Podcasts about Veerman

The Surpassing Glory of God's Promises in Christ 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 Our sermon text is from 2 Corinthians 3 verses 7-18. We learned in the beginning of chapter 3 that the apostle Paul was a minister of a New Covenant. That new covenant is received through the Spirit and resulted in life. That is contrasted with the letter of the law, which, as Paul put it, kills. The rest of chapter 3 unpacks the old and new covenants. As I read, listen for the similarities and differences between the two. Reading of 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 Prayer I don't know if you have been following it, but later this week, 7 planets will be visible in the night sky at the same time. That is a rare event. In fact, it's been quite the season of interesting astrological occurrences. Maybe you experienced the partial solar eclipse last year. Or 5 years ago, you saw the great conjunction. That was when Jupiter and Saturn overlapped in the sky. Apparently, that only happens once every 400 years. And coming up in just 3 weeks, there will be a total lunar eclipse. You are probably wondering, how does this relate to 2 Corinthians 3? Well, 2 Corinthians 3 is considered by some to be the most difficult chapter to understand in all of Paul's letters. That's debatable, of course, but it certainly contains some lofty concepts. At this chapter's core is the theological intersection between the Old and New Testaments. That's significant. And obviously important. And that brings us to the moon and sun and planets. You see, the central point is that the glory of the old covenant was a fading reflection of the glory of the new to come. The new covenant has come and it has eclipsed the glory of the old. It's like the way the moon and planets reflect the light of the sun at night. But when the sun rises, its light is so bright that it completely outshines the moon and planets. The old covenant reflected the new before the new came, but the new has come, and the old has now passed away. By the way, this is one of two main passages of Scripture that compare the old covenant with the new. Hebrews chapter 8-10 is the other. We read part of chapter 10 earlier. The difference between Hebrews 8-10 and 2 Corinthians 3 is that Hebrews works through how God accomplished his promises in the new covenant. He's done that through Jesus perfect sacrifice for sin. In 2 Corinthians 3, we learn about the permanent nature of the new covenant and that we receive its benefits through the Spirit. So both teach about the old and new covenant but with different emphases. Earlier this week I spent some time analyzing how 2 Corinthians 3 compares the old and the new. I put a little chart together as I went. You can see that on page 4 of the bulletin. Really, it was for my benefit as I tried to get my mind around the contrast. But I included it in case it may be helpful to you. You can see that Paul's primary purpose here is a comparison of the two. ·       He gives us the nature of the covenants. The old carved on stone and the new written by the Spirit on our hearts. ·       He speaks of the fading glory of the one and the eternal glory of the other. ·       The old primarily focused on Israel, but the new expands that to God's people from all nations. ·       Even more, those who live by the old live with a veil over their hearts. But for those who have been freed by Christ, that veil is lifted and they are being transformed. ·       But the most weighty of all the comparisons is the eternal outcome. Those who put their trust in the old and reject the new are condemned. But those whose hearts have been transformed by the Spirit and who trust in Christ receive righteousness and life through the Spirit. It's really amazing how much is here in just a couple of paragraphs. Alright. We are going to focus in, first, on understanding the comparison, verses 7-11. And then we'll look at implications of that, today, in verses 12-18. You can see a few summary bullets there. Now, you may be wondering, why does it take such work to unlock the differences between the two? That is a great question. I wondered the same. Because it does seem that Paul jumps around and repeats himself. Why didn't he just spell it out in a clear linear way? The answer is, to his readers, he did. Paul spelled it out in a way they would understand. He used a Greco-Roman rhetorical argument called “a fortiori.” Lesser to greater. That will be on the test after the service. Just kidding. I had no idea that such a thing existed before this week. The argument goes that if something lesser is true, how much more sure and true is the thing that is greater. Its purpose is to elevate the greater reality. To do that there's a comparison and an elevation. And another comparison and another elevation. And then a further elaboration on a comparison and a further elevation. We can see that in these verses. One thing that clearly comes out is the amazing, surpassing, never ending glory of the new covenant. Look at verse 10 for example. “For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.” You see, these verses are not just a technical explanation. Rather, Paul was elevating the hearts of the Corinthians. He wanted them not only to know that the new is greater and eclipses the old, but he wanted their hearts to see and rejoice in what God has done. How he has fulfilled all the promises of the old in the new. Going back to the moon and sun… you know, when it comes to light and energy, there's no comparison. The moon can only reflect the light of the sun. Yes, in the middle of the night, when a full moon is out it really lights up the surroundings. You can even see shadows. You can see where you are going. If you wanted to, you could even turn off your car's headlights. Don't do that, though… but you would be able to see. But where does that light from the moon and planets come from? It comes from the sun. The light of the sun reflects off of them. The old covenant reflected the glory of the new which, in the Old Testament times, had yet to come. But also, let me ask, what is the lunar surface of the old covenant? Meaning what is the light from the new reflecting off of? Well, it reflects off of (1) the moral law, you know, the letters carved on stone – the 10 commandments, and it reflects off of (2) other laws that God gave through Moses like the ceremonial laws including sacrifices… and also (3) festivals and (4) the temple itself. All of it, in different ways, reflected the glory of what was to come in the new covenant. And they all tie together the Old Testament with the New Testament in profound ways. Ways that help us better understand the new. In the past, I've shared a little of my journey to seeing the Bible as one unified book. I remember when I was, I think, 22 years old. I could not wrap my mind around the purpose of God's law nor even the purpose of the Old Testament. It was a burning question in my mind. I couldn't let those questions go. Well, my Bible had cross references in the margins. And so, I set out to read through the New Testament and cross reference every single Old Testament cross reference. I worked on it a little bit every day. It took me about 3-4 months. It blew my mind. By the way, I still have that Bible in my office with a bunch of underlines and notes. Light bulbs kept going off as I saw more and more connections between God promises and laws in the Old and their fulfillment in Christ in the new. Before then, I used to think that the Old Testament had so many strange practices and peculiar events that had no relevance. But then their beauty came alive to me. I realized how in different ways they revealed God in his glory, they revealed his plan for redemption, and they revealed the need for atonement and the Messiah. All of those old covenant things were driving at what was to come. You see, for God's people in the Old Testament, the whole purpose of the different laws and ceremonies was to direct their attention to the promise of what was to come. Let me say something that is really really important. It was never about offering the sacrifices and obeying the law as a means for salvation. Never. Rather it was so that they could trust in God for what he would do. Their salvation was received by faith in Christ who was to come just as ours is received by faith in Christ who has come. This is illustrated for us in what happened at Mount Sinai. These verses in 2 Corinthians 3, refer to Moses veiling his face. You see, when the Israelites were freed from their slavery in Egypt, God brought them across the Red Sea and he brought them to the base of Mount Sinai. And God then called Moses to ascend the mountain to receive the law. And so Moses went. But in the meantime, the people began worshipping a golden calf instead of the one true God. And God's anger burned against the people. But… Moses pleaded with the Lord for mercy. And God relented. Moses was a mediator between God and his people. After that, God commanded Moses to go up the mountain again. Actually, he needed a new copy of the law because he had thrown down the first. But also, this time, God revealed his glory to Moses. Moses was only given a glimpse of God in his glory, but it caused Moses face to shine with the glory of God. When Moses descended, the people were afraid because of the reflected glory. And so Moses would veil his face to protect the people. Look at 2 Corinthians 3 verse 7. It says, “the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory.” Even the reflected glory was unbearable because of their sin. Again, Moses acted as a mediator of God's mercy by veiling his face. We learn a couple things from that. We learn there is glory in the law. As I mentioned last week, God's moral law is good and right and perfect. It reveals God's nature and his goodness. But it is only a reflected glory. We also learn that God's law requires a mediator, just as Moses mediated for the people. So, the law both directs us to God and it directs us to our need for Christ because of our failure to meet its standard. That explains verse 9. Look at it. “For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.” The law is glorious but without a mediator, it brings condemnation. But the mediator of the new covenant has come. Christ has come. And he's accomplished and has fulfilled all that the law required. We are no longer condemned by the law. Through Jesus' righteousness, we are given life. That phrase in verse 9, “ministry of righteousness” is referring to the righteousness we have in Christ. You see, the sunrise has come. The sun is up. Yes, in the daytime we can faintly see the moon and we can occasionally see a planet. But the moon and plants no longer light anything up. Because the day has come. There's no more need for the reflected glory of the old because of the surpassing and permanent glory of the new covenant. Alright, let's now turn our attention to the implications for us -  verses 12-18. There are two implications - one negative and one positive. The first is when you only see the old and you reject the new. Look at verse 14. Paul, talking about unbelieving Israel, says, “For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” Now, I don't think that there are any Jewish people here today who reject Christ. But that is who Paul is speaking about. They read the Old Testament. Some may think that by obeying the laws and celebrating the festivals that they are therefore justified in God's sight. They may even believe in a coming Messiah. But their hearts and minds are hardened and veiled. It would be like believing that the moon is shining with its own source of energy and light. And maybe even believing that sun does not exist. It would be like covering your eyes during the day so that you don't see the sun. Or sleeping when the sun is up and only being awake at night. They do not believe the new. They are trusting in the old for salvation. And because of that unbelief, to use Paul's earlier words, they will receive “the ministry of condemnation.” Let me expand this a little. I think there are some parallels here to the Roman Catholic church. In our church history Sunday school class this morning, we talked a little bit about the counter reformation. That was the church in Rome's response to the Protestant Reformation. And while yes, much of the immorality in the church was addressed, yet, the church doubled-down on many of its beliefs. Now, I know there are some faithful believers in the Catholic church, but over the centuries, the church has added unbiblical layers that veil Christ. Like the veneration of Mary, or like praying to the saints, or believing in an intermediate state to work off your sins, or going to a priest for intercession. Those are all merit-based or works-based righteousness things. They are in essence veiling the glory of God in Christ. It's kind of like a partial solar eclipse. The fulness of the glory of God in Christ cannot be fully seen. And because of it, many in the Catholic church, trust in these things and not the ministry of God in Christ. There are other parallel as well… like any rejection of the new covenant in Christ. That would include the “I'm a good person” theology. The belief that God will evaluate our good works and because of them consider us good in his sight. That is just a version of the old covenant which cannot save. It denies the sin and idolatry of our hearts and rejects the new covenant. Let me ask, how should we respond? How should we, who believe in the new covenant, respond to those groups? Well, we should seek to be ministers of the New Covenant, like Paul. What does that mean? That means praying for the work of the Holy Spirit to remove the veil over their hearts. It means revealing the failure of the old or the law to redeem. It means doing what Paul does here. Showing the glory of God in the ministry of the new covenant! Its exalting the person and work of Christ through his Spirit! It's showing what unveiled worship is as we behold God. Remember, it's not peddling God's Word, but rather it's exalting God for the exceeding glory of the new. Ok, there's another implication here. A positive one. And it relates to my favorite verse in this chapter. Look at verse 18. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” I love that verse. Paul is speaking about those transformed by the ministry of the new covenant. Those whose hearts are not hardened nor veiled but who, through Christ, can behold the glory of God without condemnation! Those who have the ministry of his righteousness because our hearts have been transformed by his Spirit. And when we behold the wonder and glory of God in what he has accomplished, he does something in us. Or rather he is doing something in us. He is transforming us. He is conforming us to the image of Christ. More and more we will reflect his glory… in our countenance, in our thoughts, in our words, in our actions – in our hearts. Now, we can certainly inhibit that transformation. Our sin can block the light of the sun. As you know, this last week has been a little cold. But if you were outside during the day when it was sunny, you really got warmed by the sun. Inhibiting that transformation is like blocking the sun in some way. We do that when the comforts of this world become idolatrous. Or when our lust or anger or some other sin goes unchecked and unrepented of. Or when we forget to pray or engage in God's Word. All those things cause us to become cold.  They all inhibit the light of the sun reaching us… by our own doing. They all inhibits the transformation of God within us. But, as verse 18, says, when we behold God with unveiled face. When we come to him laying our sin before him, letting his Word wash over us. When glorying in the ministry of the new covenant becomes our life and righteousness, then God will be transforming us! He'll be transforming us from one degree of glory to another. These verses are not saying that we will become perfectly glorified. That will only happen when we pass from this life to the next. But more and more we will reflect the glory of God in Christ. And we will radiate that glory like the face of Moses. By the way, did you notice that the Lord is equated with the Spirit… multiple times, here. That word Lord, used here, is in reference to Jesus. What Paul is doing here is he is affirming God's oneness in the Trinity. It's not overlapping the roles of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ in us. In fact, multiple times in the New Testament he is called the Spirit of Jesus. Christ works in us through his Spirit, to transform us from one degree of glory to another. It is his work. And that ties back to the new covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us, not the ministry of the law. So, God has fulfilled all the promises of the old in the new. The glory of the old has faded away, and the surpassing glory of the new has come in Christ. The moon has set and the sun has risen. So may we all with unveiled hearts, behold the glory of God through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

2 Cor 2:16b – 3:6 Letters from Christ, Written by the Holy Spirit Please remain standing for the reading of God's Word. Our sermon text this morning is 2 Corinthians 2:16 to chapter 3:6. You can find that on page 1146 in the pew Bible. We are going to start with the second half of verse 16. You may notice that we read the last 2 verses of chapter 2 last week. I decided to include them again because of the question asked. The question is “who is sufficient for these things?” The apostle Paul is asking, who is sufficient to be the aroma of Christ? More specifically, he's asking about his ministry as an apostle. Who is sufficient to be an apostle and to spread the aroma of Christ? As I read, listen for the answer. Reading of 2 Corinthians 2:16b to 3:6 In 1948, a professor from Carnegie Mellon wrote one the most famous reference letter ever. This professor, Richard Duffin, was asked by 19-year-old John Nash Jr, to recommend him to Princeton. You see, Nash was hoping to pursue a PhD in mathematics.  You may or may not recognize or remember the name John Nash Jr, but the movie Beautiful Mind highlighted his life. In fact, over his lifetime, Nash received many accolades for his work, including a Nobel Prize. Well, on February 11, 1948, Duffin wrote a letter to Princeton in support of the young Nash. The reference simply had 5 words. “He is a mathematical genius.” That's quite the reference. Wouldn't we each want something like that said of us. “She's a brilliant lawyer. He is a renowned chef. She's a musical virtuoso. He's a master mechanic.” And what about the apostle Paul? Couldn't it be said of him, “There's none like him.” or “His ministry skills are unparalleled.” Or “he's the greatest of greats.” And it would be true. Even among the apostles, Paul stands out because of his tremendous ministry. Many things could be said of him. But when it comes to the question, who is sufficient? Or who is qualified? Paul actually rejects the need for a reference letter. Rather, there's something better. There's something more important. To be sure, Paul is not saying that letters of recommendation are bad. No. The whole book of Philemon is a reference letter. Paul wrote it to commend Onesimus. But when it comes to ministry qualifications… When it comes to evaluating Paul's sufficiency as a minister, there is something far greater. The greatest testimony of Paul's ministry is the testimony of the Holy Spirit's work in those to whom he ministers. That is what these verses are about. They testify to God's work through his Spirit in Paul's life and in the life of the Corinthians. These verses really center on God. They center on God's work in us, as his Spirit transforms our hearts. And in doing so, they teach us the means through which God ministers. To boil it down, Paul is making two parallel arguments. First, he is defending his ministry by testifying to the work of the Spirit. And second, while Paul is defending his ministry, he is also revealing the way that God fulfills his promises in us. He changes us through his Spirit and not his law. By the way, I don't know if you saw it, but I was able to get a sermon outline in the bulletin this week. You'll see it on page 4. Those two points are the two things that Paul is emphasizing. ·      #1 - His ministry credentials. I'm calling that first point Living Letters from Christ ·      And #2, God's covenant ministry with us and in us. I'm calling that point, Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord. Those ideas are parallel, because if Paul is a true minister, then the focus of his ministry will be God's ministry. And the results of Paul's ministry will prove that God himself is the one at work through the Holy Spirit. So, that is where we are headed. And let me make one more introductory point. These truths are very important. If we think that God transforms people through his law and not his Spirit, then our ministry to others may actually lead them to death. I don't think I'm overstating that. In verse 6, Paul said,  “the letter kills (meaning the letter of the law) but the Spirit gives life.” 1. Living Letters from Christ (Paul and the apostle's ministry credentials) Ok, let's begin with Paul's credentials. #1 - Living Letters from Christ. We've talked about the situation in Corinth a lot. The reason is, it helps us understand why Paul says what he says. Remember, some people were trying to undermine Paul. That has come out a couple times so far. They questioned the legitimacy of Paul's ministry because of his suffering and because of his changing plans. These people, which Paul later calls “super apostles,” were trying to elevate themselves by critiquing Paul. He alludes to them in chapter 2 verse 17.  Look at how he puts it: “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word.” Do you hear his underlying critique of them? Some people were out there treating God's word like a business to make profit. And back in the first century this idea of peddling had very negative connotations. Peddling involved aggressively pushing a product with often deceitful tactics. And Paul's response is that he and the other ministers of the Gospel are not like these peddlers. No, instead, they speak with “sincerity,” he says. They speak with the truth of Christ. God is the one who “commissioned” them in their ministry. Do you see how Paul is elevating God and not himself in his defense? If you jump down to chapter 3 verse 5, Paul makes a similar point. Their own ministry does not come from themselves. Rather, it comes from God. It's God's work and it's the truth of his Word. Really, all of this relates to the opening question. Who is sufficient for these things (for this ministry)? And the answer is, nobody. Nobody is sufficient in and of themselves. Listen for the word sufficient in verses 5 into 6. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers.” He's saying, it's about God and not about us, unlike the peddlers. Now, you and I, we are not apostles, capital A. But each one of us here ministers in some way to other people. You may be a witness at work. Maybe you are a light of hope and of God's grace in your neighborhood or your school or your family. Maybe you are teaching God's Word or participating in another form of discipleship. In whatever ways you are ministering, your sufficiency should be in God and not yourself. Why? Well, it is not your work, rather it is God's work through you. You and I are merely instruments in God's hands. Let me ask, if someone said to you, “thank you for ministering God's word to me. It really really help”  How should you respond? Well, you should say something like, “Praise the Lord. God is at work.” In doing so, you would be affirming that it's not you, but God who is at work. Paul is essentially responding in that way. He says up in verses 1 and 2, we are not commending ourselves. We don't need, as some do, letters of recommendation. Apparently, some of these “super apostles” had letters that somehow qualified them. “Here's my letter. Corinthians, you must therefore listen to me.” But Paul's response is totally different. It's like he is saying, “Do you know where to find the highest credentials for our ministry? It's not a piece of paper written with ink. No, instead, look in the mirror. Corinthians, you are our letter of recommendation! God has changed your heart through his Spirit. We were merely agents of God's work in Corinth. Look at the amazing thing that God has done in transforming you, a people for himself. It is not our work. No. It is God's work through us and in you by his Spirit.” Suppose you were applying for a job. And you wanted to work for some kind of discipleship ministry organization. Like maybe our denomination's discipleship agency. Of course, that organization is going to ask you for letters of recommendation. Well, there's someone in your church that you have discipled for years. In fact, let's say, God used you in his life to share the hope and forgiveness of Christ. He responded to that by professing faith in Christ. And since then, you've been walking alongside of him in his journey of faith. And so, you ask him to write a letter of reference for you. Of course, he agrees. He would be honored to do so. But instead of writing a letter, he gets in his car; he drives over to the ministry, and he meets with the director. He explains that his own life is a testimony of God's work through you. He didn't want to write a letter. No, instead, he wanted to be a living letter because God through his Spirit had changed his heart. And with tears, he explains how God used you to bring the message of salvation in Christ to him. And how since then, you have walked with him to further disciple him in Christ. Wouldn't that be a powerful living letter of recommendation? Paul is saying that the Corinthians themselves are living letters of recommendation. And the credentials are not in Paul's work. No, the greatest credentials come through the work of God in Christ, through his Spirit, who has transformed them. Look again at what he says in verse 3. “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God...” You see, Paul and Titus and Timothy… and the others who were ministering to the Corinthians were the true ministers of God. And it was not because of anything that Paul or Titus or Timothy were doing in and of themselves. They were being faithful to ministry God's Word. The true testimony of their ministry was that the Spirit of God was working in them and through them. The Corinthian's hearts had been transformed. The Corinthians were their letters of recommendation from Christ. These living letters were not written with ink but instead, the Spirit wrote God's truth and grace on their hearts. So, to summarize point 1. God is the one who commissioned Paul and the others. God is therefore the one through whom they find their sufficiency. It is God's work. And the proof is found as God ministers through his Spirit. As we minister to one another, it is not our work. Rather it is the Holy Spirit's work. He transforms us and we then become living letters of recommendation 2. Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord (God's new covenant promise with us) Ok, Number 2 – main point number 2. Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord. Let me put 1 and 2 together. We are living letters written by the Spirit of the living Lord. I've essentially already said that. That's because these two points overlap. You see, the reason that Paul can stake his credentials on God's work through his Spirit is simple. It's how God works. In other words, if the way God works is through his Spirit and not the law, then that reality ought to be reflected in Paul's ministry. Before we get into the details, briefly look at verse 6. Paul states that God made them sufficient “to be ministers of a new covenant.” If they are ministers of a new covenant, then of course, their ministry will reflect that new covenant. There are a couple things to unpack here. But the first thing I want you to notice is that Paul takes his analogy of a letter, and he extends it to speak of the law. He had just used the example of a letter of recommendation, which would be written in ink. But then he applies the analogy to the letter of the law. You can see that at the end of verse 3. The Holy Spirit is writing and it says this: “not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” What were the tablets of stone? The law. The 10 commandments. God engraved the 10 commandments on two tablets of stone. So, in other words, at the heart of the distinction between letters written with ink and letters written on hearts, is the difference between the law and the Spirit. The law (meaning God's law) does not and cannot change hearts. It can merely reveal someone's heart. In fact, the law often does the opposite. It often hardens hearts. In his own life, before coming to faith in Christ, the apostle Paul exemplified this. You see, before God changed Paul's heart, everything was about the law. Paul was a pharisee. Pharisees even made laws on top of laws to help keep the law. And none of it worked. That is because, the law cannot change hearts. I've used the analogy of a mirror before. But I think it's very helpful, so I want to share it again. God's moral law, in one sense, is like a mirror. Kids, let's say you were outside playing. It had just rained like last night, and so you got pretty dirty. When you came inside, your mom told you to get cleaned up. So, you went in the bathroom. You looked in the mirror. And you noticed that you were pretty dirty. What would happen if you tried to clean your face by rubbing it on the mirror? Well it's not going to work. In fact, it's just going to make a mess. Why? Because the mirror cannot clean you. It can only show you that you are dirty. Rather, what you need is soap and water. In a similar way, God's law cannot cleanse you. Rather, you need the cleansing work of Christ which God applies to you through the Holy Spirit. That is what the end of verse 6 means. Paul mentions they are ministers of a new covenant, and then says, “not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” The letter kills. He's talking about the letter of the law. If you are trying to justify yourself by keeping the letter of the law, you will fall short. It cannot save you. I want to make something clear. Paul is not saying that the law is evil! He's not saying that the law is bad and the Spirit is good. No. God's law is good. It's perfect. It' right and true. It reveals the very nature of God in his holiness and goodness. It points us to Christ in the sense that is shows us our need for him just like a mirror. And furthermore, once we know Christ and trust in him, God's law directs us how to honor him in our lives. It's not bad versus good. Rather, death is what happens if we are seeking to be justified by the law. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life. I think Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 36 is helpful as we consider this. We read it earlier the service. God said through Ezekiel. “I will give you a new heart…. I will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues.” What a powerful image. Your heart and my heart are like stone. We were all spiritually dead. And the only way we can come alive is if God, through his Spirit, bring us to new life by giving us a new heart. Do you see how this ties to Paul's credentials? Paul's ministry was not to tell people that if they kept the law, they would be saved. No, Paul's ministry was quite the opposite. His ministry was to show them that they could not fulfill the law. Instead, they needed a new heart. They needed faith in the one who could keep the law for them. Faith in Christ. In verse 6, Paul calls this ministry the ministry of the “new covenant.” Implied, of course, is that there is also an old covenant. Let me say, the rest of chapter 3 compares these two covenants. Both are connected and they both are about God's promises to his people… and how he fulfills them. Just to give you a brief summary, central to the old covenant was the ministry of the law. The old covenant revealed sin and it pointed forward to Christ in different ways. The new covenant is the fulfillment of what was promised in the old. Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed the law and fulfilled all the promises in the old. The new covenant is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, because he applies the ministry of Christ to us by faith. There's a lot there and we'll work through it next week. But I wanted to at least give you an introduction since Paul mentionmed the new covenant. Well, let's end by going back to the opening question. Who is sufficient for these things?  Paul's sufficiency as a minister comes from God alone. It is God's work, through his Spirit, in the lives of the Corinthians. That is why they are living letters of recommendation. And why is this important? Because if God's purposes are fulfilled through the work of God's Spirit, then Paul's ministry absolutely needs to reflect God's purposes. In a similar way, our ministry to one another should reflect the work of God's Spirit in Christ. We should not be hammers trying to chisel God's moral law onto each other. Rather, we should be conduits of God's grace. We should be ministering the grace of God in Christ to one another. As we see sin in each other, yes, we should go to our brothers and sisters. That is part of our ministry to one another.  We should direct each other to pursue God and his commands because of what Jesus has done for us. We do that knowing that God transforms our hearts through his Spirit. He is the one who applies the work of God in Christ to each of us. Because the letter kills, but Spirit gives life. May we each be living letters of recommendation for one another… as we see the Spirit of the Living God at work in each of us. Amen

In de dagelijkse podcast van FC Afkicken bespreken Bart Obbink, Neal Petersen en Jean-Paul Rison onder meer de nederlaag van PSV in Turijn tegen Juventus, de eerste wedstrijd van Feyenoord onder Pascal Bosschaart tegen AC Milan in de Champions League, de overige Champions League-wedstrijden en het veld bij Union St. Gilloise - Ajax!(0:00) Intro(1:42) PSV doet het zichzelf aan tegen Juve(13:20) Spektakelstuk City - Real!(16:25) Dembélé blijft op dreef voor PSG(20:25) Bosschaart neemt het roer over bij Feyenoord(33:40) Union - Ajax in gevaar?Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In deze ZSM bespreken clubwatcher Marco Timmer en Kalum van Oudheusden de wesdtrijd Juventus - PSV en gaan in op het harde oordeel van Marco van Basten over Joey Veerman.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veerman? Mühren? Of Veerman en Mühren? Dat is misschien wel de grootste vraag voor de Scorito-Speler. En wat doe je als de grote Kees Kwakman Bilal Ould-Chikh weer gaat afraden? En bespaar je op de verdedigers of gaat daar ook een deel van je budget heen? Het zijn een hoop lastige dilemma's en daarom is deze podcast een must-listen. Dit is dé grote voorbeschouwing op de KKD met KKD-goeroe Kees Kwakman.

PSV speelde een geweldige eerste helft tegen Rode Ster Belgrado, maar door de rode kaart van Ryan Flamingo werd het nog even spannend. Clubwatcher Marco Timmer blikt terug op een hete avond in het koude Belgrado.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Delivered by God, Sustained by Prayer Please remain standing for the reading of our sermon text – 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. That is on page 1145 in the pew Bibles These verses continue the theme from last week. The apostle Paul was expressing the comfort of God to the Corinthians. He wanted them to be comforted by the comfort of Christ in their suffering and also share that comfort. These verses, 8-11, continue that theme. Paul now gives them an example - a life threating affliction that he experienced. Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. Prayer There is strong evidence that most of the apostles were killed for their faith… for their gospel ministry. We call that being martyred. For example, James, the brother of the apostle John, was executed by king Agrippa. We know that for sure from the book of Acts chapter 12. That is the only one recorded in the Bible, but we have other historical testimonies from the early church fathers. They wrote about how Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. How Thomas was killed in India. How Andrew was crucified in Greece on an X shaped cross. And how Paul was beheaded under the persecution of Nero. Other accounts exist as well. And while we can't absolutely verify the details, the evidence supports those accounts. Some of you will know this, but before the apostle Paul's radical conversion, he was the one persecuting and even killing Christians. Yet God transformed his life. He was confronted by Jesus himself on the road to Damascus. Even though he was temporarily blinded, God opened the eyes of his heart, he could now see the truth clearly. Instead of being a persecutor he became one of the persecuted. In fact, at the time of his conversion, God revealed to Paul, what he must suffer. God told a man named Annanias to find Paul. Annanias was hesitant because he knew Paul's history. But listen to these words spoken by the Lord to Annanias.  “Go, for he [that is, Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” And suffer, Paul would. In the book of Acts we have account after account of Paul's imprisonments, beatings, and other persecution. And we don't even know the half of it! Later in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, Paul lists many more than we have recorded elsewhere. Five times he received what was known as 40 lashes minus 1. That is whips on his back. Three times he was beaten with rods. One time he was stoned. He had been left for dead. You see, Paul and the other apostles endured intense persecution because of their Gospel ministry. And eventually would be martyred, I'm telling you all this because when we read 2 Corinthians, it's important to understand and apply this book correctly. And we can do that on three levels. ·       First and foremost, Paul is defending his apostleship. The apostle's ministry was patterned after Christ's ministry of persecution unto death. The affliction and martyrdom that Paul and the others endured testified to God's special call for them. So, the first layer of application is to affirm their apostleship and this word from God and to therefore reject false teachers and false apostles. ·       Second, the call to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth still applies today. And while there are no more apostles, capital A, yet God still calls many to bring the love of God in Christ to places that have never received the good news of Jesus Christ. And it is a sacrifice. There are those, today, who give their lives for that great cause. Martyrs, who in their frontier mission work, testify in their life and death to the risen Christ and hope in him. That is the second level of application. Those being persecuted for their faith receive a special comfort from these verses. You with me, so far? The first level application, again, is the apostle's persecution and affliction which testifies to their apostleship. The second level of application is in the affliction and comfort of those who are afflicted because of their faith. Now, some people draw the line there. They say that those are the only two levels of application here. In other words, they say we should not extend the application to the other kind of suffering… like sickness, hardships, emotional or relational pain, or grief. But I disagree with that. ·       I want to make the case (like many others have)  for a third layer of application in 2 Corinthians. If you have your Bible open to 2 Corinthians 1, look at verse 3 from last week. God is to be worshiped because he is the God of “all” comfort. That is pretty broad... “all.” And if you look at verse 4, the word “all” is used again. Then Paul says that they want to comfort others who are in “any” affliction. Again, it's a very broad application of comfort in affliction… “any.” Here's what I am saying… the giving and receiving of comfort in suffering also applies beyond those in dangerous missions work. I mentioned last week that we are not talking about worldly comfort, but rather the comfort of assurance and peace and being encouraged and strengthened in Christ to endure. As the theme of suffering and comfort comes back around over and over, we'll apply it on those three levels. I wanted to say that up-front because it relates to today's verses… Ok, before we get into verses 8-11, I want to share one more thing. Amy told me this after last week's sermon. The verses from last week are very meaningful to her family. 30 years ago, Amy's brother died in a small plane accident. He was 23 years old at the time. A dear friend of the family shared these verses of comfort with Amy's dad. That friend who shared those verses had himself been comforted by those very words. Years earlier his daughter had died in an accident. He was sharing with Amy's family the comfort of Christ with which he himself had been comforted in his suffering. It's a beautiful picture of sharing Gospel comfort with one another. Now look at verse 8. It begins with the word “for.” It's a connecting word. “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.” The apostle Paul directly connects this new paragraph to what he has just written to them. He is saying, let me now give you an example of our affliction through which you can be comforted. The big question, of course, is what exactly happened in Asia? That would be helpful information. And the answer is, we don't know exactly. However, I do want to give you a couple of possibilities. Look at how Paul describes the event in the second half of verse 8. “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” It was very difficult. Verse 9 makes the event even more intense. “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.” Whatever the situation they found themselves in, they thought they were going to die. Earlier in the service, we read from Acts 19. One possibility is that Paul was referring to the riots in Ephesus. Ephesus was, after all, the capital of Asia at that time - Asia minor. You see, in Ephesus, Christianity had been spreading and transforming it in a good way. But it was bad for business. What I mean is that the church had been preaching against idols and idolatry. Well, that meant that all the merchants who were selling little “g” god idols were losing money. And so, Demetrius, the silversmith stirred up a riot. As you know, when a crowd gets stirred up, it can easily turn into an angry mob. When that happens, people lose any sense of peace or moderation… if they even had any to start with. Well, this mob in Ephesus dragged off two of the believers, Gaius and Aristarchus. They were, in fact, two of Paul's travelling companions. It's amazing that these men and others were not killed. God delivered them… he used the Roman authority to calm the crown down. You can see, it is possible that Paul was referring to this event – After all, they thought they had received the sentence of death, broadly speaking. The only thing is that Paul was not in the midst of it. He was not at the theater where the riot occurred. The other believers wouldn't let him go out of fear for his life. So, we do not know for sure if this was the event. Another possibility is in 1 Corinthians 15. There Paul mentioned that they fought with “wild beasts” in Ephesus. Those were the words he used. Now, to be sure, he was not talking about literal beasts, but rather men so evil it's as if they were wild beasts. So, there was a second event where they had been attacked. They could have felt the same sentence of death that he describes. Maybe it was some other event. We ultimately don't know. But whatever it was, Paul and the other with him were overwhelmed. They feared for their life, and despaired of what was going to happen. Paul described what they felt as “burdened beyond our strength.” Let me ask, have you been there? Have you experienced something so intense and so difficult that you could not see any path out of the burden? That is what they experienced. In the garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified, Jesus prayed, “Father, take this cup from me… yet not my will but yours be done.” I think it is safe to presume that Paul and those with him prayed a similar prayer. And what happened? God delivered them. So, while we don't know exactly what happened, we certainly know how it affected them and we know that God delivered them. And furthermore, we know two more things. ·       We know what God taught them. ·       And we also know how the church was to help them. So, let's turn our attention to those two things. Again, what did they learn and how can the church help. 1. What they Learned Number 1: what did they learn in their suffering? You know what? We don't have to guess. No, actually, Paul tells us right there in verse 9 – the second half. “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” In the middle of our affliction, suffering, trials, God desires that we rely on him. And I want you to notice something very important here - the order of what happened. Paul first says that they learned to rely on God and not themselves… THEN in verse 10 he says that God delivered them. That's important. It was not after God delivered them that he taught them to rely on him. No, it was in the middle of feeling the sentence of death. That is when they learned to rely on him. That's hard to do, isn't it. Because in the moment, we often feel so overwhelmed. Yet it is in that very moment that we need to rely on God the most. And why we can rely on him and trust in him in those very moments? Well, it is for this reason: God raises the dead. That is what he did. God raised Jesus Christ from the grave. And that is what he will do. He will raise the dead. At the very height of the intense burden… feeling the sentence of death, what did God teach them? He taught them to not rely on their own strength but to turn their hearts to the one who raises the dead. It is the greatest promise that we can rely on in our affliction. Some of you may recognize the name Donald Barnhouse. He pastored 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia back in the mid 20th century. Sadly, when his children were young, his wife passed away. As you can imagine, he struggled to have the words to comfort his children. Well, on the way to the funeral, one of his children asked, “Daddy, why did mommy have to die?” At that moment, God gave him words of comfort for his children. You see, right then, a large truck drove past them and cast its shadow over them. And he asked his children, “would you rather be run over by the truck or by its shadow? His youngest child responded first, “the shadow. It couldn't hurt anybody.” Barnhouse replied “Remember, children, Jesus let the truck of death strike him, so that it could never destroy us. Mother lives with Jesus now—only the shadow of death passed over her.” She lives. He was telling his kids… death is not the end. And while we grieve, we grieve knowing that God raises the dead. We each will experience the death of our bodies, yet we have that sure hope in our resurrection because of his. Those in Christ will be raised with him forever Let's go back to the apostle Paul and those with him. God did deliver them in that moment. God still had more work for them to accomplish in this life. More suffering to endure. More people to share the hope of Christ. More letters to write, like this one. More churches to plant. God delivered them. I want you to notice something in verse 10. The word deliver is used three times. The first use is past tense. “[God] delivered us from such a deadly peril.” Then twice, future tense. “God will deliver us.” That future deliverance involved first, hoping and praying that the Lord would deliver them again in their earthly circumstances. But second, the future deliverance meant that whatever happened, God would deliver them forever. Death in this life will only be a shadow because God raises the dead. Paul and those with him learned to rely on God who will deliver them. They “set their hope” on it (that is the phrase used)…. They “set their hope” that God would deliver them from the next sentence of death in this life. But they knew that their ultimate deliverance would be beyond the grave. And as I mentioned, at God's appointed time, Paul suffered a martyrs death. But he lives. Lets bring this together… what was God teaching them? He was teaching them… to rely on him. His strength, his purposes, his means, and not on themselves. God reminded them that he raises the dead. That is the most profound truth for those in Christ… especially in our suffering and affliction. God will deliver you. We pray for and set our hope on deliverance in this life from whatever affliction we are enduring… but ultimately, we rest on Christ and his eternal promise. We will be delivered because God raises the dead. 2. How they should help OK, that brings us to the other thing we learn in these verses. We learn the primary thing the church can and should do for those suffering. And that is, pray! Now, there are a lot of things that we can do to support one another as we go through affliction. Last week, we learned we can share the comfort of Christ with each other. Obviously, Paul had that in mind – he had just written that. And of course, we can come alongside each other in several other tangible ways. But the most important thing that we can do for anyone in any trial or affliction is pray. Pray with them and for them. Now, remember, Paul was not there with the church in Corinth. That is why he wrote to them. So, the church in Corinth could not help him and support him in the middle of this affliction. But they could pray. Look at verse 11. “You also must help us by prayer.” That is pretty strong. Paul petitioned them to pray. They needed prayers from the church in Corinth. As we think about how that applies to us today. Number one, we need to be praying for those on the front lines of mission work around the world. We do that. We know and support several that are on those front lines of Gospel ministry. And we need to continue that and maybe increase our prayers. Praying for their ministry… praying for protection… praying for them to rely on God who raises the dead. Praying that through their ministry, that God would change hearts and minds and increase his kingdom. All those things. We also need to be praying for the persecuted church. Last week, Open Doors published their annual report of persecution. They are a ministry which focuses on information and prayer for the persecuted church. They estimate that last year 380 million Christians across the world faced persecution… and about 4,500 Christians were killed for their faith. We need to pray. God will work through our prayers to bring deliverance or endurance just as he did for Paul. Let me ask this: What does Paul assume by telling them they must pray? Well, he believes prayer is powerful and effective. God hears our prayers. Look how he describes the importance of prayer in verse 11. He says, “many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” You see that? The Apostles will be blessed because of the prayers of the church. Our prayers will build up those in Gospel ministry. Though our prayers, God will give them confidence and reliance on him. So, we need to press on in our prayers for those experiencing persecution. Let's take this down to that third layer of application. We need to pray for those in any kind of suffering…. Like what I mentioned earlier: sickness, hardships, emotional pain, or grief. To say it again, there are other ways we can and should support one another. But the most important is prayer. And we absolutely can pray for deliverance. If it's sickness, we can and should pray for healing. God heals. If it's emotional or spiritual, we can pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede. If it's relational we can pray for reconciliation. We can pray boldly for comfort and peace, and healing. The same confidence that the apostle Paul had in prayer should be the same confidence that we have in prayer. May we pray for these things. Conclusion So, God raises the dead. If your only hope in life and death is in the Lord Jesus Christ, then this great promise is one you can rely on in your affliction. God will ultimately deliver you forever. But God also can deliver you from affliction in this life. We trust in his providence, but we pray and hope that God will intercede. We boldly pray, knowing that our prayers for one another are powerful and effective. In our suffering, may God direct us to rely on him and the power of his resurrection. And may we pray for one another and especially those enduring affliction because of their faith in Christ.  

De transfermarkt moest even op gang komen, maar draait nu op volle toeren! Vooral bij Ajax barst het los: gaat Devyne Rensch vertrekken? En zo ja, wie halen de Amsterdammers voor hem in de plaats? Feyenoord heeft te maken met Duitse interesse, terwijl PSV volgens bronnen een spits op het oog heeft.Ook buiten de traditionele top-drie is er voldoende om over te praten. Is Sem Steijn bezig aan zijn laatste halfjaar bij FC Twente? En wat is voor hem de ideale vervolgstap? Je hoort het in #DoneDeal, checken dus!Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 The Comfort of Christ in Our Affliction Please remain standing for the reading of our sermon text. We are continuing in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. This morning, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. That is on page 1145 in the provided pew Bibles. As a reminder, last week, Paul emphasized his apostleship. He was writing to them, to the church of God in Corinth, as an apostle of God. Paul had been appointed by God in this special role. The reason he emphasized that point is because some in Corinth had been questioning Paul's legitimacy. As we read, we are reading the Word of God given to us through the apostle of God. As you hear this Word, know that it is the very Word of God. Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Prayer Why has God allowed this suffering in my life or my loved one? What are his purposes in it? Does my trial mean that God is displeased with me? Will it ever end? Every one of us, in some way or to some extent, struggles through these questions. And we generally struggle through them on two levels. On the one hand, the intellectual questions... Why does God allow suffering and affliction? What do the Scriptures teach about it? And then on the other hand are the questions of the heart. Why am I or why is someone I love enduring this? God, where are you? Questions of the mind and questions of the heart. In 1940, well-known British author and Christian philosopher, CS Lewis, wrote the book, the Problem of Pain. It's a philosophical analysis of why a loving and omnipotent God allows pain and suffering – questions of the mind. Lewis seeks to answer by working through questions of God's nature, his justice, the fallen state of the world, heaven and hell, and the purposes of pain. But 20 years later, in 1961, Lewis wrote a very very different book on suffering. A Grief Observed. You see, in 1957 Lewis married Joy Davidman. They had developed a deep friendship with one another over the years through letters and visits. Joy was from the States. Eventually that friendship turned into a deep love for one another. But Joy developed breast cancer and it metastasized into her bones. Nonetheless, they loved one another, so they had a small wedding ceremony in a hospital room in Oxford, England. Joy lived for three more years. They endured the ups and downs of her cancer. They grieved and cried together. Lewis significantly reduced his writing and speaking engagements to be by her side. Joy passed away in the summer of 1960 at the age of 45.   In the months after her death, Lewis wrote A Grief Observed. In it he shared his sorrows, his confusion, and doubts. He wrote about the struggles of maintaining his faith in God through it. But he shared how he came to find deep meaning and healing in the grief and sorrow and suffering. Through it, he experienced the love of God in Christ in a way he had never before. In short, Lewis experienced in his heart what his mind knew. What we find in 2 Corinthians is that very thing. It was one of the apostle Paul's goals in writing to the church. He wanted them to understand the intellectual side of affliction and suffering, but also for them to apply it to their hearts. Let me explain. You see, the theme of suffering and comfort runs throughout 2 Corinthians. It's not the only theme, but the apostle Paul comes back to it many times and in different ways. And the reason Paul addressed affliction and suffering over and over was to correct them - to first, correct their thinking. I mentioned last week that there was a group trying to infiltrate the church. Paul called them “super-apostles.” And one of the ways that they were attempting to sway the church, was by undermining Paul. Do you know what their main critique of Paul was? It was the suffering that he was going through. They were saying something like, “Hey, church in Corinth, look at that guy, Paul. You know, the one who calls himself an apostle. Look at all the suffering that he has and is going through. He's been persecuted. He has this physical ailment and God hasn't healed him. His speaking ability is weak. He's suffered many things. You see, there is no way that this guy Paul is a true apostle. No, God would not allow someone with such an important role to go through all of that.” That's what they were saying. We're going to get into those details in chapters 10-12. But it's important to understand why Paul writes these opening words here. He wants them to understand clearly that suffering and affliction are part of the Christian life. But that's not the only thing. In fact, there's something greater that Paul explains. You see, in the Christian life, God gives comfort and joy and hope in our trials and afflictions. Let me put it this way. A big part of Paul's letter teaches us a foundational theology of suffering. It's a theology that we can understand in our minds and apply in our hearts. And when we do, not only will we understand the problem of pain, to use CS Lewis's language, but in the grief and suffering that we observe and experience, God will overwhelm us with his comfort… the comfort of his grace in whatever we go through. As we go through 2 Corinthians, it will be critical for each of us, you and me, to re-evaluate our theology of suffering. Because in the trials you are experiencing or will experience, your understanding of suffering will greatly affect your heart response to suffering. It's that important. We see that right here in these opening words. So let's consider them. And to start with, I have a theory about these 5 verses. I don't know how to prove it. But I think that these 5 verses may have the most intense use of word repetition in the whole Bible. ·       That word “comfort” is used 10 times in the 5 verses. I'm including the verbs and the nouns, by the way. ·       The word “affliction” and “suffering” are used seven times, total between them. ·       The words “share” 4 times. That is a lot packed into just 5 verses. Maybe Psalm 150 rivals it. The word “praise” in Psalm 150 is used 13 times in just 6 verses. But still, in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, multiple words are repeated – comfort, suffering, affliction, and share. It is intense – intensely comforting. Before we get into Paul's message, let me first define the word “comfort.”  Because we may be tempted to think about our current use of the word. When we think about comfort today, it is most often about how we feel in our senses. We say, “are you comfortable?” ...meaning are we at ease. “Are those chairs comfortable to sit on?” In healthcare... comfort is how well our pain is medicated. Now, there's nothing wrong with those uses. But the word “comfort” here is spiritual and relational. It's about being encouraged and consoled in the midst of a trial. In other words, it's not about removing the affliction or being physically comfortable in it. Rather it is being strengthened in your soul while enduring the suffering, whatever trial it is. Ok, with all of that said… (1) the false teaching being addressed, (2) the mind and heart application, and (3) the repetition and the word comfort, let's now get into the message. Let's look at three things this morning. 1. Worship the God who comforts. 2. Know the comfort of God in Christ. 3. Share the comfort of God with others. Let me say it again if you are taking notes… (repeat) 1. Worship the God who comforts So first, worship! Look at verse 3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” In the very opening words (in the body of this letter), Paul emphasizes God as the God of comfort. God of ALL comfort. And these words direct our praise to him. The very first thing that Paul wants the church in Corinth to do… is to worship and acknowledge God as the God of comfort. And when it says that God is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction” it is saying that God brings hope and resolve in suffering. He is present with us in our suffering. Back to the definition of comfort. God consoles us. He ministers to us. He strengthens us to endure. Furthermore, gives us assurances that his promises are eternal. In all of that, God provides a measure of peace in unsettled times and in pain. Comforting his people is part of his nature. He is the God of all comfort. God is not some detached supernatural being that cares not about the suffering of his people. No, he loves us and ministers to us in our suffering. So, in our suffering, we're to direct our attention to him in worship … because he is the God of all comfort who comforts us in those ways. In fact, let me add this point. Worshipping God is one of the ways through which God ministers to us in our suffering. When we praise him for all the ways that he cares for and loves us and gives us hope, he increases our comfort. Through it, he strengthens us to endure the trials and suffering in this life. Now, when I say “worship” I am talking about both what we are doing here in our worship service, and in all of life when we direct our attention to God. So, worship the God of all comfort. 2. Know the comfort of God in Christ. #2 – know the comfort of Christ. Let's go back to the so-called super apostles one more time. They claimed that Paul's suffering disqualified him for apostleship. They are very much like today's health-wealth preachers. If you are not familiar with that term, it's referring to pastors who say “that suffering is not God's will for you.” One thing they believe is that sickness or affliction indicates that you do not have enough faith. There are a lot of problems with that. The main problem is that it's not the pattern of Jesus' own life and ministry. Verse 5 speaks of the suffering that we share in Christ. Suffering is a part of the Christian life. And it was especially so for the true apostles. They endured much affliction and persecution because of their ministry. But through their suffering, they brought the comfort of Christ and his salvation to them. You see, Paul is saying the opposite. He's saying something like this “The reason that I am suffering is because I am sharing in the ministry of Christ. It is actually for your comfort and salvation. My affliction does not disqualify me. No, actually, my suffering is instead a qualification of my apostleship.” Part of Paul's message here is a defense of his ministry. But he also wants them to know the amazing comfort of Christ in their own affliction. Now, there are lots of ways through which God comforts us in suffering. But the main way is through the comfort we have in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 5, “For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” The greatest comfort that we can receive in our affliction comes from sharing the comfort of Christ. It says we “abundantly share” in Christ sufferings and comfort. I think that's hard to get our minds around. Afterall, Jesus lived 2000 years ago. How do we share in his sufferings and comfort? It happens this way… when God calls believers to him and gives them faith in Christ, he unites them to him. So, if you believe in the saving grace of God, he does this amazing thing. You are ingrafted into Christ… Jesus describes it like a vine being grafted into his root… like a branch grafted into a healthy tree. Jesus said that when we abide in him, he will abide in us. That is what Paul is referring to when he says we share abundantly in Christ. He is ours and we are his. The afflictions that he endured, he endured for us… and through those afflictions, we receive the abundance of his comfort. We have a Savior who endured the suffering and miseries of this life. He shed tears of sadness and was grieved at Jerusalem's lack of belief. He was tempted in the desert. He was insulted and persecuted. He endured the shame of the cross where he suffered unto death. And in our union with him, he ministers to us through what he endured… and he is therefore able to comfort us through his victory over the persecution and suffering and death. I like how one commentary I read put it: “The key experiences of Christ, especially his suffering, death, and resurrection, are the pattern by which Christians can understand their own suffering and final triumph.” Because we share in his suffering, we share in his great comfort. It's not emphasized here, but part of that comfort comes through knowing that Jesus sympathizes in our weakness and our suffering. You see, because we are united to him by faith, he is present in us. He is with us in our trials. He can therefore can minister his comfort to us. I like to refer to it as Gospel comfort. Sometimes you'll hear me use that phrase “gospel comfort” when I pray. We have the Gospel comfort of Christ through what he endured and accomplished for us. I'm talking about all those things I mentioned earlier. Strength to endure, hope and resolve. Consolation and peace. Heart encouragement. We share all those comforting things through him. Now, there is more to say about this, especially as we consider Jesus' resurrection. We'll get to that next week. All experience affliction and suffering. But we worship a God who comforts us in our affliction. And he does that through Christ. 3. Share the Comfort of God So, #1, Worship the God who comforts. #2. Know the comfort of God in Christ. And number 3, share the comfort of God. One of God's purposes in your suffering, is so that you can comfort others by the comfort you've been given in in Christ. That is actually the main emphasis in these 5 verses. It's woven throughout. In verse 3, right after it says that God comforts us in all our affliction… Paul writes this, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” And then again in verses 6 and 7, Paul goes right back to comforting others with the comfort that we are given. Verses 6 and 7 are like an example. Notice he says, “if we.” “if we are afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation.” He's talking about himself and Timothy. If they are afflicted, God will use it to comfort the Corinthian church. Verse 7 reinforces that. Next week when we get to verses 8-11, he is going to give a real example – their persecution in Asia. Here is the point for them and for us. We are called to comfort one another. You and I are to both give and receive the comfort of God. That means relaying the comfort we receive in our affliction. That means directing one another to worship the God of all comfort. It means sharing the comfort of God in Christ. It means blessings each other with the promises of God in his Word. It means being with one another in our suffering… and caring for one another through trials. It means praying with and for each other through those difficult times. Beloved in Christ, look around you in this room. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. In the pain and suffering that we each share... we also need to share the comfort of God. You see, one way that God ministers this grace to his people is through his people. Now, two things come to mind that are necessary: ·       First, in order to minister God's comfort to one another, we need to intentionally grow in our relationships with one another. I'm very encouraged by how that is happening here in different ways. But we should continue to strive towards that.   ·       Second, we need to know when we are each suffering. Someone can't share the comfort of Christ with you without knowing the suffering that you are enduring. You know, sometimes we bottle things up. We don't want people to know. I get it. To be sure, I'm not saying that everyone needs to know your trials and pain, but I encourage you to reach out to someone. Or reach out to me so that I can connect you with others here who can come alongside of you… and comfort you in Christ. In order for us to minister this Gospel comfort to one another, we need to share our burdens with one another. In summary, part of the comfort we receive in our suffering comes through sharing the comfort we have in Christ. Conclusion So, worship the God who comforts. Know the comfort of God in Christ and share the comfort of God. If you know the grace of God in Christ. If you have faith in the living Lord... then today, in the midst of the burdens you bear, as you feel the pains of this world weighing on you... be reminded in your mind and heart that God is the God of all comfort. Worship him. Be strengthened and nourished and assured of all that Christ has done for you. Know of the comfort that he gives because you share in his affliction and his comfort. And may we comfort one another in that great eternal comfort. If you are suffering today but you do not know the great comfort of Christ... come to him with your burdens. Lay your life and your suffering before him and come and worship him… for God is merciful as it says in verse 3. He will give you that everlasting comfort, the only true comfort in this life.

De eerste van het nieuwe jaar! In het eerste voetbalweekend van 2025 werden we direct weer op ons wenken bediend met de stunt van FC Utrecht in De Kuip en een dapper AZ dat het koploper PSV moeilijk maakte. In deze aflevering van Het Sportpaleis bespreken we het uitgebreid na, met speciale aandacht voor de rentree van Sébastien Haller, het keeperswerk van Justin Bijlow en de wissels van PSV-trainer Peter Bosz. Ook top of tobben is weer terug, maar van onze goede voornemens wordt al snel afscheid genomen.

Tja. Waar ligt het nou aan? Is het niveau te hoog? Is het een off day? Ben je niet gewoon veel beter dan Brest? We lopen alle opties af. Verder uiteraard over Twente, Veerman, Schouten en Heerenveen. 

Nuevo episodio de la Bola Provisional de Ten Golf con David Durán y Alejandro Rodríguez. Analizamos la exhibición de Scottie Scheffler en el Hero World Challenge de Bahamas. El torneo de Tiger Woods. Sobre rendimiento, dato del putter, su nuevo grip, las expectativas... ¿Alguien se llevaría las manos a la cabeza si Scheffler ganara el año que viene los cuatro Grandes? Repasamos el Nedbank Golf Challenge, la actuación de Veerman, la excepcional pegada de Potgieter, el rendimiento de Jorge Campillo y Pablo Larrazábal, la Final de la Escuela del LPGA Tour, la marcha de Greg Norman y mucho más... Ah,sí, y Romeo Lavia...

Nuevo episodio de la Bola Provisional de Ten Golf con David Durán y Alejandro Rodríguez. Analizamos la exhibición de Scottie Scheffler en el Hero World Challenge de Bahamas. El torneo de Tiger Woods. Sobre rendimiento, dato del putter, su nuevo grip, las expectativas... ¿Alguien se llevaría las manos a la cabeza si Scheffler ganara el año que viene los cuatro Grandes? Repasamos el Nedbank Golf Challenge, la actuación de Veerman, la excepcional pegada de Potgieter, el rendimiento de Jorge Campillo y Pablo Larrazábal, la Final de la Escuela del LPGA Tour, la marcha de Greg Norman y mucho más... Ah,sí, y Romeo Lavia...

Elizar Veerman begon als tiener met het portretteren van zijn vrienden op straat, en ontdekte al snel dat fotografie een goed medium is om meer zichtbaarheid te creëren voor de Molukse gemeenschap en cultuur. Na zijn portretten van meerdere generaties Molukkers in Nederland, richt hij zich op het vastleggen van jonge mannen die leven in de periferieën van grote Europese steden, zoals Amsterdam of Marseille. Op een warme en soms dromerige manier vangt hij in analoge foto's hoe ze zich via hun bewegingen, kleding en voertuigen profileren en zich hun omgeving eigen maken.

Prijswinnende Noorse roman over het leven, de grote liefde en de dood van een gewone veerman in de fjorden. Uitgegeven door Atlas Contact Spreker: Jeroen Tjepkema

Feyenoord slaat weer toe in een uitwedstrijd. Uit geslagen positie kwam de ploeg van Brian Priske terug tot 3-3 in de slotfase van het duel. Over dat bijzondere slot praten Etienne Verhoeff en Leon ten Voorde in de AD Voetbalpodcast. Verder bespreken ze het killen van een wedstrijd, de zorgen in Parijs en verwarmde kleedkamers.   ‘Dit duel ga je de komende jaren niet meer vergeten', begint Ten Voorde zijn terugblik op de wedstrijd van Feyenoord. ‘Je speelt bij City, de beste ploeg van de wereld. 3-0 achter en er valt niets meer te halen tot twaalf minuten voor tijd. Geef het maar een benaming. Krankzinnig. Bizar. Wonder.' PSV moet vanavond opnemen tegen Shakhtar Donetsk. Bosz moet het nog altijd doen zonder Veerman en Schouten. ‘We gaan richting december en ze zijn nog niet fit. Je kunt je afvragen of je met Schouten en Veerman nu nog een risico moet nemen richting de winterstop. Er is geen urgentie in de Eredivisie bijvoorbeeld.'   Beluister de hele AD Voetbalpodcast nu via AD.nl, de AD App of jouw favoriete podcastplatform.Support the show: https://krant.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In de dagelijkse podcast van FC Afkicken bespreken Bart Obbink en Neal Petersen onder meer de zorgen bij Feyenoord na het verlies tegen Salzburg in de Champions League, de rest van de wedstrijden van gisteravond, Ajax, AZ en Twente die in de Europa League in actie komen en de contractverlenging van Joey Veerman bij PSV!(00:00) - Intro(01:41) - Feyenoord 1-3 Salzburg(09:27) - Op de andere CL-velden: PSG, Brest en Inter v Arsenal(15:31) - Ajax - Maccabi Tel Aviv(21:43) - AZ tegen Mourinholoos Fenerbahçe(28:45) - OGC Nice v FC Twente(34:10) - Veerman verlengt tot 2028 bij PSVIn de podcast verwijzen Bart en Neal naar:De felle discussies in Sparta naar Voren: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mB3vMFxRBWHBHJogGfcKH?si=e01916e865ce4733De rant van Mourinho: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mB3vMFxRBWHBHJogGfcKH?si=e01916e865ce4733De Short Daily over Wesley Sneijder's jaren bij Nice: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iJILvJp6BOfe6aAUwIGU8?si=f9885a36886b4005Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In deze aflevering van de voetbalpodcast Kick-off wordt uiteraard vooruitgeblikt op de twee toppers van dit weekend: Ajax-PSV en Feyenoord-AZ. De vraag is wat Farioli dit keer verzint om de tweede topper op rij in winst om te zetten. Wordt het Brobbey of Weghorst in de punt van de aanval? Bij PSV valt op dat de resultaten ook zonder Veerman en Schouten nog goed zijn. Dan Feyenoord: Priske heeft uiteindelijk toch ingegrepen en vervangt Wellenreuter na zijn matige optreden in de Klassieker. Uiteraard ook een blik op de Premier League in deze aflevering. Wat betekent het ontslag van Ten Hag voor de Nederlandse enclave? En: moet Van Dijk verlengen bij Liverpool?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

De overvolle speelkalender ligt vooral aan de eisen van de spelers. Dat stelt Karl Heinz Rummenigge. Heeft hij gelijk? PSV zonder Veerman. Een ouderwetse tuchtzaak in Zeist. Etienne Verhoeff en Mikos Gouka nemen het door en daarnaast bespreekt Lex Lammers de KKD speelronde. ‘Spelers willen allemaal exhorbitante salarissen dus moeten clubs zoeken naar nieuwe inkomsten', reageert Gouka op de woorden van Karl Heinz Rummenigge. ‘Er wordt ook steeds geroepen dat mensen geen interesse hebben in dat WK voor clubteams. Maar dat betwijfel ik.' Ondertussen was het donderdag een ouderwetse avond bij de tuchtcommissie. Bosz vs Makkelie. ‘Ik ben in het verleden ook vaak geweest in Zeist geweest voor dit soort zaken. Je hoort daar heel veel dingen. En je kon alles melden. Je mocht alleen geen foto's maken of dingen opnemen tijdens de tuchtzaak. Maar dat waren boeiende avonden.' Beluister de hele AD Voetbalpodcast nu via AD.nl, de AD App of jouw favoriete podcastplatform.  Support the show: https://krant.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hoe groot is het vertrouwen in Eindhoven na de zeperd tegen Juventus in de Champions League? Is Saibari als vervanger van Veerman een kans? En de naam van Ruud van Nistelrooij valt in Manchester. Etienne Verhoeff bespreekt het met Rik Elfrink in de AD Voetbalpodcast. ‘PSV snakt naar een internationaal aansprekend resultaat', zegt de clubwatcher in de podcast. ‘Als PSV kampioen wordt krijgt het seizoen een zeven. Dat is altijd goed, maar je wilt internationaal ook iets tastbaars.' Dat moet tegen Sporting gedaan worden zonder Joey Veerman. De middenvelder is geblesseerd. De logische vervanger is Ismael Saibari. ‘Saibari is wat completer. Meer de middenvelder met het totaalpakket. Alleen Veerman heeft die uitstekende passing. Ik denk dat PSV tegen Sporting ook gaat starten met Noa Lang. Daarmee heeft PSV wel meer kwaliteit in de ploeg in vergelijking met Juventus uit.' Verder vertelt Dennis van Bergen over het succes van FC Utrecht en gaat Patrick Woerst in op de lange ballen verdedigen. Beluister de hele AD Voetbalpodcast nu via AD.nl, de AD App of jouw favoriete podcastplatform.  Support the show: https://krant.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over Fortuna, CL-prijzen, Viktor Gyokeres en Willem II. Oh en over Joey Veerman. 

Er is deze week ontzettend veel gevoetbald, dus hebben de mannen veel te bespreken. Helaas is Thijs last-minute afgehaakt door een bier gerelateerd incident in München. Wilko loopt helemaal leeg over het tactische onbenul van Ajax coach Farioli. Tim zag positieve punten bij Feyenoord en Rob zag een foutloos PSV in de competitie en een futloze Veerman. Verder sluiten we af met een uitgebreide analyse van de zaak Ihattaren. Randje Buitenspel is een podcast waar vier comedians babbelen over voetbal. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Scheepers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thijs Kemperink⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tim Hartog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ en ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wilko Terwijn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zijn allemaal fan van een andere club en worden niet gehinderd door enige kennis of feiten. Het is klagen en lachen over voetbal en hun eigen cluppie.

Welcome to Episode 340 of Energetic Radio! Today, our hosts, Dale Sidebottom and Paul Campbell, chat with the remarkable Marcus Veerman, CEO of Playground Ideas and creator of the innovative Noodle Cart initiative. From coordinating volunteers to building playgrounds across the globe, Marcus has transformed educational and play environments for millions of children, emphasising creativity and community-driven solutions.In this episode, we explore Marcus's passion for experiential learning, the impact of volunteer dedication, and how his projects foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We also explore the challenges he faced building playgrounds in diverse settings, the innovative products he's developed, including the Noodle Pod and Rover, and how these tools are reshaping play and education. Plus, we'll discover fascinating insights into the teachability of creativity, Marcus's parenting philosophy, and the broader importance of fostering open, resilient, and creative minds.Stay tuned as we uncover how acts of community kindness, a neophilic love for new experiences, and the pursuit of playful learning environments can transform lives and rebuild our faith in humanity. This episode is filled with inspiring stories, practical advice, and a unique perspective on nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers. Don't miss out!http://www.nudelkart.com/

Today's episode is sponsored by TopShotBeta $BETA! "NBA Top Shots Rookie Debut Meme Coin" Join the Discord: https://t.co/UfdbfBF1L4 Follow on X: https://x.com/TopShotBETA View more: https://t.co/B4PmYeOvTQ *Not financial advice*

In de dagelijkse podcast van FC Afkicken bespreken Bruce Tol en Neal Petersen onder meer Feyenoord dat niet langs Sparta kwam en in de problemen zit, het avondje NAC van Noah Ohio, Groningen dat indruk maakt en Nottingham dat zich nogmaals meldt voor Santiago Giménez!Coach van het JaarJe kan je nog steeds inschrijven voor onze subleague in Coach van het Jaar!Wil je dit? Kijk dan op: https://www.coachvanhetjaar.nl/fca/?utm_source=fc_afkicken&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=fca_previewshow_2024_07_26In de podcast verwijzen Bruce en Neal naar:De Road to Adelaide van de Cor Potcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1PSHClx3yQV1A8iwn1SdX6?si=fde1fc8de8924beaZie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dataman Bart Frouws is terug van vakantie voor speelronde 2 van de Eredivisie! Joey Veerman kan dit weekend een mooi record pakken en de doelpuntenmachine van PSV draait weer op volle toeren. Verder heeft Frouws het met Sjoerd Keizer over FC Utrecht - SC Heerenveen en FC Groningen.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In deze vijfde aflevering van Morgen Verder gaan Joan Davidson en Chiara Staal op bezoek in Leiden bij psychotherapeute en psychoanalytica Akke Veerman. In het gesprek neemt Akke de luisteraar mee in de wereld van de kinderpsychoanalyse. Waar bij volwassenen de vrije associatie geldt als toegangsweg tot het onbewuste, is dit bij kinderen hun spel. Hoe ziet dit er in de spreekkamer uit? En hoe duidt een psychoanalyticus dit spel van het kind nou eigenlijk? Aan de hand van voorbeelden geeft Akke een levendige beschrijving van wat zich kan voordoen in een kinderanalyse en hoe dit het kind (en diens omgeving) vervolgens verder kan helpen.

De defensieve zorgen bij PSV met alle blessure een week voor de Johan Cruijff schaal. Als is het aanvallend wel weer sterk. De keeperskeuze bij Feyenoord. De enkel van Frenkie de Jong. Een nieuwe spits voor FC Twente. De spionage trainer en moet ook in Nederland de regel komen dat alleen de aanvoerder mag praten met de scheidsrechter? Etienne Verhoeff neemt het door met Johan Inan in de AD Voetbalpodcast. ‘Als je nu de verdedigende problemen bij PSV ziet met die blessures, dan is het goed dat PSV de internationals vrij vroeg heeft laten terugkeren. Eerder dan bijvoorbeeld Ajax', reageert Inan in de podcast.  ‘Volgende week spelen ze om de Johan Cruijff schaal tegen Feyenoord, maar Veerman en Schouten hebben nu al minuten in de benen. Bij Ajax beginnen Brobbey en Bergwijn pas komende week met trainen.' Bij Feyenoord moet Brian Priske binnenkort een keuze maken over zijn keeper. ‘Je moet spelers ook recht in de ogen aan kunnen kijken. Timon Wellenreuther heeft het goed gedaan vorig jaar. Die verdient wel een kans.' Beluister de hele AD Voetbalpodcast nu via AD.nl, de AD App of jouw favoriete podcastplatform.Support the show: https://krant.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 9. We will be focusing on verses 9-23 this morning. You can find that on page 1123. This summer, we are working through Romans 9-11. Last week, we started with the opening few verses of chapter 9. In it, the apostle Paul revealed his heart. Every fiber of his being desired to see his fellow Jews who do not be in Christ, come to know Jesus as the Messiah. He was willing to be accursed if God would open their hearts to know the promised Savior. We should have that same heart and desire. Paul also answered an important question. Since the vast majority of Israelites did not believe in Jesus, does that mean that God's Word and promises failed? The answer is no. Paul revealed that there has always been a distinction between the natural descendants of Abraham and the descendants of the promise. God's Word has therefore not failed. Ok, that brings us to these verses. He continues the argument and works through some important matters. For a little context, I'll start reading from verse 8. Reading of Romans 9:9-23 Prayer Is God sovereign or does man have free will? The answer is yes and yes. Sometimes we set those two statements in opposition. But the Scriptures teach both. Is God sovereign? Yes. Can we act according to our will? Yes. God has created us with the ability to think and reason. We are responsible for our actions. God has given all mankind common grace, as we call it, by which people can choose to do honorable and kind and generous things, or not. However, in our fallen state, that is, since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, there is one thing that no one can do. Noone is able, in his or her own will, to choose God and salvation. No, rather, the Bible is clear that we are dead in our sins. Spiritually dead. Only God can turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Only the Holy Spirit can awakens us. Only he can give us a new heart to see our sin and to grieve it. It is at that point that we are then able to turn to God in Christ and pursue holiness and righteousness in him through his Spirit. Are you following me on the distinction? So yes, God is Sovereign. Yes, man is responsible. And yes, we have free will. But our free will is limited by our nature. In our fallen nature, we are spiritually dead and cannot pursue God. In our redeemed nature, we are alive in Christ and able to pursue him and the things of God. I bring that up because in the middle of Romans 9 (these verses), Paul is speaking about salvation. Specifically, he is speaking about election. It's about those to whom God has determined to give his grace. In context, the apostle Paul is answering the question, why did God choose to give some Israelites his mercy and believe in Jesus and others he did not? Of course, the question applies to all people. He'll make that clear in the next section. And let me say this. This chapter is a beautiful chapter, but it is also a hard chapter. It's beautiful because it is about God and his mercy. And it's hard because it is about God and his mercy – specifically that he chooses who will receive his mercy. There are two things that I hope and pray that you will leave here with today. ·      First, a renewed sense of who God is - an understanding of who God is as your creator. ·      Second, I hope and pray that you will see the mercy of God in these verses. Yes, these verses speak of God hardening people's hearts, but the emphasis is God's mercy. With that in mind, let's begin by considering the historical examples. Last week, we touched upon Abraham and Sarah. Remember from last week, God declared that his covenant promises would be fulfilled through Isaac's descendants and not Ishmael's. Isaac was Abraham and Sarah's son born to Sarah in her old age. Ishmael was born to Sarah's servant, Hagar. Remember, Abraham and Sarah didn't think that Sarah could conceive a child, so they came up with their own plan. But that was not God's plan. Paul's point in bringing up Isaac was to differentiate between the natural descendants and the descendants of the promise. God ordained a subset of Israel, a remnant, to be his true people – spiritual Israel. Now, someone *could* argue that God did not choose Ishmael because of external reasons – after all, Ishmael's mother, Hagar, was not Abraham's wife. In fact, Ishmael was born due to Abraham and Sarah's lack of faith. So, someone could argue that for those reasons, God instead chose Isaac. However, that is not what Paul is saying. He wants us to be absolutely sure that we get it – God is the one who chooses. And so, he gives a second example in verses 10 through 13 - Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau are both the sons of Isaac. We are just one generation down from Abraham. Isaac marries Rachel and they have two sons. Not only that, but they are twins. Esau was born first and Jacob second. Some of you know this, but I have a twin sister. In fact, I was born first. And, of course, I would remind my sister about that. “I'm older than you.” Sometimes she would tell people that she was born first. And you know what… they would believe her and not me! That always bothered me – but I think I'm over it. Back to Esau and Jacob. Before Rachel's twins were born, God told her that the younger would serve the older. Before they were born, God determined to choose Jacob. Paul brings that up because God's choice of Jacob was not based on anything external. It was not based on anything that Jacob did or did not do. It was not based on anything that his parents did or did not do. It was not based on birth order. That is the point of verse 11. “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.'” That would have been especially surprising in that culture. God chose Jacob because that is who he chose. Some of you will remember what happened between Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first – he was a great hunter. Isaac, their father, favored Esau over Jacob. Isaac loved the wild game that Esau would hunt and kill. Rachel, on the other hand, favored Jacob. And one day, Esau came home from hunting, and he was starving! Esau was so hungry that he was desperate. So, Jacob took advantage of that. He offered food to Esau if Esau, in exchange, would give Jacob his rights as firstborn. And Esau did it. He gave away the privileges and inheritance of being the firstborn son. And not only that but when they were older, Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing. He pretended to be Esau. And Isaac, who could hardly see at the time, gave Jacob the family blessing. That whole account reinforces Paul's point. God chose Jacob even despite his status as second born and despite his deception. Which bring us to the difficult and weighty statement in verse 13. “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” It's a quote from the prophet Malachi who is speaking about God's love for Jacob and his descendants, and his judgment on Esau and his descendant, the Edomites. “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” It's hard to hear because it comes across as unjust. Doesn't it? From our perspective, God arbitrarily chose Jacob and not Esau. Is that fair? and that is why in verse 14, Paul poses that very question “Is there injustice on God's part?” And look at his answer. “By no means!” In the book of Romans, this is the eighth out of ten times that Paul answers his own question with that exact phrase. “By no means!” Emphatically no. God is not unjust to choose some for life and mercy. And in the rest of our verses today, the apostle gives reasons. Before we look at them, I want to share some personal things. I've had a few transformational moments in my life. You know, times when God did something in me and either the trajectory of my thinking or my life path changed in some way. We all have them. For many of you, the biggest transformational moment was when you professed faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior. For me, I grew up in a Christian home and I don't remember exactly when that happened - which, by the way, is a great testimony to God's faithfulness. However, I've had other transformational moments. One was in high school when I really owned my faith. Another was during a summer in College - I was hiking the Inca trail in South America and God saved my life – literally. That's a whole other story. Another moment happened in my early 20s – I think I was 22. I was reading through the Bible. I had all these questions swirling in my mind about God and about our will as humans... you know, questions about God's purposes and plans and about predestination… and questions about man's free will and choice. One evening, I was reading these very verses in Romans 9, and it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember feeling the profound weight of this chapter. It was a very emotional moment. There were two things that were impressed upon my heart and mind. First, God's sovereignty in salvation. And second, his underserved mercy and grace in my life. It was overwhelming. Every time I read these words, I go back in my mind to that time in my life. I can't always recapture the feelings, but I'm reminded of God's mercy. God's mercy is the overwhelming emphasis in verses 15-23. Yes, God's judgment is present in these verses. We'll get there in a minute. But first, look with me at how many times God speaks through Paul about his graciousness in these verses. It's where he begins in verse 15. God said to Moses “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Mercy, mercy, compassion, compassion. Verse 16 emphasizes God's mercy, “it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” Verse 18, “mercy” is highlighted again, and in verse 23, he speaks of “vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” Five times God's mercy is emphasized, twice more he uses the word compassion. Something really important to understand is this: We do not begin in some neutral state in relationship to God. No. One of the foundational principals taught in Romans, and the entire Bible, is that we were dead in our sins and trespasses. Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All were or are spiritually dead, but God in his mercy chose some to know him and to believe. That is why God's mercy is God's mercy. He shows compassion and mercy on those whom he brought from death to new life. It's God's mercy because there's nothing that we bring to the table. That is why God's sovereign choice is not unjust. The just thing for God to do would be to leave us all in our state of sin and rebellion and his just judgment. No one deserves God's mercy, but yet he is merciful. What I am saying is that to understand these verses, requires us first to understand the nature of God's mercy and compassion. God's mercy is undeserved. Yet, God has given it to those whom he has chosen. So, the primary answer to the question of whether God is unjust is no, rather, he is merciful. Now, there's more here. These verses also speak about God himself and why some receive mercy and others do not. Those things are related and the answer centers on God. God is described here as the potter. He is our creator. The creator of all things. He is the only one who deserves glory. He is the only one who deserves his name and might to be proclaimed. Therefore, God will do whatever he wants to do, if it will bring more honor and glory to his name. In other words, God's very purpose is that he himself would receive more glory. That may sounds very self-serving to our ears. And the reason is, it is self-serving. But think about it this way: God is infinite and eternal. He is perfectly and eternally just and holy and powerful. He is the only one worthy of ultimate glory. In other words, because of his very nature, it is right for God to seek his own glory. And part of seeking his own glory includes choosing who will receive mercy and who he will harden. Now, that may not make sense, initially, but Paul illustrates it for us. He reminds the church about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt… this goes back in the time of Moses. I wont go through the whole history, but here's the short story: Jacob's 12 sons and their families ended up in Egypt. God used Jacob's second youngest son, Joseph, to save them from a famine by bringing them to Egypt. Over 400 plus years, the grew great in number. But because of their great number, Pharoah became worried. And so he enslaved the Israelites. He put heavy burdens on them. He appointed unrelenting taskmasters. That was when God raised up Moses. He was an Israelite, but ironically he was brought up by Pharoah's daughter in Pharoah's own palace. And when Moses was older, God called him to confront Pharoah. Moses commanded Pharoah to let God's people go. But something happened. God hardened Pharoah's heart. That is what Romans 9 verse 17 is talking about. And why did God harden Pharoah's heart? It was so that God could display his glory. God did just that. He sent ten plagues. He turned the Nile River into blood and sent hail. And then darkness, and locusts, and sores and others things. Plague after plague that displayed God's power. And after every plague, Moses called on Pharoah to let God's people go. But every time either Pharoah hardened his own heart or God hardened Pharoah's heart. Those descriptions went back and forth. It demonstrated that Pharoah was also responsible for rejecting God. Pharoah continued to refuse to let the Israelites go. That is until the final plague. The Passover. The first born in every Egyptian family died but the Lord passed over the Israelite homes if they put the blood of a lamb over their doorpost. And so, Pharoah relented and he let Moses and the people go. But again, God hardened Pharoah's heart. He and the Egyptian army decided to pursued the Israelites. God's purpose, again, was to display his glory through the pillar of fire and cloud, and the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptian army. Through it all, God displayed his power and glory. Listen again to verse 17, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'” God in his sovereign will and for his purposes hardened Pharoah's heart, so that his glory would be made known in all the earth. It's a clear example of how God works out his sovereign purposes in election for his glory. God is the one in control of all things and all things work out for his glory. Paul closes out his argument in verses 22 and 23 with this question: “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” He begins there wth the phrase “what if God” but it's not really a question. Rather, Paul is saying “have you considered this? …what if God's purpose in election is not only to display his power, but what if God also desires those who receive mercy to know the amazing riches of his grace through the contrast of his judgment on others?” What if this is so? Well, it is so. It is just a sensitive way of responding to the honest questions in the earlier verses. He is saying that our understanding of God's mercy is enriched when we recognize the just wrath that we deserved in contrast to the riches of grace that we receive. When we recognize the utter depth of his mercy, God is more glorified. He is more glorified in election because, first, his power is displayed… and, second, his mercy is made clearer to those who have received it. Here's the summary. First, God is God. He is the one in whom and for whom all things exist. He is the potter. We are the clay. He is the one whose purposes come to pass. He is the one who turns hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. He is the one who calls us out of darkness. He is sovereign over all things including and especially salvation, and it is all for his glory. Second, no one deserves God's mercy. All of us fall short of the glory of God. We are all at fault and all deserve his wrath. But God…. But God in his mercy has ordained some to everlasting life. And in doing so, his mercy and power and glory are displayed. And those who have received his mercy, give him more glory. We recognize that there is nothing in us that saves us. It's only God's mercy. And that mercy comes through Jesus Christ alone. You know, one thing about these verses is how they highlight both the mercy and wrath of God. And, God's mercy and wrath are fully displayed and achieved in the cross of Christ. The way that God gives his mercy to those whom he has called, is by pouring out his wrath on Jesus instead of them. To use the words of Romans 9, Jesus became the vessel of wrath in your place, so that you may become a vessel of mercy. That is how we receive his undeserved mercy. And part of that mercy is a future glory with him. Did you notice that at the end of verse 23? It says – “vessels of mercy, which God prepared beforehand for glory.” The mercy of God comes not only through Jesus enduring God's wrath, but it also comes through his resurrection. The eternal glory that we will share with him forever, was achieved when he rose from the grave. Mercy upon mercy. Compassion upon compassion. It was and is all God's mercy and grace. In closing, if you are asking yourself, am I among God's elect? Am I a vessel of mercy? There's one simple test. Has God opened your heart to see your sin, to see God's undeserved grace in Christ, and have you received his mercy in Christ? If your, that is your great assurance. If you have not seen that yet…. is God working in you now? Are you feeling the weight of your sin and your need for his mercy? If so, there's one simple step – turn to the one who offers his grace and who will give you God's mercy. Turn to Jesus. And when you do, you will know that you are his. May God make known to all of us the riches of his grace, as people who have received his undeserved mercy. Amen

Tout s'accélère pour le mercato du PSG

In het EK-Journaal praten we je elke dag bij over EURO2024, op de manier zoals jullie van ons gewend zijn: door de ogen van een stelletje amateurs. Vandaag zijn dit Gijs en Snijboon en hebben ze het over het resterende EK van Veerman, de strijd van de mens tegen de VAR, de platte kar van Turkije en Hicham Faik. Staatsloterij, al 25 jaar trotse partner van de KNVB. Meer informatie over de extra Oranje Prijs? Klik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vandaag met Neal Petersen, Jort van der Sande, Nicky van der Gijp, Bruce Tol en Bart Obbink!Natuurlijk beschouwen we het verlies van Oranje uitgebreid na. Onder meer over Veerman, de keuzes van Koeman en het gevoel bij de selectie. Verder kijken we naar de ontknoping in groep E en groep F en zijn we er natuurlijk weer met de quiz!(0:13) Introductie Jort van der Sande (2:48) Mbappé terug met een masker!(6:59) Wanvertoning Oranje tegen Oostenrijk(16:58) Bellen met Jeroen Elshoff!(38:01) De Quiz!(43:28) Engeland maakt geen indruk(49:56) Bellen met België! Gilles Mbiye-Beya(1:00:31) Ontknoping Groep FReserveer een plekje op het zonnige terras van Lagerwal. Elke wedstrijd van het Nederlands elftal kun je daar perfect kijken. Ook voor grote groepen! Reserveer via: https://www.lagerwal.nl/events/ek-met...Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In het EK-Journaal praten we je elke dag bij over EURO2024, op de manier zoals jullie van ons gewend zijn: door de ogen van een stelletje amateurs. Vandaag zijn dit Gijs en Snijboon en hebben ze het over het resterende EK van Veerman, de strijd van de mens tegen de VAR, de platte kar van Turkije en Hicham Faik. Staatsloterij, al 25 jaar trotse partner van de KNVB. Meer informatie over de extra Oranje Prijs? Klik hier Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

n het EK-Journaal praten we je elke dag bij over EURO2024, op de manier zoals jullie van ons gewend zijn: door de ogen van een stelletje amateurs. Vandaag wordt het nieuws gebracht door Tim en Snijboon. Met hun kijk op Nederland-Frankrijk, lievelingetje Wijnaldum en wereldtopper Jerdy Schouten.Staatsloterij, al 25 jaar trotse partner van de KNVB. Alle nummers van Jan Smit met het Oranjelegioen horen? Klik dan hierMocht je hier nou niets van willen missen, dan raden we je aan om op al onze kanalen te abonneren. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De start van Duitsland op het EK was goed. Het elftal overtrof misschien wel de verwachtingen. Etienne Verhoeff bespreekt het met Maarten Wijffels in de AD Voetbalpodcast. Net als het belang van een fysieke component op het middenveld en klagen bij de scheidsrechter.. ,,Die Duitsers waren echt fantastisch'', vertelt Maarten Wijffels na de zege op Schotland. ,,Ze hebben een paar geweldige individualisten zoals Florian Wirtz. De diepgang die hij heeft en de klasse aan de bal, maar vergeet de mensen in zijn rug niet.''Dat roept ook gelijk vragen over het middenveld van Oranje dit EK met Schouten en Veerman. ,,Dit Oranje mist op het middenveld een type Nigel de Jong. De fysieke component.'' Beluister de hele AD Voetbalpodcast nu via AD.nl, de AD App of jouw favoriete podcastplatform.Support the show: https://krant.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In de dagelijkse podcast van FC Afkicken bespreken Bruce Tol en Bart Obbink op woensdag 12 juni onder meer het aanblijven van Erik ten Hag bij Manchester United, de Oranje-persconferentie van Ronald Koeman, Pavlidis die naar Benfica gaat en het Dortmund-dilemma Terzic of Hummels?(0:00) Intro(1:02) Ten Hag blijft toch bij Manchester United(7:29) Kribbige Koeman geeft uitleg over Oranje(13:52) Pavlidis dicht bij overstap van AZ naar Benfica(18:37) Portugal favoriet voor EK?(22:31) Hummels op ramkoers met Terzic bij DortmundZie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Proverbs 1-31 Woman Our sermon text this morning comes mainly from Proverbs 31. Verses 1-3 and 10-31. You can find that on page 654 in the pew Bible. There are also 3 other verses from earlier in Proverbs. Those are printed on the first page of the hymn insert. We'll begin with those and then I'll read from chapter 31. By the way, Proverbs 31 is the last chapter of Proverbs. But we have 2 more thematic sermons, so we will conclude our series in two weeks… on June 23. Before I read, let me note that in Proverbs 31, we're told that these are the words of King Lemuel. They are an oracle taught to him by his mother. Similar to Agur from last week, we don't know anything about King Lemuel other than his name, nonetheless, this is God's very Word. Reading of Proverbs 12:4, 18:22, 19:14, 31:1-3, 10-31. It was the middle of the night in the spring of 1523 in northern Germany. 9 nuns lay awake. You see, they were waiting to escape the convent. And then it happened. A horse drawn carriage pulled up to the main gate and was let in. The driver was there, allegedly, to pick up empty fish barrels, from the prior day's Easter celebration. But he had more important cargo to take away. He cracked his horse whip. That was the signal. The nuns tiptoed quietly from their beds into the hallway, then through the shadows of the night, hid themselves in the cart, some even allegedly hiding in empty barrels. The nuns gave the all clear signal and were soon free at last. It was a bumpy ride, but they made it to their destination. Wittenburg, Germany and the home of Martin Luther. You see, Luther had helped orchestrate the convent escape. And within a matter of weeks, Luther had these young former nuns matched with young men in the town. But there was a problem. One stubborn nun, named Katherine Von Bora, would have none of it. No, she would not be set up with the guy that Luther picked. She had other plans. And she made those plans known. It was Luther himself, she wanted. Well, they were soon married. Former nun, former monk, and quite the couple. Luther would write, “God gave me Katy, I would not trade her for Venice and all the kingdoms of France … I love her so dearly.” His nick names for her included “my rib” of course, referring to Eve being created from the rib of Adam. He also called her “doctor” because she cared for him. And also “queen of the pig farm” because she owned and managed a nearby pig farm. Katy loved the Lord. She managed the house and finances. She brewed beer for Luther and his many guests. She would rise at 4am and work until 9pm overseeing all matters of the household. Luther called Katy, “the morning star of Wittenberg.” They were very affectionate with one another. She honored and loved him, and he honored and loved her. Katy embodied the Proverbs 31 description. Now, if you are a woman and you and are feeling like “I'll never be a Katy Luther.” Well, I do want take that heavy burden off of you. Because, while the Proverbs 31 woman is indeed a model, there's so much more here. My goal is that all of us would see her heart and purpose…  and all of us, would pursue her ways from a similar heart and purpose.To get there, we'll consider three things. ·      First, the important question – to whom does this chapter apply? ·      Second, we'll consider the qualities of this virtuous wife. ·      And third, we'll conclude with Christ and the church. That's the relationship to which this ultimately points. #1 To whom does this apply? And again, if you are feeling overly burdened by these verses, I want to try and both relieve that burden but also inspire you. First, notice in verse 10 that the section begins with the question, “an excellent wife, who can find?” It's a recognition up front that the woman described is a rare jewel. It is not saying that if you don't measure up, then you're failing. Rather, it's a picture of a beautiful, Godly woman. One that you can, yes, seek to emulate – but not in your own strength. No - the most important description is in verse 30. “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Everything else comes out of her reverent fear and worship of the Lord God. Her heart, which loves and honors God, is what motivates and enables her in her wisdom and work. So, instead of feeling the moralistic weight of this unattainable standard, recognize that this can never be achieved in your own strength. No, rather, it is the Godly fear of the Lord that enables this. And another thing, the woman described has many resources to help her - servants, family finances, other things that enable her to produce clothing and plant vineyards. Also, her husband is an elder of the land. He's esteemed and wise. What I am saying is that her situation is likely very different from your situation. Furthermore, not every woman is called to be married, nor is every man. The apostle Paul was single and encouraged those who are single. But even if you are not married, you still have a household to manage and steward – and therefore, these pursuits in the Lord are for you as well. So that is one thing. But also, this chapter is not just written to women. In fact, it is actually written to young men. For the younger guys here, I want you to see this. Remember, this is an oracle which King Lemuel received from his mother. Why would his mother pass along this word to Lemuel? Well, because she knows the heart of young men. Ok, there are many of you young men here. Teenage boys and twenty-something single guys. Look with me at verses 2 and 3. “What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings.” In other words, do not be seduced by charm and external beauty and therefore blind to true matters of beauty. That's exactly what verse 30 says. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain” It's talking about external beauty. Instead, what is the most important quality in a wife? A reverent fear of the Lord – that's what it says. Young men, are you hearing this? Do not let your feelings deceive you. By the way, young women, this is for you, too. Charm and seductive dress and looks will attract the wrong guy. He will not be an elder in the land. To be sure, I am not saying that attraction is not important. But it is secondary to a heart that loves the Lord and pursues him. SO, young men and women, ingrain this in your hearts and minds now, before you “fall in love.” Ok, there's one more category of people to whom this chapter is written. And that is, all of us… men, women, and children. I will argue, later, that this chapter is a picture of the relationship that we, as God's people, have with Christ. The Scriptures are full of the language of God's people being betrothed to God. In the New Testament, Christ is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. But even in the Old Testament, as we read earlier, God's people are described as the unfaithful wife, whom the Lord loves and forgives and redeems. What I am saying is that even though the description is of a virtuous wife, this is also a description of us, God's people. We are to honor the Lord in our calling as the bride of Christ. So, in other words, do not tune this chapter out if you are young or old, or married or single – this is for all of us. We'll come back to that. #2 The Virtuous Wife But before we do, let's consider this beautiful description The woman described here is often referred to as The Proverbs 31 Woman - for good reason, of course. But I want to tweak that. Really, the description here is a bride who embodies all of Proverbs. So, I think it is better to call her the Proverbs 1-31 woman. Think back over these last 9 months. We have seen a contrast, over and over, between the way of wisdom and righteousness versus the way of foolishness and wickedness. And the virtuous wife described here fulfills the categories of wisdom and righteousness. Almost every single positive category in Proverbs is modelled by this women. Let me list them: ·      She is trustworthy – verse 11, her husband trusts in her. She has a heart of integrity and honesty. She is praised at the gates, verse 31. ·      Her words are kind, and she teaches kindness (verse 26) because her words bring life and not death – remember those Proverbs verses? She speaks what is true and builds up. Verse 12 – she does not harm her husband. Meaning, she does not speak ill of him behind his back. ·      She is also generous to the poor - verse 20. She manages the finances and resources of the family with wisdom. She's a good steward of all that is entrusted to her. ·      Let me pause here and remind you again. This is for all of us. In other words, don't tune out. ·      Discipline and diligence describe her. Verse 17 – she dresses herself with strength. Similarly verse 25, strength and dignity are her clothing. And wow is she disciplined, rising early. Taking care of many things. ·      Related to that, she is industrious. That is exemplified, really, all through these verses. Verse 27 – she does not eat the bread of idleness. ·      She's the opposite of self-centeredness and pridefulness – She cares for her household, providing clothing and food. They need not fear cold or hunger. ·      And last, wisdom and knowledge describe her! That is explicit right there in verse 26. She's been given discernment. She considers a field and buys it, verse 16. And verse 18, she perceives the value of her merchandise. That's quite the list. And of course, as I already mentioned, underlying all of this is her fear of the Lord. Actually, the fear of the Lord is going to be our concluding sermon in two weeks. It is the theme that has come up over and over and over. It is seeing and knowing the eternal God of the universe – whose judgement is just and whose ways are pure. Underlying this entire description is her reverent worship of the one true God. She considers his nature and truth and righteousness above all others. What an amazing picture of the Proverbs applied to life. A picture for us to see and seek and emulate, especially in marriage. In fact, this chapter is meant to be a model. Verses 10-31 are in the form of an acrostic. That means that every verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. Verse 10 starts with Aleph which is the first letter of the alphabet. And verse 31 starts with the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Tav. 22 verses and 22 letters. It shows us that this description is a pattern. It's not just one example of how wisdom can be applied. No, it is the ideal model for marriage. It models of what God has ordained for marriage on earth. Eve was created in the garden as a “help-meet” for Adam, as the Hebrew words puts it. Together they complement one another as they seek to fulfill what God has called them to do. That call in Genesis 1:29 is for them to be fruitful and multiple and fill the earth and subdue the earth and have dominion over the earth. Sometimes we call that the cultural mandate. It is for all of us, but part of it is for married couples, who work together but with different roles. Back in Proverbs 31, notice verse 11 - the husband's trust in his wife yields him “gain,” it says. Her work is his gain. That indicates the responsibility given to the husband. But what's very clear is how the wife oversees matters of the household. That word “household” is used several times here. She works to care for those whom the Lord has entrusted to her care – including caring for her husband. It is a very full and rich description of that responsibility worked out. In other words, this chapter beautifully displays the sphere to which Eve is called. Now, some in the church (a minority) believe that submission means the husband makes all the decisions and the wife should never work outside the home. That is not how Proverbs 31 describes her responsibilities. No, she clearly is making decisions and is applying the wisdom that God has given her in matters within her domain. ·      She considers the value of a field and buys it and oversees it. ·      She works both in the home and outside the home. She provides for her household… but also verses 18 and 24 – she makes garments and sashes and sells them in the market. Here is what I am saying: Proverbs 31 a beautiful model of what God has ordered for marriage. Husbands and wives are equal in dignity and status before God. They are both created in his image. But each is given roles and responsibility that support and work together to accomplish God's mandate… the mandate to fill and subdue the earth. And again, we are talking about the domain of the home and marriage. Let me put it this way: Proverbs 31 helps us not to fall off the rails on one side or another. It helps a husband see his role not as authoritarian or dictatorial. Rather it demonstrates entrusting his household to his wife's care, enabling her to fulfill that responsibility with dignity and wisdom. It also reveals that there are unique areas of responsibilities to which a husband and wife are each called. Now, obviously this is a much larger conversation. There are several New Testament verses that further clarify and direct us. I would be glad to talk more. #3 Christ and the church But moving on, I mentioned that this chapter applies to all of us. What I mean is that the model of the excellent wife is a model we are all called to emulate. The reason I can say that is because this chapter also typifies the relationship of Christ to the church. We, the church, are his bride, called to fulfill all these things. And let me work this out by showing you another structural element. Besides an acrostic, verses 10-31 are in the form of a chiasm. We occasional come across this. As a reminder, a chiasm is a form of parallel which we find both in Hebrew and Greek. The parallel ideas work from the outside into the center. Here, we see both themes and words that draw us to the center of this text. To begin, both verses 10 and 29 use the word excellent to describe the wife. That's the outer parallel. In 11 and 28 - moving one verse in on both sides - Her husband trusts her and praises her. That's the second level. If you go in one more level – she provides for her household. That is in verses 12-15 and also down in verse 27. Do you see how it's working it's way in from both sides? Wisdom is next, and then strength and dignity after that. Let's move closer to the middle. Look down at verses 22 and 24. In 22, she makes bed coverings, and in verse 24, she makes linen garments. See that parallel? And at the very center is verse 23. By the way, the center reveals the main emphasis in this kind of parallel. Verse 23 is the center. Let me read it. “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” You see, the respect and honor that her husband receives comes, in part, through his wife. Her virtue in overseeing his household makes him known and brings him greater honor. Her faithfulness increases his influence in the community. His wisdom is lifted up as she acts in wisdom and righteousness. Beloved, this is the relationship that we, the church, have with Christ. As we oversee the household of faith with diligence and integrity and care of one another and generosity to the poor and in wisdom and righteousness. When we do all those things, Jesus is exalted. He is made known and honored at the gates of the city. The world will see him more clearly, when we, his bride, are faithful to the call that he has given us… that is, when we seek to live and acts in all the ways that Proverbs has taught us. We are the Proverbs 1-31 woman - the bride of Christ. Our strength comes from him. We're honored because of his honor. And just like the Proverbs 31 husband, Christ, as our redeemer, enables and empowers us to live out that calling to which he has called us. Do you see the parallels? Christ is the husband, here, the bridegroom. He has redeemed and forgiven and restored us from our unfaithfulness to be his faithful bride. … more on that when we get to the Lord's Supper. And to be sure, that does not take away how this applies to husbands and wives. No, these words are for marriages here and now… but the heart of these verses is the union between Christ and his church. Let me try summarize it this way: When Proverbs 31 is lived out in the relationship between a husband and a wife then (1) the husband is honored and his wisdom known, (2) the wife is built up and praised by him for her faithfulness and work, and (3) their household receives the rich blessing of their marriage. And similarly, when Proverbs 31 is lived out in the relationship between Christ and the church then (1) Christ is honored and his wisdom known, (2) the church is built up and praised by him for her faithfulness and work, and (3) the household of faith receives the rich blessing of the marriage between Christ and the church. Proverbs 31 is a beautiful testimony for marriages but especially our spiritual marriage with the Lord. Conclusion Going back to the Luthers - Even considering their failures and sins, and let me say, there were many, Martin and Katy's marriage modeled a Proverbs 31 marriage. Her care over his household was a tremendously rich blessing to thousands of people. Luther was known among the elders of the land, due in no small part to her wisdom, diligence, hospitality, and labors. Some have said that their marriage transformed the institution of marriage. I think its better to say, their marriage restored the institution of marriage to the model found in the Word. Briefly, in closing, I had always wondered why these verses closed out the book of Proverbs. But now, I think I know why. These verses are for all of us and they direct us to Christ. They bring together all the wisdom of Proverbs. May we emulate this wife, through our reverent fear of the Lord, because we are the bride of Christ.

We are winding down our Proverbs study. Today, we do not have a Proverbs insert. That is because we are covering all of chapter 30. Next week, we'll be in the last half of chapter 31, and we'll have a couple of concluding sermons. The author of chapter 30 identifies himself as Agur. We don't know who he is, but he is a man of great wisdom. He tells us these words are an oracle – they are the wisdom of God for us. You can find Proverbs 30 on page 653 in the pew Bible. As you are listening, you will hear a lot of numbers. Over and over he says there are three thing… no there's four. It's a way to emphasize a point by escalating the number. But also, a big theme in these verses is humility. Be listening to how these words call us to humility in different ways. -Reading of Proverbs 30 and prayer A few years ago we were on a family trip and came across a hall of mirrors. I don't know if you've been in one, but you walk through different rooms and passageways, and there are mirrors all over the place. Mirrors that are angled... and mirrors that reflect off of other mirrors. At times, you don't know if the other person you are seeing is reality or a reflection in the mirror. At other times, you are not sure where to go, or you bump into the mirrors. And then there's the room with the funny warped mirrors. When you look in the mirror, sometimes your body is really big and your head is really small, or your head is big and the rest of you is small. Or your legs are super short and the rest of you looks like a giraffe. It's kind of fun, but it's also very disorienting. After a while, your brain is not sure what to make of it all. There's the reality and then there's the distortion of reality. We all live in the same world. But each person has a particular view of the world. What I mean is that we each have understandings of why things happen; what governs order; what should happen; where meaning and life come from, and what is right and wrong. Some people can tell you what they think in each of those areas, but for others it's just an underlying assumption they are not even aware of. The problem happens when someone's view of meaning or life or morality doesn't line up with what is real and true. It's like living in a hall or mirrors. That person's world is distorted and inconsistent and they can't find a way out. It can be very disconcerting or depressing. You can lose your way. What Proverbs 30 does is it gives us wisdom to see the real world clearly. In essence, it takes the roof off of the hall of mirrors so that (1) we can see ourselves and God clearly, (2) so we can see how the world can be distorted, and (3) so we can actually see the amazing world that God has made. And Agur tells us, in order to see and understand anything, we need humility. So, three things there. Three things that orient us to see clearly. Actually, there are four things! Did you see what I was doing there. There are three things, no there are four! Three things that give us wisdom. Let me give them to you and then we'll work through them. ·      First, verses 1-9: Humbly know God's divine order ·      Second, verses 10-23: Humbly submit to God's moral order ·      And, third, verses 24-31: Humbly observe God's creation order 1. Humbly know God's divine order That is where we are headed. Let me ask…  What is the first thing we need in order to understand God, ourselves, and the world? We need to humbly know God's divine order. Again, that is point number 1. Notice how Agur opens, “I am too stupid… I have not understanding….” That word “stupid” means ignorant or senseless. Now, to our modern ears, that may sound a little disingenuous or even contradictory. “I do not know anything, but let me tell you about wisdom.” That's how it may come across, but actually there is a profound truth here. What Agur is saying is that in and of himself, he cannot know or have wisdom. Look at verses 2 and 3. Notice the personal pronoun, “I” over and over. “I have not the understanding” “I have not learned wisdom” “nor have I aknowledge of the Holy One.” Agur is saying that knowledge does not and cannot be derived from within ourselves. To know requires, at the very start, a humble acknowledgement that we are not the source of knowledge. Man is not the measure of all things. Instead, Agur redirects our attention away from ourselves and toward God. Look at what he says next in verse 4… After stating his lack of knowledge and wisdom, look where he turns: “Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name…?” Isn't that like the book of Job? “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” In order to understand anything, you first have to know and understand God and who you are in comparison to him. This is part of what it means to fear the Lord. We'll be coming back to that again in a couple of weeks. The more you know God and his creation, the more you realize how much you do not know. And the more you realize how much you do not know, it's then that you will know more of God and his creation. The bottom line is that humility is required to know anything. And when you see God for who he is and you see yourself and his world for what it is, then through that humble perspective of divine order, you will be given the eyes of wisdom. Some of you will know of John Calvin, the 16th century French reformer. As some have said, if Martin Luther was the heart of the Protestant Reformation, John Calvin was the head. The depth of his understanding of God and the Scriptures was and is unparalleled. And Calvin's seminal work was his Institutes – the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Two very thick volumes – 1200 pages total. In fact, Calvin refined it over his entire life. Let me read to you the very first words of Calvin's Institutes. Book 1, chapter 1, paragraph 1 – this is what Calvin writes: “Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” And he goes on 1 sentence later, “…no man can survey himself without first turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves.” And Calvin goes on to talk about the humility required to know God, which includes knowing the “miserable ruin,” as he puts it, into which Adam plunged the world. John Calvin is saying what Proverbs 30 is saying. Any and all knowledge must begin with a humble recognition of who we are as creatures… and who God is, as the one who created all things. Even though Calvin did not quote Proverbs 30, he begins his entire treatise with the very same point. That is what the first 4 verses are saying. It is a profound truth that we have to recognize in order to correctly understand anything. And then for the next 5 verses, Agur explains and demonstrates the implications of that truth. Verses 5 and 6 – God is true. His Word, therefore, proves true, as it says. We dare not add to his words, it says. There's both a promise and a warning. The promise is that “he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” But if you add to his words, he will rebuke you. It's a scary thing to be in the hands of God. And underlying all of it… is humility. We humbly see ourselves as weak and finite. We humbly see God as infinite. And we therefore need to humbly recognize his Word and his way. And in verses 7-9, Agur shows us how to do that! We humbly come to him in prayer. Verses 7-9 is a prayer. Actually, this whole first section is a prayer. Did you notice that? Agur addresses God in verse 1. He takes an interlude in the middle to talk about God and his word. And then in verse 7, he comes back to his prayer. He's demonstrating how to submit ourselves to God. And actually, it is very similar to the Lord's prayer. In the Lord's prayer, we pray, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”  Agur prays, “Remove far from me falsehood and lying.” In the Lord's prayer, “Give us this day, our daily bread.”  And here, “feed me with the food that is needful for me.” Do you see the parallels? In the Lord's prayer, “Lead me not into temptation.” Agur similarly prays, “give me neither poverty nor riches… lest I deny you… or lest I be poor and steal” You see, prayer is a humble recognition of our dependance on God and our need to submit to him. It's a beautiful way for Agur to not just communicate the transcendence of God compared to the weakness of of man, but how we humbly surrender to him To summarize point number 1: the very first step to understand the world clearly, is to humbly recognize our vastly limited knowledge compared to God's eternal wisdom, and to therefore humbly submit to him and his word. All knowledge and understanding begins there. Humbly know God's divine order 2. Humbly submit to God's moral order. And next. What is the second thing we need in order to see clearly? We need to humbly submit to God's moral order. There's a big change starting in verse 10. Agur began with himself. He began by looking in and looking up. And you can see that in all the first-person self-references as well as all the references to God. But when we get to verse 10, he looks out. He observes the world. In verses 10-23, Agur observes those who reject point number 1. They don't see the transcendent God nor who we are in him. Because of that, they are the opposite of humble. That's most clearly seen in verses 12 and 13. “There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!” They see themselves as the measure of all things. They see their own way as the right way. Instead of the humble disposition that Agur demonstrated in the opening verses, turning to God and his word, they see themselves as pure and right in their own eyes. And wow, it is quite the contrast. Some have teeth like swords, meaning their words. Others hate and devour the poor. There are those who slander and others curse their mothers and fathers. He describes some as leeches - self-absorbed and never satisfied. When someone denies God and his word, they will turn his moral order into disorder. When you begin with an exalted view of yourself, not recognizing God and his ways, look at the result. You will deny God and his standard. The truth is, we do not want to believe there's a moral standard because we do not want to be accountable to it or accountable to God who defines the standard. Part of the message here is that you can try to deny the moral order all you want, but in the end it is undeniable. And if you don't see that in verses 10-17, Agur makes it clear in verses 18-23. Look down at verse 20. It says, “This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.'” You see, she's denying that her way goes against God's way of what is right and wrong. Her way is contrasted with the way that God made the world. In the previous two verses, Agur highlights the way of the eagle and serpent and ship. And he includes the way of a man with a virgin. That is referring to a newlywed couple in the marriage bed. You see, God made all of creation with order. We'll see that more in the next point. And part of that creation order is his moral order. When the adulteress breaks that order, she's distorting what God has established as good and right and true. It's a grave thing to go against God and his standard. That's the graphic warning in 17 – the eye that mocks and scorns will be plucked out by the ravens… and eaten by the vultures You see, God has revealed a moral order in his book of creation. Even if you do not believe God's written word, Agur testifies that God's standard of right and wrong is undeniable. Ok, to summarize so far. First, to have true wisdom, you need to begin by acknowledging God in all his glory as the eternal creator and your humble estate as a finite and limited creature. That is God's divine order. And second, you need to acknowledge that the categories of right and wrong are built into the very fabric of our being. That standard is revealed through both God's written word as well as in creation itself. That is God's moral order. Without these understandings, you will be lost in a hall of mirrors, not knowing what is real nor what is right and wrong nor where to turn… But when you humbly recognize these things, God will give you eyes to see clearly. 3. Humbly observe God's creation order That brings us to number 3, which is related. What is the third thing we need to see clearly? We need to humbly observe God's creation order – the fulness of it. This is also looking out. God's eternal wisdom is displayed in his creation all around us. By the way, did anyone stay up and see the Northern lights a couple weeks ago? I missed them but I've seen them in the past. It's amazing how God has formed and fashioned the universe to display his glory. Now, in verses 24-31, Agur is not talking about inanimate objects like stars and electrons that light up the sky and other displays of beauty that we see all around. Rather, he is highlighting the wisdom of God found in the smallest and largest creatures. The industrious wisdom of the ant. The instincts of the rock badger hiding in the cliffs. The formations of locust swarms. Lizards found in the palaces of kings. The mighty lion, the strutting rooster and the he-goat, all given rule over their dominions. We could add to that. Schools of fish, all turning at the same time. Isn't that amazing. Humming birds, whose wings flit up to 80 times a second, whose hearts beat up to 10 times a second… and who travel 1-2000 miles during migration. Or consider the 400,000 pound blue whales – the biggest creatures on earth. Their songs can be heard by other whales 1,000 miles away. Yet some believe there is no God. Instead, they believe that all of reality came about through an evolutionary process. The wisdom that we observe in life is not fashioned and formed by a God of infinite wisdom, they say,  but rather, through chance and evolution. And back to point number 2, they say that the morality we observe is not morality at all but merely behavior traits learned through the same evolutionary process. That thinking is an example of what this entire chapter is addressing. It's the height of pride and arrogance. It assumes an exhaustive understanding the universe that goes back in time. In other words, to reject God as he has revealed in his creation order is to put oneself in the place of God. It is the epitome of arrogance. No, God alone has an exhaustive understanding of all things because he is the creator of all things. The order and wisdom of creation all around us testifies to the inexhaustible wisdom and glory of God. That brings us back to the very beginning of the chapter. Any and all knowledge has to begin with a humble recognition of God and who we are in relationship to him. If we don't see that divine order, we will not recognize his moral order, nor will we see clearly his amazing creation order. Let me put it this way - in order to see things clearly, you need to see God clearly, see yourself clearly, see his way clearly, and see his creation clearly. Anything else is merely a hall of mirrors - distorting divinity, morality, and reality. In fact chapter 30 comes to a close where it began, humility. Verse 32. “If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.” In other words, if your whole life you have followed this foolish self-exalting thinking or evil living, then speak no more. Submit yourself, like Agur, to the one in whom all wisdom and authority and all things find their meaning. Conclusion So, three things! Yet even four! Actually, there is a fourth. Maybe I should call this one “Salvation Order?” Divine order, moral order, creation order, and salvation order. Speaking of 4. Let's go back up to verse 4. Agur asks the question, “who has ascended to heaven and come back down?” When he asks that, he is saying that the only one who can have knowledge is one who has ascended to heaven and has seen the glory and work of God – and has come back down to reveal it. Jesus himself quotes that very phrase in John chapter 3. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus about knowledge. About knowledge of the things of earth and the things of heaven. And Jesus said, “no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the son of Man.” Jesus was confirming to Nicodemus that he is the one with the full knowledge of God. By the way, that title Son of Man is a reference to his divinity. Jesus' knowledge comes from his divine nature as God's Son. That is why the apostle Paul can say in Colossians 2 that in Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” So in Proverbs 30, when Agur asks, “what is his name, and what is his sons name?” He is speaking about the eternal Father and the eternal son of God, who would descend from heaven and whose knowledge and wisdom is ours through him. In fact, John Calvin, in his Institutes quotes this very verse. Proverbs 30:4. He uses it as one of many verses which speak to the eternal nature of God the Son, before he was incarnate, before he descended to earth and became man. That nature caried over into the person of Jesus – truly God. As Calvin put it in reference to Proverbs 30. “He who was afterwards visibly manifested was the invisible Son of God.” Our humility and knowledge comes through him, comes through the son, who descended from heaven, who humbled himself that we may humble ourselves. And in that humility, we can know God, his divine order, his moral order, his creation order, and his salvation order. Ultimate humility is submitting your life to him, and when you do, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge will be yours. In closing, I think I could probably take another 15 minutes and show all the other ways that Christ fulfills this chapter. I won't do that, instead, let me just highlight them: ·      Christ is the Holy One of verse 3 whose holiness reveals what is true and right and good. ·      He also fulfills verse 5. He is the word of God and  a shield to those who take refuge in him ·      In verse 12, we can say we are clean, because we have been washed of our filth through his blood ·      And Christ is the agent of creation's order, through whom God fashioned and formed his amazing world.May we humble ourselves before him, so that we may see ourselves, God, his ways, and his world clearly.