TheMTJ

Sermon: The Transfiguration

2012-02-19T15:36:00.001-08:00

Text: Mark 9:2-9

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. ⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Introduction:

If you’re like me you’ve always seen this as a confusing if not even weird passage. To be completely candid I always knew this was an important passage but I never really took a chance to dig into it until I had to preach and now I’ve realized that it’s probably the most important part of the Gospel of Mark. There is a lot in that text so I think we’ll have a little more clarity on the meaning of this passage if we go back a few verses just to get some context. In the book of Mark up until this point Jesus has been going around healing people, teaching and casting out demons. But there is a strange pattern to his behavior though. As soon as he gets popular he leaves. When someone realizes that he is the Christ, he orders them to silence. Why would he do that? It begs the question, “who in the world is this guy?” Let’s look at Mark 8:27-32.

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Here we see it again; Peter has this epiphany and realizes that Jesus is the Christ (or Messiah). Then Jesus tells him to keep quiet about it. Why is this? We could host a lengthy debate as to why he acted the way he did but I think at least a contributing factor to his secrecy is that people didn’t really understand the role that the Messiah would play. There were all kinds of false expectations surrounding the Messiah and we see one of them here. If Jesus announced he was the Messiah then people would impose all these expectations on him, in fact at one point (in the Gospel of John) people wanted to overthrow the government and make him king. And we see it right here…

As soon as it is revealed that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus teaches them about what the Messiah has come to do. What he does is quite profound, he refers to himself as the “Son of Man” which was a borrowed term from Daniel 7 where it was portrayed that the Son of Man would come to reign on earth. This aspect of the Messiah was to be expected, they thought they would have a great military leader who would kick the Romans around and reclaim the sovereignty of Israel. But what they didn’t expect was what Jesus says next, he said, “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected…” So not only is Jesus identifying himself as the Son of Man come to reign from Daniel 7 but he’s also identifying himself as the suffering servant from Isaiah 53. Both of these figures were foretold but no one had compounded or combined the two notions until Jesus revealed that about himself. They expected a mighty Son of Man who sits at the right hand of the Father to come and reign forever. And they expected the suffering servant from Isaiah who would be pierced for our transgressions but no one seemed to think it would be one person. It’s a strange concept to have the king who will reign forever claim his thrown through suffering and death but that is what Jesus planned to do. As soon as Jesus finishes saying this Peter confirms my hypothesis and rebukes Jesus. Why did he do this? Because Peter had an idea for what the Messiah had to be and should be that Jesus was not fitting into. Even Peter who realized that Jesus was the Messiah had his own preconceived mold or template for who the Messiah was and what they Messiah was going to do. So now I think we can understand at least a little bit of why Jesus wanted to keep his status as Messiah a secret.

The Transfiguration:

Now we can get into today’s text which is the transfiguration in Mark 9. Jesus pulls a few of his disciples (Peter, James and John) and led them up on top of a mountain. Mountains in the Bible were seen as places of divine revelation so that should be our first clue that something important is about to happen. Moses had to climb a mountain to receive God’s calling and God’s commandments. While they were on this mountain Jesus was transfigured, the text says his clothes became extremely bright and white and Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus.

There are two things were noting here immediately. The first is that this event distinguishes Jesus from Moses and Elijah. When we read back in chapter 8 we see that the disciples say that some people thought Jesus was Elijah but when we see Jesus standing in the company of Elijah we see that they are two distinct people. The second thing to notice is that when Moses was in the presence of the glory of God he simply reflected the glory that he was in the presence of but here Jesus is the source of radiance. Now here is a side note that we’ll come back to: Moses at that time was the figurehead for or synonymous with the law. Elijah was seen as the greatest prophet and was synonymous with prophecy. So we have the great icons of the law and the prophets on top of the mountain with Jesus.

The second thing we need to look at is Peter’s response and that is sheer terror. This is what is always recorded in scripture when people encounter God’s glory. Look back to Isaiah who assumed he was a dead man for just being in God’s presence or Moses who was not even able to see God directly but still his face radiated from the encounter. Peter would have known what God said to Moses when he said, “no one may see me and live”. So Peter is justifiably scared from this display.

Out of this terror he’s able to stammer out, “Let us put up three shelters”. What would make him say this? The word used for “shelter” here is the Greek word for “tabernacle”. What is the purpose of a tabernacle? Christians (in fact most religions) acknowledge that there is a great divide between deity and humanity. Most religions have temples with priests in them who perform rituals and sacrifices to the sin of the people or in other words, they mediate the gap between the divinity and humanity. So what Peter is suggesting is that they need a place to protect themselves from the presence of God. This is a reasonable response, we as Christians know that God is holy and want to be in God’s presence but we can’t fully understand his holiness until we’re in his presence and our reaction will be just like Peter’s: fear.

Just as this happens a voice comes from the cloud and said, “This is my son, whom I love. Listen to him!” And immediately after that Elijah was gone, Moses was gone and Jesus was the only one left. Moses and Elijah were essentially the superheroes of the Jewish faith and to have Jesus in their company would have been amazing enough but to have God speak and show that Jesus was greater than Moses and Elijah would have been shocking. That was an unexpected twist in the story, but what is even more surprising is the thing that should have happened but didn’t; that is Peter, James and John should have died from being in God’s presence. How is it that they survived? The answer is found in the one remaining after the cloud was lifted, namely Jesus.

So how did this happen? Was Peter wrong? Did they really not need anyone or anything to stand in the gap between them and God? No, Peter was right! His instinct to build a tabernacle was correct. His sinful presence in front of a holy God should have been his end, he needed a tabernacle, temple, priest and sacrifice but what he didn’t realize was that all of that was provided in Jesus.

Jesus mediates the gap before divinity and humanity. Jesus is the ultimate tabernacles, he’s the ultimate temple. He’s the tabernacle to end all tabernacles, the temple to end all temples, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices and priest to end all priests. Jesus in his humanly perfection is able to stand before God without fear. Jesus, though being perfect, presents himself for death making him the perfect sacrifice. Going to God on our behalf makes him the perfect priest who is himself without flaw and able to offer a sacrifice without flaw. That’s what priests did, they offered sacrifices on behalf of the people but no sacrifice was ever flawless so they had to continually do it. Jesus however gives himself as the perfect sacrifice so we never need to make sacrifices again. What God tells us in this passage is that not only does Peter not have to build three tabernacles; he never has to build another one because the ultimate tabernacle is standing before him.

Conclusion

Now do you remember when I said that Moses was iconic of the law and that Elijah was iconic of the prophets? Our Westminster Catechism addresses this in questions 42-45, it establishes Christ as our mediator by saying that he fulfills the offices of prophet, priest and king. I don’t have time to dive into what each of those mean today but I’d recommend you go look that up. In short though Jesus is the true and better Moses who brings God’s law and fulfills the kingly role, he is the true and better Elijah and fulfills the role of prophet and as we see in this passage he provides the ultimate sacrifice fulfilling once and for all the priestly role.

In this small section (20 verses or so) of Mark we learn more about Jesus identity than any other section in the gospels. We learn that he’s the Son of Man coming to reign from Daniel 7, he’s the suffering servant from Isaiah, he’s greater than Moses and Elijah and he’s our temple, priest and sacrifice. He is our prophet, priest and king. He is our mediator before God.

I’ll give you just a few things to hold on to from this text. 1) I would challenge you today to examine yourself and your beliefs and push you towards full acceptance and trust of this truth. Are you, like Peter, aware of your unworthy, unholy and sinful standing before God? 2) Are you trying to establish your own “temples”? Trying to bring your own sacrifices? Trying to mediate your own relationship with God apart from Jesus? 3) Do you try to get others to do it for you? Tom and Stephen don’t mediate your relationship with God; they don’t go to God on your behalf only Jesus can do that. Jesus is the one we need to cling to in order to be able to enter into God’s presence.

And so this is how the gospel changes us. We don’t have to spend our time trying to make ourselves look good in front of God, we don’t need to hide our sin or pretend it isn’t there. When we realize all that Jesus is and all that he has done for us we are free to live as the people were intended to be. We can enter into the presence of God in worship. We are now free to serve him not out of fear but out of love.

Apologetic's Crash Course Part 1: Traditional Arguments

2011-12-14T14:41:00.001-08:00

Introduction

Apologetics vs. Evangelism

It is quite common to confuse apologetics and evangelism. Put simply, evangelism is proclaiming the good news of the gospel whereas apologetics is defending the truth claims of Christianity.

What is the task and means of apologetics?

1 Peter 3:15 says, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”. Therefore the task of apologetics is not necessarily to share the gospel but to defend it as rational and true. That being said, your apologetics must lead to the gospel in order to be coherent but the sharing of the gospel is in the realm of evangelism not apologetics. The means by which this is conducted is with “gentleness and respect” lest we contradict the content of our message with the delivery of that message.

Traditional Arguments for the Existence of God

Ontological Argument – Proposed by St. Anselm in the 11^th century, rejected by Thomas Aquinas and reformulated by Rene Descartes then refuted by Immanuel Kant.

Syllogism:

· Premise A: God by his definition is perfect

· Premise B: Existence is a pre-condition for perfection. If something exists it is more perfect than if it didn’t exist.

· Conclusion: God exists because God is perfect and existing is more perfect than not existing.

Objections:

· One objection was that you could talk about a “perfect island” that must exist somewhere as I describe it because existing would make the island more perfect than not existing.

· The premise mandates the conclusion and it is therefore a tautology.

· By this logic one could prove that unicorns exist if you simply define the “perfect” unicorn.

Thomas Aquinas’ Arguments – In the 13^th century Thomas Aquinas in his work “Summa Theologica” asserted 5 arguments that he thought to be sufficient proof and ultimately better than the ontological argument.

1) Argument from Motion - sometimes casually referred to as the “first push” argument.

a. Our senses prove that some things are in motion.

b. Things move when potential motion becomes actual motion.

c. Only an actual motion can convert a potential motion into an actual motion.

d. Nothing can be at once in both actuality and potentiality in the same respect (i.e., if both actual and potential, it is actual in one respect and potential in another).

e. Therefore nothing can move itself.

f. Therefore each thing in motion is moved by something else.

g. The sequence of motion cannot extend ad infinitum.

h. Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no other; and this everyone understands to be God.

2) Argument from Efficient Causes – Everything has a cause but there must be a first cause or an uncaused cause that can account for everything that is caused.

a. We perceive a series of efficient causes of things in the world.

b. Nothing exists prior to itself.

c. Therefore nothing is the efficient cause of itself.

d. If a previous efficient cause does not exist, neither does the thing that results.

e. Therefore if the first thing in a series does not exist, nothing in the series exists.

f. The series of efficient causes cannot extend ad infinitum into the past, for then there would be no things existing now.

g. Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.

3) Argument from Possibility and Necessity (Reductio argument) – If there was ever a time when nothing existed then nothing could possibly exist now so there must be an incontingent being.

a. We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, that come into being and go out of being i.e., contingent beings.

b. Assume that every being is a contingent being.

c. For each contingent being, there is a time it does not exist.

d. Therefore it is impossible for these always to exist.

e. Therefore there could have been a time when no things existed.

f. Therefore at that time there would have been nothing to bring the currently existing contingent beings into existence.

g. Therefore, nothing would be in existence now.

h. We have reached an absurd result from assuming that every being is a contingent being.

i. Therefore not every being is a contingent being.

j. Therefore some being exists of its own necessity, and does not receive its existence from another being, but rather causes them. This all men speak of as God.

4) Argument from Gradation of Being – There must be an ultimate standard of good by which we measure all that is good.

a. There is a gradation to be found in things: some are better or worse than others.

b. Predications of degree require reference to the “uttermost” case (e.g., a thing is said to be hotter according as it more nearly resembles that which is hottest).

c. The maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus.

d. Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.

5) Argument from Design – The world shows evidence of design therefore it must be designed.

a. We see that natural bodies work toward some goal, and do not do so by chance.

b. Most natural things lack knowledge.

c. But as an arrow reaches its target because it is directed by an archer, what lacks intelligence achieves goals by being directed by something intelligence.

d. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.

Cosmological Argument – This is the modern hybrid version of Aquinas’s argument from cause and motion.

Syllogism:

· Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

· The Universe began to exist.

· Therefore, the Universe had a cause.

Objection:

· If everything must have a first cause then God must have had a cause

· If God had a cause then he cannot be the uncaused cause

· If God didn’t have a cause then not everything needs a cause and the universe can be considered “uncaused” or its own cause.

Teleological Argument – This is the modern and revised version of Aquinas’s design argument.

Syllogism:

	Weak Version	Strong Version
Premise A:	The world shows evidence of a design	The world shows evidence of a design
Premise B:	If the world is designed then it must have a designer.	If the world is designed then it must have a designer.
Conclusion:	Therefore a designer exists.	God is that designer and God must exist.

Objection:

· If the world is so well designed that it requires a designer then God is even more well designed and must have a designer greater than himself.

· If God didn’t need a designer than neither should a less wonderful thing (the universe).

Moral Argument – This is crudely based on the gradation argument of Aquinas but was refined by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity.

Syllogism:

· All people have moral values

· The existence of these values cannot be explained unless they were implanted in people by God.

· Morals exist, therefore God exists.

Objection:

· There is a simpler way to explain morality.

AND

· If moral values came from God then everyone would have the same moral values

· People do not have the same moral values

· Therefore morality did not come from God

Other Arguments

Pascal’s Wager – We can’t know if God exists but if I live as if he does and it turns out that he actually doesn’t exist then I haven’t lost anything. If I live as if he doesn’t exist when he actually does exist then I’ve lost everything. Therefore I should live as if he does exist in case he actually does.

Religious Experience – People claim to have personal experience with God therefore God must exist.

Miracles – Miracles show the presence of a supernatural force (God). Miracles exist therefore God exists.

Conclusion

Many of these arguments have served the church well for centuries. Many are still helpful, insightful, biblical, wise and still hold water. However the primary opponent to Christianity in our day and age is naturalism. Naturalism assumes an anti-theistic worldview that does not allow for supernatural explanations of anything. Many of these arguments are ineffective against this type of thinking because of the pre-determined bias of the opposition. Without addressing that bias the issue is not really being addressed.

Furthermore these arguments, although some of them relatively sound, never point necessarily to Christ. They are arguments for general theism not the God of Christianity (which is our task). A Jew, Muslim or Buddhist could use the cosmological, teleological, moral or ontological argument and simply insert their definition of God so we need to search for an approach to apologetics that will lead us to Christ.

Minor Prophets: Malachi

2011-12-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Malachi: Does it matter how I worship God?

Introduction:

This book is divided six disputes between God and his people. All of the disputes center around the theme of proper worship. They people may or may not have realized that worship was the issue at hand but God saw it that way. In fact I would venture to say due to the rhetorical devices used by God that the people felt somewhat blinded-sided by these accusations. Below are the six disputes broken up by verses. We will not be going through them in order as they are written in chiastic structure so the first section we’ll discuss is dispute 3+4, then 2+5 and finally 1+6.

1) 1:2-5

2) 1:6 – 2:9

3) 2:10 – 16

4) 2:17 – 3:5

5) 3:6-12

6) 3:13 – 4:3

Worship of God involves how we treat other people:

This section is taken from the third and fourth disputes. The first thing we can learn from Malachi is that our worship of God is connected to how we treat other people. Many people think religion or spirituality is our deeply private and inner-most feelings and thoughts about God or ourselves. However this stands in opposition to what the scripture teaches. I won’t toss out any personal aspect of it, it is indeed very personal but it is not merely personal.

Forming and keeping our families - Malachi 2:10-16

The Israelites did not properly worship God with their marriages.

1) God’s people were marrying those who did not worship the Lord (11).

2) God’s people were acting faithlessly in their marriages and getting divorces (16).

True worship of God involves honoring God with our families and commitments.

Acting Justly Toward Our Neighbors - Malachi 2:17-3:5

God accuses the Israelites of violating his established justice with their neighbors. Some are engaged in sorcery, adultery, perjury while others oppress the laborers and widows and other still deprive aliens of justice.

So there are those who are simply committing injustice but there is more to it than that. There are also people who are indifferent to justice. Wanna guess what distinction God makes between committing injustice and being indifferent to justice? Little to none is the answer. If you stand in the way of justice or do not care for the victims of injustice then you are indirectly committing an act of injustice. True worship of God involves acting justly towards those around us.

Worship of God involves what we do with ourselves:

This section is taken from the second and fifth disputes.

Giving our Best – Malachi 1:6-2:9

Here we find that the people had indeed been bringing their tithes and offerings to God. So on the surface at least they appear to be righteous and spiritually aligned. But that is not how God saw it, God saw them bringing whatever they could spare when he asks for their best. In this passage (1:13) God calls out the priests for allowing blemished and less than perfect offerings. Why would they do that? Probably because they thought no one would notice, but they were wrong because God noticed. God is (or is supposed to be) the recipient of these offerings, if you don’t think he’s paying attention than what (or who) is the offering actually for? Don’t try to impress others with your offering to God; offerings to God are for God.

Giving our All – Malachi 3:6-12

There are two things required in giving our all to God (at least as it’s meant in this passage). First, by all I mean your whole life. Your offering is not the only part of your life you give to God. Many of us try that though. We think we can partition off part of our time and money and give it to God and that will appease him. Would that work in a marriage? Spending an hour a week with the person and giving them some leftover money? Because marriage is the way God describes his relationship to us in multiple places.

Secondly we need to get in touch with the true God. God reveals himself in scripture and provides us with objective truth about his nature and character. We must seek to know this God and not some God of our culture and times or God of our personal desires or God of what some guy on TV said God is. For example if I said that I know Tom Cruise personally someone might question me about that. If I then said Tom Cruise has blonde hair you would certainly doubt me. What if I then proceeded to say, “Well that’s what Tom Cruise is like for me”? Would you conclude that I really know the real Tom Cruise? What if I seemed really earnest and sincere in my belief? Similarly, if someone says they know God but don’t live, act and think like they know the one true God then it is reasonable to doubt their belief. However I’m not giving this lesson for you to analyze other people but yourself. If you say you know the one true and living God how does it appear in your life?

Giving your all means giving every aspect of your life to the one true God.

Worship of God involves how we approach God:

Understanding God – Malachi 1:1-5

This really stems from the last thing we talked about. Getting to know the true God and understanding Him. We cannot simply project a random image into the sky and worship it, we must get in touch with the one true God.

Fearing God – Malachi 3:13-4:3

This explains our need for true reverence for God. Francis Chan believes that these passages about fearing God are not merely about reverence and I would have to concur but they are no less than that. Part of worshipping God is putting him in his proper place and ourselves in our proper place. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector that Jesus taught about show the contrast in those who fear and do not fear. Worshipping God with fear means not doing so with disrespect, distrust or arrogance.

Hoping in God – Malachi 4:4-6

Last but not least our worship of God should convey the hope we have in God. Notice that the book (and the Old Testament) ends with the phrase “or else”, it also begins that way back in the Garden of Eden. There are remarkable things in these last verses. God also calls his people to reflect on the Moses and Elijah, these same two figures are present at the transfiguration in the Gospels. But I digress… ultimately our hope is in God. We hope in Him because we trust in him and we trust because he has revealed himself to be good.

Conclusion, Jesus & the Gospel

Clearly in this last book of the Old Testament it showed that God cares deeply about how he’s worshipped. Did all of this end on page later in the New Testament? Does God still care? Do we act like he still cares? How do you worship? Do you just sing songs and stay awake through a sermon? Do you even do that much?

Ultimately I believe God is most glorified in the proclamation of His gospel. When His one, true, authentic and objective gospel is presented he receives all the glory. There is no room for us to boast. This is why I am so personally insistent on churches proclaiming the gospel every time they gather.

How is the gospel present in Malachi? How isn’t it? The simplest explanation would be to go to the very beginning where God shows that he has loved and gifted the people with mercy and grace before they did their actions and he continues to do it in spite of their disobedience and half-heartedness. This is the good news, God loves first. He loves, gives, sacrifices and pours out mercy and grace while we are still sinners!

How is Jesus foreshadowed here? Quite simply we need a better priest. Jesus, according to Hebrews, is our ultimate high priest. He brings proper offering to God on our behalf and we receive the blessing. Not only do the Jewish people receive a better high priest but chapter 1 verse 5 foreshadows that God will redeem people of all nations (beyond the border of Israel).

Minor Prophets - Zechariah

2011-12-06T06:45:00.001-08:00

Zechariah: Does God Give Second Chances?

Intro:

The first thing you’ll notice about Zechariah is that it is massive (at least in comparison to our other Minor Prophets). In it are 14 chapters containing a series of eight visions, two sermons and two oracles. There are many themes present and we’ll dive into it soon. The only thing that really needs to be noted upfront is that this book is also post-exilic meaning that the Jews had returned from their captivity in Babylon. He wrote about the same time as Haggai so they are facing similar struggles.

God Will Give a Second Chance through His Rule (1-6)

God begins this book with a call to repentance. He highlights the faults of the people’s forefathers and contrasts them with God.

"Return to me and I will return to you”
This phrase alone implies that there not only will be a second chance offered from God but here it is now!

This section discussing God’s rule is a series of eight visions. They are

The Man among the Myrtle Trees – 1:8-17
Four Horns and Four Craftsmen 1-:18-21
A Man with a Measuring Line – Ch. 2
Clean Garments for the High Priest – Ch. 3
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees – Ch. 4
The Flying Scroll – 5:1-4
The Woman in a Basket – 5:5-11
Four Chariots – 6:1-8

Visions one, four, five and eight picture the defeat of all opposition to God’s rule (both internal and external). Meanwhile two and three show God purging the world of those who oppose his people. Chapters six and seven show God purging the sin from His own people. When you stick all the pieces of this puzzle together the picture that is clear is God purifying His people and the world and establishing the reign of his Priest-King. The idea is that one day the whole world will be ruled by God (6:5).

We should all love this chapter because unlike most of the Bible this section doesn’t tell us to do anything. Instead it tells us what God will do and what we are to be expecting and hoping for.

God Will Give a Second Chance through His Word (7-8)

There are essentially two different sermons offered here.

Chapter 7
Chapter 7 offers more of a negative reinforcement mindset, it ties closely to the idea of God purifying his own people. In verses 11-12 he says that the people would not listen to his law or his Word. This is a point where this ties to us directly, where do you personally reject God’s word? We’d like to hear things that make us feel good but we don’t gain much from those things do we? God examines our actions and our motives for those actions and so we ought to be considering those things as well. God’s word to us is a second chance that he offers us.

Chapter 8
Chapter 8 is much happier than chapter 7. The first sermon is about the terrible consequences that had overtaken the people because they ignored God’s word. The second sermon in chapter 8 is about how God will reestablish his people according to his grace. He gives them a new beginning and a fresh start or in other words, a second chance.
As I said earlier Zechariah is really not a prophecy about what we should do but there are two exceptions found in these chapters. The first is chapter 7:9-10 and the other is chapter 8:16-17. God makes it very clear how he feels about our behavior and that it does matter but the book is more about what God is doing and what he will do in the world than it is about anything we do.
So the only thing that is truly commanded of us here is that we as a people would be marked by truth and love. What are some things we can do to practice these things?

Commit to being actively honest with one another by confessing sins, shortcomings and struggles. Individualism starves the soul. In order to be a community committed to truth and love we must actually be part of a community which means being vulnerable. (Modern marriage is like two ticks without a dog)

Learning about other people’s lives challenges us to live more like God would have us live. There are great Christian biographies available in bookstores and libraries as well as in the Bible. A few of my favorites would be St. Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther and Jonathon Edwards.

Pray for one another. Many times we turn prayer into an individualistic activity where we just pray for what we want. But what if you prayed for a full week without praying for yourself at all? How would that change the way you think? How do you know what to pray for with others? You have to ASK them!

God Will Give a Second Chance through His Son (12-14)

This section consists of two oracles. Tonight I’m going to skip our section at the end where we try to find Jesus and the Gospel in the book because its so blatant in this book. If you haven’t picked up on it already, its going to slap you in the face right here. It is probably why Zechariah is the most quoted Old Testament book in the Gospel’s account of the crucifixion.

Both oracles begin with the promise of judgment on Israel’s enemies (9:1-8; 12:1-9). Next both point to One who would come. In the first oracle he is called Israel’s “king”, the “LORD,” and a shepherd (9:9; 14-16; 11:4-9). The first oracle ends with the shepherd-king being detested by the flock: they reject him (11:8). This person is also rejected in the second oracle except he is pierced and struck in this one (12:10; 13:7). However the second oracle doesn’t end with this, instead it describes the celebration of the day of the Lord and the consummation of the kingdom.

The Doctrines That Must Be Emphasized In Successful Evangelism

2011-11-29T07:23:00.001-08:00

This is from Torrey's "The Fundamentals", chapter 41 is incredible. I have highlighted, underlined, marked and filled this chapter with notes this morning. It's messing me up right now, this guy was teaching ahead of his time because this is far more relevant today than it was when he taught it....

Minor Prophets: Haggai

2011-11-27T16:56:00.001-08:00

Haggai: Are your Investments Sound?

Introduction:

So let’s give a little history here. God promised David in 2 Samuel chapter 7 that a temple would be built for his people by David’s son Solomon and it was in 1 Kings Chapter 5. Then the Lord predicted that the temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in Isaiah 44(which it was). When the Babylonians took Jerusalem they destroyed the temple and took the people away (2 Kings 25). Now the people have been brought back from exile and have returned to their land yet in nearly 20 years they have failed to rebuild the temple.

The book of Haggai is divided into four separate sermons which he delivered at different times as the word of God came to him. Each sermon begins roughly with the phrase, “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet”.

Sermon 1: Poor Investments Show Themselves - 1:1-15

So as we see from the text the people have become somewhat lethargic and have not rebuilt the temple despite being back in the land for quite some time. Some people resist building it, some people want to wait for the messiah, some people think they just don’t have the money. In fact many were convinced that they did not have the resources they needed to finish the temple but Haggai points out to them that they have provided much comfort for themselves (1:4,9). Yet their homes were all nicely finished and the temple remained bare.

Haggai goes on to say, “You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” The problem here is not that they have a lack of resources but a lack of priority, rebuilding God’s temple simply doesn’t matter to them. This is a problem because it matters to God but not his people. Why does it matter to God? Thats a fair question, why would God care about a temple being rebuilt? Haggai gives a few reasons and a few perspectives…

God’s standpoint: God says it would please him and honor him
People’s standpoint: It would a public statement from the people that they still wanted and valued God; it would show him to be a higher priority than the other things they spent their time and money on.
Nation’s standpoint: It would show the other nations that the God of Israel had not gone away when Jerusalem fell. The temple was a symbol of God living among the Israelites and not abandoning them.

The theme of this first sermon is that where you invest your time, energy and money matter to God. They are the gauge by which you can assess your spiritual maturity and your relationship with God. Every hour of every day we invest our lives into something. The question is what? What do you invest your life in? What will the return be on that investment? Or in the words of Mumford and Sons, “Where you invest your love, you invest your life”.

God tells his people that these investment strategies must be corrected in order to be in right relationship with him. What are some ways that we can have “sound investments” with our lives? What does it look like to invest ourselves in God?

Study the Word of God. The Bible is God’s primary way of speaking to us and correcting us. If you ignore his primary line of communication you’re going to have a strained relationship at best.
Consider God’s Character. Actually think and focus on what God is like especially in contrast to yourself. It is humbling but will give you the proper perspective with God.
Pray for God to stir affection for him. Pray also that you’d be disaffected toward your sin.
Seek out the wisdom and leadership of godly individuals around you. Bible study,God-ward meditation, prayer, counsel and conviction will be a good investment of your time.

Sermon 2-4: Sound Investments Prove Themselves in Their Returns

Sermon 2: This is the text from chapter 2:1-9. God encourages his people and promises them many blessings that ultimately culminate in Christ. Verse 9 specifically is the promise of the greater glory which is Christ and his Church.

Sermon 3: In this sermon (2:10-19) God promises blessings to the people even though they are defiled. He explains through metaphor how the defilement is spreading through the people yet he is determined to bless them anyway. The metaphor might be a bit confusing but essentially it just shows that defilement spreads much easier than holiness.

Sermon 4: In this final sermon (2:20-23) God promises spiritual blessings. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah and God promised to him a signet ring. A signet ring was a ring given from a king to a minister to convey the king’s confidence and give authority to that man. This passage clearly points to Jesus and if that weren’t clear then look at Matthew 1:12 where it identifies that Jesus is the descendent of Zerubbabel.

Christ/the Gospel in Haggai

Everything in this book points somewhat blatantly to Jesus. Christ is our ultimate investment. Christ is the physical blessing received by undeserving people, he is the ultimate glory promised from God, he is the infinite spiritual blessing and reign of God.

As far as the gospel goes, does this book teach a works-based righteousness? It may seem that way at first because God is demanding the building of a temple but when you dig a little deeper you see that God blesses his people despite their works and he grants them mercy instead of justice not because of their actions but because of their faith.

Minor Prophets: Zephaniah

2011-11-21T07:37:00.001-08:00

Zephaniah: What’s there to be thankful for?

Intro: What we really look at in Zephaniah is the theme of sinful human pride both in God’s people and in the world.

5 Attributes of God’s character

God alone is God – 1:1-12

God gives condemnation religious pluralism. Pluralism is the idea that more than one religious path is correct. In modern terms it would be accepting Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism as all equally true.
Reflect on why religious pluralism might play into or come from our sinful nature.

In our sinful condition many of us would like to "cherry-pick" God's character for what we like. If we like Christianity's idea of grace we'll accept that but when we read about God's justice in the Bible we like to overlook that so we look to another religion that will tell us what we want to hear about that.

God lists specific condemnations for those who worship other Gods and turn their back on the one true God.

V4 – Those who worship Baal
V5 – Those who worship Milcom
V6 – Those who turn their back
V7+8 – Those who array themselves in foreign attire

The Israelites were doing wrong things in the name of being more inclusive, respectful and open. The result was syncretism. Instead of creating a dialogue with other cultures and religions the religious leaders of Israel simply compromised their own beliefs to accommodate and incorporate other religions.

I do not think the Israelites were wrong in their desire to be more inclusive, respectful and open of other cultures and religions, they simply missed the mark in executing it. It is an earnest desire of many Christians to be seen as and to act in ways that are more inclusive and respectful.

Reflect on some ways as Christians we can be inclusive, respectful and open without compromising the God we worship?

God is active – 1:10-13

This passage reminds us that the God of the Bible is not the God of deism.
In verse 12 God says, "I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, 'The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.'" God corrects this misguided thinking by telling them exactly what he thinks of their behavior and what the end result will be. God is active in this world.
God does not tolerate complacency.
Wealth and apparent prosperity will not hide a person from God’s judgment. Many people thought they were secure because they were wealthy (put their trust in money rather than God), thought they looked busy and could fool God (God is not deceived by wealth) or they thought God simply didn't care what they did (God is not apathetic).
In short, God is active in our world and we should be too.

God is merciful and just – 1:14-2:3

You can’t have mercy without some standard of justice. God is firmly committed to justice and it is a good thing for us that he is just.
God also is merciful and he pours out his mercy on his people. The purpose of him declaring judgment here in Zephaniah is so that people will turn to God. That by itself is an act of mercy, God is well within his right to act immediately and without warning but he mercifully extends a warning.

God is judge of all the world – 2:4-3:8

The judgments in chapter 1 are against his own people the next is that God judges the world.
This is shocking to pluralists who think God is just the God of Israel but by declaring judgments on the whole world, God shows that he is judge of the entire world not just one nation, culture or people.

God is the savior of His people – 3:9-20

Here we get a glimpse of God’s character. Behind all the wrath and justice is a heart that cries out to his people. He rejoices when they repent and return.
The language in 3:16-17 is similar to Jesus’ parables in Luke 15 (about lost stuff)
It is in this conclusion that God assures the righteous that they will not be put to shame for the wrongs they have done to him.

"Sin is an act of cosmic treason" - R.C. Sproul
Sin is not simply breaking a rule, its a violation of our relationship with God. It is the personal wrongdoing and harming of God. Most of us do not see sin in this way, we don't realize that we have personally offended God. But God says that the faithful will not be put to shame even though they rebel against him!

Those who are too proud to come will be removed and the Lord will be in our midst. He will be the savior of his people and he will be with his people.

Gospel in Zephaniah

Our final task as always is to see how this prophet points towards, foreshadows, necessitates and is fulfilled by Jesus and the revelation of the gospel.

Repentance – The gospel is built on the foundation of repentance. God allows sinners from all nations and peoples the opportunity to repent.
Not saved by religious rule-keeping. It may seem this way when you see the way that God denounces certain behavior but we learn at the end that even the righteous ones have committed acts of rebellion against God. It is therefore not their rule-keeping that has kept them safe but their faith. This interpretation is aided by the New Testament yet is consistent with the internal message of the book.
Once again the wrath of God is a theme in the book and this points to the need for the propitiation provided by Christ on the cross.

More thoughts on preaching

2011-11-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Who knew preaching the Bible could work?
http://www.ordinarypastor.com/?p=9195

Not Rick Warren as he says its an ineffective model for spiritual growth...
http://www.ordinarypastor.com/?p=1325

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Minor Prophets: Habakkuk

2011-11-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Habakkuk: How Can I Be Happy?

Intro:
As has become custom in this series we don’t know much about Habakkuk but we can pick up a lot of his character from this book. It’s one of the few Minor Prophets where the prophet himself is a main character.
This one is different from the other prophets because God does not offer a chance for repentance. Judgment is imminent this time. There will be no chance to repent and avert God’s judgment like with the other prophets. This time it is coming and the Israelites need to prepare for it.

It’s a very unique book because it is short and there is no narrative, it’s just a conversation between Habakkuk and God. It doesn’t really give us the details we’d like surrounding the conversation or even how God spoke to him, was it a dream? A burning bush? We have no idea but here’s the conversation…

Habakkuk’s Complaint # 1 (verses 1:2-4)

Why don’t you answer me?
Don’t’ you care that your people are corrupt?
The law is paralyzed and justice never goes fourth?

God’s Response #1 (verses 1:5-1-:11)

I see the injustice and I’m going to use the Chaldeans to wipe out the injustice of my people
The Chaledeans are as mean and nasty as they come, they’ll definitely be able to wipe out the stuff you’re complaining about

Habakkuk’s Complaint # 2 (verses 1:12-17)

You wouldn’t do that, the Babylonians are even more unjust than the Israelites.
You’re not being consistent with your own character; I know you and you wouldn’t do that.

God’s Response #2

There are three groups in play here:

The wicked
The Babylonians
The righteous (remnant of Judah)

The Babylonians will indeed wipe out the wicked from among Israel.
The righteous shall live by faith
Woes to the Babylonians

2:6-8 – Those who plunder others will themselves be plundered
2:9-11 – Those who sought security in material possessions and economic gains at the expense of others.
2:12-14 – Pronounces judgment on the ruthless but futile efforts of the tyrant to perpetuate his fame.
2:15-17 – Judgment on Babylon’s sadistic and humiliating treatment of others
2:18-20 – Denounces idolatry

Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk wrestles with the power and sovereignty of God, reflecting on what he has done and what he is capable of. He then accepts the Lord’s plan with fear and humility.
In verse 17 he projects a grim future for an agricultural economy yet...
He concludes with rejoicing in the Lord, TRUSTing in Him for his salvation and taking joy in his salvation.
Verse 19 shows his total dependence on God’s sovereignty

Conclusion:
Essentially what we have here is a pretty righteous guy complaining to God about all the unrighteousness around him. I’ve got to say I can relate to an extent because I get very frustrated with the practices of the American church and my nation in general. What if God came to you and said, “You know you’re right, I’m going to wipe out the injustice in American and I’m going to use Iran or China to do it”. I think most of us would respond like Habakkuk and say, “hang on God, I agree something needs to be done but you can’t use the less righteous to judge us”.

Here’s the question of the night: Would you be able to come to peace with our country being destroyed if you knew it was the will of God? This is where our title question comes from, the complete question is, “how can I be happy when it seems God doesn’t care?” That’s the question Habakkuk struggled with, go back to his first complaint and he was unhappy about the injustice but he seemed even more unhappy with God and his inaction.

Habakkuk eventually showed some growth and maturity in his understanding of God. From what I can tell he never really understood exactly what God was doing or why (although he got some clarity). Ultimately he accepted that God was beyond him and that he needed to trust in God’s goodness. This faith or trust is a tricky concept because it’s hard to trust in what you don’t understand but that is part of faith. So while trusting in God is an act of faith it’s not a “blind leap of faith” we have countless testimonies to His goodness, the Bible is full of them and the Church is full of them.

Jesus and the Gospel in Habakkuk
This book foreshadows the gospel in a few ways. First and foremost Habakkuk is greatly in need of a mediator between himself and God for understanding (1 Timothy 2:5). Secondly the book hits right at the heart of the gospel in its central point that the righteous shall live by faith. It doesn’t outline that as articulately as the New Testament but the central thesis is still present, the righteous have always lived by faith but in the New Testament we learn that it is faith that makes on righteous.

Final Thought
Finally, to answer the question we can be happy because Christians do not build their hope in this side of the grave. If this world were all that mattered then we would be utterly distraught when we read about the destruction of nations so while we are to love this world as God’s creation and care for it, it is not the ultimate ends. Ultimately we are to take pleasure, joy and hope in God and his goodness, justice and holiness.

What is a sermon?

2011-10-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Why do you ask?
So this is the first part of rambling I'll be doing on determining "what is a sermon?" It rises partially from my own curiosity but mostly because I engage in a lot of conversations where I make certain classifications and demarcations about the nature of a sermon. People have asked me "what did you think of that sermon?" and I'll say, "it was a good talk but it wasn't a sermon". I say that not to be pretentious (although I'm prone to that) but because I have a very fine definition of what a sermon is and ought to be. So then the question is "what is a sermon?" and that's what I'll try to answer and distinguish...

"Those in the pulpit face the pressing temptation to deliver some message other than that of the Scriptures- a political system, a theory of economics, a new religious philosophy, old religious slogans, or a trend in psychology. Ministers can proclaim anything in a stained-glass voice at 11:30 on Sunday morning following the singing of hymns. Yet when they fail to preach the Scriptures, they abandon their authority. No longer do they confront their hearers with a word from God. That is why most modern preaching evokes little more than a wide yawn. God is not in it." - Haddon W. Robinson from Biblical Preaching

Expository Preaching
I'm reluctant to even use the term "expository preaching" as if there were another kind of preaching. In his book "He is Not Silent" Al Mohler says, "Let's be clear. According to the Bible, exposition is preaching. And preaching is exposition." He goes on to ask if you were to sit in a random evangelical church on any given Sunday what are the chances you would hear an expository sermon? Based on my experience I'd say about 5%. I'm commonly identified as a pessimist so perhaps 5% is low but I try to listen to at least one sermon every day of the week and I pick different churches from around town and prominent national churches and it is a rarity that I find an expository sermon.

What is an expository sermon? Simply put its when a preacher selects a text from scripture and draws meaning out of it and delivers it to the audience. Wait, isn't that what everyone does? No and here is why. When you listen to a sermon try to ask yourself "where is this point coming from?" If you can't see the point clearing flowing from the passage at hand then you have your answer. Often times preachers have points and agendas they'd like to communicate, most of the time they're not bad points or bad agendas and more often than not they're even biblically sound ideas. Instead of looking at the text and asking "what is here?" the preacher has likely looked at the text and said, "what can I get out of it?" That is a small but subtle importance, some may even say hairsplitting but small distinctions are often the most important. As Demetri Martin once said, "there is a small but important difference between peeing in the pool and being into the pool". (sorry for the irreverent humor)

Recently I heard a pastor admit in his sermon (although he didn't understand the implications of what he was saying) that the scripture he had been given that morning perfectly illustrated his point. Here is the fatal flaw: scripture does not serve to illustrate the pastor's point, scripture is the point. While this pastor didn't realize what he was admitting to I think he was more self-aware than most pastors who manipulate the text in that way. The err lies in the neglect of this principle, the power of a sermon comes from the Word of God to the people of God. When you assume the power lies anywhere other than the biblical text then you have tried to usurp the power of God's word. While I firmly believe that last statement I do not think that 1 in a 1000 pastors intentionally undermines the word of God. I believe what happens is people want to give shortcuts to inspiration, we find a book that moves us or have an experience that inspires us and we think that will move and inspire others in the same way. It may very well do so but it will never move and inspire the same way as the word of God.

In short, the point of your sermon had better be the point of the scripture being read otherwise you're not practicing exegesis and if you're not practicing exegesis you're sermon will not be expository and if you're sermon isn't expository then its not a sermon.

What is the role of the preacher?
This is a question I've wrestled with a lot. John Calvin was an outstanding expository preacher who moved through the bible verse by verse so people could always see his point and where his point came from. I can't find any citation for it but he is often known to have said something to the effect of, "for every minute I spend talking about me, that's one less minute I talk about Christ". That is an idea I've taken very seriously, perhaps too seriously.

My goal in teaching and preaching used to be to never talk about me but only focus on the text, while I still see the value in that I think there is an underlying fallacy. The fallacy is that God must deliver the sermon in spite of me rather than working through me. Calvin's point remains intact but while I must be careful not to shift the sermon to being about me or my experience there is still value in sharing how God's word has changed my life.

While the pastor's task is to exegete the text the pastor is far more than a commentator. Commentators provide an understanding of the text and sermons MUST provide that but the sermon does more than understand it also applies the text. The application is where the pastor can share personal testimony and a good pastor will process the point of the text from the perspective of each possible person in the audience. Of course all of this must be done after thoroughly reading the text. Once you have the point of a passage you can then ask, "what would this text mean to a 15 year old guy?" or "what would it mean to a single mom in her 30s?" or "what does this text mean for a retired couple in their 80s". That is the crucial work of the pastor and it is so often neglected. But first and foremost the preacher must understand the text he wishes to apply and so must his audience.

Can a sermon be topical?
Short answer: No.

Here's my problem with most topical sermons, they don't actually rely on scripture. They use lots of scripture but they don't rely on it for their point. Most mega-churches I've been to will do topical series with very good information in them however if you took "God", "Jesus", "Holy Spirit" and the Bible out of their message all of their points would remain untouched. That is a serious problem. If I can preach a sermon on managing money well and the message could be equally powerful without invoking God or scripture then I haven't really preached a sermon have I?

The second reason I dislike topical preaching is because I believe it lowers biblical literacy for an entire church body. If I preach through Ephesians for a month then the people listening are forced to look at Ephesians for a month and they will begin to become familiar with the text and the theme of it. If I preach a message on marriage and pull a quote from Ephesians, Corinthians, Exodus and Song of Solomon then the people listening likely did not learn any of those books in a memorable way, instead they took away MY point about marriage. Congregations who aren't subjected to expository preaching are far less likely to be biblically literate.

Matt Chandler sarcastically remarked one time, "I have no problem with topical preaching...as long as its done exegetically". I'm inclined to agree with him.

Does the Gospel need to be present in every sermon?
Short answer: Yes. Does that mean every sermon has to have an alter call? Of course not (in fact Presbyterians don't even have an alter to call people to).

When I tell people that the gospel needs to be present in every sermon I'm almost always misunderstood because people don't understand what the gospel is. People think "the gospel" is an evangelism tool when in reality it is the most fundamental and defining belief in the Christian faith. The gospel changes everything. The gospel changes the way you think, act, live and love. It is the light by which the Old Testament is read and the foundation on which the New Testament is written. By that understanding how could the gospel not be present in every sermon?

If the point of your sermon doesn't hinge on the gospel then its not a sermon, it may be a Sunday school lesson, inspiring talk or motivational speech but it is not a sermon unless the gospel changes the message.

-------------------------------------------
Anyway thats the first part of my rant, there is more coming (eventually) but let me know what you think. Call me out if I'm wrong or vague on anything there is certainly some conjecture here but I feel its warranted and would be happy to elaborate on anything.

Minor Prophets: Micah

2011-10-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Micah: What Does God Want?

I) Sentence of God upon both idolatrous kingdoms – 1:1-16
This introduction should look familiar to us from the other Minor Prophets. There is very little information about Micah himself and then straight into the wrath. We know relatively little about Micah except that he was likely a contemporary of Isaiah so that should give you an idea of the time frame. Our first subsection here is 1:1-4. This section is God promising to crush Israel’s pride because of broken law. The next subsection is punishment for idolatry and the destruction of Samaria (1:5-7). Finally we have lament over the coming Assyrian invasion (1:8-16).

II) Bill of particulars: oppression by upper classes, 2:1-3:12 In this section we see the list of particular things that God has a problem with. I think these are particularly relevant or at least relatable for us. The first is the exploitation of the lower class by the lazy and idle rich. In the Bible the term “woe” is to proclaim their funeral so when it says “woe to those” it is announcing the end of the time for those groups or individuals. There are plenty of woes here because there are lots of things wrong with these people

(2:1-13) first is the exploitation of lower classes by the rich. This is a very real problem that still goes on but over and over again it must be said that God does not hate the rich. Wealth and prosperity are blessings from God, those blessings are meant for you to serve and bless other with them. When you exploit your position you’ve misused a gift of God. This displeases God and it still goes on today as much if not more than it did back then. This is the general thrust of the “Occupy” movement. Whether you agree with them or not they feel that the rich in this country have exploited their position. I certainly acknowledge that some of that goes on and something does need to be done about it yet on the same week we saw Carl Linder die and he was a man who used his wealth to better our city by giving away millions of dollars.
(3:1-4) secondly the government had become a devourer instead of a defender of its citizens. I hope the language in this section is poetic but it could very well be literal. This type of oppression rises time and time again all over the world. Since I mentioned the occupy movement I have to mention the “other side” of popular protest movements in our day and that is the tea party. I don’t endorse either of these movements but I do acknowledge that both have a point. The tea party sees our government as a devourer of wealth, comfort and security. I think our government, just as any government, can be wasteful in certain areas and needs to be accountable to the people. But it is interesting that the issues in Micah’s time were the rich oppressing the poor and the government misusing its position (two things we still struggle with today).
(3:5-8) Third, Micah shows the contrast between the corrupt state religion and the power and the message of God-fearing preachers. “Religion” is fake, dogmatic, legalistic, moralistic, harsh, judgmental and manipulative; it oppresses the poor, shields the rich, deceives the people and leads people away from God. That is not the faith God calls us to and so he denounces false prophets who live like this. In short the message here is if you’re not caring for the poor then you’re not a prophet from God. I won’t get into any more modern tangents suffice it to say we have issues with corrupt institutionalized religion in our day. This section ends with 3:9-12 which gives the final denouncement of these three groups.

III) Ultimate triumph of God's grace - 4:1-5:15 Our next section here focuses on the future coming Messianic triumph of the kingdom of God over the world. That is something we firmly believe in and we believe are in the midst of, Jesus is the Messiah this passage points to and he spent his time on earth establishing his Kingdom and will finish it when he returns (4:1-8). He then tells them what all will take place before the time is fulfilled: suffering, exile, restoration, judgment upon heathen neighbors (4:9-13). This next subsection is a description of the one who will usher in this kingdom. The divine-human Victor who shall bring this to pass, defending His flock, destroying the world powers will be born in Bethlehem (hint hint verse 2) (5:1-6). Finally he addresses the triumph of Israel after humbling and purging from idolatry (5:7-15).

IV. God's controversy with ungrateful Israel - 6:1-16 Next we move to the section where God offers his indictment and then a call to repentence. He summons to the Northern Kingdom to respond to God in view of His exodus mercies (6:1-5) He then elaborates on what the appropriate response should be or in other words “here is what repentance should look like”. Response of an awakened conscience: holy living must accompany valid worship; yet Israel is still dishonest and oppressive (6:6-13). He then issues a final warning about the failure to repent will be followed by a crop failure; the policy of alliance with unbelievers is to be discredited (6:14-16).

V. Fulfillment of covenant promise to the faithful remnant 7:1-20 Our final section offers a lament of true Israel over prevalence of selfishness and shameful corruption in their own land (7:1-6). He shows that true Israel's continued trust in God's mercy (7:7-10). And finally he projects the promise into the future of the triumph of the messiah for all time (7:11-20). If you don’t see Christ in this book then I’ve failed you. He is the promised solution to the injustice and evil in this world. He is the founder and builder of the eternal kingdom that’s promised. He’s the human leader born in Bethlehem that will usher in that eternal kingdom.

Minor Prophets Bibliography

2011-10-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

For those who are curious here are the books I've been using thus far...

The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever

Minor Prophets, The: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary by Thomas Edward McComiskey

Hosea--micah: Interpretation: a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching by James Limburg

Interpreting the Prophets by James Luther Mays (Author), Paul J. Achtemeier (Editor)

The Reformation Study Bible

Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture

The Literary Study Bible: ESV by Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken

Minor Prophets: Amos

2011-09-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

Amos: Does God Care?

Introduction
Tonight we’re going to look at the book of Amos and see what he has to say. There are so many themes running through each book that it’s difficult to reduce it to a “theme” without robbing it of its meaning but we’ll attempt to look at through the lens of “Does God care?” The belief that God cares about us is a distinctive of the Christian faith especially back in the Greco-Roman era where stoicism consumed much of the religious thought. The Bible has always taught about a God who is deeply involved with human affairs and deeply concerned with the human condition.

So real quick, who is Amos? We’ll learn from the text that he was a farmer and seemed to be perfectly content being a farmer. He was called by God to be a prophet despite not having any particular desire for the job. He was from Judah and called to prophesy to Israel, that gave him an outsider’s voice and perspective (albeit not a welcomed one). Amos prophesied during one of the most prosperous eras in the history of Israel so his prophesy had a sense of unexpectedness much like that of an earthquake which was prophesied in the first verse.

We’ll break the book into three sections that will be “the Judge and the judged”, “the focus of God’s judgment” and “the cause of God’s judgment”. With those three things we’ll roughly cover the entire book although I do recommend that you read it in its entirety on your own.

The Judge and the Judged
The characters of Amos are basically just God and Amos. The rest of the people addressed are people groups. As is the case in the entire Bible, God is the main character of the book with Amos playing a minor role in delivering God’s word to his people.

The Judge(1:1-2; 3:3-8)
The book opens with God “roaring”, that’s typically a word associated with a mighty force. Either a lion, battle, waterfall or storm. This is not a mere passing thought from God as he cares deeply about the matters at hand. He is a God who roars!

God’s word is delivered to his people under such a banner and is presented in the form of rhetorical questions. In section 3:3-8 the rhetoric shows that God has announced his judgment and his judgment has an inevitable conclusion. God make a variety of claims here some more poetic/rhetorical than others but in verse 6 he asks, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” Yet God says his plans have been revealed to them through Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. and nothing that happens does so without it first being revealed. By this I take it to mean that he is taking away our card of God being “unfair” (as if we had that card anyway).

The Judged (1:3-3:2)
Just like in Joel there are two groups that will be judged, the nations and God’s people. This was unexpected by most people as they completely agreed with Amos that God’s judgment would fall on the nations and were probably welcoming it. Amos become unpopular though as be shared God’s judgment on the people of Israel.

Notice that when God judges the nation his primary concern is for cruelty against human beings. The political possession of territory isn’t want concerns him but the cruelty with which people are treated by their authorities is what provokes his anger.

Compare verses 1:3 and 2:4, Amos makes Israel sound like it’s just another nation. That alone would have been disturbing to the people but he goes on. He says that they have rejected the law of the Lord and have been led astray by false gods. God shows here through Amos that God’s people are not above criticism. God accuses Israel of sins of economic and religious oppression. The righteous, the needy and the poor had been abused. The purpose of this judgment (as in any judgment) is to put an end to the social injustice that had inhabited the land.

What we can take from this section is that everyone is judged by God. Even those of us who are sure that we’re in good with God will still be judged by God. As Christians we have assurance of the outcome of our judgment but that does not make us exempt from the decrees of God.

The Focus of God's Judgment (3:6-9 – 6:14)
His People (3:9-15; 6:8-14)
God gives a surprising judgment to his people, when we look at 3:9-10 we see that the enemies of Israel is who God calls on to be witnesses of the wrongdoing of Israel. God warns that he will be thorough in his judgment and tear down all of Israel’s sinful altars as well as mansions.

The main characterization of the people was self-indulgence. They thought they deserved everything and were exceedingly prideful (6:13). It is interesting how much this type of thinking leads to sin. Pride is the source of many sins especially idolatry. But simply put; Israel had become proud and God was going to humble them.

Their Leaders (4:1-3; 6:1-7)
Amos calls the leading women of Samaria “cows” (which by the way is still not an ok thing to say to women) although he does not do it because of their appearance but because of their lazy, luxurious and self-indulgent lifestyle (6:1-7).

Israel’s notable men were condemned because they were using people for their own ends.

Good leadership is a gift of God for the blessing of the people. Leaders are meant to be a means of God’s blessing but when they fail to serve their role they can harm people rather than serve and bless them. In what ways do you experience good leadership and in what ways are you a leader? Do you use your leadership opportunities to bless others or to bless yourself? Do people led by you feel blessed?

Their Religion (4:4 – 5:27)
Israel’s sense of religion allowed them to sin yet feel a sense of God’s favor (a deadly combination). They loved their sin and they loved their religion so they manufactured a way to have both. They made idols for themselves and designed ways to prosper at great cost to others.

God warns the people by threatening them with a lack of material things (4:6-11). They are told to “seek the Lord and live” (5:4-6). Their religion was false and did not bear the intended fruit. What was true then is true today. There is no such thing as a saving faith that does not produce works. If your religion (no matter what you call it “Christian”, “Muslim”, etc.) allows you to take advantage of the poor, oppress the righteous, obstruct justice and ignore God’s warning then it is a false religion and one worthy of judgment.

The Character and Cause of God's Judgment (Chapters 7-9)
The Character of God's Judgment (Chapters 7 and 9)
The character of God’s judgment is described in three ways, merciful, just and certain.

Mercy – At the beginning of chapter 7 God gives Amos vision of judgment including locusts and fire but then promises (twice) that “This will not happen (verse 3 and 6”. Why then does God bother with the visions? God shows Amos what the sins of Israel truly deserved but because he is merciful he spares them that.

Not only that but God promises that the long night of judgment will end, in 9:11-15 he promises the end of judgment and the restoration of the people. Verse 11 is cited in the New Testament as a prophecy about Christ. Jesus was in David’s lineage so restoring the prosperity of David to an even greater degree. Part of this prophecy is fulfilled in Christ’s work on the cross and the rest will be fulfill in his second coming.

Justice - God gives Amos a vision of a plumb line here. A plumb line was used to show whether a wall was perfectly vertical or not. You would add a weighted object to one end of a string and drop it down the wall and it would become obvious if the wall was straight or not. Amos knew that the “wall” of Israel was so crooked it could not be corrected. This illustrates that God judges fairly and justly, all that should be destroyed will be destroyed. We can trust in his perfect discernment (9:8).

Certainty – God promises in 7:10-17 and in 9:1-6 that judgment will certainly and inevitably come. These aren’t empty vain words but promises from the all-powerful creator of the universe to a people that are corrupt and sinful. God is patient, he is merciful and he is just and he can and will act.

The Cause of God's Judgment (Chapter 8)
In chapter 8:1-10 we get a picture of the cause for God’s judgment. And in verses 11-12 we hear a terrible judgment which is the promise that they will no longer hear the words of the Lord. We have an incredible gift of being able to read God’s word so readily and freely in this day and age but when our most important revelation about life and everything come from his Word then it would be the worst possible judgment to lose his word. He tells the people that on their trajectory they will no longer hear the word of the Lord from prophets like Hosea or Amos.

Conclusion
In Amos we see the trajectories of God’s judgment and God’s mercy at work, those trajectories meet and are reconciled at the cross of Jesus Christ. God’s judgment roars, how will it find you? Christ has absorbed the wrath of God for all who put their trust in him, is this you?

Ultimately we learn from Amos that God cares deeply for human suffering, oppression and injustice. Trials are one of the ways God shapes our character, trials are meant as a way to snap us out of our complacency. With that understanding, we can know that trials are one of the ways God shows us mercy. The repeated use of trials are the repeated acts of mercy as God allows us time and time again to repent and see the error in our ways.

Unlike the last two prophets, Joel is writing to a people that are prospering. Despite their prosperity they mistreated the poor and oppressed people. They came to believe that all of their good things were products of their good work rather than blessings from God. We get this way too and perhaps trials we face can be used to teach us and correct our hearts and minds before God.

Minor Prophets: Joel

2011-09-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Joel: Whom Will God Save?

Introduction

Joel is an interesting book, it is short, provides no dating of any kind and doesn’t tell us much about Joel as an individual. Joel’s prophesy is referred to a few times in the New Testament most notably probably on the day of Pentecost but also Romans 10:13 references Joel 2:32.

Themes in the book are primarily (but not limited to) judgment, repentance and salvation. Although despite the doom and gloom feel of the book, it's overarching theme is the nature, character and promise of salvation.

Saved From What?

God’s Judgment on the Nations

The first two chapters of Joel focus on the nation of Judah whereas in chapter 3 the Lord speaks against the nations. God describes the nations of the world as a crop that is ripe (with wickedness and evil) for the harvest of judgment. The sins are not fleshed out in any great detail although there are a few mentioned in 3:3.

Initially it sounds as though God is picking a fight but what he is actually doing is summoning nations for judgment. He is calling them to give an account for their actions (3:12-16). The contest is so one-sided that Joel moves from military imagery to agricultural. This throw down between God and the nations will not be a clash of titans but will look more like a farmer swinging a sickle (v. 13).

God calls all the nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (“Yahweh Judges”) or the valley of decision. This is the place where God will judge and distribute justice to the nations. The nations had captured and sold the Israelites and God will do the same to them. God did deliver on this promise, in 322 B.C. Alexander the Great took Tyre and the archaeological records show that more than 13,000 inhabitants of Tyre were sold into slavery. God makes these judgments justly and there is no appeal before him because his judgments are without error.

Mark Dever says about this passage, “One day, you too will find yourself in a time and place where all the guessing and doubting and wondering and sneaking and lying and cheating and harming and engorging and murdering finally stops, and God says, “No!” It is the time and place where the world’s might meets right, and right proves most mighty. One day, we will all come to the valley of God’s verdict on human action.”

God’s Judgment on His People

So not only will God judge the nations but he will also judge his people, in fact that is what prompts Joel’s prophecy. If you go back to chapter 1 you see the God’s people struggling with current trouble and trouble on the horizon.

Trouble now – Invading locusts

Joel uses hybrid language that implies the obvious invasion of locusts destroying everything but he also uses language of an army. He may be trying to convey two ideas at once. Whether it was just locusts or locusts and an army the devastation was all-encompassing. The people have a hard time remembering a time when it was worse. Vines and fig trees (symbols of security and peace in the ancient Near East) were laid waste. Everyone from the priest to the drunkard was ruined. Priests could not offer sacrifices because nothing as left to sacrifice.

Despite all this trouble the message is that this destruction is just a foreshadow of the judgment that is coming in the day of the Lord so much so that it looks like un-creation.

Trouble ahead – The day of the Lord

“The day of the Lord” is the phrase that is used over and over again in from 1:15 to the end of chapter 2. It refers to the coming trouble for them; Joel sees it as the undoing of everything that is. No one can imagine anything worse than their current situations but he warns them that the judgment of God is what’s coming and their current situation pales in comparison.

Perhaps this is the reason that Joel isn’t the most popular book in the Bible, he confronts our preconceived notions of God, the world and ourselves. The diagnosis offered by the Bible is that God is holy and just, the world is fallen into sin and consumed with evil and we as individuals are sinners and offend God with our actions. Most people want to define God by whatever they conceive to be nice and sweet or whatever is appealing or appetizing. We don’t have that kind of subjective power over God. God is most definitely good but what is good is not always obvious to us. We need to recalibrate our understandings of “good” according to what God reveals in scripture. God is good and will not forever endure sin, the day when he puts an end to it is the final Day of Judgment on sin and that is what is referred to as “the day of the Lord”.

The book of Joel then is ultimately about salvation but first we must understand what it is we need to be saved from. So what is it that we need to be saved from? We have a problem whether we realize it or not, many people prefer to pick religious views or worldviews that allow them to think everything is good and perfect and that we’re essentially good. If that is where you are then you should read the Bible and allow it to challenge you (and it will) about your notion of the world and the people in it.

In short what we must be saved from is our sin and its consequences-the judgment of God.

What is Salvation?

So in this book we learn that God is committed to justice but we also learn that he is committed to mercy. He will judge his people but he will also save them. So what is this salvation that is promised to the people?

God’s Rescue from Enemies

God promises that he will deliver his people from their enemies. 2:20 and 3:16-17 he emphasizes how he will be their salvation by way of saving them from their enemies.

God’s Restoration of Prosperity

God’s idea of salvation is far more than simply saving his people from death but restoring them to prosperity. This is what consumes most of chapter 2 (18-27). Prosperity is something we have distorted in America, the prosperity we provide for ourselves is money, so-called security and happiness but God’s idea is bigger. It is no less than those things but it is much more. The book also ends with promises of prosperity including the ultimate promise which is a reconciled relationship with God. “I will pardon their bloodguilt, [which] I have not pardoned,” (Joel 3:21 HCSB).

God’s residing with His People

The final component of salvation is the key component and what makes salvation so sweet. God promises himself. He promises to reside with his people in 2:28-32. If that passage sounds familiar to you it’s because Peter quotes it in Acts 2:16-18. God’s promise to protect them means that he will protect them himself, he will prosper them by being with him and is chief blessing to his people is himself. This epiphany occurred earlier in the Bible when Moses realizes what good is the Promised Land if God himself isn’t there? (Ex. 33:15-16) This is also stated well in the title of one of John Piper’s book when he declares that “God is the Gospel”.

The heart of salvation then is God restoring his people to himself and his own presence, not just in Joel but in the entire Bible. Some people falsely present God as a way to achieve our own ends, this is not a variation of Christianity it just isn’t Christianity at all. The ultimate end for a Christian is a restored relationship with God and intimacy with him. This is what God promises to us and this is the deepest human desire (whether we realize it or not).

There is a sermon illustration out there where a pastor will have the congregation close their eyes and picture heaven. The pastor then describes heaven as a mansion for you with lots of rooms and stuff, golden streets, all your friends and family and just as he finishes he tells you to open your eyes. He'll bring to the light the fact that he never once mentioned Jesus being in heaven and ask, "would you really be OK with that?" If your idea of heaven doesn't include Jesus then your idea of heaven is wrong and you're working towards the wrong goal. Residing with God is the ultimate promise and prize. I am truly sorry if you've been sold a false idea of the Christian faith or heaven but hopefully you realize that what I'm telling you is good news. I'd recommend reading two books by John Piper at least one is available for free online Desiring God and God is the Gospel.

Why Will God’s People Be Saved?

Ultimately what is achieved by the salvation of God’s people is God displaying his character which magnifies his glory. God’s call to repentance is one that is based on his character; in 2:13 he calls them to return “for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love”. Therefore the mere fact that God would even offer us a chance to repent shows his character. Many people read this and think God is like an enemy or someone out to get you but someone who is your enemy doesn’t tell you they’re about to come wipe you out, they just do it. God sends messages like the Book of Joel as a gesture of compassion and out of his goodness. In short, God's people will be saved in order to bring God glory.

Conclusion: Who Will Save You?

The question that was presented to the nation of Israel is now presented to the Church. Who will save you? Those within the Church just like those within Israel will be judged, no one is exempt however all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Where does this leave you?

May you explore the book of Joel and see the beauty of salvation and the intimacy of dwelling with God himself.

Minor Prophets: Hosea

2011-09-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hosea: What is love?

Introduction:

Hosea is different from most other minor prophets because it is longer than most and it focuses on the northern kingdom of Israel rather than Judah (the southern kingdom). The northern kingdom will be referred to as Samaria (its capital city) and Ephraim (the most important tribe in Israel just like Judah in the south).

On the most basic and human level the book of Hosea is about marriage. Throughout the book God uses this as a metaphor and he speaks to Israel through Hosea as if Israel is the mother of the people and the Lord is her husband and father.

Who is Hosea? We don’t know much about him before this book other than his Father’s name and the general period in which he was writing but we do know that God came to him directly and told him to marry a specific woman (for a specific purpose).

Who is Gomer? It was a relatively common name back then despite its lacking popularity these days. Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea but he knew that about her going into the marriage.

After Gomer had been unfaithful to him (likely with some kind of prostitution) God instructed Hosea to go buy her back and continue to love her. This is the end of Hosea’s story, he never mentions himself again in the book and the rest of the Bible goes without mentioning him. So what’s the point? The point is that God uses Hosea and Gomer (two real people) as a metaphor for himself and Israel.

This book threatens a lot of judgment, the word “will” is used over one hundred times (as in he will punish them)

Love Challenge: Sin

First let’s consider the people we’re talking about, the people of Israel. God had already gone out of his way to deliver them, lead them, prosper them, and give them his law, his covenant and his prophets. Yet this is the description of Israel that we’re given by God at the time of Hosea.

- Sunk deep into corruption (9:9)

- Stubborn (in their corruption) (4:16)

- Refused to repent (11:5)

- Rejected what is good (8:3)

- Rejected knowledge and ignored the law of God (4:6)

- Rebelled Against God (13:16) and his Law (8:1)

- Regard the Law as something “alien” (8:12)

- Determined to turn from God (11:7)

So in short: they weren’t doing so great. From our perspective it seems as though they were going out of their way to break God’s heart and to provoke him to anger. I doubt that this was the case; I think they were so caught up in themselves and their sin that they couldn’t think of others especially God and in that way they bear a striking resemblance to many Christians today.

The Acts of Sin

What were their specific sins that were so terrible?

- The Rulers:

o Not righteous

o Dearly loved shameful ways (4:18)

o Rebellious (9:15)

o Turned to Assyria and Egypt for help instead of the Lord

- The People

o Drunkenness

o Mocking

o Insolent words

o Cursing

o Lied

o Deceived

o Stole (4:2; 7:1; 12:7)

o Adulteress

The Core of Sin

So what was the cause of all this sin? Weren’t they God’s chosen people? The problem was that their faith/religion was wrong. The issue was syncretism, as the Israelites worked with the Assyrians and the Egyptians they synthesized their religious views. The Jews would incorporate elements of worship from the Assyrians. God said that they had forgotten him as their maker (8:14) and there was no acknowledgement of him in the land (4:1).

What was the main sin here? The root or core of the sin was idolatry. Idolatry is when something replaces your love for God or when you have something you love more than God. In a sense idolatry is spiritual adultery (hence the illustration). God is to be our supreme love and anything less than that is idolatry/adultery towards him.

The Appearance of Sin

The Israelites made sacrifices to other Gods (4:13) and actually crafted idols for themselves idols made of wood (4:12; 4:17; 5:11). They had given themselves over to the worship of Baal (2:17, 13:1). It’s not that they became irreligious or atheist they just changed the object of their worship.

The Root of Sin

What is the cause of this sin? Pride and self-reliance seem to be the problem here. God says, “You have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors” (10:13). “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (13:6). The people’s sin was in forsaking their love for God but you have to wonder about their love for God, is it just situational? Is your love for God just situational? What I mean is that they only loved God when the setting was right, when they needed him to do something or needed something from him but as soon as they got comfortable they forgot all about him and in fact turned on him. Are we really that much different?

These people were crooked deep down and the sinful actions were the results of their misguided hearts. Despite being saved by God and provided for by God the people still turned away from God. I used to wonder why God took sin so personally but when you read this it reverses the question, how couldn’t God take sin personally? As R.C. Sproul says, “Sin is an act of cosmic treason”. Have you thought about your sins in this way before? What is the root of your sin?

Love’s Recovery: Repentance

How does sin challenge love? When I make a statement like that most would think that it is the human’s problem to restore love (and in a sense it is) but what sin does is violate the holiness of God. It is God who should not love us because of sin; his love cannot be separate from his love. Repentance is the means by which we are restored with God’s love. We need to confess our sins and repent of them. God knows our sins so burying, hiding or ignoring them will not do us any good (in fact quite the opposite). We need to acknowledge all of our individual sins and treat them as if we’ve been exposed on the 5 o’clock news.

More than anything the book of Hosea calls people to repentance, here are some examples:

2:2 - "Plead with your mother, plead—for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband—that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts;"

6:1-3 - "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."

8:2-3 - To me they cry, "My God, we—Israel—know you." Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

8:5 - I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

10:12 - Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

12:6 - "So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God."

14:1-2 - Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.

14:9 - Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

As we can see above the Lord is patient with his people and even though they attack him with their sins, unfaithfulness, idolatry, adultery and so on he always leave the door open for them to come back to him through repentance. This is something that if it has not occurred in your life yet then I assure you it will. Carefully and constantly examine your own heart for impurities and confess and repent.

Love’s Hope: Restoration

The book of Hosea has plenty of condemnation, judgment and calls to repentance but ultimately it provides hope. No matter how far we have fallen we’re never out of God’s reach and our hope is in his unfailing love. Sometimes people get distracted by all the negative-sounding talk about judgment and repentance and they fail to see the beauty of redemption offered by a book like this. The redemption and restoration of the unfaithful wife from the faithful husband is the true story here. In old covenant terms the nation of Israel was a whorish wife to God in new covenant terms the Church is a whorish wife.

Jumping back to Hosea himself, out of love he purchased his wife back to him though she freely ran away and whored herself out and he took in the children who were not his own. This is what God has done for us in Christ; he purchased us back from our sinful ways and for the sake of love took on the burden of an unfaithful wife.

Conclusion: This is Love

Our sin (like Gomer’s) hurts our relationship with God, our repentance can heal our relationship with God and we can be restored to right relationship with God by the grace and love of God. Gomer’s only hope was in the love that she didn’t deserve. And this undeserved love from God is your only hope as well.

Sources: I highly recommend any of them particularly the first one

The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever

Christ of the Prophets by O. Palmer Robertson

The Minor Prophets by Thomas Edward McComiskey

Parables about Discipleship

2011-08-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Two Builders (Luke 6:47-49)

If faith and trust our not the foundation for all of our religious practice, devotion and good works then we will be left with nothing. This parable is not an allegory, its an analogy. We don't need to draw any comparisons between Jesus and the rock or the world and the sand. All we need to understand is that the one who hears the words of Jesus and does not obey is a fool.

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

In this parable a lawyer approaches Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. The text says that the man "tested" Jesus which is to say he was inspecting Jesus for his authenticity (not something uncommon for a lawyer to do. Jesus turns the question back on him and the man answers "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself". The man seems to feel confident in himself after this and asks Jesus who his neighbor is and Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Here are some good points to take away from this parable:

This parables show the inseparable nature of salvation and discipleship. If your trust/faith is in God then you'll do the things God requires of you.
This parable is intended to show that love does not allow limits on the definition of neighbor. One cannot try to reduce the category of "neighbor" without reducing the command to love.
All that being said, this parable can’t be reduced to moralism or "do-goodism". There is simply more to it than that, these things are commanded because one wishes to love God with all heart, mind, soul and strength so everything that is commanded falls under that umbrella first.
Our greatest command is to love God with all that we are and our love of God is expressed in our love towards others, there is no separating these things
This parable doesn’t teach us how to love our neighbors it just tells us that we ought to which leads to an interesting quote...

“The NT is more an identify book than guide book; it tells what the Christian character is, not what actions must be done in each case” – Klyne R. Snodgrass

This parable also confronts the sin of racism. It is an illegitimate boundary we put up against “neighbors”. We cannot talk about this parable without acknowledging Jesus blatant teaching against racism. To be silent on this (or any issue) is to give permission. Jesus example was particularly cutting because he used the Samaritan's (the despised half-breeds) and showed how all the religious and "pure" people acted in an unloving way.

This would be like teaching this parable during the American Civil Rights Movement and using a black man as the Samaritan and white pastors, deacons and elders as the religious hypocrites.

The Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

This parable addresses one of the potential ways that followers of Jesus can become bitter. The life of a Christian is not an easy one, we are called to a higher standard, service, sacrifice, etc.

I've met Christians who think it seems unfair that they get the same "reward" for their whole life's work as someone who accepts Christ on their deathbed. People launch this complaint under the banner of justice or fairness. This is a distorted understanding of justice. If someone receives this (the ultimate) good in their life and we find ourselves incapable of being happy for them because we're calculating how much we have been cheated, is our concern really justice? We conveniently want what is just, we actually want what we see as fair (note the subjectivity) plus a little more all the while forgetting that if pure justice were enforced none of us would be fit to be followers of Christ.

The point of this parable is better summed up here:

"Justice requires positive action seeking the good for all persons, especially the poor. True justice - at least God's justice - seeks mercy and ways to express love. If the parable is about the goodness of God, then it asks that we give up envy and calculation of reward and, rather, both embrace the imitate God's goodness. That will mean that we give up the quest to be first, knowing that God's standards are different." - Snodgrass

Tower Builder (Luke 14;28-32)

This is like many other parables we've looked at this summer in that it speaks against easy-believism which I believe is the prominent teaching in the American church especially in ministries targeting youth. Jesus makes it clear that the cost of following is nothing less than everything and we should carefully consider the cost (although keep in mind the treasure in the hidden field or the pearl of great value). What Jesus offers is worth far more than everything we have but can cost us everything we have (even our lives). Faith in Christ means discipleship and everything that comes with it, benefits, consequences, etc. There is no distinction (as some have tried to make) between Christ as our Savior and Christ as Lord. The two roles are inseparable.

Parables - About Prayer

2011-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Luke 11:5-8 - The Friend at Midnight

This passage comes right after the Lord’s prayer and is a parable about prayer. It does not quite give us as much as we want to know about prayer but focuses on one aspect of prayer and that is the recipient.

In this parable the listener is the person who receives a visitor from a journey and goes to his sleeping neighbor and asks for food. This makes the God-character the sleeper but rather than saying that God is asleep, Jesus is contrasting God to the sleeper. It is an argument from weaker to stronger. It follows the formulation we have seen in past parables by implying “how much more”. There is internal evidence for this being a “how much more” type of parable and the “how much more” language is even used in this section perhaps Luke didn’t feel like being overly-repetitive when he wrote this parable down.

Not the point: This parable does not teach us that God is asleep, it also does not teach us that being rude, repetitive or persistent with prayer will yield greater results. The emphasis is not on what the petitioner can do to woo a favor from his neighbor.

The point: This parable is basically saying, “if a human will give up to meet the needs of his rude friend, how much more will God answer your requests?” (since God is better than any human).

Luke 18:1-8 - The Unjust Judge

This parable is also about prayer and is also is a little deceptive. This also relies on the “how much more” argument. This is less of an analogy than it is a contrast, we tend to think of all the parables the same way when they’re all a little different.

Verse 1 gives us the point of the parable. In order to understand it though we need to look at chapter 17. Chapter 17 is about the coming of the Kingdom and then chapter 18 begins to talk about how people ought to pray and “not lose heart”. This parable does not teach that persistent prayer is the only way to get things from God, in fact it has nothing to do with bothering God.

In this parable we have two characters, a judge who is unjust and a woman who is righteous and anxiously awaiting justice. This woman is persistent and bothers this judge to the point where he is annoyed into action.

Not the point: This parable does not suggest that God is like the uncaring and unrighteous judge, Jesus is drawing a contrast not highlighting similarities.

The point:

God is merciful, patient and eager to assist.
It is necessary for Christians to stay alert and ready for God’s vindication and judgement.

What does it mean to vindicate? Show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified. If you are in the right and awaiting the verdict, then you are waiting to be vindicated.

Luke 18:9-14 - The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

This parable is different. It is technically about prayer but from a different aspect than we’ve talked about and still not really the way we’d like the subject handled. This one views the heart and perspective of the person offering up the prayer.

Conclusion on prayer

The parables on prayer don’t actually teach us that much about prayer, how to pray, how it works, why it works, if it works but rather they focus on the character and attributes of the recipient of the prayers (God). They teach that God is ready to assist and forgive and are meant to encourage those who pray although they do not suggest that God’s will can be altered by persistence or piety. They also serve as warnings for those who do not examine themselves carefully because prayer can be very revealing.

“Luke is not merely calling for repetitive prayer, but for a faithful lifestyle that stays alert and ready by being in conversation with God. Prayer is itself the defense against weariness and giving up. It is not the means to acquire what one wishes but the means by which one’s wishes are made known to God and then brought into conformity with God’s will, regardless of the circumstances” - Klyne R. Snodgrass

Parables - About Israel

2011-07-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Barren Fig Tree - Luke 13:6-9

I think this parable is one of the more obvious parables in terms of its meaning. God is the man who plants the fig tree in his vineyard (the earth)

God’s delay in punishing sin does not show that he approves of their behavior but rather that he is merciful enough to give them time to repent.

This parable teaches that lack of productivity results in judgement. As a result we are to live in this tension between the offer of mercy and the reality of punishment judgement.

The Two Sons - Matthew -21:28-32

This one is also pretty straightforward, it is interesting that these parables about Israel were among the harsher teachings of Jesus and yet they were the most transparent. The parable is about Jews and Gentiles, Gentiles living originally rejected God but now through Jesus are coming back to God. The Jews who first covenanted to be his people are now far from where God is and where God wants them to be.

If we are to drop this into a modern parallel it would be similar to the distinction between the visible and invisible church. This also ties into easy-believism where many churches now allow people to join the church and encourage them to read professions of faith but allow (or even foster) a separation between believing and doing

This parable cuts through the pretense of religion and gets to the ultimate issue. The Christian life is not about going through a religious checklist to put yourself above other people and get in good with God. The Christian life is about believing in Jesus and doing the work he requires of us.

The Wicked Tenants

Alright, if you can’t figure out at least at a basic level who is who in this parable then you should put down your Bible and come back in a few years. All condescension aside though this parable is blatantly about Israel’s relationship to the prophets and Jesus.

The landowner is God, the vineyard is the kingdom of God, the servants are the prophets, the son is Jesus, the tenants are the Jews who oppose Jesus, the killing of the son i the crucifixion, and the removal of the tenants is the transfer of the old covenant to the new.

The Marriage Feast - Matthew 22:1-1

The kingdom was like and is like a feast. The invitation is open to all and the original guests declined (old covenant) and the new guests (gentiles) now have the same invitation as the older guests (the Jews). This parable teaches that we cannot have the kingdom on our own terms, the invitation brings with it demand. The man who was not dressed for the ceremony was tossed out. The appropriate attire I assume would be works and obedience, that in no way contradicts sola fide. Finally, the witness of the church should have the joy and anticipation of a great feast not threats and aggression that are often identified with the church's growth efforts.

Some people think this parable is a little harsh but remember that grace is only grace if the outscome should have been otherwise.

Conclusion

The warnings to Israel are just as valid today to the church and its leaders as it was to the original audience.

Parables - About the Kingdom of God

2011-07-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Wheat and the Weeds

MATT 13:24-30, 36-43

This parable does not teach:

About church discipline. - This is not about churches plucking out bad members, that is not to say that churches don't need to do that but the parable just doesn't address it one way or the other.
That the servants stand for the church or church leaders.
That sleep is a negative metaphor. Its an irrelevant factor don't make anything of it.
That it is our job to overcome evil.
That we ought to be passive towards evil.

This parable does teach:

Delayed judgment: Jesus message is not tied with judgment although he assures that judgment will come. This is not the time for judgment but it is coming.
It answers the questions, “How can this be the kingdom if evil is present?”
Christians should be neither surprised at nor unaware of the fact that evil is active at the same time that God’s reign is.

Here is the tension: We cannot tolerate evil but at the same time the ultimate destruction of evil is not our job.

The Point: The focus of this parable is the nature of the kingdom. We ought not be surprised by evil nor should we tolerate it. We are to anticipate justice and judgment while realizing that it is not our job to bring those totally about.

The Mustard Seed

MATT 13:31-32, MARK 4:30-32, LUKE 13:18-19

This parable does not teach:

About spiritual growth for the individual. Its not about how we as individuals begin our spiritual journeys as mustard seeds and become trees, never let anyone teach you that.

This parable does teach:

The kingdom is present even as Jesus is teaching

The Point: This parable answers the implicit question, “Could this really be the kingdom of God? Wasn’t it suppose to be mighty?” Jesus was far from the Messiah they expected and the Kingdom looked very different than anyone expected. It had such humble beginnings when people were expecting a military victory and a new physical/political kingdom.

The Leaven

MATT 13:33, LUKE 13:20-21

This parable does not teach:

Universalism – The “all” does not refer to all humanity. The parable is about the kingdom as are all the other parables so “all” refers to “all of the kingdom”. Furthermore such a claim would be contradictory to the rest of Jesus’ teaching.
Some say that the mustard seed depicts extensive growth and the leaven intensive transformation but both parables have both elements so this distinction is not present in these parables.
The woman is not a symbol for Jesus. The focus is not on "the who' but the process of leaven fermenting a huge amount of dough.

This parable does teach:

Despite humble beginnings the Kingdom was founded and being established in Jesus’ ministry even if it wasn’t what anyone expected it to be.

The Point: The Kingdom is already underway and cannot be stopped. This should inspire confidence and hope.

The Treasure

MATTHEW 13:44

This parable does not teach:

That it is OK to be unethical for the sake of the kingdom. Some people see the man’s actions as unethical because he did not tell the landowner about the treasure that he found hidden in the field. This is not the point of the parable and to interpret this way to step out of the bounds of the parable. Furthermore many commentators have identified first century Jewish and Roman law that would suggest the man's actions were completely legal (although the ethical questions still remains albeit irrelevant)

This parable does teach:

If we understand what Jesus offers then we will abandon all that we thought was the focus of life.

The Point: All of life is a seeking after value, God and his Kingdom are the most valuable things in life. We cannot be focused on “our things” and do justice to God’s kingdom. God’s call trumps everything else in life and is easily worth it.

Often times in our culture we preach the gospel in a way that is adjusted to satisfy the cravings of a materialistic mindset. Many youth groups give away iPods, skateboards, etc. to get people to come. Churches will say, "if you come here you can have Jesus AND peace of mind/satisfaction/prosperity/happiness/better family/greener grass etc." The problem with this is that it cheapens Jesus. The truth of the matter is that if you follow Jesus then you get Jesus and thats a good deal. Be vigilant for this type of teaching don't buy into (or sell) these lies that cheapen our Lord and Savior.

The Pearl

MATT 13:45-46

This parable does not teach:

That God is the merchant who seeks out man and gave all he had for them. While thats an interesting approach (and the point may even be valid) the text and context doesn’t justify it.

This parable does teach:

While the parable is not instructive on how to find the kingdom (thats not the point of the seeking) it is important that the hearers should be seeking what is truly worthwhile in life.

• The Point: Along with the last parable this emphasizes the value of Jesus and the Kingdom, if you come across it then you need to realize its worth far more than anything you have or can get.

Parables - Grace, forgiveness and Christian responsability

2011-07-25T15:04:00.001-07:00

Matthew 18:21-35 (23-25)

Audience: Peter asks Jesus how many times he has to forgive someone, Jesus tells him that he need to forgive infinitely more than he can imagine (because that is how much he has been forgiven).

Three scenes of the parable:

King collects from servant #1 - The king collects debt of 10,000 talents from his servant. The servant is unable to pay and he and his family must be sold off as a down-payment on the debt that is owed. The servant pleads with the king and the king has pity on him and erases all his debt.
Servant #1 collect from servant #2 - The servant after being forgiven of a very large debt goes to his fellow servant who owes him a little bit of money and demands it from him. He chokes his fellow servant while demanding the money and then has his fellow servant thrown into jail over the debt.
King Punishes Servant #1 - Some of the other servants see this happen and report it back to the king. The king calls the first servant before him and punishes him for being so cruel over such a petty amount after receiving grace for his very large amount.
How much money are we talking here?

In OT times, a talent was a unit of weight equaling about 75 pounds (34 kg).
In NT times, it was a unit of monetary reckoning (though not an actual coin), valued at about 6,000 drachmas, the equivalent of about 20 years' wages for a laborer.
(A common laborer earned about one denarius per day.)
In approximate modern equivalents, if a laborer earns $15 per hour, at 2,000 hours per year he would earn $30,000 per year, and a talent would equal $600,000 (USD). Hence, “ten thousand talents” hyperbolically represents an incalculable debt—in today's terms, about $6 billion. (ESV Study Bible)
In contrast a Denarius was worth one day’s labor which would be $120 by our modern comparison. One hundred would be about $1,200.
After being forgiven of $6 billion he choked and then threw someone in jail over $1,200
Here is a key for unlocking this parable: You're the first servant. You have been forgiven infinitely more than you could ever achieve on your own. Yet you treat others who owe you significantly less with harsh, brutal, relentless, bitter and impatient tactics. Christians should understand how much they've been forgiven and should be gracious with others in a way that reflect our own gratitude for the forgiveness we've received.
What is forgiveness?

“Real forgiveness is costly suffering” – Tim Keller
When someone wrongs you, you have a couple options
1) Make them suffer for what they have done (actively or passively) –-> Problem: you will eventually become colder and harder if you choose to react this way.
2) Forgive – refuse to make them pay for what they did. Not only do you suffer the original loss that demanded revenge but you forego the consolation of inflicting the same on them. You absorb the debt.

Forgiveness hurts, it hurts the one doing the forgiving because you are not getting what you deserve and neither is the other person.

“If forgiveness does not effect change, it is not experienced” – Klyne R. Snodgrass

The idea is that we do not realize how much forgiveness we have received when we refuse to give it to others.

The Point: Christians rather than insisting on rights should be constantly dispensing of mercy and forgiveness, mirroring God’s character.

Luke 7: 36-50

Audience: A Pharisee hosting Jesus for a meal

Simon the Pharisee was being hospitable to Jesus and had him over for a meal (a sign of intimacy in that day). A sinful woman intrudes on their time together and brings gifts to Jesus. This is clearly a response to forgiveness received not the woman’s effort to initiate forgiveness from Jesus (note verse 50, her faith has saved her not her actions or gifts). Simon doesn’t understand the woman’s actions or Jesus’ tolerance of it. Jesus launches into a parable. In this parable a moneylender (God) has two people indebted (Simon and the woman) and one owes 500 denarii while the other only owes 50 (the numbers have no particular meaning other than to mark one number as greater than the other). The moneylender forgives both parties of their debt and Jesus asks, “which one will love the moneylender more?” This explains to Simon why someone who is “more indebted” with sin is more grateful for the grace they receive. *That is not to say that Simon’s sins were small.

Christians today think they can receive grace without any effect on them and without a response. Many people sell a gospel that is referred to as “easy believism” which means you pray a prayer then your sins are forgiven and you can go about your business. There needs to be that transaction that compels change in order for the gospel to really have affected you.

If you have "received the gospel" but never had a response like this woman did then you should carefully review your faith since the grace of God should stir this response in you. There should be a transaction that takes place and the gravity of that should re-orient your life.

“Forgiveness is without limits but not without responsibility, confession, truth and even restitution.” – Klyne R. Snodgrass

The Point: Grace demands a response.

Reflection Questions:

How have you experienced the pain of forgiveness? Do you think grace is better than the alternative?

Why do we resist forgiving others? Why do we insist on our rights and justice?

How do we as Christians respond to the grace we receive? Is this response evident in all Christians you know?

Biblical Angst Part 2: Ecclesiastes 3-5

2011-07-25T15:03:00.001-07:00

Introduction

Ok so this is one of the most disorganized teachings I’ve ever compiled. I noticed a literary device in Solomon’s writing where he highlights key thoughts by preceding them with statements like “I saw”, “I have seen”, “I perceived” and “I thought”. So the first thing I did was simply highlight the bullet points according to Solomon, the first section here is simply a list of his observations and conclusions and life and the world.

Second, I reflected on the entire passage (including chapters 1 and 2) and shared some general thoughts about materialism and activism and how they relate to us and to Solomon. Third, I walked through and addresses specific sections that for one reason or another had yet to be addressed. And finally I have a conclusion where I try to tie all things together into a digestible conclusion.

I saw, perceived, thought…

3:10 – I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with

3:12 – I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live

3:14 – I perceived that whatever God does endures forever

3:16 – I saw that wickedness is in place of justice and righteousness

3:17 – I said in my heart God will judge the righteous and the wicked.

3:18 – I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beats

3:22 – I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot.

4:1 – I saw all the oppressions that are done, behold the years of the oppressed for they had no one to comfort them.

4:2 – I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive.

4:4: I saw that all the toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor

4:7 – I saw vanity. One person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil...

4:15 – I saw all the people rejoice but there will be no rejoicing in future generations

5:13 – I have seen riches kept by their owner to his hurt

5:18 – What I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils...

Materialism and Activism

This next chunk of teaching is heavily influenced and partly borrowed from Stephen Eyre, so if you like it pass your compliments on to him and if you don’t like it then just assume that I have misrepresented his great teachings. The tie-in to Ecclesiastes is where the “exclusively Mike” thoughts resume.

Our culture is geared towards materialism. Government is preoccupied with economics, the media encourages and teaches consumption and universities equip us not just to learn but to earn. With everything that surrounds us leading towards materialism our identity becomes built on these things. We believe, however subtly, “I am what I own”.

Materialism naturally leads to creates a life of activism. When I refer to activism I’m not referring to it in the specific sense that your mind naturally goes but in a broader sense. In this sense activism can be understood as a |compulsive, destructive sense of responsibility that springs from our materialism” (S. Eyre). Activism affects our identity in three distinct ways

“I am what I produce” – Our sense of value is dependent on our productivity. If I have a lot to show for my effort then I have a great deal of value, if not then I have little value. This is the American “bottom line” mentality which may even be useful for business but not for issues as complex and important as personal identity. The problem is that this is a never-ending cycle. There is never a point where one can say “now I have value, now I am significant”. Many people who live by this standard face depression upon retirement because they have stopped producing and as a result they no longer have value.
“I am what I do” – We confuse ourselves with our professions or even our hobbies. When we meet someone one of the first questions we ask is “what do you do?” Or when you’re a kid you’re asked “what do you want to be?” This creates an idolatry of our careers and a false sense of identity and self-worth.
“I must be busy” – Activism creates the mindset that if you are not busy then you’re falling behind. There is a driven compulsion to be in a constant state of motion. We feel this inner desire met with external pressure to constantly be doing something. Downtime is uncomfortable and we try to schedule it away, even time kept to ourselves is filled with busyness and there is a guilt associated with “time wasting”.
As Christians we are responsible to God and God blesses us with results, many times we try to cut out the middle and try to take responsibility for our results.

Now, how does this tie-in to Ecclesiastes? How doesn’t it? My treatment of materialism and activism is perhaps an under-diagnosis for the human condition. It is not simply American and it is not just modern. Read Soloman’s struggle for meaning, identity and purpose. He tries to build his identity in his achievements, his work, and his education and with how he spent his time. Solomon concludes that work is something that God has given us and that we can and should enjoy although it is not a firm foundation for establishing our identity.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

This is a famous passage that is used in many contexts and rightfully so. This passage highlights the value and significance of human relationships. In study two minds are better than one not because they become infallible but because two minds are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction and they serve each other in that way. In relationships two people better each other not because of their individual perfection but they sharpen one another and have each other to rely on. It is an interesting twist that he keeps using the example of two people and then concludes by saying that a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Some speculate that he is including God into a healthy human relationship. Any good relationship of two is complete by the third cord (God). God in his very nature is a “threefold cord”. Those observations certainly are intriguing but might be a bit of a stretch for this particular text but what we can be sure of is that a threefold cord is a symbol of strength and individual strength is found in relationship with others.

Conclusion

The themes of frustration and vexation continue to occur although there is a hint of optimism here. Solomon discovers upon further reflection that just because work is not the ultimate meaning does not mean it is meaningless. It is given from God to men and we can find enjoyment in it but we cannot find our meaning, purpose or identity in it. This is a brilliant revelation and applies not only to work but everything that he has addressed so far. Our meaning and purpose is found in God and with our meaning in God we are free to enjoy the things of this world that do not have everlasting meaning. Ultimately our achievements, education, work and pleasure can be enjoyed because they are not our foundation for our identity.

Galatians 1-2:10

2011-07-25T15:02:00.002-07:00

Intro:

Here are my notes from the new Sunday morning class I'm teaching on Galatians, sorry if it doesn't really make sense. I'd be more than happy to elaborate on any of these points or clarify them but here they are, raw and unfiltered.

Verse 1

Paul cites the source of his authority, he is already hinting at the crux of his issue that he means to take up with the Galatians.
Verses 3-5

Grace (Greek greeting) and Peace (Hebrew greeting) to you from
From God the Father and from the Son
Who gave himself – Not compelled by anything or anyone
For our sins – He gave himself because of our sins.
To deliver us - His purpose in giving himself was to deliver us
From the present evil age – The reign of darkness on earth comes to an end with the reign of God and Christ’s kingdom.
According to the will of the Father – None of this happens apart from the Father’s will and plan but because of his will and plan.
To whom be the glory forever – It is God who receives the glory
In this brief statement Paul summarizes the Gospel. There is no sense of individualism in this statement of faith; instead it’s all about God and what he has done for us. I think that is part of the language of the Gospel that gets neglected in our society. We constantly talk about Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior or having a personal relationship with Jesus but the Gospel is more than that (although it is certainly not less than that).
The Westminster Catechism picks up on this in the first question
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever
Verses 6-9

I am astonished you are so quickly deserting Him who called you – Paul scolds them and tells them how surprised and disappointed he is that they are so quickly deserting God who called them.
And turning to a different gospel, not that there is another one – There are no other gospels, any religious invention of man is based on merit which is not good news, it reduces the role of religion to good advice on how to achieve merit but in Christianity the merit has been achieved for us and that is good news.
There are some who want to distort the gospel – In our society we see many distortions or adjustments to the gospel. There are two things wrong with trying to distort, adjust or mend the gospel of Jesus. First of all its not your gospel, it belongs to Jesus and it should be declared and taught in the way he declared it and taught it. Secondly anything you to do tweak the Christian gospel just take away from its beauty. It is the perfect gospel and all we can do is mess it up.
Al Mohler lists eight distortions in our time to the gospel, I don’t have time to comprehensively address each one but I’ll give an extremely brief overview.
Modern – This trajectory says that we are too modern to believe the things in the Bible and we must remove all supernatural elements from it and try to extract whatever value we can for our modern world.
Post-Modern – This trajectory says that there is no such thing as objective truth, the gospel may be true for me and not true for you. It’s all about finding meaning within a cultural-linguistic system.
Moral – This trajectory I would classify as part of the modern one but Mohler lists it separately. This one says that our modern morality is superior to that which is found in scripture and we need to pluck out that which is immoral in scripture.
Aesthetic – This trajectory focuses on the American obsession with the merely pretty and not the truly beautiful. We remove things from the gospel or the Bible that aren’t pretty on the surface and as a result we miss the full beauty of the gospel.
Therapeutic – This trajectory reduces the Gospel to a therapeutic tool. We mediate and medicate people and people are seen as sick rather than evil.
Pragmatic – In this mindset truth is a means to a pragmatic end. This treats the gospel as a product to be marketed, it obsesses over instant gratification and managerial revolutions.
Emotional – This mindset believes that individual emotions are the ultimate determining factor for truth. We do away with doctrines that we don’t feel the need for or that don’t make us feel good.
Materialist – This trajectory understands that material things are more real than the things preached in scripture. This version simply preaches material “good news”.
If anyone, even an angel from heaven, preaches a different gospel to you them let them be accursed – This is an extremely relevant passage when we consider movements like Mormonism, if Joseph Smith had taken this passage to heart he should have been very skeptical of his revelation he received.
Verse 10

Am I trying to please man or God? I wanted to please man I would not be a servant of Christ – This passage is a seeming contradiction. He claims to be delivering good news, the only good news yet he anticipates that it won’t be pleasing to men. How can that be?
John 15:18 – The gospel isn’t pleasing to people. People want to believe that they’re good enough smart enough, clever enough or can work hard enough to make it on their own merit. The gospel is a denial of all that the world values and an embrace of something totally other and therefore the world rejects it.
Verses 11-17

The gospel Paul preached was not man’s gospel because he didn’t receive it from a man – Paul appeals to his direct divine revelation for his authority. He didn’t receive it second-hand from another man nor was he taught it. He received it directly from Jesus.
Paul gives an overview of his background as a zealous persecutor of the church and shares is testimony to show that his life has been to reveal God’s glory to others.
He did not consult with anyone – His gospel is untainted by the influence of men.
Verses 18-24

Paul confesses that he used to persecute the faith and now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy. His radical transformation led the glorifying God. When we look back at the intro we start to see that the purpose of gospel is the glory of God.
2:1-10

Paul verifies that even though his gospel was received autonomously it is in harmony with the gospel according to the other Apostles and this serves as verification.
Paul makes clear his position on circumcision with the gentiles and uses Titus as an example. He truly hints at the heart of the message he was going to give to the Galatians regarding legalism.
Paul did not yield to his earthly critics; if he did the gentiles would not have received the gospel.
Paul asserts that his gospel is as valid as that which Peter shares and the Galatians are “just as Christian” as the churches started by Peter.
Discussion Questions

1:1-5 – What is the purpose of the gospel?

1:6-9 – What are some ways that people try to distort the gospel in our age?

What can we say about movements like Mormonism in light of Paul’s warning about “other gospels”?

1:10 – Why might Paul anticipate being hated by men for teaching the “good news”?

- What resistance do we meet when sharing the gospel in our age?

1:18-24 – How have you witnessed God’s glory through someone’s radical conversion and testimony?

- How might your testimony serve others in that way?

2:1-10 – Paul testifies that his gospel is verified in its validity by the other apostles, what means of verification do we have for us now?

- Paul was able to draw a line between receiving confirmation of the gospel from the other apostles and not yield to his earthly critics. How is that possible? How do we face similar challenges?

Biblical Angst Part 1: Ecclesiastes 1 + 2

2011-07-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

Introduction
This is a book that makes more and more sense to me each year of my life. Every time I have one of those slow-moving mornings when you reflect on life and the nature of the world then this book resonates. If you ever have those moments look in the mirror and question why you’re going to work or school that day and you wonder what you’re working towards and why then this is a book that will resonate with you. These moments are rare in younger people but each year of your life it will occur to you more and more. There is wisdom in listening to an old man near his death reflecting on what was good, bad and what was an utter waste of time. Some people think of Solomon as a pessimist but I think he truly gets it, if you look past the surface of what he’s saying then I think you’ll realize how profound his words are.

I think there is particular value in reading this book while you’re in High School because in school you set the grid for your life. You map out your plans, ambitions, vision and hopes and it is helpful to have Solomon’s perspective on life when trying to set goals. As Donald Miller says in the introduction to “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”,

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you probably wouldn’t cry when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on and sit in a chair to think about what you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years living those stories in real life, and expect our experiences to feel meaningful. In truth, if the stuff we are doing with our lives wouldn’t make a movie meaning- ful, it won’t make a real life meaningful either.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:
This is a strange way to open a book of the Bible. This is typically not the message you hear from Christianity. How could anything be meaningless? How could the wisest man in the Bible reduce everything to vanity or meaninglessness?

Ecclesiastes 1:3-11:
The phrase “under the sun” refers to everything on this earth, everything that is physical or natural (as opposed to supernatural) is that which is under the sun. Here he is mediating on the futile cycles of life or what some now may call “the rat race”. We push and work and strive and it all really amounts to nothing. The wind pushes hard to go from one place to another but then it just starts over. The streams all flow to the ocean but the ocean is never full. We will never be content with what we see or hear yet we strive to see more and hear more. The common denominator here is that there is only repetition no progress.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18:
Find meaning in knowledge
Solomon wanted to see everything that could be done on this earth. He had the time and resources to do this and he finally arrived at the conclusion that everything is vain and meaningless and it is just striving after wind like in his opening statement.
This really resonates with me because we like to think we can find meaning in our work but every field of work is an endless battle. What Solomon is looking for is legacy and eternal impact or significance. What he finds is that death ruins all his plans and his work and robs everything under the sun of its meaning. If you’re a farmer you work all year for a crop and enjoy it for a short while and then have to do it all over again and after you die the field doesn’t tend to itself so someone else must take up the meaningless labor or else nothing will come of it. If you’re a scientist your discoveries will likely be outdated someday given enough time. Even if you try to find nobler work and give yourself to feeding the poor. If you go to Africa to feed the poor then the poor will die of starvation in South America and Asia, if you go to South America then they will die in Africa and Asia. Even if you feed them they will die some day and so will you. Like he said in his introduction the streams all flow to the ocean but the ocean is never full and so it is with whatever work we give ourselves to, all tasks are endless and all work is fleeting.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3
Finding meaning in pleasure
Here Solomon tells that he sought the pleasure of his heart, these are the things that people naturally seek after. We (people) love and seek laughter, pleasure and alcohol. He found that all of these things were vanity. He also throws out there how short our lives are. Even if we live to 100 we are still just a blip on the radar of time but most of us won’t live to 100, 90 or maybe even 80. Some of us might not live to 50, 40 or 30. Life is unpredictable and short. What can be accomplished under the sun in that time that has meaning or significance?

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11
This section almost sounds like the American dream. The word “I” is used 13 times just in this passage, there are 15 uses of “myself, my or me”. This passage centers on all that he did for himself. On top of all the self-centered language is the clause “for myself”. Much of what he did he says that he did for himself. He says “I made myself…” or “I gathered for myself…” His actions here all tie to materialism and what he could do, make and acquire for himself. Yet he could not find meaning.

Ecclesiastes 2:12-17
Finding meaning in permanent achievement
Solomon realized in his life that it is better to be wise than to be a fool but realized that even wisdom loses its beauty in light of death. Wisdom is vanity because the wisest man will be buried in the same dirt as the fool just as the rich man will be buried with the poor man. This thought was so bitter that it made him hate life.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26
Solomon next thought that perhaps meaning will be found in passing on his material possessions, riches and wisdom to the next generation. Then he realized he has no control over whether those who replace him would be wise or foolish (they turned out to be foolish indeed). This thought too was also reduced to vanity. He then thought it would be torture (worse than meaningless) for all his toil to be handed to someone who didn’t work for it. Earlier in the text he also says that things and people of old are not remembered, we may think that is untrue in our modern world but how many of us know our grandparents full names including maiden names? What about your great-grandparents? What about great-great-grandparents? If you can name all of those people and know their history, tradition and legacy then I would venture to say you’re the exception to the rule.
He then resorts to the famous idea of “eat, drink and be merry” but this is particularly meaningless. The only enjoyment is to know God and those who do not know him work in vain and their work will eventually be enjoyed by those who please God.

Concluding Thoughts

These are the words of Solomon at a very old age; clearly he is contemplating towards the end of his life and reflecting on life. He is frustrated because he had a privileged position on the earth (King) and he used his position to pursue everything his heart wanted, everything his eyes wanted, all that his hands could accomplish and all that his mind wanted and he resolved that everything he ever wanted, he did and it was all meaningless. He realized his life was just a drop in the bucket and all that he achieved would be lost or even misused by the next generation.

He really thought building things for himself, becoming wise or chasing love would be fulfilling. His frustration piqued when he realized that he could not reward himself in a suitable way. His life was a failed quest for glory. His works, achievements, aspirations and goals were all for himself, he tried to glorify himself. He even thought maybe he could create lasting glory by passing on all that he did but even that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Ultimately death is what destroys meaning for Solomon. After reflecting on all his attempts for meaning, significance and lasting impact he realized they would all be swallowed up by death. Ironically his most lasting contribution to the world was his book about the impossibility of creating lasting contributions.

In some sense Solomon’s conclusions are relieving because they give us perspective on life. I’m sure we have all had an uneasy or sleepless night over something like a bad social situation. Maybe it was a fight with your friend or parents you had when you were in middle school. When you look back on it does it really seem so serious? Was it worth all the screaming, yelling, tears and sleeplessness? How will that situation look 5 years from now? What about the frustrations you now face? What will they look like in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? 50 years? Will it be something so significant that it will be passed on to your children? Grandchildren? Great-grandchildren? Probably not yet these things matter to us in the moment.

The teachings of Jesus tie in here; he says “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). Both of these teachings put our daily problems into perspective and reveal how things like worry, frustration and anxiety, while natural, are meaningless.

It’s nice to be nice but let’s face it; this is a generally discouraging passage. We can highlight a few benefits of it but ultimately this is a man who did everything that all of us want to do most and he’s telling us all that there is no point to any of it. It is unlikely that any of us will achieve the breadth and depth of accomplishments of Solomon and if he couldn’t find meaning anything then what chance do we have? I won’t give it all away this week but when we read the Old Testament from this side of the cross we have revelation of a hope for this world that they could only dream about in anticipation.

Love Wins Review

2011-07-25T15:01:00.002-07:00

At last I’ve finished the book and my reflections on it. Maybe its 30 seconds of fame are over but I think there are some valuable thoughts that come from discussing it so here it goes…

In short its not as bad as you’ve heard but its not as good as it could or should be.

It’s hard to know where to begin with comments as I want to keep this short and avoid a chapter by chapter, line by line commentary on it and just go over the basics so I’ve broken it down into a few categories.

Use of Scripture

As this is a crucial issue for any Christian author I want to address this first. I’ll start with the positives. There are positives but they are small compared to the scope of the negatives but I want to give credit where credit is due.

Positives

- Bell using a great breadth of scripture and connects big ideas throughout all of Jesus teaching and scripture.

- Bell faithfully cites every verse in the Bible that references hell.

- Bell has a great gift for determining what is not in scripture, he debunks many myths about heaven, hell and life on earth that are assumptions built over time rather than scripturally asserted truths.

Negatives

- Bell subscribes to and is even a proponent of Narrative Theology. This school of thinking (of which Bell is somewhat of an extremist) doesn’t extract propositional knowledge from scripture. He is correct in not treating scripture as a list of propositions but incorrect in assuming that the Bible does not teach anything in an outright manner.

- Almost every parable or story told by Jesus is misused and misinterpreted. Ex. Luke 18 - If you go back a few blog entries you can find my interpretation of this, Bell uses both of those stories to draw conclusions that are basically non-conclusive. He thinks Jesus doesn’t really assert much in those teachings but rather just tears down people’s current conceptions. I agree that Jesus confronts the wrong thinking of the day but I think he clearly asserts a new teaching.

- While Bell cites every verse about hell he uses language to imply that hell is basically a footnote in the Bible. He says its only mentioned this many times but what he fails to mention is that Jesus taught more often about hell then he did about heaven.

Asking Questions

I like Rob Bell. I’ve always liked Rob Bell. He asks hard questions and doesn’t back down from any challenging, hard, difficult or uncomfortable question. However in this book its hard for me to tell if he is asking questions the way he does because he’s trying to connect with his followers who struggle with these questions or if he is just as vexed by them as the are. After reading the book I tend towards the latter…

Goodness, Justice and Love

Rob asks questions about the nature, character, will and power of God. All important questions and ones that need something more than casual consideration. He does however fall into the tendency that a lot of people do. Instead of looking to God for the definition and standard of goodness, justice and love he comes up with his own human (arbitrary) abstraction of goodness, justice and love and then puts God on trial according to those standards… That is not a biblical approach to God. Instead the Christian understanding should be that goodness, justice, love and beauty are universal principles, standards and forms that flow from God’s nature and character, they are not human inventions, conventions or abstractions that may be used to critique God. That is a hard truth but its a true truth.

Universal Reconciliation/Redemption

This is what all the stink is about. The immediate claim against his book is that Rob Bell is a unitarian or a universalist. Most of those claims were speculative from the video released about the book and not the book itself. He is not a unitarian or a universalist as far as I can tell, at worst he’s an inclusivist or someone who upholds a doctrine of universal reconciliation.

Bell asserts that there is heaven, there is hell, people goto both. HOWEVER he thinks that God works through eternity and beyond the scope of biblical revelation. That doesn’t seem out of the question given our understanding of who God is but it is all speculative and not scriptural. The question that needs to be answered is, what can we gain from speculating on this? You cannot embrace a dogmatic speculative teaching and neglect the clear teaching of the gospel on this earth. Speculation is fine but we must uphold biblical truths, mandates and find our mission and purpose on this earth from the scripture.

Slander

By my estimation there are two accounts (at least) of slander surrounding this book. The first account is Rob Bell subtly slandering the character of God by framing his questions that misrepresent the God of scripture. Questions that assume God tortures people in hell (and several other questions he poses) are not representative of the God in scripture.

The second account of slander is against Rob Bell, he is being thrown under the bus because he wrestles with hard questions. This is wrong, he is responsible for what he says but there are many false conclusions being drawn. He dances on the lines of heresies as much as he ever has but no more. My primary concern is whether or not he (or anyone) gets the gospel right. In this book alone I can’t say he clearly articulates the gospel according to scripture.

Holiness of God and Sinfulness of Man

I think this is a foundational issue of the gospel and one that is lost much of the time. It is a huge point of confusion and one that needs some clarification. If you assume Ghandi is or isn’t in heaven based on any criteria other than grace by faith then you’re misunderstanding something huge. If you say that Ghandi (or anyone) was so great in their merit that God would be unjust to not let them into heaven then you have misunderstood the absolute holiness of God and the perfection of his standard AND you have misunderstood the sinfulness of man.

Sin in the New Testament isn’t defined as action but rather thought, heart and motive. This means that action, inaction, thought, motivation and anything else can qualify as sin. Lets say I want to go do good work and earn favor with God and I decide to go build a house for a homeless family. In the course of doing this labor I think to myself

“Wow I’m a great guy, I’m really doing the work of God”
“I can’t believe my friends who call themselves Christians aren’t out here with me”
“God must be so grateful for me being so good”
“These people are so lucky that I’m such a good person”
“I hope people walk by and see what a great person I am”
“I wonder if they’ll let me speak about this at church so I can share my experience.”
“I need to get some pictures here to put on Facebook so people can see how great this thing I’m doing is”.
Right there are a handful of impure, unholy and unjust thoughts and that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a million things that go through my mind in a day and many of them include envy, slander, lust, etc. To think that my one action could not only negate all of my impure motives, actions and inaction but furthermore put God in debt to me is simply absurd. But thats what people do, they think some actions or lifestyles are so great, so pure and so perfect that God owes them heaven or owes them favor. This has been a small tangent but shows the lack of understanding in the perfect standards of God and the constant violation of those standards by men, even men as great as Ghandi.

Conclusion

I have nothing against Rob Bell as a Christian brother and I think his book is valuable. I wish his book were written in an academic environment or had a stronger conclusion that aligned with the gospel. I think it is dangerous for a pastor of thousands (or even a few) to open up all these questions without then concluding with clear biblical truth. Not everyone is equipped enough to answer these questions in a biblical way, which is why we have pastors. If pastors are the ones opening up questions and then not pointing people back to the actual truth then there is a problem of responsibility.

My word for you:

If the questions he asks pique your interest then read the book. Check it against scripture, don’t assume his interpretations are right (thats a good rule for any Christian book, not just Rob Bell). This is not a particularly edifying book but there are question in this book that need to be answered, just not in the way he answers them.

My word for Rob Bell:

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” - James 3:1 (ESV)

What Does the Bible Say About Dating?

2011-07-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

What does the Bible say about dating? Let’s get this out quick, nothing. The bible doesn’t say anything about dating especially as we know it. It’s a modern concept so the Bible doesn’t speak about it simply because it didn’t exist. Some people take the silence to be a prohibition to which I say let’s stop and think about it for a minute… Like in past weeks where scripture is silent on a particular issue we have to apply the principles that surround the issue. Here are some basic Biblical principles which we’ll be applying…

Sexual Sin – 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, we are too all sin but especially sexual sin because it harms our own bodies which are temples for the Holy Spirit. Those who know me, know that I don’t uphold any type of stratification of sin however the Bible says that in some sense sexual sin is worse than others because it is a sin against you and not just other people.
Be careful who you associate with - 1 Corinthians 15:33 (bad company ruins good morals) and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This doesn’t mean that all people who calls themselves “Christians” are safe to date but we should exercise discernment in all our relationships especially those who will become close to us and have great influence over us.
Control Yourself - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 pretty straightforward and consistent with the last few passages. For now I’m just laying out the principles that relate to dating and we’ll apply them a little later.
Sexual Relations are for Marriage - 1 Corinthians 7:1-25 Pretty clear meaning here and some interesting teaching on relationships with non-Christians.
Guard your heart – Proverbs chapter 4 (especially verse 23)
So those are the principles we’re working with and we need to look at the point/counterpoint here. I recommend reading Joshua Harris’s “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” it is his book that prescribes courtship as the way for Christians to live. On the other side of the fence I’d recommend, “I Gave Dating a Chance” by Jeramy Clark. Both authors are biblical and offer valuable perspectives, I side more with Jeramy Clark. Part of being a Christian is avoiding sin, dating itself is not a sin but dating opens up many doors to sin that could be avoided by abstaining from dating. However that is true of every area of life, however I do not believe it is the Christian calling to remove ourselves so far from worldly things that we have no temptations but instead to conform to the image of Christ and be in the world and rise above these temptations. Here are some healthy guidelines for practicing dating and avoiding areas of sin.

Be Healthy – It is important to be mentally and spiritually healthy before entering a relationship. If you don’t then you’re putting an incredible burden on the other person and asking them to fix you, it’s unfair to ask that of another person especially in a dating relationship and it’s impossible to achieve. Do look for a relationship because you’re feeling depressed, needy or anything else. On the same token don’t enter a relationship for someone if you’re looking for a mission project. Dating-evangelism doesn’t work and neither does dating-counseling. One or both parties will get burnt badly in these scenarios, make sure you are both mentally and spiritually healthy before looking to enter a relationship.
In short try to avoid desperation, dependence, depression and detachment.

Define your boundaries – It’s an awkward and uncomfortable conversation to have but you need to define your physical boundaries before you start crossing them. Don’t assume the other person shares the same boundaries as you and don’t try to talk about your boundaries when you’re in an intimate situation. Determine your personal physical boundaries before talking to the person you’re dating and share them with that person before they have a chance to break them.
Many people want to ask how far is too far, that is the wrong question. The mindset behind that question is one that is already looking to push the limits. We’re called to God’s standard of holiness and if you actually seek God’s standard then I believe the standard for personal purity will become pretty clear.

Take it slow and keep it light – Some Christians believe the only purpose of dating is for marriage. I certainly see the benefit of this approach but there is also a danger associated with it because if you become marriage-minded too soon it can lead to great temptations or even rushing a relationship. Instead if you keep it light and let it slowly develop over time then you’ll avoid getting in too deep too quickly and possibly ending up in a bad situation that seems irreversible.
Have standards and discernment – It is always better to be thought of as the person with too high of standards than the opposite. Establish good biblical standards for the person you want to date. Once you’re dating someone it can be hard to discern much about their character, look at these things… How do they act in tough times? Who are they when no one else is looking? Who do they hang out with? How do they treat others? Especially for girls look at how a guy treats the women that God has already placed in his life (sister, mother, grandmother) you can expect them to treat you in the same way as they treat the other women that are important to them.
Seek the truly beautiful not just the merely pretty – I think often as modern people or maybe as American we are captivated by things that are merely pretty and not actually beautiful. The Bible describes beauty in several ways yet our minds are distracted by that which merely looks pretty. Often we’re blinded by the physical, it is important that you be physically attracted to the other person but this is only the surface of the criteria. Proverbs 31:30 , 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Peter 3:4, 1 Samuel 16:7
Dating can be valuable for developing you as a person; it reveals a lot about you. You will learn things you didn’t know about yourself and assumptions you have about the nature of the world, relationships, etc. You develop many beliefs about the world, people and life from your family and everyone’s beliefs are slightly different. You will have areas of tension with anyone you get close to. This is part of the fun of dating relationships is you get to learn how weird you really are and you get to refine yourself while helping the other person grow. This is one of the many positive benefits from dating and at times it doesn’t feel like a benefit but it can make you a better person.

Here are some distinction I borrowed from a fellow youth pastor between “romantic love” and “real love”. Tumblr won’t let me use an html table so I listed the 4 symptoms of romantic loves and the 4 real loves the two lists correspond to one another so read them like that.

Romantic Love

Based on emotions - Passion, lust, desire, whimsy, happiness, etc…
Falling in love with “being in love” – the idea or notion
The TV/Movie illusion – “love at first sight”, or the “rescued princess”
Asks, “What can I get?”
Real Love

Involves your heart AND your head
The decision to seek the good of another, (based on genuine concern and caring)
Based in the reality of true friendship
Asks, “What can I give?”
I may try to post some of the questions I answered but