts of the temple. 4. Fourth there would be what would be known as God-Fearers. This is specifically a group of gentiles that are favorable to Jewish culture and faith and perhaps even in the process of becoming a proselyte, but are not yet truly converted. They were not circumcised. They did not necessarily attend the festivals and feasts, and they did not offer sacrifices at the temple. They would adopt monotheism and attempt to keep the 10 commandments in their lives. 5. Finally, would be, essentially, everyone else. The pagans and polytheists. These are the furthest away from God, since they worship false gods and not the one true God. v. [Slide 8] Cornelius then, is a God-Fearer. He is not quite a proselyte but is sympathetic to Jewish culture and faith. vi. Why is this significant? 1. This is the first time in the book of Acts so far that a non-Jew by blood and by religion becomes the focal point of the story. 2. Second, we've seen Luke's story arch up to this point and it is reasonable to conclude even if we've never read the rest of this narrative, that the gospel circle is widening yet again. 3. Will the gospel go to gentiles not fully assimilated into Judaism? If so, do they need to be Jews first? We'll have to see. vii. We also see that his whole household were also God-Fearers. Now what does this mean? 1. A household is the basic unit of social structure. But it differed from our household structure we have today. 2. Ignoring for the moment the fracturing of the modern household; even in the ideal with Father, Mother, children this would represent a much smaller sphere than 1st century households. 3. A household in the first century could include a much wider spectrum of kinship. There could also be servants and slaves included in the term household. 4. In short, a household could include anyone who lived in the home and met in the home as family. 5. And so, as we might expect, everyone in Cornelius' house were God-Fearers also. We get the impression that he led the effort for this to be so. Most likely he was the patriarch and priest of his family. viii. How else did he lead? d. [Slide 9] he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly. i. Alms giving and prayer have long been a standard measure for the truly pious. ii. As such the Pharisees were critiqued for their show of contributing large sums of money and long public prayers in order to seem very devout and pious. iii. Alms giving and prayer are two of the five pillars of the Islamic Faith. iv. Alms giving and prayer are sometimes a means of restitution in the Catholic Church. v. And even in the 1st century, Roman and Greek philosophers idealized acts of charity and devoted prayer to deities. vi. In short, giving charity to those who are less fortunate and praying regularly have always been associated with those who are devout and pious people. Whether it is true or not. And regardless of religion. You at least appear to be pious when you give alms and are consistently praying. vii. We ought also to see the correlation between Tabitha and Cornelius. Tabitha was a disciple of Christ who gave charitably too. We are not told that she prayed often, but it is reasonable to conclude she did. viii. On the surface then, we are given a man who has everything right, but he is missing one piece of the puzzle. But here is a hint. The piece of the puzzle he is missing isn't that he hasn't yet become a Jewish proselyte. e. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: As wonderful of a man as Cornelius was, admired by men, prominent, a leader, a manager of a house, and pious to boot, he was still not good enough. He still lacked something. No doubt everyone admired and respected a man like Cornelius. And even though he wasn't quite Jewish, we will see later he is highly respected by the Jews. The core truth we see in this first point is that a man can be judged to be a good man by all of society and still be short of the standard of God. For God does not require a good man. He requires a perfect man. Jesus died for sinners… even those whom our society labels as saints. So, we must not rest on our laurels and our own self-righteousness, for it will never be good enough. But we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] But we have made some logical leaps here. Is God not pleased at all by Cornelius' lifestyle? And how do we know Cornelius lacks Jesus? Well, God sends this man an angel. Let's see what the angel says. II.) God is pleased with and graciously corrects those who sincerely worship Him, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (3-6) a. [Slide 12] 3 – About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God, who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.” i. At 3 in the afternoon, it would be a traditional time for sacrifices and prayers to be offered up at the temple. ii. It was at this time that Cornelius, who was probably entering again into prayer, saw a waking vision. iii. A vision is something that appears clearly, vividly, and credibly in the mind but is not actually present. iv. An angel appears to him in this vision and calls to him. v. Like Jesus to Saul before him, this angel identifies Cornelius by name. b. [Slide 13] 4 – Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, “What is it, Lord?” i. Cornelius had never seen anything like this before. ii. Like every person who encounters an angel of God, he becomes sorely afraid. iii. Cornelius responds to this angel's call by using almost the same words Saul used when he was met by Christ. iv. Saul asked, who are you, Lord? And Cornelius says, “What is it, Lord?” v. What does this mean? vi. It is difficult to know whether Cornelius has assumed that he was seeing God Himself or whether he is using this term “lord” in its less theologically charged meaning, “Sir.” vii. Even if he did mistake this angel for God, would you blame him? viii. Regardless of what Cornelius meant, the angel makes it plain that he is not God but bears God's message to him. c. [Slide 14] The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God. i. The angel indicates clearly that he is not God, but informs him that his prayers and charity have gone up before God. ii. What does it mean that his prayers and offerings have “Gone up before God?“ iii. And what is meant by it being a memorial or as other translations have it a “memorial offering?” iv. In the book of Leviticus, in several sacrifices the priests are instructed to take a handful of the offering and burn it on the altar before the Lord. The rest of the offering would be used by the priests. v. These are called memorial offerings because the one who gives the offering and the one burning the offering are all reminded that though God deserves all of the offering, he is pleased with a small portion. vi. How appropriate for the angel messenger to convey this to Cornelius. vii. Cornelius is, after all, not circumcised. He does not go to the temple for sacrifices. He meets in synagogues to learn of the Jewish faith and practice, and attempts to live accordingly, but is not Jewish. viii. Yet Yahweh, The God of Israel, through His angel, tells Cornelius that his charity and prayers have amounted to a memorial sacrifice. They have pleased God. ix. Though he has never sacrificed in the temple, his charity and prayers have been his offering. x. And his offering has pleased God. xi. So, is he good? Is Cornelius saved? Is that enough? Did he earn his salvation by an offering? xii. No. The angel had more to say. d. [Slide 15] Now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is called Peter. 6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” i. The angel communicates another message to Cornelius that, at first, appears to be separate from the first. ii. However, they are related. iii. He tells him to send men to fetch Peter and tells him where Peter is staying. iv. But we all know the reason for this. v. And later we find out that the angel told Cornelius not only that Peter needed to come to see him, but that he had a message to give to him. A message of salvation. For him, and his household. vi. It is almost as if God is telling Cornelius, “Remember, though you stand a far way off, you have gotten the important part of Judaism. You have gotten enough of Judaism to be ready for the next step in Judaism. Now Peter will come and show you what you lack.” vii. Is God giving Cornelius a shortcut? Is God saying… I desire obedience and not sacrifices? e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: And so, in this point, although those who are perceived as good and devout men are still not good enough, God is good and gracious to those who diligently seek Him. Though Cornelius had just enough truth and just enough good works to condemn him to hell, God rewards those who are pursuing Him. In many ways, Cornelius was probably more devout than most Jews of his day, because his motives were pure. He sincerely sought the Lord. God is pleased with those who, even imperfectly, sincerely worship Him. And God is sure to lead such people to what they lack. So, we must not be satisfied with our broken attempts to please God, even if He is pleased by our sincerity. Instead, we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. For it is in Jesus that the Lord has said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] God rewards Cornelius' diligent seeking by revealing his need. He needs to call on Peter. Peter needs to come and give him and his household a message. So, what do those who have been illuminated by God do? What do those whose eyes have been opened do? They obey… III.) All who God corrects and instructs with truth obey His commands, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (7-8) a. [Slide 18] 7 – When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him, i. Like Aeneas and Tabitha before, Cornelius sets out to obey what has been revealed to him. ii. Aeneas was healed of his paralysis, Tabitha raised from death, but Cornelius was healed of another malady. A malady equally as hopeless. iii. You see for Cornelius though he was a God-Fearer, and though he could potentially achieve proselyte status in the Jewish faith and gain some measure of closeness to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He could never come closer than this. He could never enter the courts of the Jews much less the holy place or the Holy of Holies for that matter. iv. But what has his acts of charity and prayer done? It is a memorial offering. A reminder to him that though God requires all, He is pleased with what Cornelius has done. For he has done it while sincerely seeking Yahweh. v. So God rewards Cornelius by sending an angel, with the truth of the way he could be healed of that relational distance. vi. He has been told that he can come and receive the same gospel message that was given to the Jews. He need not be a proselyte first. Cornelius doesn't need to be circumcised. He doesn't need to become a Jew first. He simply needs the message that Peter will give him. What is that message? Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. 1. Jesus is the funnel. Jesus is the choke point. Jesus is not only the next and final redemptive step in Judaism, but He is also the next and final redemptive step for the Gentile as well. 2. He is the next and final step in the covenants He made with Adam and Eve. a. He is the sacrifice that was killed in their place so that they could be clothed perfectly and completely. b. He is the seed that has crushed the head of the serpent and enlarged the family of God. c. He is the New Adam, our new representative, keeping the covenant of works perfectly. 3. He is the next and final step in the covenant made with Noah. a. He is the ark delivering His people from the world of sin and the judgment that will overwhelm it. b. He is the bow of promise establishing peace between the Father and His people. c. He is bringing the next baptism with the Spirit and with Fire. 4. All the covenants of God, to Jews and Gentiles alike, are funneled down to Jesus. vii. And what does Cornelius do after receiving this command which he is told will be the solution for his malady of relational distance to Yahweh? What does he do when he is told that Peter holds the key for that distance to be erased? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter. b. [Slide 19] 8 - and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. i. It is difficult to know exactly what he tells these two servants and soldier. ii. The text says he had explained everything. iii. It seems as though everything he knew, saw, and believed was given to these men as he sent them to bring Peter. iv. Cornelius not only believed the angel, but wanted his whole house to believe as well. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: We've seen how the devotion and goodness of Cornelius was not enough, that he still lacked true righteousness. We've also seen the faithfulness and compassion of God to reward those who seek Him diligently. And finally, we see the faithful obedience of all whom God reveals truth to… Cornelius was given life changing truth that would free him from his relational distance to God. And that truth would be given to him by Peter the apostle. So, what does Cornelius do when he is told that Peter holds the key for him to be brought into a close and special relationship with Yahweh? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter immediately. My friends, we know the piece that Cornelius was missing. It is Jesus crucified for sinners. So, we too must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Conclusion: So, CBC, what has the Lord said and how then shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we pull from this today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] Men and women can live lives that are devout and pious, being paragons of good among humanity. God is pleased with those who attempt to live out His law and seek to please Him. But mankind's devotion and piety is not enough to satisfy the holy standard of God. So, God in His grace rewards those who diligently seek to please and worship Him. He rewards them by revealing to them how they can be made right with Him. In this we see the tension of mankind's spiritual status as dead and paralyzed juxtaposed against being able to actually, in some way, please God with our meager efforts. Another riddle. The great answer is that God's legal standard is perfection, even if it is pleasing for us to obey Him and seek Him, it will never satisfy the legal requirement of perfection. But that is why God has sent His Son. And that is why God promises to reward those who seek Him. Cornelius was rewarded for faithfully pursuing the God if Israel. How was He rewarded? He was rewarded by God offering Him the next and final step in His redemption. And it was not to make him a Jew first. It was to transfer him directly into the family of the Son. So Cornelius obeyed the Lord and sent for Peter. Jesus is the answer for all men and not just the Jews. All the covenants of God are fulfilled in Him. My friends, although it is true that when we are God's people, we obey Him… our obedience is not what we rely on. Because our obedience will always be imperfect in this life. Instead, we depend on Christ's righteousness. For it is only in Christ that the Lord's legal standard is met. The best we can hope for is God to be pleased with us. With Christ, The Father is well-pleased. So let me improve upon this point in a few ways for us this morning. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that no matter how much righteousness we can muster, it will never satisfy God's perfect standard. a. Cornelius was a man who put many Jews to shame. He devoted himself and his entire household to upholding monotheism and the law of the God of Israel. b. Even though he would never be accepted into the inner relationship to Yahweh, he still served Him and sought Him. c. This is a far cry from the Sadducees who only wanted power with their piety. It is lightyears away from the Pharisees who desired honor from men by their devotion to God. d. Nevertheless, as righteous as he was, Cornelius was still missing something. As pleasing as his actions were to God, he still lacked what Peter would bring. e. From meticulous legalism to liberal sincerity, mankind cannot ever achieve the perfect standard of God. f. As we spoke last week, we are all dead in sin. We are hopeless to heal ourselves. Hopeless to raise ourselves. The Lord must do this work. g. But our problem only begins there. Even though the Lord must raise us from sin death that is only half of our problem. For not only are we dead in sin, but we also dead to righteousness, h. Mankind, my friends, is in quite the pickle. Not only do they not want to please God, but even if they did want to, they couldn't. You see God can't bring us to life and then let us go. For we would simply die in sin again when we fail. i. No. God must unite us to something that will never fail. j. This is what orthodox Christianity teaches. Mankind is doubly damned. Not only are we dead in sin, but God's standard is perfection. You cannot be perfect if you are by nature dead in flaws. k. Like a computer with a hardware problem. Even if you reboot it and debug it… if there is a flaw with the hard drive or the motherboard… it will never function properly. The bad hardware must be replaced. l. Mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that being dead in sin means we are unable to do good. a. Some having misunderstood this teaching have critiqued it by saying, “If mankind is dead in sin, If mankind is not righteous, then why do my Muslim neighbors shovel my driveway out of kindness? Why do my lost family members buy me flowers when I'm down? Why do my unbelieving co-workers pay their taxes and offer sacrificial love to their families?” b. They offer a wise critique to a doctrine no one is teaching. c. No one teaches that because mankind is dead in sin they can do no good thing. No one is teaching that because mankind is enslaved to sin that all they can do is sin. d. What we mean when we say that mankind is totally depraved or totally unable is that man is not able and not willing to spiritually free himself from sin or seek God or be made right with God. e. In the previous example we said that “mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well.” Now think with me… if we are the computer, can we do that on our own? f. And I know you are thinking – well sometimes my computer reboots on its own. g. Does it? Or did someone program the computer to reboot under certain conditions? h. This is what this doctrine means. Just like a computer, we are not able to reboot ourselves or change our hardware. i. But that doesn't mean that the computer can't do some good things right? It just means that those good things don't fix the problem. j. Cornelius proves this out. He was able to do good things, things that were pleasing to God – but he still needed God to send an angel and an apostle to bring him to Christ. 3.) [Slide 24] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop relying on our own obedience to perfectly please God. a. No doubt we all sometimes succumb to this erroneous teaching that has bound so many of God's dear children. b. We speak harshly to our wives and hit every red light on the way to work. Immediately we observe, God is punishing me for being harsh. c. We pray for our neighbor and then we inherit a small house form a distant uncle who passed. Apparently, God is pleased with me for praying for my neighbors. d. If I wear this, or go to that movie, or drink that, or say this, God will be most displeased with me. e. Even though there is a certain measure of truth in some of this – God is pleased and displeased by our choices, the thing that is faulty is our reliance on our performance to please God. f. My friends, our performance is not what perfectly pleases God. Why? Because our performance is never perfect. g. The scriptures teach us that there is no condemnation in Christ. The scriptures teach us that although we will be rewarded with crowns for our faithfulness to God – we will cast them all at the feet of Jesus. h. The whole of it my friends is that we can't be more or less pleasing to God because we are in Christ. And with Christ, the Father is well-pleased. i. But we could pendulum swing here couldn't we… 4.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must obey the Lord while trusting that Christ has satisfied God's perfect standard of performance. a. You see my friends, we obey the Lord out of love and thanksgiving. b. We are not trying to please Him more or fear displeasing him. We are obeying His law because we love Him and are thankful that He first loved us. c. We rest in the perfect righteousness of Christ, knowing that we will never lose that perfect standing before our Father. And then in that state of declared righteousness, we imperfectly obey. d. This is the beauty of the gospel. e. We are imperfectly perfect by faith in Christ. f. And it works because He changes our desires. We no longer want to wallow in imperfection. Instead, we long to be like Christ, while knowing that God has made us to be His righteousness. g. What a great God we serve that although His standard is perfection, He has achieved it for us while changing us to continue to desire it. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will reveal Himself to those who diligently pursue Him. a. Perhaps you left last week with a feeling of despair. b. God must wake up people from spiritual death and paralysis. I get it. But what if someone really really really wants to serve God but God says no to waking them up? c. What if someone really wants to be saved but God never turns the lights on, God never opens the prison cell. God never raises them up. What happens then? d. My friends… God promises that those who diligently seek Him will be rewarded. Those who keep knocking on His door, He won't cast out. He will welcome them in. e. Perhaps that is you today. Perhaps you have desired to be God's child and have been knocking and knocking and still He has not answered. f. Will you give up now? Will you turn away? Where will you go? Who else can save like our God? g. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. He is the Son of God who has the words of life… where else can you go? h. Don't stop knocking my friends. The Lord promises that He will let you in. Let me close with a prayer from the church father Eusebius of Caesarea, fitting since Cornelius was from this city. We give you thanks, our God and Savior, and to you, O Christ, in our own feeble way. You are the supreme providence of the mighty Father, who both saves us from evil and teaches us in the way of truth. I say these things not to praise, but simply to give thanks. Who among us is worthy to give you praise? You called creation into being from nothing. You illuminated it with your light. You regulated the confusion of the elements by your laws of harmony and order. More than that, we recognize your lovingkindness. You caused those whose hearts inclined toward you to sincerely seek a divine and blessed life. You've allowed us to pass along what we've received from you, like merchants of wisdom and true blessings. We reap the everlasting fruit of your goodness. Freed from the net of sin, and permeated with a love for others, mercy is always our point of view. We hope for the promise of faith, and we are devoted to modest living – all the virtues we had once thrown aside, but are now restored by you whose generous care is over all. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. May the God who did not spare His own Son, But sent Him to gladly bear our burden on the cross, Remind you always of these things, though you Know them and are firmly established in the truth, Until you arrive to a full measure of glory. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

32 Acts 10:9-16 Made Clean

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 47:09

Title: Imperfect Perfection Text: Acts 10:1-8 FCF: We often struggle with the tension of works and faith. Prop: Because Christ is well-pleasing to God, we can live in imperfect obedience and be counted righteous by faith in Christ, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment I'll be reading starting in verse 1 from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Chapter 10 of the book of Acts represents a rather pivotal point in the expansion of the gospel of Jesus. In keeping with its significance, this next narrative episode is quite lengthy. From start to finish it encompasses a chapter and a half, 66 verses. That is the longest narrative episode we've seen yet in the book of Acts. Because it is so long it is difficult to know exactly where to break it up. At first, I had verses 1-23. Then I narrowed it down to 1-20. Then I went 1-16. I finally settled for 1-8. In this way I hope to build each detail of the narrative, one block at a time, as Luke does. The narrative as a whole is somewhat of a puzzle. We have several pieces handed to us, but until they are assembled, we won't see the full picture. So, let's begin with the first detail of the story… lets start with a man from Caesarea named Cornelius. Please stand with me to focus on and show respect for The Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Has this ever happened to you. You are standing in the line at the grocery store. It is a very busy day. Snow's coming tomorrow so people are out in droves to make sure they have their bread milk and toilet paper. You are waiting and waiting, the line is moving slowly. Finally, you are getting close to the front. The magazines in the rack distract you… ok being honest it is the candy in the line that is distracting. All of a sudden you hear those wonderful words… “I can help you in line 3. You look up hoping to meet the gaze of the cashier only to find that this cashier had said this to the person who literally just got in line. Makes you a little hot right? Like, HEY! I've been here this whole time. What would justice be? Would it be that they have to wait the same amount you do, or more? We all kinda feel this way about short cuts don't we. But Jesus taught a parable of men being hired for work at various times of the day and still getting paid the same amount. The employer couldn't be accused of being stingy because he paid everyone a day's wage. But to the one who worked less, it seemed like he got more. Jesus' point was that it was the employer's prerogative to be generous in the way He wished to be generous. Today, we will see the abundant graciousness and generosity of our Lord to offer the Jewish Messiah to a gentile. Let's look at verse 1. I.) No matter how good man is perceived to be, he is not good enough by God's standards, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 – Now there was a man in Caesarea i. [Slide 4] Caesarea as we can see on our map, is the furthest Northwest that the gospel has ever gone in the book of Acts. ii. Damascus represents the furthest northeast. iii. Caesarea is almost at the furthest north border of Samaria. iv. In short, the gospel is spreading far and wide throughout all of Judea and Samaria. It doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. b. [Slide 5] named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort. i. Cornelius is a Latin name meaning Of the horn. Cornucopia means horn of plenty. ii. Having a Latin name is not the only indication that this man is a gentile. iii. He is also a centurion. Meaning he is the leader of about 100 men within the Roman army. iv. He was also part of a larger Italian division of the Roman army called a Legion or a Cohort. v. A legion or Cohort consisted of 600 men. Meaning that Cornelius was no doubt one of 6 military leaders within this particular division of the military. vi. All this establishes Cornelius not only as a gentile but also a prominent one at that. vii. The question arises, if this man was in the Italian Cohort, why was he in Caesarea? viii. Caesarea is a highly valued port city on the Mediterranean and it would not be unthinkable for the Roman Emperor to keep a Legion station here. Especially in the wake of the political upheaval of Caligula becoming emperor and Herod Antipas being exiled around this time. ix. It would actually make a great deal of sense to have extra troops in the area just in case something happens. x. But there is more to this man than simply his prominence and his nationality. c. [Slide 6] 2 - He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; i. What does Luke mean that he was a devout God-fearing man? ii. In some ways this could be a simple description of Cornelius' affiliation with the Jewish faith. However, Luke hasn't shied away from using the term proselyte. In Luke 6 he mentioned Nicholas who was a Gentile proselyte now converted to Christ. iii. So, what exactly is Cornelius? Is he a proselyte or something else? iv. [Slide 7] To answer this question, we must look back among the first century historical and archeological records to understand a hierarchy that existed within the Jewish faith. 1. First there were Hebraic Jews. These were Jews who refused to allow Greek influence to spread among them. They continued to speak Hebrew or at least Aramaic. They did not assimilate into Greek traditions and heritages. They attended all the feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 2. Second there were Hellenistic Jews. These were Jews who had succumbed to Greek influence in some way or another. Though still devout and Jewish, they had lost the ability to speak Hebrew and possibly even Aramaic. They, in some cases, had allowed Greek thought and culture to influence other aspects of their lives. They still attended feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 3. Third there would be gentile proselytes. These would be gentiles who converted to Judaism and submitted themselves fully to the religious, ritualistic, and legal practices of the Jews. They would endure circumcision and offer whatever sacrifices they were permitted to offer though they would not be permitted in the inner courts of the temple. 4. Fourth there would be what would be known as God-Fearers. This is specifically a group of gentiles that are favorable to Jewish culture and faith and perhaps even in the process of becoming a proselyte, but are not yet truly converted. They were not circumcised. They did not necessarily attend the festivals and feasts, and they did not offer sacrifices at the temple. They would adopt monotheism and attempt to keep the 10 commandments in their lives. 5. Finally, would be, essentially, everyone else. The pagans and polytheists. These are the furthest away from God, since they worship false gods and not the one true God. v. [Slide 8] Cornelius then, is a God-Fearer. He is not quite a proselyte but is sympathetic to Jewish culture and faith. vi. Why is this significant? 1. This is the first time in the book of Acts so far that a non-Jew by blood and by religion becomes the focal point of the story. 2. Second, we've seen Luke's story arch up to this point and it is reasonable to conclude even if we've never read the rest of this narrative, that the gospel circle is widening yet again. 3. Will the gospel go to gentiles not fully assimilated into Judaism? If so, do they need to be Jews first? We'll have to see. vii. We also see that his whole household were also God-Fearers. Now what does this mean? 1. A household is the basic unit of social structure. But it differed from our household structure we have today. 2. Ignoring for the moment the fracturing of the modern household; even in the ideal with Father, Mother, children this would represent a much smaller sphere than 1st century households. 3. A household in the first century could include a much wider spectrum of kinship. There could also be servants and slaves included in the term household. 4. In short, a household could include anyone who lived in the home and met in the home as family. 5. And so, as we might expect, everyone in Cornelius' house were God-Fearers also. We get the impression that he led the effort for this to be so. Most likely he was the patriarch and priest of his family. viii. How else did he lead? d. [Slide 9] he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly. i. Alms giving and prayer have long been a standard measure for the truly pious. ii. As such the Pharisees were critiqued for their show of contributing large sums of money and long public prayers in order to seem very devout and pious. iii. Alms giving and prayer are two of the five pillars of the Islamic Faith. iv. Alms giving and prayer are sometimes a means of restitution in the Catholic Church. v. And even in the 1st century, Roman and Greek philosophers idealized acts of charity and devoted prayer to deities. vi. In short, giving charity to those who are less fortunate and praying regularly have always been associated with those who are devout and pious people. Whether it is true or not. And regardless of religion. You at least appear to be pious when you give alms and are consistently praying. vii. We ought also to see the correlation between Tabitha and Cornelius. Tabitha was a disciple of Christ who gave charitably too. We are not told that she prayed often, but it is reasonable to conclude she did. viii. On the surface then, we are given a man who has everything right, but he is missing one piece of the puzzle. But here is a hint. The piece of the puzzle he is missing isn't that he hasn't yet become a Jewish proselyte. e. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: As wonderful of a man as Cornelius was, admired by men, prominent, a leader, a manager of a house, and pious to boot, he was still not good enough. He still lacked something. No doubt everyone admired and respected a man like Cornelius. And even though he wasn't quite Jewish, we will see later he is highly respected by the Jews. The core truth we see in this first point is that a man can be judged to be a good man by all of society and still be short of the standard of God. For God does not require a good man. He requires a perfect man. Jesus died for sinners… even those whom our society labels as saints. So, we must not rest on our laurels and our own self-righteousness, for it will never be good enough. But we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] But we have made some logical leaps here. Is God not pleased at all by Cornelius' lifestyle? And how do we know Cornelius lacks Jesus? Well, God sends this man an angel. Let's see what the angel says. II.) God is pleased with and graciously corrects those who sincerely worship Him, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (3-6) a. [Slide 12] 3 – About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God, who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.” i. At 3 in the afternoon, it would be a traditional time for sacrifices and prayers to be offered up at the temple. ii. It was at this time that Cornelius, who was probably entering again into prayer, saw a waking vision. iii. A vision is something that appears clearly, vividly, and credibly in the mind but is not actually present. iv. An angel appears to him in this vision and calls to him. v. Like Jesus to Saul before him, this angel identifies Cornelius by name. b. [Slide 13] 4 – Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, “What is it, Lord?” i. Cornelius had never seen anything like this before. ii. Like every person who encounters an angel of God, he becomes sorely afraid. iii. Cornelius responds to this angel's call by using almost the same words Saul used when he was met by Christ. iv. Saul asked, who are you, Lord? And Cornelius says, “What is it, Lord?” v. What does this mean? vi. It is difficult to know whether Cornelius has assumed that he was seeing God Himself or whether he is using this term “lord” in its less theologically charged meaning, “Sir.” vii. Even if he did mistake this angel for God, would you blame him? viii. Regardless of what Cornelius meant, the angel makes it plain that he is not God but bears God's message to him. c. [Slide 14] The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God. i. The angel indicates clearly that he is not God, but informs him that his prayers and charity have gone up before God. ii. What does it mean that his prayers and offerings have “Gone up before God?“ iii. And what is meant by it being a memorial or as other translations have it a “memorial offering?” iv. In the book of Leviticus, in several sacrifices the priests are instructed to take a handful of the offering and burn it on the altar before the Lord. The rest of the offering would be used by the priests. v. These are called memorial offerings because the one who gives the offering and the one burning the offering are all reminded that though God deserves all of the offering, he is pleased with a small portion. vi. How appropriate for the angel messenger to convey this to Cornelius. vii. Cornelius is, after all, not circumcised. He does not go to the temple for sacrifices. He meets in synagogues to learn of the Jewish faith and practice, and attempts to live accordingly, but is not Jewish. viii. Yet Yahweh, The God of Israel, through His angel, tells Cornelius that his charity and prayers have amounted to a memorial sacrifice. They have pleased God. ix. Though he has never sacrificed in the temple, his charity and prayers have been his offering. x. And his offering has pleased God. xi. So, is he good? Is Cornelius saved? Is that enough? Did he earn his salvation by an offering? xii. No. The angel had more to say. d. [Slide 15] Now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is called Peter. 6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” i. The angel communicates another message to Cornelius that, at first, appears to be separate from the first. ii. However, they are related. iii. He tells him to send men to fetch Peter and tells him where Peter is staying. iv. But we all know the reason for this. v. And later we find out that the angel told Cornelius not only that Peter needed to come to see him, but that he had a message to give to him. A message of salvation. For him, and his household. vi. It is almost as if God is telling Cornelius, “Remember, though you stand a far way off, you have gotten the important part of Judaism. You have gotten enough of Judaism to be ready for the next step in Judaism. Now Peter will come and show you what you lack.” vii. Is God giving Cornelius a shortcut? Is God saying… I desire obedience and not sacrifices? e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: And so, in this point, although those who are perceived as good and devout men are still not good enough, God is good and gracious to those who diligently seek Him. Though Cornelius had just enough truth and just enough good works to condemn him to hell, God rewards those who are pursuing Him. In many ways, Cornelius was probably more devout than most Jews of his day, because his motives were pure. He sincerely sought the Lord. God is pleased with those who, even imperfectly, sincerely worship Him. And God is sure to lead such people to what they lack. So, we must not be satisfied with our broken attempts to please God, even if He is pleased by our sincerity. Instead, we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. For it is in Jesus that the Lord has said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] God rewards Cornelius' diligent seeking by revealing his need. He needs to call on Peter. Peter needs to come and give him and his household a message. So, what do those who have been illuminated by God do? What do those whose eyes have been opened do? They obey… III.) All who God corrects and instructs with truth obey His commands, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (7-8) a. [Slide 18] 7 – When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him, i. Like Aeneas and Tabitha before, Cornelius sets out to obey what has been revealed to him. ii. Aeneas was healed of his paralysis, Tabitha raised from death, but Cornelius was healed of another malady. A malady equally as hopeless. iii. You see for Cornelius though he was a God-Fearer, and though he could potentially achieve proselyte status in the Jewish faith and gain some measure of closeness to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He could never come closer than this. He could never enter the courts of the Jews much less the holy place or the Holy of Holies for that matter. iv. But what has his acts of charity and prayer done? It is a memorial offering. A reminder to him that though God requires all, He is pleased with what Cornelius has done. For he has done it while sincerely seeking Yahweh. v. So God rewards Cornelius by sending an angel, with the truth of the way he could be healed of that relational distance. vi. He has been told that he can come and receive the same gospel message that was given to the Jews. He need not be a proselyte first. Cornelius doesn't need to be circumcised. He doesn't need to become a Jew first. He simply needs the message that Peter will give him. What is that message? Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. 1. Jesus is the funnel. Jesus is the choke point. Jesus is not only the next and final redemptive step in Judaism, but He is also the next and final redemptive step for the Gentile as well. 2. He is the next and final step in the covenants He made with Adam and Eve. a. He is the sacrifice that was killed in their place so that they could be clothed perfectly and completely. b. He is the seed that has crushed the head of the serpent and enlarged the family of God. c. He is the New Adam, our new representative, keeping the covenant of works perfectly. 3. He is the next and final step in the covenant made with Noah. a. He is the ark delivering His people from the world of sin and the judgment that will overwhelm it. b. He is the bow of promise establishing peace between the Father and His people. c. He is bringing the next baptism with the Spirit and with Fire. 4. All the covenants of God, to Jews and Gentiles alike, are funneled down to Jesus. vii. And what does Cornelius do after receiving this command which he is told will be the solution for his malady of relational distance to Yahweh? What does he do when he is told that Peter holds the key for that distance to be erased? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter. b. [Slide 19] 8 - and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. i. It is difficult to know exactly what he tells these two servants and soldier. ii. The text says he had explained everything. iii. It seems as though everything he knew, saw, and believed was given to these men as he sent them to bring Peter. iv. Cornelius not only believed the angel, but wanted his whole house to believe as well. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: We've seen how the devotion and goodness of Cornelius was not enough, that he still lacked true righteousness. We've also seen the faithfulness and compassion of God to reward those who seek Him diligently. And finally, we see the faithful obedience of all whom God reveals truth to… Cornelius was given life changing truth that would free him from his relational distance to God. And that truth would be given to him by Peter the apostle. So, what does Cornelius do when he is told that Peter holds the key for him to be brought into a close and special relationship with Yahweh? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter immediately. My friends, we know the piece that Cornelius was missing. It is Jesus crucified for sinners. So, we too must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Conclusion: So, CBC, what has the Lord said and how then shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we pull from this today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] Men and women can live lives that are devout and pious, being paragons of good among humanity. God is pleased with those who attempt to live out His law and seek to please Him. But mankind's devotion and piety is not enough to satisfy the holy standard of God. So, God in His grace rewards those who diligently seek to please and worship Him. He rewards them by revealing to them how they can be made right with Him. In this we see the tension of mankind's spiritual status as dead and paralyzed juxtaposed against being able to actually, in some way, please God with our meager efforts. Another riddle. The great answer is that God's legal standard is perfection, even if it is pleasing for us to obey Him and seek Him, it will never satisfy the legal requirement of perfection. But that is why God has sent His Son. And that is why God promises to reward those who seek Him. Cornelius was rewarded for faithfully pursuing the God if Israel. How was He rewarded? He was rewarded by God offering Him the next and final step in His redemption. And it was not to make him a Jew first. It was to transfer him directly into the family of the Son. So Cornelius obeyed the Lord and sent for Peter. Jesus is the answer for all men and not just the Jews. All the covenants of God are fulfilled in Him. My friends, although it is true that when we are God's people, we obey Him… our obedience is not what we rely on. Because our obedience will always be imperfect in this life. Instead, we depend on Christ's righteousness. For it is only in Christ that the Lord's legal standard is met. The best we can hope for is God to be pleased with us. With Christ, The Father is well-pleased. So let me improve upon this point in a few ways for us this morning. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that no matter how much righteousness we can muster, it will never satisfy God's perfect standard. a. Cornelius was a man who put many Jews to shame. He devoted himself and his entire household to upholding monotheism and the law of the God of Israel. b. Even though he would never be accepted into the inner relationship to Yahweh, he still served Him and sought Him. c. This is a far cry from the Sadducees who only wanted power with their piety. It is lightyears away from the Pharisees who desired honor from men by their devotion to God. d. Nevertheless, as righteous as he was, Cornelius was still missing something. As pleasing as his actions were to God, he still lacked what Peter would bring. e. From meticulous legalism to liberal sincerity, mankind cannot ever achieve the perfect standard of God. f. As we spoke last week, we are all dead in sin. We are hopeless to heal ourselves. Hopeless to raise ourselves. The Lord must do this work. g. But our problem only begins there. Even though the Lord must raise us from sin death that is only half of our problem. For not only are we dead in sin, but we also dead to righteousness, h. Mankind, my friends, is in quite the pickle. Not only do they not want to please God, but even if they did want to, they couldn't. You see God can't bring us to life and then let us go. For we would simply die in sin again when we fail. i. No. God must unite us to something that will never fail. j. This is what orthodox Christianity teaches. Mankind is doubly damned. Not only are we dead in sin, but God's standard is perfection. You cannot be perfect if you are by nature dead in flaws. k. Like a computer with a hardware problem. Even if you reboot it and debug it… if there is a flaw with the hard drive or the motherboard… it will never function properly. The bad hardware must be replaced. l. Mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that being dead in sin means we are unable to do good. a. Some having misunderstood this teaching have critiqued it by saying, “If mankind is dead in sin, If mankind is not righteous, then why do my Muslim neighbors shovel my driveway out of kindness? Why do my lost family members buy me flowers when I'm down? Why do my unbelieving co-workers pay their taxes and offer sacrificial love to their families?” b. They offer a wise critique to a doctrine no one is teaching. c. No one teaches that because mankind is dead in sin they can do no good thing. No one is teaching that because mankind is enslaved to sin that all they can do is sin. d. What we mean when we say that mankind is totally depraved or totally unable is that man is not able and not willing to spiritually free himself from sin or seek God or be made right with God. e. In the previous example we said that “mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well.” Now think with me… if we are the computer, can we do that on our own? f. And I know you are thinking – well sometimes my computer reboots on its own. g. Does it? Or did someone program the computer to reboot under certain conditions? h. This is what this doctrine means. Just like a computer, we are not able to reboot ourselves or change our hardware. i. But that doesn't mean that the computer can't do some good things right? It just means that those good things don't fix the problem. j. Cornelius proves this out. He was able to do good things, things that were pleasing to God – but he still needed God to send an angel and an apostle to bring him to Christ. 3.) [Slide 24] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop relying on our own obedience to perfectly please God. a. No doubt we all sometimes succumb to this erroneous teaching that has bound so many of God's dear children. b. We speak harshly to our wives and hit every red light on the way to work. Immediately we observe, God is punishing me for being harsh. c. We pray for our neighbor and then we inherit a small house form a distant uncle who passed. Apparently, God is pleased with me for praying for my neighbors. d. If I wear this, or go to that movie, or drink that, or say this, God will be most displeased with me. e. Even though there is a certain measure of truth in some of this – God is pleased and displeased by our choices, the thing that is faulty is our reliance on our performance to please God. f. My friends, our performance is not what perfectly pleases God. Why? Because our performance is never perfect. g. The scriptures teach us that there is no condemnation in Christ. The scriptures teach us that although we will be rewarded with crowns for our faithfulness to God – we will cast them all at the feet of Jesus. h. The whole of it my friends is that we can't be more or less pleasing to God because we are in Christ. And with Christ, the Father is well-pleased. i. But we could pendulum swing here couldn't we… 4.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must obey the Lord while trusting that Christ has satisfied God's perfect standard of performance. a. You see my friends, we obey the Lord out of love and thanksgiving. b. We are not trying to please Him more or fear displeasing him. We are obeying His law because we love Him and are thankful that He first loved us. c. We rest in the perfect righteousness of Christ, knowing that we will never lose that perfect standing before our Father. And then in that state of declared righteousness, we imperfectly obey. d. This is the beauty of the gospel. e. We are imperfectly perfect by faith in Christ. f. And it works because He changes our desires. We no longer want to wallow in imperfection. Instead, we long to be like Christ, while knowing that God has made us to be His righteousness. g. What a great God we serve that although His standard is perfection, He has achieved it for us while changing us to continue to desire it. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will reveal Himself to those who diligently pursue Him. a. Perhaps you left last week with a feeling of despair. b. God must wake up people from spiritual death and paralysis. I get it. But what if someone really really really wants to serve God but God says no to waking them up? c. What if someone really wants to be saved but God never turns the lights on, God never opens the prison cell. God never raises them up. What happens then? d. My friends… God promises that those who diligently seek Him will be rewarded. Those who keep knocking on His door, He won't cast out. He will welcome them in. e. Perhaps that is you today. Perhaps you have desired to be God's child and have been knocking and knocking and still He has not answered. f. Will you give up now? Will you turn away? Where will you go? Who else can save like our God? g. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. He is the Son of God who has the words of life… where else can you go? h. Don't stop knocking my friends. The Lord promises that He will let you in. Let me close with a prayer from the church father Eusebius of Caesarea, fitting since Cornelius was from this city. We give you thanks, our God and Savior, and to you, O Christ, in our own feeble way. You are the supreme providence of the mighty Father, who both saves us from evil and teaches us in the way of truth. I say these things not to praise, but simply to give thanks. Who among us is worthy to give you praise? You called creation into being from nothing. You illuminated it with your light. You regulated the confusion of the elements by your laws of harmony and order. More than that, we recognize your lovingkindness. You caused those whose hearts inclined toward you to sincerely seek a divine and blessed life. You've allowed us to pass along what we've received from you, like merchants of wisdom and true blessings. We reap the everlasting fruit of your goodness. Freed from the net of sin, and permeated with a love for others, mercy is always our point of view. We hope for the promise of faith, and we are devoted to modest living – all the virtues we had once thrown aside, but are now restored by you whose generous care is over all. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. May the God who did not spare His own Son, But sent Him to gladly bear our burden on the cross, Remind you always of these things, though you Know them and are firmly established in the truth, Until you arrive to a full measure of glory. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

31 Acts 10:1-8 Imperfect Perfection

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 52:36

Title: Imperfect Perfection Text: Acts 10:1-8 FCF: We often struggle with the tension of works and faith. Prop: Because Christ is well-pleasing to God, we can live in imperfect obedience and be counted righteous by faith in Christ, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment I'll be reading starting in verse 1 from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Chapter 10 of the book of Acts represents a rather pivotal point in the expansion of the gospel of Jesus. In keeping with its significance, this next narrative episode is quite lengthy. From start to finish it encompasses a chapter and a half, 66 verses. That is the longest narrative episode we've seen yet in the book of Acts. Because it is so long it is difficult to know exactly where to break it up. At first, I had verses 1-23. Then I narrowed it down to 1-20. Then I went 1-16. I finally settled for 1-8. In this way I hope to build each detail of the narrative, one block at a time, as Luke does. The narrative as a whole is somewhat of a puzzle. We have several pieces handed to us, but until they are assembled, we won't see the full picture. So, let's begin with the first detail of the story… lets start with a man from Caesarea named Cornelius. Please stand with me to focus on and show respect for The Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Has this ever happened to you. You are standing in the line at the grocery store. It is a very busy day. Snow's coming tomorrow so people are out in droves to make sure they have their bread milk and toilet paper. You are waiting and waiting, the line is moving slowly. Finally, you are getting close to the front. The magazines in the rack distract you… ok being honest it is the candy in the line that is distracting. All of a sudden you hear those wonderful words… “I can help you in line 3. You look up hoping to meet the gaze of the cashier only to find that this cashier had said this to the person who literally just got in line. Makes you a little hot right? Like, HEY! I've been here this whole time. What would justice be? Would it be that they have to wait the same amount you do, or more? We all kinda feel this way about short cuts don't we. But Jesus taught a parable of men being hired for work at various times of the day and still getting paid the same amount. The employer couldn't be accused of being stingy because he paid everyone a day's wage. But to the one who worked less, it seemed like he got more. Jesus' point was that it was the employer's prerogative to be generous in the way He wished to be generous. Today, we will see the abundant graciousness and generosity of our Lord to offer the Jewish Messiah to a gentile. Let's look at verse 1. I.) No matter how good man is perceived to be, he is not good enough by God's standards, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 – Now there was a man in Caesarea i. [Slide 4] Caesarea as we can see on our map, is the furthest Northwest that the gospel has ever gone in the book of Acts. ii. Damascus represents the furthest northeast. iii. Caesarea is almost at the furthest north border of Samaria. iv. In short, the gospel is spreading far and wide throughout all of Judea and Samaria. It doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. b. [Slide 5] named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort. i. Cornelius is a Latin name meaning Of the horn. Cornucopia means horn of plenty. ii. Having a Latin name is not the only indication that this man is a gentile. iii. He is also a centurion. Meaning he is the leader of about 100 men within the Roman army. iv. He was also part of a larger Italian division of the Roman army called a Legion or a Cohort. v. A legion or Cohort consisted of 600 men. Meaning that Cornelius was no doubt one of 6 military leaders within this particular division of the military. vi. All this establishes Cornelius not only as a gentile but also a prominent one at that. vii. The question arises, if this man was in the Italian Cohort, why was he in Caesarea? viii. Caesarea is a highly valued port city on the Mediterranean and it would not be unthinkable for the Roman Emperor to keep a Legion station here. Especially in the wake of the political upheaval of Caligula becoming emperor and Herod Antipas being exiled around this time. ix. It would actually make a great deal of sense to have extra troops in the area just in case something happens. x. But there is more to this man than simply his prominence and his nationality. c. [Slide 6] 2 - He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; i. What does Luke mean that he was a devout God-fearing man? ii. In some ways this could be a simple description of Cornelius' affiliation with the Jewish faith. However, Luke hasn't shied away from using the term proselyte. In Luke 6 he mentioned Nicholas who was a Gentile proselyte now converted to Christ. iii. So, what exactly is Cornelius? Is he a proselyte or something else? iv. [Slide 7] To answer this question, we must look back among the first century historical and archeological records to understand a hierarchy that existed within the Jewish faith. 1. First there were Hebraic Jews. These were Jews who refused to allow Greek influence to spread among them. They continued to speak Hebrew or at least Aramaic. They did not assimilate into Greek traditions and heritages. They attended all the feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 2. Second there were Hellenistic Jews. These were Jews who had succumbed to Greek influence in some way or another. Though still devout and Jewish, they had lost the ability to speak Hebrew and possibly even Aramaic. They, in some cases, had allowed Greek thought and culture to influence other aspects of their lives. They still attended feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 3. Third there would be gentile proselytes. These would be gentiles who converted to Judaism and submitted themselves fully to the religious, ritualistic, and legal practices of the Jews. They would endure circumcision and offer whatever sacrifices they were permitted to offer though they would not be permitted in the inner courts of the temple. 4. Fourth there would be what would be known as God-Fearers. This is specifically a group of gentiles that are favorable to Jewish culture and faith and perhaps even in the process of becoming a proselyte, but are not yet truly converted. They were not circumcised. They did not necessarily attend the festivals and feasts, and they did not offer sacrifices at the temple. They would adopt monotheism and attempt to keep the 10 commandments in their lives. 5. Finally, would be, essentially, everyone else. The pagans and polytheists. These are the furthest away from God, since they worship false gods and not the one true God. v. [Slide 8] Cornelius then, is a God-Fearer. He is not quite a proselyte but is sympathetic to Jewish culture and faith. vi. Why is this significant? 1. This is the first time in the book of Acts so far that a non-Jew by blood and by religion becomes the focal point of the story. 2. Second, we've seen Luke's story arch up to this point and it is reasonable to conclude even if we've never read the rest of this narrative, that the gospel circle is widening yet again. 3. Will the gospel go to gentiles not fully assimilated into Judaism? If so, do they need to be Jews first? We'll have to see. vii. We also see that his whole household were also God-Fearers. Now what does this mean? 1. A household is the basic unit of social structure. But it differed from our household structure we have today. 2. Ignoring for the moment the fracturing of the modern household; even in the ideal with Father, Mother, children this would represent a much smaller sphere than 1st century households. 3. A household in the first century could include a much wider spectrum of kinship. There could also be servants and slaves included in the term household. 4. In short, a household could include anyone who lived in the home and met in the home as family. 5. And so, as we might expect, everyone in Cornelius' house were God-Fearers also. We get the impression that he led the effort for this to be so. Most likely he was the patriarch and priest of his family. viii. How else did he lead? d. [Slide 9] he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly. i. Alms giving and prayer have long been a standard measure for the truly pious. ii. As such the Pharisees were critiqued for their show of contributing large sums of money and long public prayers in order to seem very devout and pious. iii. Alms giving and prayer are two of the five pillars of the Islamic Faith. iv. Alms giving and prayer are sometimes a means of restitution in the Catholic Church. v. And even in the 1st century, Roman and Greek philosophers idealized acts of charity and devoted prayer to deities. vi. In short, giving charity to those who are less fortunate and praying regularly have always been associated with those who are devout and pious people. Whether it is true or not. And regardless of religion. You at least appear to be pious when you give alms and are consistently praying. vii. We ought also to see the correlation between Tabitha and Cornelius. Tabitha was a disciple of Christ who gave charitably too. We are not told that she prayed often, but it is reasonable to conclude she did. viii. On the surface then, we are given a man who has everything right, but he is missing one piece of the puzzle. But here is a hint. The piece of the puzzle he is missing isn't that he hasn't yet become a Jewish proselyte. e. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: As wonderful of a man as Cornelius was, admired by men, prominent, a leader, a manager of a house, and pious to boot, he was still not good enough. He still lacked something. No doubt everyone admired and respected a man like Cornelius. And even though he wasn't quite Jewish, we will see later he is highly respected by the Jews. The core truth we see in this first point is that a man can be judged to be a good man by all of society and still be short of the standard of God. For God does not require a good man. He requires a perfect man. Jesus died for sinners… even those whom our society labels as saints. So, we must not rest on our laurels and our own self-righteousness, for it will never be good enough. But we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] But we have made some logical leaps here. Is God not pleased at all by Cornelius' lifestyle? And how do we know Cornelius lacks Jesus? Well, God sends this man an angel. Let's see what the angel says. II.) God is pleased with and graciously corrects those who sincerely worship Him, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (3-6) a. [Slide 12] 3 – About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God, who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.” i. At 3 in the afternoon, it would be a traditional time for sacrifices and prayers to be offered up at the temple. ii. It was at this time that Cornelius, who was probably entering again into prayer, saw a waking vision. iii. A vision is something that appears clearly, vividly, and credibly in the mind but is not actually present. iv. An angel appears to him in this vision and calls to him. v. Like Jesus to Saul before him, this angel identifies Cornelius by name. b. [Slide 13] 4 – Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, “What is it, Lord?” i. Cornelius had never seen anything like this before. ii. Like every person who encounters an angel of God, he becomes sorely afraid. iii. Cornelius responds to this angel's call by using almost the same words Saul used when he was met by Christ. iv. Saul asked, who are you, Lord? And Cornelius says, “What is it, Lord?” v. What does this mean? vi. It is difficult to know whether Cornelius has assumed that he was seeing God Himself or whether he is using this term “lord” in its less theologically charged meaning, “Sir.” vii. Even if he did mistake this angel for God, would you blame him? viii. Regardless of what Cornelius meant, the angel makes it plain that he is not God but bears God's message to him. c. [Slide 14] The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God. i. The angel indicates clearly that he is not God, but informs him that his prayers and charity have gone up before God. ii. What does it mean that his prayers and offerings have “Gone up before God?“ iii. And what is meant by it being a memorial or as other translations have it a “memorial offering?” iv. In the book of Leviticus, in several sacrifices the priests are instructed to take a handful of the offering and burn it on the altar before the Lord. The rest of the offering would be used by the priests. v. These are called memorial offerings because the one who gives the offering and the one burning the offering are all reminded that though God deserves all of the offering, he is pleased with a small portion. vi. How appropriate for the angel messenger to convey this to Cornelius. vii. Cornelius is, after all, not circumcised. He does not go to the temple for sacrifices. He meets in synagogues to learn of the Jewish faith and practice, and attempts to live accordingly, but is not Jewish. viii. Yet Yahweh, The God of Israel, through His angel, tells Cornelius that his charity and prayers have amounted to a memorial sacrifice. They have pleased God. ix. Though he has never sacrificed in the temple, his charity and prayers have been his offering. x. And his offering has pleased God. xi. So, is he good? Is Cornelius saved? Is that enough? Did he earn his salvation by an offering? xii. No. The angel had more to say. d. [Slide 15] Now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is called Peter. 6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” i. The angel communicates another message to Cornelius that, at first, appears to be separate from the first. ii. However, they are related. iii. He tells him to send men to fetch Peter and tells him where Peter is staying. iv. But we all know the reason for this. v. And later we find out that the angel told Cornelius not only that Peter needed to come to see him, but that he had a message to give to him. A message of salvation. For him, and his household. vi. It is almost as if God is telling Cornelius, “Remember, though you stand a far way off, you have gotten the important part of Judaism. You have gotten enough of Judaism to be ready for the next step in Judaism. Now Peter will come and show you what you lack.” vii. Is God giving Cornelius a shortcut? Is God saying… I desire obedience and not sacrifices? e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: And so, in this point, although those who are perceived as good and devout men are still not good enough, God is good and gracious to those who diligently seek Him. Though Cornelius had just enough truth and just enough good works to condemn him to hell, God rewards those who are pursuing Him. In many ways, Cornelius was probably more devout than most Jews of his day, because his motives were pure. He sincerely sought the Lord. God is pleased with those who, even imperfectly, sincerely worship Him. And God is sure to lead such people to what they lack. So, we must not be satisfied with our broken attempts to please God, even if He is pleased by our sincerity. Instead, we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. For it is in Jesus that the Lord has said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] God rewards Cornelius' diligent seeking by revealing his need. He needs to call on Peter. Peter needs to come and give him and his household a message. So, what do those who have been illuminated by God do? What do those whose eyes have been opened do? They obey… III.) All who God corrects and instructs with truth obey His commands, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (7-8) a. [Slide 18] 7 – When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him, i. Like Aeneas and Tabitha before, Cornelius sets out to obey what has been revealed to him. ii. Aeneas was healed of his paralysis, Tabitha raised from death, but Cornelius was healed of another malady. A malady equally as hopeless. iii. You see for Cornelius though he was a God-Fearer, and though he could potentially achieve proselyte status in the Jewish faith and gain some measure of closeness to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He could never come closer than this. He could never enter the courts of the Jews much less the holy place or the Holy of Holies for that matter. iv. But what has his acts of charity and prayer done? It is a memorial offering. A reminder to him that though God requires all, He is pleased with what Cornelius has done. For he has done it while sincerely seeking Yahweh. v. So God rewards Cornelius by sending an angel, with the truth of the way he could be healed of that relational distance. vi. He has been told that he can come and receive the same gospel message that was given to the Jews. He need not be a proselyte first. Cornelius doesn't need to be circumcised. He doesn't need to become a Jew first. He simply needs the message that Peter will give him. What is that message? Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. 1. Jesus is the funnel. Jesus is the choke point. Jesus is not only the next and final redemptive step in Judaism, but He is also the next and final redemptive step for the Gentile as well. 2. He is the next and final step in the covenants He made with Adam and Eve. a. He is the sacrifice that was killed in their place so that they could be clothed perfectly and completely. b. He is the seed that has crushed the head of the serpent and enlarged the family of God. c. He is the New Adam, our new representative, keeping the covenant of works perfectly. 3. He is the next and final step in the covenant made with Noah. a. He is the ark delivering His people from the world of sin and the judgment that will overwhelm it. b. He is the bow of promise establishing peace between the Father and His people. c. He is bringing the next baptism with the Spirit and with Fire. 4. All the covenants of God, to Jews and Gentiles alike, are funneled down to Jesus. vii. And what does Cornelius do after receiving this command which he is told will be the solution for his malady of relational distance to Yahweh? What does he do when he is told that Peter holds the key for that distance to be erased? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter. b. [Slide 19] 8 - and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. i. It is difficult to know exactly what he tells these two servants and soldier. ii. The text says he had explained everything. iii. It seems as though everything he knew, saw, and believed was given to these men as he sent them to bring Peter. iv. Cornelius not only believed the angel, but wanted his whole house to believe as well. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: We've seen how the devotion and goodness of Cornelius was not enough, that he still lacked true righteousness. We've also seen the faithfulness and compassion of God to reward those who seek Him diligently. And finally, we see the faithful obedience of all whom God reveals truth to… Cornelius was given life changing truth that would free him from his relational distance to God. And that truth would be given to him by Peter the apostle. So, what does Cornelius do when he is told that Peter holds the key for him to be brought into a close and special relationship with Yahweh? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter immediately. My friends, we know the piece that Cornelius was missing. It is Jesus crucified for sinners. So, we too must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Conclusion: So, CBC, what has the Lord said and how then shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we pull from this today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] Men and women can live lives that are devout and pious, being paragons of good among humanity. God is pleased with those who attempt to live out His law and seek to please Him. But mankind's devotion and piety is not enough to satisfy the holy standard of God. So, God in His grace rewards those who diligently seek to please and worship Him. He rewards them by revealing to them how they can be made right with Him. In this we see the tension of mankind's spiritual status as dead and paralyzed juxtaposed against being able to actually, in some way, please God with our meager efforts. Another riddle. The great answer is that God's legal standard is perfection, even if it is pleasing for us to obey Him and seek Him, it will never satisfy the legal requirement of perfection. But that is why God has sent His Son. And that is why God promises to reward those who seek Him. Cornelius was rewarded for faithfully pursuing the God if Israel. How was He rewarded? He was rewarded by God offering Him the next and final step in His redemption. And it was not to make him a Jew first. It was to transfer him directly into the family of the Son. So Cornelius obeyed the Lord and sent for Peter. Jesus is the answer for all men and not just the Jews. All the covenants of God are fulfilled in Him. My friends, although it is true that when we are God's people, we obey Him… our obedience is not what we rely on. Because our obedience will always be imperfect in this life. Instead, we depend on Christ's righteousness. For it is only in Christ that the Lord's legal standard is met. The best we can hope for is God to be pleased with us. With Christ, The Father is well-pleased. So let me improve upon this point in a few ways for us this morning. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that no matter how much righteousness we can muster, it will never satisfy God's perfect standard. a. Cornelius was a man who put many Jews to shame. He devoted himself and his entire household to upholding monotheism and the law of the God of Israel. b. Even though he would never be accepted into the inner relationship to Yahweh, he still served Him and sought Him. c. This is a far cry from the Sadducees who only wanted power with their piety. It is lightyears away from the Pharisees who desired honor from men by their devotion to God. d. Nevertheless, as righteous as he was, Cornelius was still missing something. As pleasing as his actions were to God, he still lacked what Peter would bring. e. From meticulous legalism to liberal sincerity, mankind cannot ever achieve the perfect standard of God. f. As we spoke last week, we are all dead in sin. We are hopeless to heal ourselves. Hopeless to raise ourselves. The Lord must do this work. g. But our problem only begins there. Even though the Lord must raise us from sin death that is only half of our problem. For not only are we dead in sin, but we also dead to righteousness, h. Mankind, my friends, is in quite the pickle. Not only do they not want to please God, but even if they did want to, they couldn't. You see God can't bring us to life and then let us go. For we would simply die in sin again when we fail. i. No. God must unite us to something that will never fail. j. This is what orthodox Christianity teaches. Mankind is doubly damned. Not only are we dead in sin, but God's standard is perfection. You cannot be perfect if you are by nature dead in flaws. k. Like a computer with a hardware problem. Even if you reboot it and debug it… if there is a flaw with the hard drive or the motherboard… it will never function properly. The bad hardware must be replaced. l. Mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that being dead in sin means we are unable to do good. a. Some having misunderstood this teaching have critiqued it by saying, “If mankind is dead in sin, If mankind is not righteous, then why do my Muslim neighbors shovel my driveway out of kindness? Why do my lost family members buy me flowers when I'm down? Why do my unbelieving co-workers pay their taxes and offer sacrificial love to their families?” b. They offer a wise critique to a doctrine no one is teaching. c. No one teaches that because mankind is dead in sin they can do no good thing. No one is teaching that because mankind is enslaved to sin that all they can do is sin. d. What we mean when we say that mankind is totally depraved or totally unable is that man is not able and not willing to spiritually free himself from sin or seek God or be made right with God. e. In the previous example we said that “mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well.” Now think with me… if we are the computer, can we do that on our own? f. And I know you are thinking – well sometimes my computer reboots on its own. g. Does it? Or did someone program the computer to reboot under certain conditions? h. This is what this doctrine means. Just like a computer, we are not able to reboot ourselves or change our hardware. i. But that doesn't mean that the computer can't do some good things right? It just means that those good things don't fix the problem. j. Cornelius proves this out. He was able to do good things, things that were pleasing to God – but he still needed God to send an angel and an apostle to bring him to Christ. 3.) [Slide 24] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop relying on our own obedience to perfectly please God. a. No doubt we all sometimes succumb to this erroneous teaching that has bound so many of God's dear children. b. We speak harshly to our wives and hit every red light on the way to work. Immediately we observe, God is punishing me for being harsh. c. We pray for our neighbor and then we inherit a small house form a distant uncle who passed. Apparently, God is pleased with me for praying for my neighbors. d. If I wear this, or go to that movie, or drink that, or say this, God will be most displeased with me. e. Even though there is a certain measure of truth in some of this – God is pleased and displeased by our choices, the thing that is faulty is our reliance on our performance to please God. f. My friends, our performance is not what perfectly pleases God. Why? Because our performance is never perfect. g. The scriptures teach us that there is no condemnation in Christ. The scriptures teach us that although we will be rewarded with crowns for our faithfulness to God – we will cast them all at the feet of Jesus. h. The whole of it my friends is that we can't be more or less pleasing to God because we are in Christ. And with Christ, the Father is well-pleased. i. But we could pendulum swing here couldn't we… 4.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must obey the Lord while trusting that Christ has satisfied God's perfect standard of performance. a. You see my friends, we obey the Lord out of love and thanksgiving. b. We are not trying to please Him more or fear displeasing him. We are obeying His law because we love Him and are thankful that He first loved us. c. We rest in the perfect righteousness of Christ, knowing that we will never lose that perfect standing before our Father. And then in that state of declared righteousness, we imperfectly obey. d. This is the beauty of the gospel. e. We are imperfectly perfect by faith in Christ. f. And it works because He changes our desires. We no longer want to wallow in imperfection. Instead, we long to be like Christ, while knowing that God has made us to be His righteousness. g. What a great God we serve that although His standard is perfection, He has achieved it for us while changing us to continue to desire it. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will reveal Himself to those who diligently pursue Him. a. Perhaps you left last week with a feeling of despair. b. God must wake up people from spiritual death and paralysis. I get it. But what if someone really really really wants to serve God but God says no to waking them up? c. What if someone really wants to be saved but God never turns the lights on, God never opens the prison cell. God never raises them up. What happens then? d. My friends… God promises that those who diligently seek Him will be rewarded. Those who keep knocking on His door, He won't cast out. He will welcome them in. e. Perhaps that is you today. Perhaps you have desired to be God's child and have been knocking and knocking and still He has not answered. f. Will you give up now? Will you turn away? Where will you go? Who else can save like our God? g. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. He is the Son of God who has the words of life… where else can you go? h. Don't stop knocking my friends. The Lord promises that He will let you in. Let me close with a prayer from the church father Eusebius of Caesarea, fitting since Cornelius was from this city. We give you thanks, our God and Savior, and to you, O Christ, in our own feeble way. You are the supreme providence of the mighty Father, who both saves us from evil and teaches us in the way of truth. I say these things not to praise, but simply to give thanks. Who among us is worthy to give you praise? You called creation into being from nothing. You illuminated it with your light. You regulated the confusion of the elements by your laws of harmony and order. More than that, we recognize your lovingkindness. You caused those whose hearts inclined toward you to sincerely seek a divine and blessed life. You've allowed us to pass along what we've received from you, like merchants of wisdom and true blessings. We reap the everlasting fruit of your goodness. Freed from the net of sin, and permeated with a love for others, mercy is always our point of view. We hope for the promise of faith, and we are devoted to modest living – all the virtues we had once thrown aside, but are now restored by you whose generous care is over all. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. May the God who did not spare His own Son, But sent Him to gladly bear our burden on the cross, Remind you always of these things, though you Know them and are firmly established in the truth, Until you arrive to a full measure of glory. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

31 Acts 10:1-8 Imperfect Perfection

The Practical Wealth Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 52:36

Title: Imperfect Perfection Text: Acts 10:1-8 FCF: We often struggle with the tension of works and faith. Prop: Because Christ is well-pleasing to God, we can live in imperfect obedience and be counted righteous by faith in Christ, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment I'll be reading starting in verse 1 from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. Chapter 10 of the book of Acts represents a rather pivotal point in the expansion of the gospel of Jesus. In keeping with its significance, this next narrative episode is quite lengthy. From start to finish it encompasses a chapter and a half, 66 verses. That is the longest narrative episode we've seen yet in the book of Acts. Because it is so long it is difficult to know exactly where to break it up. At first, I had verses 1-23. Then I narrowed it down to 1-20. Then I went 1-16. I finally settled for 1-8. In this way I hope to build each detail of the narrative, one block at a time, as Luke does. The narrative as a whole is somewhat of a puzzle. We have several pieces handed to us, but until they are assembled, we won't see the full picture. So, let's begin with the first detail of the story… lets start with a man from Caesarea named Cornelius. Please stand with me to focus on and show respect for The Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] Has this ever happened to you. You are standing in the line at the grocery store. It is a very busy day. Snow's coming tomorrow so people are out in droves to make sure they have their bread milk and toilet paper. You are waiting and waiting, the line is moving slowly. Finally, you are getting close to the front. The magazines in the rack distract you… ok being honest it is the candy in the line that is distracting. All of a sudden you hear those wonderful words… “I can help you in line 3. You look up hoping to meet the gaze of the cashier only to find that this cashier had said this to the person who literally just got in line. Makes you a little hot right? Like, HEY! I've been here this whole time. What would justice be? Would it be that they have to wait the same amount you do, or more? We all kinda feel this way about short cuts don't we. But Jesus taught a parable of men being hired for work at various times of the day and still getting paid the same amount. The employer couldn't be accused of being stingy because he paid everyone a day's wage. But to the one who worked less, it seemed like he got more. Jesus' point was that it was the employer's prerogative to be generous in the way He wished to be generous. Today, we will see the abundant graciousness and generosity of our Lord to offer the Jewish Messiah to a gentile. Let's look at verse 1. I.) No matter how good man is perceived to be, he is not good enough by God's standards, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 – Now there was a man in Caesarea i. [Slide 4] Caesarea as we can see on our map, is the furthest Northwest that the gospel has ever gone in the book of Acts. ii. Damascus represents the furthest northeast. iii. Caesarea is almost at the furthest north border of Samaria. iv. In short, the gospel is spreading far and wide throughout all of Judea and Samaria. It doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. b. [Slide 5] named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort. i. Cornelius is a Latin name meaning Of the horn. Cornucopia means horn of plenty. ii. Having a Latin name is not the only indication that this man is a gentile. iii. He is also a centurion. Meaning he is the leader of about 100 men within the Roman army. iv. He was also part of a larger Italian division of the Roman army called a Legion or a Cohort. v. A legion or Cohort consisted of 600 men. Meaning that Cornelius was no doubt one of 6 military leaders within this particular division of the military. vi. All this establishes Cornelius not only as a gentile but also a prominent one at that. vii. The question arises, if this man was in the Italian Cohort, why was he in Caesarea? viii. Caesarea is a highly valued port city on the Mediterranean and it would not be unthinkable for the Roman Emperor to keep a Legion station here. Especially in the wake of the political upheaval of Caligula becoming emperor and Herod Antipas being exiled around this time. ix. It would actually make a great deal of sense to have extra troops in the area just in case something happens. x. But there is more to this man than simply his prominence and his nationality. c. [Slide 6] 2 - He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; i. What does Luke mean that he was a devout God-fearing man? ii. In some ways this could be a simple description of Cornelius' affiliation with the Jewish faith. However, Luke hasn't shied away from using the term proselyte. In Luke 6 he mentioned Nicholas who was a Gentile proselyte now converted to Christ. iii. So, what exactly is Cornelius? Is he a proselyte or something else? iv. [Slide 7] To answer this question, we must look back among the first century historical and archeological records to understand a hierarchy that existed within the Jewish faith. 1. First there were Hebraic Jews. These were Jews who refused to allow Greek influence to spread among them. They continued to speak Hebrew or at least Aramaic. They did not assimilate into Greek traditions and heritages. They attended all the feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 2. Second there were Hellenistic Jews. These were Jews who had succumbed to Greek influence in some way or another. Though still devout and Jewish, they had lost the ability to speak Hebrew and possibly even Aramaic. They, in some cases, had allowed Greek thought and culture to influence other aspects of their lives. They still attended feasts and festivals and made sacrifices in the temple. 3. Third there would be gentile proselytes. These would be gentiles who converted to Judaism and submitted themselves fully to the religious, ritualistic, and legal practices of the Jews. They would endure circumcision and offer whatever sacrifices they were permitted to offer though they would not be permitted in the inner courts of the temple. 4. Fourth there would be what would be known as God-Fearers. This is specifically a group of gentiles that are favorable to Jewish culture and faith and perhaps even in the process of becoming a proselyte, but are not yet truly converted. They were not circumcised. They did not necessarily attend the festivals and feasts, and they did not offer sacrifices at the temple. They would adopt monotheism and attempt to keep the 10 commandments in their lives. 5. Finally, would be, essentially, everyone else. The pagans and polytheists. These are the furthest away from God, since they worship false gods and not the one true God. v. [Slide 8] Cornelius then, is a God-Fearer. He is not quite a proselyte but is sympathetic to Jewish culture and faith. vi. Why is this significant? 1. This is the first time in the book of Acts so far that a non-Jew by blood and by religion becomes the focal point of the story. 2. Second, we've seen Luke's story arch up to this point and it is reasonable to conclude even if we've never read the rest of this narrative, that the gospel circle is widening yet again. 3. Will the gospel go to gentiles not fully assimilated into Judaism? If so, do they need to be Jews first? We'll have to see. vii. We also see that his whole household were also God-Fearers. Now what does this mean? 1. A household is the basic unit of social structure. But it differed from our household structure we have today. 2. Ignoring for the moment the fracturing of the modern household; even in the ideal with Father, Mother, children this would represent a much smaller sphere than 1st century households. 3. A household in the first century could include a much wider spectrum of kinship. There could also be servants and slaves included in the term household. 4. In short, a household could include anyone who lived in the home and met in the home as family. 5. And so, as we might expect, everyone in Cornelius' house were God-Fearers also. We get the impression that he led the effort for this to be so. Most likely he was the patriarch and priest of his family. viii. How else did he lead? d. [Slide 9] he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly. i. Alms giving and prayer have long been a standard measure for the truly pious. ii. As such the Pharisees were critiqued for their show of contributing large sums of money and long public prayers in order to seem very devout and pious. iii. Alms giving and prayer are two of the five pillars of the Islamic Faith. iv. Alms giving and prayer are sometimes a means of restitution in the Catholic Church. v. And even in the 1st century, Roman and Greek philosophers idealized acts of charity and devoted prayer to deities. vi. In short, giving charity to those who are less fortunate and praying regularly have always been associated with those who are devout and pious people. Whether it is true or not. And regardless of religion. You at least appear to be pious when you give alms and are consistently praying. vii. We ought also to see the correlation between Tabitha and Cornelius. Tabitha was a disciple of Christ who gave charitably too. We are not told that she prayed often, but it is reasonable to conclude she did. viii. On the surface then, we are given a man who has everything right, but he is missing one piece of the puzzle. But here is a hint. The piece of the puzzle he is missing isn't that he hasn't yet become a Jewish proselyte. e. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: As wonderful of a man as Cornelius was, admired by men, prominent, a leader, a manager of a house, and pious to boot, he was still not good enough. He still lacked something. No doubt everyone admired and respected a man like Cornelius. And even though he wasn't quite Jewish, we will see later he is highly respected by the Jews. The core truth we see in this first point is that a man can be judged to be a good man by all of society and still be short of the standard of God. For God does not require a good man. He requires a perfect man. Jesus died for sinners… even those whom our society labels as saints. So, we must not rest on our laurels and our own self-righteousness, for it will never be good enough. But we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] But we have made some logical leaps here. Is God not pleased at all by Cornelius' lifestyle? And how do we know Cornelius lacks Jesus? Well, God sends this man an angel. Let's see what the angel says. II.) God is pleased with and graciously corrects those who sincerely worship Him, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (3-6) a. [Slide 12] 3 – About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God, who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.” i. At 3 in the afternoon, it would be a traditional time for sacrifices and prayers to be offered up at the temple. ii. It was at this time that Cornelius, who was probably entering again into prayer, saw a waking vision. iii. A vision is something that appears clearly, vividly, and credibly in the mind but is not actually present. iv. An angel appears to him in this vision and calls to him. v. Like Jesus to Saul before him, this angel identifies Cornelius by name. b. [Slide 13] 4 – Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, “What is it, Lord?” i. Cornelius had never seen anything like this before. ii. Like every person who encounters an angel of God, he becomes sorely afraid. iii. Cornelius responds to this angel's call by using almost the same words Saul used when he was met by Christ. iv. Saul asked, who are you, Lord? And Cornelius says, “What is it, Lord?” v. What does this mean? vi. It is difficult to know whether Cornelius has assumed that he was seeing God Himself or whether he is using this term “lord” in its less theologically charged meaning, “Sir.” vii. Even if he did mistake this angel for God, would you blame him? viii. Regardless of what Cornelius meant, the angel makes it plain that he is not God but bears God's message to him. c. [Slide 14] The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God. i. The angel indicates clearly that he is not God, but informs him that his prayers and charity have gone up before God. ii. What does it mean that his prayers and offerings have “Gone up before God?“ iii. And what is meant by it being a memorial or as other translations have it a “memorial offering?” iv. In the book of Leviticus, in several sacrifices the priests are instructed to take a handful of the offering and burn it on the altar before the Lord. The rest of the offering would be used by the priests. v. These are called memorial offerings because the one who gives the offering and the one burning the offering are all reminded that though God deserves all of the offering, he is pleased with a small portion. vi. How appropriate for the angel messenger to convey this to Cornelius. vii. Cornelius is, after all, not circumcised. He does not go to the temple for sacrifices. He meets in synagogues to learn of the Jewish faith and practice, and attempts to live accordingly, but is not Jewish. viii. Yet Yahweh, The God of Israel, through His angel, tells Cornelius that his charity and prayers have amounted to a memorial sacrifice. They have pleased God. ix. Though he has never sacrificed in the temple, his charity and prayers have been his offering. x. And his offering has pleased God. xi. So, is he good? Is Cornelius saved? Is that enough? Did he earn his salvation by an offering? xii. No. The angel had more to say. d. [Slide 15] Now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is called Peter. 6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” i. The angel communicates another message to Cornelius that, at first, appears to be separate from the first. ii. However, they are related. iii. He tells him to send men to fetch Peter and tells him where Peter is staying. iv. But we all know the reason for this. v. And later we find out that the angel told Cornelius not only that Peter needed to come to see him, but that he had a message to give to him. A message of salvation. For him, and his household. vi. It is almost as if God is telling Cornelius, “Remember, though you stand a far way off, you have gotten the important part of Judaism. You have gotten enough of Judaism to be ready for the next step in Judaism. Now Peter will come and show you what you lack.” vii. Is God giving Cornelius a shortcut? Is God saying… I desire obedience and not sacrifices? e. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: And so, in this point, although those who are perceived as good and devout men are still not good enough, God is good and gracious to those who diligently seek Him. Though Cornelius had just enough truth and just enough good works to condemn him to hell, God rewards those who are pursuing Him. In many ways, Cornelius was probably more devout than most Jews of his day, because his motives were pure. He sincerely sought the Lord. God is pleased with those who, even imperfectly, sincerely worship Him. And God is sure to lead such people to what they lack. So, we must not be satisfied with our broken attempts to please God, even if He is pleased by our sincerity. Instead, we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. For it is in Jesus that the Lord has said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” Transition: [Slide 17(blank)] God rewards Cornelius' diligent seeking by revealing his need. He needs to call on Peter. Peter needs to come and give him and his household a message. So, what do those who have been illuminated by God do? What do those whose eyes have been opened do? They obey… III.) All who God corrects and instructs with truth obey His commands, so we must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. (7-8) a. [Slide 18] 7 – When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him, i. Like Aeneas and Tabitha before, Cornelius sets out to obey what has been revealed to him. ii. Aeneas was healed of his paralysis, Tabitha raised from death, but Cornelius was healed of another malady. A malady equally as hopeless. iii. You see for Cornelius though he was a God-Fearer, and though he could potentially achieve proselyte status in the Jewish faith and gain some measure of closeness to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He could never come closer than this. He could never enter the courts of the Jews much less the holy place or the Holy of Holies for that matter. iv. But what has his acts of charity and prayer done? It is a memorial offering. A reminder to him that though God requires all, He is pleased with what Cornelius has done. For he has done it while sincerely seeking Yahweh. v. So God rewards Cornelius by sending an angel, with the truth of the way he could be healed of that relational distance. vi. He has been told that he can come and receive the same gospel message that was given to the Jews. He need not be a proselyte first. Cornelius doesn't need to be circumcised. He doesn't need to become a Jew first. He simply needs the message that Peter will give him. What is that message? Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. 1. Jesus is the funnel. Jesus is the choke point. Jesus is not only the next and final redemptive step in Judaism, but He is also the next and final redemptive step for the Gentile as well. 2. He is the next and final step in the covenants He made with Adam and Eve. a. He is the sacrifice that was killed in their place so that they could be clothed perfectly and completely. b. He is the seed that has crushed the head of the serpent and enlarged the family of God. c. He is the New Adam, our new representative, keeping the covenant of works perfectly. 3. He is the next and final step in the covenant made with Noah. a. He is the ark delivering His people from the world of sin and the judgment that will overwhelm it. b. He is the bow of promise establishing peace between the Father and His people. c. He is bringing the next baptism with the Spirit and with Fire. 4. All the covenants of God, to Jews and Gentiles alike, are funneled down to Jesus. vii. And what does Cornelius do after receiving this command which he is told will be the solution for his malady of relational distance to Yahweh? What does he do when he is told that Peter holds the key for that distance to be erased? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter. b. [Slide 19] 8 - and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. i. It is difficult to know exactly what he tells these two servants and soldier. ii. The text says he had explained everything. iii. It seems as though everything he knew, saw, and believed was given to these men as he sent them to bring Peter. iv. Cornelius not only believed the angel, but wanted his whole house to believe as well. c. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: We've seen how the devotion and goodness of Cornelius was not enough, that he still lacked true righteousness. We've also seen the faithfulness and compassion of God to reward those who seek Him diligently. And finally, we see the faithful obedience of all whom God reveals truth to… Cornelius was given life changing truth that would free him from his relational distance to God. And that truth would be given to him by Peter the apostle. So, what does Cornelius do when he is told that Peter holds the key for him to be brought into a close and special relationship with Yahweh? He obeys the angel and sends for Peter immediately. My friends, we know the piece that Cornelius was missing. It is Jesus crucified for sinners. So, we too must seek out and trust in the righteousness of Christ. Conclusion: So, CBC, what has the Lord said and how then shall we live? What doctrinal takeaway can we pull from this today? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] Men and women can live lives that are devout and pious, being paragons of good among humanity. God is pleased with those who attempt to live out His law and seek to please Him. But mankind's devotion and piety is not enough to satisfy the holy standard of God. So, God in His grace rewards those who diligently seek to please and worship Him. He rewards them by revealing to them how they can be made right with Him. In this we see the tension of mankind's spiritual status as dead and paralyzed juxtaposed against being able to actually, in some way, please God with our meager efforts. Another riddle. The great answer is that God's legal standard is perfection, even if it is pleasing for us to obey Him and seek Him, it will never satisfy the legal requirement of perfection. But that is why God has sent His Son. And that is why God promises to reward those who seek Him. Cornelius was rewarded for faithfully pursuing the God if Israel. How was He rewarded? He was rewarded by God offering Him the next and final step in His redemption. And it was not to make him a Jew first. It was to transfer him directly into the family of the Son. So Cornelius obeyed the Lord and sent for Peter. Jesus is the answer for all men and not just the Jews. All the covenants of God are fulfilled in Him. My friends, although it is true that when we are God's people, we obey Him… our obedience is not what we rely on. Because our obedience will always be imperfect in this life. Instead, we depend on Christ's righteousness. For it is only in Christ that the Lord's legal standard is met. The best we can hope for is God to be pleased with us. With Christ, The Father is well-pleased. So let me improve upon this point in a few ways for us this morning. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that no matter how much righteousness we can muster, it will never satisfy God's perfect standard. a. Cornelius was a man who put many Jews to shame. He devoted himself and his entire household to upholding monotheism and the law of the God of Israel. b. Even though he would never be accepted into the inner relationship to Yahweh, he still served Him and sought Him. c. This is a far cry from the Sadducees who only wanted power with their piety. It is lightyears away from the Pharisees who desired honor from men by their devotion to God. d. Nevertheless, as righteous as he was, Cornelius was still missing something. As pleasing as his actions were to God, he still lacked what Peter would bring. e. From meticulous legalism to liberal sincerity, mankind cannot ever achieve the perfect standard of God. f. As we spoke last week, we are all dead in sin. We are hopeless to heal ourselves. Hopeless to raise ourselves. The Lord must do this work. g. But our problem only begins there. Even though the Lord must raise us from sin death that is only half of our problem. For not only are we dead in sin, but we also dead to righteousness, h. Mankind, my friends, is in quite the pickle. Not only do they not want to please God, but even if they did want to, they couldn't. You see God can't bring us to life and then let us go. For we would simply die in sin again when we fail. i. No. God must unite us to something that will never fail. j. This is what orthodox Christianity teaches. Mankind is doubly damned. Not only are we dead in sin, but God's standard is perfection. You cannot be perfect if you are by nature dead in flaws. k. Like a computer with a hardware problem. Even if you reboot it and debug it… if there is a flaw with the hard drive or the motherboard… it will never function properly. The bad hardware must be replaced. l. Mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that being dead in sin means we are unable to do good. a. Some having misunderstood this teaching have critiqued it by saying, “If mankind is dead in sin, If mankind is not righteous, then why do my Muslim neighbors shovel my driveway out of kindness? Why do my lost family members buy me flowers when I'm down? Why do my unbelieving co-workers pay their taxes and offer sacrificial love to their families?” b. They offer a wise critique to a doctrine no one is teaching. c. No one teaches that because mankind is dead in sin they can do no good thing. No one is teaching that because mankind is enslaved to sin that all they can do is sin. d. What we mean when we say that mankind is totally depraved or totally unable is that man is not able and not willing to spiritually free himself from sin or seek God or be made right with God. e. In the previous example we said that “mankind not only needs a reboot, but a hardware replacement as well.” Now think with me… if we are the computer, can we do that on our own? f. And I know you are thinking – well sometimes my computer reboots on its own. g. Does it? Or did someone program the computer to reboot under certain conditions? h. This is what this doctrine means. Just like a computer, we are not able to reboot ourselves or change our hardware. i. But that doesn't mean that the computer can't do some good things right? It just means that those good things don't fix the problem. j. Cornelius proves this out. He was able to do good things, things that were pleasing to God – but he still needed God to send an angel and an apostle to bring him to Christ. 3.) [Slide 24] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop relying on our own obedience to perfectly please God. a. No doubt we all sometimes succumb to this erroneous teaching that has bound so many of God's dear children. b. We speak harshly to our wives and hit every red light on the way to work. Immediately we observe, God is punishing me for being harsh. c. We pray for our neighbor and then we inherit a small house form a distant uncle who passed. Apparently, God is pleased with me for praying for my neighbors. d. If I wear this, or go to that movie, or drink that, or say this, God will be most displeased with me. e. Even though there is a certain measure of truth in some of this – God is pleased and displeased by our choices, the thing that is faulty is our reliance on our performance to please God. f. My friends, our performance is not what perfectly pleases God. Why? Because our performance is never perfect. g. The scriptures teach us that there is no condemnation in Christ. The scriptures teach us that although we will be rewarded with crowns for our faithfulness to God – we will cast them all at the feet of Jesus. h. The whole of it my friends is that we can't be more or less pleasing to God because we are in Christ. And with Christ, the Father is well-pleased. i. But we could pendulum swing here couldn't we… 4.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must obey the Lord while trusting that Christ has satisfied God's perfect standard of performance. a. You see my friends, we obey the Lord out of love and thanksgiving. b. We are not trying to please Him more or fear displeasing him. We are obeying His law because we love Him and are thankful that He first loved us. c. We rest in the perfect righteousness of Christ, knowing that we will never lose that perfect standing before our Father. And then in that state of declared righteousness, we imperfectly obey. d. This is the beauty of the gospel. e. We are imperfectly perfect by faith in Christ. f. And it works because He changes our desires. We no longer want to wallow in imperfection. Instead, we long to be like Christ, while knowing that God has made us to be His righteousness. g. What a great God we serve that although His standard is perfection, He has achieved it for us while changing us to continue to desire it. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God will reveal Himself to those who diligently pursue Him. a. Perhaps you left last week with a feeling of despair. b. God must wake up people from spiritual death and paralysis. I get it. But what if someone really really really wants to serve God but God says no to waking them up? c. What if someone really wants to be saved but God never turns the lights on, God never opens the prison cell. God never raises them up. What happens then? d. My friends… God promises that those who diligently seek Him will be rewarded. Those who keep knocking on His door, He won't cast out. He will welcome them in. e. Perhaps that is you today. Perhaps you have desired to be God's child and have been knocking and knocking and still He has not answered. f. Will you give up now? Will you turn away? Where will you go? Who else can save like our God? g. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. He is the Son of God who has the words of life… where else can you go? h. Don't stop knocking my friends. The Lord promises that He will let you in. Let me close with a prayer from the church father Eusebius of Caesarea, fitting since Cornelius was from this city. We give you thanks, our God and Savior, and to you, O Christ, in our own feeble way. You are the supreme providence of the mighty Father, who both saves us from evil and teaches us in the way of truth. I say these things not to praise, but simply to give thanks. Who among us is worthy to give you praise? You called creation into being from nothing. You illuminated it with your light. You regulated the confusion of the elements by your laws of harmony and order. More than that, we recognize your lovingkindness. You caused those whose hearts inclined toward you to sincerely seek a divine and blessed life. You've allowed us to pass along what we've received from you, like merchants of wisdom and true blessings. We reap the everlasting fruit of your goodness. Freed from the net of sin, and permeated with a love for others, mercy is always our point of view. We hope for the promise of faith, and we are devoted to modest living – all the virtues we had once thrown aside, but are now restored by you whose generous care is over all. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. May the God who did not spare His own Son, But sent Him to gladly bear our burden on the cross, Remind you always of these things, though you Know them and are firmly established in the truth, Until you arrive to a full measure of glory. Until we meet again… Go in peace.

The Cures for a Lean Purse - Episode 304

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 21:28

Today, we're diving into some timeless financial wisdom from "The Richest Man in Babylon." These are the Seven Cures for a Lean Purse, principles that are just as relevant today as they were in ancient Babylon. Start Thy Purse to Fattening: Alright, let's kick it off with a simple but powerful idea: pay yourself first. Before you go splurging on the latest gadgets or trendy clothes, set aside a portion of your earnings. Think of it as feeding your financial future. Even if it's just a small amount, consistency is the key. control your expenditures Put Each Coin to Labour: Every coin should have a job! Don't let your money sit idly. Whether it's through investments or creating multiple streams of income, make sure your hard-earned cash is out there working for you and not just collecting dust. Make Thy Gold Multiply: Now, we're talking about investing. Take those savings and make them work for you. Explore different investment options, whether it's stocks, real estate, or starting a side hustle. The goal here is to grow your money and let it multiply over time. Guard Thy Treasures from Loss: We're living in a world with endless opportunities, but not every opportunity is a good one. Be cautious with your investments, do your research, and avoid risky ventures. Protect your treasures from unnecessary losses. Make of Thy Dwelling a Profitable Investment: Your home can be more than just a place to live; it can be an asset. Consider ways to make your dwelling work for you – maybe it's renting out a room or leveraging your property to generate additional income. Ensure a Future Income: Time to think about the future. Plan for the future by consistently setting aside a portion of your income. Whether through a retirement account or other investments, make sure you're creating a financial cushion for the days when you decide to kick back and relax. Make sure you buy assets the can provide income for when cannot or no longer want to work Increase The Ability to Earn: Last but not least, invest in yourself. Focus on enhancing your skills, education, and knowledge. The more you can bring to the table, the more you'll be able to earn. It's an investment that always pays off.Conclusion: So, there you have it – the Seven Cures for a Lean Purse, revamped for the modern age. Take these principles to heart, apply them consistently, and watch how your financial life transforms. Don't just watch your purse grow, make it thrive! Discover your Financial Freedom Score : https://curtis-wbwb4naf.scoreapp.com/ Highlights How this program can help individuals expand their business, protect their capital, and set up their infinite banking Announcement of an upcoming mini course about the book and the principles it conveys The need to aim for a full bank account as part of financial success The second principle: Control your expenditures Choosing a profitable investment for your home Importance of ensuring future income How to increase your ability to earn Tips to continuously increase your earning capability by providing service and solving problems Links and Resources from this Episode https://www.practicalwealthadvisors.com https://www.practicalwealthsolutions.net/ Email Curtis for a free report - curtmay@gmail.com Call his office - 610-622-3121 ERC Tax Credit - https://ercspecialists.com?fpr=curtis75 Schedule a call with Curtis: https://aptwithcurtis.as.me/Strategysession CashFlow Mapping: https://practicalwealth.cashflowmapping.com/lp/PWbudgetsstink Private Reserve Strategy: https://app.agent-crm.com/v2/preview/vWh4TyHnUBXdULimd82i Special Listener Gift Schedule a 15-Minute Call with Curtis: https://aptwithcurtis.as.me/Strategysession Review, Subscribe and Share If you like what you hear please leave a review by clicking here Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so you get the latest episodes. Click here to subscribe with Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe with Spotify Click here to subscribe with RSS

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Episode 31 A Love Story With Meal Planning: The True Transformational Benefits

Meal Planning for Busy Moms

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 18:21

Title: A Love Story With Meal Planning: The True Transformational Benefits Description: Imagine a love story that can change your life and transform your family's well-being. It's not about swooning over a romantic partner, but about falling in love with the powerful practice of meal planning. Yes, I'm talking about finding true love in organizing your meals, nourishing your body, and fostering harmony in your household. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let me share with you the remarkable journey of meal planning and its incredible benefits for busy mamas and the whole family. As you embark on this journey, you'll experience a rollercoaster of emotions—a love-hate relationship with meal planning. At first, you may find it tedious and time-consuming. But as you persist, you'll witness the transformative power it holds. Not only will it become a routine, but it will also become a vital act of self-care and an expression of love for yourself and your family. Benefits of Meal Planning Meal planning allows you to take control of your family's nutrition, ensuring that everyone is getting the nourishment they need Meal planning isn't just about the food. It is about creating a love-filled routine that will bring you closer together as a family Saves time and reduces stress. Improves your relationship with food Boosts your creativity in the kitchen Saves you money Sets a positive example for your children. To get started on your meal planning adventure, here are a few tips to keep in mind: Set aside dedicated time each week to plan your meals. Consider your family's dietary needs and preferences. Create a grocery list based on your meal plan and stick to it. Prep ingredients in advance to save time during the week. Cook and store meals ahead of time for busy days. Get creative with leftovers to minimize food waste. Conclusion: So, dear mama, embrace the journey of meal planning and unlock its true transformational benefits. Your love story with meal planning will not only simplify your life but also nourish your soul. As you create balanced meals and make intentional choices, you are caring for yourself and your family in ways that extend far beyond the kitchen table. Remember, meal planning is an act of self-love and a gift to those you cherish. It empowers you to nurture your loved ones, strengthen bonds, and provide a foundation of health and vitality. So let's embark on this love story together and watch as the beautiful ripple effects flow through your home, creating a lifelong legacy of love and nourishment. Thanks again for being here! I'm so grateful for you! Don't forget to book your free meal planning chat so we can help you on your meal planning journey! Here's what to do next: Step #1: Follow me on facebook for more dinner and meal planning tips and hacks @ busymamamealplanning Step #2: Be sure to get your free 5 Meal Method Planner to help you facilitate your meal planning journey. It's free and you can get it at: https://bit.ly/5mealmethod Step #3: Book your FREE No strings attached Meal Planning Coffee Chat to help accelerate your meal planning journey! Happy to help! Have questions, send me a DM @blagagoertzen. I'll be waiting for you in my next episode! Xx Blaga

benefits dm prep falling in love cook love stories transformational improves meal planning conclusion so

26 Acts 8:14-25 - Different But The Same

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2024 54:27

Title: Different But the Same Text: Acts 8:14-25 FCF: We often struggle with assurance of our salvation. Prop: Although true believers are drawn from many backgrounds all believers are indwelled with God's Spirit and bear fruit, so we must seek confirmation of the Spirit's indwelling in all those who claim Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 8. In a moment I'll begin reading in verse 14 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1239 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we saw how Saul's persecution of the church has led to the gospel call ringing out far and wide. We saw the gospel call given to Samaritans, which were a cult of Judaism and many Jews despised them for it. Nevertheless, the church took the gospel even to these undesirables. Within that story we saw a Samaritan by the name of Simon. A worker of magic, no doubt empowered by demonic forces. A man who claimed to be a man-god. Though Stephen merely claimed that Jesus was God, he was stoned to death. But the church did not follow the same paradigm for a man who actually claimed to be the Power of God. Instead, he was offered life in Christ. Our primary lesson revolved around the need for the church to continue offering the gospel in the widest scope. All men must hear. This week, we add another layer to this teaching. Although men from all backgrounds must hear the gospel, and although men from all backgrounds may receive the gospel, if they truly receive the gospel, they will receive the Holy Spirit and, in His power, they will bear fruit. Please stand with me out of respect for and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: Truthfully, this sermon could have been divided into two… But I think we'd lose something valuable by doing that. We need to see the whole idea from verse 14-25. In order to do that – we have to cover a lot of material. So let's get to it. I.) Though the gospel call goes to all kinds of people, all who respond to it, receive the Holy Spirit, so we must seek confirmation of the Spirit's indwelling in those who claim Christ. (14-17) a. [Slide 2] 14 – Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John. i. What is happening here? ii. Well, first, we see a little uncertainty. 1. So far in the book of Acts – who have been the ones receiving the gospel and being indwelled with the Holy Spirit? 2. The Jews, right? Jews from all over the place. But faithful Jews. Jews who have worshipped the Lord the way the scriptures said. At least mostly. 3. For the first 5ish years of church history – this is all they knew. Jews, particularly in Jerusalem, who were faithful Jews serving and worshipping Yahweh, are coming to faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. 4. Now, there is a significant change. 5. They have been chased out of Jerusalem, except for the apostles. 6. And now Philip, long-time Deacon, trustworthy man, has gone to Samaria and preached the gospel to these cultish Samaritans… and they are receiving it. 7. So why do the apostles send an envoy to investigate? Because this is not normal. This whole situation is not common. It is… concerning. 8. It is concerning for a few reasons. a. Philip is a Hellenized Jew, and although he has been faithful for several years, he could be teaching a unique Hellenized gospel that could have been more acceptable to the Samaritan's ears. In short, Philip could have failed to teach the gospel accurately. b. The Samaritans could have misunderstood. With them so readily accepting this truth, they may have filtered Philip's words through their own beliefs and syncretized his preaching with what they already thought. c. These Samaritans are a Jewish cult… in many ways they have a lot of distance from receiving the truth of the gospel because they are not even worshipping Yahweh correctly. How can they receive His Son if they would not obey the Father? It seems like an awfully big short cut. 9. The primary objective is to answer the question… Is this from God? iii. Peter and John are two of the inner most circle of disciples along with James. Peter and John have featured heavily thus far in the narrative of the book of Acts. iv. In many ways, if Peter and John see that what has happened in Samaria is from the Lord, then the apostles as a whole can be sure that it is indeed from the Lord. b. [Slide 3] 15-17 – who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 – Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. i. Here we see a sneak peek into the heart of Peter and John. They are already coming down to Samaria earnestly seeking that the Lord would gift to the Samaritans the Holy Spirit. ii. They are not coming here anticipating God's rejection of the Samaritans, but simply wishing to confirm that this is indeed a work of the Lord. iii. But this section of scripture opens up one of our first very big interpretational problems in the book of Acts. iv. And it doesn't matter how good you are at the original language or how proficient you are with the culture. There really is no cheat code for this one. The only way to interpret this text accurately is to come from a whole bible, systematic, hermeneutical perspective. v. In other words – you must know what the bible teaches on this subject as a whole, in order to understand what it is teaching here. vi. Let me first define the problem clearly so we can begin addressing it. vii. What does Luke mean that the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of the Samaritans? 1. He could mean that the Holy Spirit had not endowed them with sign gifts. a. In the book of Acts so far it is difficult sometimes to know for certain what role or action the Holy Spirit is taking. b. But so far, we have seen that to be filled with the Spirit seems to mean some kind of empowering to perform sign gifts and prophesy or speak eloquently. c. Used interchangeably with these would be to be baptized with the Spirit and for the Spirit to come upon someone. d. Luke uses here the expression “fallen upon” which has not yet been used. e. He also mentions the Samaritans having not yet received the Holy Spirit. f. Up to this point we have not seen the idea of receiving the Spirit as a way to express a special empowering or enabling. This would be the first text in Acts to use this phrase in this way. g. That point alone already leads us to question this interpretation. h. Here's the problem… this interpretation poses the least difficulty from a theological point of view. i. If the Samaritans had not been filled with, baptized with, or had the Spirit come upon them for sign gifts and prophesying – it actually makes a good deal of sense to us that the apostles would lay hands on them and see to it that they receive this anointing from the Spirit. j. However, it is highly unlikely that Luke intends this kind of Spirit's work here. So, what else could it mean? 2. He could mean that the Holy Spirit had not yet indwelled them. a. Going back to the usage argument we find two items in this text that seem to almost confirm that this is exactly what is happening here. b. First, it says that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit and that they had merely been baptized in the name of Jesus. c. In Peter's Pentecost sermon, after the Jews asked him what they could do, being guilty of the Messiah's death, Peter said to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. (So everything that has happened in Samaria so far) And then he said, “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” i. Although the Spirit of God works in the hearts of unbelievers before they are converted, He only indwells a believer after they receive faith in Christ. ii. Many Christians get this crossed up when they try to place regeneration after faith. iii. Regeneration is indeed a work of the Spirit of God, but it occurs prior to faith. And regeneration is never equated with the Spirit's indwelling in scripture. iv. The order must be, Regeneration, faith, and then indwelling. It is all God's work, we know that, but this is the necessary logical order of salvation. d. Later in this passage, Peter refers to the Spirit's being received by people as a gift from God. And in Acts 2 he refers to the same thing which follows repentance and baptism into the name of Jesus. e. Therefore, the most likely interpretation, is that the Samaritans had repented, believed, and been baptized… but the Spirit of God had not indwelled them yet. 3. But there are two significant difficulties if this is the case. a. Peter, the other New Testament writers, and church theologians down through the ages generally agree that the Spirit of God indwells those who believe the moment they believe. The moment they are baptized into Christ by true faith, they receive the Spirit of God. b. Our second problem with this interpretation is the lack of quantifiable evidence to prove definitively that the Spirit had or had not indwelled them. In other places in Acts, in the early church, and even today – we have no way of telling just by looking at someone that they have or have not been indwelled with the Holy Spirit. 4. So, what do we do with these problems? Is there a third option besides The Spirit's filling and the Spirit's indwelling. a. In short, no there isn't a third option. This is clearly saying that the Samaritans were not yet indwelled with the Holy Spirit, despite having believed and despite having been baptized in Jesus' name. b. This is validated by Luke taking an entire verse in verse 16 to explain the oddity of this event. c. Since this is the case, what do we do with the problems? i. Both problems share the same answer. Broadly speaking. 1. The book of Acts often records for us events that deviate from the normative experience. 2. Why? 3. Because the church and its expansion is anything but normal. ii. But getting to the problems specifically – what about the fact that this seems to violate how we understand the indwelling of the Spirit? 1. First, Luke knows it violates the norm. That is why he mentions it in verse 16 as something unexpected. 2. Second, look at all the other details of this event that are different than what the church might have expected at that time. a. The apostles are not present for the preaching and reception of the gospel. b. These aren't faithful Jews. c. The church isn't there to receive them and disciple them. 3. Third, in the book of Acts, this is not the only time that the order of repentance, faith, baptism and indwelling gets moved around. And in each event when the order deviates from the norm – it marks the gospel going to a unique people group. 4. In short, Luke highlights the fact that this is NOT normal. Why? 5. Its oddity marks a significant shift in the church movement. 6. One that even the apostles must observe and accept. iii. But what about the observability of the Spirit's indwelling? 1. Although Luke doesn't tell us specifically, we can reasonably assume that the reception of the Spirit by the Samaritans was marked by some of them inheriting sign gifts. 2. But I thought you said this wasn't talking about sign gifts. Well… it is actually talking about both. 3. In the New Testament outside of the book of Acts – no where is it even hinted that sign gifts accompany true conversion. 4. These gifts are from the Spirit, and those gifts are only manifested in the lives of true believers. But they are not THE sign of someone's conversion. 5. However, in Acts, after the gospel leaves Jerusalem, we will see that whenever new people groups come to faith in Christ in large numbers, their conversion is accompanied by sign gifts being displayed among some of them. 6. Why do you suppose that is? Well, what are sign gifts? Sign gifts exist as a sign to authenticate the Lord's hand in the events. They either authenticate the message of the one performing the signs (for the unbeliever listening) or they authenticate the Lord's movement in someone's life (for the church's confirmation that this is indeed from God). 7. In both cases the sign gifts prove the Lord is behind what is happening. 8. In this case, the apostles were looking for the Lord's signature on this new group of people receiving the gospel. The Lord sent His Spirit and they began to perform sign gifts. viii. And so, If you got lost in that whole discussion… come back! Let me summarize it all by saying this…what does it mean that the Spirit had not yet fallen upon the Samaritans? It means that God did not send the Spirit as He normally would immediately after faith in Christ is received. Why? Because God wanted to confirm to His followers that the gospel could and should now go forward to Samaritans. That even Jewish cultists could receive the true gospel and be made members of this one body called the church. c. [Slide 4] Summary of the Point: And so, resonating with the points we made last week, God has expanded the gospel call. And all who respond are part of His church. The true universal church of Christ is not divided by what you used to worship prior to coming to Christ. They are united in Christ. But along with this we advance beyond the point from last week to see that though the gospel call is open to all men, if someone responds to that call, they will receive the universal experience of the grace of God in receiving the Holy Spirit. All of God's true children receive His Spirit. So as His church, we should look for this confirmation in those who claim Christ. Transition: [Slide 5(blank)] But as we already said, today we don't see sign gifts displayed when someone receives the Spirit of God. So what should we be looking for as evidence that He has indwelled us or another believer? II.) All who truly receive the Holy Spirit will conform in faith and practice, so we must seek confirmation of the Spirit's indwelling in those who claim Christ. (18-24) a. [Slide 6] 18-19 – Now when Simon saw that the Spirit had been bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” i. Thanks to Luke, we know well the background of Simon. He used to perform grand magic arts and was highly respected and many thought he was some kind of demi-god. ii. But when Philip came with signs authenticating his message, many left Simon and adhered to the teaching of Philip. iii. But Simon believed too and was baptized. Having stopped there last week, I chose to let the validity of Simon's conversion remain uncertain to help us learn not to be hasty to accept or reject the profession of faith of prominent people. iv. What I did not say last week is that Luke did give us clues that something was amiss with Simon's profession. 1. There is no object of his faith and baptism. Unlike the people who believed in the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ and were baptized in this teaching– Simon simply believed and was baptized. 2. He followed Philip around everywhere. The word is that he “devoted himself”… to Philip. After Peter spoke at Pentecost, the church devoted themselves to (same Greek word) the apostles teaching, the Lord's Supper, the Community of Faith, and the Prayers. But Simon is drawn to the man that had more power than he had. 3. He is continually amazed by the signs and wonders Philip performs. Given his background, it is incredibly concerning that he continued to witness and be amazed by the sign gifts Philip performs. This subtly indicates that he is drawn to what he has always been drawn to. Power. v. And if that is not enough to convince us that Simon's conversion was false, in our text this morning, we see Simon revealing the true nature of his heart to us. vi. If you simply keep three words in your minds as we read over Simon's words – you see his heart's motivation, come to the surface. Power, Prestige, Prominence. vii. Give this authority to me, he says. Not gift, not blessing, not responsibility. Authority. viii. He tries to hide it well, by saying that he can give more people the Spirit of God… but he has overplayed his hand. ix. Do the apostles have authority to give the Spirit? Is that what is going on here? x. No. xi. In reality the apostles are seeking confirmation from the Lord. If they lay hands on them and nothing happened – they would not conclude that their power wasn't working. They would conclude that these people were not genuine in their faith. After praying and seeing the Lord gift His Spirit and prove that with sign gifts among them – they do not conclude THEY did this… but rather that the gospel was indeed received by Samaritans. xii. Simon is not merely confused. He is lost. xiii. But is this Peter's assessment too? Let's look. b. [Slide 7] 20 – But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you supposed you could obtain the gift of God with money! i. The word perish means to come to ruin, to be destroyed, or to be squandered. It is often used as an expression of hell or the realm of the dead. Doomed to decay forever. ii. One scholar translates Peter's words here in common vernacular. “To hell with you and your greed.” iii. Although we may bristle at these words – they are a fair rendering of the strength of what Peter says. In this Peter is not needlessly swearing or using strong language but is instead using strong language in the truest sense. iv. Peter says he is hell bound along with his greed for thinking that he could buy God's gift. c. [Slide 8] 21 – You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. i. Is Peter condemning him for desiring to purchase the office of the apostle or is there another matter to which Simon has no part? ii. The final statement in this verse gives us a clue. iii. Because his heart is not right or is opposed to God – he has no part or portion in this matter. iv. This tells us that the matter is not simply the ability to give the Spirit but even the receiving of the Spirit. v. Peter says that he doesn't belong in this entire discussion. He is not part of Christ's church. d. [Slide 9] 22 – Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. i. You must repent! You must hope that the Lord, if he permits it, will allow you to be forgiven of your covetous intentions. ii. This does not sound like a man who is a believer that has simply gone astray. This sounds like a man who is a goat who has found himself among sheep. iii. Peter essentially tells him… you don't belong here. iv. Peter's uncertainty as to whether or not Simon can be forgiven turns on the exact level of how apostate his heart is. Has he reprobated himself, or is he still able to be saved. That is the issue here. And Peter doesn't know the answer. He leaves it to God. v. But Peter does see something… e. [Slide 10] 23 – For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness. “ i. Peter sees his heart of bitterness. His jealousy over losing his prominence, prestige and power. ii. And he is enslaved to unrighteousness. iii. Certainly, a true believer cannot be enslaved to unrighteousness. Not when Christ is said to set us free. iv. But Peter did tell Simon to repent. He told him to turn from these intentions and perhaps the Lord would forgive him. v. Does he repent? f. [Slide 11] 24 – But Simon answered and said, “Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” i. While some prominent scholars have seen genuine repentance in Simon's answer… I do not agree. ii. He disobeys the clear instructions of Peter for him to repent. iii. Again, if we interpose Power, Prestige, and Prominence over what Simon says –we arrive at his heart. iv. Why does he ask for the apostles to pray for his forgiveness? v. Because Peter indicated that he may not be able to be forgiven. And the apostles obviously had more connections to God than he did… so if they pray – God will be more likely to hear them. vi. Furthermore, Simon completely disappears from the Scriptures entirely. We never hear his name again. vii. All this leads me to conclude that Simon's response is not repentance my friends. He still sees this in terms of who has the most power and who can tap into their power source better. viii. And so, we see the cycle repeat. ix. In Jerusalem, at Pentecost, signs authenticated the message, people believed and received the Spirit and grew in community with one another… but some, like Ananias and Saphira, were pretenders among them. x. In Samaria, at the Persecution, signs authenticated the message, people believed and received the Spirit and grew in community… but some, like Simon, were pretenders among them. g. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: So just as we saw that all true believers are indwelled with the Spirit of God, we now see that evidence of that indwelling begins with doctrinal conformity and practical obedience. Not only was Simon incorrect in his understanding of the nature of the Spirit of God and God's sovereign freedom to give the Spirit to whom He wishes, but he was also unwilling or unable to produce fruit of repentance by shedding his former ways and following after Christ and Christ alone. Simon's false conversion is a warning to those who believe and are baptized simply to go along with the crowd, or with false pretenses for acceptance, influence, or power. It is also instruction to us to continue to seek confirmation of someone's calling and Spirit indwelling, even after they have professed faith and been baptized. How do we do this? By looking for the fruit which the Holy Spirit alone can produce in someone. Namely, conformity to primary doctrines and to Christ and His righteousness. Transition: [Slide 13(blank)] What other indicators can we look for when we are attempting to assure ourselves or confirm others as true believers? III.) All who true believers will submit to the authority and watch care of God's people., so we must seek confirmation of the Spirit's indwelling in those who claim Christ. (25) h. [Slide 14] 25 – So, when they had solemnly bore witness and spoken the word of the Lord, i. This last verse, in three parts, concludes the entire event of the gospel going to the Samaritans. ii. First, is that Peter and John bore witness and spoke the word of the Lord to them. iii. What are we to make of this? iv. Since the Spirit of the Lord did indeed fall upon the Samaritans, we can reasonably assume that this teaching was not corrective. It was instructive. v. The apostles took the time to establish the primary doctrines given to them directly from Jesus Himself. vi. We are not told the depth or breadth of this, nor are we told how long the apostles stayed in this particular city doing this. vii. But one thing we can reasonably conclude, is that the apostles considered these Samaritans… as their brothers and sisters in Christ. viii. Thus, the purpose of God in withholding the Spirit's indwelling from them has been fulfilled. ix. They were not the Samaritan wing of the church… they were simply the church. x. And the apostles submitted themselves to care for and disciple them just as they did with the Jews in Jerusalem. i. [Slide 15] They started back to Jerusalem i. There are a couple things happening here that are significant. ii. First, though the Samaritans are part of the church, the apostles are not going to stay in Samaria to micro-manage them. iii. Second, the apostles have more work to do in Jerusalem. There are still more there who need to hear the gospel and to be discipled. j. [Slide 16] And were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. i. The apostles did not believe that this was an isolated incident in one city in Samaria. ii. Instead, they now see that God has brought salvation to Jewish cultists.. iii. Therefore, they will be his witnesses also to Samaria. iv. Peter and John, on their way back to Jerusalem, preach the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. v. We are not told the specifics of this – but it is reasonable to assume that others received faith in Christ. vi. It is reasonable to assume that they continued in each city teaching and discipling the new believers. vii. It is also reasonable to assume that, although a little early for the establishment of Elders, certainly there was no doubt the appointment of leaders among the churches in each of these villages. viii. And so, it is official. The gospel has gone out from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. k. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: We've seen the uniform response of true believers. Though the gospel is a call given to all kinds of people, when received, we see common characteristics. First, the Spirit indwells all true believers. Second, The Spirit produces in those He indwells individuals who conform in doctrine and obedience. Third, and finally, those indwelled by the Spirit of God fall under the authority and watch care of those whom God has given to disciple them and care for their souls. We see the Samaritans here, who have received the Spirit of God, submit to the instruction and leadership of the apostles and we see the apostles take up the responsibility to lead and disciple them. And so, we too must look for a willingness from those who have claimed Christ to submit themselves to the discipleship of the word under the authority of their Spiritual leaders and the church as a whole. Conclusion: So, CBC, how can we boil down all this into one doctrinal takeaway. What have we learned and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] Although the gospel call has no bounds and is offered to all men without distinction, and although the effectual call of God will bring in men and women from various backgrounds and beliefs… those who truly receive the gospel call will have certain shared characteristics. All of which boil down to a God powered Holistic life change. The person who truly receives the gospel will never be the same as they were. They will believe what the scriptures teach on primary doctrines because they have received them directly from God and been illuminated to them by the Spirit who now indwells them. And they will live in conformity to Christ by repenting or turning from sinful and self-righteous lifestyles and living in progressing obedience to Christ and His commands, because the Spirit gives them the desire and power to do so. And they will submit to the instruction and leadership of their Spiritual leaders, because the Spirit binds us in unity and humility. Since all this is true, the church as a whole must seek to confirm that each confessing member of their fellowship are true believers by looking for the effect of the Spirit's indwelling. But let me improve on this in a few ways this morning. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that all who are indwelled by the Spirit will generally conform to the same faith and practice. a. We don't become the same person of course. b. We don't even agree on every single point of doctrine or practice. c. But God's true children look more the same than they do different. d. We confess the same primary doctrines concerning the Triune God, His work of redemption, and His general mission and plan for His church. e. We live uprightly, holding one another to the standard of Christ, giving liberty where the Lord allows us liberty, but compassionately correcting those who error, and expecting them to hear and repent. f. Why should we expect all God's people to do these things? g. Because the Holy Spirit lives in each of those who truly believe. He guides us into all truth and convicts us of sin. He also empowers us to live righteously. h. We expect it because it isn't wholly up to us. God is faithful to grow His children. 2.) [Slide 20] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that all who believe and are baptized are truly God's children. a. Certainly, belief or faith is the means that God uses to unite us to Christ. b. Certainly, baptism is the spiritual sign that signifies that we have been baptized into Christ, the Family of God. c. But as humans we don't see that side of faith and baptism do we? d. All we see is the observable signs of profession and water baptism. We observe that someone says they believe and they receive water baptism. e. But as convincing as someone can be, we see story after story in the New Testament of those who believed and were baptized, but they were not true children of God. f. The benchmark for true believers is not set so low as to be a day and date that you said some words and submerged yourself in water. g. The benchmark for true believers is ongoing conformity to Christ. h. So, we must stop pointing to dates in our bible or baptismal records to indicate whether someone is God's child. For these records are useless compared to the real tests of genuine faith. 3.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop giving false assurance to those who do not conform to the same faith and practice. a. As difficult as it might be to have such a conversation with someone, we must not hand out assurances to people who should not have them. b. When a patient informs his physician that he has a terrible pain in his finger every time he presses a button – how egregious would it be for the same physician to prescribe heavy pain killers or perform surgery to block the nerves of the finger from reaching the brain? Certainly, the pain is gone. But has the physician… has this quack solved the problem? No. c. Do not be a spiritual quack of a counselor. d. When an individual doubts their salvation because they bear no or very few observable signs that the Spirit is renewing them, if you are not bold enough to challenge them on whether they are indeed of Christ, you can at least tell them to go to the scriptures and seek out whether or not they are His child. e. But telling them that “The fact that they are concerned, is a good sign that they are believers”, asking them if they remember walking an aisle or praying a prayer, telling them that it doesn't matter if they don't believe that Jesus died for sin or that He rose from the dead, as long as they ask Him to save them– all you've done is lay out a red carpet so that they may walk their path to hell without stubbing their toe. f. False conversions abound my friends. About 4% of our nation shapes their views and lifestyles around what the Word of God teaches. Out of an estimated 334 million people who live in this nation… that means around 13 million are genuine believers. g. But 68% of our nation claims to be Christians. That is just over 227 million people. That means that there could be more than 214 million Americans who have false conversions. h. My friends. We cannot afford to hand out false assurances. We must expect that God's true children conform to the same general faith and practice, and warn those who don't with the gospel of Christ and implore them as Peter did… to repent. 4.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must test one another's confession of faith by offering the means of grace that will only be effective to those who have the Spirit of God. a. God has afforded to His people several means of grace. We've talked about these before. b. These means of grace are ways that God uses to grow the faith of his true people and mature them in Christ. c. These means include prayer, study of scripture, preaching of the Word, fellowship of the saints, the singing of psalms hymns and spiritual songs, and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. d. When God's true children engage in and partake in these, God freely uses these to minister to His people and grow them. e. What does that mean for us? f. If we see men and women cold to spiritual things, steeped in sin, unable to obey the Lord, questioning primary doctrines, or generally stagnant in their faith, even when we give them these means of grace, it is not a leap to wonder or even question the validity of their confession. g. The church that is heavily infiltrated by false converts – is no church at all. It is a mission field for God's true church. h. So let us test one another's confession by ministering to each other and expecting growth. 5.) [Slide 23(end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God secures all His dear children and provides ways they can be assured that they are His. a. God always gives His Spirit to His true people. b. His Spirit is the guarantee, the seal that ensures that we will be purified and made righteous one day in His presence. c. All God's children are His forever, and they will never be lost. But the other side of that coin is that we will see God growing us in our walk. d. Year after year, decade after decade, we will see the Lord kill off sin in us and grow our faith. e. What a glorious God that He has provided such gifts to assure us that we are His. Let me close with a prayer from the Puritan Isaac Ambrose. Lord, if you give us yourself, we will have every gift. If you give us your Spirit, we will have every good thing. Come, Holy Spirit, and dwell in our souls. We know you will make the place of your feet glorious. If only we have your presence, we will be all glorious within. Lord, we have heard that Christ is always praying for His people. May we feel the real result of His intercession. May we actually feel His prayers, and the warmth of that spiritual fire which is falling down from His prayers into our hearts. Lord warm our spirits, and let us feel your kiss, that we may now have communion with you, your Spirit upon us, and your protection over us. Seal our pardon, confirm your grace, and save our souls in the day of Jesus. For it is in His name we pray… Amen. From I Kings 8:56-58 May the Lord who has never failed in any of His good promises, Who does not leave or forsake His own, May He turn your hearts to Him, To walk in His ways And to keep His commands that He gave our fathers in the faith. Until we meet again… go in peace.

25 Acts 8:4-13 - For Samaritans and Sorcerers Too

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2024 48:03

Title: For Samaritans and Sorcerers Too Text: Acts 8:4-13 FCF: We often struggle playing our part in the scope of the gospel call. Prop: The gospel call is given for all men, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 8. In a moment I'll begin reading in verse 4 from the Legacy Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1239 or in whatever version you prefer. Upon the conclusion of Stephen's sermon, the response was… extreme. His death was the match that lit the powder keg of persecution against the Nazarean sect of Judaism. In effect, the persecution affirmed in the eyes of the Jewish Religious leaders – that the Nazarean sect was not a sect at all. It was a cult. A perversion of Judaism. As such, Saul of Cilcia, from the city of Tarsus, would make a name for himself and seek to destroy this cult once and for all. Finding nowhere to hide in Jerusalem and having no hope for mercy from Saul and his bloodthirsty inquisition – the followers of Jesus of Nazareth were forced to flee Jerusalem. But as is verified by every persecution of the church since, God uses persecution to spread the gospel far and wide. Today, we see Luke transition into the next phase of the gospel ministry. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Transition: [Slide 2] In Luke 9, as Jesus approached Jerusalem for Passover and His crucifixion, He attempted to stay in a Samaritan village with the rest of His disciples. They sent messengers ahead to arrange for their lodging, but because they were headed to Jerusalem to worship, the Samaritans would not allow them to stay. The Samaritans thought Jews should only worship the Lord on Mount Gerizim. They were obviously wrong both to deny The Messiah, and also to think that Gerizim was the center of worship. James and John, upon hearing this, asked Jesus if they should command fire to come down from heaven and consume the village. But the Lord rebuked them and they carried on to another village. All too often you and I are more like James and John than we are like Jesus and His servant Philip. Let me show you what I mean. I.) The gospel call is available even to those in cults or false religions, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. (4-8) a. [Slide 3] 4 – Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the word. i. As terrible as Saul's persecution on the church was – it did not deter true believers from proclaiming the truth of what they believed. ii. They did not scatter and cower in fear because of the persecution. iii. Instead, they scattered and continued to preach the gospel. iv. Now as an unintended consequence of persecution – the gospel has spread beyond Jerusalem. v. Rather than stamping it out – Saul has thrown water on an oil fire. It may have quenched some – but it has spread it far and wide. b. [Slide 4] 5 – Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching Christ to them. i. There are two basic questions we need to ask before we continue on. ii. First, who is Philip? 1. We have three options available to us. a. First it could be Philip the apostle. He is listed in Acts 1. b. Second, it could be Philip the Deacon. He is listed in Acts 6. c. Third, it could be a Philip that we haven't seen yet in the book of Acts. 2. Because Luke introduces this Philip with no explanation or expansion, we can reasonably conclude that it is most likely one of the two Philips he has mentioned already. 3. Because he just said in verse 1 of chapter 8 that the apostles stayed in Jerusalem and because he will say later that the apostles are still in Jerusalem after these events (verse 14) We can deduce that this is NOT Philip the apostle. 4. This is Philip the Deacon. A Hellenistic Jew who went from serving tables to evangelizing. He went from Deacon to Missionary/Evangelist. iii. Our second basic question in this text is, to what city is Luke referring? 1. You might be thinking, well what are you blind Chris? It says the city of Samaria! 2. Well, although Samaria was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom when it existed, Samaria is no longer a city at this time. 3. On its ruins Herod had rebuilt a city called Sebaste, but this was a predominantly gentile city at the time of Luke's writing – and most likely not the city to which Luke refers. 4. Samaria at this time was a region and not a city, and Greek articles are imprecise when it comes to whether they are definite or indefinite. Meaning rather than saying “to THE city of Samaria” it could say “to A city of Samaria.” 5. All that being said, the city in question here could be one of many. 6. But it is not a particular city which Luke is after, but the people themselves. 7. The Samaritans were disliked by the Jews because they like the Hellenized Jews had adapted their lives to the culture -but to an even greater degree. 8. Samaritans are stuck in the middle between Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles would have classified them as Jewish since they had their own Pentateuch resembling that of the Jews. They were looking for their own deliverer known as the restorer, which is similar enough to the Jewish Messiah to be seen as the same. 9. But to the Jews the Samaritans would be viewed as Gentiles and pagans. They worship on a mountain that isn't Jerusalem. They are not looking for a Davidic King to reign forever in a new Kingdom. And they have incorporated pagan practices into their worship. 10. A modern comparison would be how we see Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses today. iv. Samaria would mean taking the gospel to non-pure Jews. Jews who had intermarried and intermixed with paganism. Jews who had long ago abandoned what God had told them to do. v. Thus, the gospel going to these half Jews half Gentiles is a fitting step between the gospel going to the Jews and the gospel going to the Gentiles. vi. Up to this point we've seen Jews in Jerusalem come to Christ. We've seen Jews from all over the Roman world come to Christ in Jerusalem. We've seen Hellenized Jews from Jerusalem come to Christ. We've seen proselytes from Jerusalem come to Christ. vii. But now Philip is preaching to people who are involved in a Jewish cult. They are Jewish lite. And they are not in Jerusalem but in Samaria. This represents a significant advancement in the gospel program. c. [Slide 5] 6-7 – And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip as they heard and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. i. Here again we see the gospel preached with the accompaniment of sign gifts. ii. But Philip is consistent with Stephen and the apostles before him, in that he uses sign gifts to authenticate and emphasize the gospel of Jesus Christ spoken through him. iii. The effect is a unified crowd who are marveling at the power displayed in him to cast out demons and heal paralysis. iv. They hear the screams of demons as they are cast out of their victims. They see those physically disabled, healed of their disability. v. So far, Luke does not record any conversions. But he records that Philip has the people's attention. vi. And… d. [Slide 6] 8 – So, there was great joy in that city. i. Well of course there was. ii. Why? iii. They were being freed from things that they didn't think they could be free of. They were being granted hope in a hopeless state. iv. Remember my friends that Acts is in the genre of scripture known as “Gospel.” v. That means that each narrative section has a particularly gospel centric teaching. That something is being conveyed about the gospel – even in the miracles. vi. People are being freed from demonic domination and permanent physical disabilities. What do you suppose the correlation to the gospel might be in this? vii. Can any of us free ourselves from the power of the forces of darkness, wielding death as a weapon against us? viii. Can any of us free ourselves from the incurable sickness of our hearts spoken of in Jeremiah 17:9? ix. We all are hopeless against our spiritual slavery to sin and incurable wickedness of our hearts. x. We need just as much of a miracle to be freed from these as we would demonic dominion and permanent physical disability. xi. And when true believers are freed from spiritual plights – there is an enduring joy that surpasses all understanding. xii. Their joy over their immediate needs being miraculously met will soon be surpassed by the joy of their greater spiritual need being met. More on that in a moment. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Jesus predicted and commanded that his apostles would be witnesses to Jerusalem, to all of Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. In this, Judea and Samaria were yoked together to represent the gospel's ability to reunify the people of Israel. A fractured nation would be reunited under a new banner. The banner of Jesus the Messiah. The problem? Most of Israel was not only fractured from one another nationally, but fractured from accurate teaching concerning God and His Messianic Kingdom. Samaritans were the furthest Jews away from rightly understanding God's ways and His Kingdom. They were a cult of the Jewish faith and despised by true Jews. But the gospel call goes even to them. The church did not fail or disobey. It obeys Jesus and takes the gospel… even to those who by all accounts – were too far gone. The church must continue in this mission to take the true gospel to all men. Even those who have twisted and perverted the scriptures. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] Certainly, we who are religiously inclined might balk at sharing the gospel with those who have twisted the word of God and created for themselves a different faith. But the gospel call must go forth – even to those who have been ensnared by false religions and cults. But what about those who outright blaspheme God? Those who hate God? Surely, they don't deserve to hear the truth of the gospel since they are obviously reprobates. II.) The gospel call is available even to blasphemers, so we must preach the true gospel to all men. (9-13) a. [Slide 9] 9 – Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; i. Luke keys us in on an important detail about the nature of Philip and the signs and wonders he was performing. ii. But before we get to that he first provides a little context about the area. In the time preceding Philip coming to Samaria, Simon was practicing magic in Samaria. iii. Specifically, he was practicing magic to a high level. To the extent that the people were astounded by him. iv. So many thought so highly of him that he was claiming to be a remarkable man. b. [Slide 10] 10 – and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” i. The expression smallest to greatest is designed to show us the kinds of people who were astounded. ii. Not only could it be said that the people of Samaria were astounded – but people from all walks of life. Peons to Princes. Rags to Riches. And everyone in between. iii. What did they conclude? iv. They concluded that this man is what is called the Great Power of God. v. This seems like a title that he gave to himself. Or at very least, he isn't in a hurry to correct them. vi. The Great Power is a title that Samaritans used to talk about Yahweh. vii. By saying that he was The Great Power of God, in effect he was claiming to be a demi-god. He was claiming to be a man-god or a divine man. viii. Perhaps your Christian senses are tingling. ix. Luke has expertly woven two stories together where one man sees the God-Man standing in a place of honor beside Yahweh the Father interceding on behalf of His people and in the next story a man claims to be the man-god and gaining quite a following from all kinds of people. x. But they couldn't be more different than one another. xi. For Jesus to be called the Son of Man at the right hand of God – is true – for He is. xii. For Simon to claim to be the power of God is false and is therefore… blasphemy. xiii. Stephen was stoned for blasphemy. But what will happen to Simon I wonder… c. [Slide 11] 11 – And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his magic arts. i. There are two details here mentioned in verse 10 and 11 that contribute to a greater discussion. ii. Although there were many charlatans who used trickery to fleece people for money… Simon does not appear to be one of them. iii. He almost certainly earned his living from his magic arts. In that way he was like the charlatans. iv. But his magic seems… to be real. v. Why do I say that? vi. First, people smallest to greatest were giving him attention. Typically, Charlatans will prey upon the gullible, the simple, those with whom the need is great and they have become desperate enough to believe almost anything. vii. But usually, the inquisitive and the skeptic are able to poke holes in the tricks to reveal the man behind the curtain. Especially when they start talking monetary contribution. But here Luke records that people from all walks of life were astounded by Simon. viii. Second, hucksters typically don't stay in one place too long. The more often someone sees your schtick the easier it will be to figure out how it was done. So, they move to the next city and do the whole thing over again. But Simon has been “for a long time” astounding them in this city with his magic arts. ix. Both these combine together to indicate to us that this man was no charlatan. He did possess power from somewhere that enabled him to perform these magical arts. x. The early church father Justin Martyr, having been a Samaritan himself, wrote about Simon, that he was indeed powerful but that his power came from demons. xi. While this doesn't necessarily mean it was true, and Simon being a common name, there could have been another to which Justin was referring. It does seem to track with the details provided in Acts, that this Simon was the real deal. xii. Simon was a powerful Sorcerer… But… xiii. He didn't hold a candle to the power of God the Holy Spirit. d. [Slide 12] 12 – But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. i. Although Luke does not say it as overtly as we might want him to… the implication is clear. ii. When Philip came to town and preached the gospel accompanied with signs… iii. When they heard demons screaming because they were being cast out of people against their will iv. When they saw those with permanent physical disabilities instantly and permanently healed, v. When they received the truth about the Eternal Davidic kingdom of God and the authority of the name of Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah of God… vi. Simon became yesterday's news. vii. Simon no doubt contributed to some of them being dominated by demons. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip cast them out. viii. Simon no doubt healed certain ailments and difficulties among the people. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip healed them of conditions that Simon couldn't touch. ix. Simon either hid or was unaware of the source of his power and desired people to think he was something special. But Philip described exactly where the power he possessed came from and it wasn't from him. He gave all glory to Jesus because He was the Messiah of God who had come and established a kingdom for those who believe in Him. x. Simon didn't desire them to change course or have a different life. He simply wished them to think he was something great. xi. But Philip called them to repent and to follow Christ. So, the people believed that the kingdom of God had come and that Jesus was King and they were baptized into this new belief. They symbolically washed their former lives away and began following the Way of Jesus. xii. Now Simon is left with few if any followers. xiii. What is he to do? e. [Slide 13] 13 – Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly astounded. i. It would be extremely easy to be either incredibly cynical here or incredibly gullible. 1. If we were being cynical, we might severely doubt the belief and baptism of Simon. a. It seems as though he only believes and is baptized because he was losing his prominence. This might be a way for him to gain it back. b. His distance from Christ coupled with his former prominence among the people would instantly make his conversion head line news. c. He may also be attempting to gain the secret to Philip's power. Yeah yeah, he says it is Jesus… but what is it really. Once I learn it, I can exploit it. 2. If we were being gullible, we might accept his profession and baptism as all the evidence we need for his true faith. a. A person of Simon's kind coming to Christ is just the kind of thing that God's power can do. b. God can overcome even the most opposed to Him to prove He is the One True God. c. Philip baptized him. He obviously didn't see anything wrong with Simon's profession. ii. In the end we must choose a more calculated and biblical conclusion concerning Simon's conversion. In the flow of the narrative, Luke forces us to conclude that his belief was sincere and his baptism occurred. iii. Why? iv. Because that is how we see things. Philip had no reason to doubt the faith of Simon. He baptized him without error. Philip is only human. He can't see the heart of Simon. v. But one thing the scriptures are crystal clear on… is that neither the strength of our confession nor the fact of our baptism truly saves us. It is whether or not we have been gifted repentance and saving faith from the Lord. The evidence for that… is a life lived in enduring and progressing conformity to Christ. vi. That is what we will need to look for in the weeks to come in order to assess whether or not Simon's faith is saving. f. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: Setting aside the question of the validity of Simon's faith for this week, let us observe what this text adds to our understanding. Before we saw how the gospel call rang out for those who were far off. Those who had twisted and perverted their Jewish teachings and had yoked up with pagan practices. As astounding as this may be – to find a man who had the power of demons at his disposal, a man steeped in the occult, a man even claiming to be God Himself - my friends this is no mere cultist. This is blasphemy. We just saw the Jews stone a man to death for blasphemy. Now, we see a man actually claiming to be the GREAT POWER of God… and he is not stoned for it. My friends… he is given the gospel. Cultists and blasphemers alike are given the gospel. The church must continue to share the true gospel far and wide. Even to those who hate God. Even to those who claim to be God. Even to those who are our enemies. They must hear the gospel. Conclusion: So, CBC how shall we narrow down this point to a single doctrinal takeaway? Something revealing to us in a sentence or two what we have learned and how we should live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 15] When Jesus says that the apostles were to be witnesses of Him to the uttermost parts of the earth, this is no mere geographical destination. The Way of Jesus - belief in His atoning work as Savior and obedience to His commands as Lord – is a call given to all men everywhere. The gospel call is meant for every single man, woman, boy, girl, in all the world. Those poverty stricken in wealth, intelligence, wisdom, health, or doctrine and those flushed with riches, brilliance, charm, prowess and religion and every thing in between. All men must hear that they are sinners needing someone to save them. All men must hear they are lawless and in need of following a new Lord. All men must hear that they must repent and believe. And my friends, just as the Lord sent His apostles to do this – so they sent their disciples, who have sent their disciples, who have sent their disciples… all the way down until it gets to you and I, right here, in 21st century USA. We are to bear witnesses to all men that God is righteously angry with sin but has provided a redeemer to substitute for us and lead us in the way that is right. And even if they hate God… Even if they are swept away in a cult or false religion of demons… They must hear. And we must tell them. Let me improve upon this point in a few ways this morning, that we might put this into practical every day life. 1.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God is calling all men with the gospel. a. For clarity, we do not mean by this that God will save all men. There are two kinds of calls in the New Testament. i. We have the general call of God which rings out all men everywhere. 1. Of this Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14) 2. Of this Paul tells Timothy to pray that all men would come to repentance. (I Timothy 2:1-4) 3. Of this God is said to have loved the world by providing His Son so that believers would not perish. (John 3:16) 4. This is the call which we see in this text. ii. As a subpoint of the general call, there is also the effectual call of God. 1. Romans 1:6 Paul greets them as those who are called to belong to Christ 2. Romans 8:30 Paul gives us the golden chain of salvation. Those God foreknew or foreordained he also predestined or decided beforehand to become conformed to the image of His Son. And those whom He predestined for this He also called. Those whom He called He also Justified. Those whom He justified He also glorified. 3. Thus, we see that the difference between the effectual call and the general call is within the prerogative and by the planning of God and God alone. 4. What does this mean? iii. It means exactly what this application says. We must believe that God is calling all men with the gospel. b. Since the effectual call happens within the general call, and since the effectual call is solely up to the discretion and sovereign will of God – we as His people must be sure that the general call of the gospel goes out to all men. c. There are so very many men and women that we might desire to withhold the call of the gospel from. It sounds quite the dastardly thing to do, and indeed it is, but well within our sin's capabilities. d. We might withhold the gospel from those we are prejudiced against. i. Those who are too poor and too simple. ii. Those who are too wealthy in this life and we feel don't deserve a wealthy eternal existence in the next life also. iii. Those who are not a member of our particular race. iv. Those who have done awful things to us or harmed us or our families in some way. e. But thinking we know God's invisible will regarding those whom He has elected, we might withhold the gospel from those whom we have determined God would obviously not want. i. Those who are too young, too mentally incapable, too lacking in understanding. ii. Or those who have been too wicked, too evil, too sinful to receive grace. iii. And now we meet our text. We might actively resist sharing the general gospel call to those who have twisted God's Word or blasphemed His name. iv. We might convince ourselves that if anyone deserves eternal death – they do. f. But my friends - all of us deserve eternal death for all of us are guilty of High Treason against the God of all things. g. Our sins are so egregious that even if we were given an eternity to pay for them in a fiery, wrath filled existence, it would still not be enough to pay our sentence in full. h. What does that mean? i. Rather than thinking – shall the gospel go to such a wicked man? We should instead think, surely the gospel can go to this man, for the gospel came… even to me. j. There is not one person on earth too ___________________ to hear the general call of the gospel. 2.) [Slide 17] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that those in false religions or deep blasphemy are too far gone to be saved. a. On the surface, this may seem like a repeat of our first application. Indeed, I almost crossed this out. But there is a unique prickle to this application that the first did not touch. b. In the first point we must battle the urge for us to pick and choose who gets to hear the gospel. c. In this point, we must battle our tiny view of the power of God's grace. d. Just as we concluded that if the gospel can come to me, a wretched sinner, so also it can come to this poor blasphemer…. So, we must also conclude just as the gospel call was effective for even me… so also it could be effective for this poor devil too. e. God's grace can reach all. Not just those involved in the most wicked displays of pleasure and lust. Not only for those who are overcome by their own selfish and prideful tendencies. f. But my friends, God's grace can even cut through the darkness in a member of the occult. It can pierce the stony heart adorned with false Jesus' and false Jehovahs. The same lips who said there is no God, can be redeemed to extol the daily new mercies of the Great Ancient of Days. The same lips who exalted Mohammed or admired the Buddha, or praised Jospeh Smith, or heralded Charles Taze Russel – those lips can be seared with a coal from the Holy fire of God to proclaim with even greater fervency the authority and power of Jesus of Nazareth. g. God's grace is by definition an unstoppable force of God's favor. And no man… NO LIVING MAN is too lost, too wicked, or too antagonistic to the gospel of Jesus Christ for God's grace to not utterly undo him. h. When God's grace is shed… there is no man who can resist it. 3.) [Slide 18] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must preach the gospel to all whom the Lord has providentially led into our lives. a. So armed as we are with the first two points – let us make the bold assertion that every man, woman, and child that God brings into our lives by providence of His will, are those to whom we must give the call of the gospel. b. Though we as the church are united in this effort, we individually have mission fields which the Lord has providentially prepared for us to walk in. Though we could all drive to your work, or your family gathering, or your neighborhood, or your grocery store and we could all share the gospel together… c. It seems more in keeping with Philip the Deacon, Philip the evangelist, that you simply go and be a light, a beacon, a city on a hill shining for all to see. d. May you be quick to share the gospel wherever you go. May you be quick to speak of the holiness of God. e. May you take this gospel call with you and offer it to any who crosses your path, knowing that among those whom you offer the general call – there may be those whom the Lord is effectually calling. f. There are still several of His people in this city, in this state, in this nation. But they are lost. They are still blind. They are still dead. But the light of the gospel – the effectual call of the Lord can wake them to life. It can give them sight so they can see. It can find them and lead them home. g. My friends… be faithful to preach the gospel to all whom the Lord leads to you. And perhaps the Lord will allow you to see the new birth of a brother or sister in Christ. 4.) [Slide 19] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop being hasty to reject or receive conversions of prominent people. a. When we are hasty to reject these stories – we effectively deny the power of the grace of God and the scope of the gospel call, even the effectual call, to go to all kinds of men. b. Certainly, it is more difficult for those with power, prestige, wealth or influence to come to repentance and faith – but it is not impossible. Why? For it does not depend on men but on God. God's grace cannot be resisted. c. However, when we are hasty to receive conversions of prominent people – we effectively deny the power of the grace of God to change a person progressively into the image of Christ. d. By putting our stamp of “certified convert” on an untested plant that has sprung up among many weeds of the world… we seem to deny the possibility of false conversions or false belief. And we often end up looking like fools who have spent the money they would have earned on a harvest, but no harvest ever came. e. Over the last few years, we've seen people like Kat Von D, Hulk Hogan, Kanye West, Shia LaBeouf, and Eminem profess faith in Jesus. f. With each of those names – no doubt you had some sort of initial reaction. g. But Simon the sorcerer was a celebrity too. He was the bees knees in Samaria. And despite his later lack of fruit – all Philip saw was that he confessed Christ and so he baptized Simon. h. Just like Simon, with these other celebrities of our time, rather than being a cynic and always assuming their conversions are not genuine. And rather than being gullible and always assuming that they are a saved person regardless of what they do with the rest of their lives. Perhaps we can take a lesson from Luke here and simply say what we've seen. And rejoice in it. i. And if that is not sufficient, may we simply add our prayerful hope that the Lord will produce in them the fruit of repentance and righteousness. 5.) [Slide 20(end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The gospel is the power of God to save all who believe. a. There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. b. The gospel is God's power to save all who believe. c. There is none who have been united to Christ by true faith, who will be lost. d. Jesus said, all that the Father gives me are mine and I will by no means lose even one. e. That… is a marvelous and comforting thought to those who believe. f. No matter who they are or where they come from… God has decided before hand to conform His people into the image of His Son. That level of power… is comforting to those it saves. Let me close with a prayer by a Puritan by the name of Joseph Alleine. O Lord, how insufficient we are for this work. With what will we pierce the scales of Leviathan – or [with what will we] make our hearts, hard as a millstone, feel what you desire them to feel? Will we go and speak to the grave, and expect the dead to obey us and come forth? Will we make a speech to the rocks, or lecture the mountains, and move them with arguments? Will we make the blind see? From the beginning of the world no one has ever heard of opening the eyes of a person born blind. But, Lord, you can pierce the heart of the sinner. We can draw the bow at random, but you direct the arrow between the cracks of the armor. We come in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. We come forth, like David against Goliath, to wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but with rulers and cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil of this world. This day let the Lord defeat the Philistines, take away the armor from the strong man, and give us the captives out of his hand. Lord, choose our words. Choose our weapons for us. And when we put our hands into the bag, and take out a stone and sling it, and carry it to the mark, make it sink – not into the forehead, but into the heart of the unconverted sinner. Take him to the ground like Saul of Tarsus. Lord God, help! How can we leave them this way? If they will not hear us, still we pray that you will hear us. We pray that they might live in your sight! Lord, save them, or they perish. Our hearts would melt to see their houses on fire when they were fast asleep in their beds. So, are our souls moved within us to see them endlessly lost? Lord, have compassion, and save them out of the burning. Put forth your divine power, and the work will be done. Slay the sin, and save the soul of the sinner. In Jesus name we pray… Amen. In light of what the scriptures teach us in Isaiah 52:7 May Heaven's richest blessing come down on everyone who goes out, following the good and beautiful Shepherd Himself, to find the lost sheep and to love and care for them. For beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. Until we meet again… go in peace.

23 Acts 7:51-53 - Stephen's Last Sermon: Application

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2023 47:11

Title: Stephen's Last Sermon: Application Text: Acts 7:51-53 FCF: We often struggle knowing if we are God's true people. Prop: People who do not listen to or obey the Lord are not His people, so we must listen to and obey the Lord. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 7. In a moment we will read the entirety of Stephen's Sermon one last time. I'll be reading from the LSB but you can follow in the pew bible starting on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer. After all the explanation and after all the history, after building his case and forming his arguments, Stephen, filled with the Spirit, given words from God, now turns to his application. It is sharp. It is stilted. It is probably interrupted. And it deeply affects his hearers. We won't quite get to their reaction. We'll have to wait until next year for that. But we will finally round out the sermon and apply it to our lives. As a Christmas message, it may not be abundantly apparent that such a text is appropriate. But I promise you – this text has a particular Christmas flavor that is, quite frankly, unmatched. I hope it hits you hard as it did with its original audience. And I hope that it sticks in your mind as a Christmas message you won't soon forget. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of God's Word. Transition: Well, this sermon didn't turn out to be as short as I anticipated. But I promised you a shorter sermon today, and I aim to keep that promise. So, let's dive in to Stpehen's last words of his last sermon. I.) Spiritually stubborn people are not God's people, so we must listen to and obey the Lord. (51a) a. [Slide 2] 51 – You men – stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears – i. Up to this point Stephen has spoken in historical generalities. ii. Though WE have taken pains to point out its aggressiveness toward the Sanhedrin and Judaism, it is possible that what he has said could easily have been dismissed or missed completely. iii. Certainly, they may not have understood everything. iv. But I believe that the Sanhedrin were no doubt beginning to understand Stephen's exposition of Israel's history. I believe they were starting to detect the critique of their present form of worshipping the temple, the land, and the law. v. Why do I say that? Because what Stephen says next leaves only two outcomes. Either they will repent – or Stephen will die. For Stephen to take his argument to this level indicates to me, that he was reading the room and seeing the Sanhedrin's understanding and perhaps even their anger. vi. But what did Stephen say that leaves only these two outcomes of this trial? vii. Let's look. viii. What does it mean that they were stiff necked? Stiff necked is an agricultural allusion. It applied to all manner of beasts that can be controlled by the turning of the head. ix. But when a beast of burden has discovered that it can tighten its neck and resist the leading of the bridle – then it will continue to keep its neck stiff and not be turned. x. To be stiff necked is to be obstinately stubborn, inflexible, immovable, and unteachable. xi. Because they are stiff-necked… he concludes that they are uncircumcised in heart and ears. xii. What does he mean that they are uncircumcised in heart and ears? xiii. To be uncircumcised is to be a Gentile. A worshipper of pagan gods. Outside of the covenant of Abraham. xiv. The prophet Jeremiah often repeated the idea that Israel who refused to listen to God's commands were uncircumcised in heart. xv. Moses told the people to circumcise their hearts and not stiffen their necks any longer. In Deuteronomy 10. xvi. What is Stephen saying? What is he calling them? xvii. My friends – Stephen is calling the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious body of the Jews, not true Jews. He is calling them cut off. He is saying that they are NOT part of the covenant with God given to Abraham. xviii. Why does Stephen conclude this? xix. Because they are spiritually stubborn. They are hard hearted and inflexible. xx. Stephen says – you are condemned heathens. Unable to hear. Unable to believe. Needing to repent. xxi. This is Stephen's Coup De Grace. The final blow. xxii. He says – you are not God's people. b. [Slide 3] Summary of the Point: The only possible conclusion that can be made about a person who is spiritually stubborn, unwilling to listen, unteachable, inflexible and bent on having their own way – is that they are not God's child. Turning the point positive, we see that God's true children are teachable, flexible and willing to go wherever the Lord leads – even when it is exactly opposite of what we might want. God's people are ready to follow the Lord no matter what. The apostles have already demonstrated this in the book of Acts. And here, Stephen is demonstrating this. Standing before the religious leaders of Jerusalem with a message of condemnation, knowing that either they will repent or it will cost him his life. Stephen stands, filled with the Spirit, and does as the Lord leads. Transition: [Slide 4(blank)] And so, Stephen shows the conclusion of the matter. They accuse him of blasphemy. Yet they are the ones pretending to be God's people – when they are not His people. His true people are not stubborn, stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. They go wherever He leads. But Stephen is not done giving evidence for why they are not God's people. Their stubbornness is only one symptom of their spiritual darkness. II.) People who continually oppose the Holy Spirit are not God's people, so we must listen to and obey the Lord. (51b) a. [Slide 5] 51b – You men… are always resisting the Holy Spirit. i. Stephen's second piece of evidence that proves they are not God's people is that they are always resisting the Holy Spirit. ii. Even in Judaism's shaky understanding of the trinity, the leading, empowering, equipping, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit was always seen as a divine act of Yahweh. iii. And when we read the word resist here, we must be careful not to import an incorrect meaning. iv. Sometimes we think of resisting as pulling against something. We think of going along with something but begrudgingly. We think of a rather tame definition of the word resist. v. But this Greek word has much stronger force. It means to counteract. It means to oppose. It means to work against. vi. So, Stephen's indictment of them as not being God's people rests not only on the fact that they are stubborn, hard hearted an inflexible, not only that they resist but that they actually oppose the power and leading of God Himself in the form of His Spirit. b. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point – Jesus taught that all manner of blasphemies could be forgiven someone. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit could not be forgiven. To know what God says and is doing, and actively fight against it, is to blaspheme the Spirit. No one can continually blaspheme the Spirit and be forgiven. Again, to put this point positively, God's people follow the Spirit's leading. They listen to His voice of conviction, they follow His direction, they do not grieve Him. This is what all God's people do. Transition: [Slide 7(blank)] Two evidences against them have been brought, insisting upon the conclusion that they are not God's people. Two more remain. III.) People who continually abuse or disdain God's spokesmen are not God's people, so we must listen to and obey the Lord. (51c-52) a. [Slide 8] 51c – As your fathers did, so do you. i. For the third charge proving that the Sanhedrin and all who refuse to follow Jesus are not God's people, Stephen makes plain what has only been hinted at up to this point. ii. While certainly some of the Sanhedrin may have been able to see what he was saying earlier than this – now they all saw it clearly. iii. In the historical recounting of the Israel's history, with all those who acted against God's anointed and God's law, Stephen now clearly draws an equal's sign between their ancestors and the 1st century Jews and their religious leaders, the Sanhedrin. iv. Stephen says, that in effect, they are no different than Joseph's brothers, the people rejecting Moses, or the people making a golden calf. They are following in a long tradition of opposing God at every turn. v. But Stephen sharpens this point. It is not simply that they oppose God – for he has already said that. How specifically have they opposed God like their fathers before them did? b. [Slide 9] 52 – And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? i. Stephen goes beyond the Pentateuch and stretches into the time of the United and Divided Kingdoms. ii. During this time God sent prophets, spokesmen to Israel to decree His will and foretell His judgements. iii. Stephen summarizes this time in Israel's history with a question. A question with an obvious answer. iv. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? v. I like how the NLT says this “Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute!” vi. Going back among the prophets, major and minor, we see Stephen's question proven true. vii. Regardless of the prophet, the Israelites had a long history of opposing, torturing, imprisoning, and otherwise persecuting God's prophets. viii. Most of the time the prophets were telling them things they didn't want to hear. It isn't difficult to understand why they would hate them or desire them harm. ix. Remember the comparison has already been made. You have done as your ancestors have done. x. This is important because while Jesus was alive, they insisted that they did not agree with their ancestors who persecuted the prophets. But Jesus insisted that they might say that in word – but in deed they are just like their ancestors. xi. Stephen wants them to see that their treatment of him and the apostles, is only following in a long line of persecution against God's anointed spokesmen. c. [Slide 10] They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, i. Not all prophets were killed, and certainly not all prophets who announced the coming of the Messiah were killed. ii. But Stephen's point still stands. Of the major prophets, all of whom spoke about the coming Messiah in great detail, three out of four were killed by the Jews. 1. King Manasseh sawed Isaiah the prophet in two. 2. Jeremiah was stoned by the people. 3. The leader of the Israelite exiles killed Ezekiel after he reproved them for worshipping idols. 4. Daniel is the only Major prophet who died of natural causes. But he died in Babylon, among pagans. iii. Again, Stephen is comparing the two. iv. He says that they too are like their ancestors who killed the prophets announcing the coming of the Righteous One… v. But wait…. They are not merely like them… d. [Slide 11] Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. i. They are worse than their ancestors. ii. Their ancestors merely persecuted the prophets and killed those who prophesied about the coming Messiah. iii. But they have betrayed and killed the Righteous One Himself. They have murdered their own Messiah. This is far worse than killing His prophets. iv. It puts in mind the parable Jesus told in Luke 20 and Matthew 21. Where the owner of a vineyard went away on business and sent stewards to check on the workers. v. The workers abused and killed those he sent to check on their progress, until he finally sent his son, the heir to check on them. And they even killed him. vi. So too are the Sanhedrin and all of Judea. A vineyard that God owns that the religious leaders want for themselves. And now they have killed the Son of God. vii. That is idolatry my friends. e. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Paul predicts that in the last days people will accumulate to themselves false teachers who can tickle their ears. This is the result of people hating the accurate and powerful handling of God's Word. God's Word reproves, rebukes, corrects and instructs. That means that if a person is to accurately handle the Word of God and preach or teach it – most of the time it should cut us. It should prune us. It should hurt! But people who are not God's people… don't like being corrected. They don't like being reproved. They don't like being rebuked. They will not abide it. What's worse, is they will despise, slander, malign, hate and eventually kill those who preach God's word accurately. To put this positively… God's true children love when His Word is preached – and they love the stinging words of the preacher. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. God's people consider God's spokesmen to be a friend to them… mostly because they tell them what they don't want to hear – by the authority of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Transition: [Slide 13 (blank)] Three pieces of evidence have been laid at the feet of the Sanhedrin. Evidence that is incontrovertible. They are not God's people. But one final piece of evidence remains. IV.) People who continue to disobey God's law are not God's people, so we must listen to and obey the Lord. (53) a. [Slide 14] 53 – you who received the law as ordained by angels i. In the Pentateuch it is not mentioned specifically that angels assisted in the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. ii. Stephen mentioned this earlier and I kinda glossed over it because I knew another reference was coming. iii. There are some indications of this in Deuteronomy 33 and Psalm 68. iv. Paul in Galatians 3 and the writer of Hebrews confirm in the New Testament that angels were indeed present for the giving of the law. But Stephen would not have had the benefit of their letters since he died well before they wrote them. v. So where did this come from? vi. In the first century, it was largely assumed that anything God did with angelic hosts was very significant. And they revered the law as something very important and special. Therefore, based on Deuteronomy 33 and Psalm 68 and by Rabbinical commentary and tradition, they were teaching by this time that a heavenly host of angels were present for the giving of the law. Why? Because it was important. And since it was important, God's angels were present for the event. vii. This is exactly why Stephen mentions it. He uses the presence of angels for the receiving of the law as a way to heighten the importance of the law. viii. They have regarded the law to be of the utmost importance… b. [Slide 15] And yet did not observe it. i. It was not the giving of the law that was most important, but the keeping of the law. ii. Not as a way to earn God's favor, but rather as a natural product of trusting God. iii. To trust God and believe Him will naturally produce obedience to His law. iv. My friends, the chief most way that they did not observe the law is that they murdered the Lord of glory. v. Indeed, they violated most of the 10 commandments in by killing Jesus. And since Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, to kill the fulfillment is to reject the law itself. vi. Stephen says that even though they were the highest religious court in Jerusalem – and even though Judaism revered the law of God – they did just as their ancestors did when God gave them the law. Instead of receiving and obeying the law – they worshipped a golden calf. And instead of receiving and following the Son of God – the fulfillment of the law – they betrayed and turned Him over to the Gentiles to be killed. vii. [Slide 16] “In the earliest days of the nation, it disobeyed the law of God, although it had received that law by angelic mediation. And now in these last days, when God has spoken through no angel but through the Righteous One par excellence, Stephen's hearers had with even greater decisiveness rejected Him.“ F.F. Bruce NICNT Acts pg 153 viii. They were always disobeying God's law in letter and in spirit. c. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: John 10:1-5 says “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he brings all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” All who do not diligently listen to and obey the commands of Christ – are not His sheep. They are not God's people. How do we know that we are favored of God and truly are God's people? How do we know that God is pursuing us? Those who are God's sheep, listen to their shepherd because they know His voice. Conclusion: So, CBC, we now have the very difficult job of isolating the one thing that Stephen teaches in his entire sermon. What is his primary doctrinal point? What have we learned and how should we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] Mankind is naturally blind, lost, and dead. They are unwilling and unable to perceive God's power and provision in life. Indeed, they are prone to worshipping false gods in addition to the one true God AND they are also prone to worshipping a god that they think is the one true God but is only a lesser imitation. Since all this is true of mankind… God moves first. Because He must. He pursues those whom He wishes to pursue as He is free to do. He goes with those whom He favors. He pursues and upholds His people. Therefore, when we discover someone who stubbornly adheres to their own way, who works against God's leading, who despises correction and instruction, and who does not obey God's commands… no matter what they think they are, no matter how much they insist that they are God's people… they simply are not. How do we know we are God's true people? God's true people hear His voice and follow Him. God's true people love correction for it makes them more like Christ. God's true people love those who correct them in love. God's true people love His law. God's true people always entertain the probability that they are wrong and need help. God's true people are humble, obedient, loving, respectful, followers of God. So, my friends, be this. And now that we have seen Stephen's sermon in total, I feel it right and appropriate to improve upon the fully developed doctrinal takeaway to share with you some applicational insights. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” God's people listen to and obey Him. a. Who are God's people? Such a question could illicit a myriad of answers. i. Israel ii. Christians iii. All mankind - Did you know in the song here comes Santa Claus, there is a line that says that Santa knows that we are all God's children and that makes everything right. Obviously, the world things that all of us are God's children. God's people. b. This text has told us exactly who God's people truly are. c. First, they are those whom God pursues. He loves them first, because they were unwilling and unable to love Him. So, He came for them and goes with them. d. Second, Stephen's sermon shows us by negative example who God's people aren't. e. The Jews were the inheritors of God's law, descendants of those whom God spoke to directly. With a long and rich history of God' claiming them as His portion among the nations. f. The Sanhedrin were the religious and political leaders of the Jews – the most pious among them. g. Yet, they killed their own Messiah, deified their temple, assumed they could only keep outward parts of the law and remain pure, and nationally assumed that God would one day destroy all their earthly enemies. h. In short, they did not listen to or obey God. God sent His Son, the Messiah, the fulfillment of the law, the temple not made with human hands, the King of the Universe… and they rejected Him. i. How can you be God's people and reject His Son? j. We in our high theology flights of fancy worry and fret over wondering who is God's elect, who has God chosen for Himself, who is God pursuing? Is it me? Am I one of God's elect? k. There is a very simple answer to this question that the bible repeats to us over and over and over and over again. Are you ready? l. God's people listen to and obey Him. To the extent that any who claim to be His but do not listen to or obey Him – are liars and the truth is not in them. m. God's people bear the scars of the Holy Spirit's hostile takeover of their hearts. And they are, even now, being pressed into the mold of Christ. They are even now repenting of sin. They are even now believing the gospel that Christ died for their sin. They are, even now, living for Him because they love Him. 2.) [Slide 20] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that we can be saved and bear no fruit. a. The Sanhedrin believed that because they were descendants of Abraham, they received an inheritance in the promises God made to Abraham by default. b. Before we scoff at such thoughts – we must consider what things we have been taught or things we naturally assume to be true that are corrected here. c. We naturally conclude that because our parents were Christians, or because we've prayed a prayer, or because we made a decision – that we are Christians. We have been taught that as long as we believe key facts about Jesus, that we are saved. d. But my friends - if we do not bear fruit – then we are a dead tree worthy of the fire. e. Don't misunderstand. I am not saying that we bear fruit in order to become a living tree. i. An avocado does not turn black in order to become old. It turns black because it is old. ii. Likewise, a person does not listen to and obey God in order to become God's child. They listen to and obey God because they ARE God's child already. God does the saving – we bear the fruit. f. But a fruitless tree, salt that has lost its savor, seed that has yielded no crops – none of these are fit for anything except the garbage heap. g. No, my friends. You cannot be saved and enter His kingdom if you do not bear fruit. If you are not being pruned. If you are not hating your sin and loving His law… There is no reason for you to hope. h. There is only the fearful expectation of judgment. 3.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must repent and obey the Lord a. Stephen's message was obviously aggressive – but it isn't like the Sanhedrin had no hope. b. He is clearly imploring them to turn from their current path and believe on Jesus of Nazareth as God's Messiah. c. My friends, during this Christmas season, you like the Sanhedrin have heard the story before. d. Just like the Sanhedrin had heard the story of the history of Israel – just as they had studied and memorized all that had happened – and just as they repudiated the actions of those who disobeyed – So also you know about Christ being born in a manger. You've heard about the shepherds coming to honor him. The wise men coming from the east. You know the story of the gift God gave in His Son. You have even heard about him growing up and dying on a cross for the sins of His people. e. But knowing the story is not enough my friends. Knowing the story and living as you always have… is no benefit to you. Loving your sins and resisting God's law, forsaking the gathering of His people, living for you plus Him – trusting in you plus Him… all of this puts you exactly in the same place as the Sanhedrin. f. But this Christmas… this season… rather than letting the story you know well wash over you yet again… perhaps the Lord has cut you to the heart. Perhaps His arrow has struck deep. Perhaps what once was rock and inflexible is now ready to move. g. Would you repent of your sin and self-righteousness? Would you not merely believe that such a Savior existed once – but would you trust Him as your only hope? Would you receive Him as your substitute for sin and follow Him all the days of your life? h. Is God pursuing you this Christmas season? Is He calling to you? His sheep hear His call. His sheep obey His voice. i. Would you answer? Would you obey? 4.) [Slide 22] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop despising and resisting the reproof, rebuke, correction and instruction of the Word of God and all who would be bold enough to give it to us! a. We live in a world of thought police. b. We once lived in a world where everyone said “You do you” or “Live your truth.” We have moved on from this foolishness but unfortunately, we are out of the frying pan and into the fire. For now, the world demands that we share their same values. There is no room for disagreement. If you disagree then you are abomination. c. Would it surprise you to know that God's Word is equally exclusive with its message. d. It does not counter the current culture's methods – only its message. e. The Scriptures are the final authority for faith and practice for all men. It makes no exceptions. It makes no excuses. And it demands that you yield while it remains unyielding. It demands you be a student as it teaches. It demands you flex as it remains inflexible. f. As such, God's children must grow to love God's Word. Not because it is full of promises and full of platitudes for having your best life now. Not because I can always find a verse or two to support what I already thing. g. No, God's children love His word because it tears down false belief and hunts down and murders all the sin lurking in our hearts. h. God's true children ought to love having their toes stepped on. Crushed! Shattered! i. The same sword that cuts, slices, dices, and strips away – is a sharp scalpel in the hand of our God cutting away the cancer that kills us. j. Ah we may be sore after – but better sore today than dead tomorrow, yes? k. We must love when God shatters us on the Rock of His Word. And we must love and be thankful for any friend who would be so courageous as to lovingly dash us upon its immovable and mighty edge. l. We don't do this naturally. Our flesh raises in defense against the reproof… but our spirit says… Ah yes – it will hurt but for a moment but at last I'll be free of the parasite that steals from my joy. At last, I will be rid of the stench of death that that wily dragon left on me. At last, I will be out of the noose choking me of life in my Savior. 5.) [Slide 23] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God pursues His people. a. No matter what – this comfort remains. b. God pursues His people. So much so, that He provided a Savior to them so that all who are believers might not die without hope – but would instead die with hope that the Son He sent will save them from eternal death unto eternal life. c. That little baby in a manger… is God's greatest act of pursuing His people. d. While we could climb no higher - being made of dust… He stooped low to become dust to save us. e. My friends. There is no greater hope. [Slide 24(end)] Let me close with a Christmas Prayer by Ephriam the Syrian, a theologian and hymn writer who lived in Turkey in the 300s AD. We are not sure what to call you, Child of the Living One. Not the child of Joseph; you are not actually his blood. And while you are the son of one, we should be calling you the son of many. Ten thousand names would not be enough to call you, since you are the Son of God and also the Son of Man. You are David's son and Mary's Lord. For your sake Mary also was hated. The one who [bore] you was persecuted. The sea raged against her, as it did against Jonah. Herod, the raging wave, sought to drown the Lord of the seas. But Adam would rejoice, for you are the key to paradise. So, we will flee with you, that we may gain life wherever we go. Prison with you is no prison, because we gain heaven through you. With you the grave is no grave, for you are the resurrection! In Jesus name we pray… Amen. A hymn from a famous hymn writer combines well with the scripture of II Chronicles 19:11: May the Lord be with the one who is good. May He tell you the story of Jesus And write on your heart every word, Till you sing with the angles in chorus: Glory to God in the highest Peace and good tidings to earth. Until we meet again, go in peace.

19 Acts 6:1-7 - Called and Equipped

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2023 56:16

Title: Called and Equipped Text: Acts 6:1-7 FCF: We often struggle submitting to leadership. Prop: Because God has established and equipped leaders to unify His church toward His will, we must submit to godly leadership. Scripture Intro: ESV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 6. In a moment we will read starting in verse 1 from the English Standard Version. You can follow in the pew bible on page 1236 or in your preferred version. We are right on the cusp of transitioning to the expansion of the church. Very soon we will see the church burst out from the walls of Jerusalem. But before we get to that, both chronologically and thematically, Luke needs to show us how the church handled a problem that truly came from within. We've seen issues arise from the church's interaction with the Jewish leadership. That isn't done yet, but the Lord has preserved them. We've also seen fake Christians attempt to lie to the Spirit of God in order to profit. In this also, the Lord guarded His church. Today, we will see a problem arise truly from within the church and we will see God deal with the issue in a subtly supernatural way. Please stand with me both out of respect for and to focus on the reading of God's Word. Transition: We have a lot to get to today. So, let's waste no time. I.) God has established and equipped officers of His church to guide it, so we must submit to godly leadership. (1-4) a. [Slide 2] 1 - Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, i. The opening statement in this section “now in these days” seems to bind it more closely to the events we completed in Acts 5. ii. Despite the Jewish leadership's antagonism and even their certainty that the Nazarian sect will die out… the opposite is proving true. They continue to grow. iii. But the more people you have, the easier it is for some to fall through the cracks. b. [Slide 3] A complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews i. We need to understand exactly what is happening here and in order to do so we need to know a little about Hebrew culture in the 1st century. ii. When Alexander the Great conquered the known world around 330 BC, he also spread Greek culture throughout the empire. Greek religion, philosophy, language, values, art and literature flourished in places that it never had before. iii. But what happens when you fill a glass half full of clear water with red Kool-Aid? Do the contents of the cup remain clear or does it start turning red? It turns doesn't it. iv. As Greek influence filled and stayed in these places, it began replacing and even superseding the culture of the native people groups. v. In Jerusalem and the surrounding area, there was a movement to prevent this and keep Hebrew culture thriving. But some Jews succumbed to the influence of Greek culture and lost their ability to speak Hebrew and Aramaic. vi. They spoke only Greek. They became… Hellenized. vii. This caused a lot of bigotry and preferential treatment among Jews. Jews that could not speak Hebrew or at least Aramaic were treated as less than Hebrew. They weren't quite Jewish. viii. Even a cursory reading through the gospels reveals a Jewish nation who prides themselves in a pure bloodline. They disdained the Samaritans for having mixed with non-Jews. Hellenized Jews were treated similarly. ix. And now it seems that this prejudice is seeping into the church. x. How specifically? c. [Slide 4] Because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. i. So, we need to understand what the daily distribution is and why widows were included in this. ii. Widows and orphans were among the neediest in their day. Women could not own property or be the sole proprietor of a business. Therefore, when their husband died their possessions would be distributed among their male family members first. iii. It would be the responsibility of the family to care for widows – but as it is today, many found ways to neglect their duties. Still others had no family to care for them. iv. The church took the initiative to care for widows among them by taking food to them each day. v. In this process, the Greek speaking Jewish Christians were not being taken meals. vi. This escalated into a complaint. Luke does not say whether or not the people brought this complaint to the apostles or if the apostles just heard about it through the grapevine. vii. In one way or another the apostles become aware of this problem. d. [Slide 5] 2 – And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, i. The apostles spring to action. They deem this compliant important enough to act on without delay. ii. They summon the full number of the disciples. iii. It is difficult to know exactly what this may mean. iv. It stretches believability to think that there would be a place in Jerusalem they would be able to gather around 7-15 thousand people together to address this issue. v. The words “full number” means a large number or a group large enough to distribute information quickly to the whole or a number able to reach some sort of decision with. vi. When we see this word in this context it has the sense of a quorum or meeting the number of people needed to do business. vii. This suggests that the church had representatives. Perhaps we see the makings here of the local assemblies and their respective Elders gathered under the direction of the apostles. viii. This seems to make the most sense. That the disciples gathered were those who were the spiritual heads and representatives of smaller bodies throughout the city of Jerusalem. ix. Notice Luke does not record any sort of discussion here. There is no debate or brainstorming session. x. The apostles speak and the representatives listen. e. [Slide 6] “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. i. The apostles establish the proper priorities of their office. ii. The thought of them giving up preaching the Word of God to make this problem go away is completely unacceptable. iii. Preaching God's Word is of absolute priority. Both teaching in homes and preaching in the temple. This must continue and they must focus on this. iv. Waiting tables or serving tables does not take our modern connotation of being a waiter or waitress. Instead, we can easily derive the meaning from the context – that they are providing food for widows. v. As noble as a task as it is to provide food to widows… the apostles recognize that preaching the Word is a greater priority. One that they cannot sacrifice. vi. THEY must preach the Word of God. vii. But rather than seeking the advice of the gathering, the apostles have already arrived at a wise solution to the problem. f. [Slide 7] 3 – Therefore brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. i. Again, the apostles tell these men how to go forward. We are not told of any discussion or voting. They simply told these representatives to do this. ii. They must choose seven men. The word used here is not Anthropos which would be more ambiguous on gender, meaning mankind. iii. The word used here is Aner, which can mean man or husband. iv. A ministry to widows seems to be a great opportunity to employ the managerial skills of women, yet the apostles chose to hand this to men. This is not a definitive proof that the office of Deacon should only be men – but it is an argument in favor of that interpretation. v. These men must be of good repute. They must have a good reputation. vi. They must be full of the Spirit – meaning they have a marked life that is easy to see the Spirit's indwelling influence in their life. vii. They must be full of wisdom too, knowing God's perspective of the world and acting in that same perspective. viii. We notice that these men's ability to carry large sacks of food or run long distances is not listed as a qualification. ix. This is most likely because these men were not the ones that were going to be delivering the food. x. In fact, the food was already being delivered. xi. They were simply bringing organization and order to an already functioning ministry that needed to be better managed and organized. g. [Slide 8] 4 – But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” i. The apostles reaffirm their devotion to the priorities that mattered most. ii. They were going to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. iii. These take the highest priority for the apostles. And for every church following this, we should fight to preserve these as our highest priorities. iv. One final point before we summarize what we've learned. v. Scholars disagree over whether the neglect of the Hellenistic Jewish Christian widows was intentional prejudice or accidental. 1. After weighing the evidence, it seems best to conclude that this was accidental. 2. Not that such prejudice was impossible among God's people. We saw warnings against prejudice when we studied James. 3. I conclude that it was accidental for several reasons in this text, the first of which we have already seen. 4. If this was indeed a purposeful neglect out of prejudice and bigotry, why did the apostles attempt to put a band-aid on the problem? 5. Outsourcing this issue to 7 men to deal with for them seems like a big-time cop out. 6. Furthermore, they identify the issue as waiting on tables. Serving food is the issue. But if this was intentional neglect – serving tables isn't really the issue any more, is it? 7. There is another big reason to conclude this was accidental but we'll get to that in a bit. h. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: God has always equipped members of His Covenant community with what is necessary to lead and manage the community toward godliness and holiness. God supplied Moses, priests, the Levites, military leaders, Judges, Kings, Prophets and apostles. And God continues to supply Evangelists, Elders, and Deacons to grow, lead, and manage His people. He has not left a vacuum of leadership, nor has He refused to gift those in these positions with wisdom, compassion, mercy, humility, knowledge and holiness. The church must continue to look to godly leaders to guide and manage them toward becoming a holy community. Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] But God not only appointed and equipped these leaders to wisely lead His church. He also equipped them through that wisdom to unify His church in the love of Christ. II.) God equips godly leaders to unify His church in the love of Christ, so we must submit to godly leadership. (5-7) a. [Slide 11] 5 – And what they said pleased the whole gathering i. The apostles' direction and leadership on this issue was recognized by the whole gathered assembly of representatives. ii. We ought not infer from this that there was some kind of vote here to accept what the apostles said as the direction they needed to go. As if the church could override the decision of the apostles. iii. Instead, the purpose of this statement speaks more to the wisdom of the apostles and the trust the rest of the church had for their leadership. In a word, this statement is about the unity of the church. iv. The church trusted her leaders and her leaders were trustworthy. v. This is the point of this comment. vi. And we should recognize the wisdom of the apostles too. vii. Out of all the things that they could have done to solve this problem, from telling the Hellenistic Jews to get over it and stop being so needy, to meeting with everyone who supplied food to find who was really to blame so they could be punished, to eliminating the ministry altogether… viii. This seems like a very, VERY wise answer to the need. b. [Slide 12] And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, i. Stephen is very obviously singled out here. ii. He is the only person in the list who has any character comments attached to him. iii. The easiest explanation for this is simple foreshadowing by Luke. He intends to relate the story of Stephen's sermon to the Sanhedrin and his subsequent martyrdom in a few short verses. iv. We can also probably assume that Stephen was something of a leader among the seven. That would not be too great a leap for us. v. Stephen appearing at the head of the list here links both the previous section of problems in the church with the next section of expansion of the church from Jerusalem. vi. When we get to Stephen's sermon in chapter 7, we'll notice quickly how he is truly a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He speaks as eloquently as Peter. And he speaks with passion, truth, and mercy. vii. More on Stephen next week. c. [Slide 13] And Phillip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, i. The next 5 names in the list are given without details concerning them. ii. Each name has a meaning but it is unlikely that we can derive any description of the man from the meaning of their name. iii. These 5 are all thought to be men of good reputation, who are full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom. d. [Slide 14] and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. i. The last name is the only name given any details besides Stephen. ii. The description of Nicolaus is that he is a proselyte from Antioch. iii. By Antioch, Luke no doubt refers to Antioch of Syria. It would be the closest Antioch to Jerusalem, northwest up the coast of the Mediterranean, close to present day Turkey. iv. But what is a proselyte? v. A proselyte is a general term to refer to someone who left a former life and began a new one. vi. We could replace the word with “convert”. vii. But to what was Nicolaus converted? It would not be Christianity or even the Nazarian sect of Judaism. Because that would be true of everyone in this list. viii. What Luke is showing us is… that Nicolaus was a gentile, a former pagan, who converted to Judaism. After converting to Judaism, he received Christ to continue and complete his pursuit of the Jewish faith. ix. This is an important detail for Luke to mention to us. Nicolaus is the first non-ethnic-Jew that we have seen among the members of the church. x. So far, we've seen the gospel call go to Jews in Jerusalem, Jews from all parts of the world, and now… we see the gospel call go to Jews who were not ethnically Jewish but who were religiously Jewish. Like Nicolaus. xi. Although it is not as dramatic as pagans converting straight to Christ, it is more foreshadowing that the gospel call is expanding beyond the Jews. xii. This complete list of seven men is another point in the argument that the neglect of the Greek Speaking Jewish Christian widows was accidental. 1. All seven names… are Greek names. One of them isn't even ethnically a Jew. 2. The church took seven Hellenistic Jews and put them in charge of making sure that the distribution went out to every single widow in need. 3. The Hebraic Jewish widows' needs were already being met. They needed to make sure the others were met too. 4. This is a sign that the church recognized their accidental error and sought to make sure it never happened again. e. [Slide 15] 6 – These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid hands on them. i. Even though the church was given the opportunity to choose from among themselves men to do this task, the apostles maintained the exclusive authority to approve or disapprove of their choices. ii. But the men set before them were men who had stood out among the early church as men full of wisdom and the Spirit. Men who had a good reputation. iii. So, the apostles laid their hands on them, praying over them, blessing them and commissioning them into service in their role. iv. And what was the result of this? f. [Slide 16] 7 – And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, i. The problem was resolved without the need for the apostles to stop preaching and teaching. ii. The apostles kept holding their primary duties as primary. iii. They kept teaching and preaching God's Word and men and women continued to come to Christ. iv. But also, the integrity of the church shined forth for all to see. v. Two groups of people who notoriously held prejudices against one another, were now harmoniously dwelling and caring for one another. g. [Slide 17] And a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. i. Let's take the back end of the verse first. ii. What does it mean to be obedient to the faith? iii. There are other expressions in the scriptures such as “obey the gospel” which sound similar to this. iv. The gospel is summarized by Paul when he states that he preached Christ crucified for sinners. v. Therefore, to obey the gospel is to live as though all that is true. 1. This must first include repentance, since we must first recognize we are sinners and forsake our sin. 2. This must then include desperate dependance on Christ who died to both take our penalty for sinning and to give us His righteous standing before God. vi. And so, what Luke means when he says they became obedient to the gospel is that many priests were converting to Christ. vii. But another question we must ask about this strange ending comment is, what is its significance? viii. It is difficult to know what Luke intends for us to see from this comment. ix. Many commentators point out that beyond Jerusalem and the aristocratic priestly line, most priests tended to be less dogmatic on the divide between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. With some commentators even speculating that many more rural priests would have favored the Pharisaical party's position. A position that seems to be easier to reconcile with the doctrines the apostles were preaching. x. They also would point out that most of these priests would be quite poor, working in some trade to earn a living waiting for their 2 weeks of service a year in the temple. xi. Thus, the comment about many priests coming to Christ is remarkable mainly because the church was a charitable organization ministering to the poor which drew the attention of the poor priests. xii. What I found dissatisfying about most commentators' understanding of this point was that they were all quite quick to leave Jerusalem to find and focus on these priests. xiii. Luke does not tell us that these priests were from outside the city. And he just got done saying that disciples continued to multiply in… JERUSALEM. xiv. Everything Luke has said about the priests up to this point has indicated a strong resistance to the teachings of the early church. And certainly, everything that follows shows a persisting resistance to its teachings. xv. I find the concept of poor priests drawn to the church because of their charity – somewhat hollow and fairly earth bound in a book that has so far focused on supernatural means to the success of the church. xvi. Therefore, I have an alternate idea of why this final comment of Luke's is significant. xvii. We remarked before that the priests were predominantly Sadducean in their outlook. xviii. I would suggest that Luke intends us to see that many of that persuasion were now converting to Christ. xix. The natural question we have is… why? Certainly, by the power of God. But why now? xx. This little comment by Luke I believe speaks to the testimony of the apostles, the Elders, the newly established Deacons, and the church as a whole. xxi. Despite the doctrinal differences between the church and the priests, the priests could find no natural reason that such a group of people could so easily set aside decades of racial prejudice to live in love with one another. xxii. No other group of Jews had ever been able or even desired to live in such love and harmony so as to solve the differences between Hebraic Jews clinging to their heritage and Hellenistic Jews who had lost or abandoned their heritage. xxiii. And now… this new sect of Judaism. This rapidly growing, miracle powered, explosive movement, has somehow solved this issue. xxiv. Such change requires supernatural intervention. Gamaliel said that if this plan or undertaking is of God, then nothing could stop it. As if he were a prophet, he foreshadows a difficulty sure to shatter the fledgling movement… and instead of racial prejudice breaking the church… it flourishes instead. xxv. Now all of a sudden, these Sadducean leaning priests are saying… “it must be of God then.” xxvi. But if Sadducean priests are coming to Christ now, how do you think that is going to go with the Sanhedrin? xxvii. More on that next week. h. [Slide 18] Summary of the Point: The second point builds on the first. Not only has God supplied and equipped His church with individuals who can lead and manage them toward holiness. But also, through wise and godly leadership, God unifies His church around the bond of the blood of Christ. Old hatreds and prejudices die. From the leadership of the church all the way down to Hellenistic Jewish widows, the love of Christ reigns. God used the unity of this diverse group of people to humble many priests and call them to Himself. And He can do the same today with you and I. Through wise and Christlike leadership, the Lord can stir up the bond of love and peace among His people. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Let's break all this down to a doctrinal takeaway this morning. Doctrinal takeaway: [Slide 19] God appoints and equips leaders of His church to wisely guide and unify them in the love of Christ. No other organization, group, club, nation, or gathering of any kind functions this way, for no other gathering is headed up by The Lord of all Creation. His servants, though they be mere men, are graced with wisdom and calling to do His will. Elders and Deacons alike are qualified by God to provide spiritual guidance and manage potential roadblocks to ministry. This produces love and peace among the body. Which in turn, creates an entity that the world cannot ignore. An entity that even the most stubborn of hearts cannot help but marvel at. God uses such an entity to call more of His people out from the darkness into His light. We are a city on a hill shining forth into the darkness. In response to this, it is incumbent upon the church to submit to and follow their godly leadership, trusting that the Lord is equipping them to guide them into truth, eliminate issues that would prevent God's people from ministering to one another, and stir up love and peace among the body. Let me improve this doctrinal takeaway by looking at a few ways this truth impacts us today. 1.) [Slide 20] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that prayer and preaching and teaching God's Word is our church's highest priority. a. The church through the course of history and certainly included in that would be the church of America, has committed themselves to do and be a great many things. b. In the state of Michigan churches are classified as charitable organizations. They do not need to apply for this status. All they must do is prove that they are an ecclesiastical organization and they are granted that status. c. Why is that? d. Simply put, the church has had a long history of solving social ills and charitably giving to those in need. e. This is a beautiful and necessary function of the church. Especially toward one another. f. We see it on full display here with the church caring for widows who are unable to care for themselves. g. But the apostles were not willing to set aside prayer and the preaching and teaching of God's Word in order to devote themselves to making sure widows were being fed. h. This reveals two things to us. i. First, it reveals that the apostles believed that they were specifically called by Christ to pass on His teachings to the church and preach the gospel to the lost. i. They were not willing to be distracted from their calling, no matter how noble a purpose it may have been. ii. They recognized the priority in their own lives that Christ had placed on them to preach and teach His commands. iii. Although they no doubt have been passing on these teaching responsibilities to others (as we will see with Stephen next week), it did not free them to do other things… for prayer and preaching and teaching God's Word was their calling. j. Second, it reveals the necessary priority of the preaching and teaching of the word of God in the church. i. As noble as a work as it was to care for widows. Pure and undefiled religion as James says. ii. Such charitable acts cannot overtake a ministry to be the sum total of their identity. iii. Churches are not primarily charitable organizations. They are centers of worship and discipleship. iv. Any church that does not place prayer and the teaching and preaching of God's Word as the highest priority– runs the risk of losing what it is to be a church. v. God's people gather to commune with Him. They do this by hearing from Him and speaking to Him. These are ordinary means by which God ministers to and grows His children. vi. That is, primarily, and necessarily, why we exist. vii. To focus our efforts, CBC, on any other task, no matter how noble, is to miss the point of what it means to be His church. 2.) [Slide 21] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” I actually have two of these this morning. First, we must deny that the most qualified men to be deacons are the ones who are gifted in physical strengths and skills. a. The job set before Stephen and the rest, was one of a physical care problem. They were not teaching the scriptures to these widows. They were not going house to house raising a bible study or administering the Lord's Supper. b. Instead, their job included organizing people, their schedules, the food collection, food storage, the routes for food distribution, adding names to the list, taking names off, gathering new volunteers, volunteer training, volunteer improvement and correction, budget management for purchasing more food, and perhaps many other duties. c. If you and I were setting up qualifications for such a person, we might be tempted to establish a VERY different list of qualifications for such men. d. First, we might look exclusively for women, since many women excel at such tasks. Second, we might be looking for managerial skills, people skills, financial skills. We might look for someone who knows the city well, the back roads, the alleyways. We might look for someone who is a good business man and can get discount prices on food. e. But the apostles set the qualifications. Seven men, full of faith, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit. f. My friends, although the office of the Deacon is predominantly related to earthly matters… there is a resoundingly spiritual component to their role. g. And the fact of the matter is, no matter how well someone can do plumbing, electrical, or landscaping… they will be ill equipped to manage God's people toward love and unity if they are not godly people. h. We must forever dismiss this idea from our minds, that Deacons must be equipped with physical earth-bound skills. For that is simply not true. They must be godly. That is their qualifications. i. As we seek the Lord for the reception of more Deacons in the future, we must focus on their spiritual strength and not their physical skills. 3.) [Slide 22] Refutation: Secondly, we must deny that the best way to arrive at the right answer is by consensus. a. We notice in this text that consensus follows the solution. It does not precede it. b. The apostles stated the problem, their inability to meet it, and their instructions for solving the problem. c. And when the church leaders put forward 7 men to serve in the capacity which the apostles directed, the apostles ultimately approved and appointed the men to do the work laid out before them. d. Because of our American heritage, we naturally assume that the best way to arrive at the best solution to a problem is to come to some kind of consensus. To get in a room and discuss all our options until the best one emerges. We verify it is the best by the number of people that support it. e. How shocking to discover that the early church did not function this way. f. Some suggest that is because their society was not ready for a system of government where all have a vote to determine policy and direction. g. The problem with that is that both a democracy and a republic had existed before Jesus was born. To say that the 1st century church was unaware of these forms of government is to ignore the fact that Rome and Greece before it operated this way. h. If God desired to establish a democracy to operate His church, he needed only to point to the Greeks. If it were to operate like Republic, He needed only to point to the early days of Rome. i. Instead, the apostles, based on the wisdom and love of God, make the decisions and leave it to the church leaders to implement them. j. In this God has made it abundantly clear that it is not raw consensus that leads us to the best solutions. Instead, it is consensus among men who are qualified and called of God to lead His people. This is what leads us to the best solutions. k. That is not to say that there is no place for consensus among the people. Certainly, after the apostles put forward their solution, it pleased the community leaders. But this speaks less of the power and authority of the consensus and more of the wisdom and direction of the apostles. l. The bottom line is this… God has not given us instruction to govern our churches where the majority wins. Instead, God has called and qualified godly men to lead His people, earning trust while being trusted. m. This leads us naturally to our next application. 4.) [Slide 23] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust and submit to our godly leaders. a. The commands to submit to Elders make absolutely no sense if God has designed His church to operate as a democracy. Just as it would make no sense for a wife to submit to her husband but have an equal vote in the decision making, nor a slave to submit to his master but have an equal vote in his employment. b. This is why God has given us the qualifications for who a person must be if he is qualified to be an Elder. c. Although every man must strive for each characteristic, it is only some whom God graces to have those characteristics. God ultimately calls and equips those whom He desires to lead His church. d. It is the church's responsibility to receive, trust, and submit to their godly leaders. e. Much like a relationship of a husband to a wife – this is not without mutual trust and mutual submission. f. The apostles could have appointed the men themselves, yet they delegated and entrusted this task with the individual community leaders. g. This shows a give and take relationship between church leaders and those they lead. h. But we cannot allow the pendulum to swing too far. For it is the churches' responsibility to pray for and submit to their Leaders. i. This does not mean that they are never to be questioned or investigated. It doesn't mean that they will never be wrong. But generally speaking, the Lord will make His will known by the consensus of godly men He has called to lead. j. The church must bring complaints, issues, problems, disagreement, and concerns to the leadership… but trust God to work in and through them to arrive at the best answer for the community. k. Elders too must submit to one another. Even when they are outvoted. l. Submission is not easy… but it is a highly biblical concept. m. I can state this application not as a corrective… for I think generally speaking, despite having only had Elders leading for a year and a half, you are a fairly submissive church. n. But this application goes out for all of us. We must submit to those whom God has called and qualified to lead. 5.) [Slide 24] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not give in to knee jerk reactions when things go wrong. a. Elders, I speak to us specifically with this one. And to myself especially. i. We must resist the urge to respond impetuously on matters of difficulty within the church. ii. It is easy to see how the apostles could have over or under reacted to this issue. iii. I can see myself brow beating the Hellenists for being too soft. I can see myself desiring to find out who messed up and chew them out. I can see myself ending the ministry and counting it as lost. iv. The apostles took a path of great compassion and mercy. One that we must tread if we are to lead these wonderful saints whose souls we are caring for. v. The apostles creatively came up with a solution without dismissing or exacerbating the problem. vi. Brothers, we should aim for such a mark. vii. Let us move forward, relying on God's grace, to be as wise as they were in addressing issues that arise among our people. b. But CBC, I'll address you in this too. i. Notice the church complained. ii. The difference between a godly complaint and an ungodly complaint has to do with both the audience of your complaining and your willingness to find contentment no matter the outcome of your complaining. iii. When church members bring a complaint to other church members, family members, friends, neighbors, members of other churches, or church leaders of other churches… they complain in sin. Why? iv. Because the one to whom they complain is neither called or equipped to solve their problem. v. When church members complain even to God or their Elders but do so demanding their own way or expecting to get what they want. They complain in sin. Why? vi. Because godliness with contentment is great gain. You cannot be thankful and lacking contentment at the same time. vii. So, complain well CBC. 1. Complain only to those who can do something about it. 2. And complain with sincere, humble, and gentle hearts, not needing to have your fears and pains alleviated but desiring only to make it known to those who care for you. 6.) [Slide 25] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is faithful to bless His church with growth when they strive for unity under their godly leadership. a. We see a wonderful correlation between trusting and submitting to church leadership, love, unity, and God growing His church numerically. b. While we can't break it down to a formula that is always true. We can see the correlation between a unified, submissive, love filled church and a desire from the outsider to be a part of such a community. c. What a testimony, especially in our culture, to willingly submit to and trust godly leaders. Are you telling me that won't confound the world? d. “You mean you just do what your church Elders tell you to.” e. “Yeah. I trust them. They are some of the godliest people I know.” f. “What if they screw up?” g. “They have. They admitted it and we forgave them.” h. And what a comfort to see God bless a unified church. i. It encourages and motivates us to follow suit. Let me close with a Puritan's prayer. This prayer is specifically offered on behalf of the Elders of CBC. [Slide 26 (end)] O our Lord, Let not our ministry be approved only by men, or merely win the esteem and affections of people; But do the work of grace in their hearts, call in your elect, seal and edify the regenerate ones, and command eternal blessings on their souls. Save us from self-opinion and self-seeking; Water the hearts of those who hear your Word, that seed sown in weakness may be raised in power; Cause us and those that hear us to behold you here in the light of special faith, and hereafter in the blaze of endless glory; Make our every sermon and teaching a means of grace to ourselves, and help us to experience the power of your dying love, for your blood is balm, your presence bliss, your smile heaven, your cross the place where truth and mercy meet. Look upon the doubts and discouragements of our ministry and keep us from self-importance; We beg pardon for our many sins, omissions, infirmities, as men, as ministers; Command your blessing on our weak, unworthy labours, and on the message of salvation given; Stay with your people, and may your presence be their portion and ours. When we preach and teach to others let not our words be merely elegant and masterly, our reasoning polished and refined, our performance powerful and tasteful, but may we exalt you and humble sinners. O Lord of power and grace, all hearts are in your hands, all events at your disposal, set the seal of your almighty will upon our ministry. In Jesus Name we pray… Amen.

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17 Acts 5:17-32 - Faithful, No Matter The Cost

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2023 53:14

Title: Faithful, No Matter the Cost Text: Acts 5:17-32 FCF: We often struggle remaining faithful to the Lord amid persecution. Prop: Because God has all control and authority over His church, we must remain faithful. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 5. In a moment I'll start reading in verse 17 from the NET which you can follow on page 1235 in the pew bible or in your preferred version. Today we will begin a new narrative describing the challenges of the early church. We have seen that they faced challenges from fake Christians. People who said they were believers but were discovered to have selfish and lying intentions in their hearts. As a result of the Lord's ability to see through to the thoughts and intents of the heart – the church continued to grow, now purified of those with fake faith, and the preaching of the Apostles continued in the temple courts. The church grew in popularity among the people of Jerusalem. And many more were coming to believe in Jesus and were received into the church. But there is a loose end from a previous narrative that will come calling in this text. These apostles were commanded to not preach in the name of Jesus. And they have been doing exactly that. Now we'll see opposition to the church from the Jewish leaders. But what we might expect to be a terrifying experience threatening to crush the church, ends up being quite a comical application of Psalm 2 where God mocks those who oppose Him. Please stand with me both out of respect for and to focus on the reading of God's Word. Transition: [Slide 2] I have been parenting now for about 9 years. Waverly is coming up on 9 this February. And let me tell you something, every day is a test of patience. Some days I do really well. Other days not so well. Our primary battle at this point seems to be follow through. We give commands, commands we expect to be obeyed. After a generous amount of time, we find that those commands have not been obeyed. Sometimes not even begun. When we ask for an explanation as to why they have not done what they have been told, there seems to always be something that distracted or deterred them from obedience. Isn't that odd! It is never that they allowed themselves to be distracted or that they did not consider our commands a priority over and above their own desires. No. For some unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, they were not able to obey. Judging by your feedback and knowing my own heart I realize that this is not a defect of my children or even all children. This is, in fact, a defect of fallen mankind. We all have a propensity to allow things we desire or things we fear to keep us from obeying commands of those in authority over us. Today, we will see 12 men graced by God to overcome their own desires and fears to obey the Lord. To be faithful to Him. In this the Lord will prove something they believe about Him to be true which will be a great comfort to them as they obey no matter the cost. Let's look at verse 17. I.) God exercises sovereign control over the protection of His church, so we must remain faithful. (17-20) a. [Slide 3] 17 – Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy i. Again, we are reminded that the religious leadership of the Jews is securely held by a religious party who did not believe in any existence beyond the grave. They had great difficulty believing in the spiritual realm at all or in miracles in general. ii. Coming out of the previous text, we can see that all these people bringing their sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits and they were being healed – this would have caused a good deal of tension among the Sadducees. iii. As much as the gospels tend to show Jesus and His disciples opposed to the Pharisees – The book of Acts tends to show the Apostles opposed to the Sadducees. iv. Indeed, it is implied in the book of Acts that a good number of Pharisees became believers in Jesus. v. They may have struggled to apply the gospel to Gentiles, but there was an entire faction within Christianity that were of the Pharisee party in Acts 15. vi. The Pharisee party was by far the most popular party among the people. Largely because of Jewish history in the intertestamental period. This faction rose to purify certain aspects of Greek influence and dominion from Judaism. vii. But the Sadducees tended to look fondly on Greek culture and understanding. In fact, many of their doctrinal conclusions are based on Greek philosophy and culture. viii. This party, led by the high priest was filled with jealousy. ix. This word for jealousy can be understood in two ways. 1. We can understand it in that the Sadducees were jealous of the influence and the honor that is being afforded to the apostles and the church. 2. This word for jealousy could also mean zeal or religious fervor. Meaning they might not simply be angry because of the influence of the apostles but even with a desire to keep Judaism pure. For a group who believe that God has distanced Himself from the world and is not using any means to correct anything – what the apostles are preaching would directly contradict their theology. x. In reality, it may actually be both. We know the Sadducees were already not the most popular party among the Jews. Now we have another perceived “party” or “sect” in Judaism rising up – which agrees far more with theology of the Pharisees than with them. This means that their influence and honor among the people could dip even further. xi. So, in retaliation, and perhaps even in desperation… b. [Slide 4] 18 - They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. i. If you are thinking in your heads that this is starting to sound very similar to the narrative recorded for us in chapter 4… then you would be right. ii. In fact, many more critical commentators would say that this is a retelling of the same event. iii. However, there are some significant differences between the accounts in chapter 4 and chapter 5. We'll bring those up as we come to them. iv. Like the events of chapter 4, it seems that the apostles were thrown in jail to await their trial before the religious leadership. 1. Like in chapter 4, this may be because it was too late. The next event we will see in this narrative is during the night. 2. But Luke doesn't overtly tell us when they were arrested. They could have sat in jail for the entire day before the events that follow. v. Unlike the previous account, they are thrown into a public jail. Luke specifically calls this out. 1. In chapter 4 they were probably put in a temple jail since they were arrested by the temple guards. 2. Archeological evidence suggests that the Sanhedrin did have temporary holding cells for those who awaited trial. These cells were right on the temple mount close to where the Sanhedrin met. 3. But it seems that here Luke is indicating that they were placed in a state jail and not a religious one. Probably not on temple grounds. Why would they do this? a. First, in chapter 4, there was only Peter and John to worry about. Here, it is clear, that this is all 12 apostles. That is a lot of people to incarcerate, even if they were crammed into one cell. b. Second, in chapter 4, they could find no crime to charge the apostles with… but they did issue them a legally binding command. i. The governing body of the Jews commanded them not to teach any more in the name of Jesus. ii. They had violated this. What does that mean? iii. It means that the apostles were held in contempt of the court. This is a crime. And since they were criminals, they could be held, even in state jails. c. [Slide 5] Lastly, they did this no doubt to parade the apostles through the temple courts. i. Most likely the place of their incarceration was in the Antonia Fortress on the Northwest corner of the temple mount. ii. The way to access that fortress would have been to walk up a set of stairs (yes up from the temple mount) to get to the fortress. iii. In other words, these apostles were paraded through the temple courts and upstairs on display for everyone to see. iv. This was designed to be a public humiliation to them. c. [Slide 6] 19 – But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out, i. If this was indeed the Antonia Fortress there was no way that the apostles had any hope to successfully escape on their own. ii. We are told that this is an angel of the Lord. It is possible that this is THE angel of the Lord, meaning that Christ Himself led them out of the jail. However, there is no indication that this is so. In fact, if it was the risen Christ, why would Luke not specify that, as he does with Saul's conversion in chapter 9. iii. It is also possible that angel here means simply messenger. Meaning a human agent was sent to deliver the apostles safely out. However, given the dramatic irony of a spiritual being delivering the prisoners out of the hands of those who do not believe in spiritual beings… iv. It makes much more sense that this was an angel sent to rescue and command the Apostles. d. [Slide 7] 20 - And said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life.” i. The angel commands them with the authority of God to go and continue doing what they had been doing prior to their arrest. ii. To go back to the temple courts and preach to the people. iii. This effectively authenticates the position they took in chapter 4. They must obey God rather than men. God through His messenger authorizes their disobedience to their authorities' command. iv. They are told to preach “all the words of this life.” v. This is an odd expression, but not one that is so perplexing that we cannot guess its meaning. vi. They are to preach of the author of life in whom all must believe to have life eternal. They must preach and bear witness of the resurrected Christ who gives power to His people to be and do what He has called them to be and do. vii. The life they are to teach, is the New Covenant life. e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: We see here the summation of the teaching in Psalm 2. We see Proverbs 21:1 and Proverbs 16:9 on full display. God exercises His divine sovereignty over and above the will of the governing authorities of Jerusalem. God still holds all control and all authority. Nothing can happen to His church without it being His will for it to have happened. This is no less true today. God supernaturally and sovereignly protects His church and ensures that the gospel message will continue to go forth. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] So, with the understanding that God is the one who can sovereignly step in and protect His church, what is the response from the apostles? How do they react to God's command being issued to go back and do exactly what they were arrested for? II.) God demands continued obedience from His church despite the cost, we must remain faithful. (21-26) a. [Slide 10] 21a –When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began teaching. i. The apostles wasted no time. ii. [Slide 11] It is possible that the angel led them out of the Antonia Fortress right onto the temple mount, but given the fact that they would have to enter the temple courts, it is much more likely that they were released out the front door of the prison to the North of the temple mount. iii. No doubt the timing of this was in the early morning, perhaps very close to dawn. iv. If they were released before dawn, why would they wait to enter until dawn? v. The gates to the temple mount were unlocked just prior to the sacrifices at dawn. Until then, no one would be permitted on the temple mount. Levitical guards would have made sure of this. vi. So, the apostles, at the earliest possible time, obeyed the Word of the Lord given through an angel of the Lord. vii. At dawn, they began to preach and teach in the name of Jesus. Presumably in Solomon's Portico. b. [Slide 12] 21b – Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin – that is, the whole high council of the Israelites – and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them. i. Did you know that God has a sense of humor? ii. Without trivializing or looking at God sacrilegiously, this entire narrative is absolutely hysterical. iii. The Sanhedrin would have no doubt arrived to the temple mount before dawn so they could prepare themselves for the events of the day. iv. [Slide 13] Imagine the scene. As they are walking into their chambers (the red line) and the rest come to meet for the trial, the apostles are being led out the front door of the fortress (the yellow line). v. [Slide 14] Here it is again from another angle. vi. We've seen the cartoons where Jerry is trying to find Tom or Sylvester is trying to get to Tweedie bird, or the coyote the road runner. And they are only seconds behind them, but never able to find them. vii. That is what is happening here! viii. They send for the apostles so they can proceed with their trial. ix. [Slide 15] The guards exit the chamber of hewn stone traveling west(red line)… in the opposite direction of where the apostles are headed, and arrive at the north western side of the temple mount, heading up the stairs into the Antonia Fortress, probably around the same time that the apostles enter into Solomon's portico! c. [Slide 16] 22-23 – But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” i. Can you imagine their dismay? ii. The temple guards walk up to the cell they were placed in. The prison guards are still there. iii. A quick conversation about taking the prisoners for their trial. iv. A guard flippantly remarks about how quiet they've been and how they must still be asleep. v. A guard opens the door and they walk in. vi. So… where are they? vii. You had 12 guys in here! Where did they go? viii. I don't know! We've been here all night! ix. [Slide 17] And then to have to go back down the stairs, unable to see the gathering of people under the Portico of Solomon. They approach the chamber of hewn stone where the Sanhedrin meet and never see the apostles who no doubt were preaching at the very moment they entered the temple courts! d. [Slide 18] 24 – Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priest heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be. i. No kidding, right? ii. How can you put 12 grown men under lock and key with armed guards in a state prison, leave them overnight, and come back the next day with not one of them still there? iii. Such a story stretches the imagination of what is possible by natural means. iv. Even if the prison had a flaw that could have been exploited to allow for them to escape, it is very unlikely that the apostles would have discovered it in the short time they were there. v. And no matter what that flaw would be, you would still have to get 12 men to exploit it without anyone seeing them. vi. One wonders that if such a flaw existed, how it could have gone unnoticed by the authorities. vii. The most believable version is what Luke has recorded. A miracle from the Lord. Supernatural intervention. e. [Slide 19] 25 – But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people!” i. We are not told how much time elapses. ii. It could have been only a few minutes or several hours. iii. Eventually, someone reports to the Sanhedrin that the very men they were looking for, were only a few feet away on the temple mount, preaching to the people in the name of Jesus. iv. HOW EMBARASING! 1. First it isn't even them that discovers this! Someone from outside of the Sanhedrin has to clue them in. 2. Second, they are right under their noses. A mere 1000 feet or less from where the Sanhedrin sat. 3. Thirdly, they were doing exactly what they got arrested for the day before! The exact thing they were supposed to be on trial for, right at this very moment. 4. And last, but not least, do you remember how it was that the apostles were arrested and put in jail the day before? Was it not a public humiliation to march them to the fortress on the corner of the temple mount. And now… here they are preaching again. v. The Sanhedrin, and especially the Sadducees and the high priest, looked like absolute fools in this whole debacle. f. [Slide 20] 26 – Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought the apostles without the use of force (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). i. So, the Sanhedrin send the temple guard out with his officers to bring the apostles into the Chamber of hewn stone. ii. We are told that these guards did not use force to do this. They feared the reaction of the people – because as we were told last week, the general opinion of the people of Jerusalem was, that these men were sent from God. iii. Since no violence was used to bring the apostles to the court – we can reasonably assume that they came willingly. They did not themselves resist the authorities. Even though they are attempting to punish them for disobeying an unjust law. g. [Slide 21] Summary of the Point: God expects continued obedience to His commands despite difficulties and setbacks. Most prisoners who escape from prison do not immediately go back to the place they committed their crime and continue to do the exact same thing. Most escapees attempt to flee and set up a new life somewhere else. Rather than fleeing Jerusalem – the apostles obeyed the Word of the Lord and preached the gospel in the temple courts. And we see God's supernatural hand guiding them to do this right under the noses of those who arrested them in the first place. No matter the difficulties, no matter the abuse, no matter the injustice, we are not permitted by God to set aside His laws. Even if there is heavy cost, we must continue to obey the Lord in what He has given us to do. Transition: [Slide 22 (blank)] So, in spite of the risk posed to the apostles, we find God making a mockery of those who oppose His church, while they continue to obey Him – even facing heavy penalty for doing so. But how will this be resolved? What is God's endgame here? He wants His people to obey, but to what end? III.) God expects His church to preach the gospel to all men despite the cost, so we must remain faithful. (27-32) a. [Slide 23] 27-28 – When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, and the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood on us!” i. Here is their trial. ii. The high priest questions them. His line of questioning is simple. iii. We told you to do something and you disobeyed. iv. The results are just as we feared, your teaching is spreading in Jerusalem and you are rousing the crowd to treat us like we have murdered a blasphemer. v. The high priest is trying to scare them straight. No one in Jerusalem, except the zealots, want rebellion. Any kind of infighting, revolt or uprising would be quickly put down by the Roman authorities. Even if it was Jews fighting Jews. vi. However, in this line of questioning the high priest tips his hand. He appears to be concerned about religious purity but in reality, he admits what his real fears are. vii. They are losing the respect of the people. The people are starting to believe the apostles that the man named Jesus was murdered by the Sanhedrin. And the high priest accuses them of doing this on purpose. Specifically, to undermine their authority as righteous men of God. b. [Slide 24] 29 – But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. i. Peter wishes to clarify their position and answer every accusation. ii. Although much of what the high priest says is true, it is without necessary nuance. iii. First, what was commanded of the apostles before was an unjust command that they could not possibly obey. And they told them that they couldn't obey it. Why? Because God commanded them something directly contradictory. iv. So much so that God actually commanded them again through an angelic messenger. Peter doesn't bring that up because more than half the council doesn't believe in angels. v. But the first element of the Apostles' response is that they disobeyed only because they had to. Not because they desired to be contentious or to lead a revolution or to make the Sanhedrin look bad. vi. Make no mistake there are two trials here. The Sanhedrin is on trial too. vii. Peter invalidates the first charge, pointing out that they lacked the authority to create their ungodly law. c. [Slide 25] 30 – The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging Him on a tree. i. And while it is true that the apostles are teaching that the Sanhedrin did seize and kill Jesus by hanging him on a tree and treating Him as if He was cursed… ii. God raised Him up. The same God we all share! The God of all our forefathers. iii. Your God – Mr. High Priest – raised this man up. iv. That should tell you that even though you are guilty of killing him, we do not wish to teach this to turn the public against you… but because it is true. v. Peter even taught before that they did this in ignorance. vi. In other words, Peter is teaching that they murdered Jesus but not to destroy the reputation of the council… but rather that the council may be saved through Christ. d. [Slide 26] 31 – God exalted Him to His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. i. Not only did God raise up the one you killed, but He exalted Him to His right hand – a place of honor. ii. In that place God has given Him a new position. He is leader. He is Lord. He is the Authority and He is the Founder of the New Covenant. iii. He is firstborn among many brothers. He is above every Jew and Gentile. iv. But not only that… He is the Savior. v. He has made it possible for repentance and forgiveness to be gifted, granted to Israel. vi. It is true that we are filling Jerusalem with this teaching. But we are not filling Jerusalem with harmful teaching to start a revolt or to dishonor this council. Instead, we are preaching a message of hope, love, repentance and forgiveness! vii. Even for you! viii. You might be guilty of Jesus' murder. You may have His blood on your hands. But He stands ready to forgive you, even for murdering Him. And if He is able to forgive you for that, then He is able to forgive all your sin. e. [Slide 27] 32 – And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” i. We have seen all this with our own eyes. We risk all this because we must – not because we want to raise an army and not because we want to have you punished for killing your own Messiah. ii. We must tell what is true. iii. To do otherwise would be to deny or blaspheme the Spirit of God who also testifies to these things. iv. After all, He is the one whom God has given to all those you see who are obeying God. v. You see, Mr. High Priest, you accuse us of having earthly concerns. Of attempting to vie for power here. vi. But sir, we disobey, we preach the name of Jesus, because He is our only hope. He is the next step in true Judaism. vii. We are not sectarians with earthly concerns. We are true Jews with a Divinely approved message. A message of good news. viii. And it is good news that is available for you too! ix. We don't want vengeance for what you've done. We want you to be in Christ with us! f. [Slide 28] Summary of the Point: God expects His church to preach the gospel to all men, even to our enemies. The high priest and the rest of the Sanhedrin had grave concerns about their own reputations and the political upheaval that could come as a result of preaching such things. But Peter explains that they do not have such shallow goals. The bid for kings and kingdoms of this world is far too trivial a matter for the apostles to concern themselves with. For the Prince, the Lord, the Savior, is now seated at the right hand of God and is offering repentance and forgiveness to Israel. There is a kingdom coming that is not of this world. And that Kingdom ought to be the primary goal of every single member of God's true church. They must be busy about the business of proclaiming that that Kingdom has come. Even to those who stand in opposition. Conclusion: So, CBC, as we conclude today, we must boil down what we've learned into one doctrinal takeaway. What have we learned and how shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 29] Our three points combine to give us a full understanding of how the church is to respond when it experiences opposition. God still expects His church to faithfully obey His commands and preach the gospel in spite of the opposition we may face and the cost it may demand from us. This sounds cold and heartless of God, and it would be unless God truly is in absolute control over all things. If God is indeed sovereign over, even the wills of men, as His church we can trust that whatever befalls us is part of His will for us. He is able to deliver us unscathed if He so chooses. This gives us confidence to remain faithful to His expectations and trust Him no matter what it may cost us to do so. 1.) [Slide 30] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God is sovereignly able to deliver His church from peril. a. Although we can pendulum swing too far here, we must believe and confess that God is sovereignly able to undo all the plans of the wicked and deliver His people safely from their hands. Is 54:17. b. This does not mean that God always will. God did not ultimately deliver 11 out of the 12 apostles from martyrdom. c. But believing that God is able but not always willing to deliver us is a far cry from what we might naturally believe, that our God is distant, aloof, indifferent, or powerless against the wills of evil men. d. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has placed us here as His servants and His lights to shine so that others may see Him. e. He has given us a message of good news to give to the nations. f. There are numerous examples throughout the New Testament of God rescuing His people from certain doom. g. God is still the same today. h. As our culture becomes more and more opposed to a biblical worldview and more and more antagonistic to the gospel of Christ, we have already and will no doubt continue to experience growing opposition on par with this example in Acts 5. i. As that day approaches my friends, we must believe that our God can prevent any evil raised against us if He so chooses. j. To the extent that we need not allow fear to dictate what we do. For God has our death day appointed. He knows when He will call us home. And that may not be this day. k. To not trust and believe that God is able to powerfully snatch us, even from men, is to doom ourselves to a fearful existence. l. But my friends – the scriptures show us that this is exactly who our God is. He defends His people. And if He doesn't… it is not because He couldn't… it is because He planned it that way. Ultimately to bring glory to Himself. m. With the confidence in knowing that whatever happens to us, it is God's plan, we can then boldly do all He has commanded, without fearing anything that men can do to us. 2.) [Slide 31] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must not believe that we can disobey God to save ourselves. a. Many times, I think we can convince ourselves that it doesn't matter how we go about securing a good outcome, just so long as we do it. b. The apostles no doubt could have fled after being released from the prison. c. They could have resisted being arrested again. d. They could have lied to the Sanhedrin. e. They could have obeyed the Sanhedrin the first time and not preached in the name of Christ. f. And they could have justified it in so many ways. Doesn't Jesus want His gospel spread to the uttermost parts of the earth? Wouldn't us escaping Jerusalem and fleeing somewhere else accomplish that end? g. Maybe we can preach all the gospel and not mention Jesus' name. Perhaps we can just call Him Christ or the Son of God. h. My friends we can be tempted to believe that we can disobey the Lord to secure good and godly ends, but this is a lie. i. When we disobey the Lord in order to obey the Lord, we still disobey the Lord. When we disobey the Lord in order to secure a good end, it is not ultimately for our good but to our detriment. j. We betray our faulty understanding of our first application. We are not truly trusting that the outcome is securely in the hands of the Lord and that He can do miraculous things to deliver us if He so chooses. k. If we truly believed that, then we would not be looking to our ends at all. We would only be looking at what God has commanded of us. l. Therefore, we must naturally come to this next application. 3.) [Slide 32] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must remain faithful to the Lord despite what it may cost us. a. No matter what the outcome may be… no matter what the ends are… we must obey the Lord. b. We must remain faithful and trust Him to either deliver us or to uphold us through the consequences of our obedience. c. The apostles went right back to that temple mount the next morning at dawn. They had no intention of disobeying the Lord to save their own skin. d. We can't engineer the outcomes… but we can be faithful to the Lord right now. e. My friends, we will face days where we may have to sacrifice a great deal to continue to confess Christ. f. There are stories in Foxes book of martyrs, horrible stories of dear saints tortured, forced to watch their spouses being raped and their children flayed alive. g. And they could have stopped all the pain and all the suffering were they only to deny that Christ is King. h. In that moment we may be tempted to forget the first two applications. We may start to believe that God is NOT in control of the outcome. We may start to forget that securing the safety of our children does NOT permit us to disobey our Lord. i. My friends, we must be ready to obey the Lord… even when it costs us everything. j. After almost 250 years of safely confessing Christ without much cost… I fear that we are not yet ready for this level of opposition. k. But we must begin to steel our hearts in His grace. l. We must remain faithful to the Lord… even when everything we hold dear is being ripped from us. m. We must do this knowing that God could stop it if He desired to. But if He does not, He will give us grace to endure. He expects us, simply, to remain faithful and preach the good news… even to those who are taking what we love from us. n. Could you preach the gospel of grace to those who took the lives of your family? o. Oh Lord… we need your grace. 4.) [Slide 33] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop allowing fear of what may happen to us prevent us from remaining faithful to God's commands. a. I don't know if it is because we are western in our mindsets… I don't know if it is an American thing, a personality thing, or just a human thing… b. But often times we get caught playing the “what if” game. c. We overwhelm ourselves with all the what ifs. d. What if they break into my home? What if they try to take my kids? What if they trace my cell number? e. We must be very careful to not allow our playing of the “what if” game to turn into our planning to disobey God's commands in order to avoid the what ifs. f. If I never talk about Jesus, if I never pursue knowing Christ, if I never pray, if no one knows that I am a Christian because I never share the gospel with anyone… then I can insulate myself from their aggression when it comes. g. But my friends the church went to Solomon's Portico. 1000 feet from where the Sanhedrin told them NOT to speak in the name of Jesus. h. And what did they do? i. They spoke in the name of Jesus. j. And even after they were arrested for it… they were released miraculously and went RIGHT BACK TO IT! And even when they stood with those who had the power to punish them severely… those who killed their Savior… they offered THEM the gospel! k. They did not allow fear to keep them from obeying the Lord. l. And neither should we. m. We must trust God with what will be… and simply obey Him. 5.) [Slide 34 (end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God is sovereignly able to deliver His church from peril. a. To do all of this we must circle all the way back to remind ourselves of the comforting thing we must believe. b. If God wants to save us – there is nothing that can stop Him. c. If God doesn't desire to save us – then we are exactly where He has put us, and He won't forsake us. He will give us grace to face even heavy costs. d. This is great comfort and peace. e. He doesn't promise to always rescue us… but He does promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. f. This is all the comfort we need to obey Him until our dying breath. g. Indeed, for me to live is Christ… and to die is gain. Let me close with a puritan prayer. Let's pray. Father, you are the God of our end. You have given us a fixed disposition to go forth and spend our lives for you; If it be your will let us proceed in it; if not, then revoke our intentions. All we want in life is such circumstances as may best enable us to serve you in the world; To this end we leave all our concerns in your hand, but let us not be discouraged, for this hinders our spiritual fervency; Enable us to undertake some task for you, for this refreshes and animates our souls, so that we could endure all hardships and labours, and willingly suffer for your name. But, O what a death it is to strive and labour, to be always in a hurry and yet do nothing! Alas, time flies and we are of little use. O that we could be a flame of fire in your service, always burning out in one continual blaze. Fit us for singular usefulness in this world. Fit us to exult in distresses of every kind if they but promote the advancement of your kingdom. Fit us to quit all hopes of the world's friendship, and give us a deeper sense of our sinfulness. Fit us to accept as just desert from you any trial that may befall us. Fit us to be totally resigned to the denial of pleasures we desire, and to be content to spend our time with you. Fit us to pray with a sense of the joy of divine communion, to find all times happy seasons to our souls, to see our own nothingness, and wonder that we are allowed to serve you. Fit us to enter the blessed world where no unclean thing is, and to know you… with us… always. In Jesus name… Amen.

23-306 Harmonizing with the Holy: The Power of Collective Listening

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 6:00

Hey there, fellow seekers of the spirit! It's Matthew Adams, bringing you a nifty nugget of wisdom that just might change the way you hear the voice from above. Now, I've often thought of spirituality as a solo act, a personal tête-à-tête between me and the Man Upstairs. But what if we've been missing out on some spiritual surround sound?Scripture:"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." - GALATIANS 5:25Imagine a symphony orchestra. Alone, each instrument is beautiful. But together? Ah, that's where the magic happens. That's where the rich, harmonious melodies come to life. Similarly, in our spiritual journey, the Holy Spirit doesn't just whisper to individuals; He's conducting a spiritual orchestra, aiming to create a divine harmony amongst us believers.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Driving Points:* The Unity of the Spirit:It's no secret that God is a fan of unity. Just peek at Acts 15, where church leaders collectively felt the Spirit's nudge. The same Spirit that moves within you moves within me. When we're in sync, listening together, decisions aren't just good; they're divine.* The Amplification of Collective Listening:Ever tried catching a whisper in a noisy room? It's tricky. But what if everyone in the room was listening for that whisper, too? Chances are, it'd be heard loud and clear. When believers come together, seeking guidance, it's like amplifying the Holy Spirit's voice, making it clearer and more potent.* The Visible Transformation of Unity:Let's be honest; nothing says "God's at work" like a congregation pulsating with divine energy. When a group of people, with open hearts and ears, come together, the resulting unity isn't just inspiring – it's downright supernatural. It's the kind of thing that not only changes lives but can change the trajectory of nations.Conclusion:So, individual prayers? Absolutely essential. But the collective listening? It's like tapping into spiritual high-definition audio. By uniting in purpose and prayer, we get to experience the Holy Spirit in full stereo, and let me tell you, it's a sound you won't want to miss.Call to Action:The next time you find yourself in a spiritual gathering, whether it's a Sunday service, a small group, or just a chat with fellow believers, tune in together. Encourage shared listening and see how the Spirit leads your collective hearts.Prayer:Spirit of Unity, guide us towards collective harmony. Let our combined voices and ears amplify Your divine message. Ignite our hearts, bridge our souls, and usher in a unity that transcends mere human understanding.Alright, fellow navigators of the divine frequencies, the next time you lean in to hear that still, small voice, invite a friend or two to lean in with you. Until next time, stay plugged in, stay united, and always keep those spiritual antennas raised. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

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23-306 Harmonizing with the Holy: The Power of Collective Listening

Good Girls Get Rich Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 6:00

Hey there, fellow seekers of the spirit! It's Matthew Adams, bringing you a nifty nugget of wisdom that just might change the way you hear the voice from above. Now, I've often thought of spirituality as a solo act, a personal tête-à-tête between me and the Man Upstairs. But what if we've been missing out on some spiritual surround sound?Scripture:"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." - GALATIANS 5:25Imagine a symphony orchestra. Alone, each instrument is beautiful. But together? Ah, that's where the magic happens. That's where the rich, harmonious melodies come to life. Similarly, in our spiritual journey, the Holy Spirit doesn't just whisper to individuals; He's conducting a spiritual orchestra, aiming to create a divine harmony amongst us believers.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Driving Points:* The Unity of the Spirit:It's no secret that God is a fan of unity. Just peek at Acts 15, where church leaders collectively felt the Spirit's nudge. The same Spirit that moves within you moves within me. When we're in sync, listening together, decisions aren't just good; they're divine.* The Amplification of Collective Listening:Ever tried catching a whisper in a noisy room? It's tricky. But what if everyone in the room was listening for that whisper, too? Chances are, it'd be heard loud and clear. When believers come together, seeking guidance, it's like amplifying the Holy Spirit's voice, making it clearer and more potent.* The Visible Transformation of Unity:Let's be honest; nothing says "God's at work" like a congregation pulsating with divine energy. When a group of people, with open hearts and ears, come together, the resulting unity isn't just inspiring – it's downright supernatural. It's the kind of thing that not only changes lives but can change the trajectory of nations.Conclusion:So, individual prayers? Absolutely essential. But the collective listening? It's like tapping into spiritual high-definition audio. By uniting in purpose and prayer, we get to experience the Holy Spirit in full stereo, and let me tell you, it's a sound you won't want to miss.Call to Action:The next time you find yourself in a spiritual gathering, whether it's a Sunday service, a small group, or just a chat with fellow believers, tune in together. Encourage shared listening and see how the Spirit leads your collective hearts.Prayer:Spirit of Unity, guide us towards collective harmony. Let our combined voices and ears amplify Your divine message. Ignite our hearts, bridge our souls, and usher in a unity that transcends mere human understanding.Alright, fellow navigators of the divine frequencies, the next time you lean in to hear that still, small voice, invite a friend or two to lean in with you. Until next time, stay plugged in, stay united, and always keep those spiritual antennas raised. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god spirit holy spirit holy acts unity galatians collective chances encourage ignite harmonizing amplification man upstairs matthew adams spirit it conclusion so

258 – Women on LinkedIn: Building Confidence, Networks, and Successful Futures

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 29:57

This week's episode of Good Girls Get Rich is brought to you by Uplevel Media CEO and LinkedIn expert, Karen Yankovich. In this episode, Karen Yankovich talks to the women on LinkedIn! Want to build confidence, networks, and successful futures? Then this episode is for you! #GoodGirlsGetRich We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com. About the Episode: In this episode, we dove deep into the challenges women face on LinkedIn and unpacked the reasons behind the gender gap on this powerful platform. We explored various factors, from incomplete profiles to societal expectations, that might be holding women back on LinkedIn. But fear not, because I'm here to shed light on these challenges and guide you on how to conquer them. Key Points: Incomplete Profiles: So many LinkedIn users, regardless of gender, have profiles that are just gathering dust. And guess what? Incomplete profiles mean missed opportunities! Let's spruce up those profiles and make them shine. Time Constraints: We get it; life gets crazy busy. But here's the deal: your professional network matters, and investing time in platforms like LinkedIn can open doors you never imagined. It's worth carving out some time for your career growth. Societal Expectations: Ah, societal expectations, the silent confidence killer. Don't let these norms hold you back. You are powerful, and your voice deserves to be heard. It's time to break free from these constraints and own your space. Imposter Syndrome: That sneaky imposter syndrome can haunt even the best of us. But let me tell you, you are not alone. We've all been there. It's about embracing your worth and acknowledging your expertise. You belong here! Privacy Concerns: Privacy is crucial, but it shouldn't hide your brilliance. Yes, be cautious, but don't let it dim your light. LinkedIn is your stage; showcase your talents proudly and authentically. LinkedIn's Perception: There's a misconception that LinkedIn is just for B2B connections. Let's bust that myth! LinkedIn is a powerhouse for all businesses. Whether you're B2B or B2C, there's a place for you to shine and thrive. Empowerment and Visibility: Ladies, it's time to take control of your online brand. Network with purpose, refine your LinkedIn profile, and communicate assertively, all while staying true to yourself. Empowerment and visibility go hand in hand. Networking Strategies: Building connections with influencers, perfecting your LinkedIn profile, and embracing authentic communication strategies can transform your LinkedIn experience. Remember, authenticity and assertiveness are your superpowers! Conclusion: So, there you have it! Overcoming challenges, embracing confidence, and leveraging LinkedIn strategically can transform your professional journey. Let's rewrite the rules, break free from limitations, and create a vibrant LinkedIn presence together. Your dreams are within reach – let's make them a reality! Episode Spotlights: Where to find everything for this week's episode: http://karenyankovich.com/258 Magical Quotes from the Episode: "LinkedIn is a tool where you can create your brand, your story, your presence in a way that's just not possible anywhere else." "Success is not about spamming people, it's about creating magnetic profiles that draw people to you." "Confidence is magnetic. When you show up as your confident self on LinkedIn, it attracts the right opportunities and connections." "LinkedIn is not just a platform; it's a community where you can surround yourself with amazing people who believe in you." "Visibility leads to influence. The more visible you are on LinkedIn, the more impact and influence you can have in your industry." Resources Mentioned In This Episode: Sign up for the She's LinkedUp Masterclass Join my free Facebook Group if you have any questions about today's episode Help Us Spread The Word! It would be awesome if you shared the Good Girls Get Rich Podcast with your fellow entrepreneurs on Twitter. Click here to tweet some love! If this episode has taught you just one thing, I would love if you could head on over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW! And if you're moved to, kindly leave us a rating and review. Maybe you'll get a shout out on the show! Ways to Subscribe to Good Girls Get Rich: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via PlayerFM You can also subscribe via Stitcher Good Girls Get Rich is also on Spotify Take a listen on Podcast Addict

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23-303 The Ultimate Thirst Quencher: God's Call in Our Lives

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 6:01

Well, folks, it's Matthew Adams here, and I've got a story that might resonate with the wanderer in you. Imagine you're in the desert, and all you've got is a thirst you can't quench. But instead of water, what you're really yearning for is a connection. A connection to something, or rather someone, bigger than us all.Scripture:“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” - PSALM 42:1-2In a world that offers endless amusements and distractions, there's this underlying thirst. It's like going to a diner, looking at a menu full of options, and still feeling something's missing. The best steaks and the fanciest desserts just don't cut it. We're searching for something... more.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Driving Points:* The World's Menu and the Missing Ingredient:You've seen those shows, right? The ones where folks go around trying all kinds of exotic foods? Now imagine sitting in the fanciest restaurant, and no matter how sumptuous the feast, there's still this little void. That's what worldly pleasures can sometimes feel like. They're delicious, sure, but something's missing. That's the yearning for God, that special flavor we often overlook.* More Than A Wi-Fi Connection:We live in an era of instant messaging, video calls, and social media. Yet, we all yearn for a deeper, uninterrupted connection. A bond with God, where there's no "last seen" or "read receipt", but just a continuous outpouring of love and understanding.* Hearing the Call - It's All About Craving:Listening to God isn't about buying the fanciest headphones or following a ten-step guide. It's about genuine thirst. When we're parched and there's only one well in sight, we're going to drink from it, right? That's how it is with God's voice. Desire Him above all, and you'll hear Him clear as day.Conclusion:So, as we trek through this dusty trail called life, remember this: God is the stream, the oasis, the fountain, and the well. Our longing, that deep-seated thirst, is the compass pointing right to Him.Call to Action:Alright, adventurers, here's the game plan: Next time you feel that pang of emptiness or thirst, instead of reaching for the usual distractions, pause. Reflect. Dive deep into prayer or perhaps a scripture. Let's make it our mission to quench our spiritual thirst and truly connect with God.Prayer:Lord Almighty, it's a dusty trail, and the mirages are plenty. But my compass? That's my thirst for You. Drench me with Your wisdom, and let Your voice guide me to the oasis of truth. Fill this cup, Lord, till it overflows.Well, friends, it's been a real journey today. As you continue down your path, let that thirst guide you, and remember to always stay tuned to God's frequency amidst all the static. Until next time, keep the faith, and happy adventuring! Cheers! Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god lord psalm dive scripture hearing cheers fill reflect menu o god 2in thirst quencher drench matthew adams conclusion so

23-303 The Ultimate Thirst Quencher: God's Call in Our Lives

The Maeve Ferguson Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 6:01

Well, folks, it's Matthew Adams here, and I've got a story that might resonate with the wanderer in you. Imagine you're in the desert, and all you've got is a thirst you can't quench. But instead of water, what you're really yearning for is a connection. A connection to something, or rather someone, bigger than us all.Scripture:“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” - PSALM 42:1-2In a world that offers endless amusements and distractions, there's this underlying thirst. It's like going to a diner, looking at a menu full of options, and still feeling something's missing. The best steaks and the fanciest desserts just don't cut it. We're searching for something... more.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Driving Points:* The World's Menu and the Missing Ingredient:You've seen those shows, right? The ones where folks go around trying all kinds of exotic foods? Now imagine sitting in the fanciest restaurant, and no matter how sumptuous the feast, there's still this little void. That's what worldly pleasures can sometimes feel like. They're delicious, sure, but something's missing. That's the yearning for God, that special flavor we often overlook.* More Than A Wi-Fi Connection:We live in an era of instant messaging, video calls, and social media. Yet, we all yearn for a deeper, uninterrupted connection. A bond with God, where there's no "last seen" or "read receipt", but just a continuous outpouring of love and understanding.* Hearing the Call - It's All About Craving:Listening to God isn't about buying the fanciest headphones or following a ten-step guide. It's about genuine thirst. When we're parched and there's only one well in sight, we're going to drink from it, right? That's how it is with God's voice. Desire Him above all, and you'll hear Him clear as day.Conclusion:So, as we trek through this dusty trail called life, remember this: God is the stream, the oasis, the fountain, and the well. Our longing, that deep-seated thirst, is the compass pointing right to Him.Call to Action:Alright, adventurers, here's the game plan: Next time you feel that pang of emptiness or thirst, instead of reaching for the usual distractions, pause. Reflect. Dive deep into prayer or perhaps a scripture. Let's make it our mission to quench our spiritual thirst and truly connect with God.Prayer:Lord Almighty, it's a dusty trail, and the mirages are plenty. But my compass? That's my thirst for You. Drench me with Your wisdom, and let Your voice guide me to the oasis of truth. Fill this cup, Lord, till it overflows.Well, friends, it's been a real journey today. As you continue down your path, let that thirst guide you, and remember to always stay tuned to God's frequency amidst all the static. Until next time, keep the faith, and happy adventuring! Cheers! Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god lord psalm dive scripture hearing cheers fill reflect menu o god 2in thirst quencher drench matthew adams conclusion so

Episode 169: Should Indie Authors Produce Audiobooks?

The Pulp Writer Show

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 28:45

In this week's episode, we take a look at the perils and advantages of audiobook production for indie authors. A preview of DRAGONSKULL: FURY OF THE BARBARIANS (as narrated by Brad Wills) is included at the end of the episode. It's time for a new Coupon of the Week! This week's coupon is for the audiobook of GHOST IN THE FORGE, as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. You can get the audiobook of GHOST IN THE FORGE for 75% off at my Payhip store with this coupon code: GHOSTFORGE The coupon code is valid through October 7th, 2023, so if you find yourself in need of a good listen as we advance into fall, perhaps it's time to get a new audiobook! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00- Intro and Coupon of the Week Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 169 of the Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is September, the 22nd, 2023 and today we're going to discuss whether or not indie authors should produce audiobooks. Before we get to our main topics, let's do Coupon of the Week. This week's Coupon of the Week is for the audiobook of Ghost in the Forge as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. You can get the audiobook of Ghosts in the Forge for 75% off at my Payhip store with this coupon code, GHOSTFORGE. That coupon code is valid through October the 7th, 2023. So if you find yourself in need of a good listen as we advance in the fall, perhaps it's time to get a new audiobook. You can get the coupon code and the link to the store in the show notes. Let's have some updates on my current writing projects and some questions and comments from readers, and then we'll get to this week's main topic. 00:00:59- Writing Updates I am almost to the end of Chapter 15 of 20 of Ghost in the Serpent, which means I'm just about 75% of the way through the rough draft, so I'm hoping I will wrap that up soon, probably before the end of September, but possibly in the first week of October. The audiobook of Dragonskull: Fury of the Barbarians is finished and is currently processing through all the stores, so hopefully we'll be able to announce that soon. And in fact, we're going to include an excerpt from Dragonskull: Fury of the Barbarians at the end of this episode, so you will be able to listen to a sample. Dragonskull: Tales of the Sorcerer is also going to be started. I think we're going to start recording that on Monday if all goes well, so hopefully we should be able to get that out and available before the end of the year. And once Ghost in the Serpent is finished and published, the next project will be Cloak of Embers, which I hope to start writing in October. That is a neat segue into questions from readers. 00:02:01 Reader Questions Our first question this week is from John, who asks: This is great news. I've been wanting to read more about Caina and her friends, and now we're finally going to get a new series with her. I just checked and there is no pre-order available yet, so please let me know where we can get this one. I don't usually do pre-orders because setting the logistics of it can be kind of a hassle but if all goes well, Ghost in the Serpent should be out sometime in October 2023, so not too much longer. Our next question is from Michael, who asks: Have you tried Starfield, Jonathan or do you intend to at some point when you have the time? I was surprised at just how much like Skyrim in space it is. I have in fact tried Starfield. I have Xbox Game Pass for the Xbox I got last year and since Starfield's in Game Pass, I went to install it and give it a try. Michael's right, it is very much like Skyrim in space where instead of a sword and magic spells, you have a laser gun in the spaceship. Though if you get an axe, you can fight with it like it's a sword. I haven't had much time to play it because I've been focused on trying to get Ghost in the Serpent finished, but I should have more time to play it soon, I think. Our final question this week is from Godfrey who asks: I love all your books that I've read so far. Still a few to go. I'm slightly confused. How about the audio availability of your Cloak Games and Cloak Mage series? Both these series, which are some of my favorites, only appear to have audio available for the first few books. I'm wondering therefore, if there are plans to issue the rest of each of these two series as audiobooks. Thanks for the kind words, Godfrey. I am glad you enjoyed the Cloak Mage and Cloak Games books and in answer to your question, this is a perfect segue into the main topic of the week, whether or not indie authors should produce audiobooks. 00:03:45: Main Topic of the Week I had a conversation the other day about how indie authors sometimes try to produce audiobooks only to give up because the audio books don't sell or don't turn a profit. This is quite understandable. Audiobook self-publishing is like the hard mode of ebook self-publishing. Everything about the process is slower, harder, and more expensive than publishing ebooks, especially the more expensive part. As I've logged before with a bit of work, it's possible to produce an ebook entirely with free software. Audiobooks, if you want to hire a really good narrator, are going to cost between $200 and to $400 per finished hour. So, some basic math will demonstrate the difficulty. At 10 hours long, an audio book of your novel might cost you around $3,000 to produce. If you sell it exclusively via ACX, which means Audible, Apple and Amazon, you will probably get an average of $5 per sale, which means you have to sell about 600 copies to turn a profit. If you sell it through wide distribution, which means you can sell in stores other than Apple, Audible, and Amazon, you will probably get around $2.40 for an ACX sale. Though what you will get on with other stores can range from anywhere to like $1.00 in the library services to almost $6.50 on Chirp and Google Play, depending on your sale price. So just on ACX sales alone, you would need about 1,240 sales to get back your money. Therefore, if you are an indie author and you are thinking about audiobooks, it's a good idea to take a hard look at your finances and business plan and think about whether it's really a smart idea or not. All that said, I have turned a profit on several of my audiobook projects, Frostborn number six through eleven have all made back what I spent on them, and so have about six of the eighteen Ghost books. I'm pretty sure they'll all eventually earn back what I spent. I am unsure if the Cloak Games or Cloak Mage books will earn back. To refer to Godfrey's earlier question, so that's why I haven't done any more of them for a while. With all that in mind, here are some….actually, how many tips are these?…with all that in mind, here are 9 tips I found that make audiobook production profitable. 00:05:56: Tips for Audiobook Production #1: Deductions Depending on how you have organized your publishing business, you may be able to take the production cost of your audiobooks as a business deduction on your taxes, which could reduce your total tax liability, i.e. how much you owe the government when you file taxes. Note that I am not an accountant or a lawyer and you should obtain tax advice from an accountant qualified for your jurisdiction and legal advice from a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. That said, the whole idea of deductions sometimes gets sneered at by people ignorant of how taxes actually work, like it's some sort of trick which people use to buy themselves caviar but in most taxing jurisdictions, you can deduct business expenses from your taxes. Though what qualifies as business expenses will vary depending on where you live and what sort of business you actually have, basically business deductions are the governments way of saying spend this income on something on our list of approved expenses to benefit the economy or we're going to take it as taxation, so in my specific situation and business structure, audio production is a deductible expense, which is very beneficial when it comes time to file taxes for the year, but again, consult with a qualified accountant regarding your specific situation. Of course, there are still taxes on audiobook payments. I have to file 1099 Forms for my narrators, which means they have to pay taxes on the payment as income. When I file taxes and then any sales of the audiobook count as taxable business income, to say nothing of the state sales taxes the customer pays when buying the audiobook. Uncle Sam has centuries of practice of getting his cut and he's very, very good at it. In my frank opinion, it's wisest just to figure out what you legally owe, preferably with the help of a qualified accountant, and paying that. A lot of otherwise smart people have brought themselves a lot of woe by ignoring that obvious truth. 00:07:35: Tip #2 #2 Finishing a Series I've noticed that in fantasy and science fiction, readers really dislike an unfinished series. I had originally planned to make Silent Order open end with sort of an adventure of the week format, but that really didn't work out. I think you could do a more open-ended series structure in genres like mysteries, thriller, and regional crime, but science fiction and fantasy readers have come to expect a complete series arc with a definite and satisfying conclusion at the end. Audiobook science fiction and fantasy listeners have that as well, but it's even more intense, selling just one audiobook that isn't part of a series is an uphill climb. I have noticed a definite uptick in sales once an audiobook series is complete. Listeners really like to be able to start a series and just listen on straight through to the end. That said, getting to a finished audio book series is a lot of work and money. Frostborn was 15 books long. The Ghosts and Ghost Exile together were 18 books. The last few books, and though all those series were longer than usual, which means they were more expensive to produce. So if you've written a really long series, getting the entire series in audiobook can be a huge commitment of time and money. As an example, the first Frostborn audiobook I self published was Frostborn: The Dark Warden in late 2018, and the final book finally came out in June 2022. The final audio book finally came out in June 2022, almost four years later. Why the delay? Money ran short on occasion or I didn't have time to work on it or there were health difficulties and then COVID happened in the middle of all that, but now the series is complete and is consistently one of my best sellers. Audio books number one through five in the Frostborn series were produced by Tantor and then I did number 6 through 15 myself. 6 through 11 have all earned back where I spent and I expect 12 through 15 to reach that point sometime towards the end of 2024. So it was worth it to put them all out, but man, it was a lot of work to get there and I didn't even do the actual narrating. I paid someone else to do it. That said, if you write shorter series of books than I do, putting them out into audio will be obviously less expensive and less effort. 00:09:37: Tip #3 #3: Ebook advertising Basically, if the ebook of your book sells well, then odds are the audiobook is going to do well as well. I've experimented a lot with this, but I haven't found very many very good ways of directly advertising audiobooks. More on that soon. It's easier to advertise ebooks than audiobooks, at least in my experience. So rather than trying to advertise audiobook, it's generally better to advertise the ebooks attached to the audiobooks. As an example, I'm advertising The Ghosts Omnibus One at $0.99 right now. For every 10 or so sales of the ebook, I seem to get one sale of the audio book. Of course the ebook gets about $0.35 a sale while the audiobook does roughly between $5 and $5.90 per sale, so the audiobooks really do help with the profitability of any advertising, especially on a discounted ebook. Interestingly, this means that if you have an ebook series that is also available in audiobook, that means it becomes easier to profitably advertise the series, because you will also have money coming in from the audiobooks. I've had a couple of months where 40% of the profit from advertising Frostborn and The Ghosts came from the audiobooks. Though as we've said, getting the entire series in audiobook can be a significant challenge. 00:10:47: Tip #4 #4: Bundles One thing I found that works well for audiobook sales is bundling. Like, The Ghosts Omnibus One which I mentioned above, is a bundle containing Child of the Ghosts, Ghost in the Flames, and Ghost in the Blood along with the short story Ghost Aria. This lets me have the nice quartered cover with four different titles on it so that it looks very good on Audible. Audible is basically the reason ebook bundles work so well. There have been some changes in recent years with the addition of Audible Plus, but Audible still mostly works as a subscription credit system. That means you subscribe to Audible and you get your credit a month, which you can then use to buy an audiobook on the store. Since you have the credit, it makes sense to get the longest possible audio book you can for your one credit to maximize the value. The Ghost Omnibus One was the first bundle I did in March 2020. I wasn't expecting much to happen because a lot of other stuff was going on in March of 2020, as you might recall, but the Ghosts Omnibus One was 39 hours long, which made for an attractive value for your credit. It did really well and was my first audio book title to sell more than 1,000 copies in total. I've since had good luck with other bundles. The rest of The Ghosts and Ghost Exile series, and then the Malison complete series audiobook. 00:12:04: Tip #5 #5: Going Wide. It might be worthwhile to go wide with your audio books, which means having them available on platforms other than Audible, Amazon and Apple. ACX, Amazon's audiobook creation platform has been nasty hook to it. If you set your audio books exclusive to ACX you can get 40% royalties, but if you go non exclusive which is what Y means in this context you get 25%. Sometimes depending on promotions and so forth and the weird way ACX's accounting works, in practice it turns out to be around 12%. For a lot of writers, it's worthwhile to go exclusive with ACX because the money will be better and Audible, Amazon are the dominant market in audio book publishing. That said, it is in fact, possible to make more money at the other stores. Google Play, Chirp, Kobo, and Spotify all offer better royalty rates than ACX, even if they don't have the number of users that Audible does. Going wide also allows you to offer direct sales, i.e. selling off your own Shopify or Payhip store or other similar e-commerce platform. Part of the reason I can offer 75% off audio books for my Coupon of the Week is because even with the massive discount, I still make almost as much as I would with a non exclusive sale off ACX. Another advantage is that you get your audiobook into the various library services. The way most of these work is that the library or library system most likely gets access to a big catalog of books and ebooks and audiobooks and the library system only gets charged if someone actually checks out one of the titles. The rate per checkout for the author is pretty low. It's usually around $1.30 USD, but somebody was checking your audiobook out from the library probably wasn't going to buy it themselves, and the $1.30 is still better than nothing. We've mentioned earlier how if an ebook sells well, the attached audio book will probably sell as well. If you have a lot of ebook sales on non Amazon stores, then it is definitely worthwhile to think about going wide with your audiobooks. 00:13:50 Tip #6 Number 6: Chirp Deals Additionally, going wide offer is access to the one effective way I found of directly advertising audio books, Chirp deals. Chirp is owned and run by Bookbub. If you're familiar with Bookbub, you know they send out a daily e-mail newsletter containing links to free or discounted ebooks and authors and publishers pay for spots in those newsletters. I myself have done it many times. However, Bookbub could never promote audiobooks because Audible was the dominant force in audiobook publishing, and Audible doesn't let authors or publishers set the price for any audiobooks. To get around this problem, BookBub started its own audiobook store, Chirp Books, where they could sell audiobooks. Chirp offers a daily e-mail newsletter with a list of discounted books, and I've had good results with Child of the Ghosts, Ghost in the Cowl, and Cloak of Dragons. The reason those three audiobooks worked well is because they all have a long tail of sequels: 8 each for Child of the Ghost and Ghost in the Cowl and 5 after Cloak of Dragons. Usually for a Chirp deal, the first audiobook in the series is $0.99 and then I set the second and third books to $2.99 for the duration of the $0.99 promotion on the first book, which lasts a month. Obviously I will sell the most copies of the $0.99 audiobook and get about $0.30 a pop for those sales. But I get just under $1.50 for each of the sales on the $2.99 books and some lights them and goes on to get the entire series through. So the later titles in the series can generate like $5.50 per sale depending on price. This works so well that Cloak of Dragons has actually made more from its Chirp deal than it did from the entire time it has been on ACX. So if your audio books are wide and you have a series of them, is definitely worthwhile to apply for Chirp deal. That said, if you just have one or two audiobooks, you probably would not get much benefit from it. 00:15:46: Tip #7 #7 Time and Chance. The more audio titles you have across more platforms, the more likely it is that something will take off unexpectedly or do unexpectedly. Well, I had a good example of that in July. My payment from Findaway Voices was usually high. I dug into the data and found out that the Ghost series had experienced a very good month on Storytel. It's one of the stores you can accessed through Findaway Voices distribution. They're based in Sweden and mostly distributed in European and Asian countries. I honestly had only a vague idea that Storytel existed at all. But because my audio books were available there, I had a very good audio month in July, thanks to Storytel, sales. Granted, “plan on getting lucky” is not good planning and should not be in a business plan. However, for good luck to happen, it takes time and effort. Luck is like lightning and the more lightning rods you build, the better the chance of catching some lightning. It's just that audiobook lightning rods take a really long time to build. ACX famously offers royalty share audio book productions where instead of paying the narrator, you split the royalties from the audio book for seven years. If you pay for production, it's not unrealistic to project seven years or so to make your money back. Like, I started on Frostborn audio books in the fall of 2018 and finished the series in audio four years later in the summer of 2022. And like I mentioned above, 6 of the 10 books recorded in that time have turned to profit, which is actually really good in terms of the time frame. 00:17:12: Tip #8 #8: Beware of reviews. If you're new to the audiobook space, one thing to watch out for is the overall hostile tone of the negative reviews. I think some indie authors have gotten spooked by negative reviews that were weren't actually indicative of how the audio book was selling or was perceived. I have the feeling that the easier form of media is consumed, the nastier the reviews. Like, a book takes some amount of mental effort to read, but it's less effort to listen to than an audiobook and even less effort than watching a movie or playing a video game, so you are more likely to find over the top negative reviews. The easier form of a media is to consume, which is why you find things like people posting 7 hour video reviews of why they hate Starfield, or the PlayStation or something. I have an additional theory that this is one of the unfortunate side effects of social media. Negativity always gets more likes and clicks so some people become even more negative to get the likes and clicks, which sets up a vicious cycle. Anyway, what this means in the audiobook space is that you can have most perfect book ever written, narrated by the most beautiful and charismatic voice ever to speak a human language, a voice that would have made kings and emperors listen enraptured in ancient days, and people will still leave long angry reviews because they didn't like the way weather was pronounced. So when you publish your audiobook, be aware that it's going to get some negative reviews and don't panic when you do. I'm afraid it's simply inevitable and part of the process. Your audiobook will not be for everyone. The challenge is connecting your audiobook to the audience that will appreciate it, which is why we were talking about marketing so much. 00:18:40: Tip #9 #9 Selling AI audiobooks is even harder. Because audio audiobook production is expensive and difficult, and AI technology has advanced so much in the last few years, people have been experimenting with creating and selling AI generated audiobooks. This will not be the solution to the challenge of audio production. People seem to either love AI or hate AI, and I definitely have a strongly negative personal opinion about generative AI. That said, it won't be as amazing as its advocates think, nor as dire as the doomsayers believe. People who hate AI or love AI both have a vision where someday you'll be able to type in a prompt like: Lit RPG book where Luke Skywalker and Sherlock Holmes team up to Sauron on Muppet Treasure Island, and the AI will spit out a perfectly crafted book, movie, or game that matches that prompt. But this is as much a fantasy as Lysenkoism or the Whig theory of history, or Rumpelstiltskin's attempting to generate infinite wealth by spinning straw into fake gold. As much as people like Bob Iger and David Zaslav would like to get rid of all those annoying actors or writers and replace them with AI, the technology isn't good enough, and the courts and the legislatures generally don't seem to be in favor of copywriting AI generated material. But that's a larger discussion beyond the scope of this podcast episode for the specific area of my audiobooks. The problem is that the AI can generate a voice that sounds almost like a perfect human voice, fluently reading the text. This has the unfortunate side effect of triggering the uncanny valley effect and making it difficult to listen to the audiobook for a long period of time because the voice swiftly becomes boring. You know the voice narrating the drug side effects at the end of commercials, where it's like Zinoplav can cause blah blah blah. Imagine listening to that voice narrating a nine hour romance audio book. The performative aspect of audio books is hard to quantify, but it is undeniably real and undeniably has a strong effect on the finished audiobook. I experimented with AI audiobooks on YouTube a bit over the last two years. Google Play came out with a program where you could automatically convert one of your ebooks to an AI narrated audiobook. Since I never had any intention of turning Silent Order into audiobooks, I felt comfortable experimenting with the program for that series since it wasn't screwing anyone out of a job. I didn't think the results were good enough to sell, but I did post them on YouTube for free, though, to be fair, I did make some money from the attached ads. What did I learn? First off, there isn't a lot of money in it. In the time I've had AI narrated audiobooks on YouTube, I made about 60% of what it would cost to turn Silent Order: Iron Hand into a real audiobook. Second, people really, really hate AI voices, like intensely and with a passion. They hate them, if a brief glance at the YouTube comments for those audiobooks will reveal, this is one of the things that the Pro AI advocates never seem to accept. People generally hate AI generated stuff. Like, people have no problem using generative AI to write their homework assignments or doing unpleasant writing tasks they don't want to do, like writing cover letters. That kind of thing. But when it comes to actually consuming entertainment media, most people hate AI like this. This sounds, looks, reads, like an AI did it has become a common insult online. 00:21:55 The Marvel show Secret Invasion got a lot of flack because they used AI generated images for the opening titles. Though to be fair, that show had a lot of other problems, so I don't really think AI is a way to lower the cost of audiobook production or to generate a viable audiobook for sale. I think the eventual use of the technology will be to integrate with ereaders. Like say you want your phone to read a book aloud to you. You'll select the voice and accent you want and the e-reader app will read a book to you. In fact, you already can do that on many devices, just with voices that aren't quite as advanced. In my opinion, I think that's a big win for accessibility for visually impaired readers and listeners. But I don't think it's going to replace human narration. 00:22:37 Conclusion Producing audiobooks can be very satisfying and help you reach an audience that otherwise wouldn't encounter your work, but they're definitely not a get rich quick scheme, and they are unquestionably a whole lot of work. If you're an indie author, should you turn your books into audiobooks? I'm afraid the answer has to be individualized. You have to take a good, honest look at your finances, business structure, and goals, and decide if audio production audiobook production will work for you or not. That said, it is nice when you get the emails from listeners saying they listen to the entire series on a cross country drive or while doing something difficult and unpleasant. And with that in mind, thank you all for listening to so many of my audio books. 00:23:18 Conclusion So that is it for this week. Thanks for listening to the Pulp Writer Show. I hope you find the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave for review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe, stay healthy, and see you all next week. And now we'll close out the show with the sample of Dragonskull: Fury of the Barbarians as narrated by Brad Willis. 00:23:44: Audiobook excerpt of Dragonskull: Fury of the Barbarians

EP 94 - When the worst happens, what happens?

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2023 14:14

Today, I'm excited to share an experience that happened just yesterday, which taught me some invaluable lessons. It's all about what happens when things go terribly wrong. So, let's dive right in. Lesson 1: Problems vs. Solutions So, here's the backdrop: I had a massive joint venture workshop lined up, a culmination of weeks of planning. My partner had worked tirelessly to bring in an audience. Everything was meticulously prepared – the decks, sales pages, even special bonuses. This was a big moment for us. Lesson 2: The Unexpected Trigger The day was going smoothly until an unexpected storm hit Northern Ireland, with thunder and lightning that hadn't been forecast. At 16:51, just minutes before showtime, my worst nightmare came true – my Mac suddenly powered off. Panic set in, but I quickly checked the circuit breakers and realized it was a widespread power outage. Lesson 3: Reacting Under Pressure With only minutes to go, I had to think fast. I needed to contact my partner to let her know what had happened because I was the only one who could start the session. But there was no phone signal, no Wi-Fi, no 3G, no 4G – nothing. Time was ticking, and I couldn't reach anyone. I even tried to reach my mother-in-law for help, but she had no electricity either. Lesson 4: The Power of Relationships Eventually, I managed to get a message to my partner. The real twist here was that all registrants were on my database, not hers. It taught me the importance of ensuring joint venture partners have access to their contacts, especially in emergencies. But the most incredible part was my partner's response. She was incredibly understanding, even though she had entrusted her audience to me for the first time. Our strong relationship made all the difference. Conclusion So, in hindsight, here's what I've learned. When problems arise, it's crucial to put on your solution hat. Unexpected triggers can happen, and your reactions define your business's resilience. Relationships you've built can save the day when the worst occurs. Remember, in the grand scheme of things, nobody died, and the meaning we attach to such situations is within our control. If you'd like to catch the live workshop that didn't happen last night, check out the link here. You'll get to experience the value and learn how to create and sell out your group coaching program in just three days. Don't miss it! Oh my goodness, what a wild ride it has been. Thanks for joining me on this episode, and I'll see you there.

relationships time power lesson unexpected mac panic lessons learned wifi northern ireland mother in law 4g 3g group coaching conclusion so

23-248 The Sound of Heaven: Tuning Into God's Voice of Hope, Joy, and Peace

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2023 7:00

What's going on, Warriors? This is Matthew Adams, and I've got something to drop on you today that's gonna change the way you hear God! You know, there's a specific frequency, a divine wavelength, where God's voice vibrates, and guess what—it's full of hope, joy, and peace.Scripture: "I [Paul] pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." ROMANS 15:13Come on, these words aren't just ink on a page; they're the frequency of heaven transmitted into your situation! Paul is hitting us with the divine blueprint of what God sounds like. We're talking about the voice that shaped galaxies, now shaping your atmosphere with hope, joy, and peace. When you're vibing on this frequency, you're gonna hear God-like HD radio!The Power Of God's Whisper is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: God Speaks the Language of Heaven. See, the environment of heaven is hope, joy, and peace; God isn't going to switch up His language when He talks to you. God's words will always sync with His character. You might be in a battlefield, but He'll speak a garden into existence around you because that's just who He is. He's the source! God's voice isn't just informational; it's transformational.Point 2: God's Correction Comes with Direction.Hold on, God's not some kind of divine yes-man, nodding along to all our wants. Sometimes His voice will check you, but even that is soaked in hope. If He's correcting you, it's because He sees a future for you! God's reproof is essentially His roadmap, guiding you toward a better version of yourself.Point 3: Overflow is the Goal.Paul says you will overflow with confident hope through the Holy Spirit. Not trickle, not drip, OVERFLOW! When you're filled with God's hope, it's not just for you. Overflow by its nature impacts everything around it. You're not just a vessel; you're a conduit. His hope in you is meant to overflow into others' lives!Conclusion:So let's wrap this up: When you know the kind of voice God has—full of hope, joy, and peace—you tune into that frequency. It becomes the soundtrack of your life. You don't just survive; you thrive, because the voice of God is filling your atmosphere!Call to Action:Are you tuned in? Do you need to dial in a little more? Stop what you're doing, just pause and pray. Ask God to align you with His heavenly frequency so that your life can be an overflow of hope to those around you.Prayer:Lord, Spirit of God, Source of all hope, let Your heavenly frequency resonate in every fiber of my being. Fill me to the brim with Your hope, joy, and peace, so I can't help but overflow. Let the atmosphere of heaven so saturate my spirit that when I speak, it's like echoes of Your voice. Amen.This is Matthew Adams with "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." Let me tell you something, when you start hearing God's voice clearly, you won't just change; you'll be an agent of change. So stay tuned, stay blessed, and never forget—the same voice that spoke the world into existence is speaking life into you right now. Until next time!Thank you for reading The Power Of God's Whisper. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-248 The Sound of Heaven: Tuning Into God's Voice of Hope, Joy, and Peace

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2023 7:00

What's going on, Warriors? This is Matthew Adams, and I've got something to drop on you today that's gonna change the way you hear God! You know, there's a specific frequency, a divine wavelength, where God's voice vibrates, and guess what—it's full of hope, joy, and peace.Scripture: "I [Paul] pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." ROMANS 15:13Come on, these words aren't just ink on a page; they're the frequency of heaven transmitted into your situation! Paul is hitting us with the divine blueprint of what God sounds like. We're talking about the voice that shaped galaxies, now shaping your atmosphere with hope, joy, and peace. When you're vibing on this frequency, you're gonna hear God-like HD radio!The Power Of God's Whisper is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: God Speaks the Language of Heaven. See, the environment of heaven is hope, joy, and peace; God isn't going to switch up His language when He talks to you. God's words will always sync with His character. You might be in a battlefield, but He'll speak a garden into existence around you because that's just who He is. He's the source! God's voice isn't just informational; it's transformational.Point 2: God's Correction Comes with Direction.Hold on, God's not some kind of divine yes-man, nodding along to all our wants. Sometimes His voice will check you, but even that is soaked in hope. If He's correcting you, it's because He sees a future for you! God's reproof is essentially His roadmap, guiding you toward a better version of yourself.Point 3: Overflow is the Goal.Paul says you will overflow with confident hope through the Holy Spirit. Not trickle, not drip, OVERFLOW! When you're filled with God's hope, it's not just for you. Overflow by its nature impacts everything around it. You're not just a vessel; you're a conduit. His hope in you is meant to overflow into others' lives!Conclusion:So let's wrap this up: When you know the kind of voice God has—full of hope, joy, and peace—you tune into that frequency. It becomes the soundtrack of your life. You don't just survive; you thrive, because the voice of God is filling your atmosphere!Call to Action:Are you tuned in? Do you need to dial in a little more? Stop what you're doing, just pause and pray. Ask God to align you with His heavenly frequency so that your life can be an overflow of hope to those around you.Prayer:Lord, Spirit of God, Source of all hope, let Your heavenly frequency resonate in every fiber of my being. Fill me to the brim with Your hope, joy, and peace, so I can't help but overflow. Let the atmosphere of heaven so saturate my spirit that when I speak, it's like echoes of Your voice. Amen.This is Matthew Adams with "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." Let me tell you something, when you start hearing God's voice clearly, you won't just change; you'll be an agent of change. So stay tuned, stay blessed, and never forget—the same voice that spoke the world into existence is speaking life into you right now. Until next time!Thank you for reading The Power Of God's Whisper. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

The Unrestrained Goodness and Grace of God

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2023

Gods goodness and grace repeatedly overrules His fairness.[1] I read a version of that statement in a commentary on Malachi in preparation for this sermon. The story of Esau and Jacob reveals how true that statement really is. This is also one of the reasons Jacob and Esau are used as an example throughout Scripture in the way their story is used in Malachi to highlight Gods prerogative to love whom He wills. When God told Abraham that he would bless him, He promised that through his descendants, a child would be born who would bless the nations. To Abraham and Sarah was born Isaac. After Isaac and Rebecca were married, they wanted children together, but for some time Rebekah could not get pregnant; out of desperation Isaac prayed that God would allow his wife to become pregnant, so this is how God answered: Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:2123). God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with Esau and Jacob. God told Isaac and Rebecca specifically that the child whom God would choose in the same way that He chose Abraham and Isaac would not be the older son, but the younger. When Rachel gave birth to her two babies, we are told: The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esaus heel, so his name was called Jacob (vv. 25-26). Jacob literally means heel grabber. Yet, regardless of what God said of Jacob, Isaac favored Esau more while Rebecca favored Jacob; in fact, we are told in Genesis 25:28, Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. The sad thing about the way Isaac and Rebekah treated their sons is that Esau grew up to be a willful, proud, self-centered man who exercised little self-control, while Jacob grew up to be a self-centered deceiver and manipulator. We see Esaus lack of self-control and the manipulative skill of Jacob in the last paragraph of Genesis 25; one day Esau was hungry and exhausted so he asked Jacob for some of what he was cooking that day: Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted! (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, Sell me your birthright now. Esau said, I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me? Jacob said, Swear to me now. So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright (Gen. 25:2934). Esau cared more about his stomach than he did his identity in Abraham; he was willing to trade in what was eternal for what was temporarya bowl of stew! Jacob was no better, for he manipulated his brother in a moment of weakness. Jacobs lying, deceiving, manipulating character reached its climax when he and his mother conspired together to deceive Isaac after he planned to give Esau the blessing of the firstborn, even though God said it would be Jacob who would receive it: When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, My son; and he answered, Here I am. He said, Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die. (Genesis 27:14) After Esau went out as instructed by his father, Rebekah pulled Jacob aside and plotted against both her son and husband by telling Isaac to do the following: Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies. Because Esau was so hairy, Rebekah told Jacob to cover his arms and neck with the skins of the goats so that his nearly blind father would think it was Esau he was blessing (see Gen. 27:5-13). So, Jacob did as his mother instructed, deceived his father into blessing him while Esau was hunting, and Esau hated his brother for it and even planned to murder Jacob after their father died (see Gen. 27:30-45). Anyone who reads Jacob and Esaus story will discover that Jacob was a deeply flawed man, and that Gods love of complacency had nothing to do with his moral character. Why Did God Love Jacob? What was it that inspired God to choose Jacob over Esau? Was there something about him that God liked more than Esau? Was it because Esau was a mans man and Jacob wasnt? Did God look down the corridors of time and see how he would grow tenderhearted towards God or that he would have a wrestling match with Jacob all night because the heel grabber wanted Gods blessing more than anything else? Did God choose Jacob over Esau because He thought Esau was too difficult, and that Jacob was easier to work with? The answer is no to all of these questions. What we know of Jacobs life is that it would mirror the life of the Hebrew people throughout the ages. When we compare Jacobs life with what we know of Esaus, Jacob looks worse morally. Most of Jacobs life is characterized by a lack of trust and a compulsion to use deception to get what he wanted. Jacob deceived his father and lied to him to his face in order to rob his older brother of what culturally belonged to the firstborn. However, before he lied to his father, he conned Esau into selling him his birthright for a bowl of stew. The birthright was something Jacob wanted all along, although God had told his parents that he was to receive the blessing instead of Esau, he took matters into his own hands to get what was only Gods to give. Jacob would spend a lifetime living with the consequences of his own actions. What were the consequences of Jacobs sins? Although he received the blessing from Isaac, he was driven from his home and forced to live in exile away from his family with his uncle Laban because his brother wanted to kill him. One of the reasons Jacob lived with his uncle is because his parents told him to seek a wife from one of his daughters. When Laban learned that his nephew had come to see him, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house (Gen. 29:13). Jacob stayed with his uncle for a month and fell in love with Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban (v. 18). Why did Jacob love Rachel? We are told why in Genesis 29:16-18, Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leahs eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. I am not sure exactly what is meant by Leahs eyes being weak; some commentators think that she was cross-eyed, others think that they were sunken, baggy, or even bulging. I think that compared to Rachel; Leah was average while Rachel was gorgeous. Laban recognized the difference in his daughters by the names he had given to them; the Hebrew meaning for Leah can mean wild cow or gazelle while the Hebrew meaning for Rachel is ewe or lamb, which was more of a term of endearment? Leah was average at best, and Rachel was beautiful; Jacob wanted Rachel and would do anything to have her. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years in order to have Rachels hand in marriage, then when he finished his seven-year commitment to spend a lifetime with what he hoped would be the love of his life, Laban threw a wedding party, and gave Jacob his older daughter Leah when it was dark and her face was veiled. Listen to what happened: So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didnt I? Why have you deceived me (Gen. 29:2225, NIV)? What was Labans excuse for deceiving Jacob? This is what he said: It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years (vv. 26-27). Laban manipulated Jacob to serve another seven years of free labor for Rachels hand in marriage. So did the three live happily ever after? Hardly! After only a week of being married to Leah, Rachel was given to Jacob and so we are told: Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years (Gen. 29:30, NIV). The deceiving heel-grabber was deceived, and for the rest of his life Leah and Rachel would fight for Jacobs attention. Right after we are told that Jacob received Rachel and loved her more than Leah, we hear the broken heart of Leah in the verses that follow and the two words used in Malachi 1:2-3; listen carefully: When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. (Genesis 29:3135) Isnt it interesting that Leah used the same word for love and hate that Malachi used to remind a used-up, beat-up, ragtag Israel that he loved them! Leah would go on to have three more sons, but notice that although Leah was hated by her father, her husband, and even her younger sister, God loved her, God saw her, and God blessed her. He didnt just bless her with children, of the seven biological children she mothered, Levi would become the father of the priestly tribe in Israel and Judah would become the father of the tribe where the line of the kings would come through leading ultimately to Jesus! But wait, there is more! Malachi specifically addresses the former exiles at the beginning of his book as Israel, but in Gods explanation for how he has loved Israel, Jacobs birth name is used: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. The question remains unanswered. Why did God love Jacob? The best answer we have is the one that is repeated of Gods redeemed throughout the pages of Holy Scripture; it may not be satisfactory to you, but it will have to do! Here is the answer he gave to Jacobs descendants the Twelve Tribes of Israel: It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:78). The reason why Malachi uses Jacobs birth name, in my opinion, is because the exiles were aware of Jacobs jaded past as a very flawed man. Malachi identifies the exiles whom God preserved through both the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, all with the second name that Yahweh gave to Jacob, which was Israel. How Did God Love Jacob? Between the day Jacob deceived his father into giving him the birthright and his reunion and reconciliation with Esau was about twenty years. For twenty years, Jacob lived in exile, in fear that Esau would one day kill him. Within those twenty years 14 years were spent as an indentured servantsome may even interpret his years under Laban as a type of slavery. Jacob was deceived into a covenant with Leah he never wanted to be in and robbed of the life he was promised with Rachel. There are two very significant events in Jacobs life that will help you feel the weight of Malachis words: I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. The first event happened just after Jacob was sent into exile where God spoke to him through a dream in the midst of his failure, fear, and loneliness: And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen. 28:1217) Just before Jacob entered into a difficult 20-year detour from the life he thought he would have as a result of his fathers blessing, God reminded him of something that he would hold close to his heart throughout the years, and that something was the faithfulness of God and the assurance of his promises. There was no way Jacob could have known that he would be the victim of a master manipulator such as himself for a good part of his 20 years with his uncle. He planned for one wife, but was deceived into marrying the older daughter of Laban who would long for the kind of delight of her husband that her younger sister took for granted. Although Jacob did eventually get the woman he wanted, he would have to live with the dysfunction of his family until the day of his death. Leading up to his second and most significant encounter with God, He spoke to Jacob and told him to, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you (31:3), but to do that Jacob would need to break free from his bondage to Laban. The other problem in going back to the land promised to him, Jacob would need to encounter the brother he spent a lifetime hiding from out of fear. After Jacob is freed from the tyranny of his uncle and just before he encounters his brother, Jacob encounters a man while alone and fearful and entered into a wrestling match that lasted all night and into the morning hours (see Gen. 32:22-32). Jacob would not let the man go unless the man blessed him. The man then asked Jacob: What is your name? (v. 27) The heel-grabber answered: I am Jacob. Here is what happened next: Then the man said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked him, Please tell me your name. But he said, Why is it that you ask 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, and yet my life has been delivered. The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. (Gen. 32:2831) Jacob wrestled with a man who was also God, and the two things he walked way with is a limp that would forever remind him of the other thing, and that other thing is that he received a new name. The name Jacob received was Israel, which literally means: He strives with God. Jacob received a new identity as a result of having a face-to-face encounter with God who appeared to him as man! As a changed man, Israel was able to meet his brother and was reconciled to him. Conclusion So, how did God love Jacob? God pursued Jacob, found him, disciplined him, and wounded him deeply for the purpose of using him greatly before he could enter what was promised to him. Sound familiar? Jacobs story reminds me of something we read in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament: Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Heb. 12:37) How did God love Israel? Throughout her history as a nation, her sins that were many and great, and in her exile God remained faithful to his promises to her, He was with her in the midst of her suffering, and He was sustaining Her through it all. However, Israel did not get away without a limp, but even the limp was evidence that He loved her. Just as Jacobs exile and suffering was not the end of his story, so Israels exile and suffering was not the end of her story. Esaus descendants were Edomites. During Israels exile and suffering Edom allied themselves with Babylon for the destruction of Jerusalem, but this was not the end of Edoms story, for her destruction would eventually come. Edoms comfort and security was only for a season, just as Israels suffering and exile was only for a season. Because of the promises of Yahweh and His faithfulness to Israel a redeemer would eventually be born through the tribe of Judah, and redemption would be made available beyond the borders of Israel to all the nations! Just as God proved his love and faithfulness to a heel-grabber like Jacob, he will bless the nations through Israel: Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel! The promised seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was born to a young teenage girl by the name of Mary, who was a descendant of Abraham. To Mary was given the following promise: behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:3133). Jesus was born, he then lived a life in perfect obedience to the Law of God, died for our sins on a cross, was buried, and then rose from the grave on the third day. Because of Jesus, the Christian can look beyond the sufferings of this world and claim with the apostle Paul: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18). How can we say that? Because of the truth of Romans 8:28-32, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rom. 8:2832) Listen, just as it was true of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. You have been given a new identity that is wrapped up with the same Man who wrestled with Jacob and gave him a limp to remind him of who he was and to whom he belonged. Your name is wrapped up in that Man the God-Man who is the Lord Jesus Christ! Whatever form you limp comes in, you can claim with absolute confidence what every Christ-redeemed saint has been able to say before you: Who shall bring any charge against Gods elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:3339) Amen. Group Questions: Ask your group members to take turns reading Genesis 28:1-10 and have them answer the following questions: a. What significance do you think there is in the women Jacob and Esau married? b. Why do you think Isaac told Jacob not to marry from the Canaanite women? c. Ishmael was Abrahams firstborn son (see Genesis 25:13), but not the son of promise like Isaac; why do you think Esau decided to marry a daughter from Ishmaels descendants? d. Do you find it ironic that Esau, in an effort to gain the approval of his parents, married a descendant of the firstborn son of Abraham that God passed over in favor of Isaac? Jacob was sent into exile away from his home, family, and the land promised to him to live with Laban; during his time in exile God visited with Jacob through a dream. Read Genesis 28:10-22 and discuss the following: a. What parallels do you see with Jacobs story and the story of Israel in Malachis day? b. Based on what you know of Jacobs story in the Bible, did God keep his promise to Jacob even though he was once exiled from his home, family, and land due to his own sins against Esau, his father, and ultimately against God? Read Genesis 33:1-11. What did Jacob attribute his prosperity to? What did Esau attribute his prosperity to? How does the example of Gods love and faithfulness to His promises in Jacobs life assure Israel in Malachis day that their exile would not be the end of their story? Read Romans 8:18-39 and discuss the following questions as a group: a. How do you know that your sufferings are not the end of your story? b. According to verses 28-30, how do you know that God is working all things (even the bad things) out for your good? c. Paul states that God, did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (v. 32). According to John 3:16, why did he do that for you? What significance does Malachi 1:1-5 have for you as a Christian who is experiencing Gods love of complacency through Jesus Christ? [1] Iain M. Doguid; Matthew P. Harmon. Reformed Expository Commentary: Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing; 2018), p. 104.

The Unrestrained Goodness and Grace of God

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2023

Gods goodness and grace repeatedly overrules His fairness.[1] I read a version of that statement in a commentary on Malachi in preparation for this sermon. The story of Esau and Jacob reveals how true that statement really is. This is also one of the reasons Jacob and Esau are used as an example throughout Scripture in the way their story is used in Malachi to highlight Gods prerogative to love whom He wills. When God told Abraham that he would bless him, He promised that through his descendants, a child would be born who would bless the nations. To Abraham and Sarah was born Isaac. After Isaac and Rebecca were married, they wanted children together, but for some time Rebekah could not get pregnant; out of desperation Isaac prayed that God would allow his wife to become pregnant, so this is how God answered: Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:2123). God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with Esau and Jacob. God told Isaac and Rebecca specifically that the child whom God would choose in the same way that He chose Abraham and Isaac would not be the older son, but the younger. When Rachel gave birth to her two babies, we are told: The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esaus heel, so his name was called Jacob (vv. 25-26). Jacob literally means heel grabber. Yet, regardless of what God said of Jacob, Isaac favored Esau more while Rebecca favored Jacob; in fact, we are told in Genesis 25:28, Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. The sad thing about the way Isaac and Rebekah treated their sons is that Esau grew up to be a willful, proud, self-centered man who exercised little self-control, while Jacob grew up to be a self-centered deceiver and manipulator. We see Esaus lack of self-control and the manipulative skill of Jacob in the last paragraph of Genesis 25; one day Esau was hungry and exhausted so he asked Jacob for some of what he was cooking that day: Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted! (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, Sell me your birthright now. Esau said, I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me? Jacob said, Swear to me now. So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright (Gen. 25:2934). Esau cared more about his stomach than he did his identity in Abraham; he was willing to trade in what was eternal for what was temporarya bowl of stew! Jacob was no better, for he manipulated his brother in a moment of weakness. Jacobs lying, deceiving, manipulating character reached its climax when he and his mother conspired together to deceive Isaac after he planned to give Esau the blessing of the firstborn, even though God said it would be Jacob who would receive it: When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, My son; and he answered, Here I am. He said, Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die. (Genesis 27:14) After Esau went out as instructed by his father, Rebekah pulled Jacob aside and plotted against both her son and husband by telling Isaac to do the following: Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies. Because Esau was so hairy, Rebekah told Jacob to cover his arms and neck with the skins of the goats so that his nearly blind father would think it was Esau he was blessing (see Gen. 27:5-13). So, Jacob did as his mother instructed, deceived his father into blessing him while Esau was hunting, and Esau hated his brother for it and even planned to murder Jacob after their father died (see Gen. 27:30-45). Anyone who reads Jacob and Esaus story will discover that Jacob was a deeply flawed man, and that Gods love of complacency had nothing to do with his moral character. Why Did God Love Jacob? What was it that inspired God to choose Jacob over Esau? Was there something about him that God liked more than Esau? Was it because Esau was a mans man and Jacob wasnt? Did God look down the corridors of time and see how he would grow tenderhearted towards God or that he would have a wrestling match with Jacob all night because the heel grabber wanted Gods blessing more than anything else? Did God choose Jacob over Esau because He thought Esau was too difficult, and that Jacob was easier to work with? The answer is no to all of these questions. What we know of Jacobs life is that it would mirror the life of the Hebrew people throughout the ages. When we compare Jacobs life with what we know of Esaus, Jacob looks worse morally. Most of Jacobs life is characterized by a lack of trust and a compulsion to use deception to get what he wanted. Jacob deceived his father and lied to him to his face in order to rob his older brother of what culturally belonged to the firstborn. However, before he lied to his father, he conned Esau into selling him his birthright for a bowl of stew. The birthright was something Jacob wanted all along, although God had told his parents that he was to receive the blessing instead of Esau, he took matters into his own hands to get what was only Gods to give. Jacob would spend a lifetime living with the consequences of his own actions. What were the consequences of Jacobs sins? Although he received the blessing from Isaac, he was driven from his home and forced to live in exile away from his family with his uncle Laban because his brother wanted to kill him. One of the reasons Jacob lived with his uncle is because his parents told him to seek a wife from one of his daughters. When Laban learned that his nephew had come to see him, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house (Gen. 29:13). Jacob stayed with his uncle for a month and fell in love with Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban (v. 18). Why did Jacob love Rachel? We are told why in Genesis 29:16-18, Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leahs eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. I am not sure exactly what is meant by Leahs eyes being weak; some commentators think that she was cross-eyed, others think that they were sunken, baggy, or even bulging. I think that compared to Rachel; Leah was average while Rachel was gorgeous. Laban recognized the difference in his daughters by the names he had given to them; the Hebrew meaning for Leah can mean wild cow or gazelle while the Hebrew meaning for Rachel is ewe or lamb, which was more of a term of endearment? Leah was average at best, and Rachel was beautiful; Jacob wanted Rachel and would do anything to have her. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years in order to have Rachels hand in marriage, then when he finished his seven-year commitment to spend a lifetime with what he hoped would be the love of his life, Laban threw a wedding party, and gave Jacob his older daughter Leah when it was dark and her face was veiled. Listen to what happened: So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didnt I? Why have you deceived me (Gen. 29:2225, NIV)? What was Labans excuse for deceiving Jacob? This is what he said: It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years (vv. 26-27). Laban manipulated Jacob to serve another seven years of free labor for Rachels hand in marriage. So did the three live happily ever after? Hardly! After only a week of being married to Leah, Rachel was given to Jacob and so we are told: Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years (Gen. 29:30, NIV). The deceiving heel-grabber was deceived, and for the rest of his life Leah and Rachel would fight for Jacobs attention. Right after we are told that Jacob received Rachel and loved her more than Leah, we hear the broken heart of Leah in the verses that follow and the two words used in Malachi 1:2-3; listen carefully: When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. (Genesis 29:3135) Isnt it interesting that Leah used the same word for love and hate that Malachi used to remind a used-up, beat-up, ragtag Israel that he loved them! Leah would go on to have three more sons, but notice that although Leah was hated by her father, her husband, and even her younger sister, God loved her, God saw her, and God blessed her. He didnt just bless her with children, of the seven biological children she mothered, Levi would become the father of the priestly tribe in Israel and Judah would become the father of the tribe where the line of the kings would come through leading ultimately to Jesus! But wait, there is more! Malachi specifically addresses the former exiles at the beginning of his book as Israel, but in Gods explanation for how he has loved Israel, Jacobs birth name is used: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. The question remains unanswered. Why did God love Jacob? The best answer we have is the one that is repeated of Gods redeemed throughout the pages of Holy Scripture; it may not be satisfactory to you, but it will have to do! Here is the answer he gave to Jacobs descendants the Twelve Tribes of Israel: It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:78). The reason why Malachi uses Jacobs birth name, in my opinion, is because the exiles were aware of Jacobs jaded past as a very flawed man. Malachi identifies the exiles whom God preserved through both the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, all with the second name that Yahweh gave to Jacob, which was Israel. How Did God Love Jacob? Between the day Jacob deceived his father into giving him the birthright and his reunion and reconciliation with Esau was about twenty years. For twenty years, Jacob lived in exile, in fear that Esau would one day kill him. Within those twenty years 14 years were spent as an indentured servantsome may even interpret his years under Laban as a type of slavery. Jacob was deceived into a covenant with Leah he never wanted to be in and robbed of the life he was promised with Rachel. There are two very significant events in Jacobs life that will help you feel the weight of Malachis words: I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. The first event happened just after Jacob was sent into exile where God spoke to him through a dream in the midst of his failure, fear, and loneliness: And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen. 28:1217) Just before Jacob entered into a difficult 20-year detour from the life he thought he would have as a result of his fathers blessing, God reminded him of something that he would hold close to his heart throughout the years, and that something was the faithfulness of God and the assurance of his promises. There was no way Jacob could have known that he would be the victim of a master manipulator such as himself for a good part of his 20 years with his uncle. He planned for one wife, but was deceived into marrying the older daughter of Laban who would long for the kind of delight of her husband that her younger sister took for granted. Although Jacob did eventually get the woman he wanted, he would have to live with the dysfunction of his family until the day of his death. Leading up to his second and most significant encounter with God, He spoke to Jacob and told him to, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you (31:3), but to do that Jacob would need to break free from his bondage to Laban. The other problem in going back to the land promised to him, Jacob would need to encounter the brother he spent a lifetime hiding from out of fear. After Jacob is freed from the tyranny of his uncle and just before he encounters his brother, Jacob encounters a man while alone and fearful and entered into a wrestling match that lasted all night and into the morning hours (see Gen. 32:22-32). Jacob would not let the man go unless the man blessed him. The man then asked Jacob: What is your name? (v. 27) The heel-grabber answered: I am Jacob. Here is what happened next: Then the man said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked him, Please tell me your name. But he said, Why is it that you ask 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, and yet my life has been delivered. The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. (Gen. 32:2831) Jacob wrestled with a man who was also God, and the two things he walked way with is a limp that would forever remind him of the other thing, and that other thing is that he received a new name. The name Jacob received was Israel, which literally means: He strives with God. Jacob received a new identity as a result of having a face-to-face encounter with God who appeared to him as man! As a changed man, Israel was able to meet his brother and was reconciled to him. Conclusion So, how did God love Jacob? God pursued Jacob, found him, disciplined him, and wounded him deeply for the purpose of using him greatly before he could enter what was promised to him. Sound familiar? Jacobs story reminds me of something we read in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament: Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Heb. 12:37) How did God love Israel? Throughout her history as a nation, her sins that were many and great, and in her exile God remained faithful to his promises to her, He was with her in the midst of her suffering, and He was sustaining Her through it all. However, Israel did not get away without a limp, but even the limp was evidence that He loved her. Just as Jacobs exile and suffering was not the end of his story, so Israels exile and suffering was not the end of her story. Esaus descendants were Edomites. During Israels exile and suffering Edom allied themselves with Babylon for the destruction of Jerusalem, but this was not the end of Edoms story, for her destruction would eventually come. Edoms comfort and security was only for a season, just as Israels suffering and exile was only for a season. Because of the promises of Yahweh and His faithfulness to Israel a redeemer would eventually be born through the tribe of Judah, and redemption would be made available beyond the borders of Israel to all the nations! Just as God proved his love and faithfulness to a heel-grabber like Jacob, he will bless the nations through Israel: Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel! The promised seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was born to a young teenage girl by the name of Mary, who was a descendant of Abraham. To Mary was given the following promise: behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:3133). Jesus was born, he then lived a life in perfect obedience to the Law of God, died for our sins on a cross, was buried, and then rose from the grave on the third day. Because of Jesus, the Christian can look beyond the sufferings of this world and claim with the apostle Paul: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18). How can we say that? Because of the truth of Romans 8:28-32, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rom. 8:2832) Listen, just as it was true of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. You have been given a new identity that is wrapped up with the same Man who wrestled with Jacob and gave him a limp to remind him of who he was and to whom he belonged. Your name is wrapped up in that Man the God-Man who is the Lord Jesus Christ! Whatever form you limp comes in, you can claim with absolute confidence what every Christ-redeemed saint has been able to say before you: Who shall bring any charge against Gods elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:3339) Amen. Group Questions: Ask your group members to take turns reading Genesis 28:1-10 and have them answer the following questions: a. What significance do you think there is in the women Jacob and Esau married? b. Why do you think Isaac told Jacob not to marry from the Canaanite women? c. Ishmael was Abrahams firstborn son (see Genesis 25:13), but not the son of promise like Isaac; why do you think Esau decided to marry a daughter from Ishmaels descendants? d. Do you find it ironic that Esau, in an effort to gain the approval of his parents, married a descendant of the firstborn son of Abraham that God passed over in favor of Isaac? Jacob was sent into exile away from his home, family, and the land promised to him to live with Laban; during his time in exile God visited with Jacob through a dream. Read Genesis 28:10-22 and discuss the following: a. What parallels do you see with Jacobs story and the story of Israel in Malachis day? b. Based on what you know of Jacobs story in the Bible, did God keep his promise to Jacob even though he was once exiled from his home, family, and land due to his own sins against Esau, his father, and ultimately against God? Read Genesis 33:1-11. What did Jacob attribute his prosperity to? What did Esau attribute his prosperity to? How does the example of Gods love and faithfulness to His promises in Jacobs life assure Israel in Malachis day that their exile would not be the end of their story? Read Romans 8:18-39 and discuss the following questions as a group: a. How do you know that your sufferings are not the end of your story? b. According to verses 28-30, how do you know that God is working all things (even the bad things) out for your good? c. Paul states that God, did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (v. 32). According to John 3:16, why did he do that for you? What significance does Malachi 1:1-5 have for you as a Christian who is experiencing Gods love of complacency through Jesus Christ? [1] Iain M. Doguid; Matthew P. Harmon. Reformed Expository Commentary: Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing; 2018), p. 104.

Redefining Our Instinct: Letting Go of Judging Others-1001 Ways of Being to Let Go Of

Your Weekly Dose of Higher Consciousness

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 19:06

Have you ever caught yourself passing judgment on someone without truly understanding their story? Or perhaps you've wondered why we're so quick to judge others, even without realizing it? This week, we're delving deep into a hidden aspect of our human nature – the judging instinct. And guess what? It might just be the key to unlocking a happier, more accepting you.Why Listen?Picture this: You're living your best life, feeling content and genuinely grateful for each moment. That's what higher consciousness is all about – embracing life with joy, acceptance, and a willingness to grow. But what's holding you back? It could be the subtle but powerful instinct to judge.Episode Highlights:In "Redefining Our Instinct: Letting Go of Judging Others," we're diving deep into understanding this instinct woven into our fabric. Imagine letting go of negativity and embracing a kinder, more empathetic perspective – that's where we're headed.We're decoding the energies behind this judgmental instinct. Did you know it calibrates at 175 on the scale of human consciousness? That's the level of "guilty until proven innocent." Brian Gibbs, Founder of ConsciousnessCalibrations.com, sheds light on this: Our propensity to judge stems from pride, the very thing that holds us back from a state of being glad to be alive, content, willing, and accepting.Takeaways:Join us on this enlightening journey as we learn to differentiate between judging and discerning. Discerning is about insightful, objective judgments, while judging often stems from biases and personal beliefs. We're here to guide you through letting go, so you can unlock a more fulfilling life.Explore Further:Visit TheMindBodySpiritNetwork.com/howtoletgo for a treasure trove of resources to support your journey toward letting go. You'll find tools, practices, and insights to help you break free from the judging instinct and step into a world of elevated living.Conclusion:So, if you're ready to let go of judgments, embrace empathy, and live with a heaThe Shift Network presents a FREE Online Event: Explore Quantum Human Design™ to Manifest Your Unique Soul Purpose: Embrace Your Type's Emotional Theme as a Catalyst for Personal Growth & an Empowering New Narrative with Karen Curry Parker.RSVP today!Embark on a Journey to Letting Go Unlocking Your Full Potential: Embark on the Journey to Letting Go and Embrace a Better LifeLiving from a Place of Surrender The first-ever online course with the author of The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer. Join us now!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showIf you like what's going on here, you can join me on social media here: Facebook Instagram YouTube LinkedIn TheMindBodySpiritNetwork.com

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23-207 Hearing God's Whisper Amidst the Noise of Life

god jesus christ trust father power spirit guide romans embrace recognize amen whispers acknowledge power of god hearing god seek god matthew adams conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 6:11

Welcome, friends, to another episode of "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." I'm your host, Matthew Adams, bringing you fresh insights into God's divine word. Today we delve into the art of hearing God's whisper in our lives, even amidst the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.With the hustle and bustle of our active lifestyles, it is sometimes challenging to hear God's gentle whisper. Yet, God never ceases to speak to us, imparting wisdom, peace, and guidance. How can we better hear and discern God's voice amidst the noise of life? Let's dive into God's Word and uncover the secrets.Driving Points:1. Embrace our identity in Christ: Remember, Romans 8:9 says, "You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you." We are not mere sinners anymore. We are redeemed, saved by grace, and have the living God within us. This new identity gives us access to God's whispers and guides us amidst life's noise.2. Tune in to the Spirit's promptings: As believers, we must understand that our inward thoughts and impulses are not always of sinful origin. They can indeed be the inspiration and empowerment of the Spirit (Philippians 2:13). Recognize this voice. It is the voice that instills faith, spreads love, and encourages righteousness. The Spirit within us is the dominant force, and through it, we can discern God's whisper.3. Acknowledge the heights to which God is taking you: God has saved us and promised us an abundant life. Let's not underestimate His power by fixating on our past sinfulness. Recognize that God is leading us to new heights, to greater experiences of His love and power. Hearing God's voice helps us to navigate this journey.Conclusion: So, brothers and sisters, we are called not just to listen, but to hear—to tune into the frequency of the Spirit, to discern His voice amidst the clamor. This practice is more than just passive hearing; it's an active engagement with our God who continually communicates with us, leading us toward His divine purpose.Call to Action: This week, take a moment amidst your busy life to stop, breathe, and listen. Seek God's whisper in the quiet, in the storm, in the joy, and even in the mundane. Trust that He is speaking, guiding, and drawing you closer to Him.Prayer: Spirit of God, we are grateful for your presence within us. We trust in your power working in us, and we seek to hear your whispers in our lives. Guide us, Father, in distinguishing your voice from the noise. Help us to walk in faith, acknowledging not only where we've come from but the glorious heights you're leading us to. This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.Thank you for joining us today at "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast". This is Matthew Adams, reminding you to keep listening for God's whisper, no matter how noisy life gets. Grace and peace be with you all. Until next time, stay blessed and tuned in to the divine whispers of our God.Thank you for reading The Power Of God's Whisper. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-207 Hearing God's Whisper Amidst the Noise of Life

god jesus christ trust father power spirit guide romans embrace recognize amen whispers acknowledge power of god hearing god seek god matthew adams conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 6:11

Welcome, friends, to another episode of "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." I'm your host, Matthew Adams, bringing you fresh insights into God's divine word. Today we delve into the art of hearing God's whisper in our lives, even amidst the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.With the hustle and bustle of our active lifestyles, it is sometimes challenging to hear God's gentle whisper. Yet, God never ceases to speak to us, imparting wisdom, peace, and guidance. How can we better hear and discern God's voice amidst the noise of life? Let's dive into God's Word and uncover the secrets.Driving Points:1. Embrace our identity in Christ: Remember, Romans 8:9 says, "You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you." We are not mere sinners anymore. We are redeemed, saved by grace, and have the living God within us. This new identity gives us access to God's whispers and guides us amidst life's noise.2. Tune in to the Spirit's promptings: As believers, we must understand that our inward thoughts and impulses are not always of sinful origin. They can indeed be the inspiration and empowerment of the Spirit (Philippians 2:13). Recognize this voice. It is the voice that instills faith, spreads love, and encourages righteousness. The Spirit within us is the dominant force, and through it, we can discern God's whisper.3. Acknowledge the heights to which God is taking you: God has saved us and promised us an abundant life. Let's not underestimate His power by fixating on our past sinfulness. Recognize that God is leading us to new heights, to greater experiences of His love and power. Hearing God's voice helps us to navigate this journey.Conclusion: So, brothers and sisters, we are called not just to listen, but to hear—to tune into the frequency of the Spirit, to discern His voice amidst the clamor. This practice is more than just passive hearing; it's an active engagement with our God who continually communicates with us, leading us toward His divine purpose.Call to Action: This week, take a moment amidst your busy life to stop, breathe, and listen. Seek God's whisper in the quiet, in the storm, in the joy, and even in the mundane. Trust that He is speaking, guiding, and drawing you closer to Him.Prayer: Spirit of God, we are grateful for your presence within us. We trust in your power working in us, and we seek to hear your whispers in our lives. Guide us, Father, in distinguishing your voice from the noise. Help us to walk in faith, acknowledging not only where we've come from but the glorious heights you're leading us to. This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.Thank you for joining us today at "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast". This is Matthew Adams, reminding you to keep listening for God's whisper, no matter how noisy life gets. Grace and peace be with you all. Until next time, stay blessed and tuned in to the divine whispers of our God.Thank you for reading The Power Of God's Whisper. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Cutting and managing business costs

I Hate Numbers

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2023 13:32 Transcription Available

Hi folks, and welcome to another episode of our podcast. Today, we're diving into the topic of cutting and managing business costs. It's an essential aspect of running a successful business, so let's crack on with this week's episode.Understanding the Importance of Cost Management:First of all, it's crucial to understand the importance of effective cost management. Both small and large businesses can benefit from it.Identifying Areas for Cost Reduction:The next thing you do is identify areas where you can reduce costs without compromising quality. Remember, it's not just about cutting expenses but doing it smartly.Exploring Cost-Cutting Strategies:Now, within the costs that we have, let's look at some strategies to cut them down. Automation is certainly something to be recommended.Collaborating and Outsourcing:What else can we look at? Collaborating with other businesses or outsourcing certain tasks can help reduce costs significantly.Monitoring and Adjusting Expenses:Now, I would caution you here folks. It's crucial to continuously monitor your expenses and make necessary adjustments.Optimizing Resource Allocation:What else can we do? Optimize resource allocation and make the most out of what you already have.Considering the Impact on Staff:Everything is up for grabs when it comes to cutting costs, but be mindful of the impact it may have on your team. More burdens placed on your existing team might mean decreased productivity.Conclusion:So, folks, I hope you got some value from this podcast episode on cutting and managing business costs. Remember, it's all about finding the right balance and making strategic decisions. And until next week, folks, I'll see you on the other side.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

managing impact cutting costs automation optimize monitoring collaborating chartable conclusion so

The Prospectivity of the Gawler Craton - Anna Petts - Geological Survey of South Australia

Coffee with Samso

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2023 46:57

Samso Insight Episode 112 is with Anna Petts, Program Coordinator - Characterising South Australia's Cover at Geological Survey of South Australia. To many people the Gawler Craton is famous for IOCG deposits (Iron Oxide Copper Gold). The most famous mine, Olympic Dam started the rush for these giant deposits. When it was announced that there was this monster of a drill intercept, RD10 with 145m at 2.2% copper together with uranium and gold. This news created a rush like the wild west where everyone flocked to the region. Subsequent to the rush, two other famous discoveries was made and they are Prominent Hill and Carrapateena. However, it was not until 2001 when Prominent Hill was discovered and in 2005 that Carrapateena was discovered. All this action was in the eastern region of the Gawler Craton and this region was named the Olympic Metallogenic Belt or the IOCG Belt. Figure 1: The Olympic Cu-Au Province in the context of the geology of southern Australia. The main lithotectonic units of the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province are shown and are interpreted from surface observation and geophysical data. The Olympic Cu-Au Province occurs in the eastern Gawler Craton and also indicated is the Central Gawler Gold Province, a gold-dominated metallogenic province formed during the same early Mesoproterozoic tectonic event that formed the Olympic Cu-Au Province. Inset shows the location of the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province in the context of major Archean and Proterozoic terranes of Australia. (Source: Reid, Anthony. (2019). The Olympic Cu-Au Province, Gawler Craton: A Review of the Lithospheric Architecture, Geodynamic Setting, Alteration Systems, Cover Successions and Prospectivity. Minerals. 9. 371. 10.3390/min9060371. The complexity of the surrounding area is not for the faint hearted as they are still arguing about the origins and formation of Olympic Dam. Figure 1 gives a high level summary of the Gawler Craton and its different geological events. There is no doubt that there is no simple answer but what the mineral explorers do know very well, is that their Return On Investment (ROI) here is not high. For this reason, the Gawler remains one of the least explored regions on the Australian continent. Hence, this discussion with Anna Petts is all about the prospectivity of the Gawler and what the Geological Survey of South Australia is doing to help explorers have the edge and the resources to understand and explore the region. Gold Discovery in the Gawler Craton In 1995, there was the discovery of a gold mine in the other half of the Gawler Craton. The more "boring" part which birth the Challenger Gold Mine. This set up a rush to the area, however, till today, there is no Challenger replica. To me, this has got to be one of the mysteries of Australian mineral exploration. If you draw a radius of 100km from the Challenger Gold Mine, there is nothing that is better than a prospect to be found (Figure 2). It will be pretty safe to say that the lack of discoveries is probably due to the fact that the last 20 years of exploration has been few and far in between due to a lack of exploration funding and the historical low ROI in looking for minerals in the Gawler Craton. Figure 2: The spatial emptiness of big discoveries within the Gawler Craton. The comparison to a typical mining town like Kalgoorlie, there is too many producing assets to count.(Source: Taiton Resource Limited) Why I like the Gawler Craton My first introduction to the Gawler Craton was way back in 2019 when I looked over the Jumbuck project. Figure 2 was the result of that exercise when I was involved in trying to list a company with the project. I could see that there had not been any serious exploration in the region. The conversation that I had with people was that it is hard to make discoveries. The geophysics were not picking anything up. There were not enough data out publicly that companies could use to make discoveries. The lack of success was biting into exploration funding. Imagine a province like the Gawler Craton that still hides major discoveries. Look at the statistical probability of not finding another Challenger. This has to be a great place for the average mineral explorer who has the courage to test their exploration skill. Looking at the western province of the Gawler, the western part of the Stuart Highway, there are no producing mines currently. There are three deposits (Challenger is closed) that exist and two are currently being drilled out to see if they make the cut to become producing gold mines. In one conversation, I was told that while drilling for iron ore, they came across a Gossan. This shows the variability of the area. It was only two to three years ago that the south-western part of the Gawler was identified as a new nickel sulphide area. Samso's Conclusion So what do I make out of this conversation with Anna. What I got out of it is that there is now a flow of fata that is being made public for explorers. The understanding of the Gawler is going to take a magnitude step forward in the near future, if not already. The testing of theories are now being played out with companies such as, Indiana Resources Limited (ASX: IDA), Cobra Resources Limited PLC, Investigator Resources Limited (ASX: IVR), Petratherm Limited (ASX: PTR), Barton Gold Holdings Limited (ASX: BGD), Marmota Limited (ASX: MEU) Taiton Resources Limited (ASX: T88) The company that I am involved with is testing the concept that there is a unloved and unrecognised mineral system in between the Olympic Dam Belt and the Gawler Craton gold province, see Figure 3. The concept of a theory like this can be easily considered to be shooting with a long bow, but the recent announcement has made good evidence that there could be some truth to the madness. Figure 3: The region that Taiton Resources Limited is testing its theory that there is a mineral system in the region (Red) which is now proven to be tapping the same source as the Olympic IOCG Belt (Green). The zircon test has come back with age of 1597.8 Ma, which is atypical of Olympic Dam. (source: Taiton Resources Limited). The concept is that the red region (Figure 3) has been misinterpreted in the past and there lies a mineral system that may be fertile and endowed with mineralisation. This is the postulation and as mineral explorers, we are supposed to be testing the boundaries of believe. The role of the explorer is to come up with the ideas and the concept and of finding minerals when others have missed. The role of the Geological Survey is to provide the tools and the solutions to aid discovery. After speaking with Anna, I feel that the Geological Survey is contributing a lot at the moment. The theory for Taiton Resources came about due to the data release in around 2020. The idea was born and the money was raised to test the theory. As a director of the company and as the person who spoke to the vendor of the Highway project, David McSkimming, I will say that the theory for Highway is the best I have heard. I like the idea that there is a different thinking to understanding the mineral system in this region. What the company has done to date has proven that this theory is still valid. Not only have we proven our original story is valid, we think that we could be on the edge of two tectonic event and that would make us siting on the margin of a major structural feature. We all know that major structural features are the blessing for an exploration project. None of what I had described would not have been possible without the work generated by the Geological Survey of South Australia. Anna has clearly described what the Survey is doing and what datasets are now available. The new datasets will allow future explorers to take on what is potentially the last mineral province that has not been searched with intent for the last twenty years. Chapters: 00:00 Start 00:20 Introduction 01:51 About Anna Petts 02:24 Disclaimer 03:04 The potential at Gawler Craton 06:07 The cover at Gawler Craton 10:39 Uncovering the lack of recent significant exploration stories 16:52 The exploration government initiatives 20:05 Potential mining hotspots 25:17 Understanding the overall complex of the big discoveries 29:01 Prospectively at Gawler Craton 32:31 All about the Ultrafine+ project 44:39 Potential mining location worth looking at 46:10 Conclusion

23-152 The Heart's Alert: A Dive into Song of Songs 5:2

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 6:03

Hello, hello! Welcome back to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're looking at an intriguing verse, Song of Songs 5:2: "I slept, but my heart was awake when I heard my lover knocking and calling." Sounds like an intense dream, doesn't it? But it's more than that; it's about passion, longing, and being so tuned in that you hear everything, even when you're asleep. It's about being so in love with God that you're always ready to hear His voice.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Wakeful Heart First, let's consider what it means to have a heart that's awake. Picture this: you're in a math class, your least favorite subject. Your mind is wandering, and you're barely hearing what the teacher is saying. But the moment your friend mentions that new movie you're obsessed with, boom, you're all ears! That's what it means to have an awake heart—it's being in tune with what you're passionate about. And when it comes to God, our hearts should be so alert to His voice that even when we're resting, we can hear Him calling.Point 2: The Stirring of Passion Our passions have a way of drawing us in, don't they? Just like a die-hard sports fan can hear the roar of the crowd in their dreams, when our hearts are awake to God, we are tuned in to His whispers, His hints, His subtle suggestions. It's about being so focused on Him that we can hear His voice amidst all the noise of life. Remember, your passions reflect what your heart is awake to, so let's make sure it's tuned into God's frequency.Point 3: The Knocking and Calling In this verse, the lover is knocking and calling. This reminds us that God is always reaching out to us. He's not a distant, uninvolved God. He's a loving Father, always knocking on the door of our hearts, calling out to us, longing for us to respond. Even when we're asleep, He's there, inviting us into deeper communion with Him.Conclusion: So, what does Song of Songs 5:2 tell us? It's a reminder to keep our hearts awake to God's voice. It's a call to tune in to His whispers, to respond to His knocking and calling. It's about being so in love with Him that we're always ready to hear His voice, no matter where we are or what we're doing.Call to Action: Now, here's your challenge for this week: pray for an awakened heart. Ask God to stir up your passion for Him so that you're always alert to His voice. And try this: whenever you're about to do something you love—whether it's playing a sport, gaming, or hanging out with friends—take a moment to pray, "God, help me to love You and be as awake to Your voice as I am to this activity."Thanks for joining me for another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, God is always speaking, always whispering His love and guidance to us. Our job is to keep our hearts awake and our ears open to His voice. Until next time, stay alert and stay in love with God.Let's Pray…Lord, stir my passion for You. May my heart beat faster at the sound of Your name. Deepen my desire for the sound of Your voice. Awaken my heart to every word from Your mouth.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god father song songs dive picture awaken power of god knocking ask god stirring deepen song of songs pray lord action now conclusion so

23-152 The Heart's Alert: A Dive into Song of Songs 5:2

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 6:03

Hello, hello! Welcome back to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're looking at an intriguing verse, Song of Songs 5:2: "I slept, but my heart was awake when I heard my lover knocking and calling." Sounds like an intense dream, doesn't it? But it's more than that; it's about passion, longing, and being so tuned in that you hear everything, even when you're asleep. It's about being so in love with God that you're always ready to hear His voice.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Wakeful Heart First, let's consider what it means to have a heart that's awake. Picture this: you're in a math class, your least favorite subject. Your mind is wandering, and you're barely hearing what the teacher is saying. But the moment your friend mentions that new movie you're obsessed with, boom, you're all ears! That's what it means to have an awake heart—it's being in tune with what you're passionate about. And when it comes to God, our hearts should be so alert to His voice that even when we're resting, we can hear Him calling.Point 2: The Stirring of Passion Our passions have a way of drawing us in, don't they? Just like a die-hard sports fan can hear the roar of the crowd in their dreams, when our hearts are awake to God, we are tuned in to His whispers, His hints, His subtle suggestions. It's about being so focused on Him that we can hear His voice amidst all the noise of life. Remember, your passions reflect what your heart is awake to, so let's make sure it's tuned into God's frequency.Point 3: The Knocking and Calling In this verse, the lover is knocking and calling. This reminds us that God is always reaching out to us. He's not a distant, uninvolved God. He's a loving Father, always knocking on the door of our hearts, calling out to us, longing for us to respond. Even when we're asleep, He's there, inviting us into deeper communion with Him.Conclusion: So, what does Song of Songs 5:2 tell us? It's a reminder to keep our hearts awake to God's voice. It's a call to tune in to His whispers, to respond to His knocking and calling. It's about being so in love with Him that we're always ready to hear His voice, no matter where we are or what we're doing.Call to Action: Now, here's your challenge for this week: pray for an awakened heart. Ask God to stir up your passion for Him so that you're always alert to His voice. And try this: whenever you're about to do something you love—whether it's playing a sport, gaming, or hanging out with friends—take a moment to pray, "God, help me to love You and be as awake to Your voice as I am to this activity."Thanks for joining me for another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, God is always speaking, always whispering His love and guidance to us. Our job is to keep our hearts awake and our ears open to His voice. Until next time, stay alert and stay in love with God.Let's Pray…Lord, stir my passion for You. May my heart beat faster at the sound of Your name. Deepen my desire for the sound of Your voice. Awaken my heart to every word from Your mouth.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god father song songs dive picture whispers awaken power of god knocking ask god stirring deepen song of songs pray lord action now conclusion so

23-151 A Divine Calling: Unpacking the Assurance in 1 Thessalonians 5:24

god power bible divine thessalonians unpacking assurance power of god god himself 1 thessalonians 5 hudson taylor pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 6:11

Hey there, welcome to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're exploring a deeply encouraging verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 from the NIV: "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." Now, this might seem simple, but oh, the power and promise in these words! This is the type of assurance that fueled people like Hudson Taylor to do extraordinary things for God. Let's dig into it, shall we?My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Faithful Caller Let's start with who's doing the calling. It's not your coach, not your teacher, or your mom—it's God Himself. And the Bible tells us He's faithful. That means He never breaks His promises, He never forgets, and He never gives up on us. He's not like that friend who says they'll come to your soccer game and then forgets; when God says He'll do something, you can count on it.Point 2: The Power of a Sacred Covenant Now, imagine making a promise with God, as Hudson Taylor did. He was so desperate for a spiritual breakthrough, to feel the victory over sin, that he vowed to give himself fully to God's service, no matter the cost. That's like telling your coach you're ready to give 110% at every practice, every game, even if it means sacrificing time with friends or other fun things. And guess what? God heard Taylor's prayer and made a sacred covenant with him. God does this kind of thing, and when He makes a promise, it's unbreakable.Point 3: God Fulfills His Word Here's the best part: when God promises to do something, He does it. He's not just making empty promises. He's not like those people who say they'll help you with your math homework and then bail. No, when God says, "I will do it," He will. It's as certain as the sun rising every morning. That's the kind of assurance we have from our faithful God.Conclusion: So, when you look at 1 Thessalonians 5:24, it's not just a nice, encouraging verse. It's a powerhouse promise from God. It's His way of saying, "I've got your back. You can trust me. I'm not going to let you down." It's the kind of assurance that can fuel us to do incredible things for Him.Call to Action: Here's what I want you to do this week: remember that God is faithful, and He will do what He promises. Whether you're facing a tough test at school, a difficult situation with a friend, or you're feeling like Hudson Taylor, longing for a spiritual breakthrough, remember 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Keep it close to your heart and let it remind you that the One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.Thank you for tuning into "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, God is always speaking, always whispering His love and faithfulness to us. Our job is to tune in and listen. Until next time, keep your ears and heart open to His whisper.Let's Pray…Lord, I feel that my deepest longings simply must be fulfilled. I have brought them to You to do as You please with them. Use them to accomplish Your purposes in this world. I am fully available to walk out the calling You have given me if You will fully enable me to do it.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-151 A Divine Calling: Unpacking the Assurance in 1 Thessalonians 5:24

god power bible divine thessalonians unpacking whispers assurance power of god god himself 1 thessalonians 5 hudson taylor pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 6:11

Hey there, welcome to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're exploring a deeply encouraging verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 from the NIV: "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." Now, this might seem simple, but oh, the power and promise in these words! This is the type of assurance that fueled people like Hudson Taylor to do extraordinary things for God. Let's dig into it, shall we?My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Faithful Caller Let's start with who's doing the calling. It's not your coach, not your teacher, or your mom—it's God Himself. And the Bible tells us He's faithful. That means He never breaks His promises, He never forgets, and He never gives up on us. He's not like that friend who says they'll come to your soccer game and then forgets; when God says He'll do something, you can count on it.Point 2: The Power of a Sacred Covenant Now, imagine making a promise with God, as Hudson Taylor did. He was so desperate for a spiritual breakthrough, to feel the victory over sin, that he vowed to give himself fully to God's service, no matter the cost. That's like telling your coach you're ready to give 110% at every practice, every game, even if it means sacrificing time with friends or other fun things. And guess what? God heard Taylor's prayer and made a sacred covenant with him. God does this kind of thing, and when He makes a promise, it's unbreakable.Point 3: God Fulfills His Word Here's the best part: when God promises to do something, He does it. He's not just making empty promises. He's not like those people who say they'll help you with your math homework and then bail. No, when God says, "I will do it," He will. It's as certain as the sun rising every morning. That's the kind of assurance we have from our faithful God.Conclusion: So, when you look at 1 Thessalonians 5:24, it's not just a nice, encouraging verse. It's a powerhouse promise from God. It's His way of saying, "I've got your back. You can trust me. I'm not going to let you down." It's the kind of assurance that can fuel us to do incredible things for Him.Call to Action: Here's what I want you to do this week: remember that God is faithful, and He will do what He promises. Whether you're facing a tough test at school, a difficult situation with a friend, or you're feeling like Hudson Taylor, longing for a spiritual breakthrough, remember 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Keep it close to your heart and let it remind you that the One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.Thank you for tuning into "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, God is always speaking, always whispering His love and faithfulness to us. Our job is to tune in and listen. Until next time, keep your ears and heart open to His whisper.Let's Pray…Lord, I feel that my deepest longings simply must be fulfilled. I have brought them to You to do as You please with them. Use them to accomplish Your purposes in this world. I am fully available to walk out the calling You have given me if You will fully enable me to do it.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-150 The Love Song: Seeking God with a Heart Aflame in Song of Songs 3:2

god love song songs pursuit context reward lover power of god love songs seeking god song of songs aflame conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 6:11

Hello everyone, welcome back to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're diving into the passionate poetry of the Song of Songs, specifically verse 3:2. "I said to myself, 'I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.' So I searched everywhere but did not find him." This verse captures the intense longing for a loved one, but it's not just about human love; it symbolizes our longing for God. So, let's explore this together.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: Love as a Context for Communication Just like you talk differently to your friends than you do to your teacher or your parents, God communicates with us in different ways based on our relationship with Him. When we listen for God as a beloved longing for her lover, we hear something beautiful – a language of the heart. It's the kind of language that makes you feel understood, cherished, and deeply loved.Point 2: The Pursuit of God's Heart Now, not everyone seeks God this way, as a lover seeking their beloved. But those who do, those who passionately yearn for Him, not just for what He can do or provide, they get to hear the deepest whispers of His heart. It's like knowing someone's favorite color, their favorite food, their dreams, and fears, because you love them and spend time with them, not because they told everyone in a class presentation.Point 3: The Reward of Persistence But let's not forget the struggle in our verse. The beloved is searching for her lover but doesn't find him initially. Just like in our spiritual journey, there will be moments when God seems distant or silent. But don't give up, keep searching, keep praying, and keep loving Him. The promise here is that the search will be rewarded, just as the beloved in the Song of Songs eventually finds her lover.Conclusion: So, Song of Songs 3:2 isn't just about a lover's search in a city; it's a powerful image of our deep, heart-tugging longing for God, and the beautiful heart-to-heart conversation that follows. It teaches us to persist in seeking God and listening for His whisper, not because we want something from Him, but simply because we love Him. And remember, when we seek Him with that love, His embrace is worth every step of the search.Call to Action: Here's your challenge for this week: set aside time each day to seek God, not for what He can do for you, but because you love Him. During that time, pray, read His word, or just sit quietly, letting your heart reach out for His. Notice how this deepens your relationship with Him and how you hear His voice.Thanks for tuning in to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, no matter where you are, no matter how quiet God seems, keep seeking Him with all your heart. He's worth the search. Until next time, keep listening for His whisper.Let's Pray…You are the Lover of my soul, and I long for Your embrace. Open Your thoughts to me. Tell me Your desires. What are Your dreams? Share them with me. Take me deep into Your heart.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-150 The Love Song: Seeking God with a Heart Aflame in Song of Songs 3:2

god love song songs pursuit context reward lover whispers power of god love songs seeking god song of songs aflame conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 6:11

Hello everyone, welcome back to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today we're diving into the passionate poetry of the Song of Songs, specifically verse 3:2. "I said to myself, 'I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.' So I searched everywhere but did not find him." This verse captures the intense longing for a loved one, but it's not just about human love; it symbolizes our longing for God. So, let's explore this together.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: Love as a Context for Communication Just like you talk differently to your friends than you do to your teacher or your parents, God communicates with us in different ways based on our relationship with Him. When we listen for God as a beloved longing for her lover, we hear something beautiful – a language of the heart. It's the kind of language that makes you feel understood, cherished, and deeply loved.Point 2: The Pursuit of God's Heart Now, not everyone seeks God this way, as a lover seeking their beloved. But those who do, those who passionately yearn for Him, not just for what He can do or provide, they get to hear the deepest whispers of His heart. It's like knowing someone's favorite color, their favorite food, their dreams, and fears, because you love them and spend time with them, not because they told everyone in a class presentation.Point 3: The Reward of Persistence But let's not forget the struggle in our verse. The beloved is searching for her lover but doesn't find him initially. Just like in our spiritual journey, there will be moments when God seems distant or silent. But don't give up, keep searching, keep praying, and keep loving Him. The promise here is that the search will be rewarded, just as the beloved in the Song of Songs eventually finds her lover.Conclusion: So, Song of Songs 3:2 isn't just about a lover's search in a city; it's a powerful image of our deep, heart-tugging longing for God, and the beautiful heart-to-heart conversation that follows. It teaches us to persist in seeking God and listening for His whisper, not because we want something from Him, but simply because we love Him. And remember, when we seek Him with that love, His embrace is worth every step of the search.Call to Action: Here's your challenge for this week: set aside time each day to seek God, not for what He can do for you, but because you love Him. During that time, pray, read His word, or just sit quietly, letting your heart reach out for His. Notice how this deepens your relationship with Him and how you hear His voice.Thanks for tuning in to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Remember, no matter where you are, no matter how quiet God seems, keep seeking Him with all your heart. He's worth the search. Until next time, keep listening for His whisper.Let's Pray…You are the Lover of my soul, and I long for Your embrace. Open Your thoughts to me. Tell me Your desires. What are Your dreams? Share them with me. Take me deep into Your heart.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-144 Living by Faith: Unpacking 2 Corinthians 5:7

god focus embrace corinthians unpacking his word power of god 2 corinthians 5 living by faith matthew adams pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 5:41

WORSHIP MUSICHey there, welcome back to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". I'm your host, Matthew Adams, bringing the wisdom of God's Word to your world, one verse at a time. Today, we're delving into 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says, "We live by believing and not by seeing." You might wonder, how does that apply to me? Well, let's unpack this together.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Human Tendency to Focus on the Negative Have you ever noticed that if there's one thing going wrong, it seems to overshadow everything that's going right? Maybe you got a great grade in every subject but one, and all you can focus on is that one disappointing grade. This is a common human tendency - we're drawn to whatever needs fixing. When it comes to hearing from God, this tendency can create an unfortunate bias towards focusing on what we don't see or hear from Him, instead of recognizing the many times He has already spoken to us.Point 2: Embrace the Journey of Unfolding Wisdom God has a plan for each one of us, and He reveals it to us layer by layer. It's like peeling an onion, but instead of crying, we're growing in faith and understanding. However, if we're too fixated on what we think we're lacking, we might miss out on what God is currently saying to us. Remember, His timing is perfect. We shouldn't rush His process, but trust in it instead.Point 3: Listen and Believe in God's Words One of the keys to hearing God's voice is to believe and act on what we've already heard from Him. Instead of focusing on what He hasn't said yet, let's concentrate on what He has already told us. This will open our ears and hearts to discover more of His wisdom and guidance.Conclusion: So, there you have it, friends, our exploration of 2 Corinthians 5:7. This verse calls us to a life of faith, where we believe in what God says, even when we can't see it. It urges us to focus on His words, His promises, and His timing. It encourages us to be listeners, believers, and doers of His Word.Call to Action: This week, I want you to challenge yourself. Try shifting your focus from what's not yet revealed to what God has already said. When you do this, you'll find yourself opening up to the whisper of God's voice in your life. And remember, as we walk through this journey together, never hesitate to tune back into "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast" for more insights. Keep listening, keep believing, and keep living by faith. Until next time, stay blessed!Let's Pray…Lord, like faithful priests and prophets of old, I want none of your words to fall to the ground unheeded in my life. I commit to being diligent —not legalistic, but focused —about what You have already said.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-144 Living by Faith: Unpacking 2 Corinthians 5:7

god focus embrace corinthians unpacking whispers his word power of god 2 corinthians 5 living by faith matthew adams pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 5:41

WORSHIP MUSICHey there, welcome back to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". I'm your host, Matthew Adams, bringing the wisdom of God's Word to your world, one verse at a time. Today, we're delving into 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says, "We live by believing and not by seeing." You might wonder, how does that apply to me? Well, let's unpack this together.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Human Tendency to Focus on the Negative Have you ever noticed that if there's one thing going wrong, it seems to overshadow everything that's going right? Maybe you got a great grade in every subject but one, and all you can focus on is that one disappointing grade. This is a common human tendency - we're drawn to whatever needs fixing. When it comes to hearing from God, this tendency can create an unfortunate bias towards focusing on what we don't see or hear from Him, instead of recognizing the many times He has already spoken to us.Point 2: Embrace the Journey of Unfolding Wisdom God has a plan for each one of us, and He reveals it to us layer by layer. It's like peeling an onion, but instead of crying, we're growing in faith and understanding. However, if we're too fixated on what we think we're lacking, we might miss out on what God is currently saying to us. Remember, His timing is perfect. We shouldn't rush His process, but trust in it instead.Point 3: Listen and Believe in God's Words One of the keys to hearing God's voice is to believe and act on what we've already heard from Him. Instead of focusing on what He hasn't said yet, let's concentrate on what He has already told us. This will open our ears and hearts to discover more of His wisdom and guidance.Conclusion: So, there you have it, friends, our exploration of 2 Corinthians 5:7. This verse calls us to a life of faith, where we believe in what God says, even when we can't see it. It urges us to focus on His words, His promises, and His timing. It encourages us to be listeners, believers, and doers of His Word.Call to Action: This week, I want you to challenge yourself. Try shifting your focus from what's not yet revealed to what God has already said. When you do this, you'll find yourself opening up to the whisper of God's voice in your life. And remember, as we walk through this journey together, never hesitate to tune back into "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast" for more insights. Keep listening, keep believing, and keep living by faith. Until next time, stay blessed!Let's Pray…Lord, like faithful priests and prophets of old, I want none of your words to fall to the ground unheeded in my life. I commit to being diligent —not legalistic, but focused —about what You have already said.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-143 The Battle for Identity: Understanding Matthew 4:3

god jesus christ battle stand identity devil satan wilderness identity in christ power of god matthew 4 pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2023 5:10

WORSHIP MUSICHello, folks! Welcome to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today, we're diving into Matthew 4:3. The verse goes like this, "During that time the devil came and said to [Jesus], 'If you are the Son of God...'" Notice that this happens right after Jesus is declared God's beloved Son, and now, we find Him in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. This story isn't just about the three temptations we all know, but there's an even more subtle one: Satan questioning Jesus' identity.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Devil's Strategy Let's unpack this. The devil has a sneaky strategy. He likes to undermine our identity in Christ and question what God has told us. It's like he's daring us to actually believe what God says about us. He did it with Jesus, and he's going to try it with us too.Point 2: The Wilderness of Contradiction Whenever we learn a great spiritual truth, we're often thrown into what I like to call the 'wilderness of contradiction'. It's a place where everything seems to scream how untrue God's promises are. For example, if you've learned that you're seated with Christ in heavenly realms, circumstances might try to convince you that you're just stuck here on earth.Point 3: The Response of Faith The key to surviving the wilderness of contradiction is to respond like Jesus did: hold tightly onto what God has said. His voice is the truth. And even though it may not seem like it, your faith will eventually prove it.Conclusion: So, friends, that's our deep dive into Matthew 4:3. The devil will try to make you question your identity and God's truth, but don't let him. Stand firm in who you are in Christ and what God has promised you. Remember, in the midst of the battle, never let go of that.Call to Action: This week, I challenge you to stand firm in your identity as a child of God. Whenever doubts creep in, go back to His word, remind yourself of His promises, and hold on tight. And, as always, tune into the next episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast" as we continue to explore God's voice in our lives. Until then, keep listening, and keep holding onto His truth!Let's Pray…Lord, the temptations are fierce. I know what You said, but I see so many contradictions. Give me the strength and the tenacity to hold on. I am who You say I am, and You will do what You said You will do.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-143 The Battle for Identity: Understanding Matthew 4:3

god jesus christ battle stand identity devil satan wilderness whispers identity in christ power of god matthew 4 pray lord conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2023 5:10

WORSHIP MUSICHello, folks! Welcome to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today, we're diving into Matthew 4:3. The verse goes like this, "During that time the devil came and said to [Jesus], 'If you are the Son of God...'" Notice that this happens right after Jesus is declared God's beloved Son, and now, we find Him in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. This story isn't just about the three temptations we all know, but there's an even more subtle one: Satan questioning Jesus' identity.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: The Devil's Strategy Let's unpack this. The devil has a sneaky strategy. He likes to undermine our identity in Christ and question what God has told us. It's like he's daring us to actually believe what God says about us. He did it with Jesus, and he's going to try it with us too.Point 2: The Wilderness of Contradiction Whenever we learn a great spiritual truth, we're often thrown into what I like to call the 'wilderness of contradiction'. It's a place where everything seems to scream how untrue God's promises are. For example, if you've learned that you're seated with Christ in heavenly realms, circumstances might try to convince you that you're just stuck here on earth.Point 3: The Response of Faith The key to surviving the wilderness of contradiction is to respond like Jesus did: hold tightly onto what God has said. His voice is the truth. And even though it may not seem like it, your faith will eventually prove it.Conclusion: So, friends, that's our deep dive into Matthew 4:3. The devil will try to make you question your identity and God's truth, but don't let him. Stand firm in who you are in Christ and what God has promised you. Remember, in the midst of the battle, never let go of that.Call to Action: This week, I challenge you to stand firm in your identity as a child of God. Whenever doubts creep in, go back to His word, remind yourself of His promises, and hold on tight. And, as always, tune into the next episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast" as we continue to explore God's voice in our lives. Until then, keep listening, and keep holding onto His truth!Let's Pray…Lord, the temptations are fierce. I know what You said, but I see so many contradictions. Give me the strength and the tenacity to hold on. I am who You say I am, and You will do what You said You will do.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-142 Voices of Wisdom: The Power of Many Advisers

god jesus christ spirit bible wisdom holy spirit pray proverbs voices warriors plans whispers power of god his spirit king solomon advisers conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2023 5:11

WORSHIP MUSICHey there, Warriors! Welcome back to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today, we're going to chew on a bit of wisdom tucked away in Proverbs 15:22: "Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success." Now, it may seem like this is just practical advice for life - and it is - but it's also so much more. It's about how God communicates with us, even in this busy, noisy world. Let me explain.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: God in the Flesh The Bible tells us that Jesus was God in the flesh. He walked and talked among people, just like you and me. But before He died, Jesus told His disciples something pretty mind-boggling. He said it was good for Him to go. Why? So that His Spirit could come live inside of us. That means you and me and every person who follows Jesus, we become His voice in the world.Point 2: The Importance of Advisers So, why does the Bible say that there's success in many advisers? Well, in King Solomon's time, this was sage advice for making wise decisions. But for us, living after the Holy Spirit has come, this advice is supercharged! The people around us aren't just people with good advice. They can actually speak words inspired by God's Spirit!Point 3: Listening to Wisdom Now, this is where it gets really exciting. When we listen to fellow believers, God's voice might just be in the mix. You'll need to practice discernment, to sift through the chatter and hear the nuggets of divine wisdom. But if you're listening, I promise you, God is speaking.Conclusion: So, that's the gold hidden in Proverbs 15:22. It's not just about having a bunch of advisers. It's about recognizing God's voice speaking through the wisdom of those around us. It's about learning to listen, not just with our ears, but with our hearts.Call to Action: Here's what I want you to do. Find some people who love Jesus and love you. Listen to their advice. Pray about it. See if you can hear God's voice whispering in their wisdom. And, as always, keep your hearts open to "The Power Of God's Whisper". Join us for our next episode as we continue this incredible journey through God's Word. Until next time, keep listening!Let's Pray…Spirit of God, speak to me through Your people. Let Your voice ring true when they speak Your words. I cannot travel this journey alone. Fill Your people with truth.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-142 Voices of Wisdom: The Power of Many Advisers

god jesus christ spirit bible wisdom holy spirit pray proverbs voices warriors plans whispers power of god his spirit king solomon advisers conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2023 5:11

WORSHIP MUSICHey there, Warriors! Welcome back to another episode of "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast". Today, we're going to chew on a bit of wisdom tucked away in Proverbs 15:22: "Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success." Now, it may seem like this is just practical advice for life - and it is - but it's also so much more. It's about how God communicates with us, even in this busy, noisy world. Let me explain.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Point 1: God in the Flesh The Bible tells us that Jesus was God in the flesh. He walked and talked among people, just like you and me. But before He died, Jesus told His disciples something pretty mind-boggling. He said it was good for Him to go. Why? So that His Spirit could come live inside of us. That means you and me and every person who follows Jesus, we become His voice in the world.Point 2: The Importance of Advisers So, why does the Bible say that there's success in many advisers? Well, in King Solomon's time, this was sage advice for making wise decisions. But for us, living after the Holy Spirit has come, this advice is supercharged! The people around us aren't just people with good advice. They can actually speak words inspired by God's Spirit!Point 3: Listening to Wisdom Now, this is where it gets really exciting. When we listen to fellow believers, God's voice might just be in the mix. You'll need to practice discernment, to sift through the chatter and hear the nuggets of divine wisdom. But if you're listening, I promise you, God is speaking.Conclusion: So, that's the gold hidden in Proverbs 15:22. It's not just about having a bunch of advisers. It's about recognizing God's voice speaking through the wisdom of those around us. It's about learning to listen, not just with our ears, but with our hearts.Call to Action: Here's what I want you to do. Find some people who love Jesus and love you. Listen to their advice. Pray about it. See if you can hear God's voice whispering in their wisdom. And, as always, keep your hearts open to "The Power Of God's Whisper". Join us for our next episode as we continue this incredible journey through God's Word. Until next time, keep listening!Let's Pray…Spirit of God, speak to me through Your people. Let Your voice ring true when they speak Your words. I cannot travel this journey alone. Fill Your people with truth.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

23-104 Uplifting Whispers: Encouraging and Strengthening Each Other Through God's Guidance

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2023 5:35

Hey everyone, welcome to "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." I'm your host, Matthew Adams, and today we're talking about a powerful verse that teaches us the importance of encouraging one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11. It says, "Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." Let's explore how God's voice works through us to uplift others, especially when they need it the most. Whether you're 14 or 40, this message is for you! So, let's dive in and see how God's whisper can help us grow and support each other.Point 1: First, remember that we're all part of the body of Christ. God designed us to work together, helping and supporting each other in our faith journey. When someone is struggling or seeking guidance, we can step in and offer encouragement, helping them to hear God's voice in their lives. It's an opportunity for us to grow closer to one another and to God.Point 2: Second, don't be afraid to ask Second, don't be afraid to ask God for guidance when it comes to supporting others. When you pray for someone, ask the Lord to show you mental pictures or impressions that might encourage them. God knows their hearts and can reveal what they need to hear through your words or actions. By being open to God's direction, we can become instruments of His love and care for others.Point 3: It's essential to remember…Lastly, it's essential to remember that the Holy Spirit knows our needs and can inspire us to build each other up. When we rely on God's guidance, we can provide encouragement that truly resonates with those around us. It's not about having all the answers but being willing to listen and share God's love with one another.Conclusion:So, as we wrap up today's episode, let's remember the power of encouragement that comes from listening to God's whispers. By supporting and uplifting each other, we can grow stronger in our faith and help others along the way. Let's strive to be a community that actively builds one another up, just as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 teaches us.Call to Action:Now, I want to challenge you to take action. This week, reach out to someone in your life who may need encouragement. Ask God to guide you in what to say or do, and then take that step to uplift them. As you do this, you'll not only strengthen their faith but also grow in your own relationship with God. And don't forget to share your experience with us! We'd love to hear how God's whispers are making a difference in your life and the lives of those around you.Let's Pray…Holy Spirit, use the screen of my imagination to write Your will, impress Your thoughts, and draw Your pictures. Speak into the hearts of Your people through me.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god jesus christ lord power holy spirit speak thessalonians guidance encouraging encourage whispers strengthening uplifting ask god matthew adams action now conclusion so

23-104 Uplifting Whispers: Encouraging and Strengthening Each Other Through God's Guidance

performance workforce harnessing unleashing boosting interactive tutorials sharing knowledge sean adams conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2023 5:35

Hey everyone, welcome to "The Power of God's Whisper Podcast." I'm your host, Matthew Adams, and today we're talking about a powerful verse that teaches us the importance of encouraging one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11. It says, "Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." Let's explore how God's voice works through us to uplift others, especially when they need it the most. Whether you're 14 or 40, this message is for you! So, let's dive in and see how God's whisper can help us grow and support each other.Point 1: First, remember that we're all part of the body of Christ. God designed us to work together, helping and supporting each other in our faith journey. When someone is struggling or seeking guidance, we can step in and offer encouragement, helping them to hear God's voice in their lives. It's an opportunity for us to grow closer to one another and to God.Point 2: Second, don't be afraid to ask Second, don't be afraid to ask God for guidance when it comes to supporting others. When you pray for someone, ask the Lord to show you mental pictures or impressions that might encourage them. God knows their hearts and can reveal what they need to hear through your words or actions. By being open to God's direction, we can become instruments of His love and care for others.Point 3: It's essential to remember…Lastly, it's essential to remember that the Holy Spirit knows our needs and can inspire us to build each other up. When we rely on God's guidance, we can provide encouragement that truly resonates with those around us. It's not about having all the answers but being willing to listen and share God's love with one another.Conclusion:So, as we wrap up today's episode, let's remember the power of encouragement that comes from listening to God's whispers. By supporting and uplifting each other, we can grow stronger in our faith and help others along the way. Let's strive to be a community that actively builds one another up, just as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 teaches us.Call to Action:Now, I want to challenge you to take action. This week, reach out to someone in your life who may need encouragement. Ask God to guide you in what to say or do, and then take that step to uplift them. As you do this, you'll not only strengthen their faith but also grow in your own relationship with God. And don't forget to share your experience with us! We'd love to hear how God's whispers are making a difference in your life and the lives of those around you.Let's Pray…Holy Spirit, use the screen of my imagination to write Your will, impress Your thoughts, and draw Your pictures. Speak into the hearts of Your people through me.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

god jesus christ lord power holy spirit speak thessalonians guidance encouraging encourage whispers strengthening power of god uplifting ask god matthew adams action now conclusion so

15Mins Live Podcast - 職場系列 – 電梯簡報挑戰 Elevator pitch challenge

通勤學英語

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 73:20

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k Starting 起頭 The thing about… is… What I find most interesting about… is… Abbreviating 簡述 In a nutshell, To cut a long story short… Sequencers 順序詞 First of all, To begin with, First and foremost, Secondly, Finally, Last but not least, And to top it all off, Addition 增加 What's more, On top of that, Besides that, Apart from that, Another thing to consider is… We shouldn't forget that… It's also worth bearing in mind that… Contrast/Comparison 對比/比較 On the one hand, on the other hand, But actually… But in actual fact… However Whereas/while Conclusion 結論 So to sum up, So in summary, So to wrap up, So as I was saying, All in all, Example Pitch: Pitch 1: Starting with our latest mobile app, TechSecure, I'd like to highlight its innovative features. First and foremost, it provides top-notch security for your data. On top of that, it's extremely user-friendly. In a nutshell, TechSecure is the ultimate solution for keeping your personal information safe and secure. Pitch 2: To begin with, our new electric bike, the E-Commuter, is revolutionizing urban transportation. What I find most interesting about the E-Commuter is its impressive range and speed. Besides that, it's also environmentally friendly. So to wrap up, the E-Commuter will change the way you travel, making your daily commute more enjoyable and sustainable. 分享時間：利用以上的簡報單字，選以下的主題做個30秒電梯簡報Modern cinema ; Tourism in your city ; The ideal holiday ; The perfect weekend ; The most useful thing you own Powered by Firstory Hosting

starting modern pitch powered tourism elevators live podcasts elevator pitch conclusion so pitch challenge

Unleashing Interactive Tutorials: Boosting Performance in Today's Workforce

Learning Tech Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 60:40

Join me and my guest, Sean Adams, as we dive into the world of interactive tutorials and explore how they can level up performance improvement in today's dynamic workforce. We chat about the advantages of interactive tutorials over traditional training methods and how they're transforming the way organizations approach learning and development. So, buckle up for an episode jam-packed with practical insights and valuable tips on boosting your organization's L&D game! Show Notes: [00:02:00] Interactive Tutorials 101 Sean shares his journey into the interactive tutorials space and what sparked his passion. We discuss the pain points of traditional training and how interactive tutorials can overcome them. [00:12:00] Turbocharge Performance with Interactive Tutorials Discover how interactive tutorials can elevate employee performance. We share real-world examples of industries and organizations that have reaped the benefits of interactive tutorials. [00:26:00] Knowledge Democracy and Streamlining Learning The significance of making knowledge accessible and easy-to-digest for employees. How interactive tutorials can complement digital adoption platforms and other tools in your arsenal. [00:40:00] Tackling Workplace Burnout with Efficient Support Let's talk about combating employee burnout in the modern workplace. The positive impact of providing quick and accessible support to your team members. [00:52:00] Kicking Off Your Interactive Tutorial Journey Tips on how organizations can start using interactive tutorials without feeling overwhelmed. Identifying FAQs and key areas of need to create laser-focused tutorials. [00:57:00] Harnessing and Sharing Knowledge within Your Organization Challenges organizations face when team members leave or shift roles. The perks of fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration. Conclusion: So, folks, don't miss out on this fascinating conversation that will leave you inspired and ready to tap into the potential of interactive tutorials. Tune in and find out how to unleash the power of interactive tutorials for performance improvement and make your organization more efficient, engaged, and knowledgeable - especially in the context of ongoing global workforce trends. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningtechtalks/support

08 James 1:22-25 - Hear and Do

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2022 43:48

Title: Hear and Do Text: James 1:22-25 FCF: We often struggle putting our gospel faith into gospel action. Prop: Because it is only those who hear and do the gospel message that are blessed of God, we must believe and live out the gospel. Scripture Intro: ESV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to James 1. When we experience trials and temptations as God's children, we can expect them to have a redeeming purpose. That God is perfecting our faith in the midst of said trail, is a certainty. But what are some areas of our life that God is targeting? Perhaps our lack of wisdom. Perhaps our view of the world around us is inconsistent with His view? But most dangerously, perhaps it is our lofty view of ourselves. Being self-focused has taken center stage as James exposes areas of lack he sees in his audience. And last week he pointed out that their disputes with each other and with God over their trials, are stemming from their lofty view of themselves. Today, James will continue that theme. He reveals that the gospel of Christ demolishes our pride. It decimates our lofty view of self, so much so that we must humbly submit to obey the Lord when we accurately look into and understand the gospel. It should be no surprise to us that the gospel kills human pride and every temptation to boast. Let's begin reading in verse 22. I'll read from the ESV this week but follow along in the pew bible on page 1360 or in whatever version you prefer. Transition: This is such a huge point in James. I cannot overemphasize this point. We must see what James says in this passage today. To miss this is to miss most of the letter. I beg you to pay close attention today. Even commit to listening to this sermon again sometime this week. What is said today… is perhaps the most important message you will hear this Christmas season. Not because I have something you need to hear – but because God has something you cannot afford to ignore. I.) Because hearing the gospel message without change is foolish, we must believe and live out the gospel. (22-24) a. [Slide 2] 22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, i. The first word of verse 22 is a contrasting conjunction. It forces us to see what he says next in contrast to something he just said. ii. The only question is, in contrast to what? iii. Since he goes on to talk about the Word, it makes sense that the contrasting thought would be what he referenced previously about the word in verse 21. iv. Even then we don't have clarity, because there were two items mentioned about the Word in verse 21. 1. They were to humbly receive the implanted Word 2. The Word is able to save their souls v. Last week I interpreted the reception of the implanted word to be not simply hearing or believing but even cherishing and obeying the gospel. In many ways that interpretation was influenced by where James goes in today's passage. vi. Therefore, I believe the contrasting point that James is making is from the second statement; that the Word is able to save our souls. vii. We commented last week that the gospel – ALONE – is able to save us. That we cannot add anything to the work of Christ to complete our salvation. viii. Therefore, from such a statement his readers might be tempted to believe that having received the gospel means that they have nothing left to do with the gospel of Christ. That all they must do is to passively wait for the gospel to complete its work in them. ix. James counters that with a command. x. Be doers of the gospel and not hearers only. xi. But what is the gospel? What is a doer of the gospel? What is a hearer only? We need to define our terms. And James is going to do just that by way of illustration. But he chooses to start with the hearers only first. xii. But before he does, he cautious his readers with what is at stake should they be a hearer only… b. [Slide 3] Deceiving yourselves. i. James does not mince words when describing someone who is a hearer of the gospel without being a doer of the gospel. ii. To be a hearer only would mean that you are self-deceived. It means that you are delusional. iii. It means you live in fairy land, and an existence of your own imagination. iv. It is no small matter to be a hearer of the gospel only. Thus, a huge theme in the book of James begins to open right before our eyes. v. Do not be deluded. Being a hearer of the gospel only – is of no profit to you. It is useless. It is actually a detriment to him. vi. But why is someone deluded if they are a hearer only? The answer to that question relates directly to what a hearer only actually is. Let's look. c. [Slide 4] 23 – For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. i. James uses a silly illustration to convey the truth about a person who only hears the gospel without doing the gospel. ii. He is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. There are a couple items we need to understand in this short description. iii. First, the word for looking here is translated well in the ESV. The word could actually be translated “consider” or “contemplate.” This is not someone who quickly glances in the mirror. Instead, this is someone who looks intently. He studies what he sees. iv. The second item we need to understand is what the man studies. He is studying his natural face. 1. The semantic range for both these words in the Greek is quite broad. The word for face can mean anything from presence to showing partiality. Probably because the term “face” has so many idiomatic uses. Nevertheless, face is probably the best word. 2. But the other word means birth, existence, or genealogy. From this many translations say “natural.” Which is a good translation as long as we understand what is intended. a. Some interpreters take this as the original intention of God in creating mankind. In other words that of a pure vessel designed to image God. b. However, there are two really good reasons to reject this interpretation. i. James is clearly in the midst of an illustration here. To interpret this word “natural” to mean created purpose, would prematurely break the metaphor. We would be far better suited to look for a meaning of “natural” that fits inside the metaphor. What kind of face would a person see in a mirror that we could call “natural”? ii. A second reason for rejecting this interpretation is because of context. Contextually James is clearly painting a negative picture of this man. To see in the mirror what God intended humans to be and to ignore that would certainly be tragic. But not as tragic as someone seeing who they actually are and ignoring that. More on this as we go forward. c. In our Tik Tok and Instagram world we live in – using no filter would mean not using technology to augment your face to get rid of wrinkles or blemishes. d. This is a far more likely interpretation of the word “natural” within the bounds of this illustration. e. By natural, I believe James means “unaided” or “raw” or “unfiltered.” f. It is the face that you were born with – not one adorned in any way. v. So then, a man who is a hearer of the word without being also a doer of the word is like a man who studies his blemished, raw, unaided face in a mirror. vi. But the description is not quite done. d. [Slide 5] 24 – For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. i. Although it would be tragic to see what God intended us to be from creation and forget that. There is yet a far more tragic thing to happen to someone who sees their true selves in a mirror. ii. After spending all that time looking at himself and studying every single contour of his natural face; after knowing all that is wrong and all the blemishes that exist; after observing all that hair out of place and all that is not right with his appearance; his natural and unhelped appearance… iii. The man goes away from the mirror forgetting what he was like. iv. He forgets or neglects or overlooks his blemishes. He does nothing about them. v. He lives as if – they are not there. vi. This is why we would call this a silly illustration. Because we could truly say of any individual who does this… What a fool! What an idiot! What a slob! vii. Who would do this? No one! No one looks intently in a mirror and does nothing with their appearance! Friends, how many times in your life have you looked in the mirror after just rolling out of bed and said, “Hey… nothing bad about that!” viii. As if by pretending the blemishes do not exist- we can make them magically go away or worse forget they were there in the first place. ix. A person who hears the gospel of Jesus Christ and is not a doer of it – is a person who has been shown, at least in part, the great sin of their hearts next to the holiness of God and has left that revelation and not only does not change – but they forget what they saw! x. Oh, pity the man, woman, boy or girl who is in such a position! e. [Slide 6] Passage Truth: James pivots from his discussion of ridding themselves of wickedness and humbly welcoming the gospel which is able to save their souls. He wants to be sure they understand what he meant by receiving the gospel and what he didn't mean by the gospel being able to save their souls. So, he tells them in no uncertain terms, that to hear the gospel without doing the gospel is to play the fool. f. Passage Application: So, his audience must not stop at hearing the gospel. Quick to listen yes! But not to stop at hearing – for listening is to hear and do. His audience must hear and do the gospel. g. [Slide 7] Broader Biblical Truth: But is this true in the rest of the scriptures? Does the bible as a whole really teach us that hearing the gospel without living it is foolish? Indeed, this is one of the central themes in all of the scriptures. To hear the word of God and to not listen, to not obey, to not change, to not respond – is to spell certain doom upon yourself. God is longsuffering, and He allows many to continue to ignore His word - but eventually God will justly punish those who do not respond to His Word. And His Son is the Word. Jesus' work and teachings on earth is the sum total of the fullest expression of God's revelation to all mankind. So, to hear the teachings of and about Christ, to know the truth of the gospel and to know all that Christ commanded and to not do it – is to be the greatest fool that has ever been. In time past, when God's full revelation was not revealed, we might have less harsh words for the man far removed from Yahweh and His people. But to us now in a world where all but few have heard of Jesus and what He has done – and to us especially in church every Sunday – to not hear and do – what a fool you'd have to be. h. Broader Biblical Application: So, CBC, I implore you by the mercies of God, as He yet withholds His great judgment day – that great and Terrible Day of the Lord – I implore you to look long and hard in the mirror of the word of God. Study your natural face. Know who you are and who God is. But do not leave that revelation unchanged. Do not walk away and forget who you are. Remember, repent, believe, and obey. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] We know what a man who hears only is like. We know he is a fool. We know he will be judged for his foolishness. But what does a gospel hearer and doer look like? What should he expect from a life of doing the gospel? II.) Because hearing the gospel message and living it is the only path to God's blessing, we must believe and live out the gospel. (25) a. [Slide 9] 25 – But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, i. Here James draws two equals signs for us in the text. ii. First, the perfect law, the law of liberty is the same as the mirror in the opening illustration of the one who is a hearer only. The mirror that the man looked into to behold his natural face is indeed the perfect law of liberty. iii. That leads us to the second equals sign. The Word, the gospel of Christ is the same as the perfect law of liberty. iv. But what do both of these terms mean? What is the gospel and what is the perfect law of liberty and how are they the same? v. [Slide 10] Let's start with a rather basic question, but one that must be answered if we are to proceed here this morning. What is the gospel? vi. [Slide 11] The gospel is the work of Jesus Christ. And that work is recorded beginning in Genesis 1 and is completed in Revelation 22. 1. It is Christ being a second representative for mankind after our first representative (Adam) failed. Christ obeyed God's law perfectly unlike Adam. 2. It is Christ being the sacrificial lamb and scapegoat whereby the sins of His people were expiated or removed to Christ and the wrath of God propitiated or extinguished on Him in the sinner's place. 3. It is Christ promising a future in glory with Him where we will reign with Him forever. 4. It is Christ defeating the forces of darkness and freeing us from slavery to and the family of our former father Satan. 5. The scriptures tell us that He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God. 6. It is a transaction of substitution. 7. In this transaction, the perfect obedience of Christ is transferred to us while our failure is transferred to Christ where it was consumed by God's wrath on the cross. Christ died once for all His people's sin. And one day He will come again to receive the reward for His sufferings – a pure and holy bride. 8. The gospel is Christ being the hope for all who would stop trying in human effort to pursue their greatest desires and instead repent of their sin and trust completely on what Christ has already accomplished. vii. [Slide 12] Therefore, the gospel is also a command. This shouldn't shock us since James says right here that the gospel is a perfect law. viii. It is a command to repent of sin and self-righteousness and believe or trust or depend ONLY on what Christ has done. Not dependance on a confession, profession, creed, set of truths, or even our decision to believe those truths. Instead, it is dependance on Christ alone. That His finished work is the effectual means for you and I to be saved. To the extent that even if God chose not to save you – Christ is still the only thing you can depend on to be saved. There is no other way. ix. This is why John 3:16 is such an amazing verse. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever is believing on Him, will not perish but have everlasting life” You see this verse does not teach us a formula to be saved. Rather it is a promise that those who continue to believe will (in the future) be saved. x. Since the gospel includes the command of repenting of sin and self-reliance and depending on Christ alone – God promising us that those who continue to depend on Christ alone will not perish – is a truly blessed promise. xi. As I John 5:1 tells us, it is only those who continue to believe who are those who have been born of God. xii. And finally, as James is saying here – and included in the perfect law – is that true dependance on Christ includes obedience to all He has commanded. If we love Him – we will keep His commands. And we will obey no matter what the cost. xiii. As Philippians 1:29 tells us, the same people who have been gifted the ability to believe on Christ have also been gifted the privilege of suffering for His name. xiv. And this helps us to transition to the aspect of the gospel being a perfect law of liberty. xv. We are free in Christ. And not just free from sin's punishment since Christ took our place – but we are also free to do what? b. [Slide 13] And perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, i. Now James completes his illustration, painting for us the picture of the doer of the gospel. ii. Being a doer necessitates being a hearer first. We can see this both by logic and by grammar. We are told to be a doer and not a hearer… only. This would leave us to conclude that we must hear first and then be a doer. iii. But a true hearer and doer of the gospel perseveres in looking into the perfect law of liberty. They do not study and then walk away and forget. Rather they continue to see life through the mirror. And what is the consequence of continually seeing life through the gospel of Jesus Christ? iv. It is someone who lives like their sin truly separates them from God who is the giver of life. It is someone who lives like they have nothing good of their own to offer God. It is someone who lives as if Christ and Christ alone is their only hope for a right relationship with God. v. To live out the gospel … my friends… is to be a radically different person than you were born as. No natural man is this way. Every person is born with a love for sin, a hatred of God's law, and a natural assumption that their relationship to God is merely strained and can be fixed by their own efforts. vi. It is to live knowing that in Christ, the law remains in place for us. The difference is that we are now free to keep it. We are no longer slaves to sin and slaves to a will that does not desire righteousness and does not seek God. We are no longer slaves to Satan and to our flesh. vii. Instead, we are free to obey. Free to be slaves to righteousness. Remember, He became sin, who knew no sin that we might become what? The righteousness of God! viii. This is the liberty that the gospel gives to us. A liberty that our natural state did not give to us. ix. The one who looks and perseveres in looking into the gospel and its freedom – will be the one who responds in action and does not forget what the gospel has shown him. And what will that produce? c. [Slide 14He will be blessed in his doing. i. Notice that James does not complete this phrase by saying – He will be saved. ii. Ah to say so here would cross the very thin line of the status good works holds in the gospel message. iii. Only the gospel, the implanted word, the work of Christ alone is able to save us. Our response to it does not save. iv. However, to merely hear and not respond is foolishness and a sure path to eternal judgment and death. v. So, if not responding condemns us, but responding does not save us - what place does responding to the gospel message have? vi. We will be blessed, favored, given power and passion by God Himself in doing the gospel. vii. Our efforts to respond to the gospel and live it out will be empowered and set aflame by God Himself. viii. This word blessed means fortune or happy – and we correlate this word with divine grace. Where God gifts to us of His own freedom without impulse by any outside source – His grace. ix. Meaning then, that it is not our response to the gospel that motivates God's grace. For then it would not be grace. And it would contradict James here who says that we are given grace in the doing of the gospel not after doing it. x. Instead, God's grace is given for us to do the gospel. xi. Do you not see my friends. Even our response to the gospel – even our doing of the gospel must be empowered by the gift of grace from God Himself. xii. My friends – look in the mirror of the law of liberty – you have nothing to bring to the Lord. You are empty handed. xiii. And yet, by His sovereign plan, he has birthed you through Christ's work, He has implanted that work in you and He has enabled you to respond in faith and obedience. xiv. My friends – salvation has never been and will never be about you. xv. Respond to the gospel – but respond knowing that if you succeed in responding – it isn't because of you. But it is because you have been blessed by God. xvi. And if you have been blessed by God to do His gospel – then you will most certainly be blessed by God and received into His Kingdom. d. [Slide 15] Passage Truth: So, James, in contrast to the gospel hearer, describes the doer of the gospel. And the outcome of doing the gospel is to be blessed of God in the doing of the gospel. e. Passage Application: So, his audience must be doers of the gospel and not hearers only. f. [Slide 16] Broader Biblical Truth: But is this true in the rest of scripture? Do we find that those who obey God are blessed in their obedience? The Old Testament serves as one vivid example after another of these exact parallel truths playing out. In fact, God told them that if they kept his law, he would bless them, but if not He would curse them. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the judges, Samuel, David and many, many more, many who are listed in Hebrews 11, many who believed God and acted in that belief with obedience. They are said to be examples of faith, faith that is counted as righteousness. Faith that is alive and active. g. Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, if we are to be blessed in our obedience, if we are truly saved, we must continue to believe and live out the gospel. We must be doers of the gospel and not hearers only. We must not forget our natural face which the word of God reveals to us. We must continue to see life through the perfect law of liberty. We must cling to the work of Christ and obey all that He has commanded us to be – for now we are free to do so. We must hear and do. Conclusion: So then CBC, what have we learned and how does it impact us in our daily lives? We have learned that hearing the gospel only is a miserable and pitiable place to be. Like a foolish person convincing himself that his bed head and crusties in his eyes don't exist just because he stopped looking in the mirror – to hear the gospel and forget what it showed us about ourselves or God or the world – is foolish. Ultimately it will condemn us to eternal judgment. Hearing the gospel is not enough. Hearing the gospel is not a faith that saves. Hearing the gospel is not an indication that God has implanted it in our hearts, nor that He has given us new birth. Those who are blessed of God – are blessed in their doing of the gospel. In knowing the truth and being set free by it. Not freedom to sin – for the gospel does not afford us freedom to indulge our sinful habits further. Instead, a freedom to be what God has purposed for us to be. His first fruits among His creation. His children. Christ's Bride dressed in pure white robes which are the righteous deeds of His church. My friends if you do not live out the gospel, then you are not alive. So how then shall we live? We must be slaves to righteousness. We must live as though we have nothing to offer God - but that Christ is all we have and all we need. He is our hope. We must depend on Him and love Him to the extent that we obey all He commands. We need to put to death forever the notion that a person can say a prayer confessing the truths of the gospel and this somehow saves them from eternal punishment, whether their lives are changed or not. We need to once and for all silence the false teaching that is an easy belief which requires no lifestyle change or difference from God's people. While we may, in a theoretical sense, come to terms with a death bed conversion and even the temporary fruitlessness of a true child of God – we must recognize that the Word speaks seldom of and discourages such expressions of Christian life. It is clear from all of scripture and especially the New Testament, that the normal and predictable pattern of a truly redeemed person is to hear and do the gospel. To believe is validated by obedience. This is so important for us as we come to this holiday season. We will all see family and friends who have prayed a prayer, who have made a confession, who know and perhaps to some degree still believe the truths of the gospel. Nevertheless, they are living in active sin, knowingly disobeying the Lord. Or perhaps they are actively trying to earn their own salvation by adhering to some traditional or ritualistic standard rather than depending on Christ alone. Or perhaps they are depending on something they have already done, a prayer they've said, or a confession they've made, or baptism, or other various actions they did to save themselves. Now we can continue to pretend that these folks are true believers. We can massage our aching hearts with the hope that their confession is genuine. We can wink at the words of James and hope for better things. But to do so would be an act of hate against your family and friends. To know that their confession is empty – that they are foolish and headed for condemnation and to pretend as though they aren't? What could we call such an attitude but hate? It would be far better to first admit in our own minds and hearts that the scriptures are true and that those who posses confession without obedience are not God's children. Only then can we pray and minister to them effectively. Only then can we truly love them enough to tell them the truth about the sorry state of their souls. But to turn all this application to an even sharper point. My friends… how about you? Perhaps you are one of those who has been a hearer but not a doer. You have looked long in the mirror of the Word and found your sin and the holiness of God. Yet you have not acted upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have walked away from what you've seen and refuse to look again – hoping to forget what horrified your soul. Today, my friends, you have heard the gospel again. That Christ is the only way to peace with God. That He has been prophesied from the beginning to make a wretched person like you and me – into sons and daughters. Into royalty. Into priests. My friends – whether you have never heard the gospel before and have only just heard it today, or whether you have heard the gospel for the thousandth time but have never lived it out – Let today be the day it changes you. Respond to the gospel call. Repent of your sin and self-righteous efforts to please God and depend on Christ and Christ alone for your salvation. Submit to His lordship over your life. And walk in newness. Endure in seeing the world through the lens of the perfect law of liberty! Do not delay – even now under the sound of my voice you can cry out to Him in repentance and faith. You can obey the gospel and depend only on Christ. You can begin a life of obedience today, trusting in Christ alone to save your soul. Do not pretend any longer. Do not forget what you saw in the mirror. Do not pretend that the blemishes aren't there. No! Know they are there and know that Christ has no blemish. He was the spotless Savior who took your place! Believe on Him and Live for Him.

Ankit Thakur

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2022 7:29

Recently Google had rolled out their new update in which content written with AI tools or spinning tools has been removed from the search results. Also people who were using AI generated content for their blogs or website will be get to see some traffic drop. But at the same time if you are written content on your own then also you will get to see some drop in the traffic. One of my blog that's getting 3k-4k organic visitors from google had suddenly dropped. Why because google is testing whether it's AI generated content or self written content but if you can see it's slowly getting back to the normal pace. Conclusion: So, if you are using AI generated content and getting results then it will be only for short term and if you are building a brand then you shouldn't do that because once your website is considered spammy then you will have hard time to rank on google. #googleupdates #blogging #seo #seotipsandtricks #seotips #searchengineoptimization #searchengineranking #seoenthusiast #google --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

google ai algorithms spam conclusion so recently google

02 James 1:2-4 - Consider it Pure Joy

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2022 44:06

Title: Consider It Pure Joy Text: James 1:2-4 FCF: We often struggle rejoicing in trials. Prop: Because God providentially uses trials to sanctify us to glory, we must consider testing pure joy. Scripture Intro: NIV (1984) [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to the book of James chapter 1. Well, if you missed last week, we introduced the book of James as the next portion of scripture that we will dissect on Sunday mornings. Although I suspected it would be this way, it wasn't until after digging into the first few verses here that my thoughts were confirmed. James is going to be a very difficult book for us. Why do I say that? Well, I can think of three big reasons. 1.) James does not spend a whole lot of time talking doctrine. You might think that that would make it easier for us to study the book. It really doesn't. Because as complex as doctrine can be, the test of doctrine is always when it is put into practice. And the time that James doesn't spend talking about doctrine, he takes to tell his audience, and by extension us, how to live. Just like the book of Proverbs, James is all application. Which means we will move probably a good deal slower through the book than we normally would with an epistle. 2.) Secondly, also like the book of proverbs, we get a lot of bang for our buck. Although we are only covering 3 verses today… there is so much in these three verses. We are basically going to have to analyze every single word. 3.) The final reason James is going to be difficult is also related to its proverbial style, but not because of brevity or richness. Instead, because of its sharpness. James' letter hits hard and it hits fast. His statements are like razors slicing at this hidden idol and that forgotten sin. I'll not sugar coat it. I wept in my office this week over the love and mercy of God and my own failure to do the one simple command James gives. James is going to hurt us my friends. I hope you are ready – because he wastes no time. Many letters in the New Testament begin with an expression of thanksgiving for the audience. James instead, begins by issuing orders. I am in James 1. I'll begin reading in verse 1. I am reading from the NIV(1984) but you can follow along in the pew bible on page 1360 or in whatever version you have in front of you. Transition: Today James is going to issue one command. It is simple enough. But my oh my… Well… let's just dive in. I.) Because testing of faith develops perseverance, we must consider testing pure joy. (2-3) a. [Slide 2] 2 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, i. After saying his greetings the very first word, given highest priority in the Greek sentence is pure. 1. The NIV translates this word pure, and other translations use words like “great” or “all.” 2. “All” is perhaps the most literal translation of the Greek word, but it doesn't drive to the dynamic meaning of what James is saying. 3. In fact, some preachers have confused James' meaning to require that this “all” be applied to every circumstance or in every effect. As we expand on the meaning here, this would require fairly unattainable results with an already difficult command to keep. 4. Instead, as the NIV has translated it – is the proper understanding of the word “all” in this case. 5. The kind of joy that James wants from his audience is a joy that is undiluted, in its fullest and most complete expression. ii. [Slide 3] But what is joy? 1. Is joy an emotion? Is it a synonym for happiness or gladness? 2. It may surprise some for me to answer... yes. Joy certainly includes emotion. Joy certainly is a condition of happiness and gladness. 3. But I would also say that joy is not a synonym for happiness. Joy includes happiness, but they are not the same things. 4. Oftentimes, natural or worldly happiness comes from circumstances meeting our expectations. It comes from pleasure and the meeting of desires. 5. In short, natural human happiness is extremely volatile. It ebbs and flows, it waxes and wanes, it comes and goes. It depends on a wide variety of variables. 6. Perhaps you've felt the flakiness of happiness before? a. Your day begins in the arms of your loving spouse but at noon on your mid-day call, a disagreement sullies the mood and just like that, in one conversation, your happiness has left you. b. Or maybe you arrive to work and the threat of layoffs has been hanging over your head for the last 2 weeks. You can barely sleep, your stomach is in knots, but the boss calls you in and tells you that you are essential and would be kept. The relief. The happiness! Right! 7. But are these joy? No friend. These are not joy. 8. How can I know that? 9. [Slide 4] Because joy is a gift of God. It is a fruit of the Spirit. And every time a New Testament writer speaks of joy, it is ALWAYS in relation to Christ and His saving of sinners like you and me. 10. Happiness and joy may look the same on the outside… but their primary difference is that joy is rooted in an ongoing, thriving, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ made possible and secured by His finished work on the cross. 11. [Slide 5] Happiness has everything to do with us and our circumstances. Joy has nothing to do with us and our circumstances. 12. Thus joy can co-exist with sorrow. Joy can walk hand in hand with grief. Joy can give its shoulder during bitter weeping and heartache. Joy can even be our crutch during the most pernicious temptations. 13. Joy is the happiness of our soul though our flesh faints. Joy is the gladness of our spirit gushing forth sweet waters from the fountain of Christ, while we weep bitter tears from our natural eyes. 14. And PURE joy. Oh, pure joy is a soul at its peak- drinking full the sweet waters of our Lord's sustaining draught. Pure joy is complete and perfect comfort, contentment, and gladness in the Lord and His Word and Work. iii. [Slide 6] The last piece of the puzzle, to understand what James is commanding his audience here, is to investigate this word “consider.” 1. First, this is a command from James. 2. Second, this word means to consider or regard. But, perplexingly, the word to regard or consider can also mean to lead or to rule. Meaning that in this regarding there is a rulership or authority present. 3. How it is used in the New Testament, can only be described as declarative reality. 4. And so, what James is commanding his audience to do, is to declare with certainty and utmost belief, to the extent that for all intents and purposes, the thing you are regarding as something… is that thing. 5. So, if Paul were to say to consider others as better than yourself – he means to declare and believe that others are truly better than you are and act as if that were true without exception. 6. In the negative, if Paul were to say that Christ did NOT regard equality with God as something to be grasped – he means that not for one second did Christ ever think, believe, or act as though He were not equal to God. 7. And when Paul says that he considers all his past accomplishments as loss, or dung or garbage… he believes this to the fullest extent and treats those accomplishments as such. 8. And so, putting all this together, James commands his audience to treat with utmost belief without exception as undiluted, full, and complete soul happiness rooted in Christ… what? iv. What are we to treat as joy? b. [Slide 7] Whenever you face trials of many kinds, i. Ouch. ii. If you didn't say ouch just now its because you didn't understand the first part of the verse. iii. Hey maybe you got lost – I get it. iv. Let me try it again. v. Regard to the extent that you are fully convinced that the purest expression of God given happiness in Christ is found… whenever you face trials of many kinds. vi. Ouch. vii. Friends that is NOT how I see trials of ANY kind, let alone MANY kinds. viii. I want to get out of that trial as quickly as I got into it or… quicker. ix. I want it to be over and be back to normal. Don't you? x. Tell me – if something is a pure joy to you, to the extent that you find the fullest expression of God given happiness in Christ… do you want it to be over? NO! xi. That is how we should see tests of many kinds. xii. Ouch. xiii. The word trials here along with the word many indicates that this is not limited to merely sickness, poverty, or persecution. My friends this encompasses every single assault we ever face on this earth. Temptation, trial, spiritual oppression, hatred, strained relationships… the whole of human existence and all that could be classified as a “trial” is bound up in this word. xiv. Ouch. xv. Why do I say it again? Friends do you realize what that means? xvi. Some of us may be able to count it joy when persecuted. Some of us may be able to count it joy when we have a headache or toothache. xvii. But can you count it joy when you are in a long battle against your flesh? Can you count it joy when you don't get to go to the movies with your friends because you are obeying your parents? Can you count it joy when you've lost loved ones? Can you count it joy when the sickness you are facing has no end in sight? xviii. From the tiniest temptation to being burned alive, and every test in between. xix. Treat every test as the purest and fullest happiness in Christ. xx. Ouch. xxi. The NIV gives us the word “face” but the word would probably be better translated as “fall into.” You see those preachers who say to consider it all joy might venture into the impossible by requiring that every aspect of every trial we face ought to be considered joy. xxii. But friends this is not the case. We do not seek these tests. We do not hunt down these trials. Instead, they are arranged for us. By whom? Well, we will get to that in a moment. xxiii. But we are not masochists enjoying pain and suffering. No. Instead, we are to regard as purest happiness in Christ, every single test we ever face, though we weep with heartache… though we shake with pain. Though we never sought it out but it found us. It is joy. Pure… joy. xxiv. Why… Why would we EVER do this? How can James command such a ridiculous thing! c. [Slide 8] 3 – because you know i. There is a popular personality in conservative circles who has this saying. “Facts don't care about your feelings.” ii. James said it first. iii. Although James would probably put it a little different. iv. Something like… “faith corrects your feelings” v. As is often the case when our flesh bucks against something the Lord commands in scripture – something we've been given to believe is the antidote to our fleshly reaction to the command. vi. The secret to treating every test as the purest and fullest happiness in Christ is because we have been given truth. vii. We have received from the Lord, that which we cannot forget. viii. We have been shown a great light to the extent that we will never know true darkness again. ix. What could we know that would be so powerful to enable us to treat the most bitter tests against our spiritual and physical beings as if they are the fullest happiness found in Christ? x. What knowledge is capable of doing this? d. [Slide 9] That the testing of your faith develops perseverance. i. Testing here is not the same word as trial earlier. This word means criterion, test, or proof. ii. Just as time proves whether the yeast is alive in a lump of dough, so the proof of our faith – that is our received faith in Christ alone for our salvation and continued obedience. iii. The proof of this faith develops or produces, or brings out the result of perseverance. iv. In other words, we know that our faith is proven to be true through trails when it brings the outcome of perseverance. Enduring. Holding Fast. v. In II Peter, he continued with the tension of God providing what we need to endure but then our responsibility to endure. vi. Here James stays on the other side of that tension. vii. The gift of Faith that is being proven to be true brings out the result of continued belief and obedience. viii. Knowing that true faith in the process of its proving brings out the result of continued belief and obedience, helps us to treat every kind of test we face as pure happiness in Christ. Why? ix. Because the faith He gave us, the faith in Him, will be stronger through that trial. x. The only way to build a muscle's capacity to handle more strenuous tasks is to continually damage the muscle through repeated tests of exertion. xi. Our faith's repeated tests of exertion enables it to endure all the more. e. [Slide 10] Passage Truth: James tells his audience what they already know. That genuine faith when tested will result in endurance. So, if they are truly God's children, they will not crumble under the weight of the test. Instead, their faith will only grow stronger. f. Passage Application: How should they respond to what they know? They should regard it as the fullest expression of God given happiness in Christ when they fall into any test they ever face. g. [Slide 11] Broader Biblical Truth: But can we find such teaching throughout the scriptures? Could such a ridiculous notion be present since creation? Certainly, it cannot be true that God uses testings and trials to grow the faith of His people! My friends, there are too many scriptures to list. To mark off every example or outright teaching where this is found to be true would take us ages. It would leave us here until next year. We'd be studying still the heartache of Adam and Eve, the loneliness of Seth, the righteousness of Noah, the trials of Job, the faith of Abraham – And we'd be no closer to James' context by then. My friends this concept is prolific throughout the scripture. It is saturated in every teaching. The way God dealt with rebellious Israel, the way he taught us our need for Him by giving a law no one can keep. By requiring of us commands we cannot fulfil. By demanding worship we could never offer. My friends! God always works through test to grow the faith of His people. And that is NOT because of His limitations… but ours! That we are so stubborn, arrogant, and comfort obsessed that we cannot abide the growth of our faith unless it is poked with a hot coal. h. Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, when trials come. When we face heartache, persecution, dogged temptation, spiritual oppression, suffering of every kind – even now as we think about the possibility of it coming or for some of us the reality of it already being here… WHAT SHALL WE DO?! We must rejoice with every fiber of our soul as the fullest expression of God given happiness in Christ! To the extent that we rejoice though we weep in agony. To the extent that we praise the Lord though we shake with pain. To the extent that we sing songs of deliverance though we are mocked by our tempter. To the extent that we cry out with hope though we are abused by the wicked. My friends… OUCH. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] Is the growth of our faith the only reason that we should consider these tests as pure joy? Is there more that we know to be true that could help us fulfill this command? II.) Because perseverance's perfect work makes us complete, we must consider testing pure joy. (4) a. [Slide 13] 4 – Perseverance must finish its work i. This is the second command in this passage. And it threw me for a loop. ii. Without going too deeply into homiletics; as I analyze a text to craft a sermon, one of the first things I look for is the commands of the passage. iii. If there are two commands, then you have a two-point sermon. If there are 3 commands, you have a 3-point sermon. If there is one command… well that means that instead of looking for commands I need to start looking for foundational truth. So far, every text of scripture either has a plurality of truth concepts attached to one command, or a plurality of commands attached to one truth. iv. So, in this text, I noticed this command and assumed I had two commands. But I also had a couple truths as well. Hence my confusion. v. Until I noticed what the NIV so accurately communicates. This command is not for his audience. It is for perseverance. vi. How do you command perseverance? You can command people to persevere but you can't command perseverance to do anything can you? vii. This is a third person command. We don't really do this much in English. It would be like “He throw his ball!” We end up sounding like a child. viii. This is why several translations add the word “let” into the text. This is intended to make the audience part of the conversation without it doing the work. The intention is for it to read as if the audience are assenting parties in perseverance's work though they are not doing it. But these translations muddy the waters by making it seem like we are allowing perseverance to do its work which isn't what the text says. ix. The NIV 1984 nails this. And the reason I say 1984 is because I bought a thinner preaching NIV for this week, only to find that the newest update of this version changes this! Ugh. x. Anyway, nearest I can decide the best translation is… xi. Perseverance must finish its work. IT must. Not us. Perseverance. xii. Think about it, we are given the faith, which is proven by tests we are given by God, and in that proving it results in perseverance. In other words, in this whole process nothing has been required of us except what? xiii. Regard it as joy. xiv. James' message is not to stick it out, hold on a little longer, keep fighting. xv. His message is to rejoice! Because trial that proves faith results in perseverance. xvi. And perseverance MUST finish its work. xvii. In other words, your faith is going to continue to be proven through trials so that perseverance can finish its work. xviii. Well, what is perseverance's work? Us. Look at the next part of the verse. b. [Slide 14] So that YOU may be mature and complete i. Do you not know? Have you not heard? ii. The Lord Jesus did not die for you to grant you liberty from hell only. iii. He did not die to free you from sin's penalty only. iv. My friends when we say that Jesus died for sinners, that he became sin who knew no sin, that He set us free- this is what we mean. v. He died so that we might walk in new life and be completed. vi. He who began a good work in us will continue it until we are perfected. vii. My friends, in this life you MUST treat it as the greatest happiness in Christ when you find yourself in any testing – WHY? Because you are being saved! Not only is it assurance that you have true faith but it is the very process of your salvation itself. You are being perfected! viii. The way that our Father has chosen to bring His dear children to Him, the way He has elected to grow them into the full stature of Christ… is by pain. ix. He must cut and kill every clinging sin from us. And at our conversion He installed in us the faith that would, from the inside out, prove itself through every test. And as many hits as it takes it would only get stronger. x. Until one day we shall be mature and complete. xi. To the extent that we are… c. [Slide 15] Lacking nothing. i. The rich young ruler approached our Savior and asked him, good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life. ii. The Lord knew his question was faulty and broken from the start. First, he had no idea what goodness was, and because he had no idea what goodness was, he assumed that there was something HE could do to inherit eternal life. iii. So, the Lord moved to instruct him on the matter and bring light to his darkness. Christ told him to keep the 10 commandments. A feat that no man could ever hope to truly achieve if they understood what was meant. iv. Nevertheless, the young man stated hastily that he had kept them all since his youth. And what did the young man ask? What more do I… lack? v. True faith, when tested, produces endurance which forms the complete and mature picture of Christ in us. If such were true of each of us… vi. We would lack nothing. vii. This entire opening suddenly takes on an eschatological tone. For we will only be mature, complete, and lacking nothing when we stand in His presence. viii. But how so very few of us get there in a day, a week, a month or a year after our conversion. For most of us, the Lord has a long path to slowly but surely kill off and chip away all that is dead in us. ix. He does this through various trials. So, when you are in a trial… x. Rejoice. Why? xi. Because the very process of your perfection… is happening right before your eyes. xii. And again, I say… ouch. d. [Slide 16] Passage Truth: James adds a second truth to motivate his audience to rejoice. Not only does tested faith result in growing faith, but also it is that growing and enduring faith that MUST finish its work which is us. The faith we have received, a faith that endures, must finish us by completing us and perfecting us. To the extent that we lack nothing. e. Passage Application: His audience then, their only command in this passage, is to perceive their many testings as pure, God-given happiness in Christ. They must look at tests as opportunities for great rejoicing. f. [Slide 17] Broader Biblical Truth: So, we saw that everywhere the scripture teaches that God grows our faith through trial. But do the scriptures also teach us that growing faith must perfect us? Do the scriptures give us an indication that enduring faith is what will ultimately transport us to glorification? My friends, the scriptures make plain that this is the ONLY kind of faith that transports us to glory. God's righteous decree was continued faithfulness and worship from the children of Israel. God's expectation for Abraham was continued trust despite the circumstances. And the Apostles teach us that the hopeful promise that we will not perish but have everlasting life is offered to those who are believing ones. Enduring faith IS saving faith. g. Broader Biblical Application: So, CBC, since genuine faith when tested brings endurance and endurance brings us to what God desires us to be, mature, complete and perfect… what should our response be when we fall into various tests? As James says… it should be joy. Pure, joy. Why? Because God is saving us through trials. He is perfecting us through trial. He is completing us through trial. Conclusion: So, James points to the process of God's progressive salvation of our souls. He points to the providence of God to carry His dear children from their conversion and to slowly press them into the mold of Christ who will present them faultless before the throne of God. James highlights God's work through all of life to work all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. To the extent that God uses all manner of tests, be they temptation or trial, to prove the genuine faith in His people resulting in their faith's endurance. But endurance is not the end, for as endurance continues and steadfastness works – it produces a person who is complete and lacking nothing at all. Therefore, God gets all the praise for in every test He graciously continues to save His dear children, not from their trials or tests, but from sin, Satan, this world and to His Son. And what is the Christian's only command in all of this? Certainly, we can go to other passages of scripture, II Peter included to find the human responsibility of all this. Even later in James we will see him put human responsibility at the forefront. But for now – James presents a faith that was given being tested by trials that were given, with a result that is unearned producing a product that is God engineered. God's work through trials takes center stage in verses 2-4. And for this – what is the ONLY command in this passage for us? Rejoice! We are to perceive every threat of suffering, every promise of pain, every whiff of temptation, every hint of persecution as the highest and purest happiness given by God through Christ. Do we still grieve? Of course. Do we still sorrow? Yes. Do we still weep? Most assuredly. Do we still fight tooth and nail every temptation that comes our way? You bet! B1ut we also hope in the promise of God. We also rejoice in the salvation of God. We are gladdened when we see our faith in Christ and His promises solidify and endure. That though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we fear no evil because He is with us. His rod and staff comfort us. Every test. Every trial is a cause for rejoicing. My friends – this is not how we perceive things is it? When someone has a successful surgery or gets a new job – how quickly we are to praise the Lord. But when we first learn we need the surgery, when we were first let go from our previous job. When we struggle under ongoing assault from the evil one. When we are fresh off the loss of family of friends… do we praise the Lord then? Do we rejoice in what He is going to do with our faith through this new test? James calls us to absolute trust and faith in the sovereign providence of God. That though He is able to deliver us from every trial – He uses these trials to make us more like Christ. Only when we understand this can we truly regard our testings as pure joy. Lift up your eyes oh Christian. Look to the hills you downcast. From where does your help come? He has sent this test to you. Why? To prove and perfect your faith. So… rejoice.

The Person and Work of CHRIST – S4 Ep8

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2022 34:01

The person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth The Person and Work of CHRIST -- well that has been the topic of many debates. Such as, who He is and His purpose for coming into the world. First, let's look at an example from the Holy Bible of who people said Jesus was when He was here in His physical body. In Matthew 16:13-17 English Standard Version it says, “13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” As we can see, people had different answers. And the same is true even today. The work of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Now, when we talk about the work of Christ Jesus, John said it as follows: John 1:14-17 English Standard Version says, “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Of course, Jesus Himself told us who He is and why He came. Matthew 5:17 English Standard Version says, “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Luke 19:10 English Standard Version says, “10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Even though the Bible is very clear on the person and work of Christ; many religions have their own incorrect views of Him. Conclusion So, if you want to know more, then this podcast episode is for you. Go ahead and use the player at the top of this blog post. Or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then get encouraged by joining Lady V and me in our discussion – The Person and Work of CHRIST. Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion Colossians 1:15-23 John 1:1-4 John 14:6 John 3:16 Romans 10:9-10 Receive your Free Gift of Salvation – The Gospel of Jesus Christ Explanation If you are reading this, it is not by chance. This is your time to receive the Gift of Salvation through Christ Jesus. Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need that?" Oh, I'm so glad you asked. The Bible says, that because Adam ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -- he released sin into the world. And ultimately, Adam's sin brought death and death spread to everyone. No doubt, you may be thinking, "Of course, everyone is going to die." But, my question to you is "Where will you spend eternity?" Because there is life after death. In fact, when you die you go to one of two places -- heaven or hell. Also, it is important to understand that, Adam's sin also brought an eternity in hell. But for those who choose not to receive the free gift of eternal life. Thus, you must make that choice before you take your last breath. Romans 5:17 New Living Translation says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” To sum it all up, Romans 6:23 New Living Translation says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if you are reading this, don't let another day go by without receiving this life-changing...

The Invitation – S4 Ep6

god jesus christ lord peace bible romans ephesians receive invitation heck nazareth free gifts scripture romans new living translation new international version lady v scriptures referenced conclusion so

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 35:52

To begin with, I have a question for you to ponder. When was the last time you turned down an invitation? No matter what it was -- you chose not to attend or accept it. I'm pretty sure, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. And how do I know that to be true? Because I have done so myself. Now, the invitation I'm talking about -- if accepted, guarantees eternal life. You are invited It is possible, that you have never thought about where you will spend eternity. Or you don't believe in life after death. Well, I must ask you this question if you are of the latter group. Are you willing to gamble with your eternity? Either way, if you are still reading this blog post, don't let this moment pass you by. If you are willing to accept it -- Jesus of Nazareth has extended the invitation for eternal life to you. The invitation brings His rest Earlier I asked if you have given any thought to the question of life after death. No doubt, there are those of you who have thought about it but the thought may even scare you. Heck, for that matter, life itself can sometimes be scary and or difficult. But, that my friends, is the beauty of the invitation Christ is offering. Matthew 11:28 New International Version says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” You see when you accept Christ's invitation, He will give you, His rest. Furthermore, there is also a peace that comes along with His rest. Peace brings comfort Indeed, peace will bring comfort in knowing that no matter what happens in life--God will direct your path. Plus, you no longer have to be afraid of life after death. Why? Because when you accept Christ's invitation you will be with Him. In other words, when you die, you will immediately go into the presence of the Lord--praise God. And that is good news. Conclusion So, have you considered where you will spend eternity? Then this podcast episode is for you. Go ahead and use the player at the top of this blog post. Or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then get encouraged by joining Lady V and me in our discussion – The Invitation. Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion Luke 12:16-24 John 3:16 Romans 10:9-10 Ephesians 6:23-24 Receive your Free Gift of Salvation – The Gospel of Jesus Christ Explanation If you are reading this, it is not by chance. This is your time to receive the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need that?" Oh, I'm so glad you asked. The Bible says, that because Adam ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -- he released sin into the world. And ultimately, Adam's sin brought death and death spread to everyone. No doubt, you may be thinking, "Of course, everyone is going to die." But, my question to you is "Where will you spend eternity?" Because there is life after death. In fact, when you die you go to one of two places -- heaven or hell. Also, it is important to understand that, Adam's sin also brought an eternity in hell. But for those who choose not to receive the free gift of eternal life. Thus, you must make that choice before you take your last breath. Romans 5:17 New Living Translation says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” To sum it all up, Romans 6:23 New Living Translation says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if you are reading this, don't let another day go by without receiving this life-changing gift. Scripture Romans 10:8-10 New Living Translation says, “8 …“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith ...

STRONG in the LORD: A Fight to the Finish – S4 Ep5

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 41:26

In general, no one is exempt from problems. No doubt, those challenges vary in degrees of difficulty. Moreover, for some people, their problems overwhelm them to the point of hopelessness. Why? Because, when one feels as if they are always fighting battles from day to day, it can take a toll on their mind and spirit. And it is in those times of weakness that the thoughts of suicide have overtaken many. But there is another way. Hence, this episode -- STRONG in the LORD: A Fight to the Finish. Trouble won't last always As I mentioned above, no one is exempt from problems. In fact, Jesus of Nazareth informed us of it. So, let's look at it in the Bible. John 16:33 New International Version says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Equally important, a relationship with Christ Jesus guarantees that His strength is available. Hence, as a Christ-follower, I am confident that I can draw from His strength in times of weakness. Philippians 4:13 New King James Version says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You see, in my experience, it is only then that I am able to be strong in the Lord and fight to the finish. Conclusion So, are your problems weighing you down? Do you feel hopeless about fighting those constant battles? Then this podcast episode is for you. Go ahead and use the player at the top of this blog post. Or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then get encouraged by joining Lady V and me in our discussion -- STRONG in the LORD: A Fight to the Finish. Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion Ephesians 6:10-20 John 3:16 Romans 10:9-10 Ephesians 2:8 Ephesians 6:23-24 Receive your Free Gift of Salvation – The Gospel of Jesus Christ Explanation If you are reading this, it is not by chance. This is your time to receive the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need that?" Oh, I'm so glad you asked. The Bible says, that because Adam ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -- he released sin into the world. And ultimately, Adam's sin brought death and death spread to everyone. No doubt, you may be thinking, "Of course, everyone is going to die." But, my question to you is "Where will you spend eternity?" Because there is life after death. In fact, when you die you go to one of two places -- heaven or hell. Also, it is important to understand that, Adam's sin also brought an eternity in hell. But for those who choose not to receive the free gift of eternal life. Thus, you must make that choice before you take your last breath. Romans 5:17 New Living Translation says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” To sum it all up, Romans 6:23 New Living Translation says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if you are reading this, don't let another day go by without receiving this life-changing gift. Scripture Romans 10:8-10 New Living Translation says, “8 …“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Salvation Prayer Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins. I ask You to forgive me. I want to follow You Jesus. Come into my heart, into my life, and be my Lord and Savior.

From Weeping to JOY – S4 Ep4

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 42:09

In general, most people understand that life consists of ebbs and flows. We all have or will experience ups and downs, easy times as well as tough times. Sadly, for some individuals, the hard times overwhelm and overtake them. In other words, they only see suicide as the solution to their troubles. But oh, my friends, there is a better way -- trusting God. In my experience, trusting Him took me from weeping to joy. Of course, I must show you what the Holy Bible says about the matter in the following scripture. Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version says, “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” I've said this before, receiving Jesus of Nazareth as Savior and Lord is the best decision one could make. And when you receive Him and trust Him, it guarantees that you will receive God's absolute best for your life. The key though is trusting His directions. Get to know Him You see, God wants us to always trust and depend on Him. In full transparency, when I took things into my own hands, I fell flat on my face. And I wasn't trying to be arrogant as many others who don't think they need God. Actually, I didn't want to burden God with what I thought was a small matter. Simply put, I thought, "Why worry God, I got this.” Wrong. I didn't have it. That is to say, I found out the hard way that, I need God's Holy Spirit to direct me in every area of my life. But that, my dear friends, is my experience; it's time that you get to know the Lord for yourself. Conclusion So, if you or someone you know is struggling through the tough times of life, then this podcast episode is for you. Go ahead and use the player at the top of this blog post. Or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then get encouraged by joining Lady V and me in our discussion: From Weeping to JOY. Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion Psalm Chapter 30 John 3:16 Romans 10:9-10 Numbers 6:24-26 Receive your Free Gift of Salvation – The Gospel of Jesus Christ Explanation If you are reading this, it is not by chance. This is your time to receive the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need that?" Oh, I'm so glad you asked. The Bible says, that because Adam ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -- he released sin into the world. And ultimately, Adam's sin brought death and death spread to everyone. No doubt, you may be thinking, "Of course, everyone is going to die." But, my question to you is "Where will you spend eternity?" Because there is life after death. In fact, when you die you go to one of two places -- heaven or hell. Also, it is important to understand that, Adam's sin also brought an eternity in hell. But for those who choose not to receive the free gift of eternal life. Thus, you must make that choice before you take your last breath. Romans 5:17 New Living Translation says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” To sum it all up, Romans 6:23 New Living Translation says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if you are reading this, don't let another day go by without receiving this life-changing gift. Scripture Romans 10:8-10 New Living Translation says, “8 …“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with Go...

Hold on: Help is on the Way – S4 Ep3

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022 38:26

I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life when I felt helpless in certain situations. No doubt, most people have experienced that feeling of helplessness. In all likelihood, someone is feeling it this very moment. Hence, this episode title -- Hold on: Help is on the Way. So, are you or someone you know feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness? If the answer to the above question is yes, my next question to you is, have you prayed about it? Whether your answer is yes or no, I urge you to take a moment and think about exactly, what it is you need. And then, talk to God about it. What do you need? Without a doubt, God wants to help you. In fact, He already has provisions available, no matter the need. And a relationship with Jesus of Nazareth guarantees His help. I love how Philippians 4:19 The Voice Translation puts it, “Know this: my God will also fill every need you have according to His glorious riches in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.” You see, all we have to do is ask and then trust Him. Be specific Now you maybe someone who has prayed and you still feel helpless. Well, if I may offer a suggestion when you pray -- be specific. I love the following example in the Holy Bible about a man who needed help. Luke 18:38-42 New Living Translation says, “38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”” Indeed, from the previous scripture, we can see that Jesus directed the blind man to be specific. And when he did, he received what he needed, which was his sight. Conclusion So, if you or someone you know is feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness then this podcast episode is for you. Go ahead and use the player at the top of this blog post. Or subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast platform. Then get encouraged by joining Lady V and me in our discussion: Hold on – Help is on the Way. Scriptures Referenced in Episode Discussion 2 Samuel Chapters 15 – 18 [Back Story] Psalm 3:1-8 Psalm Chapter 91 Numbers 6:24-26 John 3:16 Salvation Prayer Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins. I ask You to forgive me. I want to follow You Jesus. Come into my heart, into my life, and be my Lord and Savior. By faith I receive You, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior. Listen to We R S.H.E.Talks Podcast Use web player above blog post to listen or subscribe and listen via your favorite podcast platform. Bible Study Resources Holy Bible [NKJV, NLT, Amplified, TPT, MEV, ESV] Get the Bible App by YouVersion NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible Christ-Centered Grace Ministries Check out the following grace-based teaching from a Christ-centered perspective: Dr. Creflo Dollar - creflodollarministries.org Pastor Gregory Dickow - gregorydickow.com Pastor Joseph Prince - josephprince.org Helpful Information Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Let's do our part: Wear a mask or cloth face covering Wait six feet or more apart Wash hands frequently Pray about getting vaccinated and boosted We R S.H.E.Talks Podcast episodes you may enjoy HIM: The Importance of God's Presence – S3E17 Lost and Found: The Compassion of Christ – S3E16 Let It Go and Receive God's Best – S2E20 Eternity Awaits – S2E17 Identity Crisis–Do You Know Who You Are? S2E10 Christianity Misunderstood--Understanding Grace - S1E9 Ask your questions or share your feedback Comment on the episode [share your experience or testi...

14 II Timothy 4:9-22 - Assessing the Battlefield

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2021 55:33

Title: Assessing the Battlefield Text: II Timothy 4:9-22 FCF: We often struggle ministering to each other. Prop: Because the members of the body of Christ need each other, we must minister to one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy 4. Today will be our last sermon in II Timothy, and the Pastoral Epistles as a whole. I have found them to be incredibly challenging, uplifting, rebuking, and exhorting. I trust that you have too. For those of you who have sat under my preaching for a little while, you may be thinking – so 14 verses – we are going to be here a while. Well it won't be as short as last week, but we should be able to get through these last verses in a normal amount of time. Paul will finish the last letter we have of his with some final commands to Timothy. Within those commands we will find an incredibly relevant truth that we desperately need today, along with a particularly poignant application. Join me one more time in II Timothy, chapter 4. I'm reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1344. Transition: Difficult as it may be to draw much from a text like this – we must look closely or we may miss a powerful message. I.) Because the members of the body of Christ need each another, we must be among each other. (9-13) a. [Slide 2] 9 – Make every effort to come to me soon. i. Even though Paul is convinced he will die soon, he doesn't know when. So, what does he do? He goes right into planning as if things will continue. ii. There is a lesson for us here. No matter how bleak it gets – we are never at liberty to give up and resign ourselves to death or a fate we are certain of. Instead, we continue on doing what the Lord has called us to do. Until He calls us home. iii. Timothy's next movement, as Paul repositions his troops, is to come to Paul. iv. And Timothy must make every effort to do that… soon. v. Don't delay. Why? b. [Slide 3] 10 – For Demas deserted me, i. Of course, we need to ask ourselves a question… a question we will be asking a lot in this text. ii. Who is this person? Who is Demas? iii. Demas is mentioned in Colossians and Philemon as a co-laborer of Paul's in the gospel. These prison epistles were written under his first Roman imprisonment which occurred around 60 or 61 AD. iv. So about 5 or 6 years later, Demas went from a co-laborer to a deserter. v. Why? c. [Slide 4] Since he loved the present age and he went to Thessalonica. i. Paul doesn't elaborate on this – but loving the present age is the reason he cites. ii. That could mean anything from wanting to preserve his life, to earthly concerns like money, pleasure, power etc. iii. In any case, he did not finish his race. He did not keep the faith. He did not persevere. iv. Is it any wonder why Paul wrote this book the way he did, with such strong commands for Timothy to endure! v. Although we don't know for sure, tradition holds that Demas was from Thessalonica. vi. So in all these troop movements of God's forces aligned against the forces of darkness, Demas – went home. He quit to pursue more earthly passions – whatever those might have been. d. [Slide 5] Crescens went to Galatia i. So who is Crescens? ii. We have no idea. He is only mentioned here in the whole of the New Testament. iii. We know he went to Galatia. iv. We don't even really know if that is a good thing that he went there. Paul doesn't claim to have sent him. v. But if he too had abandoned Paul, we might think that Paul would have mentioned it. e. [Slide 6] And Titus to Dalmatia. i. Titus we should know well since we just finished studying an entire letter addressed to him. ii. As a reminder, Titus was with Paul at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15 and Gal 2:1-3); He was an emissary to the church in Corinth (II Cor 7:6-7; 8:6; 16); Here we see that he went to Dalmatia after his mission was accomplished in Crete. iii. [Slide 7] Since Dalmatia is very close to Nicopolis which is where Titus was to meet Paul after he was done in Crete – I think we can reasonably assume that both Crescens and Titus were not deserting Paul. They simply were not with him because they had gone on their own assignments. iv. And that is why he wants Timothy to come. Much of Paul's inner circle of companions are not with him. v. But Paul is not completely alone. f. [Slide 8] 11 – Only Luke is with me. i. Luke is probably the closest companion of Paul throughout the course of his ministry. ii. He was a doctor and regularly tended and cared for Paul's medical needs while he was in prison. iii. He was also a co-laborer in the gospel ministry and is mentioned in several letters from Paul. iv. If we went by word count or verse count, Luke is the author of about 40% of the New Testament having written both the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. v. So Luke is the only one there, but adding Timothy would still not be enough. g. [Slide 9] Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great help to me in ministry. i. Mark or John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas, and an early companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. ii. When they reached Perga John Mark, for unknown reasons, departed the two men and went back to Jerusalem. This was a point that Paul interpreted negatively. iii. Barnabas suggested John Mark again on a subsequent journey to which Paul refused. This led the two to part ways amicably. Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus and Paul took Silas. iv. In Colossians 4 (so by his first Roman imprisonment) Paul has Mark with him in Rome, indicating that his status for Paul has been restored to a co-laborer. v. And here we see Paul asking Timothy to stop and pick up Mark (probably in Asia minor somewhere) because he is a great help to Paul in the ministry. Clearly Paul has changed his perception of John Mark. vi. Interestingly enough, it was probably around this time – perhaps even in Rome with Paul – that Mark wrote his gospel. vii. But other troops, other generals in the Kingdom of light have also been sent away. h. [Slide 10] 12 – Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. i. Tychicus was a companion of Paul in the province of Asia Minor ii. He was sent with Onesimus to deliver the prison epistles. iii. He was one of two men considered to replace Titus in Crete. He was ultimately not selected for that job. Instead, he was sent to Ephesus – one would think – to replace Timothy. iv. What a strong vote of confidence Paul puts in this man to replace Timothy. Of course, we knew that since he was also being considered to replace Titus “The hammer” in Crete. v. But it is not only people Paul needs, but also items. i. [Slide 11] 13 – When you come, bring with you the cloak I left in Troas with Carpas and the scrolls, especially the parchments. i. Paul needs a cloak. This coupled with the thought of Timothy coming before winter seems to suggest that Paul was not very comfortable in the prison he occupied at this time. ii. His first imprisonment was more like house arrest while he awaited release. This seems to be worse conditions as he awaits execution. iii. [Slide 12] So, the cloak must be obtained from Troas. iv. From Ephesus Timothy's most likely path of travel would take him north along the coast of Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula, since sailing across the Aegean to get to the pass in Corinth would have been especially dangerous. Along the way Timothy can get Mark, stop in Troas and pick up the items Paul needs, and then be on his way. v. Carpas is only mentioned here so we don't know anything about him other than he has Paul's coat! vi. [Slide 13] Paul also needs the scrolls and parchments. vii. The reason he needs the parchment is fairly obvious. He intended to write more letters, although we have no more recorded from him. viii. Scrolls, however, is an enigma. Some have suggested something as grand as a theological creed or confession for the Roman church all the way to documents proving his Roman citizenship. In any case, Paul needed what was written on them. j. [Slide 14] Passage Truth: Through all this, even though it seems Paul's life is coming to a close, he still needs God's people around him for ministry to others and to be ministered to. That is why he calls Timothy to his side along with John Mark. Until the Lord takes him, the ministry continues, and he cannot do it alone. k. Passage Application: So, Timothy must make haste to leave to be with Paul. l. [Slide 15] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out we know and understand that we each are not an island unto ourselves. We as the body of Christ, in order to function as we must, cannot expect to have all gifts, or be able to say to another believer – we don't need what God has given you. Indeed, in order to minister effectively, we need one another. m. Broader Biblical Application: So here at CBC we need to be among one another. We realize this, still remembering the early days of the pandemic when we considered it unwise to meet in person. Although a temporary necessity, it became quickly apparent that it could not continue indefinitely. We needed each other. And not just over the phone or in a zoom chat. We needed to be with each other. So that we could minister to one another. Even now there are several out sick, or who have been unable to attend for some time because of one ailment or another. We need them among us and they need to be among us when they are able. There is no replacement for personal, face to face meeting of God's people. Transition: [Slide 16(blank)] But merely being together is not enough for the body of Christ to thrive. We need more. II.) Because the members of the body of Christ need each another, we must watch out for those who oppose us and support those in need. (14-18) a. [Slide 17] 14 – Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. i. Answering the question of who is Alexander the coppersmith is a difficult one. ii. There are several Alexanders in scripture. iii. Mark 15:21 - Son of Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Jesus. iv. Acts 4:6 – a member of the High Priest's family. v. Acts 19: 33 – A Jew wanting to defend Jews against accusation that they started the riot in Ephesus. vi. I Tim 1:20 a man part of the problem in Ephesus with Hymenaeus whom Paul handed over to Satan. vii. And finally, here a coppersmith who did great evil to Paul. viii. Ultimately, we don't have a lot of evidence to suggest that any of these men are the same as one another because we know that Alexander is a very common name in the Roman empire at this time. ix. Added to this, the only time the descriptor of “coppersmith” is used is right here in this text. x. Therefore, it is very likely that this is the only reference to this man in scripture – but there is some reason to believe that he could still be the same Alexander from I Timothy – still causing trouble like Hymenaeus. xi. What exactly he did to Paul is unknown, although we know that he opposed the teaching of Paul. xii. Some have suggested, believing that Alexander the coppersmith is the same as the Alexander from I Timothy, that having been excommunicated from the church he turned Paul in to the officials and even went to Rome to bear witness against him. xiii. Although it is an attractive option to help explain how Paul got from I Timothy and Titus to II Timothy, it is mostly guessing. b. [Slide 18] The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds. i. This is an allusion to Psalm 28:4 – an imprecatory prayer of David calling on the Lord to repay those who do evil for their deeds. ii. Imprecatory prayers get a lot of questions from New Covenant believers as we bristle at the thought of asking God to punish evil doers. How is this loving our enemies to pray that God would smite them? iii. Well, first of all, we don't view our prayers like the heathens whose prayers are meant to compel or invoke their god to action. We are not forming an incantation or spell to bring about calamity. God has sovereign freedom to ignore or even rebuke us for asking amiss. iv. But also, God has promised all men that He will repay them for their deeds. Evil for evil and good for good. And so, praying that God would do as He has already said – is not praying outside of His will. v. Paul doesn't tell God to do it now, or next Tuesday. It may be an eschatological context in which he is referencing. Meaning the final judgment is in view. vi. In any case, it is not wrong for us to pray that God would punish wicked men and women. Especially when we are not praying against personal enemies for personal reasons, but against enemies of God. But we should also be praying that He saves His people… who are all also at some point in their lives….enemies of God. vii. Can we pray for the punishment and salvation of someone in the same breath? I think we can. How? In the Lord's prayer asking for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven… that is praying exactly that. That God would either kill off the flesh of a man and raise up His spirit, or that He would punish the wicked. viii. So, Paul prays that Alexander the coppersmith be given what he deserves. Indeed, he is sure it will be. ix. But until that time… c. [Slide 19] 15 – You be on guard against him too, because he vehemently opposed our words. i. Timothy has his second major command in the text. ii. To be on guard against Alexander. Don't trust him. iii. Why? iv. He is not a gospel believer. He opposed our words. v. In short, he is probably an example of someone who has committed the unforgivable sin. vi. Meaning someone who believes the gospel is true but opposes it. vii. Paul telling Timothy this means that either this man is in Ephesus now, in Troas, or perhaps even in Rome. Paul is sure that Timothy will cross paths with him. So Timothy must remain vigilant. d. [Slide 20] 16 – At my first defense no one appeared in my support; Instead, they all deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. i. In the trial of a Roman citizen there would be two hearings. ii. The first is to establish the facts of the case and determine if there is even a need for a trial. iii. This would sort of be a formal place to debate ideas and information without the muckiness of whether the person is innocent or guilty. iv. After that there would be a full trial to determine guilt or innocence. v. This first defense is this preliminary hearing which was held before a magistrate. vi. Paul is calling out some of his companions for not appearing to bear witness in his favor and thus he received a vote from the magistrate that his case would go to trial. vii. Nero was presiding over all Christian trials at this point – and he certainly would find a Christian leader as prominent as Paul guilty and execute him. viii. But why did all these companions desert him? Most likely because of fear. If they go, give him a glowing character witness, and the trial goes forward anyway with Paul being executed – guess who is next to stand trial? ix. But Paul asks the Lord for mercy. Much like Jesus and Stephen ask for mercy from those who lead to their death, Paul asks for mercy upon his friends. x. Here we note the contrast between Alexander the coppersmith and all these dear friends who were too scared to help him. xi. Why? xii. Alexander knew exactly what he was doing and stood in opposition. Paul's companions fled for fear and weakness. xiii. We may wonder if Paul is just complaining here or using this as a way to bring shame on those who abandoned him. I think though, it is the opposite. I think, having not named these people, he is writing this to assure them that he bears no grudge and that he has released them from their failure. xiv. It is actually a sweet and kind gesture to all who would feel certain shame for abandoning the apostle. xv. Besides, Paul ultimately did not need them. He drew strength from the one who is never weak. e. [Slide 21] 17 – But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. i. As is our hope when we are alone and none are left to help – The Lord is our strength and shield. ii. If God has called us to be and do something – He is faithful to supply all we need to be and do what He has planned. iii. Paul was sent to the Gentiles – and where better to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ but to the courts of Rome in the heart of the Gentile world. iv. Before the very emperor of the known world Paul would stand and boldly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. v. And because he did this… f. [Slide 22] And so, I was delivered form the Lion's mouth! i. But wait. Isn't he going to be executed? ii. How can he say he was delivered from the lion's mouth? iii. My friends, Paul is already speaking beyond this world. iv. He has been pursued by the forces of darkness and demonic lies since Christ threw him off that horse on the road to Damascus. v. And with His final delivery of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the very courts of Rome… the forces of darkness have utterly failed to stop what God sent Paul to do. vi. And ultimately, the greatest weapons of the evil one, sin and death, have no hold on Paul. vii. Why? g. [Slide 23] 18 – The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. i. The Lord will deliver him from every evil plan done against him, and death will not ultimately win, for His sin has been paid and His eternal life secured. ii. This is the great hope of all who serve the Lord. That we will be broken and spilled out but delivered through the pale to the bright and glorious city of light. iii. To live is Christ but to die is gain. h. [Slide 24] To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen. i. And for such a thought ii. The strengthening and empowering of God to finish strong, to look death in the eye, to stare at the teeth of the evil one and there boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, iii. To know that Christ will present us faultless before the throne of God… iv. Indeed, for this He deserves all glory forever and ever. v. Amen? i. [Slide 25] Passage Truth: So once again Paul emphasizes the role Christians have toward one another. Certainly, all His strength is from the Lord and that is all he needs, but genuine brotherly support from likeminded believers is a welcome gift from the Lord. j. Passage Application: So Timothy must be vigilant against those who are not likeminded, and seek to support Paul by being with him. k. [Slide 26] Broader Biblical Truth: The whole of scripture shows that God is indeed our strength, our shield, and even when we are utterly alone – He is all we need. But He has also given His church to protect one another from threats and support one another through trial. l. Broader Biblical Application: And so we at CBC must protect each other from threats and support each other in trial. It should be ok for a pastor, church leader, or even mentor to say something like… “be careful of that teacher – I've read some of what he says and he may not have the truth.” It should be ok for all of us to warn each other to be careful of who we listen to and getting trapped in our own echo chambers too. And it should be normal to reach out and support one another when we desperately need it. If you are thinking… yeah, when the next person here has a trial that they need support in… I'll be there… You are in luck. There are some going through some pretty tough stuff right now. It's your chance! Transition: [Slide 27 (blank)] God has all we truly need. He is our strength. He is our shield. But in that He has also designed His church to function like a body caring for itself. And so we need one another's presence, protection, and support. But even this is not the end of what we need from one another. III.) Because the members of the body of Christ need each another, we must unconditionally love those of like faith and practice. (19-22) a. [Slide 28] 19 – Greetings to Prisca and Aquila i. So now Paul's final command to Timothy of this letter is to greet people in his area from Paul and his companions in Rome. ii. First on the list is Prisca or Priscilla and Aquila. iii. Paul first encounters this couple in Ephesus because they too were tentmakers. (Acts 18:2) Paul would leave them in Ephesus (18) which God providentially used them to disciple Apollos (26) iv. On Paul's 3rd missionary journey, he returned to Ephesus and wrote I Corinthians. Here he greets the Corinthians from Aquila and Pricilla (16:9) v. Evidentially they didn't stay in Ephesus much longer because by the following year they had a church meeting in their home in Rome. (Romans 16:3-5) They also risked their lives to help Paul, although we aren't sure of the details. vi. So now, about a decade later, they are back in Ephesus and Paul wishes to greet them. b. [Slide 29] And the family of Onesiphorus. i. Mentioned only in this book, Onesiphorus was a dear help and friend to Paul in Rome with his current imprisonment. Paul is asking to greet his family. ii. Now since Paul says Luke is the only one with him, we may wonder where Onesiphorus is. iii. It is very hard to know. iv. It is clear that although Luke is the only one with Paul – he is not the only Christian with him. Probably just the only one of his inner circle. Later Paul sends greetings from others. So we know Paul is not completely alone. v. So Onesiphorus could still be with Paul, he could be en route to Ephesus or perhaps he is delivering the letter itself. vi. It is hard to know. In any case, Paul wishes for a second time, goodness and kindness toward his family. c. [Slide 30] 20 – Erastus stayed in Corinth. i. Erastus is an assistant of Paul and someone Timothy had worked with before in Macedonia (Acts 19:22) ii. In Romans we find out that he was originally the city treasurer in Corinth (Romans 16:23) iii. And according to this passage, he stayed in Corinth. d. [Slide 31] Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. i. Trophimus is a possible brother of Tychichus from Ephesus (Acts 20,21) ii. Here we see that he went with Paul to Miletus which is a city on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. Unfortunately, Paul had to leave him there because he was ill. iii. So what do we make of all these descriptions of people and where they are, are going, or have been sent? iv. It seems that Paul is encouraging Timothy and even the church in Ephesus with the news that many are still out and active in the gospel ministry. They are stationed throughout the Roman empire and are still working for the gospel. And so, Paul is showing his battle map and where the generals of Jesus Christ and His church are positioned. God is still moving… even though Paul is in prison. When Paul dies – the gospel of Christ will not die with him. e. [Slide 32] 21 – Make every effort to come before winter. i. But Paul's primary general needs to be in Rome. And he needs to be there very soon. Like before winter. ii. On the Aegean if you wait until winter to travel somewhere – then you are waiting until spring to travel somewhere. iii. Paul doesn't want winter to turn into spring because he may not have another spring left. f. [Slide 33] Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. i. Paul sends greetings from those with him in Rome. ii. Every single name here does not have any other reference besides here. iii. These may be leaders or simply members of a local church who have cared for him and helped him get these letters out. iv. Along with many others there. g. [Slide 34] 22 – The Lord be with your spirit. i. This is a personal wish to Timothy alone that God would be with Timothy's spirit. ii. That God would give him strength to do all that Paul has commanded and to safely transport him to Paul's presence soon. iii. That the Spirit of God would strengthen his spirit to endure as The Spirit has for Paul. h. [Slide 35] Grace be with you. i. What could be viewed as a redundant phrase opens up when we realize that the “you” here is plural. ii. Paul wishes a final hope for the grace of God to be with all who are there in Ephesus. Not just Timothy – but all the church there as they face the battle for truth. i. [Slide 36] Passage Truth: So Paul finishes as he does most of his letters, with greetings. But these people will probably never meet. Still, Paul mentions some by name. How interesting to find how close knit this body of Christ is, and how much we need each other, that we are instantly comfortable with a person of like-faith. j. Passage Application: So Timothy must warmly greet those in Ephesus from those in Rome. One body, united in Christ, but miles apart. k. [Slide 37] Broader Biblical Truth: This is the glorious truth of the bride of Christ. The great sad story of it all is that as wonderful as our local bodies are – they do not compare to the whole of Christ's bride gathered from the corners of the earth. One day we will all be together and will all rejoice in His presence. l. Broader Biblical Application: It is that hope and that future that motivates us to greet others of like-faith and practice with energetic greetings. It is the tie that binds us together in Christian love, even when we barely know one another. Conclusion: So how do we apply this CBC? Even the Apostle Paul needed the company and support of the people of God. As influential as he was, he needed the church to minister to him and to help him minister to others. Do you realize that in about 2000 years of church history, the concept of Christ being your personal savior is probably only about 200 years old. As with all twists of truth, the concept is rooted in truth. Certainly, we all have an individual calling and election. Certainly, each of our individual souls are saved. We don't become 1 amalgum of souls to be the one bride of Christ. But we should also not be mistaken. All of Christ's true church share the relationship together to Christ. You cannot have an exclusively personal relationship with Christ. A personal relationship with Christ without the body of Christ is actually no relationship with Christ at all. So just as there is no such thing as personal, private interpretation of the scriptures, where each Christian gets to assign whatever meaning he thinks to the text… so also there is no such thing as a personal private practice of our faith. We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. And therefore, our lives are laid bare before one another. We must be present with one another. We must protect one another from wrong teaching. We must support one another in trial. And we must love one another – even if all we know about each other is that we are of the same faith. And this is incredibly relevant to us today for two reasons. I'll start with the grand reason and end with the intimate one. The grand reason this message is intensely relevant for today is because although we live in a world where communication with anyone is mere seconds away – we are among the most isolated and independent living people that have ever existed. No one likes leaving their homes. No one likes interacting with others. The pandemic only made this excusable. And I feel bad for those who are genuinely introverted people – because those who are too lazy or prideful to form relationships with others have labeled themselves introverts to provide to themselves an excuse. And that is all well and good in the world. But we as believers have an opportunity here, once again, to not be like the world. We have a chance at not being like the other nations. We can be so peculiar. We can be so different. How? By loving the assembling of ourselves together. By protecting each other from teaching that is in error. By supporting each other in meaningful ways, even if it could potentially mean great harm to ourselves. We could really leave the world scratching their head today by meeting a fellow Christian and instantly treating them like family. Stop using introvertedness as an excuse. Don't be lazy. Don't be prideful. Love one another as Christ loved us. The second reason which is a very intimate reason that this message is so relevant for us today, is because in a few moments we will head upstairs and partake in one of the most intimate practices of the church. Communion. A meal we share together to feed upon and be sustained by the very atonement of Christ… which He gave to us! Collectively! We the body, eat His body which was torn for us to provide a new and living way to access our God. We who are members of the New Covenant, do drink His blood which is the New Covenant which sprinkles us clean from our sin and will present us faultless before the throne of God. In just a few moments, we all – the true followers of Christ – will go a share a meal where all of us are sustained by Christ – which is a physical sign of the spiritual truth that we are all as one body sustained by Christ. My friends. All we need is our God. He is our strength. But He has given us a body for which we are but a member. Before we dismiss let me give a warning. If you plan to join us today and have never confessed Christ – please do not partake with us. This meal is a sacred spiritual meal and could have dire consequences upon your mortal life if you eat of it unworthily. If you plan to join us today and have confessed Christ but are currently holding on to a sin that you do not desire freedom from – please do not partake with us. Christians know they are Christians because of their hate of their own sin and their love of God's law. To love a sin with no desire to free yourself of it means that you cannot truly be sure you are a Christian. If you see communion as a way to earn grace, get saved, please God, or otherwise merit something for your eternal reward – please do not partake. You do not understand what this meal is and isn't. But friends, if you desire freedom from sin, fellowship with God's people, spiritual filling, righteousness, fullness of Christ, victory over sin, power to carry on in all God has called you to… then I beg you to come and dine. Be filled on the very truth of the atonement of Christ. Come and feast with us. And grow with us.

04 II Timothy 1:15-18 - Dare to be an Onesiphorus

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2021 39:07

Title: Dare to be an Onesiphorus Text: II Timothy 1:15-18 FCF: We often struggle being aware of the danger of apostasy. Prop: Because it is not certain who will depart the faith, we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy chapter 1. As we close out this first chapter of II Timothy today, and knowing that the start of chapter 2 will be a passage requiring more time for us to expound, I think I'll take the opportunity now to review what we've learned so far in II Timothy. For the book itself, we know that it is a few years separated from Paul's first letter to Timothy. Much has happened in that time. First, Timothy has had some success in forming the church there in Ephesus around the gospel of Christ. He is not failing what is mentor asked of him only a few years prior. However, what we do know is that hostility and opposition to the gospel is growing in the area. How do we know that? Well Paul has been arrested once again. This time is different though, and Paul knows it. What is so different? Well, Paul is not going to be released. Whether by intuition or by revelation from God, Paul knows that he will not make it through this imprisonment. He will be executed soon. And so, Paul's primary reason for writing this more personal letter to Timothy is to encourage him to take up Paul's mantle and carry on in the ministry. Paul's concern for Timothy is that he not give in to timidity or fear but that he would fully rely on the power of the Spirit of God which is in Him, to continue to boldly proclaim the gospel, and to hold fast and persevere through persecution. Paul encourages Timothy, and believes Timothy can do this, first because he has been convinced that Timothy's faith is genuine. And if his faith is genuine, Paul knows that the Spirit of God is with Timothy to accomplish all that God would ask of him. Paul knows this to be true, because Christ and the Spirit have kept and protected him in his ministry. So Paul lifts up the glorious gospel of God's saving power and grace, gifted in Christ, before time began. It is for this gospel that Paul now suffers, and it is for this gospel that Paul is preparing Timothy and the church there to continue to cling to and suffer for. We left the text last week with Paul imploring Timothy with that common tension in the scriptures. A command given with the expectation that God will see it done. Paul keeps the gospel with which he has been entrusted by the faith and love that are in Christ. And he calls Timothy to keep that same gospel in the power of the Spirit of God. And so, shines brightly, the common conundrum. Humans are called to do something for the Lord, but are unable to do it without first being what God has made them to be. With God all things are possible… but with man it is impossible. And so now Paul concludes his thoughts on holding fast and protecting the gospel with examples. 1 verse of many bad examples, and 3 verses of 1 good example. If you look closely, you will also note the primary theme of the Pastorals flowing through this text. Doctrine received in true faith produces people conformed to Christ. We'll see people here, who although not denying or affirming a confession, do deny or affirm the doctrines by whether they are or are not conformed to Christ. It should be a powerful and interesting albeit short message for us today. I am in II Timothy chapter 1 starting in verse 15. I am reading from the NET which you can follow on page 1342, or in whatever version you have. Transition: Let's dive in this morning to see these examples of those who hold fast, and those who do not. I.) There are many who look like Christians who will depart, so we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us. (15) a. [Slide 2] 15 – You know that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me i. “Province of” is added for clarity in the text. The NET does not wish us to think the whole of Asia is in view. ii. We saw this when we looked at Tychicus who was from the province of Asia. iii. This refers to the southwestern part of Asia minor, probably around the Aegean coastlines. iv. Now when Paul says that everyone in the province had deserted him, does everyone mean everyone? v. This seems extreme. vi. Furthermore, Timothy and Onesiphorus (On-uh-siph-or-us) whom Paul names in this text, have not deserted him, and they are certainly from Asia or in Asia at this time. Therefore, we must put a limit on what Paul means by everyone. We see two options. vii. Either that Paul is saying that those in Rome from Asia have deserted him, or more likely Paul uses hyperbole to emphasize that many had deserted him from the province of Asia. viii. Finally, what does it mean that he was deserted? Are we talking about apostasy or just that they are ashamed of Paul's imprisonment? 1. In favor of this being a personal abandonment we have a few points. a. Paul calls out several people in this book for departing the faith. b. In each case, Paul speaks clearly about their defection from the gospel itself. c. Here Paul makes it clear it is a defection from him. d. Furthermore, the two men he mentions are not included later for having apostatized. 2. In favor of this being both personal abandonment and apostasy, we have a few points. a. Paul has already linked his imprisonment with the gospel of Christ in verse 8. b. Paul has historically had issues with people rejecting his apostleship and therefore his teaching. And if we remember from I Timothy – this was probably the case in Ephesus. c. The preceding and following context of this seems to indicate that what Paul is offering to Timothy are two examples of what not to do and what to do. And in the preceding verses it is clear that Timothy must hold fast to the gospel. d. And in keeping with the overall scope of the pastoral epistles in general – we know that to cite unchristlike lifestyles would be the same as citing apostasy to a certain extent. Not all denials of the faith are by our words or affiliations. Some of them are from our lifestyles. ix. All this considered, I think given the context, it seems best to understand that Paul means that these people have deserted him and by extension, his gospel. b. [Slide 3] Including Phygelus (Fih-Jel-us) and Hermogenes (her-mah-joe-knees). i. What is clear in this text is that when Paul singles out these two men as those who have abandoned him and the gospel, it should be shocking to hear. ii. What is not clear in this text is anything else about these men. iii. This is the only mention of their names in the New Testament. iv. So all we can do is draw upon this text, and here is what we know… v. These men appeared to be loyal to Paul and the gospel – but when the going got tough, they deserted Paul and his gospel. c. [Slide 4] Passage Truth: Int his first verse, Paul teaches Timothy with examples. He shows two men who were loyal to Paul before, along with many others in the province of Asia. And what is clear is that no one saw their desertion coming. And yet, here they are. They have used this opportunity to desert Paul and even his teachings for another gospel. d. Passage Application: So Timothy's imperative from the previous section endures. He must hold fast and keep the truth of the gospel with which he has been entrusted. e. [Slide 5] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the rest of scripture, unfortunately we see countless examples of those who were thought to be loyal to God and His servants, turn and go after other gods. Before Christ was revealed many Israelites abandoned Yahweh in favor of Baal, Ashteroth, and other would-be gods. And even after the cross, we see people know the truth and walk away. I'd like to say that this doesn't happen anymore – but alas, it happens often. Either by their words or actions, many high-profile Christian leaders have rejected the gospel of Christ, either replacing it with Christ plus something, or rejecting Christ altogether. I say all this, not to worry you, but to help you to realize that apostasy is not something that is uncommon. f. Broader Biblical Application: What does that mean for us at CBC? Every single person Paul has mentioned and will mention has made a profession of faith, has served in the church, and were considered part of the covenant community. Yet when Paul was thrown into prison for his teachings – they abandoned him and his teachings. It is not enough for us to confess what we believe one time and rest in that confession. The Lord Himself tells us that those who deny Him before men, He will deny before the Father. True, genuine, saving faith, is one that endures. And while that doesn't mean perfection or even that we will never doubt, it does mean that God's true people will not permenantly walk away from the faith – no matter how hard they are pressed. Therefore, my friends, we MUST hold fast and protect the truth of the gospel that we have been entrusted. Do not listen to men who talk about the bible – listen to the bible. Even me. Don't take what I say without pause. But search the scriptures. Not what someone says about the scriptures, but the scriptures themselves. Then consult what the church has taught down through the ages. If what you believe has been taught as orthodoxy, and has been widely accepted, then you must hold fast to its teachings! There are teachings that are widely accepted in Christendom today that have no history in the church before the 1600s and some even more recent. Meaning that just because you have always been taught it, doesn't mean it has always been taught. How could this have happened? People neglected to hold fast to what they were taught and instead invented novel doctrines to assuage their itching ears. And they passed those novel doctrines to more and more people. And it spread like gangrene. But we must hold fast to the truth that we have received from the apostles. And as Paul said earlier, we can only do this through the indwelling of the Spirit and love and faith found in Christ. Transition: [Slide 6 (blank)] We have seen Phygelus' and Hermogenes' negative example of those who did not endure in belief and good works. But is there a positive example that we can look to? Certainly Paul, but is there no one else who is enduring? II.) There are some who will continue to endure in faith and good works, so we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us. (16-18) a. [Slide 7] 16 – May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus (on-uh-siph-or-us), i. So the first question is, obviously, who is Onesiphorus? ii. And, again we have to say – we don't know. iii. Here is what we do know. Later in the letter – like at the end – Paul tells Timothy to greet the family of Onesiphorus. So, we know that Onesiphorus is from Ephesus. iv. Here Paul asks the Lord for mercy to Onesiphorus' family. Why? b. [Slide 8] Because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment. i. Because we know absolutely nothing about this man it is difficult to understand what Paul means here. ii. But as Paul continues it becomes clear. c. [Slide 9] 17 – But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me i. Paul asks for mercy on the family of Onesiphorus because he was not ashamed of Paul being imprisoned for the sake of Christ. ii. Not only was he not ashamed, he came to Rome, sought out Paul and ministered to his needs there with Luke. iii. This is the first indication that Paul's imprisonment was not like his previous house arrests. Since he was difficult to find in Rome, it seems that he was probably in a cell somewhere obscure. iv. But Oneshiphorus sought him to the extent that he would find him. v. For all of this Christ-like love, Paul desires that all his family would be blessed by God while he is away serving Paul. vi. But the temporal needs of his family is not Paul's only wish for Onesiphorus… d. [Slide 10] 18 – May the lord grant him to find mercy from the lord on that day! i. A couple things here. 1. Mercy here most assuredly refers to God's chief mercy in salvation. However, this poses a problem for us. a. After all the glowing words about this man, why would Paul put this in wish or prayer language? Shouldn't he be surer about the nature of Onesiphorus' faith? b. Consider the context. He is sure and has been persuaded about Timothy's faith. But there are many others who he thought were legitimate and have since walked away. c. It is not wrong, and perhaps intensely biblical for us to always hopefully pray for the endurance of someone's faith. This sounds like a slight and maybe even doubting Eternal security… but in reality, we must understand that true believers endure to the end. And there are many who do not endure to the end. d. So Paul's prayer, really, is that Onesiphorus is a true believer. Which should be our prayer for one another. 2. Secondly, it is good to take note that in order for Onesiphorus to find mercy on the day of judgement, the same Lord who will be his judge must grant that ability to him to find it. I don't want to delve too deep into that because that isn't Paul's point here – but it is worthy to note the phrasing there. That to find mercy from God, God must grant us to find it. Our searching will do us no good until God allows us to find it. e. [Slide 11] And you know very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus. i. Finally, Paul as an aside to Timothy stresses again the history of this man with reference to serving Paul. ii. While Paul was in Ephesus or Rome – Onesiphorus was there to help him. iii. This is what true children of God do. f. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: So Paul gives Timothy a second example. This time he gives a positive example of who to emulate. Just as abandoning Paul meant abandoning the gospel, so caring for Paul means caring for the gospel. Further we are reminded of the overall teachings of all the Pastoral epistles. That doctrine, received in true faith, produces people conformed to Christ. What Paul is saying is that Onesiphorus is conformed to Christ – therefore, he seems to have received doctrine by true faith. g. Passage Application: And so, before, Timothy was encouraged to take up Paul's mantle and follow his example. Now he is encouraged to follow the example of Onesiphorus as well. A true servant of Christ and is holding fast to it. Timothy must hold fast to His confession and keep the gospel pure both in belief and action. h. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: As we saw in I John, as Eric, CJ, and Jerry preached as I was away, and as the whole of scripture affirms – the only way to have assurance of our faith being real and genuine is to observe the fruit of that faith. When Christ uses parables to speak of crops bearing fruit and a harvest that is coming where the wheat and tares are separated – the harvest is the final judgment. A man's life will be measured by all that God does through Him. He must finish the race. He must fight the good fight. He cannot produce fruit for a time and then be barren at harvest time. Such fruit would be useless to the famers to which Christ told the parable. Rather, the only crop that is useful, is one that bears fruit until harvest. Certainly, whoever is God's true child can never lose that status. God knows who are his. But, how do we know we are His? It is only by our love, faith, power, self-control, and general outpouring of the Spirit's power in us. i. Broader Biblical Application: So at CBC, we must understand that holding fast to our confession is certainly to continue to believe the right things, but it is not this in exclusion. But it is also continuing to bear the fruit from a heart invaded by the Spirit of God. There have been many pastors, preachers, evangelists, and apologists through the ages and recently who have believed all the “right” things. But lived lives of unrepentant sin. They will be numbered among those who cry out “Lord, Lord – have I not prophesied in your name, and in your name cast out demons and done many miraculous works.” And He will say to them “Depart from me, lawbreaker, for I never knew you.” My friends, we must hold fast to our confession, we must keep the good thing entrusted to us, not just by continuing to believe, but also by continuing to obey. Conclusion: So what does this mean for us here at CBC? Well let me give you a little “state of orthodoxy” update. [Slide 14] 3/2018 – Christian band underoath – openly walked away from Christianity 5/2019 – Christian of 40 years, Pastor of 20 years - Dave Gass – Left his wife and denied Christ 7/2019 – Well-known Christian author – Joshua Harris- separated from his wife, apologized to the LGBTQA+ community, denied Christ 8/2019 – Hillsong Worship Leader - Marty Sampson- Denied Christ 2/2020 – Social media personalities - Rhett and Link or The Bently Brothers – Denied Christ 5/2020 – Singer in the band Hawk Nelson – Jon Steingard – Denied Christ 2/2021 – Christian Apologist for more than 40 years – Ravi Zacharias – Had deep sexual appetites and addictions that he failed to repent of and succeeded to hide until his dying breath. 4/2021 – Contributor to Desiring God Ministries – Paul Maxwell – Has denied Christ. These folks are either the same as Phygelus and Hermogenes or the opposite of Onesiphorus. Some of them have been in ministry longer than I have been alive. And yet by their confession and their lifestyles, they have proved their faith to still be a dead faith. All these details about our world today are both shocking and discouraging. Not just for the body of Christ and the testimony of Christ in the world, but also because we look inward and wonder – if they fell, how can I not? If it were possible for someone to work in ministry for decades, and still fall away, how can I hope to be saved? [Slide 15 end) Read the words of Paul. I know whom I have set my faith and he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me. So keep the good thing entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit's indwelling. My friends, if it was only you, you could not hope to hold fast to the confession and protect the gospel. But if the Lord is with you, if He is in you, if you are in Him – then my friends there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. He is able to keep us from falling! Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. You say, but everyone thought that these people had that same Spirit in them. They even thought they had that Spirit in them. How can I be sure that He is in me? Hold fast! Endure! Bear Fruit! Obey the Lord. Work out your own salvation. Not in your own strength. Not in your own effort. Not in your own gumption. But in fear and trembling. In humility. In awe. WHY? Because God is the one in you, giving you power and desire to be and do all that He has asked of you. But my friends… it is not a sprint. It is a marathon. My friends… it is not a playground slap fight. It is war. How do you know you have the Spirit? Believe God and keep believing God. Obey God and Keep obeying God. If you are able to do this… then the Spirit is in you. Why must that be our conclusion? Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood… but against unholy, ungodly, powerful beings in this dark world. To endure… it cannot just be us. For if it is… we will fall. But greater is He who is in us, than He who is in the world.

To Obey or Not

Faith in the Valley

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2021 30:39

Surviving in a Post-Christian America Message Three – To Obey or Not Obey On January 20th, our country went through a change of leadership. President Biden became our 46th president of the United States. I watched a good deal of the Inauguration. Lady Gaga did a fabulous job singing the National Anthem. Recently I heard Amanda Gorman, our Youth Poet Laureate, recite one of her poems; so I was interested to hear her read her new poem The Hill We Climb. I sang along with Garth Brooks as he performed Amazing Grace. And as I listened to President Biden’s speech, I shared his hope for unity. Every 4-8 years we go through this. We welcome a new government into power. The republic created 243 years ago still stands. So now what? What do we as Christians do with respect to this new government? Do we honor and respect President Biden and Vice President Harris or do we stand against them? Do we subject ourselves to these leaders for the next four years or do we rebel? Two weeks back you learned that your first responsibility toward your leaders is to pray for them and to thank God for them. But do we have to obey them? Must we follow in lockstep wherever they lead? Today you will learn the answer to the question – must I obey... You will learn that .... God commands us to obey our government as long as our obedience is not in conflict with God. When we do choose to obey God rather than man we must be willing to accept the consequences. Subjection Romans 13:1-2 Believers are to be subject to their governing authorities because God has appointed these leaders. Look at Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Why does the Word tell us to subject ourselves to our political leaders? The reason we are to subject ourselves to our governing authorities is that God has appointed them. God raises leaders up and God removes them. If the Scripture is telling the truth, (and we know it is) then God just appointed President Biden and God just removed President Trump. And we are to subject ourselves to that change. Remember, Paul is writing the book of Romans at the time Nero is Emperor. As I discussed two weeks back, Nero was one of the most perverse leaders of all time. Yet Paul told the readers of Romans that they were to subject themselves to this leader. Several questions come to mind. What about: Hitler who executed 4-6 million Jews (2/3 of all European Jews) Stalin who killed approximately 20 million Soviet citizens Chairman Mao killed as many as 45 million Chinese citizens Or what about the United States, who has aborted 62 million babies since Roe v Wade. What is a believer’s responsibility to a government like that? Must a Christian obey their leaders when their leaders sanction murder? Three Things to Think About Does the Bible and especially Romans 13 teach the “Divine Right of Kings”? The DRK is “the doctrine that kings derive their authority from God, not from their subjects.” The DRK teaches that human rulers are beyond reproach or criticism by his or her subjects. Rebellion would be the worst of political crimes. So is this biblical? No – Romans and elsewhere in Scripture teach that we are subject in general but not in absolute. Remember that Nathan called out King David’s sin in 2 Samuel 12:7 Jeremiah stood against Ahab in 1 Kings 18 Remember Daniel in the lions’ den? John the Baptist confronted Herod and religious leaders with their sin. There is another important teaching in the Scripture that destroys the idea of the Divine Right of Kings. What is it? All men are created equal. All are sinners. Romans 3:23 (All men are created equal.) All are guilty and those without Christ will be held accountable for their sins. So does the Bible teach that we must obey our leaders because they are without reproach? The answer is no. Christians are citizens of two kingdoms. You are a citizen of the country in which you live. And you are a citizen of heaven. Phil 3:20 and Col 1:13 Why is this important? Because you are to subject yourself to your leaders as long as there is no conflict with God’s laws. Look at Acts 5:17-32 What does that story teach? It teaches when man’s laws are in conflict with God’s laws then we must choose to obey God. Another example is found in Daniel 3:13-18. What does that story teach? It teaches that when we choose to obey God and not man we must be willing to accept the consequences. Here is another example. Who is Kim Davis? Kim Davis was the former county clerk in Rowan County Kentucky who refused to sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Shortly after the US Supreme Court made same-sex marriages legal, same-sex couples began to come to the Rowan County Courthouse for a license to marry. Kim Davis was the county clerk. Her name was on every marriage license and above her name was a line for her signature. She said, "I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage. To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God's definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience." Because of her refusal, she was jailed and sued. Eventually, she returned to her post after they removed her name from the signature block. Her assistant clerks signed from then on. She refused. Ultimately she was voted out of office. All in all, this worked out as it can. The government made same-sex marriage legal. Kim Davis, a representative of that government, chose to obey God rather than man and to suffer the consequences. She used her Frist Amendment rights to do so. The First Amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. When we are faced with a decision to obey the government or obey God we should always choose “Obey God.” But we should do so in the way that fits the issue and with an understanding that we must be willing to suffer the consequences. Kim Davis did not set off any bombs. She did not try to violently overthrow the government. She exercised her constitutional rights to resist a law that was in conflict with the Bible. The people of Rowan County Kentucky also exercised their rights and in due time voted her out of office. So must we obey our leaders in all matters? The answer is no when the laws of man are in opposition to the laws of God. But we must be willing to suffer the consequences. One final question then we will conclude. What about our founding fathers and the American Revolution, was that a violation of Romans 13 because they did rebel against the sitting government? Pastor John MacArthur Jr. says that “the American Revolution was born out of a violation of Romans 13:1-7.” Let’s look at that. On August 2, 1776, 56 members of the 2nd Constitutional Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. These men too struggled with the teaching of Romans 13. But they also considered the entire Bible. The Declaration of Independence is a document that explains why they felt justified to break with England. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. It rejects the Divine Right of Kings because it states this: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness The signers believed that the King of England and the government he represented was no longer a government worthy of subjection. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. They then wrote down 28 ways the King had violated them and the law. Finally, they appealed to God that they would establish a new country that would be worthy of God-ordained subjection. We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States The final sentence of the declaration calls upon one another and upon God’s providence. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. When we stand and obey God rather than man we can only depend upon God and one another. Conclusion So are we subject to our leaders? Yes, we are. Why? Because God has appointed them. God appointed President Biden and God removed President Trump. Must we obey them in all matters? No. Why? There is no Divine Right of Kings. And we are citizens of two kingdoms. When man’s kingdom disagrees with God’s we must choose God’s and suffer the consequences. Let’s pray.

18 I Timothy 5:17-25 - Approaching Eldership

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2020 47:08

Title: Approaching Eldership Text: I Timothy 5:17-25 FCF: We often struggle giving enough respect or too much to church leaders. Prop: Because the gospel changes how we live, we must see church leaders as our caretakers but not above God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Timothy chapter 5. Last week Paul continued to address the support and care for widows as he spoke of enrollment on a list. The list, as we concluded, was a list of those supported by the church but also commissioned to service. There were very clear qualifications for those who would be on this list. We saw how the gospel working out of God’s people produces widows who will qualify for this list, and young widows who will take up their roles, remarrying and caring for their families. Today Paul turns to another group of people that the gospel prepares to serve the church. The gospel also prepares the church to treat this group correctly. Both positively and negatively. It is a group of people that we have already spoken about. Elders. We don’t have Elders at our church yet, at least not in a plural sense. So, we will have a unique perspective on this as we prepare for our first Elder board to be formed. I am reading from chapter 5 starting in verse 17. I’ll be reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1340, or in whatever version you prefer. Transition: Not surprisingly, there is lots to talk about here this morning, so let’s dive in. I.) The gospel changes how we live, so we must give great respect to leaders that excel (17-18) a. [Slide 2] 17 – Elders i. The last use of this word in the text clearly referred to those in the church who were older. Specifically, older men. ii. However, by what follows it is quite clear that Paul is speaking in reference to the actual office of overseer. b. [Slide 3] Who provide effective leadership i. Or literally, those who lead well. ii. How do you determine if someone leads well? iii. We could say that this means effectiveness, as the NET translates this here. In other words, leading well means he has people who follow him. iv. However, the word “well” used here has moral connotations. Meaning that he leads in a godly way. That he is a caring shepherd that defends his flock from the wolves. That he counsels them to shed sin and pursue righteousness. That they are loved and led by Him. v. This is probably what Paul intends. A godly, Christlike leader. Not lording over the congregation but one leading in love. c. [Slide 4] Must be counted worthy of double honor i. Such a leader, who leads his people in love and righteousness, is worthy of double honor. ii. What does double honor mean? iii. We saw that honoring widows meant, not only respect for them, but also provision. It meant an honorarium or financial support. iv. [Slide 5] Hebrews 13:17 – gets to the non-financial aspect of this. What does it mean to honor an elder? It means to obey them, to submit to their leadership. Why – because they keep watch over your souls. They are busy about your discipleship and seeing you walk into the presence of Christ. So, obey, so that they can do this job with joy and without complaints. An Elder serving with joy is advantageous to those who are being led! v. But to the concept of financial support, Paul is not quite done explaining. d. [Slide 6] Especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. i. The word especially here can mean especially and it can also mean namely. ii. If it does mean namely, we must see that godly leadership and hard labor in teaching and preaching, go hand in hand. Many pastors including Charles Spurgeon and others have agreed upon the same truth. That a minister cannot be a good teacher or preacher without lovingly leading his flock. iii. Indeed, as Paul wrote elsewhere, “If I have prophesy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” iv. But a man who is a godly leader, namely a man who diligently works in speaking with his words and teaching with his life, the gospel of Christ… v. Such a man deserves double honor. vi. Before we expand on this too much – let’s pick up the quotes from scripture that Paul gives. e. [Slide 7] 18 – For the scripture says “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” i. This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 25:4. What is quite peculiar about this reference is that it is only 1 verse with absolutely no context about agriculture surrounding it. ii. Of course, on the surface, the principle is sound, that we should not be so greedy for the harvest that we do not allow the animal we are threshing the grain with to not partake in some of the spoils. iii. Furthermore, there are similar teachings like this in the Pentateuch about property, animals, livestock, and generally treating your possessions well. iv. What is curious is that several verses preceding this verse and several verses after this verse are in the context of giving respect and honor to people. v. Through his training as a Pharisee, and certainly through inspiration of the Spirit of God Paul is able to see this verse not simply as an instruction for how to treat your ox – but rather – as instruction for how to honor those who do good work. vi. Paul quotes another passage from scripture… but this one is far more recent. f. [Slide 8] And, “the worker deserves his pay.” i. This is actually from Luke 10. It is during Christ’s instructions to the 72 disciples as He sent them out into Galilee. ii. He instructs them to take hospitality from people who offer it. They must stay in their homes and eat what is given to them. Why? Because the worker deserves his pay. In other words, Christ’s statement means – don’t consider it shameful or dishonorable to accept people’s gifts to you. You have earned it. However, following that Jesus says not to move around from house to house. Meaning they are not to fleece the countryside either. iii. So, after both of these quotes – what does it mean that this quality of Elder deserves double honor? iv. First – that he is honored as a leader who is caring for their souls. v. But beyond that – he is to be provided for by his congregation in recognition of his hard work on their behalf. vi. [Slide 9] There are two extreme conclusions to this text that I think we need to avoid. 1. Is the Malnourished Employee – In many congregations throughout time and even in our culture, many pastors/elders are not adequately provided for. It is not because the church is unable. In fact, if all tithed and gave in love, they would be able to afford to relieve the elder of all his needs. Instead, they treat him like any other employee. After a few years of ministry, they give him a pay raise. After a few more another. After serving in the church for several years he may even have enough to retire from his other job. Although we may see an employment kind of relationship with the ox quote – the quote from Luke does not hint at that. Rather, the church is expected to care for the needs of those who labor for her. So much so, that Jesus said – take whatever they give. Don’t even refuse out of courtesy. Just take it. You have earned it. 2. Is the Overpaid Celebrity – Although less common, there is another form of abuse to this text that goes the other way. Some churches treat their pastors like trophies, or celebrities. Though the rest of the church be poor, the pastor is the highest paid among the congregation. He drives a fancier car than everyone else, lives in a nicer home than everyone else, and wears better clothes. Usually there is a trophy or idolizing concept here, where they can brag on their pastor and his wealth. This also is an extreme that is refuted in this text. Jesus warned not to go about from house to house. Meaning, this is certainly work deserving of pay, but getting wealthy is simply not appropriate. 3. So, the middle must be struck. If the church is able, not simply based on current giving trends, but is able based on having extra available to give toward a church leader who is watching out for their souls and feeding them spiritually – if they are able in this way to provide the NEEDS of the Elder… then they should. vii. [Slide 10] A final question we must raise here is Paul’s setting apart of this Elder for pay, as opposed to the other Elders. Would this mean that there could be Elders that lead poorly, don’t live godly lives, and don’t work hard in preaching and teaching, that should not be paid? Wouldn’t the existence of such an Elder mean that they are disqualified? 1. Our clue is when he says, namely those who labor hard in preaching and teaching. Paul is not setting up two opposite poles. Rather he is talking about those Elders who lead and teach vs those Elders who lead well and teach well. 2. So there are Elders who are fulfilling their qualifications and leading the church. They are teaching and preaching and laboring in that work. But they are not excelling above the others. They are the cream of the crop for the church – but not necessarily the cream of the crop for the Elders. This is good vs. great not bad vs. good. 3. There is no implied shame in this – Paul only wishes to express that such men deserve to be compensated and respected for their excellence. 4. And perhaps this points to the allocation of time and energy. Perhaps this is speaking of men who devote themselves full-time to being an Elder. Although that is not at all clear from the text. g. [Slide 11] Passage Truth: So Paul’s overall point, all the way back to chapter 3, is that the gospel changes how the family of God lives. The gospel forms the order and conduct of the church. We’ve seen this applied to age groups, widows, and widow servants… and now Paul applies it to Elders. h. Passage Application: The first application for Timothy is to recognize that Elders deserve respect and compensation for excellence in leadership and teaching. They ought to be greatly respected, not because of the title they wear, but because of the excellence of their work. And part of that respect is that they ought to be freed up financially to labor in love for the church. i. [Slide 12] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out of I Timothy – we know this truth to be laced to all of scripture. God’s true children have His law written on their hearts and they will be presented faultless before the throne of God. They are being purified in Christ. And so, we ought to expect the gospel to change both those who lead and how we treat those in leadership – especially in leadership of the church. j. Broader Biblical Application: The teachings on the Elder mirrors widows who are qualified to be put on the list. Widows on the list for support and service must already be godly servants. So, Elders deserving of great respect and compensation must already be leading well and laboring hard in the administration of discipleship making. And when we see Elders of this caliber, the church MUST respect them all the more – and make sure they are financially free to serve the church. Not as pauper nor as a prince. Simply as a man with no needs so he can minister to the needs of others. As a church who does not have Elders as of yet, this is a preparation for us to understand how we ought to treat the Elders we will eventually appoint. They are to be respected and submitted to – and doubly so when they excel at godly, loving leadership and labor hard in the word of God. They ought to be compensated if they need it. We must prepare for this, and see Elders not as elected officials but as caretakers of Christ’s church. With that comes expectations of them, and those whom they lead. Transition: [Slide 13(blank)] So although Paul is giving reference to Elders who excel in their duties – what happens when we have an Elder who lags behind? One who is sinning? One who has failed his qualifications and is no longer blameless? What happens then? II.) The gospel changes how we live, so we must carefully rebuke sinning leaders. (19-21) a. [Slide 14] 19 – Do not accept an accusation against an elder i. What does it mean to accept an accusation? ii. To accept an accusation means to entertain a charge. To hear the case. If this were in courtroom lingo, to accept an accusation would mean – go to trial. iii. And so, Paul says that no case against an Elder should go to trial unless… b. [Slide 15] unless it can be confirmed “by two or three witnesses” i. Turn in your bible to Deuteronomy 19. Paul quotes from this text. But what do the words here mean in this context? ii. The way an accusation against an elder is accepted, or the way a case against an Elder does go to trial, is when two or three witnesses bring the accusation. iii. [Slide 16] The Deuteronomy passage Paul quotes adds a lot of color to what Paul is saying in this context. Let’s read verses 15-21. iv. In this text we see several things that help to understand more clearly what Paul is saying. 1. A single witness is not even permitted to testify. In other words – if only one person brings an accusation against an Elder, they really shouldn’t even be allowed to speak it. 2. We see another layer here starting in verse 16-19. The accusation against the Elder, when supported by 2 or 3 witnesses is brought before the religious leaders and the Lord. Which would be the modern Elders of the church. 3. If a witness is revealed to be false – they are immediately placed under the scrutiny of the Elder board and called to repent of sowing discord. Why? To strike fear in the hearts of the people to not conspire to give false testimony ever again. v. And almost as if Paul expected Timothy to go to Deuteronomy and see this – he moves directly to the question that the Deuteronomy passage does not address. vi. What if the witnesses are right? c. [Slide 17] 20 – Those guilty of sin must be rebuked i. If we take what Paul says here on face value, we must conclude that for an Elder, the church disciplinary process is quite severe. ii. If we looked to the Greek it simply says that the sinning ones must be rebuked, censured, or exposed. iii. Sinning ones is a participle and although it can mean continual or ongoing – the aspect of a participle is hard to pin down. And words like this can be used to express a continual sin or simply a person who is sinning in the present. iv. And so, it seems like Paul is saying that if an Elder is found to be in sin, he is to be rebuked. v. That is fine… but then we add the next couple words… d. [Slide 18] Before all i. The most logical party to which this is referring is the church as a whole. ii. And so, we have a rather truncated form of church discipline here for an Elder, which seems to be fairly high stakes. Especially when we realize that the word rebuke carries a punitive force. Meaning that he is no doubt, stripped of office. iii. One public sin and you’re outta here? Seems harsh… iv. And when we add in the rest of the verse… e. [Slide 19] As a warning to the rest. i. This is talking about the rest of the Elders. ii. That they would be warned not to sin like the other did – lest they be exposed as well. iii. If we take this on face value – it seems like this is a recipe for no one being an Elder for very long. iv. I think for this to make sense with the rest of scripture we have to import a couple other concepts here. 1. First, is that the Elder has the ability to repent at any time. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the public rebuke will not still be had – but it does mean that he is not automatically cast out. 2. The presentation to the church body as a whole is predicated upon the nature of the sin in question. If he got angry with someone once, was rebuked and repented – this seems to be an offense that could be handled among brothers. Even if it was somewhat public enough for several to see – he can even make a public repentance for his actions and the matter can be set aside. Indeed, this would be godly leadership, demonstrating how to be humble and repentant of accidental sin. However, if the sin is more than simply a one-time action but a pervasive life pattern, or a qualification failure of some kind – such sins should be brought to the church regardless of whether he is repentant or not. Why? 3. When he was appointed as an Elder, it was under the stipulation that he was qualified and blameless. If the trial proves that he is no longer blameless, then he is no longer qualified and the whole church should be made aware of this. 4. His repentance may stay his removal from the church – but it does not stay his removal from office. f. [Slide 20] 21 – Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind. i. Now that is quite the audience to Paul’s solemn charge here. Before God, Christ Jesus, and the elect angels. Essentially, this is judgment language. It is a courtroom. A courtroom with 3 witnesses. Indeed, it is the highest court in the land to which Timothy does execute these commands. But which commands? ii. Given the weighty nature of the rebuke of an Elder and the court room of God, it makes most sense that he is speaking in reference to the discipline of an Elder. iii. But Timothy is to do so without prejudice or favoritism. There ought not be a desire to either disenfranchise one member of the Overseers over another – nor grant special treatment to one over another. Nor should there be comradery around the Elders in opposition to the church itself. iv. All such motives would lead to disaster. With regard to Elders, it would destroy the leadership’s credibility and blamelessness and thus the church is without qualified leaders. With regard to the church, it would create an us vs. them situation which would ultimately lead to the abuse of the flock. v. There ought to only be loyalty to the Word of God and to love one another. All else falls by the wayside. g. [Slide 21] Passage Truth: So, again, Paul’s expectation is that those who are part of God’s family, from the top down, would conduct themselves in holiness and godliness. That is the expected outcome of all who are in Christ. h. Passage Application: So, Timothy must both protect the Eldership from false attacks and also deal quickly and publicly with Eldership failure. And he must do so without prejudice or favoritism. i. [Slide 22] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the rest of scripture we understand that those whom God has providentially called as leaders of His people, do inherit some level of protection from God. David stayed his hand from killing Saul. The young men who made fun of Elisha’s baldness. The two witnesses who cannot be killed. God protects His own. God also throughout scripture is always in favor of providentially protecting the innocent and falsely accused. But, God also deals harshly with those in leadership who refuse to listen to correction. Saul, Solomon, Eli, Any of the Kings of Israel, the Pharisees and it appears also here with sinning Elders. So, what is the commonality? Obedience. God’s people live out God’s truth in obedience to His will. That is simply what they do. And even if you are a leader – the standard does not change. In fact, it is only more stringent. j. Broader Biblical Application: So for us, we who do not have Elders must prepare our church for how to handle the discipline of an Elder. While no one hopes or desires to have to exercise discipline on an Elder, we must know that even an Elder does not have so much authority that he can violate God’s law. Still, we must also see that the Elder is a protected office in the church. No accusation will even be permitted to be voiced unless there are others who substantiate the claim. And even then, an investigation must be held to prove the witnesses true or false. If false, the witnesses must be rebuked for gossip and dissension, and called to repent. If true, the Elder is brought before the church and exposed and called to repent. And even in that repentance, his office has been forfeited. Transition: [Slide 23(blank)] With the high court just referenced and the solemn duty it would be to rebuke an Elder, we may wonder if there are any protections against having to ever do this. Are there any protections to keep us from having to rebuke an Elder? III.) The gospel changes how we live, so we must not appoint leaders too quickly. (22-25) a. [Slide 24] 22 – Do not lay hands on anyone hastily i. To lay hands on in scripture speaks to selection or appointment to office. ii. It is possible that Paul is giving instruction for the restoration of a sinning Elder. That after they repent, do not appoint them again to the office of overseer, hastily. iii. It is also entirely possible that Paul uses the failure of an Elder to go back to the beginning of the selection process as the stop gap to preventing Elders who are unqualified from getting into such a position. iv. I actually think it is talking about both. Probably the latter is more in view. That the beginning of the process is how we weed out the unqualified, but certainly that would apply even more to those who were removed from office. That to be placed in such a role again – it ought not be a quickly done thing. b. [Slide 25] And so identify with the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. i. There are several ways we could understand this, but in keeping with the context and Paul’s apparent emphasis on the ordaining of an Elder in light of a failed Elder, I think it is best to understand this in light of a hasty ordination. ii. That in that hasty ordination, someone is appointed to a position for which they are not adequately vetted ahead of time. iii. In doing this, eventually the truth comes out and their character is made evident. iv. And so, by ordaining them too quickly – you have enabled their sin to be publicly displayed and, in some way, have actually shared in their sin. v. So, don’t appoint an Elder hastily – because you will be culpable for their actions if it is clear that you could have stopped it with a little more time and diligence. vi. Paul then gives a broader exhortation to his son in the faith. vii. Keep yourself pure. viii. Even something as simple as a hasty appointment can have devastating effects, not just on the ministry, but even on your reputation. ix. So, stay pure Timothy. c. [Slide 26] 23 – (stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion and your frequent illnesses.) i. Assuming you’ve been following me so far – this verse should seem a bit… out of nowhere. ii. What happened here? I mean did Paul have a stroke, lose his place, is he so distracted of a writer that he just stream-of-consciousness, put this in there? iii. What is probably happening here is that the concept of purity sprung in Paul’s mind how Timothy has stopped drinking anything but water as a way of separating himself from the false teachers that have infiltrated the church there in Ephesus. No doubt because of this he has suffered many illnesses due to the quality of the water. iv. In which case Paul clarifies that being pure of the vices of unqualified Elders or false teachers, does not include complete abstinence from alcohol. In fact, he should start drinking a little again to care for his stomach. d. [Slide 27] 24 – The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment i. Coming back to the original thought of not appointing someone to Eldership hastily, Paul explains some of the reason for this command. ii. First, some people are quite obvious about their sin issues. iii. Such people will easily and quickly be removed from consideration for Eldership. e. [Slide 28] But for others, they show up later. i. People can change for a time or in a specific way, but they cannot hide their sin forever. ii. Eventually, the true nature of a person will show itself. We are defiled from within, yes? iii. This is true of all of us. For God’s children, it is true that they grow and kill off these sins as they appear. Not that that will be easy, or quick. But they will get victory. iv. But for some, these sins that show up later, cast huge doubt as to whether or not they are actually God’s child. Especially if they refuse to repent of them. f. [Slide 29] 25 – Similarly good works are also obvious, i. It works the same way with good deeds. ii. Good works, in general, are obvious manifestations of a life changed by God. iii. This is kinda the whole point that Paul is getting at in this entire letter. iv. People live differently because of the gospel. And in many ways that is VERY obvious. g. [Slide 30] And the ones that are not cannot remain hidden. i. But sometimes, good deeds go unnoticed. That’s ok. We really shouldn’t be doing them to be noticed anyway. ii. However, even the good things done in secret, will one day be shouted from the rooftops. iii. Eventually all will be made known. And soon people will even realize the things you do in secret. iv. So, since time will reveal hidden sin and godliness – give it time before ordaining an Elder. h. [Slide 31] Passage Truth: Paul is still presenting the same truth. Gospel changed people live differently. He says this very clearly in these last few verses. No matter who you are, if you do or don’t have the gospel, eventually, your works will prove or disprove your gospel claim. i. Passage Application: So for Timothy, he must wait until he gets clear evidence as to a persons true nature before appointing them to leadership. j. [Slide 32] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from this passage we know in scripture that eventually sin is found out. Ananias and Saphira, the guy who said he killed Saul when he didn’t, and even Simon the Sorcerer. Eventually, either your good deeds or your sin will manifest. You can’t hide who you are for long. Not long enough for someone to not see through it. A gospel changed heart always shows and a gospelless heart always shows. Eventually. k. Broader Biblical Application: So for us as we look to add Elders to our church in the near future, we ought to be considering this process of appointing Elders to be a slow process. We cannot simply choose those who know the most bible. We must give ample time for good works to be manifest or for sin to seep out. This could and possibly should take years. Indeed, a person’s character is decades in the making. And perhaps there are some qualified and called among us who have been vetted fully in this way, and are now ready to take on this new role. Be praying that those men become apparent. Conclusion: So here at CBC, we who do not have Elders, how does this hit us? In some ways it hits us at the perfect time. Indeed, I cannot describe to you how providential this message is. Just this past weekend the deacons had our retreat and discussed, primarily, the installation of Elders at our church. We made a lot of progress, and many of the details are not quite ready to present – but we are excited to move forward. And ahead of actually stepping out and making changes – we have these instructions about how to view the office of Elder. The overarching principle is to expect gospel change in God’s people from the top down. So for those who serve in this capacity, they ought to be respected, submitted to, and encouraged in joy to serve us. For those who serve excellently namely in laboring hard in preaching and teaching, they should be respected as well and provided for so they can continue to minister in this way. Not to get wealthy or even to be “comfortable” but really to not be in need. One of the luxuries of preaching through a book, is that I can come to such a text of scripture and you can know that I am not using it abusively to demand more money. In fact, you all provide for Kadie and I well. Our needs are met, and then some. But as we look to the future – it is possible that, depending on how God uses and changes things, that we will have more Elders worthy of this, and if the church is able, we should be ready and willing to meet their needs too. It is important to note that not every Elder must be paid, especially if they do not need to be. The principle from the widows holds true. We must not unnecessarily burden the church. But if the Elder has a need, the church should honor him in this way. The position of Elder is a job that very few would probably desire. It comes with a target on your back. Still in scripture it affords protections above the normal church disciplinary process. Certainly, going to an Elder privately is still an option, but to bring an accusation against him, you cannot be the only one. Others must confirm what you have seen. And they must do so without you sowing discord. In the ensuing investigation, if the elder is guilty of a sin that would disqualify him from ministry, or if he is not repentant, then the Elder is to be publicly rebuked before the entire church, called to repent, and stripped from office. It is quite a serious matter that must be entered into, knowing, that God is indeed watching from His court. Finally, how the church goes about the selection of an Elder is also curbed by this principle of the gospel changing hearts. We expect people who are in Christ to live as though they are. So, we wait for adequate evidence for that. We ought not be in a rush to appoint anyone as an Elder. And men, I issue special challenge to you. Although all men are not called, nor would desire to be an Elder – All men are expected to be qualified as an Elder. In the least sense, because you all are individual pastors of your home. You are the shepherd of your little flock. So be a good shepherd. Lead them well and labor long in teaching them with your words and actions, the gospel of Christ. Love them and care for them. This is what an Elder is to his church. It is what you should be to your home. So as we go forward, may we keep these things in mind. May we see the dignity and honor of the office, the expectations of the office, and the qualifications of the office clearly. And so be blessed with our first Elder board.

What's wrong with calling Scrum events "Ceremonies?"

Agile Coaches' Corner

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2020 4:41

In this episode, Professional Scrum Trainer Eric Landes addresses the questions: "hy would the Scrum guide not use ceremonies and events interchangeably?" Introduction In some classes, students will refer to the scrum events as ceremonies. Yet the guide refers to these as events. So why would the Scrum guide not use ceremonies and events interchangeably? My answer typically is something along these lines: What is a Ceremony? While we might be able to use these words interchangeably, I think there is a reason for the distinction. There is not a clear explanation in the scrum guide why this is. But if we look at the definition of “Ceremony,” we might find some hints. According to dictionary.com, one of the definitions of ceremony is "the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion". I think the key is in formal and solemn. In fact, most of the rest of the explanations include the word or a variant of the word formal. What is an Event? In contrast, dicitonary.com defines event. "something that happens or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance." The scrum guide says this about events - "Prescribed events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.” The talk of creating regularity is better defined by event than ceremony to me. And this speaks to scrum as a whole. It is more about a framework that helps solve complex problems, it's not a solemn process that teams must follow. Scrum Should Minimize Other Meetings I also emphasize to students that the events are supposed to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum. If team members are saying that Scrum makes most of their time about meetings, I will respond that this is not from the scrum framework. This may be an issue where prior meetings for non-scrum frameworks are still on the books and may not be necessary! As a team take some time and evaluate the need for these meetings. Collaboration is Key Sometimes I will tell classes that Scrum and other agile frameworks were invented to make sure that developers meet in a regular cadence. Collaboration was not a necessary component of software development when I first started. Agile frameworks just showed us knowledge workers how much we needed collaboration and gave us events that made sure we were collaborating! Conclusion So whatever we call these events, make sure to follow the framework, and use them to encourage and foster team collaboration! Want to Learn More or Get in Touch? Register for our upcoming web meetings by visiting agilethought.com/events See available training courses at agilethought.com/training. Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes at AgileThought.com! Email your thoughts or suggestions to Podcast@AgileThought.com or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

events collaboration agile ceremony scrum what's wrong ceremonies prescribed conclusion so agilethought

01 His Body and His Blood