Podcasts about ot god

We conclude our series about the Jewish roots of Christianity. From our May 25 Sunday gathering. This week's discussion questions are below: May 25 Discussion Questions Have you ever struggled with the apparent contrast between the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Jesus? How does the idea of progressive revelation help make sense of this tension? 2. What stood out to you about the quote: *“God is the name of the blanket we throw over mystery to give it shape”*? How does that reshape how you think about theology? 3. What are some ways that learning about Jewish thought and tradition has deepened or challenged your understanding of Christianity? 4. In what ways has the church you've experienced leaned more toward a "Marcionite" view—separating the OT God from Jesus? 5. How does the Jewish idea of *Olam Haba* differ from the traditional Christian views of heaven or hell you grew up with? 6. Why do you think Jesus emphasized a “reversal” in the world to come—“the last will be first, and the first will be last”? What does that tell us about God's values? 7. Does the vision of a restored creation (rather than a disembodied heaven) affect how you think about your purpose here and now? 8. What does it look like to live today as if the *Olam Haba* is already breaking into this world? 9. In what ways can we help “colonize earth with the life of heaven,” as N.T. Wright puts it? 10. How does this vision of the future affect how you view justice, mercy, or forgiveness in your daily life?

Revelation, Session Five Christ the Savior, Anderson SC Fr. Anthony Perkins Sources: The translation of the Apocalypse is from the Orthodox Study Bible. Lawrence R. Farley, The Apocalypse of St. John: A Revelation of Love and Power, The Orthodox Bible Study Companion (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2011), Bishop Averky, The Epistles and the Apocalypse (Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Volume III. (Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2018). Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, ed. David G. Hunter, trans. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, vol. 123, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2011). Jack Norman Sparks, The Orthodox Study Bible: Notes (Thomas Nelson, 2008), 1712. Venerable Bede, The Explanation of the Apocalypse, trans. Edward Marshall (Oxford: James Parker and Co., 1878). William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005). Review – from the Orthodox Study Bible Introduction and Blessing 1:1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. 2. Who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. [speaking of the Gospel of St. John]  3.  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Greeting to the Seven Churches 4.  John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,  5.  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,  6.  and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever.  Amen. (OSB) 7.  Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen. 8. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord (God), who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 10.  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,  11.  saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.” And, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. 12-13.  Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.  And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment  down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.   New Material – from the Orthodox Study Bible 14-20.  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.  Amen.  And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.  Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.  The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.   1:14. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire OSB.  Further, Christ is here described as God, His hair (v. 14) being that of Daniel's vision of God as the “Ancient of Days” (7:9; see also 1En 46:1). His eyes signify knowledge; His feet (v. 15), permanence and stability; His voice, authority or teaching; His right hand (v. 16), power; His two-edged sword, complete discernment. This imagery continues throughout Revelation to affirm the preexistence and eternal divinity of the Son of Man (see also Jn 1:1–18). Thus, in Christ man (v. 14) and God (vv. 15, 16) are united. St. Bede.  14. white. The antiquity and eternity of majesty are represented by whiteness on the head, to which all the chief ones adhere, as hairs, who, because of the sheep which are to be on the right hand are white, like wool, and because of the innumerable multitude of the white-robed and the elect, who come forth from heaven, are glistering like snow. eyes. The eyes of the Lord are preachers, who, with spiritual fire, bring light to the faithful, and to the unbelieving a consuming flame. Andrew of Caesarea. 1:14. His head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow, and his eyes as a flame of fire. For even though he is recent amidst us, nonetheless he is ancient; rather, he is before time. His white hair is a symbol of this. And his eyes are as a flame of fire, on the one hand, illuminating those who are holy and, on the other hand, burning the sacrilegious. 1:15.  His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; OSB. 1:15 Dan 2:31–44 indicates this mysterious metal foundation not only provides stability but has the ability to forcibly crush all opposition as well. These images are contrasted with the feet of clay found in Dan 2:33, 43: the kingdoms of this world are not permanent, nor ultimately triumphant. St. Andrew of Caesarea.  1:15a. And his feet were like glowing brass, red-hot as in a furnace. [21] The divine Gregory also understood that the feet meant the divine condescension through the flesh. For his feet by treading on the divinity achieved our salvation. The feet are also the foundations of the Church, like glowing brass, which physicians say is a sweet-smelling incense, which they call masculine incense. Or otherwise: On the one hand, meaning the human nature by the glowing brass, and on the other hand the divine nature by the incense, through both of which is also shown the sweetness of the faith and the unconfused union . Or the fine brass signifies the beautiful melody of the gospel proclamation, and the incense is the return of the nations by which the bride is summoned. And the feet of Christ are also the apostles, who have been tested by fire in the furnace of trials in imitation of their Teacher. 1:15b. And his voice like the sound of many waters. Naturally. His voice is in common with that of the Spirit, from which “rivers of living water flowed from the belly” of the faithful, and it made a penetrating sound over all the earth.   St. Bede.   15. feet. By the “fiery feet” he means the Church of the last time, which is to be searched and proved by severe afflictions. For orichalcum is brass, which, by much fire and various ingredients, is brought to the colour of gold. Another translation, which renders it, “like orichalcum of Lebanon,” signifies that in Judæa, of which Lebanon is a mountain, the Church will be persecuted, and especially at the last. The temple also frequently received the name of Lebanon, as there is said to ito, “Open, O Lebanon, thy gates, and let the fire devour thy cedars.” voice. The voice of confession, and preaching, and praise does not resound in Judæa alone, but among many peoples. 1:16.  He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. OSB: 1:16 The Lord holds the stars that represent the seven churches (1:20), and hence, the Church. For Christ is Lord of the Church. In His just judgment, the sword He wields is the Word of God, which cuts effortlessly to the very marrow and heart of humanity (see 2:16; 18:15; Is 11:4; 49:2; WSol 18:15; Eph 6:17; 2Th 2:9; Heb 4:12). The brilliance of His face recalls the Uncreated Light John saw radiating from the Savior at the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. Andrew of Caesarea. 1:16. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and coming out from his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword, and his appearance as the sun shines in its power. [22] Further down he says that the seven stars are the seven angels of the churches. The sharp, double-edged sword means his decision against the wicked, “sharper than any two-edged sword,” or the sword of the Spirit circumcising our inner man.38 Like the sun his face shines, not in a splendor to the senses, but to the intellect. For he is the “sun of righteousness,” shining with his own power and authority, not like the sensory sun, which as a created object by God-given power and divine command.   St. Bede. 16. right hand. In the right hand of Christ is the spiritual Church. “On Thy right hand,” he says, “stood the queen in a vesture of gold.” And as it stands on His right hand, He saithq, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom.” mouth. He, the Judge of all things visible and invisible, “after He has killed, has power to cast into hell fire.” countenance. Such as the Lord appeared on the Mount, will He appear after the judgment to all the saints, for at the judgment the ungodly will behold Him Whom they pierced. But all this appearance of the Son of Man belongs also to the Church, for He Himself was made the Christ in the same nature with it, and He gives to it a sacerdotal dignity and a judicial power, and to “shine as the sun in the kingdom of His Father.” 1:17-18. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.  Amen.   OSB. 1:17, 18 Mortal humanity cannot bear the revelation of divine glory, a frequent biblical theme (see Ex 19:21; 33:20; Is 6:5). Just as he fell prostrate at Mount Tabor (Mt 17:6), so also does John here, in the presence of the glorified Savior (see Ezk 1:27; Dan 10:7–9; see also 1En 14:24). Do not be afraid is a revelatory formula from the OT. As a signal for the theophany, it was carried over into the NT (see the Annunciation, Lk 1:30; Jesus walking upon the water, Mt 14:27—“Fear not, I AM”; the Transfiguration, Mt 17:7). In the OT God was called “the first and the last” (Is 44:6; 48:12), and so, too, is the Messiah. Some early heresies (e.g. Docetism) held that Jesus only seemed to die. But the Lord Himself testified, I … was dead, affirming the authenticity of His death; alive forevermore, His Resurrection—the power of which effects His lordship over death and its realm. The Orthodox icon of the resurrected Christ depicts Him with these keys (v. 18) in hand, standing triumphantly on the open gates of Hades. Fr. John Farley.  Like those receiving such theophanic appearances in Old Testament days (e.g. Ezek. 1:28; Dan. 8:17), John fell at His feet as if dead. Even though he had leaned in familiarity upon His breast at the Last Supper (John 13:23), yet such is the power of the Lord in His heavenly exaltation that even the beloved disciple is overwhelmed. The Lord restores him in preparation to write the things he has seen and will see. He tells John, “Do not be afraid,” and in this He tells all of John's churches not to fear. They need not fear death, martyrdom, or anything in all the world. Why? Because Christ has overcome the world, trampling down death by death. He became dead, but now He is alive to ages of ages. As such, He is the first and the last, sovereign over all (compare God as the Alpha and Omega in 1:8) and the Living One, the source of all life. He had authority over death and Hades by His Resurrection. Death cannot now separate us from Him, for He is Lord of both the living and the dead. St. Andrew of Caesarea.  Christ revived the Apostle himself who had suffered through the weakness of human nature like Joshua son of Nun and Daniel, by saying to him, “Do not fear, for I have not come near to kill you, since I am beginningless and endless, having become dead for your sakes.” 1:18b. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. [23] Instead , he has authority over bodily and spiritual death. St. Bede.  17.  I fell. As a man, he trembles at the spiritual vision, but his human fear is banished by the clemency of the Lord. the first. He is the first, because “by Him were all things made;” the last, because in Him are all things restoredu. 18. keys. Not only, He saith, have I conquered death by resurrection, but I have dominion also over death itself. And this He also bestowed upon the Church by breathing upon it the Holy Spirit, saying, “Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them,” and the rest. 1:19.  And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.  Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.   OSB.  John's visions have to do with both the present (things which are) and the future. Fr. John Finlay.  Then Christ gives John a command: he is to write the things which he has seen, and the things which are, and the things which are about to happen after these things and send them to the main churches under his care in Asia. (From these seven main locations, they could be sent out to other smaller church communities as well.) This gives a basic outline of the Book of Revelation as a whole: it relates what John has seen (the vision of Christ in ch. 1), the things which are (the present state of the churches, described in chs. 2–3), and the things which are about to happen in the future (the prophecies of chs. 4–22). St. Andrew of Caesarea.  [nothing] St. Bede.  Reveal to all the things which thou alone hast seen, that is, the various labours of the Church, and that the evil are to be mingled in it with the good unto the end of the world. 1:20.  The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. OSB. The angels of the seven churches have been variously interpreted as being (1) the guardian angels of the church communities; (2) the pastoral leadership of these local churches; (3) a personification of the prevailing spirit of the given congregations; or (4) simply the messengers responsible for delivering the letters. The term “angel” (heavenly or earthly messenger) is used over 60 times in Revelation. Fr. John Farley.  The introduction concludes with an explanation of the meaning of the seven stars in His hand and the seven lampstands among which He stands. The seven lampstands are the seven churches of Asia, and the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. This is a reference to what may be termed the individual corporate personality of each church community. Each local church is thus portrayed as having an angel, even as each person has his guardian angel. Just as a person's guardian angel resembles that person (see those who reacted to the announcement that Peter was standing unexpectedly at the door by suggesting that it was not Peter but his angel; Acts 12:15), so the church's angel sums up and embodies the local church. The angel of the church is an image of the strengths and weaknesses of each church. In writing to the angel of the church of Ephesus, the Lord actually speaks to the church of Ephesus in its corporate aspect. We see this today as well, in that church communities have corporate characteristics—some are loving, some judgmental, some zealous, some lax. The reference to each church's “angel” is a way of addressing each community as a community, using the language of the apocalyptic. St. Andrew of Caesarea.  Since Christ is the “true light,” because of this, those abundant in his light are lamps as they shine in the night of this present life. Naturally, the churches are called lampstands, because, as the luminaries, they “have the word of life” according to the Apostle. The lamps and lampstands are gold because of the honor and purity of the faith in them. An angel has stood guard for each of these, just as the Lord says,44 and Gregory the Theologian had understood the present chapter: he figuratively called them “stars” because of the brightness and clarity of their nature. St. Bede.   stars. That is, the rulers of the Church. For the priest, as Malachi says, is “the angel of the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 2:7.  “for the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger (malakh/angel) of the Lord Almighty.”  

God never changes … it's comforting and intimidating at the same time. Does this mean that all the harsh rules of the OT are still in effect? Does this mean that we need to do church just like they did 100 years ago? What does it mean that God doesn't change? And what part of God doesn't change? When we read the OT to find out stuff about God, it is quite a bit different than if we read it to find out what we are supposed to do. Let's discover together and amazing message about an amazing God who always has and always will be crazy about His kids. 

One of the heresies of the early church was to made the God of the OT different from Jesus.  The OT God is wrathful and must be appeased.  Jesus is good and nice and all love.  But the Trinity has no parts. 

We are a diverse, nondenominational Christian church in Burlington, Vermont committed to loving God and loving one another.

Tonight ended up largely being various forms of gnostics and hermeticists who called in to offer various rebuttals and arguments against the Bible and the Notion the OT God is the same as the New (Marcionites).

Doing things our own way risks the minimization and devaluing of God's Word. ~~~ 1 Samuel 13:14 “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of teh Lord your God, with which he commanded you. Now your kingdom shall not continue.” Upon reading the text that way, all of our sympathy moves in the direction of Saul, and our eyebrows are raised at the reaction of God. We can see his punishment, the removal of the kingdom, as too harsh, too reactionary, filled with vitriol. It is moments like this that we can start to have this image form in our minds of an OT God that is not loving, not caring, and overly-vengeful. But is that really the case? Remember the warning that was given. “If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, if both you and the king who reigns over you will allow the LORD your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.” The word of God is very clear on this, is it not? His voice and His command and His word is to be feared, adhered to, over and above any other voice, including the voice of the fearful who run away, and including the rising shout of the enemy as they draw closer. Do you sometimes find yourself in that very situation? Friends moving away from you and the enemy moving closer? This is what can happen when you are a leader? When you go to war spiritually for those under your care. In order to make this group happy, and to keep that group away, you start making decisions that you think are best. Now at this point, it is important to ask, just what was the command of the LORD that Saul has not listened to. Is it that he, a king, offered a sacrifice and that job is reserved for priests only? I do not think that is the issue here. We are not in the temple at this point, where the priests would serve. What is at issue is that Samuel has instructed him to wait seven days for Samuel to come to him and offer the sacrifices in the right way. And it has been shown to us repeatedly that Samuel speaks the word of the LORD. So Saul has taken it upon himself to break this command from Samuel, which is really the command of God. The reason this is so grievous is because the direction and attitude of the King towards God's word would greatly influence the direction and attitude of the people toward's God's word. This is not your next door neighbor of whom you don't know their last name. This is THE KING. If the word of God is not good enough for the king, then why should the people care anything about it? If it is displayed that the king's own personal authority is higher than the word of God, then why would the people listen to the word of God? That is what is at risk here—the minimization of God before the people, the devaluing of God, the striking at the holiness and weight of the glory of God Himself. God was not about to let that happen, when He knew His word is the best thing, the highest authority, for His people. But we have a king who had the authority of God's word as his ultimate authority in King Jesus. And it is to him we look day by day. And when you look to him, you will not see any minimalization of His father's word.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.In this podcast I am reading the original (pre-edit) draft of chapter 5 of A Quick Overview of the Bible: How All the Pieces Fit Together. The book was released in February 2012. Harvest House allows me to read aloud one chapter of any book I have written. Since what I read is not the final version, there may be some small differences between it and the published version.You can also read the first 10 pages or so at this link.  (Of course we're hoping you'll decide to get a copy of the whole book!)The lesson answers the following 10 questions:1. The OT God seems unfair, unpredictable, capricious. Is he really just?2. Does God show favoritism? Wasn't anyone on the planet saved before he chose the Jews?3. Wasn't Yahweh hot-tempered?4. But still, didn't the Hebrew God play rough?5. Why isn't the OT God "nice" like God in the NT?6. It almost seems as if God is just waiting for us to trip up. Isn't he a bit of a sadist?7. Why was the Lord concerned only with the outward behavior? The NT God looks at the heart.8. Wasn't the old covenant a covenant of works? Since no one could measure up, they were always "in the doghouse."9. Was the Lord just experimenting in the OT? Why didn't he get it right the first time?10. How could God approve of so many inhumane institutions? Why didn't he overthrow them, instead of endorsing them?In connection with Q.10, please click here for the podcast on Slavery.

Patrick talks about dreams and whether you can sin while dreaming, answers questions about God in the Old Testament and hears a testimony about the regret that comes from getting a tattoo. Email – Why are Evil eyes sold in some Catholic stores in Israel? Email from Jennifer – Do I need to confess dreams. Claudia - if pain and death are punishment of sin, why did Mary go through it? Nick - eastern Maronite catholic - my family doesn't use evil eye but they believe it. What are your thoughts on this? Tom - follow up- Can you explain how OT God seems to have changed his mind after prayer? Nancy - What does evil eye look like? Blessed Mother did not have childbirth but came when she saw him on cross Ed - got tattoo of sacred heart of Jesus to cover up my devil tattoo from youth Bill -symbols of Satan is trying to lure you in. its devils way to get to Jesus. was Jesus afraid of devil? Christine - Is it okay to kick adult children out of the house? Email from Gary – I blocked my family so they will call me on land line. Is that okay? John - 9 year old son told me we shouldn't be afraid to speak our faith because St. Paul did it and i wasn't sure how to respond. Maria – Where in the bible does God curse the ground so that humans need to work by the sweat of their brow?

How does the Old Testament connect to the New Testament? In his famous sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter referred to prophecies by Joel and David (Acts 2). The Old Testament prophet Joel predicted the coming Day of the Lord, and Peter proclaimed that it had now arrived in the person of Christ. David believed God’s promise that one of his descendants would sit on his throne eternally. This too was fulfilled by Christ. Sadly, we too often think of the Old and New Testaments in opposite terms. We view the OT God as grim and wrathful; the NT God as loving and merciful. We see the OT as full of law; the NT as full of grace. Yet in truth they create one cohesive story. There is only “before” and “after” Christ, the hinge of history. This is why Peter used words like “salvation” and “grace” to frame the entire ministry of the Old Testament prophets (v. 10). They eagerly looked to the future to find out more specific details of the sufferings and glories of the coming Messiah (v. 11). We look back into the past, on the same events, through the apostles’ eyewitness accounts. Both the “before” and the “after” recorded in God’s Word are from the Holy Spirit (v. 12; see also 2 Peter 1:21). In fact, God revealed to the prophets that they were serving New Testament believers. Didn’t they have a message and an audience in their own historical context? Yes. However, they also had a message for us. God’s plan has always been for all nations and all of history, so it makes sense that the Word of God speaks within a specific time, while not being limited to any one time. >> Today, we wait for Christ’s Second Coming just as the OT prophets waited for His first coming. We have much to look forward to! How would the way you live change, if you knew that Jesus was returning today?

Patrick clarifies the necessity of baptizing someone on the head, answers how we are save by faith and what that means, how we can reconcile the actions of God from the Old Testament and answers the difference between Judaism and Catholicism. Patrick talks about the specifics of how to do a proper baptism   Chris - If a person has done a lot of good works in their life, but then commits a mortal sin. Are those good works nullified in the eyes of God until he goes to confession? Donna - My 33-year-old son is struggling with the OT God. How do I explain that the God of the OT is a God of love? Patrick answers an email from Kip about praise and worship music Chris - What's the differences between Catholicism and Judaism? Mike - Sinner that converts on this deathbed. How does that relate salvation by faith?

There are critics outside the church that accuse the OT God of genocide, racism, ethnic cleansing, and violence, while other critics inside the church claim that Moses and other prophets were mistaken about God’s commands and character. These critics dismiss the OT God in favor of the kind, compassionate “actual” God revealed by Jesus. Are they right to do so? On Monday’s Mornings with Eric and Brigitte, Christian theologian and apologist, Paul Copan confronts these teachings by exploring the kindness, patience, and compassion of God in the OT and showing how Jesus in the NT reveals not only divine kindness but also divine severity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen along as Anthony Garcia teaches through Revelation 2:8-11 and gives a glimpse into the church of Smyrna. Notes//Quotes: Revelation 2:8-11 - Kim “We must remember the paradox of grace: the gospel announces both leniency and violence; mercy and judgment; rescue and death. What blazes up on Golgotha is God's embrace of contradiction: weakness as power, foolishness as wisdom.” — Jen Pollock Michel “From what we know of late first-century Asia Minor we can speculate about how these Christians were being persecuted. Until the latter part of the first century Christianity enjoyed a degree of protection under the umbrella of Judaism, which was tolerated by Rome. The Jews were not forced to worship Caesar as a god, but allowed to offer sacrifices in honor of emperors as rulers and not as gods. But after the Neronian persecution Christianity came under suspicion, since new religions were not acceptable in the empire. And Jews, who sometimes had no qualms in semi-revering other deities along with their OT God, often were only too willing to make the Roman authorities aware that the Christians were not a Jewish sect. Perhaps Jews were motivated to inform on Christians because they were irritated that some of their Jewish brethren or Gentile “godfearers” were converting to Christianity (Ignatius, Smyrneans 1:2).” — G.K. Beale “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) “Are you willing to die for your faith? And are you willing to give up anything along the way in order to pursue it—those little deaths that sometimes seem as difficult as the final one, dying to impulses of ambition, of lust, of pride, of security, of comfort? …Here we have one of those paradoxes that are strewn all through the Christian's life of faith. Until we pass the martyr test, we live neither deeply or widely. Until we are ready to die for Christ, we can't live for him freely, openly, and exuberantly. If we spend all our energies trying to protect our interests, to preserve our safety, and to negotiate and compromise with the opposition in order to keep what we have at all costs, we will live meagerly. But if we live at risk, giving up all in witness and commitment and love, we are released from death to live in the power of the Resurrection.”  —Eugene Peterson  

First three chapters talk about doctrine, last three discuss our Christian responsibility.4:1 therefore - because of the doctrines that Paul covered in the first 3 chapters, we have the responsibilities in Christ that are discussed in the last three chapters.urge (KJV uses beseech) - God urges us to live for His glory.  In the OT God said, “If you obey me, I will bless you.”  Now, through Jesus Christ,  God has already blessed us so because of His love and grace should obey Him.What we have in commonOne bodyBody of Christ to which all believers are added by the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus Christ as their savior. One SpiritThe Holy Spirit that is in each of us that binds us together in the Lord.One Hope that belongs to your callOur calling is our walk with the Lord, bound together by the Holy Spirit, as His church waiting for His return to take us to heaven.One LordJesus Christ who lived for us, died for us, and will return for us.One faithOne truth given by Christ to the church.We may have interpretational differences and differences in worship but for all true Christians there is only one faith.One baptismBaptism of the Holy Spirit when He places the believer into the body.One God and FatherWe are children of the same family with God as our Father.  He is in us, over us, and working through us.  So we should be able to walk in unity.Our differencesApostlesMeans “one sent with a commission"Jesus had many disciples but only 12 apostles.ProphetsGod's truth was shared by the Holy Spirit with those who had the gift of prophecy.Apostles and prophets had the foundational ministry in the early church.EvangelistsThese traveled though out the land bringing the good news bringing the message to the lost.We should all be proclaiming the good news but these had the gift of evangelismShepherds (pastors) and teachersUses the Word of God to guide and discipline the local congregation.Growth of Unity is Spiritual GrowthBecoming more like ChristThe believers gradually growing until they reach spiritual maturity which is to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.The leaders are to equip the saints to strengthen the body of Christ. StableThe more we become spiritually mature, the more difficult it is for us to be swayed by false doctrines.Truth and loveThe two have to go together.  Truth without love is mean while love without truth is baseless.We have to be able to share the truth with fellow Christians and do it with love.CooporationWe already have spiritual unity in Christ.  We have to work together to maintain it.Everyone has a function in the Body of Christ.  We must equip and improve each other so that we grow to be more like Christ.

07-Aug-2022 Jeff Mazzariello, Dani Kilgore

31-Jul-2022 Ben Kerns

10-Jul-2022 Jeff Mazzariello

26-Jun-2022 Jeff Mazzariello

Mar 14-20-OT-“God meant it unto Good” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rosa-o-garcia/support

a special guest has journeyed up from Tinseltown to hang with the PVK and the Rik. Gotta wait an extra hour until Rik gets freed from the shackles of his day job... https://discord.gg/p7YYh7Kc

This Psalm calls down curses upon those who have opposed the Psalmist.See verses 1-8, 26.Sometimes we hear that these prayers were acceptable in the Old Testament but they are not acceptable today.In the OT God's people were encouraged to love their enemies- Exodus 23:4-5; Prov. 25:21-22.In the OT God's people were forbidden from taking personal vengeance- Proverbs 20:22; 24:29.In the NT we find God's people calling down curses upon the wicked- I Cor. 16:22; Galatians 1:8-9; 5:12; Rev. 6:9-10.In the NT we find rejoicing at the fall of evil and wicked people- Rev. 18:20; 19:1-6This is not an effort to eliminate Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 23:34, or Acts 7:59-60 from the Bible. It is an effort to say that prayers of judgement also have their place.These prayers show usThat evil is real- Isaiah 5:20- and that we must be outraged by evil- Psalm 119:104, 128, 163.These prayers do not encourage personal vengeance but they leave things in the hand of God- Psalm 35:13-14; II Timothy 4:14.The prayers are motivated by a desire that God be glorified- Psalm 58:11; 59:13.

Show Notes  Church attendance has declined by 23% since 2000. In 2000 around 70% of Americans claimed to attend some kind of “house of worship.” In 2020 that number has declined to 47% Why? THIS Show is all about the “personness” of God, that God does have the same feelings as we. Suffering, mourning, joy, and exuberance—all are attributes of God… just rarely discussed Most people, Christians even, have been raised on perceptions of God that, although perhaps mostly true, are radically incomplete. In the USA, when most people think of God they imagine a punitive and angry old, white male. While the real image of a poor and humble Jesus, dedicated to serving the poor and disenfranchised comes not to mind; nor does the OT God who suffers. That is our subject today in the chat with Charlie and Producer Paul.  

Show Notes  Church attendance has declined by 23% since 2000. In 2000 around 70% of Americans claimed to attend some kind of “house of worship.” In 2020 that number has declined to 47% Why? THIS Show is all about the “personness” of God, that God does have the same feelings as we. Suffering, mourning, joy, and exuberance—all are attributes of God… just rarely discussed Most people, Christians even, have been raised on perceptions of God that, although perhaps mostly true, are radically incomplete. In the USA, when most people think of God they imagine a punitive and angry old, white male. While the real image of a poor and humble Jesus, dedicated to serving the poor and disenfranchised comes not to mind; nor does the OT God who suffers. That is our subject today in the chat with Charlie and Producer Paul.  

we kick off our new series "American gods", in the OT God gives us the first commandment...."Thou shalt have no gods before me" .... well, who were these other gods? why did they keep tripping up Israel? And how might we fall into the same trap today?

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... John 14:6   Jesus says:  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME.   Jesus, The Word, is the way to go to God.   When God speaks to us, we believe the Word and we agree with what God has said and we are born again and given the Holy Spirit of God when we believe the Word given to us.   And immediately God changes us into a new creature, not of ourselves or of our own works, but by God will.   II Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  

Stiff Necked This is Steve and welcome back to another segment of Press On. This called Stiff Necked.Usually every morning I wake up with a sniff neck and body because of arthritis i and of course theres that thing called gravity and age.Ive often complained that I "feel like the tin man" from the wizard of Oz caught in a rain storm without an oil can. In Micah 6:8 God answers the Jewish people regarding what he wants from them: He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of youBut to do justice, to love kindness (mercy), And to walk humbly with your God?God was clear about what was important to Him and it wasn't their ritualistic practices it was the attitude of their hearts and in this He wanted them to walk humbly with God.So what does humility and being stiff necked have to do with each other...they are the polar opposites. Throughout the OT God often referred to the Jews as stiff necked people this was figure of speech when describing the attitude of Israel toward God.The term stiff necked was originally used to describe an ox that refused to be directed by the farmer…it refused to turn the head or was very slow in order to take a different path.Sound familiar...perhaps it should. Pride, arrogance, and yes being stiff necked exist in abundance first in our own heart, particularly my own, Yet God Identifies it as an obstacle in walking with Him.Jesus in the sermon on the mount brings attention to it when he said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This was not about material possessions He was speaking to spiritual realities: He always did: To be poor in spirit is to recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God.There is much more to this story but for today think about this Unlike this world in Gods economy humility is not a weakness its a strength, and more than that the kingdom of God is only accessible when our hearts our right before God.This is Steve and until we meet again Press ON See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is this podcast, I first talk about star scape capturing, and then recap conversations I have had recently with atheists and Jesus-believers on various topics. The main topic is reconciling the OT God with the NT Jesus.

Episode 41 – Show NotesIt is a delight for us to have a long chat with our friend ‘SkydivePhil' - Phil Halper. He's best known for his YouTube channel and has twice been on Unbelievable discussing cosmology and also, for his first appearance, animal suffering. Phil is a vegetarian and sees how the issue of animal suffering is a much more powerful argument against theism than is generally realised. It is that subject that we were keen to discuss, especially because Phil and some of his contacts have just published an important paper on the topic. The paper is not so much philosophy/theology but focuses most on the science of animal pain and suffering, asking the question of the degree to which animals suffer as we do when they experience pain. The conclusions from this are vast, but we stick in this episode to how it informs arguments against theism based on what we now know of animal suffering. SkydivePhil's Youtube channel is herehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtOgKmAM4MeFu-jd-HB3_cg The best link for Phil's paper is here, it is free to read for its first three months https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515089.2021.1914829?src=&journalCode=cphp20 Within the SkydivePhil channel, we suggest you look under “Animal videos” and especially Phil's discussion with Randal Rauser:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoRm8Rg4Lh0 Phil's appearances on Unbelievable…..On Animal Suffering, with Michael Murray:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Animal-suffering-and-God-Michael-Murray-vs-Phil-HarperOn Big Bang:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Has-the-Big-Bang-gone-bust-Phil-Harper-Jeff-ZweerinkOn Multiverse:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Who-s-afraid-of-the-Multiverse-Jeff-Zweerink-Skydive-Phil For Sethien cosmology see here (OT God is evil, despite creating the world. Gospel of Judas etc)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethianism The material that eventually led Phil into becoming vegetarian was from the philosopher Robert Nozick , it can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy,_State,_and_Utopia#Moral_constraints_and_the_state Doubts Aloud Links:Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review. Or give feedback and ask questions using : doubtsaloud@gmail.com Join the Facebook Group discussions:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/ Meet us all in person (after Covid19) at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see: https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Why do some people have the idea that God is only wrathful in the OT and Jesus is only gracious in the OT? More discussion about instructing and raising children in a Godly way.

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Foundations of the Holy Spirit in the Old Covenant Spirit of Creation “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). The Author […] The post Jesus is Lord! Foundations of the Holy Spirit in the OT; God’s Love for the World appeared first on Wonder & Reality.

Overall, technology is a very good thing. There are, however, some side effects - some unintended consequences that are not positive. My conversation with an atheist on the problem of evil/OT God

Weekly Discord Q/A from October 23. Click here to meetup with other channel viewers for conversation https://discord.gg/jdVk8XU Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTgIf you want to schedule a one-on-one conversation check here. https://paulvanderklay.me/2019/08/06/converzations-with-pvk/There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklayTo listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333 If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/ All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos. To support this channel/podcast on Paypal: https://paypal.me/paulvanderklayTo support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin (BTC): 37TSN79RXewX8Js7CDMDRzvgMrFftutbPo To support this channel/podcast with Bitcoin Cash (BCH) qr3amdmj3n2u83eqefsdft9vatnj9na0dqlzhnx80h To support this channel/podcast with Ethereum (ETH): 0xd3F649C3403a4789466c246F32430036DADf6c62Blockchain backup on Lbry https://lbry.tv/@paulvanderklayhttps://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklayPaul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-ATo support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640

From:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-0Aa0UwgzI Gary Wayne - The Nephilim Wars - With Erin Moffett and NPC-3.14 (who, unfortunately, keeps trying to fit the biblical narrative into a globular, heliocentric universe without much luck.) Gary Wayne is Available @ Get his BOOK from his website: http://genesis6conspiracy.com/ Follow Gary on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garywayne63 Find Gary Wayne on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/The-Genesis-… https://www.facebook.com/groups/1434635263263359/ Connect with Mr. Wayne personally via email @ http://genesis6conspiracy.com/about-t.. ~~~ Erin Moffett can be found@ DISCORD: https://discord.gg/br4X2T DLive: https://dlive.tv/Ladyliberty17 COMMUNITY PAGE: http://bit.ly/erin-m-community-link STACK: https://www.7kmetals.com/ladyliberty TIP: https://www.patreon.com/ladyliberty17 BITCHUTE: https://www.bitchute.com/accounts/ref… BRIGHTEON: http://bit.ly/brighteon-ladyliberty YT Back Up Channel: http://bit.ly/noellepcerebral FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LadyLiberty17 ~~~~~~~ The genocidal OT God refuted. If you know someone who needs to hear this, share it with them. Contact @BeGoodBroadcast@gmail.com Twitter @WinInHim --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/begoodbroadcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/begoodbroadcast/support

The Fire House Chronicles w/ Matt and Katie Spinks A Revelatory Nuggets Episode Is God really extravagantly good? Can I truly rest in God’s loving arms? what about the violent scriptures in the Bible? In this episode we cover: What about God dashing babies against the rocks? Is. 13:16 The harsh God of the OT? God slaying people throughout the OT? What about Ananias & Sapphirra? God killing Herod??? The harsh Jesus in the book of Revelation? God sending people to hell? Does God torment? Does God torture?? Questions or comments? Email: info@thefirehouseprojects.com Want to go deeper in this kind of revelation? Check out our Glory Foundations Class at: www.gloryfoundationsclass.com Visit our website at: www.thefirehouseprojects.com Been blessed by this ministry? Partner with us financially to spread this GOOD NEWS! Click here TO DONATE: www.thefirehouseprojects.com/donate

You may access the notes for this podcast on the Present Truth Presented webpage.

Dr. Leighton Flowers, Director of Evangelism and Apologetics for Texas Baptists, answers a question about the way God is presented in the OT as in comparison to what we see from Christ in the NT. Is the God of the OT a "provisional" God who really desires the salvation of all? Ezk 18:30-32: Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! To SUPPORT this broadcast please click here: https://soteriology101.com/support/ To ORDER Dr. Flowers Curriculum “Tiptoeing Through Tulip” please click here: https://soteriology101.com/shop/ To listen to the audio only be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or one of the other podcast players found here: https://soteriology101.com/home/ For more about Traditionalism (or Provisionism) please visit www.soteriology101.com Dr. Flowers’ book, “The Potter’s Promise” can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Potters-Promise-Biblical-Traditional-Soteriology/dp/0692561846/ref=nodl_ Dr. Flowers’ book, “God’s Provision for All” can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Provision-All-Defense-Goodness-ebook/dp/B07PLL85Y6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2BQ08Y6XOZV5S&keywords=leighton+flowers&qid=1556650306&s=gateway&sprefix=leighton%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-2 To engage with other believers cordially join our Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1806702782965265/?ref=group_header&view=group For updates and news follow us at: www.facebook/Soteriology101 Or @soteriology101 on Twitter Please SHARE on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word! To become a Patreon supporter or make a one time donation: https://soteriology101.com/support/

October 13, 2019 Speaker: Mike Burns If anyone has ever read through the Bible – or even read parts of the Bible from both the Old & New Testament – a nagging question usually arises: How can the God of the Old Testament be the same as the God of the New Testament? A quick glance could leave us viewing the OT God as an angry father and the NT God as the hippie son. Are they different? Did God change? Do Christian’s have to reconcile the two or can we just ignore what we read in the Old Testament in favour of Jesus? Join us this Sunday as we wrestle with these questions together!

In the OT God would give the Holy Spirit to people for a particular time and they would speak the exact words of the Lord. It was only for a few people and for a certain moment. Now in the NT, the Holy Spirit was poured on all believers, not just some. And the prophetic is given to build up faith, to encourage, and to comfort the church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is through you and to you.

In the OT God would give the Holy Spirit to people for a particular time and they would speak the exact words of the Lord. It was only for a few people and for a certain moment. Now in the NT, the Holy Spirit was poured on all believers, not just some. And the prophetic is given to build up faith, to encourage, and to comfort the church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is through you and to you.

In the OT God would give the Holy Spirit to people for a particular time and they would speak the exact words of the Lord. It was only for a few people and for a certain moment. Now in the NT, the Holy Spirit was poured on all believers, not just some. And the prophetic is given to build up faith, to encourage, and to comfort the church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is through you and to you.

In the OT God would give the Holy Spirit to people for a particular time and they would speak the exact words of the Lord. It was only for a few people and for a certain moment. Now in the NT, the Holy Spirit was poured on all believers, not just some. And the prophetic is given to build up faith, to encourage, and to comfort the church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is through you and to you.

In the OT God revealed His plan for His children through men and women of God who spent time with Him in prayer.  - God revealed Noah the coming destruction upon the land- God revealed Abraham the blessings His descendants are going to experience- God revealed Moses concerning the sufferings of God's children in Egypt- God revealed Samuel the one who is going to rule the nation of Israel- God revealed Elijah who is going to be the successor in His prophetic ministry ----more---- We can go on and on...Prayer reveals God's plan for us today. Prayer not only opens the doors of heaven,not only shuts hell,not only changes things around us,not only releases the God's Power,prayer also reveals God's plan to us.

Greg Boyd is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher and author.He has been featured on the front page of The New York Times, CNN and the BBC along with numerous other television and radio venues. He has authored and co-authored 22 books.Greg comes on the show to talk through his new recent book 'Cross Vision' where he argues that it is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ which enables us to make sense of Old Testament violence. Show Notes - The Big IdeasMoving from a place of justifying OT violence to looking for deeper meaningIs the OT God a god of genocide?Understanding Ancient Near Eastern contextCruciform HermeneuticA missionary GodHow to read the OTThe cross being simultaneously outrageously beuatiful and revoltingly uglyHow do we preach the from the Old TestamentThis episode is loaded wth some pretty incredible thoughts. Strap yourselves in. 

Saturday 09/08/18 1pm ET/12pm CTRL/11am MTN/10am Pac Call in at 1-347-934-0379 or online at  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/healingxoutreach/2018/09/08/btr-talks-gus-discusses-the-aftermath-of-dr-paul-copan-dr-david-lamb-more Not in the United States compare your times available using: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com  Gus discusses the aftermath of OT theologians and apologists Dr. Paul Copan & Dr. David Lamb on why the OT God is not a jerk and also why activism is simply not enough and doesnt really change many out of cultism. This will be our first attempt of the podcast live on you tube with live video suite or facebook both so its another test of the podcast on other platforms of social media. The 1-347-934=0379 number remains the contact in either case and the You tube videos on our channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/user/Gusdaberean/videos?view_as=subscriber 

Rev. Edwin Gonzalez Gertz

Psalms 110 Watch Video Listen to MP3 Download Handout Download Manuscript → Click to view the Sermon Outline Davidic Pattern #1: The path toward kingship was marked by suffering. The humble servant had to suffer first before he was exalted as king. Davidic Pattern #2: When exalted as king, God brought remaining factions and enemies into subjection to God’s chosen king (cf 2 Samuel 5:9-12). Jesus Christ, Pattern #3: God’s chosen King suffered, was delivered from the grave and then was exalted “carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:44-50). Psalm 110 - The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. He will drink from the brook by the wayside; therefore He will lift up His head. Five realities about Jesus Christ that we must all come face to face with sooner or later 1. God Has Made Christ Alone King of Creation—“Sit at My Right Hand” (v. 1) a. “At God’s right hand”—Matthew 22:44, Mark 16:19, Acts 2:33, 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 12:2-3, 1 Peter 3:22, Revelation 3:21 b. “The Right Hand of God” is the place of eternal rulership The ascension of Christ is as significant to the Lordship of Christ as His death and resurrection is to His role as Savior. He is both Lord/King and Savior! c. But how could any man share God’s ruling throne? Jesus Christ was not simply “any man”—“The Lord said to my Lord” (cf. Matthew 22:41-45) 2. God Has Promised Christ Alone a Kingdom (v. 2) 3. God Has Promised Christ Alone a People/Army for His Kingdom (v. 3) a. Willing volunteers b. Dressed in righteousness (holy majesty/womb of dawn, cf. Revelation 19:11-16) 4. God Has Made Christ Alone the Only Way to Be Part of His Kingdom—Christ Is Not Only a King but a Priest! (v. 4, cf. Genesis 14, Hebrews 5-9) 5. God Will Destroy Opposition to Christ Alone (vv. 5-6)  Outlined Manuscript Have you ever experienced something that you never thought you would experience in your life?  Maybe it was a sudden sorrowful thing that happened to you or someone near to you.  Maybe it was something that you waited for your whole life to happen and you just were not sure if it would ever happen (I imagine there are some parents of soon to be graduates that may be feeling that way about now).  Maybe it was something that you spent plenty of time dreaming about in your life. Wednesday night November 2, I finished up a night of youth group in the LOFT and immediately ran out to my Jeep.  I turned on the ignition and before the engine had even finished cranking over I had the radio tuned into the Cubs versus the Indians playing in Game 7 of the World Series. As I turned on to State Road 26 to begin my journey home I listened as Dexter Fowler led off the game with a home run to deep right center field. Maybe tonight would be the night that I had played out countless times in my backyard as kid in Northern Illinois.  Maybe tonight the Cubs would be the world champions. It had been 108 years since the last time the Cubs had won the World Series.  For years they had been mocked as the “loveable losers”, but tonight could be a different night. Well that game did not go exactly the way that was the least amount of stress, but early on that Thursday morning the Cubs were finally the World Series Champ.  As my 91 year old grandma that was sitting next to me said as the final out was recorded, “Well they finally did it.” Everything changed in the mind of the lifetime Cub fan.  The blues and reds of the world were just brighter and more beautiful.  They no longer were fans of the “Loveable Losers”, but now were fans of the Champs. Even in something as silly as winning a World Series there was a new realization that would make life never the same again. These realization moments can come from any changes that revolutionize our lives.  We go about our lives and for the most part we get into routines But then something in our environment changes—something either that we want to change or something that we don’t want to change. And when it changes we may take a while to believe what has happened. Here is a question for you… What is the greatest reality shock of your life? Here is what I believe it is…. We by our nature grow up in a state of selfishness that causes us to seek our own good.  We exalt ourselves to the roll of king over our own life. Think about it. From birth whenever I was hungry, I would just cry, and suddenly a bottle would appear. Whenever, I had a dirty diaper I would just cry a little bit more and suddenly my diaper would be changed. As a toddler, I want a toy, I grab it from my friend that was playing with it. As a teen, I want my own pleasure, so I experiment with sex and drugs As  a highschooler, I learn how to get attention by using my body for athletics or beauty. As a college student, I want to live the party life and sow my wild oats…. As an adult, I learn to make money to spend on toys for me. The routine of living for self is our reality What happens when you come face to face with the reality of you are not KING!! What happens when you begin to see for the first time, this world doesn’t revolve around you! My friends that is a reality for all of us, that must be faced. With those thoughts in mind please turn in your Bibles to Psalms 110. That is on page 443 in the front section of the bible in the chair in front of you. I have also printed the text of Psalm 110 in your bulletin notes if you would rather look there. This year’s annual theme at Faith is In Christ Alone And after Easter we have turned our attention to a five part series on Seeing Christ in the Psalms Much of Jesus’ life and work is said in the New Testament to be a fulfillment of the Psalms. Let me say an explanatory word about my understanding of the messianic Psalms. Many of the Psalms/Songs in the OT were written by a man called David, King of Israel. David was God’s chosen king to rule over God’s people. David, was an example or type of a man who, although a sinner and having some great sins, strived to be faithful to God. He was faithful to God in His youth. He was marked by meekness and humility and trust in the Lord. He is known for His slaying of the giant menace of Israel, Goliath, by relying on Lord—not any kind of military strength. Because of his humility, God chose him as an earthly king over his people However, the path to kingship was one marked by suffering. His enemies opposed him and often sought his life… Pastor Green at FE and Pastor Wright at FW spoke about his sufferings last week. Please notice the pattern… Davidic Pattern #1: The path toward kingship was marked by suffering. The humble servant had to suffer first before he was exalted as king. When David actually became King, God gradually brought all the fighting factions and opposing nations into submission to David’s reign. Davidic Pattern #2: When established as king, God brought remaining factions and enemies into subjection to God’s chosen king (cf 2 Sam 5:9–12). Notice this passage 2 Sam 5:10David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.11Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David.12And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. David as a musician recorded songs about these experiences in the Psalms And Then Jesus says in Luke 24:44 Luke 24:44  44Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem…50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. There are two observations about this passage that I want to make. First, Notice how Jesus said all that is written in the Psalms must be fulfilled—Hence we have these “messianic psalms Second, Notice this pattern Jesus Christ, Pattern#3: God’s Chosen King suffered and then was delivered from the grave and then was “carried up into heaven.” In the comparison to David what does this pattern correspond to? ANSWER: David’s exaltation as King and God working to bring all face to face with the reality of Christ’s kingship. God working to subject all people to his kingship. With that back ground let’s read now Psalm 110 Psalm 110 (Notes only)       1    The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”       2    The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”       3    Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.       4    The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”       5    The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.       6    He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.       7    He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head. Today from Psalm 110 we are discussing Facing the Reality of God’s Choice of Christ Alone Five realities about Jesus Christ that we must all come face to face with sooner or later. The first reality is this… God Has Made Christ Alone King of Creation—“Sit at My Right Hand.” Friends the NT recognizes Psalms 110 as one of the most significant chapters in the OT. Every human author of the NT quotes some portion of Psalm 110 except James and Jude. I have listed several of these references for you…. “At God’s right hand”—Matt 22:44, Mark 16:19, Acts 2:33, 7:55-56, Rom 8:34, Eph 1:20, Col 3:1, Heb 1:3, 8:1, 12:2–3, 1 Pet 3:22, Rev 3:21 Here is just one example: Eph 1:20 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. We focus a lot on the resurrection of Jesus Chris and rightly so. The resurrection represents so much Victory over Death The first fruits of the promise of eternal life—a resurrected body God’s stamp of approval on His Son for His life and His Sacrifice However, the entire NT is not only structured around the resurrection but the truth from this PSALM—sit at my right hand--the ascension of Christ into heaven! That is amazing. Until I studied this Psalm and the numerous quotes of this Psalm in the NT I had no idea of how much this concept of Christ being translated from earth to heaven informed the theology of the NT. Read the cross references I gave you and see how significant this is!!!.  But what is so significant about “the Right Hand of God” What does this mean? The right hand of God means “The Right Hand of God” is the place of eternal rulership Earthly Kings invited a cherished and faithful servant to be their right hand man to execute their rule. As an example, those of you who know the Bible remember the Joseph story and how Joseph after suffering was exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh. Joseph in all practical senses was ruler over Egypt— equal to Pharaoh! David after suffering was exalted to the earthly kingdom of Israel and could be said to be “God’s right hand man on earth.” But David did not ascend bodily to heaven In Christ you have something entirely greater The Man Jesus ascended bodily to heaven not just a throne on earth…God’s heavenly throne. What does this mean…God has place Jesus Christ at the place of authority over all including you. The ascension of Christ is as significant to the Lordship of Christ as is His death and resurrection is to His Role as Savior. He is both Lord/King and Savior! My friends that is the reality…Christ simply is King. You simply are not the king. This is the reality. This is the reality that you must face either now or when God His Father, makes you a footstool for King Jesus’ feet. But Here is a question for you… But how could any man share God’s ruling throne? Jesus Christ was not simply “any man”—“The Lord said to my Lord” (cf. Matt 22:41–45) I think God has a sense of humor. He planted riddles and mysteries in the OT that would perplex people only to be revealed at the right time. I have had the privilege of attending Faith Bible Seminary and Pastor Aucoin was always so excited to point out these mysteries and riddles.  As I was discussing this passage with him in preparation for this sermon, I was reminded of that excitement he has for these Old Testament mysteries, as we talked about this phrase. David wrote the beginning line of the Psalm, “The Lord said to my Lord…dwell at my right hand.” What does, “The Lord said to my Lord” mean? Is David calling himself “my lord”—that would be a strange way for David to speak about Himself. So for years the Jewish folks interpret this phrase as applying to a descendent of David….rightfully so….the coming Messiah…. But the Jewish folks completely missed something…If this applies to David’s descendent…David call’s his descendent “MY LORD”  MY MASTER///MY KING…  How could the Messiah both be David’s Son and David’s master? How? Jesus stumped the Pharisees with this question… Matthew 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:42 “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.”43 He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet” ’? 45“If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question. How is a man sitting at the right Hand of God? Because Jesus Christ is not simply a man…He is God incarnate. In order to ascend to be at the right hand of God he had to first descend to become human. This man is King.  This Man is God Himself.  Christ is King.  Christ is God Himself. Is he your King? The second reality we must face is that God Has Promised Christ Alone A Kingdom Ps. 110:2The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” Folks is this the reality we live in… God does not say he will stretch forth Johnny’s kingdom saying “rule”? God does not say he will stretch forth (Pastor Garner, Folden, Green)’s kingdom saying “rule”? God will stretch forth Christ strong scepter ALONE saying rule. My friends do you remember a time in your life where you began to recognize this life is simply not about building your kingdom.       What are you doing with your life?       As I said the most routine aspect of our life is building             our kingdoms Our kingdoms of people who adore us Our kingdoms of accomplishments Our kingdoms of wealth Our kingdoms of influence       Psalm 110 brings us face to face that God has promised Christ Alone a Kingdom. Let that reality sink in a bit as you evaluate your life’s efforts…what are you working for….? Think about the summer that is coming up.  What are you going to do this summer?  Is it going to be all about you and your kingdom?  Is it about the number of hours you get to spend the pool? Is it about the number of lemonades you can consume on your back porch? Is it about the number of dandelions you eliminate from your yard? Is it about how many levels you can advance in the newest video game or the number of Netflix binges you can consume?       Why not make this summer about advancing the King that has already been exalted? Spread the great news of Christ, the exalted King, by helping to share the Gospel to kids from our community by serving in VBS. Spread the great news of Christ, the exalted King, by showing up to the Community Picnic and intentionally engaging with people from our community. Spread the great news of Christ, the exalted King, by getting involved in any of the number of serving opportunities in our community this summer. God Has Promised Christ Alone a People/Army for His Kingdom       Ps. 110:3Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. The King has a Kingdom And, And What else does the King have?   an Army In the Hebrew there are simply two Hebrew words “Your people” is one Hebrew word, and then the second word is the Hebrew word for “freewill offering” Your people, a free will offering The people of this Kingdom are Willing Volunteers Why would you sign up to be a subject in anyone’s Kingdom? In the OT God warned Israel about wanting a king like the other nations in that they would force the people to become slaves.  The king would force the people to serve in the army. But this is remarkable…there is something about this king and his kingdom that people say….”Sign me up…” Why would that be? Because there is something good about this King and His Kingdom. Service for this King is not like slavery to my previous masters Service for this king is freeing… Friends have you come face to face with the reality of the tyranny of the kingdom of self and sin…and how there is a much better king and kingdom that you can join? The slavery to sin and self is never fully satisfying.  – You will always be searching for just a bit more happiness.  You will always find yourself to be a horrible king in your life. You will always find your kingdom to be lacking. The mark of the armies of Christ is that they are willfully following Him. You will find no other Master you will love to serve.   The King’s people are also…. Dressed in Righteousness (Holy Majesty/womb of dawn. Cf Rev 19:11–16) Your people are in “holy array” and “from the womb of dawn” Now, remember one thing about Hebrew poetry… Hebrew poetry uses a lot of metaphors and you have got to attempt to picture what the author is trying to communicate. Womb of dawn? What does that mean? Obviously, a womb is something that gives birth (we really do not have time to expand on that concept any more than that) In this case it is the womb of Dawn So what comes out of the “birthing canal” of dawn? Light! “Holy Array” also communicates that the King’s People are Brilliant in appearance. And the term “Your Youth like dew”—may also communicate the concept of purity Folks I believe also that Revelation 19 about the coming of the King and His People refers to this passage as well with very similar imagery. Notice God’s people are clothed in Brilliance…They are not cowering in the shame of nakedness. Notice the similarity here in Rev 19. Rev 19:11And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The King’s People are viewed as pure!!! In the revelation passage the people of the king are in white brilliant clothing But what is the King clothed in?  Robe dipped in blood! In God’s eyes the King’s people are viewed as pure…..But the King is soaked in blood…What’s going on here? Furthermore, the King is at the right hand of God and the people are with the king So, 1. How could any person with all of our impurities be there with the King and 2. viewed as pure? How is that possible? Because of this fourth reality… God Has Made Christ Alone the Only Way to Be Part of His Kingdom—Christ Is Not Only a King But a Priest! (cf. Gen 14, Hebrews 5-9)       Psalm 110:4The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” Well now, isn’t this an obscure statement Order of Melchizedek?  What is this?  J It sounds like something you would order at a fast food restaurant….”I will take the Melchizedek meal with a large Coke Zero.” Melchizedek was the King of Jerusalem 1000 years before David became King of Jerusalem. You can briefly read about Melchizedek in Genesis 14. The significance of Melchizedek was that he is described in Gen 14 as both a priest and a king. Now, God had not allowed any of his earthly rulers to be both priests and kings. Do you know why? What does power do? Corrupt. And what does absolute power do—corrupt absolutely. Can you imagine a monarch with absolute power that controlled all aspects of the nation including down to what all the subjects had to believe and access to God. So, God made the first separation of powers long before the American government.  In Israel, God separated the King’s power of rulership from the priests’ role of providing access to God. Those kings in Israel who crossed the line into priestly duties—men like Saul and Uzziah—were severely judged by God. But here when God says of Jesus YOU ARE THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK….that means that the Messiah would be the only King who is both King and Priest. And Praise the Lord for you because that means this King and only this King gets you access to God Not because he sacrificed some animals for you but he sacrificed His body for you He is wearing the blood soak robes so that you can stand with him with God in white garments. Hebrews 7:21 but He (God) with an oath through the One who said to Him,“The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever’ ”);22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.25Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;         27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. Jesus Christ is sitting right now at the right hand of the Father as 1. king but not just king….as a 2. priest. And notice that there is a time frame on this….in verse 1—until the God makes the enemies of the King/priest His footstool. Since Christ ascended until this very moment, you have the opportunity to come face to face with the reality of this King as your Savior because of his priestly work. And   And you have the opportunity to learn now how to grow into the pure white clothing All of this is until—God brings everything in subjection to him and face to face with what happens if we do not subject our self to this king… God Will Destroy Opposition to Christ Alone (vv. 5–6)       5    The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.       6    He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. The king will return to earth as He ascended from it and God the father will be at his right hand executing the wrath of God. And judge those who did not come face to face with the King, His Kingdom, and His priesthood for them. Here is the reality today…. You will either be part of the army of the king dressed in brilliant clothing (the righteousness of Christ). Or you will be facing the wrath of the Father My friends, this is inescapable. This is the reality But right now the King is sitting until that time when he gets on the war horse. You today, may say I don’t want anything to do with that kind of a violent king. Let me end today with the last phrase of the Psalm…       7    He will drink from the brook (river/torrent/flood) by (on) the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head. The phrase “He will drink from the brook by the wayside… Has perplexed the commentators. There is not agreement about what that phrase means. However, some believe it is a reference to the cup that Christ drank at the cross. Do you remember the night before Christ was to experience the violent judgement that we deserved Christ compared it to a drink. He said, “Lord, if it be your will let me not drink this cup (of wrath) but not my will but yours be done.” Thus, the phrase might be better translated and could be translated, He will drink from the torrent on the way. My friend, if you never face reality of Christ being King, with a Kingdom and a People and one day you come face to face with the reality of violent judgment of the Warrior King it will only be because you did not accept the reality today that the priestly king took the violent judgment upon Himself that you deserved. So whose Kingdom will you pursue? Your own empty kingdom? Or the Kingdom of Christ alone? Let’s Pray.

Chris Date (Rethinking Hell Podcast) and Dan Koch (Depolarize Podcast) supply a robust discussion, focusing on “Old Testament God” and whether these ancient depictions are problematic to inerrancy and to our Christian faith (one that is supposedly based on love) in general . This episode is brought to you by the Christmas and fantasy children’s book, “Believer: Book 1 of the Yuletide Tales.” Go get your copy right now and read it with the kids leading up to Christmas. After reading the first chapter to my kids, they didn’t want me to stop. www.yuletidetales.com Joey’s new book, “Fundamentalist: Stories of a Mentally Ill, Compulsive, Legalistic Youth Group Kid Turned Pastor” can be ordered at: www.fundamentalistpastor.com Chris Date: http://rethinkinghell.com/ Dan Koch: http://dankoch.net/ http://badchristianmedia.com/depolarize/

Aug 7, 2016 Lk 12:32-48