Clemson Community Church

I AM the Word

noreply@blogger.com (CCC Secretary) — Mon, 27 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) God created the universe in six days. One common thing that happened in each day was that he said “Let there be…” He said, “Let there be light…” and “Let there be an expanse between the waters…” and “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place…” Six times he spoke creation into existence. His words created. His words had power. His words brought life. God didn’t have to create people. He wasn’t obligated to, but he wanted to. He wanted people to be in relationship with him.

In Exodus 14, before the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the angel of God was before them. The scripture says that, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them.” (Ex. 14:19) God himself came to protect the Israelites. He didn’t have to but he wanted to. He was intervening on behalf of his people. In speaking of the angel that went behind him, Paul said that the Israelites, “they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians. 10:4)

In Joshua we see how God’s word represented his faithfulness. He had made a promise to Moses in Deuteronomy 11:24, “Every place where you set your foot will be yours…” In Joshua 1:3, God reminded Joshua of this promise, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” The rest of the book of Joshua is a demonstration of God’s faithfulness which came through the words of his promise. The words that he spoke to Moses weren’t just the sound of air vibrating his vocal cords. He was being faithful to his word and he wanted relationship with the Israelites.

God made numerous covenants with his people. He made a covenant with Noah not to destroy the earth with a flood again. He made a covenant with the Israelites on Mount Sinai through the law. He made a covenant with David to raise up offspring to him which we now know as Jesus. God said to King David, “He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:13) Each of those covenants involved his words of promise in which he would be faithful. Some of his covenants also pronounced judgment if the people did not obey. His words demonstrated that he was not a God who was distant, who didn’t want to get involved. He wanted them to see that through fellowship with him their lives and generations after them would have purpose.

When I started college I went to a christian group meeting once per week while I was there. Each week a student would give a devotional, something simple from the Bible that they would share with the group. One meeting a girl brought a bunch of devotional booklets, Our Daily Bread. She challenged everyone to read one devotional each day. I took her up on it. I never read the Bible before other than Sunday school or Sunday church. I was determined to get it done. I had no clue as to what God was going to do with that. I sensed that something was going on inside of me when I was reading his word, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. I wanted more, so I started reading the Bible cover-to-cover. I gave up a few times, but by the time I got to State I had developed a habit of reading it. I began realizing that God was really trying to say something to me. The Bible wasn’t just words on a page anymore. I finally was able to find God’s forgiveness through all that. God wasn’t distant like I thought. Well, in one sense he was distant because my sin had separated me from him. But he did want to be involved. Even though I was separated from him, his arm wasn’t so short that it couldn’t save me.

As we move forward in the Old Testament, the people of Israel had been exiled, many of which went to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel was in Babylon. It was there that he prophesied God’s words to the people of Israel, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30) God was searching. He wanted someone, anyone, to be involved in the restoration of his people. He wasn’t sitting back in his recliner hoping that someone would come to his door. He was actively seeking. About 120 years later we read about a man named Nehemiah. Undoubtedly, Nehemiah had heard about God’s desire through Ezekiel. We read in the book of Nehemiah that he heard about the condition of the wall around Jerusalem and the people were experiencing great trouble and shame. God’s desire, along with the situation of the people, gripped his heart. He knew he had to do something. He administrated the rebuilding of the wall. And with the help of Ezra, reinstituted God’s word to the people of Israel so that they would turn back to him.

Somewhere in my last year of college I went to a conference. I had been wrestling with the idea of going into full-time ministry with my church. At this conference someone spoke about Ezekiel 22:30. He was encouraging us to consider ourselves as someone who could stand in the gap for people…to be someone God could use to reach people for Christ. I kept thinking about that. I woke up in the night and couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I started reading the first few chapters of Nehemiah. When I finished the thought struck me that no where in this story does it say that God told Nehemiah to rebuild the wall. I was wondering if God was trying to speak to me about my decision to go into ministry as a job. I didn’t feel like I was anything special. Surely God would rather use someone else who was more gifted or a had a better personality. Nehemiah wasn’t a prophet or a priest. He wasn’t someone that would have been seen as a great deliverer. A few days later, I was at our Sunday church meeting back in Raleigh. One of the pastors, Berk, was teaching. I perked up because he was teaching from the book of Nehemiah. As he was teaching, he said something that I remember word-for-word 25 years later. He said, “Nowhere in this story does it say that God told Nehemiah to rebuild the wall.” At that moment, I knew God was speaking directly to me. I already knew that God desired for the nations to be reached with the gospel and to make disciples. I knew that I could have gotten a forestry job and still pursued God’s will. But, I had shared God’s word with a lot of people over the previous few years. I liked the thought of being in a job where I could focus on teaching and have more time to disciple students. If it didn’t work out after a couple years, then I could move on and do something else as a career.

You see, God had spoken. He already made his will to be known to all the people of Israel, not just to Nehemiah. It wasn’t a mystery as to what God wanted. He already communicated it with very clear words. It was Nehemiah who recognized that God wasn’t just speaking to all the other people. God was speaking to him. When you look back throughout the scriptures this is one of the great qualities of those who do great things for God. They recognized that God exists, that he has spoken, and that he is speaking today, to them in particular. God has spoken to us through his word. It’s not just rules in a book, it’s God demonstrating his existence and communicating with each of us directly. Just because 120 years had passed since God declared his will in Ezekiel, it didn’t mean that God’s will had changed any. Just because Jesus spoke over 2000 years ago doesn’t mean that his will has diminished any either.

The rest of the Old Testament is fill with examples of God speaking about intervening, God speaking about fellowship, God speaking about judgment, God speaking about hope. Then there was 400 years of silence. No new prophecies were made. But, he wasn’t done speaking. In Hebrews it says, “1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

In John 1:1-3, John states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” As you read the rest of the chapter you will see that Jesus is the “word”. In the Greek culture the word “logos” was used as a title given to the impersonal creative force. This intelligent force was involved in bringing order to the universe. It was the source of knowledge, wisdom and intelligence as well. This is how they could reason that there could be order in the universe without embracing a God that they were accountable to. So, when John used the word “logos” his readers would understand what he was talking about. Instead of “logos” being impersonal, John begins to share what God is truly like. Listen to how he describes God:

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” - John 1:11

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” - John 1:12

“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” - John 1:14

Jesus had come to intervene, bringing salvation to all people. He came to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:11). He came to bring hope, but those who rejected him found themselves in judgment. He came speaking. His words had life. In John 1:12, notice that it doesn’t say that those who received his teachings became children of God. It’s those who received him that can become children of God.

As I was thinking about this message I was reminded that I don’t need to just spend time in the word. I need to spend time with the word. What do you believe? Do you believe that God exists? Do you believe that he has spoken? Do you believe that he is still speaking to you? This is part of the great hope of Christians. We believe that all these things are a “yes”. Before I came to Christ I had no clue that God was still speaking. I felt pretty certain there was a God and that he had spoken to people at some time in history. But I felt that he went silent, especially for me. It wasn’t until I started reading the Bible for myself that I started experiencing strange, new things happening. I began to be convicted for my sin. The death and resurrection of Jesus became more of a reality to me. Christian friends were sharing with me the same verses I had read earlier that day. I gained more and more glimpses of a personal God that was wanting to speak with me.

In a couple minutes we’ll have a time for sharing. I want to ask you two questions for you to think about:

What has been helpful for you in meeting with the word over the past month or so? In other words, have you changed a habit or heart attitude that has led God to speak to you? Have you continued having a certain habit or heart attitude that has kept you in communication with the word?

What is one simple thing you can pass on to someone over the next week or in order to encourage them to meet with the word as you have been doing?

I AM the Root and the Bright Morning Star

noreply@blogger.com (CCC Secretary) — Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome! Today we continue our I AM series, where we seek to deepen our understanding of the I AM statements of Jesus. This is our next-to-last message in this series; next week, we will look at the statement of Jesus as being The Word.

Today’s I AM statement comes from Revelation chapter 22, the final chapter of the Bible:

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” – Rev. 22:16

This verse is kind of a two-for-one deal, as we have two titles of Jesus: First, the Root and the Offspring of David, and second, the bright Morning Star.

Let’s start with the first title. I am the Root and the Offspring of David. The root is something that comes before; the offspring is something that comes after. How can this be?

We of course know the answer – Jesus is God; He is eternal. He is the Messiah. The issue of Jesus’ identity was the core issue that led to His crucifixion. The Jewish leaders had been jealous of Jesus for some time, but this hatred grew to a fever pitch when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I want to read the account of Jesus’ entry from Matthew, along with what happened immediately after this. Notice how these are all connected, how the people treat Jesus, and how the leaders respond. This is from Matthew 21.

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matt. 21:6-11

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” He said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Matt. 21:12-13

The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked Him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants You, Lord, have called forth Your praise’?” – Matt. 21:14-16

“Your” praise. Jesus is clearly identifying Himself as the Messiah, but He is also identifying Himself as God, as the object of worship. “Hosanna” in the original Hebrew meant, “Please, save us!” and this was contained in the idea, but it was more than a prayer for salvation – it was an expression of adoration and worship. Hosannas to anyone but God would have been considered idolatry.

This brings me back to my question: How can Jesus be the Root and the Offspring of David, one that follows after David but yet one that comes before? Again, our answer is that Jesus is the Eternal God, one of three Persons in the Trinity of God. But the Pharisees and priests are not ready to hear this.

Jesus presents this question to the Pharisees in Jerusalem during his final few days before the crucifixion, shortly after the events we have just read. The account is found in Matthew, Luke and Mark. We will continue on in Matthew, in Chapter 22.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. – Matt. 22:41-42

This is just the start. The Pharisees seemingly give this answer together, as it is obvious. And to them it was obvious. But they thought it meant that the Messiah was only the offspring of David, not the Root. But the thing is, when you look at the passages describing the Messiah as the offspring of David, it becomes obvious that He is far more than just a man. For example, look at this passage from Isaiah 11:

A Shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist. – Is. 11:1-5

Jesse was David’s immediate father. And so this passage shows that this messiah figure will indeed come after David. Jesse is referred to a stump because of the context of Isaiah – one of his main themes of Isaiah is that Judah and Jerusalem will finally fall as a result of their ongoing sin and disregard for the Lord. The promised land will be taken away from them! David, the son of Jesse, was the one who had at last taken Israel from her various enemies. The Jews understood Messiah would be one who took it back again, a kind of “second” David, and so the term “the son of David” meant more than just genealogy, although it meant that too. It meant that the Messiah would do what David had done.

The passage is encouraging: out of this stump of Jesse, out of the fallen line of kings who did not serve God and sinned greatly, after the great fall of Israel and of Judah, would come a Branch, or Shoot, one that would bear fruit. The description is of the Messiah, the one on whom the Spirit would rest, a sneak preview of Jesus’ baptism when the Spirit, in the form of a dove, rests on Jesus, and God says, “This is My Son, whom I love.” And the passage describes the Messiah as judge – a good judge, a righteous judge, and a judge who also metes out punishment upon the wicked. And note that He is described as far more than human – it says that with just His breath, He would slay the wicked. Whether this was meant to be taken literally or figuratively (the latter, I’m sure the Pharisees thought), it meant that the Messiah had power far beyond that of a mere man.

Here is another passage on the Messiah, Son of David:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David [from David’s line] a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior. – Jer. 23:5-6

Again, this Messiah figure comes from David, again He is called a Branch, again He is King. And again, He is more than a man – He is described as Lord – a term reserved for God – and as Savior, together a title more than worthy of Hosannas. It is obvious to us that this refers to Jesus. The Jewish leaders should have seen this as well – they knew these passages! Indeed, the Pharisees were experts in Scripture – or to be more precise, they were experts in reading and discussing Scripture. On the other hand, following it, obeying it, repenting as it pointed out their sins, not so much. But they knew what the Scripture said.

There are many other passages we could consider but let us go on with the account of Jesus in Matt. 22. Recall that Jesus asked the Pharisees what they thought about the Messiah, and whose son He was. They replied that He was the Son of David. Here is how the passage continues:

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions. – Matt. 22:43-46

How could David’s son be David’s Lord? The Pharisees immediately knew the passage that Jesus was quoting. This comes from Psalm 110. This is a Psalm “of David.” Let’s read from it:

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, Your young men will come to You like dew from the morning’s womb. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings on the day of His wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. – Ps. 110:1-6

David calls this future son of David, his Lord! And there is no question that David is talking about the Messiah. We see the same kind of holy battle scene that we saw in our earlier passages today. And he is called a priest. A king that is also a priest? That goes against the Law of Moses. But preceding the Law of Moses we see the example of Melchizedek, a king who is also serving as a priest, one to whom Abraham gave an offering or tribute. Note again that the Messiah figure is more than a man. Not only does He transcend the Law of Moses, being a warrior, king, and priest, but He is a priest forever; that is, He is eternal. The Jewish leaders, and the priests in particular, probably didn’t like to think about this Psalm. It said that there was a priest who would serve as priest forever. The implication was that the present priesthood, the ancient priesthood that went all the way back to the time of Moses, was, in contrast, temporary. It was indeed more temporary than they realized, as the whole thing would end a few decades later, in AD 70.

And so we see that the idea that Jesus is the Root and Offspring of David was not really a new concept in Revelation. We see Jesus explaining this to the Jewish leaders shortly before the Crucifixion, but the idea is actually spelled out in the later prophets and even goes back to David’s own writings. The very title that the Jewish leaders rejected, should be one that we, as believers, rejoice in. We should want to join in with the children shouting Hosanna’s to our Savior, King, and God.

I want to point out that the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages we looked at today (Is. 11:1-5 and Jer. 23:5-6) specifically call the Messiah a branch, or, equivalently, shoot, a word that can also be described as offspring, but which means much more. In the Is. 11 passage, the word used is Netzer, a word closely tied to Nazareth! And Jesus is called the Nazarene, for He grew up in Nazareth.

Here is another passage that describes Jesus as the Branch:

“‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. – Zech. 3:8-9

Again, the Messiah figure The “stone” is likely Jesus, elsewhere called the “cornerstone” who is described as having seven eyes in Rev. 5:

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” - Rev. 5:6-10

And so the Messiah in Zehariah is called the Servant, and the Branch, and the Stone, which I think is meant to be reference to the Cornerstone. And indeed, God did remove the sin of the land in a single day, when Jesus went to the cross for our sins.

The “branch,” or offspring, is also used in Zech. 6:

‘Here is the Man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on His throne. And He will be a priest on His throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ – Zech. 6:12b-13

Again, we see the term the Branch, and we see the joint roles of king and priest. I believe that “The Temple of the Lord” is not primarily referring to a physical Temple, but instead to the church universal, to the body of believers who have given themselves to Him and follow Him. Through them He indeed “branches out from his place” and salvation goes from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and then to all the ends of the earth.

I could say much more, but we have a second title of Jesus to investigate. Here again is our opening passage from Rev. 22:

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” – Rev. 22:16

What does it mean that Jesus is the Bright Morning Star? Astronomically speaking, the morning star refers to Venus, the brightest object in the night sky apart from the moon. Venus always appears in the east before sunrise, or west after sunset. It never appears overhead at midnight. At present, Venus rises at 6:09 am, reaches its peak at 1:03 pm (when it is not visible, due to the sun shining and overpowering it), and sets at 7:58 pm. The sun presently rises at 6:21 am (12 minutes after Venus rises) and sets at 8:28 pm (30 minutes after Venus sets, meaning that Venus’ morning rising is much more visible than its evening setting at present).

Again, I want to look at some Old Testament passages referring to the “star of the morning.” Our first passage is from Isaiah 14:

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. – Is. 14:12-20

Is this referring to Jesus? Certainly not! This is Lucifer, who is said elsewhere to appear as an angel of light. But isn’t Jesus the bright morning star? Yes. Jesus is the true bright morning star. Satan, always the great imitator of Jesus, imitates Christ in this way (and does so quite poorly, I might add).

“Morning stars” can be symbolic of heavenly beings (and recall that Lucifer was an angel). Job 38 gives us this description of creation (God is talking):

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? – Job 38:4-7

In one of Balaam’s prophecies, he refers to the Messiah coming at a future time, and uses “star” symbolism to do this. From Numbers 24:

I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. – Num. 24:17a

That Jesus is associated with a star is demonstrated by the star that the Magi followed to see the baby Jesus. From Matt. 2:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” – Matt. 2:1-2

But what is the meaning behind Jesus as the Bright Morning Star? Why is this one of His titles? The answer is in the verse immediately after this verse in Revelation. Here it is, with the verse we have been looking at this morning:

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” – Rev. 22:16-17a

Let us say it now: Come! The Bright Morning Star is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ coming. When does the star come? In the morning, when it is still dark. But its coming tells you that night is over, and the day begins. Spiritually speaking, we are currently in the night. But when Jesus, the Bright Morning Star comes, we know that day is upon us, that the reign of Satan on earth is over, and that an eternity with Christ in the New Heavens and the New Earth awaits us. He is indeed the Bright Morning Star.

Now I want to finish today by going back to the idea of Jesus as the Root. Now trees and plants have multiple kinds of root systems. The kind you are probably most familiar with is when roots are isolated to each plant, and the plant spreads through seeds that grow up new, independent plants. Think of carrots, for example – you can pull up one carrot from your garden without all of the other carrots coming up with them.

Now, the Greek word for root is riza, and although the word is used figuratively and literally in a variety of ways in Scripture, from a botanical point of view, going all the way back to the Greek, the word riza referred to a root system that is not independent, but instead, interdependent. And today, in botany we use the word rhizome, which comes from that root word (pun intended) riza.

What is a rhizome? A rhizome looks like a root, as it is a part of a plant that is underground, but more precisely, it is a subterranean plant stem. Unlike true roots, which grow vertically, deeper and deeper into the earth, rhizomes grow horizontally, maintaining a fixed depth. In plants that have rhizomes, true roots grow down from the rhizome, and shoots grow up from it, breaking the surface, and giving the appearance of being independent plants. But the plants are not independent; they remain connected via the rhizome.

Some rhizomes are edible; ginger is an example of a rhizome that we eat. Another example is the horseradish that we ate together during the Passover service a few weeks ago. For the casual gardener, rhizomes may not be your friend, because they spread underground and are both difficult to contain and difficult to eliminate. We had a beautiful flowering cherry tree at our house but had to cut it down because as its roots grew it became a danger to the foundations of our house. But underground it created an extremely dense mat of material that not only still sends up shoots years later, but also makes it difficult for anything else to grow. Blackberry bushes also have rhizomes, and we have found them able to travel under our driveway and pop up in our lawn. Crepe myrtles are also rhizomes, and although we have never planted any at our house, we have them now thanks to the wandering rhizomes from our neighbors’ plants. In terms of their ability to spread, perhaps the most impressive rhizomes are bamboo and aspens. We are all familiar with bamboo, but aspens maybe less so, as they don’t grow here. But in Colorado and surrounding states, entire aspen forests are connected through their rhizomes. And some of these aspen rhizome root systems are known to be thousands of years old. If you are looking for a Biblical example, look at the olive tree. Why are they in groves? Because olive trees also have rhizomes.

Plants connected by rhizomes share nutrients and therefore are better able to withstand drought. And rhizomes also protect plants from forest fires. The upper matter, the visible part of trees and plants, may burn, but the rhizomes are protected, and new plants shoot up from them a short time after the fire has ended.

I think rhizomes are a powerful symbol of our collective relationship with Jesus. A plant is connected to other plants via the rhizomes; in the same way, believers in a community are connected to one other – and to Jesus Himself – via Jesus, our rhizome. A plant has resilience and energy stores that are not apparent because they are fed and strengthened in and through the rhizomes; in the same way, believers have resilience and power that are not from or in themselves, but through and in Christ. And a mature plant may appear to only be a few decades old, but in fact its rhizome may have been around for centuries or millennia; in the same way, those who are in Christ are not only connected to Jesus the Incarnate one, but they are also connected to Jesus who was present at the creation of the Universe.

And with that, let us look at our main passage one last time:

Come, Lord Jesus!

I AM the Bridegroom

noreply@blogger.com (CCC Secretary) — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Good morning saints and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers here in the church today as well as those listening in on our ZOOM broadcast. Today we continue our series titled I AM. Now we began this I AM series back in February with the I Am the Bread of Life. Then we continued the series with "I AM the Light of the World", followed by "I AM the Door of the Sheep"; "I AM the Good Shepherd"; "I AM the Resurrection and the Life"; "I AM the Way the Truth and the Life"; "I AM the Vine"; "I AM the Lamb of God"; "I AM The Word" and last week John covered the "I AM the Alpha and Omega".

Now these are all metaphors. They were all chosen by God to reveal to us one or more particular dimensions of His Character of love for His Chosen People.

Today we are going to look at the I Am the Bridegroom metaphor. Now I looked for the earliest reference of the I Am being the Bridegroom and found it in the second chapter of the Book of the prophet Hosea. Now Hosea’s ministry is dated c. 755 to 710 BC. Hosea, whose name means Salvation, ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel was also called Ephraim, after the largest tribe of Israel. Actually Ephraim was just a half tribe. If you recall Ephraim was the youngest of Joseph’s two son.

16 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my Husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master (translated also as Baal). 17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. - Hosea 2:16-18

Now the Hebrew word “master” here is also translated Baal. It means owner or lord. It came to be applied to their gods that they worshipped and served. In the context it is the name of these gods that were on their lips. But the I Am here says that these names will no longer be on their lips in that day. When is that day going to occur? Well no one knows exactly except God because the in that day is a reference to the end times. In the context of Chapter 1 of Hosea verses 10 and 11 the bride is Israel and Judah reunited.

10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. - Hosea 1:10-11

Now in reference to the Bride being Judah and Israel reunited He says:

19 I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 20 I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. - Hosea 2:19-20

The apostle Paul uses this same betrothal metaphor in the New Testament to describe the relationship to Christ and the Church in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1 through 3.

1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. - 2nd Cor. 1:1-3 NASB

Jumping back to Hosea chapter 2 we read:

21 “In that day I will respond,” declares the LORD—“I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; 22 and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel (now here the word Jezreel in Hebrew means God Plants ) 23 I will plant her for Myself in the land; I will show My love to the one I called ‘Not My loved one’. I will say to those called ‘Not My people’, ‘You are My people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” - Hosea 2:21-23

Now the Lord tells the prophet Hosea to go back to his adulterous wife. And Hosea records His words as follows:

1 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley (a lethek is about 10 bushels). 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will wait for you.” 4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. 5Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His blessings in the last days. - Hosea 3:1-5

Here the Lord explains that Israel’s return is going to take place in the last days. He says He will wait for them to return. So He has been waiting more than 2700 years and He is still waiting. Now about this waiting for the last days Peter tells us the following in 2 Peter chapter 3 beginning in verse 8:

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. - 2nd Peter 3:8-13

I shared verse 9 with a Jewish man who goes by the name of Stu which is short for his first name Stuart when he asked me why God allowed all the deaths of the Jewish people to occur in World War II and that are still occurring in Israel to this day. His response to the verse I shared was in the form of another question. He said “What’s He waiting for?” My reply after quoting the verse from memory again was “Perhaps he is waiting for you to believe in Him. Have you ever thought that you may be the hold up of His return?”

Not everyone is going to come to the wedding feast that was invited but the Bridegroom is going to wait until all who are going to believe and put their trust in Him have done so before He returns. Now Stu isn’t there yet but he might be close. Please pray for Stu and others that you know who are not saved yet, to come to the saving knowledge of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus’ Salvation before it is too late and the door of opportunity for him to get saved is shut permanently. Who knows, in doing so you might speed up the coming of the day of the Lord like Peter says in 2nd Peter 3 verse 12.

Now the next reference of the I Am the Bridegroom in the Old Testament is in the Book of Isaiah chapter 62 verse 5. Now just as the prophet Hosea was ministering to the Northern Kingdom, the prophet Isaiah was ministering to the tribe of Judah in the Southern Kingdom. Now the time period for the book of Isaiah is from 740-701 BC. Thus the book of Isaiah was written relatively around the same time period as the book of Hosea. Since Hosea’s bridegroom prophesy involves both Hosea’s Northern Kingdom and Judah’s Southern Kingdom being reunited, you would expect that the prophet of the southern Kingdom would also prophesy something in regards to the bridegroom. Sure enough He does. In Isaiah chapter 62 Isaiah writes:

5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. - Isaiah 62:5-7

Again the I Am Bridegroom is waiting since Jerusalem is not yet been made the praise of the earth yet. Now while He is waiting here with Isaiah let’s fast forward 735 years from around 701 BC to 34 AD.

Then came John the Baptist as prophesied to make ready the way of the Lord. And John the Baptist prophesies about the you guessed it “the Bridegroom” as recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 3 verse 29. Starting in verse 26 of this chapter John records the following:

26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of Him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less. - John 3:26-30

Now Jesus actually refers to Himself indirectly as the bridegroom in the book of Matthew chapter 9 verse 15.

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked Him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. - Matthew 9:14-15

Now Jesus also refers to Himself indirectly as the bridegroom in the book of Mark chapter 2 verses 19 and 20. This may be a reference to the same event recorded in Matthew 9 verse 14 and 15 and just worded a little differently or it may be a different event but with a similar question that Jesus answered on another occasion.

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot, so long as they have Him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. - Mark 2:18-20

Now Jesus also uses the bridegroom analogy in the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom as recorded in Matthew 25 verses 1-10.

1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. - Matthew 25:1-10

In this parable Jesus explains that not everyone will be ready when the bridegroom comes. However, the wedding still takes place without those who were not ready. The door is shut they are left outside.

I’m told in that in the Hebrew culture of that time period, following the betrothal it was customary for the Jewish bridegroom to go and prepare a place for the bride. This place was usually in a room either in or annexed to the bridegroom parent’s home. Jesus alludes to Himself being the bridegroom metaphor in John chapter 14 verses 1 through 3 when He says:

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. - John 14:1-3

Reference to this wedding metaphor was also made in the book of Revelations chapter 19 verse 6 through 9 but here it is not in a parable it is a vision of the future as revealed to the apostle John. Starting in verse 6 the description of this vision of the future as revealed to the apostle John reads as follows:

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” - Revelations 19:6-9

So these are the reference of the I Am being the Bridegroom and Judah reunited with Israel being the Bride which God expanded to include the saved Gentiles in Isaiah 49 verse 5 and 6 when He says:

5 And now the LORD says He who formed me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and My God has been My strength 6 He says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” - Isaiah 49:5-6

Here the Lord is speaking of the Gentile Church of believers. The apostle Paul alludes to this in chapter 5 of his letter to the Ephesians where he says:

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. - Ephesians 5:22-27

There are a couple of other references to the I Am being the bridegroom. In these the City of Jerusalem is referred to as the bride and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them here. So I will. However, before I do, I want to explain that the united Judah and Israel and the Gentile Church and the City of Jerusalem metaphors being the bride can all be true at the same time since they are all metaphors used by God to reveal to us one or more particular dimensions of His Character of love for His Chosen People. So for completeness sake the references to the city of Jerusalem metaphors being the Bride are recorded in Revelations 21 verse 2 and in verses 9 and 10. Revelations 21 verse 2 reads as follows:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. - Revelations 21:2

Note the reference to the Bride beautifully dressed for her husband is referring to the Bridegroom.

Revelations 21 verse 9 reads as follows:

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. - Revelations 21:9-10

Note the bride, the wife of the Lamb here alludes to Christ the Lamb of God being her husband the Bridegroom.

Now I want to close today’s message by recalling Peter’s instructions to the Saints and to us that I shared earlier. Peter says in 2nd Peter chapter 3 starting in verse 11 the following:

Remember you can speed the bridegrooms coming because this passage is inspired by the Holy Spirit who is God and He can’t lie.

Let’s Pray!

Next week Carl will finish up our I AM Series with the I AM the Root and I AM the Bright Morning Star.

I AM the Lamb of God

noreply@blogger.com (CCC Secretary) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Good morning! We’re in the second half of the “I AM …” series. In a way, this message is the first in a two-part message about the Lamb of God. We will celebrate the Passover together next Sunday and have a meal together afterward. I Corinthians 5:7 tells us that Jesus is our Passover lamb. We look forward to celebrating that truth together next week.

It is good to be home. I enjoy traveling about as much as anyone. It’s beneficial to go and see places and things and people you would never see if you didn’t go.

Work-wise, we did what we were sent to do. In addition, I met a guy from Antioch named Berkem. One night, we had dinner in a medieval walled city. I visited the Dachau Concentration Camp. But probably the most memorable thing that happened was getting caught in a rain shower on Monday evening.

It was nearly five o’clock when I got free from a supplier visit in Berlin. Since I had a car, and the city center was a mess of traffic, I decided to drive out to Potsdam and look around the gardens of the former monarchs of Prussia. The gardens were larger than I expected and they had quite a number of flowers in bloom.

The sky was partly cloudy, the temperature cool. I was wearing a jacket but didn’t bother grabbing my umbrella. I had just turned back toward where I had parked when it started drizzling. I looked up in the direction the weather was coming from, which happened to be in the trees away from the gardens, and there were solid dark grey clouds moving toward the gardens.

I was a good 20 minute walk from the car, so there was no need to rush. There was no way to outrun the rain. Gradually, the rain picked up. I pulled my hood out of my jacket. One of the nice things about gardens is that there are wandering paths. One of the not nice things about gardens is there are rarely straight paths to where you want to go.

About the time I got fairly wet, but not soaked, I saw some little white things bouncing off the gravel path. I thought surely it can’t be hail, but it surely can’t be anything else. I stopped, bent over and picked up a piece, and yes, it was hailing. I can’t even remember the last time saw hail much less when I ever was walking outside when hail was falling.

At that point, there was a long rolling boom of thunder that just went on and on and on. On the one hand, I was thinking that it was like the thunder of the voice of the Lord. On the other hand, I was wondering if I was about to move from being wet to getting soaked. But, that was the end of the shower. I walked a little farther and came upon another garden with a building overlooking it. There, as the clouds were breaking apart, was a rainbow.

I’ve never thought of a rainbow as a symbol of anything dangerous. I’ve always thought of it as either something beautiful or as the promise of the Lord not to flood the earth again specifically or almost in a Jeremiah 29:11 kind of way. That God does not have plans to harm us but rather for our good, to give us hope and a future.

In the last year or so, I heard someone make the comparison of a rainbow to a bow like a bow and arrow, bow. So, God puts His bow in the clouds. It’s the same word in Hebrew and in English, so the comparison is similar. Even if you do make a connection with a rainbow to real bow, which direction is the bow facing? It’s pointing toward the sky, not toward us.

That connects with our message today. We are going to talk about Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus is the one who has taken the wrath of God for us. The judgment against our sin was directed to the Son of God, and not to us, in an everlasting covenant.

Let’s pray and then dig into the identity of Jesus our Savior as the Lamb of God.

Father God, thank You that You have put Your signs before us whether it is in the heavens or the rainbow or through one another. Speak to us as we look into Your Word. Thank You for Who You are and what You have done for us. Amen.

When we talked about Jesus as the good shepherd a few weeks ago, we looked at when the word shepherd first appeared in Scripture. So, today, I thought I would ask where the word lamb first appears. Turns out, there are three or four Hebrew words that get translated as lamb. There is an occurrence of a plural lambs, ewe lambs, in the chapter before this occurrence of a single lamb. So, I’m asking where does the word lamb singular first appear in the bible?

It's in Genesis 22:7, when Abraham is taking Isaac to Moriah as a sacrifice.

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:7-8

That’s one of the most emotional moments of scripture to me, especially the last sentence. Neither Abraham nor Isaac knew what was going to happen for sure. Abraham was obeying and honoring God. Isaac was too, by obeying and honoring his father. Despite the not knowing how things were going to work out, the two of them went on together.

There is something powerful in that. Ecclesiastes 4:12 is often shared at weddings that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. The three strands being symbolic of husband, wife, and God Himself. That thinking is not only limited to husbands and wives. It can apply to any of us, just as it applied to Abraham and Isaac. They walked on together in the Lord.

In relation to our message today, I want to point to Abraham’s answer. God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. And as God often does, He is working many things out at once. He did provide a burnt offering for Isaac and Abraham, specifically a ram caught in a thicket. He also has provided a lamb as a sacrifice for all of us including Abraham and Isaac.

I try not to get things wrong. When I found this passage as the first occurrence of the word lamb, I wanted to look at multiple translations to see if the Hebrew word gets translated some way other than lamb. Turns out the Darby translation was one of fourteen translations that used a word other than lamb. It uses the word sheep.

I don’t know why, but the Blue Letter Bible website then starts with Latin as the first of the foreign language translations. Since I was skimming down all these sentences, I just went ahead and skimmed over the Latin. Hebrew and Greek are next. When I get to those, I stop reading because I don’t know either alphabet well enough to try. If I read something in English (14 times) before I read it in Latin and it’s simple enough, then I sort of can figure it out.

The Latin surprised me because it omits the word lamb entirely. More than that, I was surprised how you say whole burnt offering in Latin. It’s victimam holocausti. Literally, that means a whole burnt offering. But the word holocaust jumps out at you. My English-speaking brain renders the two words as holocaust victim.

Last Saturday, Matt (the guy I was traveling with for work) and I went to Dachau, the large concentration camp near Munich. Most of the buildings are torn down, but a couple of barracks and some of the main buildings remain as part memorial, part history lesson.

I’ve been traveling to Germany on and off for work for more than twenty years. But, I’ve never been to a concentration camp. I wasn’t trying to avoid it, but I wasn’t seeking it out either. It is a heavy experience, but not graphic, at least not at Dachau. I got choked up a couple of times. Once was after we visited the barracks, and I was talking to Matt about The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. I was telling him about the part where Betsy tells Corrie that the must thank God for the fleas. In the barracks, there were several signs which had quotes from former prisoners.

I’ll share just one. “As in the military, cleanliness and tidiness were a means of harassment, only here in the camp this was taken to a … diabolical level. … Not even the smallest spot is allowed to get on the wood, for if the block leader sees it, he will write up a report for punishment right away … You can get an hour of pole hanging if even a single drop … can be seen …” If you remember, the barracks were Corrie and Betsy were housed was so infested with fleas that the guards avoided it entirely. In that way, God spared them some trouble.

The other thing that choked me up was what we saw as we entered the camp. The gate says, “Arbeit macht frei.” Arbeit is work. Macht means makes. Frei is free. Work makes you free. Or work sets you free. What a horrible lie! These prisoners were brought into this and other concentration camps under the sign of a false promise that work would allow them to be free. I learned even at a death camp like Auschwitz, this phrase is prominently displayed at the entrance.

It's not work that sets you free. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching … you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Jesus also told us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus makes you free, not work.

One more thought about the word holocaust and its use to describe the killing of six million Jews during World War II. Neither the Nazis nor the Jewish people had any sacrificial meaning or symbolism in the Holocaust, certainly not religious. So, one different name that has been suggested is Shoah, a Hebrew word that means catastrophe or devastation.

We’ve spent a long time looking at this passage about the lamb that God would provide for Abraham and Isaac. The theme of the sacrificial lamb runs throughout the Old Testament. Here are a few of the main examples.

• The animal slain in the Garden of Eden to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, the first sinners. Genesis 3:21

• The lamb God would Himself provide for Abraham as a substitute for Isaac. Genesis 22:13-14

• The Passover lamb for Israel. Exodus 12:1-13

• The lamb for the guilt offering in the Levitical sacrifices. Leviticus 5:6-7, 14:12-13

• The lamb, ready to be shorn, who is led to the slaughter. Isaiah 53:7

The last one from Isaiah 53 is part of a passage that foretells the One known as the Suffering Servant. It’s one of the most clearly Messianic passages in the whole Old Testament. And right in the midst of it, we have this passage.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

This is the same passage of Scripture that the eunuch was reading in Acts 8:32 when Philip the evangelist came alongside him. “The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:34-35)

And so, as each of these lambs of the Old Testament fulfilled their role in their death. Each instance is also an announcement that Jesus would die, and His death would be a sacrifice for the sin of the whole world.

John the Baptist is the one who first calls Jesus the Lamb of God. John came as a prophet, and he was baptizing people at the Jordan River before Jesus began His earthly ministry. Many people were coming out from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to see John and to be baptized by him. This got the attention of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, so they sent out some priests and Levites to ask John who he was.

John freely and openly tells them, “I am not the Messiah.” So, then they ask John a bunch more questions. Who are you? Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet? John answers each question, “No. I am not.” Finally, these priests and Levites demand that he give them an answer to take back to those who sent them.

John answers with the words of Isaiah (40:3), “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” After answering another of their questions about baptism, John says, “Among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

The very next day, John sees Jesus coming toward him, and he says,

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel."

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One.” John 1:29-34

The next day, John is there with two of his disciples, and he sees Jesus passing by again. He immediately says, “Look, the Lamb of God!” It’s like every time that John sees Jesus after baptizing Him, he says, “Look, the Lamb of God!” as a part of his ministry to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Chosen One of God.

We also see that John connects this name, Lamb of God, with taking away the sin of the world. That is what the Lamb has done for us. The Lamb of God is more than a prophet. He is from of old, before John. He is the One on whom God’s Spirit remains. Not only that, He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The Lamb of God is God’s Chosen One. There is none like Him.

Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of every time that image of the Lamb of God is displayed in the Old Testament.

• Jesus covers our shame as the animal slain in the Garden of Eden covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Luke 13:34

• Jesus is the true lamb God Himself would provide to Abraham as a substitute for Isaac or any other person. I Peter 1:18-19

• Jesus is our Passover lamb. I Corinthians 5:7

• Jesus the guilt offering sacrificed to absolve us of our sin. I John 2:2

• Jesus is the lamb of whom Isaiah wrote, the one led to the slaughter, silent as before the shearers. Acts 8:32

• Jesus is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8

The need for Jesus to come and save us is not plan B. It’s plan A, from before the foundation of the world. Jesus was the Lamb of God. He is the Lamb of God. The decision to be the sacrifice for our sins had been made before the first sin had been committed. That is incredible.

If you take all the instances of the word lamb from the whole bible you end up with about 100. If you include plural lambs, that’s about 100 more, but let’s just stick with singular lamb. Which book do you think has the most occurrences of the word lamb?

You might guess Leviticus, but Leviticus is actually third. Second place does belong to another book of the Law. That’s Numbers. Number one is … Revelation. 29 out of 99 verses happen in Revelation, and all but one of those are about Jesus the Lamb of God. And now, we’re going to read them all. No, just kidding. We’re not going to read them all, but we are going to look at a few of them because it gives us a deeper understanding of the Lamb of God.

The Lamb first appears in Revelation in chapter 5. If you remember, the apostle John is the author. He is being shown a vision of things to come in the Spirit. At first, He sees God the Father on the throne holding a scroll with seven seals. No one is worthy to open the scroll, and John begins to weep. But one of the elders tells him not to weep because “ the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” then, he sees a Lamb, but it is unusual. It is a Lamb that looks like it has been slain, but it is standing.

I looked at some artwork of the Lamb of God, and it is all very strange, and I think that Revelation 5:6 is the reason. We can’t understand how to capture a Lamb standing and looking like it had been slain. But at the time of the writing of Revelation, Jesus has already been to the cross. His sacrifice has been made.

The Lamb takes the scroll and opens six of its seals with accompanying events of the last days. At this point, we get a glimpse of the power and majesty of the Lamb as those in heaven worship Him.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 7:9-12

Can you imagine a multitude beyond counting all crying out in unison with loud voices? It must be a sight to behold. They’re not cheering for a football team or any other sport or human activity. Their message of their cheer is the gospel. Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb! Not only are people worshiping. The angels and the elders and the angelic creatures are worshiping, too. This is the Lamb raised up.

Remember that we talked about the passage in Isaiah about the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 52:13 says that God’s “Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” Revelation 7 shows us how it will come true.

The Lamb of God is not just one to be worshiped. He cares for those who worship Him. Immediately one of the elders explains to John,

“These in white robes … are those who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘He will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:14-17

The Lamb shelters, He provides, He protects, He shepherds, He leads, He comforts, He cares.

You would think that everyone would want to come and wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb and enjoy His blessings forever and ever, but sadly that is not the case. There are many who hate the Lamb. In fact …

They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers. Revelation 17:14

This is the last passage we will examine from Revelation. The Lamb is not weak. He is the victorious Lamb. He has all power and authority. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And, He is not alone. He brings those he calls to be with Him.

So, praise God! Whoever calls on the name of Jesus to be saved has been saved and has become one of the many called, chosen and faithful followers of the Lamb. Those who the Lamb shelters, provides for, protects, shepherds, leads, comforts, and cares for.

Let’s close with this exhortation from I Peter 1:18-25:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the Word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:18-25

Worship the Lamb. Worthy is He! Let’s pray.

Jesus, Lamb of God, thank You that You have taken away our sin. Thank You that You chose us first. May we be faithful followers, servants and lambs. Guide us we pray, in Your Name, Amen.

I AM the True Vine

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 18:25:00 +0000

Good morning! Today we continue our “I AM” series on Jesus’ “I AM” statements in the Bible and we come to Jesus’ statement “I AM the True Vine” from John chapter 15.

I want to start today with Moses. In Deut. 31, Moses is 120 years old, and he lets the Israelites know that he is too old to lead them. He promises that the Lord Himself will lead them if they follow Him, and he lets them know that Joshua will lead them in his place. He finishes writing the words of the Law and tells them to read it publicly, on a regular schedule. Then God visits Moses and warns him that the people will soon forsake God, and in response, God will make it very difficult for them. He then gave Moses a song and told Moses to teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it would be a witness against what they are going to do.

The song speaks of God’s faithfulness but then goes on to the Israelites’ future unfaithfulness. And God uses an image of a vine to describe them:

Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. – Deut. 31:32-33

What kind of vine is this? A terrible one! The Israelites were supposed to sing this song to remind themselves to stay true to the Lord. But it is almost certain that they did not continue to sing this song, or if they did, they did not think about how it could apply to them. And in time, the people became unfaithful just as the song had warned.

The vine is a hugely important symbol in the Old Testament, coming up dozens of times to symbolize different things, most commonly the nation or people of Israel. As to the theme of this Deuteronomy passage, we see it again in Jeremiah. From Chapter 2:

“Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve You!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute. I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against Me into a corrupt, wild vine? – Jer. 2:20-21

And so again, we see this theme of a vine going bad. And again, it symbolizes the unfaithfulness of the people of God.

Vines are not easy to grow. Rather, they are easy to grow in some wild form, but they are not easy to grow in such a way that they produce lots of fruit. They require continual care – pruning, feeding, training, watering, weeding, and more. They require protection from small animals – this is even mentioned in the Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon:

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. – Song of Songs 2:15

Animals ruin vineyards by digging up around the roots, causing the vines to weaken and become vulnerable to disease. Other animals of course can steal the fruit or eat the leaves.

With this background on the nature of vineyards and the use of vines in the Old Testament, I think we are ready to look at Jesus’ powerful teaching in which He uses vines as His primary illustration. This can be found in John 15. Let’s look at the first few verses.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. – John 15:1-4

Let’s start by talking about that word “true”. What is a true vine? The Greek word used here is alathinos. It is helpful to understand that there is another related word, alathes. In the Latin Vulgate translation they were very careful to use different Latin words for these two Greek words, verax for the second word, and verus for the first. It is the second word, not the word in this passage but the other one, that means what we commonly think about when we think about truth, as the opposite of lying, the opposite of saying something that is actually not true. But there is another meaning of “true” that seems to be rapidly disappearing from the English language. This is disappointing and disturbing, because the usage of language reveals how people groups think, and the lack of a word for something reveals that the people group does not value the thing being described by such a word. You have possibly heard that Eskimos have a huge number of words for snow, in various very specific conditions. We know nothing of this, because snow is not a major part of our lives. But even up north in the US, the words they use for snow in various conditions is nothing compared to what Eskimos have. Eskimos traditionally lived out in nature, whereas people up north are like people down here – we have cars, and heated houses, heated places to work at, and snowplows, and so on. Who cares how sharp the sound is when you walk in it? But losing a whole side of “true” is a lot more concerning.

In old adventure books, you might see the rapidly fading version of “true” I am describing. Here is a typical sentence: “The flight of the arrow was true.” What does this mean? It means it is accurate. It is reliable. It will go all the way to its destination. Sometimes a sword would be described as true. What does this mean? It means that it responds as it should, that it doesn’t chip or have problems with weighting, or being dull, and so on. A true sword is perfect in every way – from how it works to its composition. In older English, we would sometimes see as a synonym for this kind of “true” the word “very” used not as an adverb (like “I am very happy”) but as an adjective. One example of this is in the typical English translation of the Nicene Creed, which describes Jesus as “very God of very God”. This refers to His divinity. He is God “all the way through” – in every way – all the time.

And so Jesus is the true vine. He is not like the vine in Deuteronomy, whose grapes are bitter and whose wine is poison. His fruit is good fruit. I am reminded of Jesus’ own words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7) where He says that every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. He says that you can recognize a tree by its fruit. As the true vine, Jesus only produces good fruit. He can no more produce bad fruit than a true sword can behave like a poorly made sword.

What does it mean that the Father cuts off every branch that bears no fruit? Well, as Jesus says in verse 4, branches that are not “in” Christ do not produce fruit, any fruit, or more specifically, any good fruit. Jesus produces good fruit. This reminds me of the verse we looked at in Jeremiah, with the wild, uncared-for vine. If you do not cut away dead branches, and even prune the good branches, both the quality and quantity of the fruit will suffer.

When I think about the Father cutting off unfruitful branches, I think about how people may be initially attracted to Jesus and His teachings but never really give their hearts to Him. And I think about how all the crowds that followed Jesus earlier in His ministry fell away when His teachings became more challenging. I also think about the parable of the seed put into four different soils, and how the plants did not thrive and grow in three of those soils. This is found, for example, in Matt. 13. If you recall, there was the seed falling on the path, representing someone who hears the gospel message but does not understand it or accept how it applies to them. And there was the seed falling on the rocky ground, representing someone who is caught up in the emotions of the moment but does not have “root”, which to me means that they do not want to do the work of seeking Christ, of spending time in the Word, of submitting to Him, of praying, and so on. And the third problematic ground was the ground covered by thorns, representing someone who is consumed by the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. When I think about the Father as the master gardener, I see Him carefully identifying such people and helping them to move on (or as it say, “cutting them off”) so as not to affect the living, vibrant part of the vine.

Now, what about pruning, and what does being “already clean” have to do with anything? Well, it turns out that “pruning” and “cleaning” are actually the same word in Greek. So one way to think of this is to say that the disciples – and you – are already pruned because of the word He has given to them – and you. Now, just a bit earlier in John, in Chapter 13, Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, and taught on the meaning of this in terms of being made clean, so I think being “clean” is also a good way to think about what is being said here.

Jesus then tells them to remain in Him. And this makes perfect sense of the vine analogy. When our oldest son Isaac was very little, we were taking him around Clemson one day, and, for whatever reason makes little boys do what they do, he broke off a very nice flower in a raised bed. Then he felt bad about it, and tried to put it back onto the plant, and managed to get it balanced so that it looked more or less like it had looked before he had broken it. Isaac may have been too young to fully understand this, but of course, that isn’t going to work. The flower was cut off from the plant, and it would rapidly decay, probably much more rapidly than if it had remained connected to the plant. And using Jesus’ analogy, we too need to remain connected to the vine – that is, to Him – if we want to grow in Him.

And it has been many years, but a Bible teacher I greatly respected before he passed away taught that a synonym in the Bible for fruit is “results.” An example is the fruit of the Spirit. These are the results of the Spirit, of having the Holy Spirit work in you. And in the same way, the fruit of the vine are the results of being connected to the vine. There is no plan B here – the only way to have spiritual growth, results, fruit, is to be connected to Christ so that He can grow you, mature you, change you.

And note that the Father is the vinedresser, the one who prunes. It isn’t supposed to be the branches doing it! That is, we are not supposed to be the pruners. God is. We need to exercise restraint and let God do His job.

Let’s continue with John 15:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. – John 15:5-8

And so Jesus reiterates with his I AM statement. He is the vine. He is the base of the vine, the core, the central part of the vine, where the roots are attached. In fact, He is also the roots. And this is very fitting in light of multiple passages in Isaiah and other passages that describe the Messiah as the root, or core branch. Again, branches need to be connected to the main vine, or they will not receive sustenance, and will not grow, and will eventually – actually, pretty rapidly – die. It is Christ, and Christ alone, that helps us to grow, which is what fruit is. As we remain in Him, our “rough edges” become less rough, our desire and ability to love sacrificially will grow, and our compassion for those who are perishing apart from Christ will also grow, and we will want to pray for the lost, speak to the lost, and hopefully, God will save some.

And this brings us to the more seemingly controversial statement: “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Now does this mean that if you ask for a Lamborghini that God will give it to you? Probably not. This is an “if-then” statement. The “if” is explicit; the then is implied. If you remain in Him, and if His words remain in you, this will change what you want to pray for. You are not going to ask God for Lamborghinis.

One passage I think of is Psalm 37:4, in which David says:

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. – Ps. 37:4

The desires of the heart change significantly when someone truly delights in the Lord. I also think of the model prayer Jesus gave for us:

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ – Matt. 6:9-13

Note that this prayer starts with worship, with praising God for who He is. And then it moves into praying that what He (God) wants would come to pass. When we pray like this, our desires are whatever He desires. And if course there is a very big difference between praying for daily bread and praying for a Lamborghini.

Now, were branches that were cut off from the vine actually dealt with, even burned? Why didn’t they just let them stay on the ground underneath the plant? It is because doing this leads to moisture buildup where molds and other diseases can propagate. These are not conducive to the health of the plant or to the bearing of plentiful, delicious fruit.

Now I have put off talking about the immediate context of these verses, so let me do so here. This is Jesus’ final night with His disciples before He is crucified. Earlier this evening, He had washed His disciples’ feet as an illustration of (1) how He comes to serve, symbolized by how He, the Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity, is taking on such a lowly task as foot washing, (2) how believers still need to come to Him when they sin so that He can forgive them, symbolized by the washing of only the feet and not the full body, and (3) how the disciples are to practice servant leadership as well, effectively washing the feet of other believers.

He then reveals Judas as the traitor and releases him to go betray Him on that very night, although the other disciples don’t really understand what is happening. He then gives them a new command, to love one another as He has loved them. And when Peter says he would lay down his life for Jesus, Jesus tells him that on that very night he will disown Him three times.

And then Jesus tells them that He is going to prepare a place for them, and He will come back to take them to be with Him. Thomas replies that they don’t know the way, and it is then that Jesus says that He is the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. He then promises them the Holy Spirit and tells them that the Holy Spirit will teach them and remind them of what Jesus has said to them.

And then, in the verse immediately prior to telling them that He is the true vine, He says, “come now, let us leave.” So it appears that John 15, that we have been reading, takes place on the road, as they leave their upper room and go through Jerusalem, eventually going outside of Jerusalem and crossing the Kidron stream. We read of this in John 18:1. The NIV puts this verse as “When He had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.” This makes it sound as if they didn’t leave the room until this point. And I agree this is possible.

But in the KJV which is more literal, John 18:1 reads “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron [Kidron],” and the Greek word choices and tenses make it seem as if He had finished speaking/praying to them as they arrived at the Kidron stream and immediately crossed it.

Whether they left earlier or later is not especially important, but multiple commentators have suggested that perhaps they had gone past the Temple. Regarding the Temple, I want to read a passage from Josephus, a historian who wrote only a few decades after Jesus. This passage mentions a cubit, which according to Josephus, was 24 finger widths long, and modern historians, based on this and other descriptions conclude that a cubit was about 20 inches long, about half a meter. In particular, note that 70 cubits is over 100 feet.

Here is what Josephus writes. Pay close attention to the “first gate”.

As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst of the inmost court, that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits…. Its first gate was seventy cubits high and twenty-five cubits broad, but this gate had no doors for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over and through it the first part of the house that was more inward did all of it appear; which, as it was very large, so did all the parts about the more inward gate appear to shine to those that saw them. But then as the entire house was divided into two parts within, it was only the first part of it that was open to our view. Its height extended all along to ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty. But that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it. It had also golden vines above it from which clusters of [golden] grapes hung as tall as a man’s height; but then this house, as it was divided into two parts: the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of twenty-five cubits altitude, and six in breadth. But before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain embroidered with blue and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation but was a kind of image of the universe. For by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors this foundation of this resemblance. But the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the twelve signs representing living creatures. – Josephus, Wars 5.5.4 (207-214)

I included the description of the curtain simply because it is interesting. By the way, when he says the flax color comes from the earth, he means that it, the flax, is grown on land. And the purple comes from a kind of sea snail, the murex, so it literally comes from the sea.

We have additional evidence of the golden vine, including coins from that time that seem to depict it.

Now this is pure conjecture, but it is possible that Jesus and His party of disciples passed by the first gate as they were walking, this stunning, gold gate adorned with a huge golden vine with golden clusters of grapes. Another ancient writer has said that from time to time people would donate golden leaves or orbs to the Temple, and workers (Levites) would hang them up in addition to all that was already there.

The vine was undoubtedly beautiful, but to the degree it symbolized the people of Israel and their history, and even the present leadership, the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin and the so-called teachers of the Law, it represented a vine that produced poor fruit, if any fruit at all. And I picture Jesus walking past this ostentatious display and saying, “I am the true vine.”

Again, we don’t know if this is what happened, but the contrast between the failed human vine and the living perfect vine in Christ is certainly something we are supposed to consider. Indeed, this is so much of Jesus’ point here: Remain in Me, He says, and God will trim you so that you produce amazing, living fruit.

If you watch videos about what vinedressers do, you learn that that prune a lot. It requires tons of time and attention to detail. If even a single leaf is oriented the wrong way, so that it doesn’t get lots of sun, or blocks the sun from better oriented leaves, it is cut. If the canes, the branches, are not first year branches, they are cut. There are literally piles of debris, clippings, under every foot’s length of vine. This is gathered up, these days, usually chopped up and used as mulch. But not long ago it was still burned, and some farms still burn the clippings today.

When you look at a vine that has recently been pruned, everything is just perfect. You have this new, tender growth, with beautiful, plentiful grapes attached to this old, thick, hearty, wood core vine. When Jesus says He is the vine, He means that part. In itself, it looks dead, much like how a tree trunk, looked at in isolation, also looks dead. But it is in fact very much alive, and it also brings life to all the greenery that is attached to it. Same with the vine. These beautiful, tender leaves, and those juicy, delicious grapes, only are that way because of both the powerful living vine that provides them life and because of the tender, loving, continual care of the vinedresser. And in the same way, we as believers are to be beautiful, tender, loving, people with abundant fruit (results) that come from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We won’t go into as much detail, but I want to read what Jesus tells His disciples next, because it brings up some important points about what this fruit really is.

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you. This is My command: Love each other. – John 15:9-17

What is this fruit? Is it seeing people saved, the Kingdom of God expanding? I would say that is part of it, and I think that is why Jesus again tells them that what they ask in His name the Father will grant. He does want them to be doing Kingdom growing work, of course not in their own strength, but in total dependence on God. But if you feel like you have to do this out of a sense of burden, if you feel unsatisfied in how many people, if any, you have led to the Lord, I believe you are missing what fruit is ultimately about.

There are two huge themes of fruit included in this passage. The first of these is joy. God intends for us to be joyful in Him. And the second is love. Agape self-sacrificial love. The type of love that lays down one’s life for one’s friends. Grapes don’t grow in isolation. They are in clumps, in groups. And it is very clear from this passage that believers are to be in community. You cannot love one another, laying down your lives for your friends, if you have nobody to love, if you have no friends in Christ. You quite simply cannot have this fruit of love if you are not in community with other believers, working to let them into your lives, living life together, serving one another, being with one another. The world should be jealous. People of the world should be jealous of what believers have in fellowship with one another, the joy and the love.

I remind you of portions of two passages from Galatians 5:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy… – Gal. 5:13-14, 22a

Love and joy, the first two items in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. To be “fruitful”, Biblically, in the Old Testament was to have many physical children, and there is indeed a sense in the New Testament that fruitfulness includes the idea of having spiritual children, those who follow you in the faith. Disciples are people who make disciples, Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. But the concept of fruit, as explained here by Jesus, goes much deeper. We are not just to produce fruit. We are to produce good fruit. And that fruit is, primarily, our very character, the very nature of our lives. Love and joy should be the first two words others use when they are asked to describe us. Not efficient, or effective, or productive. These things will come, if God wills it. But we also have to allow God to prune us, and that may include pruning our efficiency, our effectiveness, and our productivity. We may be a bit shocked at how deeply He prunes us. But God knows what He is doing. Our primary task is to remain in Him, and connected to Him, have joy and practice agape love through His continual sustenance.

I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:13:00 +0000

Good morning! Today we are going to study another of Jesus’ “I AM” statements. I want to say another “famous” statement, but that almost seems redundant. All these I AM statements are famous in their own way. Jesus’ statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” is recorded in John 14:6. You know how he follows it up. “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but (or except) through Me.” In clear and simple words, Jesus makes it clear that there are no other ways to a reconciled relationship with God.

Because the statement makes our utter dependence on Jesus plain. The statement excludes any other ways to God. There is only One. With that, it makes sense to memorize that verse, and many people do. If you don’t have it memorized, I would say it is a good one to hold on, for sure.

In addition to making it clear that Jesus is the One Way, this verse is a strong encouragement to us, a promise. No one comes to the Father apart from Jesus, everyone who comes to Jesus, believing in Him, will come to the Father and eternal life.

I’ve talked about Sam Allen who is a retired pastor. Sam sends out verses of encouragement a few times a week by text. He often adds a comment, but the comment is always short. And, the goal is always the same. Here are the comments from the last 3 weeks.

He has brought us into moment by moment contact with our Creator and Savior!!

It is impossible to love someone that you know nothing about. Seek to know Jesus Christ!!

The Lord is with you, my friend!

“Everything is possible with God” (Mark 10:27) - the very God who we follow daily!!

It is not in your power to make yourself feel better, but the living God intervenes through His Son!!

“Pay close attention to what you hear” (Mark 4:24) – So many distractions!

Daily salvation and comfort come from Jesus Christ!!

Real life is to know and understand Jesus Christ every moment of every day!!

Stay focused on Jesus Christ every moment of every day.

Our God and Savior!! (Psalms 73:16, 21-26, God is the strength of my heart)

Our future and our hope!! (Acts 1:11, Jesus will return)

What does Sam point to? Or, who does he point to again and again? Jesus Christ!

I love Sam’s laser focus on the Savior. And that’s exactly what we see in today’s I AM statement from Jesus Himself. He should be our focus because He is the way, the truth, and the life. Let’s pray and continue to explore this wonderful testimony of who Jesus is.

Lord Jesus, we come to You. Teach us we pray. We need you more than anything. Help us to heed Sam’s exhortations. May we pay close attention to what we hear and follow You every day. It is in Your Name we pray, Amen.

I want to pick up the story surrounding the moment when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Interestingly, we were discussing humility during the men’s time yesterday morning. Our main passage was John 13:1-30. The time is the Passover week or the Passion week. Jesus knew it was time for Him to leave this world and go the Father. Jesus and the twelve were together in the upper room for their last supper.

During the meal, Jesus got up and washed the disciples’ feet. After setting this example of serving, Jesus proceeded to tell them that one of their number would betray Him. Jesus did not broadcast who it was, but indicated that it was Judas by giving him a piece of bread he had dipped in the dish. Judas took the bread, and at Jesus word, Judas departed to betray Jesus.

The remaining disciples were unaware what was really happening. They thought that Jesus had sent Judas on one kind of errand or another. Jesus, though, knew exactly what was taking place. These were the last hours, moments really, that He would have with the disciples before He would be crucified. John 13-17 are Jesus’ last words to the eleven before the cross. These were the things Jesus wanted them to know and remember.

When [Judas] was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will glorify the Son in Himself, and will glorify Him at once.” "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:31-34

There is a scene in The Lord of the Rings where Frodo offers Galadriel the one ring. Galadriel is a powerful queen, but with the one ring, she would become even more powerful, unstoppable among the inhabitants of Middle Earth. She is tempted, but she doesn’t take the ring. Then, she says, “I pass the test. I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel.”

What Jesus does for us is the ultimate lowering of oneself. He tells the disciples and the Jewish leaders that they cannot follow where he is going. What He is doing from the disciples perspective and has done from our perspective is more than dying. He takes the wrath of God upon Himself. Even if we can glimpse the significance of it, I don’t think we can understand the weight of this great sacrifice. Jesus passed the test, a far greater one. He is not diminished, but glorified.

The result isn’t that Jesus remains as He is. Rather He is glorified. Not only that, God the Father is glorified as well. The rescue of us and the bringing of us over to Himself both now and forever is the beautiful exclamation point of all time.

Why does He do it? Is it for His glory? No, the reason He does it is because He loves us. The measure of His love is great. Beyond any love that we could ever love on our own. And yet, that is what Jesus calls His disciples to do. Love one another as He has loved us. We can only love like Christ when we abide in Christ.

The disciples heard this message, but at that moment, it wasn’t the thing that stood out to them. Jesus had said, “Where I am going, you cannot come,” so Peter asks, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus tells Peter that he cannot follow Him now, but he will follow later. Peter asks why not, saying that he would even lay down his life for Jesus. Jesus answers that Peter would disown or deny him that same night, three times.

With Peter’s question addressed, Jesus returns to what He was saying to them all. We will pick up with Jesus’ words at the beginning of John 14.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." – John 14:1-4

The disciples are wrestling with two things: that they cannot follow Jesus where He is going now and that Peter will deny Jesus. And that on top of Judas’ mysterious departure. They are confused, definitely, worried, and maybe even more than a little afraid.

Here is an admonition for all of us. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” A troubled heart is something that we all face, usually triggered by a difficult or uncertain circumstance.

I’m certain that I don’t handle it as well as Jesus, but this is something that I think I have had to work through with all our children to some degree or another. We get the chance to choose how we react to our circumstances. Sometimes we choose poorly, sure. But the choice is ours.

Jesus tells His disciples, “do not let your hearts be troubled.” Then, he reinforces the admonition with truth. You believe in God. Believe in Me. There is a place for all of you in My Father’s house. I am going to prepare your place there. “I will come back and take you to be with me.” The disciples could not follow Jesus where He was going then, but they and we are not abandoned. Jesus will come and take us to be with Him, in His Father’s house, forever.

I think when I have read that last sentence, “You know the way to the place where I am going,” Jesus is talking about some other time when the disciples learned the way. But really, His answer is right there. “Believe also in Me.” “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” So what, or Who, is the way? Jesus.

So, you could read that last sentence instead as. “There, you know the way to the place where I am going. I have just told you plainly.” But, we know the disciples are troubled and sometimes not the brightest. So …

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:5-6

We can credit Thomas with honesty. He says, “We don’t know where You are going.” Therefore, “How can we know the way?” Not only is Thomas honest, he is also humble. He is willing to openly show his ignorance. He doesn’t understand, and he doesn’t act like he does. He doesn’t wait for someone else to ask. Spurgeon said the disciples talk to Jesus like a child would talk to their father, a good father. The child is so in awe of the wisdom and perceived, and in Jesus’ case true, infallibility of the father. A loving father answers their children’s questions without shaming them. The child feels safe to ask anything.

Again, Jesus answers both questions. “I am going to the Father,” and “I am the way.” And, He says more than that. Jesus is not just the way. He’s not a taxi driver or a shuttle pilot. He is the way and the truth and the life.

I think of the message Fred gave a few weeks ago. Jesus said I am the door. I am the sheep gate. He takes us to the Father through Himself. He makes the way, and that way is Himself and what He has done.

Exploring Jesus’ words here in this short statement is pretty exciting. We don’t need to try and unpack the Greek because the translation into English is exact and word for word. Jesus says what we read. I - am - the - way - and - the - truth - and - the - life. The definite article is present for each object. The way. The truth. The life. That lends emphasis to His following statement, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There is no other way. Jesus is the way.

I have to travel to Germany this week. Most of the trip will be to places I’ve never been before. Our smartphones have become the easiest way to find directions. My phone happens to be provided by my workplace. It has always had data when I have been traveling internationally. But, it’s been about a year since I was in Europe. Sometime in the last months, I got a notification that there were changes in our phone plan. Since I wasn’t traveling at that time, I didn’t investigate what the status of my international plan was. But, what do you think? Now that I have to go to Germany, did I make sure I could have access to reliable directions? You better believe it. It’s one thing to be lost when you can ask directions. It’s another thing entirely when you don’t speak the language or understand the culture well enough to get where you need to go.

If you are lost or if you are wandering without direction or if you don’t know where you are going, turn to Jesus. He is the way. Acts 4 and Hebrews 7 give us insights into how Jesus is the way.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. – Hebrews 7:25

Because Jesus lives forever, He is the way. His light never goes out. He is an eternal lighthouse and an eternal rescuer. There is no other way.

We live in confusing times. We live in a time of information overload. I remember hearing back in the 90’s that the average big city Sunday newspaper had more information in it than most people would have access to in their entire lifetime just two or three hundred years earlier.

Well today, we don’t even have Sunday papers. We have the internet. We have multiple channels of 24-hour news programming. Now we have podcasts. It seems like anyone and everyone is publishing content on every conceivable subject all the time.

It’s impossible to keep up with all this information, but that’s not even the biggest challenge. I’m reminded of the proverb (18:17), “The one who pleads his cause first seems right, until another comes and questions him.” It’s not just the “trying to keep up,” how do you know that what you’re listening to or reading is true.

There is one place you can come to get the truth.

If you don’t understand (like Thomas) or if you are confused or if you can’t figure things out, then come to Jesus for answers. He is the truth.

When Pontius Pilate was questioning Jesus before He was condemned to die, Jesus told Pilate the reason He (Jesus) was born and came into the world. (John 18:37) That reason was to testify to the truth. Jesus went on to say that everyone on the side of truth listens to Him.

Jesus’ testimony is not to tell us about some information. He isn’t just giving us facts. He Himself is the truth. II Corinthians 1:20 tells us,

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. – II Corinthians 1:20

Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of God. That is one way in which He is the truth. And, as that truth, we can collectively say Amen. Jesus is our Amen. In the world, there is no end to the making of books (Ecclesiastes 12:12) or programming. In Christ, there is an Amen. Revelation 3:14 tells it is not an Amen is “the Amen” and the Amen is the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the answer. He is the truth.

A couple of weeks back, we talked about how Jesus is the good shepherd. Jesus told the disciples and many others, “I am the good shepherd.” Just before he said, “I am the good shepherd,” the first time, Jesus says, “I have come that they [the sheep], may have life, and have it to the full [or have it abundantly.]” (John 10:9)

If you feel dead inside or if you don’t feel like you can’t put one foot in front of the other or if you don’t seem to have strength or energy to face your challenges, then abide in (stay connected to) Jesus. He gives life because He is the life.

We’re not going to continue further in John 14 today, but if we just skip down to verse 19, Jesus says there, “Because I live, you also will live.” It’s because of His life that we have life. His life is indestructible, so He can give eternal life, and that is exactly what He says.

I give them [my sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. – John 10:28

And last week, we looked at Jesus’ statement, “I am the resurrection and the life.” In John 11 Jesus tells Martha that,

The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. – John 11:25-26

Writing these messages, it is not infrequent that ideas or even scriptures don’t find their way into the final version. I have two more verses about the life of Jesus that I just couldn’t pass up sharing. Both of them come from I John. The first verse is a testimony from John. The second is a promise.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. – I John 1:2

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. – I John 5:12

The first verse clearly testifies to Jesus as the life. That is the message which the disciples proclaim, the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to them. This is Jesus, the Son of God. Having the Son or being connected to the Son, abiding in Him, is synonymous with life. If you have the Son, you have life.

I mentioned the men’s time earlier. Our topic was humility. Fred mentioned Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, how He had removed Lydia’s and her family's shame. He took it upon himself to work the situation out for them.

It’s been a long time since I read or watched Pride and Prejudice, but when Fred brought up that example, a short sentence from the book came filtering back to mind.

Lizzy’s aunt wrote to explain the circumstances by which Lydia had been saved. Speaking of Darcy, Mrs. Gardiner wrote, “Nothing was to be done that he did not do himself.”

That sentiment isn’t exactly right when thinking about who Jesus is and what He has done. I would phrase it slightly differently. Of Jesus, we can say, “Nothing could be done for us, for our situation, except that which He has done for us.”

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one else could be those three things. We rejoice in knowing Him. Follow Him, seek to Him (more), abide in Him. “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (I Peter 2:6) Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, keep us on track following You. Help us listen to You. Show us how to abide in You. Glorify Your Name, we pray, Jesus, Amen.

I AM the Resurrection and the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 23:39:00 +0000

Good morning! He is risen! Today we are going to focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is unique in history because He predicted His resurrection and then it took place. We find the first reference of this in John 2. The context is that it was almost Passover, and Jesus went into the temple courts and found some people selling animals for sacrifice and others exchanging money. The passage says that He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out. (This was the first – but not the only – time He did this.) The passage continues:

The Jews then responded to Him, “What sign can You show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this Temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and You are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple He had spoken of was His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. – John 2:18-22

Jesus predicts His death and resurrection here close to the start of His ministry, and He even explains how long He will be dead – three days. And for us, as we today celebrate His resurrection, it is important to note that Jesus explains that this was a proof of His authority.

Now, the importance of the crucifixion cannot be overstated. Jesus went to the cross willingly, as the only person who had never sinned, to die for the sins of others, to die for you and me. And we receive the gift of salvation – of being saved from our sins – through faith in Him, a faith that is demonstrated through a prayer of repentance to Him and through a commitment to let Him be Lord of our lives. That is, we live for Him because He died for us.

But the resurrection of Christ serves a different purpose – as this passage explains, it proves His authority. It proves that He is not only man, but God. It proves that His sacrifice for our sins was accepted by God. And it proves that we can trust everything He says.

In Matt. 12, the crowds bring to Jesus a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. What a combination! The passage is not clear about whether the blindness and muteness were caused by the demon, or whether the man had already been blind and mute before the demon came upon him. But in any case, Jesus fully heals this man of all three conditions – He removes the demon, makes him able to talk, and makes him able to see. The Pharisees, seeing this, say to themselves that Jesus must be in league with Satan so as to be able to do this. Jesus hears their thoughts and responds, condemning them for their evil hearts. Then the Pharisees and teachers of the law demand that Jesus give them a sign.

He [Jesus] answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. – Matt. 12:39-41

Again, Jesus predicts His death and resurrection, this time by comparing Himself to the prophet Jonah. Indeed, for all apparent purposes, Jonah was dead and gone when the giant fish swallowed him. Who could possibly survive that? Yet, three days later, Jonah reappeared, at the location God had told him to go, to Nineveh, a wicked city. It was an absolute miracle that Jonah was alive – just as if he had been resurrected from the dead. And, in contrast to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, in response to just a few words from Jonah, the entire place, all of Nineveh, repented.

And so we see here a second purpose of the resurrection – it should drive people to repent of their sins and turn to Christ to save them.

In both accounts, Jesus is telling all His listeners, disciples and enemies alike, that He will die and rise from the grave. But He also repeatedly told His disciples this when He was alone with them. We see this, for example, in Matt. 16. This conversation takes place immediately after Jesus commends Peter for realizing that Jesus is in fact the Messiah prophesied throughout Scripture.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” – Matt. 16:21-23

I have sympathy for Peter in this conversation, as I think I would have expressed a similar sentiment at that time. Nobody wants to face the fact that someone that they love will be leaving them. How much more so the Messiah! But Jesus’ seemingly harsh response to Peter is justified, in that Peter is tempting Jesus to change the outcome – the exact same thing that Satan did when talking with Jesus after His 40-day fast in the desert.

Staying with Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples again, a chapter later:

When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. – Matt. 17:22-23

And Matthew records a third time this happens:

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, He took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!” – Matt. 20:17-19

This time, Jesus is even more specific – He says everything – He will be mocked. He will be flogged. And He will be crucified.

How do the disciples respond? Well, the very next verses record the disciples arguing with one another over who will get to sit at Jesus’ right and left hands in His kingdom. That had to be somewhat disappointing. In response, Jesus turned traditional honor-shame dynamics upside down and told them that if they want to be great, they must be like a servant or slave. And He finished by saying, that they must do this “just like the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

And there is even a fourth time in Matthew that Jesus predicts His resurrection. This time it is immediately before the events themselves take place:

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” – Matt. 26:31-32

Jesus did not doubt that He would arise 3 days after His crucifixion. But that did not make facing what was about to happen easy. Continuing in Matt. 26:

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” Going a little farther, He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” – Matt. 26:36-39

And He prayed two more times. In between these, He went to check on His disciples, and they were sleeping. As far as I can tell, Jesus had never before asked His disciples for emotional or spiritual help and support – and in this time of greatest trial, they utterly failed Him.

And we know that on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My, God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Jesus certainly intellectually knew the answer to this, as it says in Isaiah 53:

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. – Is. 53:10

And indeed, the Lord did “crush” Him. Not just physically, but emotionally, and I believe literally spiritually – in that God separated Himself from Jesus, removed His presence from Him. And it was in this that Jesus felt utterly forsaken. This was necessary – for our sake. He had to bear the full weight of our sin in order to be a sacrifice for us, in order to take away our sin.

With all these truths about the resurrection and crucifixion in mind, I want to turn to the time when Jesus said, as per our title, “I am the resurrection and the life.” What a provocative statement!

This passage occurs in John 11. The context is Lazarus, a man from Bethany and the brother of Martha and Mary, the Mary who poured perfume on Jesus feet and wiped His feet with her hair. Lazarus fell ill and died, and Jesus did not make it to Bethany with His disciples until Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb for four days. This was not because Jesus was unable to be there sooner; indeed, Jesus could do anything – He could blink and be there, if He wanted to. But He delayed coming, He says, for His disciples’ sake. This was to build their faith.

Upon arrival, Jesus had this conversation with Martha:

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” – John 11:21-22

It is easy to gloss over this verse – but I think this verse shows that Martha has tremendous faith! It would have been easy to doubt in Jesus, to question whether He was who He said He was, after the seeming failure to save Lazarus.

And this is an important lesson for us – it is easy for us to become discouraged in God when things to do go the way we had hoped or prayed. It is easy to question either God’s goodness or His power, or both. But God is always good, and He is also all-powerful. It is OK to be disappointed, and even to grieve. But it is not OK to be disappointed in Him. We need to trust in His goodness and power, that He is doing what is not only best for us, but best for everyone. And in this incident, we will see the reasons behind everything in a few verses. But in our lives, we may have situations in which we don’t see the reason for what God is doing (or not doing) until we can ask Him in heaven. But we can be sure that His answers will amaze and awe us, and we will again confirm that God is all-good, all-powerful, and the very definition of love.

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” – John 11:23-24

Martha is misunderstanding Jesus’ answer, but this is understandable. What is about to happen goes beyond all reasonable expectations. And again, she should be commended for her faith – in believing in the resurrection at the last day. The entire organization of Sadducees did not believe this, for example.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

And so we come to Jesus’ powerful if somewhat cryptic statement. What does it mean? Well, I think we gain insight by going back to John chapter 1.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. – John 1:1-4

Jesus is the Word, and the Word is the author of life and the sustainer of life. “In Him was life.” Outside of Him there is no life. I am further reminded of this passage from Col. 1:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. – Col. 1:15-17

It’s not like Jesus will just replace a battery in us like we are some kind of toy, and turn us back on, and then leave us alone. Jesus is the battery. And much more than that – He literally holds us together. He does it now, on a temporary basis, temporary because we die, temporary because we are sinners, and the curse of sin is in this world and has been in this world since the sin of Adam and Eve. But Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Because He has paid for our sin with His life, and because we have put our faith in Him, we will receive the gift of forgiveness, and He will raise us in Him and hold us together in Him and give us life in Him, forever. Jesus is our resurrection and our eternal life!

And to demonstrate this truth, what Jesus did next was His last public miracle. And boy was it public! Bethany is only two miles outside of Jerusalem, and the news of what Jesus did next spread not only throughout Bethany, but throughout Jerusalem, and beyond.

Now Jesus left Martha with a question: Do you believe this? And here is her response:

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” – John 11:27

After a very emotional meeting with Mary, Martha’s sister, we come to the climax of this wonderfully true story:

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. – John 11:38-44

Lazarus was dead one day longer than Jesus. But that means nothing. It is no harder for Jesus to resurrect someone who has been dead for 2000 years than it is to resurrect someone who has been dead for an hour. Notice that Jesus did nothing “to” Lazarus. No medicine, no touching, nothing. The Word spoke, and Lazarus returned to life.

And Lazarus’ resurrection created such a huge stir in Jerusalem that it set into play the plot to kill Jesus once and for all. And likely no more than a month later, it was Jesus in a tomb, not Lazarus. The Messiah, the Word, was, shockingly, dead.

Because this is Easter, let’s read about the greatest resurrection of all, the resurrection of Jesus. From John 19, picking up the account immediately after Jesus has died on the cross:

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” – John 19:31-37

Breaking the legs of a crucified person who has not yet died causes them to die quickly, because they cannot raise themselves up to get breaths of air. Jesus had already died, so there was no reason to do this, and piercing Jesus’ side was done to be sure Jesus was already dead.

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. – John 19:38-42

The “day of preparation” refers to being the day before the Sabbath, Friday. It was a “special” day of preparation because it also took place during the Passover week. No work was to be done once the day was over, so everything had to be done quickly. Now it is Jesus being wrapped in strips of linen instead of Lazarus. Matthew tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was rich. He had to be rich to be able to afford a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. The tomb was in the same general location as where the crucifixion occurred.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” – John 20:1-2

John is the other disciple. Matt. 28 gives additional details including the fact that an angel had rolled away the stone. Despite experiencing the resurrection of Lazarus, Mary does not consider the possibility that Jesus has risen from the dead. This is understandable, because even the miracle that someone raises someone else from the dead is unbelievably rare, but the idea that someone dead could raise Himself from the dead, or that God the Father could do it without working through a person, was unprecedented and therefore unthinkable, just as, after 3 days, it was still unbelievable that Jesus was actually dead.

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. – John 20:3-10

I love the level of detail in this passage. John wants every recorded precisely because he is describing himself and the incredible things he felt when he saw the stone rolled away and the strips of linen but no Jesus. Jesus had told him this would happen – that He would rise after the third day, and here it was coming true before their very eyes. And then we come to the most exciting part:

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put Him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.” – John 20:11-15

There is much gentle humor in this scene. The angels are in on the good news – they know Jesus is risen. Jesus of course knows this too. But Mary is so sad that she is not observing carefully or thinking clearly. Normally angels instill fear when seen, but not in Mary’s case. And you would think that she would recognize Jesus, but Jesus apparently has this trick that He can appear to people and they don’t recognize Him. It will happen again later, with two of the male disciples on a road to Emmaus.

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her. – John 20:16-18

And this is what we celebrate today. Jesus is risen!

I want to leave the story at this point, and briefly talk about some evidence from archaeology that we have that the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection are true. A source I have used for this is an article entitled Jesus’ Resurrection: An Archaeological Analysis” by Matt Dawson in the Answers Research Journal, the May 2021 issue.

Let’s start by talking about the probable location where all this took place. This is now the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, located west-northwest of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

What evidence is there that this is indeed the location? Let’s start from the historian Eusebius, who wrote in the early 300s AD. He explains that Constantine built a structure at the location of the Resurrection. But how did Constantine know where to put it? It was because the spot was marked by those who hated early Christianity. It is indeed a wonderful irony that we have these haters to thank for helping us stay connected to multiple key archaeological sites that date back to the time of the New Testament! Jerome, a historian from the late 300s to early 400s, explains that Hadrian had put a statue of Jupiter on the precise spot where the tomb was and the resurrection occurred, and a statue of Venus on the nearby spot where the crucifixion occurred. Hadrian died in 138 AD, only about 100 years after the death of Christ. So we are not talking about a large gap in time at all here. And Eusebius and Jerome record that when Constantine cleared the site of Hadrian’s pagan shrine, the tomb was still amazingly intact underneath the mound. And so in 330 AD, Constantine and his mother Empress Helena had built on the site a mausoleum called the Anastasis, the Greek word for resurrection, and what he called the Martyrium church (martyrium is the Greek word from which we get the word martyr), with an outdoor courtyard between the two structures. Archaeology has since uncovered some of the remains of this Constantinian complex, validating the writings of Eusebius and Jerome.

Now within the church there today is a small structure called the Edicule, built around the remains of the burial tomb of Jesus. This structure underwent a restoration project in 2015-2017, and during this time archaeologists uncovered multiple layers including two marble plates, filling material, mortar, and bedrock. The mortar was sampled and dated to the time of Constantine.

Other archaeological work on the site has shown that it rests on a quarry of high-quality limestone dating to 800 BC, a perfect site for later making tombs out of rock. After the highest quality stone was taken, it became a garbage dump for several centuries, and as is often the case, it then became a location for burial sites. Archaeology has also confirmed that the location in general was turned into a garden or orchard in the first century BC, based on soil analysis and dating.

We know that the tomb that existed at the center of Constatine’s site was destroyed by a Muslim commander Calif-al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1009, but remnants of the tomb remain at the Edicule. The structure has been determined to be that of an antechamber and an arcosolium, a shallow place with an arched ceiling, in contrast to a quadrosolia, which has rectangular cuts with a straight top, or kokhim, which have small openings that go deep into the rock.

A single arcosolium in a tomb is a sign of it being the tomb of a very rich person, because having the arch is “wasteful” when you could cut multiple quadrosolia or kokhim. Note that only an arcosolium would have allowed for enough room for two angels to sit where Jesus’ head and feet had been. Additional kokhim have been found at the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (away from the Edicule), confirming that the site was indeed an established burial location used around the time of Christ.

When one enters the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a staircase on the immediate right goes up to a location claimed to be the location of the crucifixion. But this is a relatively recent tradition. The church has three major apses. When archaeologists transpose the current site of the church with the remnants of the Martyrium Church built by Constantine, the apse of the Martyrium and the smaller apse of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher line up perfectly. Because apses were where the exact locations where commemoration of events took place, it follows that this should be the location of Golgotha, where Christ was crucified.

Now this church is within the present-day walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, but these walls are not the same as the walls at Jesus’ time. Archaeologists have determined that this location is indeed outside the walls of Jerusalem at that time. The “third wall” only had foundations laid in AD 41-44, and even then it was not completed because Caesar worried that it would encourage the Jews in Jerusalem to revolt. And the Jews did revolt in AD 67-70 and later in the early 100s, and Hadrian built the larger city wall only upon rebuilding the city after that later revolt.

Matt. 27:39 and Mark 15:29 imply that Jesus was crucified near a road, in a visible location. John 19:20 says that Jesus was buried “near” the city. Heb. 13:12 says that Jesus was crucified outside a city gate. Ancient writers such as Quintilian (ca. AD 35-90) agree that crucifixions are made in very public places to serve as examples to the people. The location fits all these descriptions, and recent discoveries of what is likely the “Gennath” gate would place the Church of the Holy Sepulcher just outside this gate. ‘Gennath’ means “garden”, by the way.

Another archaeological detail we should discuss is the stone “rolled” to close the tomb described in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (John does not give specific wording as to how it was removed.) Archaeology has found that round stones were rare and only used in the tombs of the very rich. The tomb is also described as cut out of the rock, and rock-cut tombs were also only for the rich. (Caves were used for the poor.)

Some have suggested that Jews were never crucified, but additional evidence of the crucifixion of Jews is found in a Jewish ossuary (burial container) inscribed as Jehohanan. This is one of several ossuaries found together, and one gives additional historical information that dates the dates of death to sometime between AD 7 and AD 70.

What is interesting is the skeleton of Jehohanan, which clearly has been crucified. In fact, there is a nail remaining in the right heel bone, probably remaining there because it was too difficult to remove. Beneath the head of the nail there remained a 2cm piece of olive wood that was used to keep the heel pinned to the cross, preventing the nail from pulling through the foot.

What is interesting is that here we have an example of a Jewish person crucified and then the body taken by Jews and buried, in contrast to the standard practice of leaving crucified bodies on the cross post-mortem for days to be eaten by birds and other animals and then taken down and thrown into large pits unburied. So we have here an example of a Jewish person not only being crucified, but also being buried after the crucifixion, just like the situation with Jesus. For even more evidence, there is also an ancient Roman document called the Digesta which states that, as long as the person was not convicted of treason, the bodies of those crucified were to be released for burial to any who asked. And Jesus, as the gospels clearly explain, was not found guilty of treason. In fact, Pilate and Herod found no fault in Him. And the process of asking permission is exactly what Joseph of Arimathea did.

There is a lot more indirect evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. The last one we will talk about today is something called the Nazareth Inscription, which has been dated to the 40s AD, only a decade or so after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Basically, the inscription is a legal edict from Caesar that people are not allowed to move bodies from tombs with intent of “malicious deception”, and if they do, they will receive the death penalty. This is very strange, as it does not warn against robbing dead bodies, only moving the body itself. There is no rational reason to just move a dead body. It has no value.

What is going on here is that the spread of Christianity had come to Caesar’s attention, hearing the claim that Jesus’ followers had stolen the body – the exact false claim it says that Jews said in Matthew. Not wanting such a ruckus to spread to other cities if someone stole another body, it makes sense that Caesar would issue such a law. And so, just like with Hadrian, we again see God using the enemies of the Kingdom of God to – despite their best intentions to do the opposite – provide evidence and support for the claims that Christ indeed rose from the dead. Hallelujah!

At this time, I would like us to take Communion as a church together. As it is Easter, we will do this a little more formally than we normally do. Go ahead and come up now and take the bread and the cup and bring it to your seat.

Let’s turn to the Last Supper, and look at the account in Luke 20:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. – Luke 20:14-20

Here, too, Jesus was clearly predicting His resurrection. Indeed, the resurrection is completely woven into the fabric of communion. We take the bread and the cup to remember until He comes. And so, we come together to praise Jesus for not shirking back, but going forward to the cross. We take the bread to remember that His body was given for us.

And we take the cup to remember that His blood was shed for us.

And we thank Him for the new covenant in His blood, which has been poured out for us. By faith, and not by any works of our own, we join the kingdom of God, and seek to live for Him, taking part in building His kingdom until He comes.

I AM the Good Shepherd

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 02:32:00 +0000

Hello everyone! We’re carrying on in our series titled “I AM …” Carl opened the series with an introduction from Exodus 3 where God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Moses asked God what is His Name. God answers, “I AM.” And in fact, the Hebrew is written in a way that the meaning is I am and I will be, connecting us to the eternal nature of God, the one who is and was and ever will be. (Revelation 1:8) Jesus too used the same expression when talking about Himself in John (6, 8, 18). Jesus is the I AM. He is God.

In addition to the absolute I AM statement, there are many other pictures of Jesus that explore His character, His works (what He has done for us), and His purpose now and in eternity.

In case you missed one of the messages, and you want to keep up. These are the I AM statements of Jesus that have looked at as well as the ones we will look at in the coming weeks.

Feb. 25th I AM (Ex. 3, John 6:20, 8:24,28,58, 18:5)

March 3th … the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)

March 10th … the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)

March 17th … the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7)

March 24th … the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)

March 31th … the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

April 7th … the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)

April 14th … the True Vine (John 15:1)

April 21th … the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36)

April 28th … the Word (John 1:1, 14; Rev. 19:13)

May 5th … the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13)

May 12th … the Bridegroom (John 3:29)

May 19th … the Root/Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)

That brings us to today’s message. We will look at Jesus’ statement, “I am the good Shepherd,” from John 10. Interestingly, this is the third message in a row that continues from the same passage from John with the light of the world coming from chapter 9 and the door of the sheep coming from the beginning of chapter 10.

Let’s pray together, and then we will dig into this beautiful picture of our Savior and what He is like.

Lord Jesus, we pray that You would help us to understand You more. Teach us from Your Word, strengthen each of these Your saints. We pray that You would be glorified more and more. It is in Your Name, we pray. Amen.

In John 10, Jesus is addressing a group of people in Jerusalem. We don’t know how many exactly, but it is a mixed group. It’s the Feast of Tabernacles, so mid-October, a busy time in Jerusalem. It’s the fall before Jesus will go to the cross. The location is not specified, but it could have been in the outer courts of the temple. Some and likely all of the twelve were there. The man who had been born blind and who Jesus had healed is there, perhaps with some of his friends and family. Some of the Pharisees are there. There are enough people there that after the verses we are going to read from John 10 that many were on either side of the debate about Jesus. I say all that to say that this message was for all of them to hear. Jesus was testifying to them who He is. In John 10:11-18, Jesus said …

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” – John 10:11-18

There is a lot we can look at in this passage. Before we start looking at ways this passage connects with other parts of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, let’s not skip over what is right in front of us here.

What does Jesus say it means for Him to be the good shepherd?

The Good Shepherd

1. Lays down His life for the sheep

2. Is the owner of the sheep.

3. Will not abandon the sheep when they are attacked.

4. Will not run away.

5. Cares for the sheep.

6. Knows and is known by the sheep.

7. Has other sheep (not from this pen).

8. Will bring all His sheep into one flock.

9. Will lay down His life and will take it up again.

Let’s unpack each of those quickly.

As He lays down His life for the sheep, we can think about the crucifixion. Jesus stands in the gap for us. He provides for us eternally by His sacrifice.

Jesus is the owner of the sheep. We are purchased by His sacrifice, His blood. Revelation 5:9 says it plainly, “With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

He does not abandon. He will not run away. He will never leave us, nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) He protects us from the evil one. (John 17:11, 15)

Jesus cares for the sheep. (I Peter 1:5) In Mark 4 (v.38-40), Jesus was sleeping as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. A storm came up, and the disciples were afraid that the ship could capsize. They woke Jesus crying out, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, and then he asked them why they were so afraid. We shouldn’t be afraid. We have Jesus as our shepherd and he cares for us.

Jesus knows His sheep and is known by His sheep. It is hard for a shepherd to care for his sheep when he doesn’t know them and their condition. I watched several short videos about sheep with a certain focus on shepherding in Israel, and one was very 21st century. It was about a smart phone app and software that helps the shepherd. The developer talked about how the software is designed to work on three levels. It allows them to know the status of each individual sheep, the status of the flocks, and the overall status of the operation, the farm. Now, Jesus doesn’t need software to do this, but He does see the individuals and the communities of believers and the entire body of Christ. He knows His sheep.

He has sheep not from this pen. Jesus is talking to Jews. The sheep not from this pen are obviously Gentiles. We can also think about these other sheep as coming from every tribe and language and people and nation. Literally, phyle (family, phileo, Philadelphia, phylum) and glossa (word, glossary) and laos (group, laity) and ethnos (ethnicity).

Even though all these sheep may come from different places and languages and backgrounds and experiences, Jesus is going to make them into one flock. This is totally awesome and amazing. We know it, but it is still wondrous to stop and reflect upon it. Jesus is forming us into one body. That’s so cool. This picture of a shepherd is so powerful. We are individuals in a flock. We are part of a great body of believers. And yet, it’s not like we’re a drop of water in the ocean that has no identity. We are sheep in the One flock.

Finally, we are reminded again that the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Not only that, He takes it up again. He has the power and authority from the Father to do it. This again points to Easter, Jesus’ sacrifice and His glorious resurrection. I know it’s a week early, but He is risen! (He is risen indeed!) I love Hebrews 7:16. It tells of Jesus as our great high priest. It says He, “has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” Jesus’ life is indestructible. He can lay it down, but He can also take it up again. Wow!

So, that brings us through what stands out when we look at the passage. Jesus lays down His life for the sheep. He is the owner of the sheep. He will not abandon the sheep when they are attacked. He will not run away. Jesus cares for the sheep. He knows and is known by the sheep. Jesus has other sheep (not from this pen). He will bring all His sheep into one flock. And, He will lay down His life and will take it up again.

Of course, there is much more that we can say here. But let’s just take a moment, bow our heads and thank Him for being our Good Shepherd.

Shepherds, sheep, and shepherding are everywhere in the bible. Sheep 206 times in 194 verses (40 times in NT). Shepherd or shepherds 124 times in 116 verses (22 in NT). Interestingly, there’s not much drop off comparing the occurrence rate in the Old Testament to New Testament. It works out to about 80/20. The Old Testament and New Testament are split 77/23 on word count.

Who are the shepherds in the Bible?

Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Moses, David, Amos. Of course, you could include Adam and Noah and his sons.

Who is the first person named as a shepherd? I mean which verse includes the word shepherd and another person’s name? The verse is Genesis 29:9. Jacob has fled from Esau. He’s also been sent to Paddan Aram to find a wife. He starts talking to some shepherds at a well, and while he was still talking with them, Rachel comes with her father's sheep. And then, it adds the reason she came, “for she was a shepherd.” To this day, it is not uncommon that girls are shepherds in the wilderness.

If we look a Moses and David, what roles did they ultimately have? Moses led the people from Egypt, through the wilderness (or desert), and on to the Promised Land. David was the King of Israel, and the man after God’s own heart.

What was Moses’ backstory? He was born in Egypt, placed into a basket in the Nile as a baby, but rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh and then raised in the palace. When he had become an adult, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. To rescue the Israelite, he struck and killed the Egyptian. When he realized that this event had become widely known, he flees into the desert where he stays until God calls him to return to Egypt. What is Moses doing for these 40 years that he is away? He is a shepherd. In part, God prepares Moses to lead the Israelites by allowing or leading him to be a shepherd.

David grows up as youngest brother and a shepherd. His experience as a shepherd allows or enables him to shepherd the people of Israel as their king. I’ve thought over the years that conflict in the workplace is not that much different than conflict among children. Apparently, a good way to learn how to lead people is through shepherding. (II Samuel 5:2, the people made David king; Psalm 78:71, God brought David from tending the sheep to shepherd His people Israel)

Going back to Moses, do you remember that God wouldn’t allow Moses to enter the Promised Land? I always get a little hung up on that, and I never really realized how Moses reacts. God tells Moses that he will be gathered to his people as his brother Aaron was. Then God tells Moses why. It’s because Moses did not honor God as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah Kadesh.

It’s like a perfect moment to think about yourself. Have a pity party. Think about what you did wrong. Think about your older brother who had already died. What does Moses do? He doesn’t do any of those things. He talks to God. Does he ask for something for himself?

Moses said to the LORD, “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. – Num. 27:15-18

I think that’s so cool. Moses was a good shepherd. Once he found out that he wasn’t going to lead the people into the Promised Land, his first thought was that there needed to be a new shepherd for the people. God immediately answers Moses and appoints Joshua. Joshua too was a great leader of the Israelites.

If we reflect on Moses’ prayer, we can see that Joshua is the immediate fulfillment. But, we can also see that Moses’ prayer is pointing to a deeper need, a need for all-time for the people of God. We, the people of God, need someone to go out and come in before us. One who will lead us out and bring us in so that we, “the Lord’s people, will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” God has a much bigger answer for Moses’ prayer than just Joshua.

Even Joshua’s name preconceives a greater fulfillment. Joshua is the leader who will lead the Israelites after Moses dies. Yeshua, Jesus, will lead the people of God now and forevermore. Moses told the people of Israel about the one who would follow him in Deuteronomy (18:15-19) as the Prophet. Peter and Stephen confirm in Acts (3:19-26 and 7:37) that Jesus is the Prophet that Moses foretold. Jesus is the ultimate Good Shepherd whom Moses asked God to provide for His people.

In the Old Testament, God also is the shepherd of Israel. When Jacob at the end of his life blesses his son Joseph, he tells him, “God ‘has been my shepherd all my life to this day.’” (Genesis 48:15)

David testifies in Psalm 23 that “the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing, I shall not want.” (v.1) You know that Psalm as well as I do. What else does David say of God’s provision?

He makes me lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside quiet waters

He refreshes my soul

He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with oil

My cup overflows

He concludes the Psalm saying, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God is the Good Shepherd. He shepherds his people even where it is difficult to shepherd.

Psalm 78 tells of how God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt, how “He brought his people out like a flock.” (v. 52) It says that “He led them like sheep through the wilderness.” The holy land is 70% wilderness, nearly desert. Although, the Israelis are actively working to reclaim and use more and more land. But shepherding in the wilderness requires a great deal of skill. You must know where to find grass, where to find water.

We just read Psalm 23 where it talks about green pastures. In the wilderness, there aren’t any green pastures. At least, not the verdant carpets that we think about when we think about pasture. I heard one speaker say that in the west, we think about pasture as a sharing sized bag of M&M’s. In desert grazing, it’s like 1 M&M and it’s brown and hard to see.

The wilderness or desert is not the place of abundance. It is the place of “just enough.” When the Israelites were in the wilderness, God gave them manna to eat. It was just enough for one day except on Friday when they would gather enough for two days so they wouldn’t have to gather on the Sabbath. This thinking of “just enough” is reflected in the Lord’s Prayer. We are told to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Isaiah 40:11 says “He [the Sovereign Lord] tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” God is able to lead His people through the wilderness even the lambs and those who have young.

Sadly, the rulers of Israel after King David, they were not good shepherds. You can read about it in Ezekiel 34. The passage in John 10 that we read talks about the hired hand, how he would run away when the sheep were attacked. Jesus explained that this hired hand “cares nothing for the sheep.” That’s what we find as the description of the “shepherds of Israel” described in Ezekiel. Verse 8 says that they “cared for themselves rather than for My flock.”

What will God do about this situation? For one thing, it says He will remove those bad shepherds. After that,

… this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. – Ezek. 34:11-16

After another interlude about what the Lord will do with not only the bad shepherds, but also the bad sheep. He concludes …

I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken. … You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezek. 34:22-24, 31

Jesus is that Good Shepherd. He is the Son of David. Today is Palm Sunday. The day where Jesus came into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion. Do you remember what the people cried out as he rode in upon the foal of a donkey?

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matt. 21:9-11

This is the prophet whom Moses foretold, the good shepherd who Ezekiel foretold, and the Micah too foretold, saying …

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. – Micah 5:4

That comes just after the familiar passage that is quoted in Matthew that we read at Christmas. “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6 and Micah 5:2) Here in Micah 5:4, we see how He will shepherd. In the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of His Name, and the people of God will live securely and His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

We too are His sheep, and we are caught up in this good news for His people. Zechariah in the Old Testament and Peter in the New say something very similar.

The LORD their God will save His people on that day as a shepherd saves His flock. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. – Zech. 9:16

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. – I Pet. 5:4

We have the promise that the Lord will save His people as a shepherd saves His flock which is awesome. Then, we see that His people will sparkle like jewels in a crown. Peter tells us why. We will sparkle in His land because the Chief Shepherd will give us all crowns of glory that will never fade away. Isn’t that fantastic?

I’ve got a couple more verses here to end on. Jesus is not only the good shepherd. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Revelation 7:17 brings both of them together.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; “He will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Rev. 7:17

The good shepherd takes care of our every need. Physical, mental, spiritual. He is truly the good shepherd. With Him, we have nothing to fear.

I’m going to close with Hebrews 13:20-21 which is a blessing, a benediction. Please bow your heads again.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. – Heb. 13:20-21

I AM the Door of the Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 01:21:00 +0000

Last week, Carl talked about Jesus healing the man that was born blind and how the Pharisees threw the blind man out of the temple. Today, I want to pick up where that story left off in John chapter nine after the blind man that Jesus healed was thrown out of the temple by the Pharisees.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. – John 9:35-41

The Pharisees were acting as a door to God and deciding who had access and who did not. This blind man was a perfect example of this. He had been born blind and he had been healed by Jesus. This was an obvious miracle performed by Jesus. However, that did not fit their political play book because they were trying to portray Jesus as a sinner and a friend of sinners and telling people that they should not follow Him. So they threw this former blind man out of the temple. They wanted people to know that they (the Pharisees) were the door/gatekeepers to God and they would decide who had access to the temple (and to God) and who didn’t. That is why Jesus goes directly into a metaphor about a door/gate to the fold of the sheep in John 10:1.

Realize that these chapter and verse separations did not exist in the original Bible. Chapter numbers were added in the early 13th century AD and these were later subdivided in to verses in the mid-16th century AD.

So before the 13 century there was no break between what is known today as John Chapter 9 and what is known today as John chapter 10.

So with that in mind we go directly from Jesus telling the Pharisees that because they claimed that they were not blind, their guilt remains and we move into the next series of verses about sheep and a gate/door.

Let’s begin with Chapter 10 verse 1:

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.” – John 10:1

What is the fold of the sheep or what is often called the sheep fold? It is a corral with one door, where in the evening the shepherd would herd the sheep in for their protection.

“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” – John 10:2-3

Either the shepherd or a watchman/doorkeeper would lie across the door opening where he would sleep for the night. If a thief or a wild animal comes to steal a sheep at night the shepherd or the watchman/gatekeeper would hear the commotion, he would rise and protect the sheep.

Shepherds would sometimes even share a sheep pen and put all their animals in this enclosure. All of the village sheep would be in one fold which was the place of protection for the night.

In the morning each of the shepherds would call his sheep by name and they would recognize his voice and their name and they would come to the door and follow their shepherd to pasture for the day.

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” – John 10:4-5

Obviously Jesus is referring to himself here going ahead of the sheep. Verse 6 says:

Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. – John 10:6

Now Jesus wanted there to be no mistake that He was referring to himself here. So verse 7 begins:

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” – John 10:7b

Since the blind man wasn’t healed in the way that the Pharisees expected God to heal and on a day that they expected God to heal, they determined that the healing couldn’t be valid.

Instead of rejoicing that the blind man had experienced a miracle from God, they decided they would act as a block or obstacle to access God. This action implied that they were trying to be the gatekeepers to God.

This is why Jesus then replies in John chapter 10, “I am the gate for the sheep.”

The NASB version translates this verse as:

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” – John 10:7 NASB

Jesus is essentially saying to the Pharisees “I am the gate or door, not you. I am the one who decides who comes in and who goes out, and who experiences God.

When Jesus refers to himself as the gate or door of the sheep, he’s using a familiar metaphor for his listeners. It would’ve been commonplace to see shepherds and sheep wandering around following their shepherd and them putting the sheep down for the night.

“All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” – John 10:8

Here Jesus is not only referring to this blind man who is responding with his worship but to all the crowds who would hear His voice and follow Him.

“I am the gate [rendered door in the NASB]; whoever enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. – John 10:9

Jesus gives instruction to His sheep entering the gate/door in similar passages in Matthew chapter 7 where He says:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matt. 7:13-14

In today’s culture there is a prevailing theme that all religions are alike and that we all pray to the same God or Supreme Being. Don’t buy into this lie. This lie was created and propagated by Satan the father of lies. This lie is the broad road that heads to destruction that Jesus is talking about here.

Jesus goes on to say:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10

The NASB version translates the second half of this verse 10 as:

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 10:10b NASB

In the corresponding passage in Matthew 7 Jesus gives instruction to watch out for these false prophets.

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. – Matt. 7:15 NASB

Now false prophets in our day would also include those who misinterpret true prophecies and try to persuade others that their interpretation is correct.

Jesus also goes on in this passage to tell us how we can recognize these people dressed in sheep’s clothing. He says:

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” – Matt. 7:16-20

Now it is obvious here that Jesus is not only talking about the words of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and the false prophet’s words. No. Here He is also talking about their spiritual fruit.

The late Herschel Martindale who was instrumental in starting our church here in Clemson back in the early 70’s would say if you want to know if a person is being led by God “check the fruit”.

Paul describes this fruit in Galatians 5 where he describes the fruit of the spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. – Gal. 5:22-23

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were pretending to be sheep led by God but their fruit was obviously bad.

The false prophets of our day pretend that they know the true interpretation on prophecies and that they are being led by God.

If we check the fruit of their lives we will find it obviously bad.

There are three takeaways you should remember from today’s message:

Jesus is both the gatekeeper and the gate. He is on duty day and night leading and guarding His followers.
He gives us instructions on how to recognize the messages of the false prophets and the false teachers from His message and the men and women who truly follow it.
The followers of His message will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The followers of the false prophets and false teacher’s messages of our day cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit because they are not being led by the Holy Spirit.

I AM the Light of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 22:12:00 +0000

Welcome! We are in the middle of a series called “I AM” in which we seek to really understand the I AM statements of Jesus. These statements were always bold and provocative, meant to point out that Jesus was far from a normal everyday man. Today’s I AM statement comes from the Book of John, chapter 8:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

Imagine standing up in a public place, maybe in a grocery store, or at your place of work, or, if you are a student, in your classroom, and saying so that all can hear, “I am the light of the world! Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!” How would those within earshot react? Well, they might discretely go tell the manager at the store, or your supervisor at work, or call campus security at the university, and say that there is an out-of-control crazy person who needs to be dealt with. Notice that he says I am the light of the world, not a light of the world. Talk about delusions of grandeur, right?

And in fact, times have not changed that much, because those in the crowd around Jesus have similar thoughts. Let’s look at the response:

The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” – John 8:13

Now, you might say that this would certainly not be your own response, but let’s look a little deeper. The nature of the Pharisees’ response makes it clear – even apart from the previous chapters of John – that this is not the first time the Pharisees and Jesus have been in contact. In fact, it feels like we have just been dropped into the middle of an ongoing debate in which the two sides, Jesus and the Pharisees, have known each other and have been arguing with each other for a long time. And the previous chapters of John make it clear that this is exactly the case. Even if this is the beginning of a new confrontation, the lack of introductions makes it clear that they are picking up where they have left off.

And the Pharisees don’t even bother to respond to the bold claims of Jesus directly. It is as if at this point they don’t really care what He says – it is all nonsense to them. And so their response is, in effect, “You can say whatever outrageous statement you like, but there is no reason to believe you when you talk like a madman like this.”

But Jesus was no madman. He was telling the truth, using figurative language, of course. But He is truly the Light of the World. The main things we will do today is to look at the meaning of Jesus’ powerful claim, look at how it ties in with other Scriptures, and look at what it really means for us.

The theme of light is widespread in Scripture. Light is symbolic of goodness, holiness, and grace. In contrast, darkness is symbolic of wickedness, sin, and judgment. Note that darkness is the absence of light. It is not the other way around. Light shines into darkness. Darkness cannot overwhelm light, but light can and does overwhelm darkness.

Consider the beginning of Genesis. Does God call darkness into being? No. He calls into being light. Starting at Gen. 1:1:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. – Gen. 1:1-4

The light was good in Day 1. But God does even more with light on Day 4.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. – Gen. 1:14-18

Now on face value this passage is clearly talking about the sun and the moon, and it is interesting how God describes their purpose: they are for the benefit of people. They help us know when it is daytime and nighttime, and they help us know the seasons (to mark sacred times) – and days and years. And they light the earth.

It feels good to get out on a sunny day and feel the sunlight on your skin. Our bodies even depend on light – it’s not just plants that do that. Our bodies make Vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Amazing!

Light is a major theme in Exodus. God first appears to Moses as light in the bush that burned but did not burn up. And the contrast between light and darkness is made very clear in one of the plagues against the Egyptians at the time of Moses. From Exodus 10:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. – Ex. 10:21-23

The darkness was a plague; light is a blessing. It is impossible for me to imagine three days of total darkness. Clemson experienced a total eclipse in 2017, but that was nothing like total darkness. In our days of cellphones always a short reach away, we really cannot understand what three days of total darkness was like. Growing up, my family once all overslept on a vacation because, while we slept, so much snow came down that it blocked our one window to the outside world. But even then, someone woke up, looked at the time, and turned on a light.

But let’s move on. When Pharaoh finally had had enough of the plagues and released the Israelites, how did God lead the Israelites? With light. From Exodus 13:

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. – Ex. 13:21

A pillar of fire to give them light. There is something almost magical about a campfire at night, is there not? How much more powerful must it have been to behold the power of God in the pillar of fire!

And a little later, when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites and were about to overtake them, God stepped in and saved them, ultimately by parting the sea, letting them pass through but then drowning the Egyptian army, but even before this, what did God do? He intervened with light and darkness. From Ex. 14:

The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. – Ex. 14:19b-20

And so God uses light to guide us and protect us and save us.

Later, in Sinai, Moses went to the foot of a mountain to receive the Law from God. The mountain is described as being covered by lightning, that is, by continual flashes of bright light. And then we have the following events in Ex. 24:

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. – Ex. 24:15-17

A consuming fire that did not actually consume. I am struck by the parallels between this encounter and that initial encounter that Moses had at the burning bush. And in this description we see the holiness of God – so light also symbolizes holiness.

The theme of God as light is also found repeatedly in the Psalms. Here are but a few examples:

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. – Ps. 18:28

Another equally valid way to translate the Hebrew is to say that You, God, are my lamplighter. You, God, light my lamp. And how does one light a lamp? With light – with fire. I find this a nice picture of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives – we cannot light our own lamps; we cannot turn our own darkness into light. The Lord must do it.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? – Ps. 27:1a

Here we see a similar idea – we are not our own light. The context of both passages is the idea of being saved, of accomplishing victory. But this second passage also speaks of taking away fear. If the Lord truly is our light, if He truly saves us, then there are no enemies we will ever have to face alone, whether human enemies or spiritual ones. I have a story – one I don’t think I have ever used in a sermon, at least not that I can remember.

When I was a kid, back in grade 4 or 5, I started helping an unlikely friend with his homework. I don’t really remember how it started, but we ended up once in the library together. I was there because I had read everything in my English classroom, and so when we had reading time, I was allowed to go to the library to find something else to read. This unlikely friend, named Carl Green, yes, another Carl, was the opposite of me. I was tiny; he was huge. I was a nerd, he was destined for football. I was white, he was black. But we somehow connected, and he really appreciated that I helped him with homework. One day he got accused of doing something bad to a student who was a bully – I don’t remember exactly what, but I knew it was false, because during that time – I think during lunch – Carl was with me. So I went to the principal and told him. And after that, Carl was really my friend. I later had a problem with bullies when I would come home from school, and this led to me trying to take long routes to avoid them. So I told my friend, and he told me to go alone the normal route, where the bullies were, and he would be waiting for me. And this is what happened. The bullies started bothering me, and then Carl Green showed up, and scared them really good. I never had problems with those bullies again. You could say that Carl Green was my salvation. Who did I need to fear? Nobody. How much more so if the God of the universe, the Light of the World, is your protector!

You [God] are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. – Ps. 76:4

Here God’s light is used to describe God’s majesty. Majesty is not a word we use often today. Usually majesty is associated with being a king. This is out of our area of experience, as we do not have a king in America. But the idea conveys impressive beauty and dignity – picture a king in kingly garments, walking solemnly to his throne. In comparison, you do not feel adequately dressed or composed or trained or skilled to go before him. And how are game-filled mountains majestic? They too can have a beauty, a grandeur, that takes your breath away. I picture impressively steep mountains, with amazing views, and with goats leaping around as if it is nothing.

The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment. – Psalm 104:2a

This also speaks to the idea of majesty. But it is not the royal robes that make our King majestic. It is His very character, His very identity, His holiness, His goodness. This is what takes our breath away, what makes us feel unprepared and inadequate to go before Him. Like Isaiah, we cry, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine on us. – Ps. 118:27

But just as God remedied Isaiah’s problem – He had one of His attendants, one of the seraphim, fly to Isaiah and touch his lips with a live coal, a glowing coal, God takes us, as we confess our sin to Him, and remedies our problem. His light is made to shine on us – we no longer are inadequate because of our lack of majesty; instead, we are clothed with His majesty. This is a beautiful truth – we are indeed clothed with Christ, covered by His blood, which was shed for us.

And speaking of Isaiah, light is a major theme in the book of Isaiah, and some of the most messianic prophecies, those most directly pointing to Jesus, include the theme of light. Again, here are but a few examples:

In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. – Is. 9:1b-2

We know that Jesus is from Galilee and He identified Himself as a Galilean. And so, yes, it is a great honor for Galilee to be able to say “Jesus was one of us!” And here the passage focuses on light as a source of hope, of rescue, of salvation. In a land of deep darkness, a light has come to save people from this darkness. The light is the gospel, and the gospel is all about Jesus, what He has done.

Here is a second passage from Isaiah:

This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness; I will take hold of Your hand. I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. – Is. 42:5-7

We know that this passage is speaking about Jesus from the fact that He is to be a covenant and a light for the gentiles, but also from the immediately preceding verses, which tell us that He is God’s servant in whom God delights (or is well-pleased with). And it tells us that God will put His Spirit on Him – both of these ideas clear reference to Jesus’ baptism. It describes His kindness, saying “a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out.” And it says that He will establish justice and that even the islands will put their hope in Him.

Here is a third passage from Isaiah:

He [the Lord] says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” – Is. 49:6

It is hard to imagine a passage more directly speaking of Jesus. Of course there is Isaiah 53, which describes the crucifixion and resurrection. But I recall that when I was a brand new believer in graduate school, I was told that the rabbis had the proper interpretation of Isaiah and that the object of these verses was actually the nation of Israel. Well, it is hard to see how the nation of Israel is going to restore and bring back itself! No, this is clearly referring to a person. Throughout history, only one Person has been a light for the Gentiles, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. Only one person can eternally save even a single soul, and that Person is Jesus, Light of the World.

And then we have this passage which is also one of our old Scripture songs:

“Arise, shine, for Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon You. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon You and His glory appears over You. Nations will come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your dawn. – Is. 60:1-3

Again, we see the theme of salvation coming to the whole world through the Light of the World. It says that “the Lord rises upon You” – yes, He literally rises. He is risen. He is the risen one.

And the theme of light continues in the New Testament. We have looked at the “In the beginning” in Genesis. Let us now look at the “In the beginning” in John.

The Word, the Logos, is Jesus. Jesus was with God in the beginning, and Jesus is God. And He is the light – the light of all mankind. And I am struck by the fifth verse – that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. God and Jesus – one great God; two great Persons of light. And this reminds me again of Genesis chapter 1 – I want to go back to this. Here are verses 14-18, reformatted:

And God said,

(A) “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky
to separate the day from the night,

(B) and let them serve as signs to mark sacred
times, and days and years,

(C) and let them be lights in the vault of the sky

to give light on the earth.”

And it was so.

(X) God made two great lights—

the greater light to govern the

day and the lesser light to govern the night.

He also made the stars.

(C’) God set them in the vault of the sky

to give light on the earth,

(B’) to govern the day and the night,

(A’) and to separate light from darkness.

And God saw that it was good. – Gen. 1:14-18

Where we have the two lights, the greater light and the lesser light, placed there for the sake of mankind, to mark sacred times – what a curious thing to say – at a time when no “sacred times” have yet been established. It makes me wonder if even the Genesis 1 passage had a second, more hidden message – that of the two lights, the greater (Father) and the lesser (Son) – and before I go on let me make clear that I do not think that Jesus is in any way inferior to God the Father, far from it! But I do think there is a parallel in how, just as the moon gives off the light of the sun, reflected to us for our benefit, so the Son wholly obeys the will of the Father, and He reflects the Father’s desire for us for our benefit. I wonder if this is something we are meant to consider. Kind of an “easter egg” in Scripture. I believe Scripture is filled with such “easter eggs.” One reason I think this is that Genesis 1:14-18, on the events of the fourth day – by the way, the middle day, if you include the final day of rest – is unique among the accounts of each day in that the verses are arranged as a chiasm.

What is a chiasm? A chiasm is like climbing up one side of a mountain, getting higher and higher, perhaps going through a layer of forest and next a layer of scraggly bushes, and then a barren layer, above the tree line, and then at last the very peak – where you find an amazing view – and then descending on the other side, going through the various kinds of brush in reverse order. Using letters to describe the various types of terrain, we could call the regions A, B, C, X, C’, B’, and A’, where X is the peak of the mountain.

I would argue that this passage also has the structure A B C X C’ B’ A’, where A and A’ have a common theme (that of separation of darkness and light), B and B’ have a common theme (that of governance and serving in a leadership role), and C and C’ have a common theme (that of giving light to the world). I would point out that Jesus is all these things. He will separate darkness and light – the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats – believers from unbelievers. And He is a leader - in servant leadership as the one who washed our feet, who died for our sins – and as one who will lead as King of kings and Lord of lords. And He is the Light of the World. And at the center, the X in our A B C X C’ B’ A’ are the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day – this would be the Father, who is unapproachable by the unholy, who lives in light – and the lesser light (again, not less powerful or in any way inferior, but simply subservient, obedient); the lesser light is Jesus, who brings the light of salvation to the night, to those who are in darkness.

But we have wandered down a rabbit trail (or maybe up one). Let’s continue to look at the theme of light in the New Testament.

I find the theme in the birth accounts of Jesus. First we have the shepherds:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. – Luke 1:8-9

Radiance – a great shining – was undoubtedly amplified even more when the great company of angels suddenly joined this one angel, saying “Glory to God in the highest.”

And then we have the devout man, named Simeon, who was able to pick up the baby Jesus at the Temple, who said, praising God,

“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” – Luke 2:29-32

And this brings us full circle back to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus repeatedly used the theme of light and spoke of Himself as the light of the world.

Recall John 8:12, that we opened with:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

In this passage we see the fulfillment of everything we saw in the Old Testament. His holiness, majesty, protection, salvation, goodness, and more. To follow Him means to have the light of life – a life without fear, a life that we do not live for ourselves, but for Him, a life of abundance, of blessing, a life that is ultimately eternal in Him.

Now, this is not the only occasion that Jesus describes Himself in these terms. In John 9, we have a situation where Jesus’ disciples ask whether a man they see who has been blind since birth had sinned or his parents had sinned so that this had become his lot in life. Jesus gives this answer to their question:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” – John 9:3-5

And so we see here that being the light of the world also means being the restoring one, the healing one. And this is exactly what Jesus does: He heals this man, making him able to see. And the disciples, in a hilarious sequence of events, question him. I love that this man gives short answers; he is not intimidated by the Pharisees, but give short answers that must infuriate them. “Where is the man who did this?” “I don’t know.” “How did it happen?” “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.” “What do you have to say about Him? It was your eyes he opened.” “He is a prophet.” Then they question his parents, who were more fearful of them, and they say, “He’s an adult. Ask him yourself.” Then they bring the healed man back, and say “Give glory to God by telling the truth.” (Basically they are calling him a liar.) “We know this man (meaning Jesus) is a sinner”, they say. And then his reply: “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know – I was blind, but now I see!” They continue to question him, and he says the best line of all: “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too?”

How did this man have such boldness? Why wasn’t he afraid of them? Because He had been touched by Jesus – Jesus had transformed his life! He was now able to see, for the first time in his life! He had been healed, and although he at this point knew next to nothing about Jesus, he was willing to identify himself as a Jesus follower.

And with that, let me turn to the application. We have been talking about how the idea of Jesus as the light of the world pervades Scripture. Well, now consider this:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matt. 5:14-16

This familiar passage almost becomes new again, even shocking when we look at it in view of the passages we have already discussed, doesn’t it? You, yes, you, are the light of the world. You are a Jesus representative, a Jesus ambassador, a disciple.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Just like that blind man could not hide what had happened to him, if you are a follower of Jesus, there are also things that have happened to you that you cannot hide, even if you try to do so. It doesn’t matter if you have been a Christ follower for a long time or for a short time – He has changed you and is continuing to change you, and people are going to notice, even if they don’t understand it, even if they don’t like it – like the Pharisees investigating the man who was no longer blind.

But don’t try to hide it! That is the point of the rest of this short passage. Let your light shine! Now, don’t think this means it is about self-effort; if you go there, you are entirely missing the point of this passage. He is the greater light – you are a lesser light. And in this case, truly a lesser light – in every sense of the word. In fact, there is nothing in you that is solely of you that is light at all. What you are is a light reflector. Just as the moon shows the light of the s-u-n, you reflect the light of the S-o-n. Your job is not to try hard to be good; your job is follow Him, to repent when you do not do so, to read and obey Scripture, to pray, to listen to Him, to do what He prompts you in your heart to do. You are to be one of His disciples, too.

We have a beautiful picture of this in Moses. Recall that after being with God, Moses’ face was radiant; that is his face reflected the light of God, and this resulted from spending time with God. Moses wore a veil because his people were afraid to come near him. But we are people of the New Testament, and the time for a veil is past. Let me close with this passage from 2nd Corinthians:

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! – 2 Cor. 3:7-11

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. – 2 Cor. 3:12-18

Go, unveil your faces. Go, be very bold. Go, and be who you are, the light of the world.

I AM the Bread of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 22:54:00 +0000

This morning I’ll talk with you about Jesus being “the bread of life” in John 6. I want to share a story with you first so that you can understand the background why Jesus said what he did to the Jews. You will see the true heart of the people of Israel and how they compare to the heart of the Jews in John 6. Hang in there because it will all connect in the end.

The people of Israel just went through a very traumatic event. In front of them was death. They couldn’t move forward because the waters would have engulfed them. They couldn’t turn back because death was following them. The Egyptian army was bent on snuffing the light of every single person. They couldn’t turn to the left or right because the steep mountainsides entrapped them. They had their children with them. I can withstand a tremendous amount of suffering, but to see my children suffer, and even face death, is something I wouldn’t be able to bear. After being freed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites traveled a grueling 60 or 70 miles to get to the Red Sea. That’s when they faced all those dangers. Then, God did the miraculous. He parted the Red Sea. They didn’t just read or hear about God intervening. They saw and experienced it themselves. It was a miracle that would show to even the hardest of hearts that God was real and that he could provide anything they would need to survive the journey.

Tired, hungry, and thirsty they finally made their way across. There was a little hint of faith because they trusted in what God had done for them by parting the Red Sea. Really, they didn’t have any choice unless they wanted to figure out how to save themselves and die in the process. When they were under tremendous pressure of impending death they had to trust him. We go through that in our own lives. We come to a place where there is no way out. In a moment of dire need we trust him. There seems to be some hint of faith. We believe there’s a God and that he might be able to help us with our money situation. But we won’t bow down to worship him. We only relied on him when there was no other choice.

God did something very interesting that revealed the bitterness that was in the heart of his people. Their thirst had compounded as they had to travel an additional three days to find water. Then they found it. I imagine that even from a distance they could feel the cool water going down their scratchy, dry throats. I don’t know who was the first to taste it, but they had to spit it out immediately. It was horribly bitter. So, as they looked into the bitter waters they saw a reflection of themselves. Their own bitterness was staring back at them. The place was called Marah. The name in Hebrew means bitterness. You would think it would cause them to call out to God for help. After all, he did clearly show them that he could provide what they needed. Instead, they complained saying, “What shall we drink?” (Ex. 15:24). It was Moses who cried out to the Lord. The LORD showed him a log and Moses threw it into the water. God turned the bitter waters into that which was sweet. God will often allow hard times to enter our lives to reveal what is really inside. As my family has gone through hard times he’s done the same for me. I’ve realized my own selfishness.

They traveled further to the wilderness of Sin. Just by the name it sounds like a place you don’t want to go. By now you would think they learned their lesson. They could have sat down and given thanks to God for getting them this far and give thanks for how he rescued them from slavery. They had seen ten incomprehensible plagues. Obviously, God had revealed his eternal power and divine nature in this process of rescue. But what actually happened? In Exodus 16:2 it says, “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” Paul talks about this kind of person in Romans 1:20-23:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. – Rom. 1:20-23

In Exodus 31 and 32, when God was inscribing the Tablet of the Testimony and giving it to Moses what were the people of Israel doing? They were making an idol. This is one of the ways of the godless nations around Israel. What did the idol look like? It was a calf, a calf made out of gold. The apostle Paul addressed this kind of people. He said that certain people made images to look like “mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Now, I know that not everyone was doing this. I think God was dealing with the nation collectively. For example, Moses wasn’t worshipping the calf. He was doing the things that God had told him. In Romans 1:24, Paul goes on to talk about how God dealt with those people,

Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts… – Rom. 1:24

How did God respond to the people of Israel in their travels through the wilderness? In Acts 7, Stephen was preaching to the Sanhedrin. He’s giving a brief history of their fathers. He said,

“But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made. But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies…” – Acts 7:39-42)

Let me go back to our story in Exodus. In Chapter 16, they had grumbled about their hunger.

The Israelites told Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day…” – Ex. 16:3-4

God was gracious to give them meat in the evening and bread in the morning. His number one desire was for them to know “I am the LORD your God.” (Ex. 16:12) He wanted them to know that he desired relationship with them. He would provide what the Israelites needed each day. Instead of trusting him they started hoarding the meat and the bread. They disregarded how he commanded them to collect the meat and bread. Above that, they were rejecting him.

This is the backdrop of our story today in John 6. Have you ever sat down to watch a movie that had already been playing for 20 or 30 minutes? You feel lost. Certain things seem confusing. Some people get confused by this story like I was at one time. They try to interpret this story without using the context of the history of Israel. It has led many churches to have some very strange teachings about what Jesus meant when he said that he was the “bread of life.” Now that you know the context, let’s look at a passage from John 6.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” – John 6:25-27

Jesus was talking to the crowd. He wasn’t talking just to his disciples or even just to the twelve apostles. The people of Israel wandered through the desert. They followed where God was leading. But collectively they had no desire to have fellowship with him. They just wanted some food. In the same way, there were people that were following Jesus because he was filling their stomachs.

Continuing with the passage:

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” – John 6:28-31

Throughout Israel’s journey through the wilderness, God wanted them to trust him. He wanted to provide for them. He wanted fellowship with them. He performed miracles showing that he could be all that they needed. He would do the work. What did they need to do in order to be free from slavery in Egypt? He told them to put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their homes. Then the angel of death would pass over them. He killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, those whose homes didn’t have the blood on the doorposts. He would do this. They wouldn’t have to rescue themselves. The work they needed to was to believe him…to take him at his word. God was the one who parted the Red Sea. He did the work for them. They only needed to believe him. He said to cross and they crossed. They didn’t have to do any work to make bread or capture meat. He did the work for them. Jesus was telling the crowd to do the same…to believe him.

Continuing with John 6:

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” – John 6:32-33

In the desert, the Israelites had very few options for food. If they went much further they would have starved to death. They would have been without life. Without Jesus, the Bread of Life, we are without spiritual life.

“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” – John 6:34-40

They don’t really understand who he is. They don’t call him “Lord.” They call him “sir.” It sounds respectful but still way far short of who he really was. This is where he dropped the bomb on them. He said, “I am the bread of life.” The people of Israel experienced all the miracles and yet they didn’t believe. Their hearts were hard. He, like the manna, or bread, came down from heaven. He was the heavenly gift. Jehovah had provided salvation through only one way, through Jesus. The Jews knew about the resurrection of the dead. This doctrine didn’t begin in the New Testament.

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” – John 6:41-51

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. – John 6:52-59

Jesus didn’t just come to those who would accept him. He came to those who would hate him, reject him, and talk evil of him. Just like the manna was laid down on the earth, so Jesus laid down his life as well. The crowd knew what story he was referring to when he was talking about the manna. They knew what kind of people the Israelites were as they wandered throughout the desert. They knew he was saying that a rejection of him would be the same as the Israelites who had rejected God in the wilderness. That’s one reason why they started grumbling.

This is the kind of people God was dealing with in the desert. In Hebrews 3 and 4, the author gives us a more detailed picture of the specific group of Israelites that he rescued from slavery and wandered through the desert for 40 years. He said that their hearts were hard and that they provoked him. They tested him even though they had seen his works for forty years. It actually says that he loathed that generation. They went astray and didn’t know his ways. He swore in his wrath that they would not enter his rest. In the Old Testament, rest is often equated with salvation. He warned them not to come short of entering his rest (salvation). He said that they never united his word with faith.

When Jesus talked with the crowd about the manna, like I said earlier, they knew what he was getting at. They had tasted of the heavenly gift sent down from heaven to them. But they grumbled against it. They were partakers in the work that God was doing among them and in them, and yet, they rejected it. God had given the Israelites his word through Moses on Mt Sinai. The Father had sent his only son, who John calls “the word” in John 1:1. The crowd had tasted the word but spit it out. The Israelites experienced the power of God among them. In a later age, when Jesus came, the crowd experienced even more of God’s power through the miracles. But their hearts were too hard to believe.

In John 6, salvation was standing right in front of the Jews. The bread of eternal life was sent from heaven. Later on, in John 6, we see that many people in the crowd turned away. The Jews came right up to the point of finding salvation but they fell away. Many of those Jews had experience with God. They participated in the sacrifices and worshipped in the temple. But if they refused Jesus then they would be without spiritual life. In America, not many people go without food because of financial reasons. Some do. Most of us in this room haven’t experienced anything like that. We might miss a meal because we forget to eat or we’re too busy. Bread is something nice to add to a meal. If you’re eating spaghetti, then you can probably taste the crunchy, buttery bread that’s covered with garlic before you even put it in the oven. Or you might want to drop by the bakery between breakfast and lunch to get a bear claw with all the sugary icing dripping off the sides. But for the Israelites who wandered through the desert bread wasn’t a nicety to add to their meal and it wasn’t a snack. They needed bread to survive. It was the difference between life and death. They had to have it. There was a time in my life when I was just adding Jesus to all the other things I was doing. But I came to the point where I realized that I had to have Jesus. It was the difference between life and death. How do you see Jesus right now? Is he something that you’re adding to your interests, or do you see him as absolutely necessary for life?

In John 6, many of the Jews chose to fill their bellies with what this world was offering them. It wasn’t just the crowd that walked away. John said,

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66)

In other words, there were people who were following him, learning from him, and benefiting from his miracles. Do you remember what miracle he performed shortly before the passage we went over in John 6? He fed them fish and bread. Jesus said that some of them were his followers or “disciples” because he fed their bellies. But these disciples had rejected the bread of life. They didn’t walk away because he said some confusing things. Jesus was very clear. Why did these disciples walk away? Read John 6:61. The NIV ‘84 says that they were “offended”.

I’ve known quite a few people over the years who were reading the Bible and trying to live a different life. But after a period of time they walked away. They had come right up to the point of realizing their desperate need for the true bread, but they decided to turn away. They either wanted to have their bellies filled with the things of this world, or they were offended by Jesus. What was the one big difference between the disciples who left versus the ones who stayed? Jesus asked the ones who stayed,

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” – John 6:67-68

I AM (Introduction)

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 22:43:00 +0000

Good morning! Today we begin a new series, called “I AM”. This series explores the purpose, the works, and the character of Jesus through metaphorical pictures found in the Bible. Each of these pictures are rich in meaning and help us to better appreciate our Savior and all He has done for us.

Today’s message title is the same as the series title, and we are going to explore what God means by the name “I AM”. To begin, we are going to look at God’s calling of Moses in Exodus chapter 3. For context, recall that in Genesis, the book ends with the death of Joseph in Egypt. Recall that Joseph, through the power of God, saved Egypt from severe famine and even made them immensely wealthy and powerful because of it. This happened because God showed Joseph the proper interpretation of Pharoah’s dreams. Under Joseph’s direction, Egypt stored up massive amounts of grain in the years before the famine and made an extreme profit during the famine by selling that grain.

Exodus begins where Genesis ends. Jacob and his descendants continued to live in Egypt and multiplied greatly. At first, the Pharaohs remembered what Joseph had done and treated the Israelites honorably, but eventually Joseph was forgotten, and the Egyptians forced the Israelites into slavery. But even this did not stop the God-blessed multiplication of the Israelite people, so the Egyptians treated them more and more harshly.

Because even this had no effect on the Israelite’s multiplication, the Pharaoh decreed that Israelite baby boys should be killed, thrown into the Nile River. At this time a particular baby was born, and his mother hid him for as long as she could. But eventually she could do so no longer, so she placed him in a basket and put it along the bank of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter picked him up, saving his life, and she named him Moses.

As a grown man, Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, and in anger he killed the Egyptian, thinking that no one had seen him. But the next day, he tried to intervene between two Hebrews fighting each other, and one of them revealed that what Moses had done was known. Moses fled and ended up living in Midian, and in time he married a woman there.

This brings us to Exodus chapter 3. Moses sees a bush that appeared to be on fire but yet did not burn up. It was the LORD, who told Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” He told Moses that He had heard the crying out of the Israelites in Egypt, and explained that He was sending Moses to Pharaoh to bring them out of Egypt.

Moses replied, “who am I to do this?” And God said He would be with them, and the would leave Egypt and worship God on the mountain where they were. Picking up the account in Ex. 3:13:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” – Ex. 3:13-14

The phase translated “I am who I am” is in Hebrew “Ehyeh”. Going for a literal translation, this word is best translated “I will be”. It is in the future tense in Hebrew. A slightly less literal translation is “The one who is will be.” What does this mean? It means that He is the forever existing one. He was never created, and He will never be unmade. He is eternal. Again, the literal translation is “I will be” and it is in first person.

Now it would cause confusion if Moses used this exact form of the word when he talks with the Israelites, saying “I will be has sent me to you.” It’s kind of like a very old joke I don’t remember about a person named Yu. I don’t remember the joke, but just imagine this person introducing himself to someone saying, “Hi, I’m Yu.”

God knows this, so He explains further:

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is My name forever, the name you shall call Me from generation to generation.” – Ex. 3:15

The word translated “the Lord” is “Yahweh”. This word is closely related to “Ehyeh” except that the pronouns have changed from “I will be” to “He will be”. It makes perfect sense that Moses would use “Yahweh” as he talks about Him to others. Again, a fuller in-context translation is “He who is will be.” And again, this speaks to his uncreated and eternal nature.

And this name, “Yahweh” is found repeatedly in Scripture – it appears over 6,500 times in the Old Testament. This is incredible, as the entire Old Testament is about 23,000 verses, less than four times this amount.

Now one of the ten commandments says to not use God’s name in vain. Over time, Jews reasoned that if you use God’s name out loud, even reading Scripture, who can say for sure that they don’t have mixed or slightly imperfect feelings as they say it? God’s standard is perfection, after all. So they decided that the safest thing to do would be not to speak God’s name aloud at all. So when they read out loud passages that had the name Yahweh, they substituted another name for it, the Hebrew word for Lord, “Adonai.” And many translations of the Bible in English keep this tradition by translating Yahweh as all-caps LORD.

Now the Hebrew scribes went even further, as they didn’t want someone reading from the Old Testament out loud forgetting to substitute Yahweh with Adonai. They also didn’t want to materially alter the Holy Scriptures. Now formal Hebrew writing is without vowels; if you look at a newspaper in Israel it typically does not have vowels. And vowels in Hebrew are little marks like apostrophes and dots above and below the Hebrew letters. They are much smaller than the consonants, so much so that you don’t even have to alter the spacing between consonants to fit the vowels in. And so what the scribes did was add vowels to Yahweh, but not the Yahweh vowels. Instead, they put in the vowels of Adonai, the word for Lord, into the consonants for Yahweh. Now the final syllable of Adonai is what we call the long I sound. But I is not really a single sound; it is two, ahhh followed by eeee. And the eeee sound in Adonai is actually a consonant letter, not a vowel letter. I know this is getting confusing, but bear with me. What I am saying is that the vowel sounds in Adonai is ahhh ohhh ahhhh, not ahhh ohhh aii. And so what they did was stick ahh ohhh ahhh into Yahweh to get Jehovah.

Now, I can hear you saying, now hold on. Yahweh has totally different consonants than Jehovah. Well in English that is correct, but not in Hebrew. English hasn’t been especially accurate in transcribing Hebrew sounds. This is true with other languages as well. For example, the Chinese city Beijing used to be translated into English as Peking. Now some of this is partially due to the fact that in China there are many different dialects, and in some it sounds more like Peking than it sounds like Beijing. But let’s get back to Yahweh and Jehovah.

In modern Hebrew, and as far as we know, going back at least 1000 years, there was no J sound in Hebrew. There was a yeh sound, and when you combine a yeh sound with an H sound, it becomes even closer to the J sound. So it shouldn’t be Jehovah, it should be Yehovah.

Also, there is similar situation with the W sound Yahweh. There is no W sound in Hebrew. This should be a V sound. So Yahweh should be Yahveh. YHVH. So now, if you take the vowels out of Yahveh and put in the ahh ohh ahhh vowels of Adona-i, you get Yahovah.

So when Jews read the Old Testament scrolls, they see the Adonai vowels there on Yahveh and do they say Yahovah? No, because that is too close to Yahveh. So they actually use the real Hebrew word Adonai.

This is probably not a discussion that Jehovah’s Witnesses want to hear. And I think it is fair to criticize the Jehovah’s Witnesses for their bad theology built upon this word. But I think you can also fairly criticize the Jews. In trying to avoid breaking one of the Ten Commandments, they are instead breaking the direct command to literally call Him Yahweh for all generations in Exodus 3:15.

Now I want to say a little bit about names in the Bible. Often people in the Bible are named after an event or situation that either took place at or around their birth. It’s interesting to me that people who do through hiking on long trails like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail are almost always given a “trail name”; that is, people on the trail give a nickname to people they see on the trail based on something they have done. For example, someone might have the name Nahamsha based on their accent or Five-stack based on how many pancakes they ate somewhere at a stop off trail. There are some instances of this also in the Bible. The “Sons of Thunder”, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are an example from the New Testament. And Peter was called “The Rock.” (Why do these totally sound like the names of professional wrestlers?) Anyway, who gave these men their names? Jesus Himself. And God also gave some people new names in the Old Testament: Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, and Jacob became Israel. And the Bible seems to say that we will be given new names by God! We don’t have time to go into this, but if you want to explore it, here are some verses: Rev. 2:17, Rev. 3:12, Is. 56:5, Is. 62:2, and Is. 65:15. It’s not completely clear from these verses if we will all be given different names, but I don’t think it really matters. We will be with Jesus, and nothing compares with that.

But the reason I bring this up is that names given deliberately in the ways we have discussed, whether based on events at birth or on later events or personality traits, necessarily focus in on something specific. But what do you name the God of the Universe? Everything seems far too little, far too narrow, far too confining. And so I think the name of God “ I am that I am” or “I who am will be” although vague and perhaps confusing, is appropriately so. The God of the universe is not at all like the thousands or even millions of false gods that people have worshiped throughout the ages.

It is interesting to me that in English we have the word “God” to describe Him, a short one-syllable name with three letters. We use a capital G to distinguish Him from all the false gods. This word comes from the German Gott and, further back, Gudan. But the word was first applied to false gods before it was applied to the true God. When that happened, the word shifted from a feminine ending to a masculine one. We are fortunate that there are no religions today who call their false god “God.”

But this is not true in every language. Mongolia, for example, has a huge problem because the early missionaries who came there and gave Mongolia their first translation of the Bible decided to use the word Buddha for God. In hindsight, this was a terrible thing to do because Buddha was the name of the false god they were currently worshiping. This issue continues to cause problems for the church in Mongolia. It makes evangelism more difficult, and people are more likely to try to just add worship of the true God to the false gods they worship.

And so I find the name that God gives Moses to be perfect. It captures the mystery of God, how He is utterly unlike the false gods that the people worshiped back then, gods of the moon, of harvest, of fertility, of the underworld, and so on. The Creator God is beyond names. He who invented all things that have names cannot be named with a conventional name.

But God’s mysterious name for Moses and Moses’ people, and which was used throughout the old Testament, had another purpose as well, a purpose that would come in the years after the events of the Old Testament came to a close. That purpose was to identify Jesus Christ as God. The Jews had – perhaps misguidedly – made Yahweh, the name of their God, a name that nobody ever spoke, because to say that name at all might make you guilty of breaking one of the ten commandments.

So when Jesus came along and started saying, likely in Hebrew or Aramaic, “I am” and applying it to Himself, this was a shocking thing. It meant that Jesus was either truly God or one of the worst blasphemers ever seen. To those whose hearts were soft, to those who were open, He was the former, and to those who were proud, who liked things how they were and saw no need to repent, He was the latter.

Let’s look at an account in Matthew 14. Jesus has just fed the 5000.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” – Matt. 14:25-27

This is followed by Peter walking on the water towards Jesus, but then his faith wavers and he starts to sink and cry out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, we are told, Jesus reaches out his hand and saves him. The two of them went into the boat, and the wind immediately died down. And then we are told that those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Now why would they worship Him? Only God Himself should be worshiped. It is not enough that someone does miracles that they should be worshiped. To do so is idolatry. Any other Jewish person would immediately protest strongly and demand that they stop. We see this in Acts, for example, when Paul and Barnabus are worshiped as gods in Lystra. They protested vigorously, saying “Why have you done this? We are only men…”

There were multiple reasons why the disciples worshiped Jesus. They had just seen Him walk on water. They had seen the previous miracles. But there was more. When Jesus said “It is I,” the Greek phrase is ego eimi. This can also be translated, “I am.” This is the Greek version of “I am who I am,” of Yahweh. It is very likely Jesus called to them in Hebrew or the closely related Aramaic. It is likely that they heard Jesus speak the unspoken name and apply it to Himself.

And, by the way, we see the same wording in the parallel account in John 6. John 6:20 says, “But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Here too we have ego eimi.

Let us look at one more account from the New Testament. This is in John 8. The Jews are in the middle of having a long argument with Jesus. He told them plainly that if they did not believe that He was the Messiah, they would die in their sins. They did not like this or anything else that He said. And then the argument comes to a head in the following passage:

The Jews answered Him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor My Father and you dishonor Me. I am not seeking glory for Myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys My word will never see death.” – John 8:48-51

At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies Me. Though you do not know Him, I know Him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and obey His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad.” – John 8:52-56

“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to Him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. – John 8:57-59

“I am.” Ego eimi. The New Life Translation puts it this way: For sure, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I was and am and always will be!”

And so in the first case, on the lake, this astounding revelation of Jesus leads to worship, an act that would never be given to anyone but God Himself. And in the second case, Jesus’ revelation leads to intense anger, so much so that they would have killed Him there if He had not disappeared from them.

Jesus is not a god. Jesus is not another god. Jesus is God. Jesus is Yahweh, “I am that I am”. Jesus is “Who I am I will be.” He is the eternal one, the uncreated one. He is the Person of the Son, in relationship with the Father and the Spirit, but there is only one God, three Persons in one God.

It is exciting to me that in Revelation, God’s name is adjusted because the “will be” part is then at last taking place. From Rev. 11:

And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.” – Rev. 11:16-17

And so now, at this time, we want to join in with those who have worshiped Yahweh, who have worshiped Jesus. For us, He is till the one who was and is and is to come, and so we remember Him with the bread and the cup as He taught us to do. As Paul explains in I Cor. 11,

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. – I Cor. 11:23-26

Therefore Pray in Him

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 22:36:00 +0000

Eph. 6:18-24

Good morning! We have reached the final message in the Ephesians series, “… Therefore …” After we wrap up the final verses of the book, we’ll take a look at Ephesians in summary.

Last week, Carl shared on the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:10-17: (1) the belt of truth, (2) the breastplate of righteousness, (3) well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, (4) the shield of faith, (5) the helmet of salvation, and (6) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

All that armor is necessary because there is a spiritual battle going on. I think it is easy to forget this at times. Sometimes we forget because things seem to be going well. Sometimes we forget because even though things are tough, we attribute those circumstances to flesh and blood rather than to devil’s schemes. (6:12) Once we have the armor on, what are we to do?

We talked about how the armor and even the sword mentioned in this section were defensive weapons.

It’s also interesting to note that in the verses above, we have 6 pieces to the armor. Paul was Jewish. In the Hebrew language, the number 7 represents completeness. Today, we will add the seventh item to this kit for the believer to stand firm and be strong in the Lord.

Today, we are going to pick up with the primary offensive weapon of the faith. With that intro, let’s pray and dig into Ephesians 6:18-24.

Father God, thank you for this series. I pray that it would encourage all of us to be strong in You, to be fully equipped, and to glorify You in all we do. Teach us now we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. – Eph. 6:18

In order to move forward, we need to pray. Ephesians 6:18 is hardly the only place that the Bible mentions and encourages us to pray.

Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow who kept asking the judge to rule in her favor. Because of her perseverance, the unrighteous judge gave her justice against her adversary. Luke 18:1 tells us why Jesus told his disciples that parable. It says he told that story “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” We should always pray and not give up!

Philippians 4:6 exhorts us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Paul tells us here to pray all kinds of prayers. That could be group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, spoken prayer, prayer in song, prayer while walking, prayer while kneeling, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, urgent prayer. Different kinds of prayer. Prayers of adoration and praise and worship of God. Prayers of thanksgiving. Prayers of supplication, asking God for something, asking Him to take action, prayers for other people.

In I Timothy 2:1-4, Paul writes to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

All kinds of prayers for others. Petitions (requests), prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people. Pray for their salvation, that they may come to a knowledge of the truth. And, as Paul tells us here, “to be alert and to keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Don’t forget about the prayer requests others have mentioned to you.

How does Paul tell us to pray? He tells us to pray in the Spirit. How do you pray in the Spirit? Praying in the Spirit is not praying in the flesh. It doesn’t need to be studied or eloquent. It doesn’t need to sound like an orator. It shouldn’t feel like riding a bike up hill.

Romans 8:26-27 tells us that it doesn’t depend on us knowing how or what to pray. You see, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.”

When we don’t know what or how to pray, or if we feel dull and unable to pray, that’s a starting point. We can confess our inability to God. He will not be surprised. He knows us and all our weaknesses. When we confess, we are then expecting God to work.

Praying includes resting in the Lord, being quiet, listening. I’ve been reading in the gospel of John the last couple of weeks. I was impressed by John 3 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus. Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” I was reminded of when I came to Christ as a freshman here at Clemson. That was 33 years ago. We don’t know where the Spirit is coming from or where it is going, but we can experience and feel Him. In praying in the Spirit, we are also waiting on the Spirit, to seek fellowship with God in prayer. I would recommend A.W. Tozer’s Pursuit of God, if you want to go deeper in considering this.

When we pray in the Spirit, we pray with boldness. We don’t make demands of God. We don’t claim promises from God. We come as children of God, asking with the boldness a child asks their parents. We can pray urgently, plead with God even, but we can’t “boss Him around” in our prayers. One more recommendation toward praying in the Spirit is to pray the Word. Pray prayers that are in the bible. Pray the words of Scripture. Pray that God would fulfill His commands. Pray for things God tells us to pray for. “Pray to the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38)

Let’s continue in Ephesians 6.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. – Eph. 6:19-20

Way back at the beginning of the book, in Ephesians 1:16, Paul wrote, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Now, Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him. Remember, Paul is in prison in Rome a he is writing this letter. There is no doubt that Paul could have asked for prayer for a lot of things. How about, “pray that God would take away these chains.” Pray that God would provide for him in other ways.

Paul did not ask for those prayers. He asked for words to make known the mystery of the gospel and boldness to declare it. Twice he prays that he would be able to fearlessly proclaim the gospel. It is the same root word in each case. That’s what was really important to Paul. So much so that he said it twice.

No doubt, he was in intimidating circumstances, chained to a Roman soldier, awaiting an audience with Caesar, the ruler of the largest empire ever known. His goal was to make known the mystery of the gospel whenever he spoke. Talking about praying the words of the bible. These are words that we could pray for one another and even ourselves.

Paul didn’t want to just be bold. He also wanted to be clear. He wanted his hearers to be able to understand the mystery of the gospel. He’s asking for the ability to make the message understandable. May we all have the ability to share the truth in a way that causes others to see and understand Jesus Christ.

Our last few verses are the closing of the letter.

Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. – Eph. 6:21-22

We don’t know all that much about Tychicus, but he certainly is an important companion and help for Paul. We first hear of him in Acts 20 when he accompanied Paul at least on the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem. In that passage (v.4), we learn that both Tychicus and Trophimus are from the province of Asia. Ephesus was the “capital” of the province of Asia. Acts 21 says Trophimus was an Ephesian. So, Tychicus is from Ephesus or the area nearby it.

Then, the book of Colossians closes with a similar line to what we see here in Ephesians. Tychicus is sent with the letter and will tell the Colossians all the news about Paul. Paul describes Tychicus as “a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:7) It may even have been that Tychicus carried this letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians in the same trip. Ephesus and Colosse are ~150 miles apart from each other and 1200 miles from Rome.

A few years after writing Ephesians and Colossians, Paul wrote to Titus that as soon as he sent Artemas or Tychicus to you, that Titus should come to meet Paul. (Titus 3:12) And finally, II Timothy 4:12 Paul tells Timothy that he sent Tychicus to Ephesus. I mention all that because Tychicus is clearly an important helper to Paul. He’s a good traveler, a messenger for Paul, willing to come and go wherever needed.

Tychicus’ name comes from the root word to hit the mark or hit the bullseye. His name can also mean to obtain or reach or achieve something. I spend all this time talking about Tychicus because he can be a good example for all of us. Are we helping and serving those around us as well as we could and should?

Specifically here, Paul has sent Tychicus as one who can share face to face how Paul is and that he may be an encouragement to them. I find it fascinating that after writing a letter which is part of the word of God, living and active, cannot return void, that Paul still sent Tychicus along as an integral part of his testimony, of how he was, of what he was doing, and for encouraging the Ephesians. I think we can easily overlook how important it is to visit one another, to spend time face to face. Yes, texting, email, writing, phone calls, and other means of communication are important. But, a face-to-face visit is somehow unique and special and should not be overlooked.

Let’s wrap up Ephesians.

Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. – Eph. 6:23-24

This type of ending is often referred to as a benediction. Benediction is a word straight from the Latin. It does not mean the last thing or the last word. It means to bless. Literally, to say good or to speak well.

Peace and grace echoes Paul’s greeting in Ephesians 1:2, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In Ephesians 1:3, Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” As he encouraged us with every spiritual blessing at the beginning, here he blesses the Ephesians (and us) to walk in those blessings.

We have the blessing of peace. Tranquility. Contentment. Peace with God.

We have the blessing of love with faith. Agape. Unconditional love with conviction.

We have the blessing of grace. Undeserved favor. The merciful kindness of God.

Amen? Amen!

Let’s go back now and review the series in conclusion.

As noted, Paul writes Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome. This was around 60-62 AD. At the conclusion of the book of Acts, Paul had arrived in Rome after appealing to Caesar. Ephesians was written at that time.

The first three chapters focus on the gospel, the message that by putting one’s faith in Christ, Gentile believers are included with believing Jews in receiving redemption through Christ’s blood and the forgiveness of sins. Paul prays for them and us that the Spirit would help us to know Christ more deeply, more personally, more richly, and he prays that we would know the inheritance we now possess by faith and the power of God that is available to us.

Paul describes us as God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works that He has planned for us to do. These works have nothing to do with salvation, with saving us, but we are to do these works as we allow the Spirit to lead us, out of gratitude and submission, to the glory of God. As we live in this way, we, both Jewish and Gentile believers together, are like stones set in a single beautiful building, with Christ as the cornerstone.

Paul goes on to share of the joy he has personally experienced – a joy that makes his many severe trials not worth even mentioning in comparison – as he lives out the calling God has placed on him as a minister to the Gentiles.

And then, after a beautiful prayer for the Ephesians – and for us – that Christ would reign in our hearts through faith, and that we would grasp just how much Christ loves us, we come to Chapter 4, which starts with the word “Therefore.” And the second half of the book, which includes today’s passage, focuses on a more practical, detail-oriented explanation of how we should live as people “in Christ”. We are told to be completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. We are told that, to assist in this goal, Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Implicit in this discussion is the directive that all believers should be joining with other believers in local assemblies, so that these gifts of Christ can benefit all believers. We are told to “put off” our old selves, corrupted by deceitful desires, and “put on” our new selves, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. We are told to put off falsehood and put on truth-telling. We are told to put off anger. We are told to put off stealing but put on honest work. We are told to put off unwholesome talk and put on speech that builds others up. We are told to put off bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander, and put on compassion and forgiveness.

As God’s dearly loved children, we are told to walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us.

We are told to not have even a hint of immorality, impurity, greed, or unwholesome talk. We are told to seek what pleases the Lord, living as the wise, not as the foolish. We are told not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit, worshipping Him and being ever thankful. And then we are told to submit to one another out of love for Christ, and specific instructions are given to wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters.

Last week’s passage and the beginning of today’s passage take us through Paul’s final point of emphasis which he begins with this imperative. “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!” What are the qualities of someone who is strong in the Lord? If you’re strong in the Lord, then you are not grumbling and complaining (Philippian 2:14). If you’re strong in the Lord, then you are believing the best of others (I Corinthians 13:7). If you’re strong in the Lord, you are not afraid (I Peter 3:6 ESV). Are we choosing to not grumble, are we choosing to not complain, are we choosing to believe the best of others, are we choosing not to be afraid? I’m not saying that we can do any of these things in our own strength. I’m asking whether or not we are choosing to turn away from the things which are weak and turning toward being strong in the Lord.

It is God alone who makes us strong, but we are given the pattern of how to be strong. We have these six incredible God-given tools for our defense: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are not left undefended in the spiritual battle we face. We are not meant to live a defeated Christian life. We are equipped by God so that we can stand firm. We need to put our armor on and keep it on. And by God’s grace, as we do so, we will indeed stand firm.

And, we must pray. In every way, and at every time. Staying alert, we must pray for one another. Let’s not forget. Let us pray that we each would be strong in the Lord and stand firm in the spiritual battle.

It’s so easy to forget. The bible tells many times that the Israelites forgot God or forgot what He had done for them. As many of you know, I had cataract surgery this week. I’ve learned more about cataracts in the last 3-4 weeks than I ever knew before.

It turns out that there are 3 main types of age-related cataracts. Nuclear cataracts that start in the center of your field of vision. Cortical cataracts that start at the edges and work their way toward the center in streaks or lines. Then, there are posterior subcapsular cataracts or PSC’s which occur in the center of your field of vision but grow on the backside of the lens. Another characteristic of this PSC-type is that it grows much more quickly than the others. In a matter of months, you can have life-altering changes in your vision. So, I have that last kind. The one that grows fast and acts like a smudge in the middle of your field of view. The only data I could find has this type at <10% of all age-related cataracts.

This week was surgery on one eye, the worse of the two. Before the surgery, I could see about 20/80 with my glasses on out of my left eye. Out of my right eye, I could see 20/50 with my glasses on or off. But that doesn’t really tell the story because cataracts mess up your vision in a way that is different than just being out of focus. So, 20/80 was best case. In some circumstances, my vision was a lot worse than that. Now that I’ve had the surgery to pull out the bad lens and put a new clear one in, I can see 20/20 out of my left eye, all the time, at least when my eye is not dried out. I haven’t seen 20/20 without glasses since I was in my early teenage years, almost 40 years ago.

Yesterday was the first day that I could really get out and see 20/20. Even Friday night at the house, I was amazed at the colors and textures of things around the house. Saturday was unbelievable. In just a few months, I had forgotten what the world could look like. I’m walking to the car and looking at the texture of the concrete and thinking, “Did I know that’s what concrete looked like?” I looked at the tree tops and I could see the bare branches all the way to the ends. I put my music on the stand and then I backed up about 10 feet, and I could still read it. I told the music team on Wednesday night that if I wasn’t going to have surgery Thursday, it was probably about the last week I could play ukulele and lead worship. I just couldn’t see enough to play and sing at the same time. At least, not through the whole worship set.

I used to be able to see, for 50 years I could see. Then, I couldn’t see clearly for a short time, less than a year. And that was a gradual decline. In that short time, I forgot what a lot of regular things that I see every day looked like. The difference is enough that I’m walking around with a sense of wonder and awe.

Now apply that spiritually. Certainly, there are aspects of eternal life that we cannot see clearly this side of heaven. I Corinthians 13:12 (ESV) says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to look more deeply. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we should forget what we have seen. James 1:25 says, “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Let us not forget what we have heard and seen in the book of Ephesians over the last several months. Let us put these things into practice and trust the Lord that He is able to make us stand firm in doing them. Let’s pray.

Father God, help us to be doers of Your Word and not merely hearers only. Help us to remember what You have done for us, and help us to live lives of boldness and clarity in You. Thank You that You are always with us and that Your Spirit is even praying with and for us in our weaknesses. We rejoice in You and we pray in Your Son Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Therefore Be Strong in Him

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 22:29:00 +0000

Eph. 6:10-17

Good morning! Today we continue our series through the book of Ephesians, looking at the middle portion of chapter 6. As we have gone through Ephesians, we have seen that chapters 1 through 3 focus on the incredible blessings we have in Christ, on the gospel, and on the supreme value of knowing God and the love of God more personally, more deeply, and more intimately, a blessing that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is only possible because Jesus willingly went to the cross for our sins.

And in the start of Chapter 4 Paul says “therefore”, a pivot that splits the entire letter effectively into two halves. The rest of Ephesians focuses on how we should then live. We are to be humble and gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. We are to join with other believers, availing ourselves of the spiritual leaders that God gives us. We are to put off our old selves and put on the new, forsaking deception, loving one another, building one another up, abounding in compassion and forgiveness, and living by the power of the Spirit with continual thankfulness.

And then we are told to submit to one another out of love for Christ, and specific instructions are given to wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. And this brings us to today’s passage, starting in Eph. 6:10.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. – Eph. 6:10-11

Now, Paul likes to use the word translated “finally” not as the last few words he says, but as the last major topic. It is interesting to look at the various letters that he uses this word, as what comes across is that what comes next is very much customized to the people he is writing to; that is, what comes after “finally” is always different. When he uses it in 2 Cor 13:11, he tells them to be of one mind and live in peace with one another. When he uses it in Phil. 4:8, he tells them to focus their thoughts on true, honest, just, pure, good, virtuous things. In I Thess. 4:1, he tells them to abound in the works of God in accordance with what they have learned. And in 2 Thess. 3:1, he asks for prayer, that the gospel would go forth from him.

But here in Ephesians, he tells them to be strong, to stand against the schemes of the devil. But of course, that is not exactly what Paul says. I have left some critical things out.

First, Paul tells them to be strong in the Lord. Before we explore what that might mean, let me point out that throughout the New Testament we are told to be strong in the Lord, never to be strong in our own strength. Phil. 4:13 says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In I Tim. 1:12 Paul says that he thanks the Lord Jesus who has strengthened him. In 2 Tim. 2:1 Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

What does it mean to be strong in someone else? I think it means to rely on the other person for things that you yourself cannot do well, if at all. In a marriage, the husband and wife are supposed to rely on each other in this way, and together they are to rely on God for what neither of them can do. I am reminded of this passage from Ecclesiastes:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Eccl. 4:9-12

This passage will always mean a lot to Mimi and I because it was one of the passages that was expounded upon at our wedding. And in the passage the picture is given of two people who are strong in each other. Although it does not specifically refer to a husband and wife, it certainly applies to marriage relationship, but it could also apply to a relationship between siblings or business partners, for example. As for the cord of three strands, I do not think this is an unconnected thought from the verses preceding it. And I also believe that the three strands refer to the two people that depend on each other plus the Lord.

And so, coming back to the Ephesians passage:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. – Eph. 6:10-11

When two people are dependent on each other, there is an expectation that each one will pull their own weight, that in some situations they will rely on the strength of one person, and in other situations they will rely on the strength of the other. But it would be ludicrous to think that the same is true when it comes to a person depending on the Lord. Our strength is nothing compared to His. And not only does the Lord not take offense when we rely continuously on Him, He expects it. He wants it. If you had powerful oxen and a plow, it would be foolish to only use the team half of the time and spend the other half struggling to clear the field with your bare hands. Our desire and intent should be to 0% depend on our own strength and 100% depend on the Lord’s.

And in the following verse, Paul begins to explain to us how we do this, and he also explains what we need to be strong against. We are to be spiritually clad in the armor of God, and Paul will give us details shortly. As for what we need to be strong against, it is the schemes, the plans, the methodeia of the devil. This Greek word is the word we get “method” from. Literally, it means something like “travel over” and the picture is that of someone lying in wait at a blind spot on a road so as to surprise the traveler and overcome him when he least expects it.

Who is the devil? Who is diablos as it says in the Greek, from which we get the word diabolical? He was first an angel. Isaiah 14:12-15 gives his name as Lucifer, meaning bearer of light. He is described in Ezek. 28:12-14 as being created as one of the cherubim, but he became discontent with his exalted position, and wanted to sit on a throne over God Himself. God punished Satan for this sin by removing him from his position.

Satan became the ruler or lowercase g god of this world in 2 Cor. 4:4 and John 12:31. He is also called the prince of the power of the air here in Ephesians (Eph. 2:2). He is called the tempter in Math. 4:3 and even tries to tempt Jesus to worship him. He is called the accuser in Rev. 12:10. And he is also known as the great deceiver, deceiving Adam and Eve in Gen. 3, and in 2 Cor. 4:4 he is also described as the one who has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the glory of God. Indeed, he has deceived humanity throughout its history, leading to endless idolatry, cults, and false religions. He loves what God hates, and he sows discord and conflict, leading to endless wars. His “blinding the eyes of the unbelievers” led to the persecution and murder of God’s prophets and even to the Jews murdering their own Messiah. And in the future, he will deceive countless people into believing that the anti-Christ is the true Messiah.

Apart from the Lord’s strength, we have no ability to stand against this. So what are we supposed to do? Trust in the Lord, and in faith, wear the “armor” that we will see in the coming verses. But first, we have this:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Eph. 6:12

The word translated “struggle” here is literally “wrestling.” Wrestling was practiced in Greece and Rome and was not that different than the amateur wrestling you see today. The sentence begins with “for” which means it is an explanation of what came before. The point of the passage is not that we do not wrestle against people – although there is a kernel of truth in that idea, in that people, even unbelievers, are not really our ultimate enemies; they are simply deceived by Satan and are doing his bidding. But the real point of this passage is that we do not merely wrestle against flesh and blood where we might have a chance of winning using our own strength; instead, our enemies are far more overwhelming, far more untouchable, far more numerous. Apart from the Lord, we don’t have a hope of a chance.

There are four types of entities mentioned here. The first are rulers (arche), and the Greek word is associated with being first, so these are demonic beings in positions of authority, first. The second are authorities (exousia), and the word implies those who have been given power to do things, to judge, or to carry out judgments. The third is powers (kosmokrator), world-rulers, and the fourth is spiritual forces of evil (poneria), which means depravity, wickedness, malice, it is not so much even a being but a vague spirit-like force. I feel like these terms are not well-defined in Scripture, but I don’t think that is the point Paul is trying to make. Instead, I think he is listing them in order of increasing hopelessness of our ability to attack them in our own strength. How are we going to wrestle against a world-ruler? And even worse, how do we physically wrestle against a force? So again, the point is that we need to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, which we spiritually appropriate through the yet-to-be-explained armor. So let’s continue and look at this armor.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Eph. 6:14-17

Let’s talk about the belt of truth. Does Satan attack us by trying to get us to doubt God’s word? Absolutely. Think back all the way to the Garden of Eden, when Satan said, “Did God really say…?”

How does Satan attack you in this area? Well, first, He tries to get you to stop getting into God’s Word. Now, your flesh also betrays you in this area, as it does in every area. Read first thing in the morning? It would be so much easier to veg out on your phone, or just sleep a little longer. Read at night? It would be so much easier to veg out on your phone, or just go to sleep. With regards to your flesh, it is no different than trying to get yourself to go exercise. But it is not only your flesh. It is also Satan. He can also attack you while you are reading the Word. You come across some passage you don’t fully understand, and he will attack you saying, “You see, it isn’t reliable. Maybe it’s not really the Word of God, but just stuff men made up.” Or if you are sensitive enough to reject that outright, he might say, “You see, you aren’t smart enough to really get much out of these times.” And if he can get you to not spend time in God’s Word, then it is much easier to attack you in this area during the day, when situations come up and the truth of God’s Word seems inconvenient, or maybe not quite squaring with reality. That’s a lie of Satan, compounded by the world. It really is the world, the flesh, and the devil.

He also works in this area to cause division. He makes you convinced you are always right. He makes you believe that a minor issue is a major issue. He makes you believe that a major issue is a minor issue. This goes for matters of behavior as well as matters of doctrine. The truth is that there is a hierarchy of doctrines, both with regards to their importance and with regards to their degree of certainty. That Jesus is God is at the top of both lists, the list of importance and the list of certainty. How the end times will exactly play out is low on both lists, especially the list of certainty. (But all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read the book of Revelation. I’m saying that you won’t fully understand it, and it isn’t essential that you do. But reading it, along with all the rest of Scripture, will still be a huge blessing in your life.)

And so what is the belt of truth? It is spending time with God’s Word, hopefully daily. It is memorizing Scripture. It is asking the Lord to help you apply what you read to your daily life. It is going to the Lord in prayer when applying His Word seems inconvenient or difficult. It is coming to church and hearing God’s word explained. It is going to Bible studies. It can be reading or listening to good Bible teachers online or (gasp) in books.

Next is the breastplate of righteousness in place. How does Satan attack us in the area of righteousness? In so many ways! First, he tempts us. He chooses our moments of greatest weakness to do so, when we are tired, discouraged, or proud. Then when he gets us to give in to temptation, he takes one of two extremes. He can tell us how worthless we are and tell us that God hates us and won’t forgive us anymore. Or he can tell us that it is no big deal, that everyone does it, to forget about it, or that He loves you unconditionally so it doesn’t matter. But whichever approach he takes (and he can use both on one incident, depending on our mode in the moment!), the one thing he will try to keep us from doing is going to the Lord in prayer, confessing our sin, and repenting, telling the Lord that we turn away from this sin and towards Him. He will hide from us the fact that our unconfessed sin separates us from God, and he will try to hide the fact that when we now feel more distant from God, that it is completely unrelated to this incident.

A breastplate is not effective if it is not in place. Dragging your breastplate behind you along the ground isn’t going to help you. To have your breastplate in place means that you are keeping short accounts with God – and with other people, another activity that Satan will try to keep you from. Instead, he will foster disunity, and separation. He will try to get you to forget that thing you did wrong against someone else. But if someone else did something wrong against you, he will do everything he can to remind you of it every day. If we keep short accounts with God and with each other, confessing our sins to God and to the people we hurt or offend, then Satan cannot gain a foothold, as we were told back in Eph. 4.

…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. What does this mean? Let’s talk about shoes and feet. After years upon years of problems with my feet including repeated ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis, I made the decision to switch, gradually, to barefoot shoes. These shoes have less support than regular shoes, and one would think that makes them bad. But what they do is force your feet to become stronger, more able to support themselves. And after going through a gradual transition, so that my feet had time to adjust, I have had fewer problems than in the past. That is, until last month. I had thought I had a stress fracture, but it turned out to be a more manageable soft tissue injury. But it has taken a long time to heal – we are 6 weeks in, and although it is much better, it is still nowhere near 100%. What caused the injury? I am convinced it is because I did not wear the shoes properly. When I run with these shoes, I lace them tightly at the ankle, but keep them loose near the toes. But over time, the tightness at the ankle drifts downward and makes the toe area tight. For reasons of laziness, I guess, I didn’t spend the time to restring the shoes to get the looseness near the toes that I normally have, and I believe that this is what caused my injury.

Now the phrase here is interesting. It is not so much about the shoes, which by the way, for Roman soldiers were called caligae, which were thick-soled sandals with hobnailed soles, soles that had nails screwed or hammered into the soles. These soles protected you against spikes placed in the ground to wound soldiers and to protect against rough terrain. But it is not so much about the shoes, but about the fitting of the shoes for the feet. For, just as happened to me, if you do not ensure your shoe is well-fitted to your foot, bad things will happen.

So what fits these spiritual shoes? Readiness, or preparation, that comes from the gospel of peace. Now this passage does not mean that we are to go out and preach the gospel. We are to go out to preach the gospel, and I have no question that this also protects us from Satan’s attacks in some ways, as it fires us up and gets us to depend on God as we go. But that is not what the Greek is saying here. What this passage is saying is that our understanding of the gospel should go far beyond mere intellectual understanding. It should be the core of the intimacy we should have with God. Recall earlier in Ephesians, when Paul prays that the Ephesians would grasp the depth and breadth of God’s love for them. This is what we are talking about here. The gospel isn’t just “Jesus died for our sins.” It is “Jesus died for me. He loves me. He is with me, always, literally, every step I take. My understanding of His love for me, demonstrated by what He did on the cross, is like a perfectly fitting boot. This protects me from all kinds of attacks from Satan. He cannot tell me that God doesn’t love me. He cannot tell me that I am alone. He cannot tell me that my salvation depends on my works. Because of what Jesus has done, I am at peace with God. I know Him, and He knows me. I love Him, and He loves me. And Satan is powerless to intrude or split apart that relationship. When Satan tells me that I am weak, I agree. But when I am weak, I reply, Christ is strong.

Next is the shield of faith. The Greek word here refers to a large oblong (literally, door-shaped) shield, as opposed to some smaller shields. These shields were heavy, and arrows could not go through them. In addition, soldiers would line up and make an impenetrable defense. The arrows would sometimes have something attached to them that they would light before they were sent out. If they landed on a person, they could set their clothing or hair on fire. But the shields prevented this, as they were wood covered by metal.

Now the flaming arrows come from Satan, but the passage does not specifically tell us what they are. Presumably they include all of the things we have discussed already. But it doesn’t really matter – the idea here is that faith overcomes Satan’s attacks, whatever they happen to be. And it is important that the core of most, if not all, of Satan’s attacks is actually an attack on faith. Faith in God is about believing what God’s Word says about God. When Satan tempts you, he is trying to get you to believe something else about God – that He doesn’t see everything, or that what He said is big deal isn’t that big a deal, or that maybe you misunderstood His word, or that His promises don’t work, or any of countless additional lies. This is why faith is like a huge shield – it doesn’t really matter what lie he says – a simple childlike faith that says “I know my Father, and you are wrong about Him” causes his attacks to just bounce off of you.

Next is the helmet of salvation. Now the Roman helmets were made either entirely of metal, or of leather with bits of metal throughout it. Some had plumes, that were for identifying officers and regiments. In any case, the Roman helmets had a different purpose from the everyday helmets we see today, helmets for bicycle riding, or motorcycle riding, or skiing, for example. These modern helmets are designed to protect your brain from rattling around too much when you hit your head in an impact. But the Roman helmets were primarily designed to protect you from a broadsword, a very large sword wielded with two hands, often while on horseback.

So what does Paul mean by a helmet of salvation? I don’t think it means that he is telling his readers or listeners to get saved. That has already happened. This entire letter is addressing saved people, people that have already repented and trusted in Christ for salvation. Now the life of believer starts with justification, which means we no longer await the due penalty for our sin, as Jesus has paid the price for us. And it continues with sanctification, which is the process of helping us to become more like Him, and helping us to restore our relationship with Him when we continue to sin. This is the idea behind Jesus’ washing people’s feet. Recall how Peter asked for all of himself to be washed, but Jesus told him, effectively, you have a full bath once, and from then on, you only need your feet washed. And then the life of the believer moves to glorification, which occurs when Christ returns. The “problem” with the word salvation is that it is not precisely defined. It can refer to the first step, justification, but it can also refer to all three steps as a whole.

I believe the helmet of salvation refers to this broader meaning of salvation. It means that we know from where we have come (justification), we know where we are (sanctification), and we know where we are going (glorification). All of these together are salvation, and all of these together help us to stand against Satan, who can attack each of these three aspects of salvation.

An attack to the head with a broadsword is serious, and likewise, Satan’s attacks on our salvation could also be quite serious, if we were not protected with the helmet of salvation. This helmet protects us from believing the lie that we don’t have a relationship with God, and never had one, if we ever fall to sin, it protects us from believing the lie that our present sins separate us from God in such a way that there is nothing we can do about it, and it protects us from believing the lie that we will never change. The helmet of salvation keeps us from despair. And it helps us to echo Paul’s words that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

And last but certainly not least is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I have heard it said in many messages that the sword is an offensive weapon, unlike the rest of the armor. And while I agree that is true in principle, I don’t believe that this is the way that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is describing it. Paul is describing the sword as part of the armor. And although it is true that a sword can be used offensively, it is also true that a sword can be used powerfully as a defensive tool. As the opponent swings his sword at you, you parry, you block his move with a countermove. If you did not have that sword, or did not use it, every strike of his would hit your armor, and even if your armor held, your body would feel the force of every blow. The “defensive” sword makes a huge difference.

I can think of no better illustration of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, than that of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We don’t have time to read the passage, but you can read it in Matthew 4 and in Luke 4. Jesus had just gone through 40 days of fasting in the desert wilds, and he was very hungry. Jesus, as God incarnate on Earth, was continually submitting His will to the will of the Father, and each of Satan’s temptations were ultimately about tempting Jesus to break out from His Father’s will and do His own thing. Although the details of the temptations were different from the temptation of Adam and Eve which led to the fall, and also different from the temptations we face, they were similar in that the core purpose of Satan is always the same. But returning to Jesus in the wilderness, we see Satan even use Scripture incorrectly applied in an attempt to get Jesus to sin. But Jesus responds in kind with Scripture, correctly applied, sword parrying against sword.

Satan will tempt us with things that, in our own wisdom, we will not even be able to tell are sin. He may even misuse Scripture to confuse us, or to get us to self-deceive ourselves and justify actions that are clearly wrong. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, will help us to see through Satan’s deceptions and defend his attacks with Scripture properly used. To wield the sword we need to be regularly in God’s Word, learning what is good and proper and true and correct from God through God’s love letter to us. That is a necessary first step. But a second, I believe, is why the sword is called the Sword of the Spirit – we also need to bathe our lives with prayer that God’s spirit would guide us in the midst of the battle, that He would bring scriptures to mind as we need them, that we be able to wield the sword effectively, parrying against Satan’s attacks.

And so these are the six incredible tools God gives us for our defense: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are not left undefended. We are not meant to live a defeated Christian life. We are equipped by God so that we can stand firm. We need to put our armor on and keep it on. And by God’s grace, as we do so, we will indeed stand firm.

I want to close with something I stumbled across while preparing this message, the story of Reuben “Uncle Bud” Robinson. He was born in a primitive log cabin in 1860 in the mountains of Tennessee. His father died when he was sixteen, and his mother moved with him to Texas. At the age of the 20, at a revival meeting, he gave his life to Christ, and from that moment he felt that the Lord had called him to preach. He had no education and a severe stutter. But he became an evangelist, and during his long ministry until he died at the age of 83, he travelled over two million miles, preached over 33,000 sermons, and was responsible (along with the Lord, of course) for more than 100,000 people coming to faith in Christ. The reason I bring him up is because of what he told people he prayed every day, a prayer that seems to embody the essence of our Ephesians 6 passage. Before we go through what he prayed, I will need to “translate” some of the “country” terms he used as they may be unfamiliar to many of us.

A sawlog is a full-sized tree log large enough to saw into lumber.
Sleepers under a floor are a raised sturdy construction on a dirt floor used to keep a floor lifted away from the ground. They often span out from a central piece kind of like ribs.
Iron shoes are a term for horseshoes, and horseshoes last a long time, since they are metal. But I don’t think he means horseshoes in his prayer. Instead, I think he simply means shoes that last forever. He may have been thinking of Deut. 33:25 in which Jacob blesses Asher and says “Your sandals shall be iron and bronze. As long as your days, so shall your strength be.”
Galvanized breeches are metal-studded sturdy pants worn when riding horses.
A gable is the triangular section on the exterior wall of a house or barn immediately below the roof. On a barn, there are often doors on the gable opening out into the air, and there is often a pulley system for pulling heavy items directly up to the upper floor.

And here is what he prayed:

“O Lord, give me a backbone as big as a sawlog and ribs like sleepers under the church floor, put iron shoes on me and galvanized breeches and hang a wagon-load of determination in the gable-end of my soul, and help me to sign the contract to fight the devil as long as I have a vision, and bite him as long as I have a tooth, and then gum him ‘til I die. Amen.”

Therefore Obey and Train

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 22:17:00 +0000

Eph. 6:1-9

Carl gave us a good overview of the book of Ephesians and where we are now in our study. Today, I will put up a visual of the messages in the series and we can see where we are.

Part I: Ephesians 1-3

The Divine Purpose

The What: The Good News, Salvation and Unity

Nov 12 The Chosen (Eph. 1:1-14)

Nov 19 Prayer for Power (Eph. 1:15-23)

Nov 26 Dead or Alive (Eph. 2:1-10)

Dec 3 Two Become One (Eph. 2:11-22)

Dec 10 Rooted and Established (Eph. 3:1-21)

Part II: Ephesians 4-6

Practical Ways to Live out God’s Purpose

The How: How We Are to Live as People “In Christ”

Jan 7 Therefore Be One (Eph. 4:1-16)

Jan 14 Therefore Be Like Him (Eph. 4:17-31)

Jan 21 Therefore Be Pure (Eph. 5:1-20)

Jan 28 Therefore Submit and Love (Eph. 5:21-33)

Feb 4 Therefore Obey and Train (Eph. 6:1-9)

Feb 11 Therefore Be Strong in Him (Eph. 6:10-17)

Feb 18 Therefore Pray in Him (Eph. 6:18-24)

The messages for the second half of Ephesians all start with the word Therefore because we are to live in the light of the truth of the gospel. As a result of what God has done for us, then this is how we should live.

As Carl explained last week, today’s passage is a continuation of a thesis which began in the previous passage. The thesis statement is Ephesians 5:21.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Eph. 5:21

That flowed out of the previous 3 messages about unity, seeking to be like Him (living as children of light and not darkness), and living lives of purity, focusing on the things of God. The thesis statement is followed by 6 applications of the statement.

1. Wives - Eph 5:22-24

2. Husbands - Eph 5:25-33

3. Children - Eph 6:1-3

4. Fathers - Eph 6:4

5. Slaves - Eph 6:5-8

6. Masters - Eph 6:9

Carl also introduced us to two Greek words: hypotasso and hypakouo. Hypotasso meaning to set oneself under another, choosing to submit as peers or equals. Hypakouo meaning to hear or obey, choosing to submit as a child or a novice or a recruit.

[Evil spirits hypokouo Jesus. (Mark 1:27) They hypotasso’d the disciples in Jesus’ name. (Luke 10:17)]

We are to hypotasso to one another. (Ephesians 5:21) Wives are to hypotasso to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:24) Today, we will see a shift to hypakouo, but let’s pray and then we’ll go to Ephesians 6.

Lord God, we submit to You (Romans 6:17, 10:16) in obedience. We hypakouo You. Your ways are above our ways. We need Your power in and over our lives. As we continue in this passage about how we should relate to others. Help us to see what we need to see and understand here. We look and listen to you, Jesus, Amen.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. – Eph. 6:1

This is a short sentence. The word obey is the word hypakouo. Children, listen to your parents with a heart of obedience. How? In the Lord. The parent’s authority comes from the Lord, and the child’s obedience is to be in the Lord.

This addresses the question about non-Christian parents of a child who is a believer. The child should obey their parents in the Lord. If the parents told the child to do something that was clearly a sin, then that wouldn’t be “in the Lord,” and such a situation would require some wisdom. However, most times, I feel like a parent would not ask a child to do something which is wrong rather it would fall in the category of not lining up with what the child thinks is the best thing at that moment.

It does say parents in the Greek and not fathers. Literally, the ones who made you or gave you life. The word children is a big word that covers pretty much every use of the word children in English. Children of God or children of Israel, for example. As well as, younger and older children. There is a diminutive form of this word which means little children, but Paul hasn’t used it here, nor other words which have the connotation of a younger child. In other words, this is written to children who are “grown up,” too.

I’m thinking about teenagers and college aged children who are not yet married. Scripturally, I think marriage is a clear line for hypakouo obedience for children to parents because in marriage, a child leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his spouse. I’m not saying all submission ends at that point, but I think it shifts over to more of a hypotasso relationship like it says in I Peter 5:5, “Younger men submit [hypotasso] yourselves to your elders.” We’re not done with this subject from the perspective of children, so let’s continue.

“Honor your father and mother”--which is the first commandment with a promise—"so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” – Eph. 6:2-3

Verse one said that children are to obey their parents in the Lord for this is right. Here is the basis that “this is right.” The quoted part comes from the Ten Commandments.

Does anyone know which commandment “Honor your father and mother” is? Hint. The first four have to do with our relationship to God. (1. No other gods, 2. No idols, 3. No cursing, 4. Remember the Sabbath) The last five have to do with our relationship to one another. (6. Do not murder, 7. Do not steal, 8. No adultery, 9. Do not lie, 10. Do not covet)

This commandment is balanced in between the ones about God and the “do nots” unto others. I think there must be something significant about this. Further emphasizing its importance, not only is this the first commandment (of the Ten Commandments) with a promise, it is the only one with a promise.

Honoring your father and mother obviously encompasses obedience, but it also includes showing them honor or respect, valuing them. It can also mean taking care of them when they need care.

My dad is 82 now, and I have been thankful for him pretty much my whole life. (Can any child say they’ve always been thankful for their parents?) At this point in life, my parents are still independent, so they don’t really need any “care” physically. So, I honor my dad by calling him every week. It probably doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a way I try to follow this passage.

When I was younger but saved, my attitude about honoring my parents was to not keep them waiting, and try to put aside my wants when they ask for something, even something trivial. I can remember Melissa and I were dating or just married. We were at my parent’s house. I was watching a show on TV, and it was like 5 minutes from being over. It was dinner time, and my dad calls into the den and says it’s time to eat. I stood up and turned off the TV, and I remember Melissa being shocked that I wouldn’t ask for five more minutes to finish the show. But my parents had already made dinner for us, it wouldn’t have been honoring to then say, “I’m not ready. I need you to wait on me.”

Okay, let’s look at what Ephesians has to say to dads.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. – Eph. 6:4

Why not moms? I don’t think they need it. God wants dads to take this role seriously. Dads (at least this dad) are the ones more likely to exasperate their children.

Parents have a special role in the lives of their children. And, it is a role that you sort of grow into, but it’s also a role that you are thrust into.

I remember when Taryn, our oldest child, was born. One of the jobs that I had was to make sure her car seat was installed properly when it was time to come home from the hospital. I took that job very seriously. Back then, you could only put a car seat in using the seat belt. You didn’t have the extra latches and straps like there are today. But I put that car seat in with all the force of my body weight and all my strength. I used towels to make sure the seat was mounted at the correct angle. That seat wasn’t going anywhere.

So, it comes time to leave the hospital. The hospital does end up giving you quite a bit of stuff, so I’m carrying things, and this elderly volunteer is pushing Melissa in a wheelchair. She was a slender woman who looked like she might have a hard time against a stiff breeze. Melissa, of course, is holding Taryn. We looked like a little picture, I’m sure.

So, we get down to the car, and before we put Taryn in, the volunteer says, “Oh, let me check the car seat.” And I’m ready. This car seat is going to handle anything she throws at it. So she reaches up and gently shakes the car seat with less force than it would take to wake Elijah much less a teenager. And then, she just says, “Okay, you’re good.” And that was it. After that, we had to figure out how to get Taryn in the car seat. She only weighed 6 lbs, and I can just remember the belts seeming like they were as big as she was. The little clasp across her chest was wider than her body.

Melissa gets in the car, and I close up and come around and get in the driver’s seat. And there we are, completely on our own as new parents. “Good luck, have fun storming the castle!” “Do you think it’ll work?” “It would take a miracle.” “Bye, bye!” It was sudden. Suddenly, we had a baby that we had to take care of and provide for 24 hours a day. That’s what I mean by being thrust into it.

On the other hand, that little baby doesn’t need much in the way of training or instruction in the first months. Sure, you read them books and pray over them and sing songs to them, but there’s no discussion or correction really. So, you have some time before that work really begins.

When our kids were younger, and I considered this verse, I would think about things like expectations and trying to set the kids up to be successful knowing their limitations. For example, whenever we would go into a situation that they had never experienced before and I had some strong expectation, then I would take the time to explain what was going to happen.

If we were going to an event like a wedding or a concert, then I would tell them what it would be like. If I thought it was something boring from their point of view, I would tell them that they might find it boring. I would also explain that they were expected to behave, sit still, be quiet or whatever would be regarded as suitable behavior.

I would also tell them when they would be allowed to run around and play. Or when they would be able to get out dress clothes. It doesn’t sound super spiritual, but this is one of the key ways that fathers can avoid exasperating their children.

In other translations, this verse says fathers do not provoke your children to anger. I think that is more in line with the Greek. Don’t mock them or make fun of them or have unreasonable expectations. All sorts of things that I’ve failed at one time or another over the years.

The focus is upon the training and instruction in the Lord. Getting them in the Word, getting in the Word with them, praying over them, praying with them, helping them memorize verses, learn songs, modeling the disciplines of the faith for your kids.

Fred mentioned something he would do from time to time when his kids were smaller. If he had a trying day at work, he might stop before he got home, like a block from the house and spend some time in prayer and maybe reading the Word a little so that he would be ready to serve his family when he arrived home. I think that’s wise counsel.

Let’s continue to the part of today’s passage which is disliked by some because I expect it has also been misunderstood and misused. Slavery, the ownership of people, is a terrible thing. People are not property. Each person is uniquely created in the image of God. Every human being is an image bearer of God. People should not be bought or sold.

And yet, as a result of the fall, slavery came into existence. There are different reasons people came into slavery, none of them good.

10-30% of the population in the ancient Roman Empire were slaves. During colonial times in the US, 3% of the population of New England, 6% in the mid-Atlantic, 31% in the South were slaves. At the time of the Civil War (census of 1860) the slave states’ population was 32% slaves. South Carolina had the highest percentage at 57% of the state population being enslaved.

The Bible does not directly call for the end of slavery, but it certainly transformed the relationship of slave and free and even more so slave and master. Colossians 3:11 says there is “no slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.” Paul writes that Onesimus (the master) and Philemon (the slave) are “brothers in the Lord” according to Philemon 1:7. I Corinthians 7:21 tells new believers who happened to be slaves that they should not be troubled by it,but should gain their freedom if they could. It is hard to communicate how radical these ideas would have been to their first century hearers, especially some masters. Slaves are people just like you, not to be abused or mistreated.

This truth was missing from the minds and hearts of many in the antebellum south. Slaves were not regarded as equals but rather as uncivilized savages. That is a sad reality from that time.

Let’s go ahead and step into Ephesians 6:5.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. – Eph. 6:5

If you were an owner of slaves, I think you would want all your slaves to know at least the first part of this verse perhaps omitting the earthly part.  “Slaves, obey your masters with respect and fear.”

That one word earthly is critically important though. These are earthly masters. Literally, the master in the flesh. In other words, they are master over your body, but not your mind, your heart or your soul. There is another master, the Master over all the heavens and the earth. There are some masters who would rather not think about a Master who is above them.

The word obey here is hypakouo. To listen as to learn and obey with respect and fear and sincerity of heart. The slave is to live a testimony of obedience to Christ toward their earthly master.

There are at least two other passages, Titus 2:9 and I Peter 2:18 where the word given to the slave is not hypakouo but rather hypotasso, to set oneself under another. Paul tells Titus to teach slaves who are believers to hypotasso to their masters. Peter writes to slaves telling them to hypotasso to their masters, even the ones who are harsh.

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. – Eph. 6:6

Again, there is a powerful testimony and witness in this behavior. Don’t obey selfishly for your own benefit. Don’t do it just when they can see you. Follow through even when they aren’t around. Again, the picture is that of being in service to Christ. Obedience here is doing the will of God from your heart.

I’ve seen some use these passages in describing an employer-employee relationship, and I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s just that an employer-employee relationship is very different from a slave and master relationship.

Paul is not assuming that all the parents or all the masters are believers. Certainly, Peter was not in I Peter 2:18. So, there is some read across here in how we relate to those in authority over us whether it is an employer or other authority. Follow through and do a good job even when there’s not someone watching to make sure you’re doing the right thing.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. – Eph. 6:7-8

This takes it to even another level. When was the last time you saw someone serving wholeheartedly? When was the last time you were serving the Lord wholeheartedly? What would that even look like?

Do your best to serve. Look for opportunities to serve. If the Lord were at your house, would you make him cook his own food or clean the bathroom?

I think it can slip by us, but this work of service that the slaves were doing is worth of reward when it is good and genuine. And, it says serving wholeheartedly has a reward. I think we’ve all had to do tasks where it was mind-numbing or back-breaking or in some way unpleasant. That work has not gone unseen or unnoticed. I hope that encourages you. Like Galatians 6:9 says, “don’t grow weary in doing good because in due time you will reap a harvest.” Reading on, Galatians says after that to do good to all people, especially the family of believers, literally the household of faith.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him. – Eph. 6:9

We see some similarity here to the exhortation to fathers. Fathers were told not to provoke their children to anger. Masters are told not to threaten their slaves. Don’t make them afraid. Fear in verse 5 is not fear of harm, but fear in the sense of highest honor.

However, masters are first told to treat their slaves in the same way. What way? Well, we see that slaves were just told to serve wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord. Masters too should serve their slaves wholeheartedly and do good to them, taking care of their needs and providing for them.

Again, we have this equalizing truth at the end of this verse. “There is no favoritism with Him.” In God’s eyes, there is no distinction between slave or free. He sees only whether or not we are His child. And whether slave or free, we should seek to do good to and for one another.

This passage also reminds me of the parable of the unforgiving slave. You can find it in Matthew 18:23-35. In the parable, there is a king who wants to settle his accounts with his slaves. Somehow, one of the slaves was found to owe ten thousand bags of gold. Since he couldn’t pay, the master ordered that the slave, his wife, and his children and all his possessions be sold to repay at least a tiny portion of the debt.

The slave falls to his knees and begs for patience and even says he will pay back everything. The master took pity on him and forgave his debt and lets him go. As the slave is going out, he finds a fellow slave who owes him like $20, and he grabs him and starts to choke him, demanding to be repaid. The fellow slave likewise falls to his knees and begs for patience and promises to pay the money back. Does the newly forgiven slave do the same for his fellow slave? No, he has his fellow slave thrown into debtors’ prison until he could pay which I don’t even know how that works that you can earn enough money in prison to repay.

The other slaves see this transpire, and they are outraged. They go to the master and tell him all. The master then calls this wicked slave back in. The master confronts him asking, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” The wicked slave is then handed over to the jailers and to torture until he should pay back his far greater debt.

That parable is told about forgiveness or unforgiveness. It ends with the strong warning that this is how our heavenly Father will treat each person who is unwilling to forgive their brother or sister from their heart.

There is one who is Master over all. Vengeance is His, and He will repay. (Romans 12:19) Whether slave or free, worker or boss, child or parent, wife or husband, we should seek to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21). It should be our aim to build one another up, to serve one another, to love one another, and even to obey one another. When we do these things, we give powerful testimony of the Lordship of Jesus Christ who is sovereign over all.

Before we pray, let’s look back at the slide that I showed for this passage at the beginning. I filled in the exhortations that were missing.

Ektrepho – bring them up, nourish, Eph 5:29 feed and care

Douleuo – Serve, be a slave

When we do these things, we are a picture, a testimony, of the work of Christ.

Let’s pray.

Father God, help us to glorify you as we live our lives. Help us to serve wholeheartedly. Help us to be obedient. Help us to submit to one another. Help us to love one another. We ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Therefore Submit and Love

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:54:00 +0000

Eph. 5:21-33

Good morning! Today we tackle a passage that some people don’t like to hear, that non-Christians sometimes mock, a passage from Ephesians about the prescribed behavior and roles of husbands and wives. I believe that the passage is misunderstood not only by unbelievers, but by many Christians as well. Before we dig into today’s passage, let me give a very brief overview of where we are in context in Ephesians.

Paul writes Ephesians will being imprisoned in Rome. The first three chapters focus on the gospel, the message that by putting one’s faith in Christ, Gentiles become included with believing Jews in receiving redemption through Christ’s blood and the forgiveness of sins. Paul prays for them and us that the Spirit would help us to know Christ more deeply, more personally, more richly, and he prays that we would know the inheritance we now possess by faith and the power of God that is available to us. Paul describes us as God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works that He has planned for us to do. These works have nothing to do with salvation, with saving us, but we are to do these works as we allow the Spirit to lead us, out of gratitude and submission, to the glory of God. As we live in this way, we, both Jewish and Gentile believers together, are like stones set in a single beautiful building, with Christ as the cornerstone. Paul goes on to share of the joy he has personally experienced – a joy that makes his many severe trials not worth even mentioning in comparison – as he lives out the calling God has placed on him as a minister to the Gentiles.

We are told to be completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. We are told that, to assist in this goal, Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Implicit in this discussion is the imperative that all believers should be joining with other believers in local assemblies, so that these gifts of Christ can benefit all believers.

We are told to “put off” our old selves, corrupted by deceitful desires, and “put on” our new selves, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. We are told to put off falsehood and put on truth-telling. We are told to put off anger. We are told to put off stealing but put on honest work. We are told to put of unwholesome talk and put on speech that builds others up. We are told to put off bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander, and put on compassion and forgiveness.

As God’s dearly loved children, we are told to walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us. We are told to not have even a hint of immorality, impurity, greed, or unwholesome talk. We are told to seek what pleases the Lord, living as the wise, not as the foolish. We are told not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit, worshipping Him and being ever thankful. And that brings us to today’s passage.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Eph. 5:21

This entire section of Ephesians, from this verse to verse 6:9, is like a thesis. And the thesis statement is right here, in verse 5:21. We will find that this thesis has six “body” paragraphs, six applications of the thesis statement, focusing on (1) wives, (2) husbands, (3) children, (4) fathers, (5) slaves, and (6) masters. Today we will look focus on the first two of these six.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. – Eph. 5:22-24

I want to start by talking about the Greek word used here for “submit”, hypotasso. This is a compound word, from hypo, which means “by” or “under”, and tasso, which means, in the context here, to “set”. And so hypotasso means to set yourself under.

Note that the passage does not say that women are inferior to men. Now it is certainly true that women and men are certainly inferior to the Lord. But that is not what the comparison of the Lord is there for. It says to wives, set yourselves under your husbands in a manner like how you set yourselves under the Lord.

Although I have to jump ahead in Ephesians to do this, let me make a comparison with verse 6:1 which tells children to “obey” their parents. This is a different Greek word, hypakouo. This is also a compound word, based again on hypo, meaning, as before, “by” or “under”, but this time also on akouo, which means to “hear”, to “attend to”, to “understand.”

These words are very different. The idea behind the command to children is that they are far less understanding, far less wise, far less skilled or equipped, than their parents, and so they should set themselves under them to learn, to understand, to hear and heed what the parents are instructing. But the command to wives has no preconceptions – at all – that the wife is in any way less spiritually mature than her husband. This is not about capability.

One passage that illustrates these ideas very well is from Luke 2, the account when Jesus was twelve years old and slipped away from His parents to stay at Jerusalem in the temple courts, sitting among the top teachers of the Law and discussing it with them. It says that all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. The account continues in verse 48:

When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for Me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He was saying to them. Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. – Luke 2:48-51

It is this last verse I want to highlight. Do you think the word translated as “obedient” here is hypotasso, which, again, means to “submit under”, or hypakouo, which means to learn from, and to obey like a child obeys his parents. The answer is hypotasso. Even though Mary and Joseph are responsible for Jesus and biologically speaking a generation older for Him, the word hypokouo would be entirely inappropriate, because as this very passage shows, Jesus is teaching the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus, God’s Son and God Himself, chose to place Himself under the authority of His parents, because it was the will of God His Father.

And thus, the word hypotasso was the only fitting word to use in this passage.

I have another very interesting example, the account of the centurion in Luke 7. This man was one of the “God-lovers,” non-Jews who worshiped the Jewish God at a distance. He had a servant who fell ill and sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come to heal his servant. Jesus agreed, but while still on his way, some friends of the centurion, who had come on his behalf, told Jesus not to trouble Himself to come to him, but instead to heal his servant at a distance. By way of explanation, the Centurion said this:

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” – Luke 7:8

There are actually two occasions in which versions of these words are used: “I myself am a man under authority” and “with soldiers under me.” So this is a double question: Is the first occurrence hypotasso (to submit under like an equal) or hypokouo (to be under like a child)?

What about the second occurrence? The answer is that the first occurrence is hypotasso, because this is a very capable Roman officer who serves under equally capable officers, and the second instance is hypokouo, because the soldiers under him are more like mere grunts, not officers, with a small fraction of the training that he has had. And notice how he compares himself to Jesus: Jesus to him is obviously hypotasso, submitting like an equal to whoever is over Him – and whether he knew that Jesus was God or not, this is an astonishing insight at this early point in Jesus’ ministry. And the powers of Jesus’ healing, whether through angels or some other mechanism, are like hypokouo compared to Jesus. Again, an astonishing insight into the true nature of Jesus, who as the book of Hebrews says, is far above the angels.

So with all this in mind, let us return to our Ephesians passage. Let me read the section addressed to wives once again:

So we know that hypotasso is the term here, for how wives are to submit to their husbands. But what about how they submit to the Lord? Certainly that should be hypokouo, shouldn’t it? It should be, but one of the implied, amazing messages of the first 3 chapters of Ephesians is that it isn’t. Yes, it is ridiculous, even blasphemous, to think of ourselves as equals in any way with Christ in terms of capability, in character, or anything else. But Christ treats us not as we deserve. He treats us as friends, as family, as co-laborers in the gospel. What an amazing privilege! What a delight to submit to Him in this way! And wives are to submit to their husbands in the same wonderful way. And hypotasso is also the word used in verse 24.

And so what does this kind of submission look like? Submission that believes the best of her husband. Submission that is borne out of love of her husband. Submission that sees herself as a co-laborer with her husband to live totally for Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with humility and peace-seeking and a desire to build her husband up. Hypotasso, not hypokouo.

And before I move on to husbands, let me point out some similar instructions elsewhere in the Bible.

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. – Col. 3:18

What do you think? Hypotasso or hypokouo? Hypotasso.

And one more, from I Peter:

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. – I Peter 3:1-2

What do you think? Hypotasso or hypokouo? Hypotasso. This passage I feel provides an additional insight into the question, what if my husband isn’t acting like someone I want to hypotasso to right now? This gets to the very heart of hypotasso. In this case the situation is certainly not ideal, and I Peter gives the even more extreme situation of a husband who is not even a Christian. I Peter makes it clear that hypotasso of the wife is not conditional on the behavior of the husband.

Now there are exceptions – certainly if a wife is in danger, or her children are in danger, she should get help and, in many cases, leave the husband, at a minimum for a temporary basis, and very possibly permanently. Every situation is different, so absolute statements cannot be made here. In a situation like this, we would encourage a woman to tell someone in the church, someone she is most comfortable going to. That might be a pastor, and we would do anything to help a woman in such a situation, but we would also understand if perhaps the person would be more comfortable telling another woman.

OK – wives are off the hook. It’s time to address the husbands. Continuing with the passage:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. – Eph. 5:25-28a

Now with regards to the Greek words, there is less to say here. The word for love is agape, which is the highest form of love, love that, just as the start of this passage says, is eminently self-sacrificial. Christ gave up His very life for those He loved, so that they would have forgiveness and eternal life. But the picture here in Ephesians goes even further than that, much further. I think of the picture of preparing a bride for marriage – I picture a top-of-the-line spa session: a scented bath, doing her nails, hands and feet, making her hair absolutely perfect, professional level putting on of make up, and then the dress – an unbelievably beautiful dress, ironed over and over at the last hour so that it has not even a hint of a wrinkle, a beautiful just-picked bouquet of flowers, a beautiful veil… ladies, you can tell me if I’m leaving anything out.

This is really the picture Jesus promotes in this passage. What does it mean? How are husbands to love their wives like that?

It means, first, to pay close attention to their needs and desires. It means, as much as it is up to you, to help them to be happy and satisfied. There is also the idea of holiness and being without blame. This means that you have a spiritual responsibility for your wife. Is she getting fed in the Word? How are you helping her to do this? It could be having devotions with her. It could be making it so that she can attend a women’s Bible study. But this too is only one aspect of what this entails.

It can mean defending your wife against family members or others who don’t treat her right. It can mean helping your wife with household chores if she is tired. It can mean, if you have children, giving her breaks, and it can mean taking care of discipline of the children when needed and making sure that her children always treat her with respect. These are just a tiny number of examples of what this can mean.

I think the big picture here is that life is challenging, and husbands have a responsibility before the Lord to help her to be continually growing in love, growing in all the character qualities that Christ would have for us, doing whatever it takes to protect her, to encourage her, to restore her, to help her rest, to gently challenge her, in short to make her like that picture of the beautiful bride I described a few minutes ago. Getting a future wife ready on wedding day takes hours. Getting your wife “ready” in this sense for eternity takes a lifetime.

I want to say that it is Christ that grows us. But our role of husbands is important as helpers in this process. We can be ever attentive to remove the roadblocks that keep her from growing in Him, or we can unfortunately be part of the problem.

And we don’t get to ask, “have I done enough yet?” Our comparison is the Lord Himself. He gave His life for the body. And we are to love our wives as we love our own bodies. If you are taking care of your body, working out or watching your diet, or anything else, great! But have the same mindset about your wife.

I want to point out one more thing before going on here. Remember that the wife is to submit (hypotasso) to her husband, as I Peter says, even if the husband isn’t doing his job laying down his life in agape love for his wife. But I want you (the husbands) to see how broken this is. In a marriage, Ephesians makes it clear that a husband has a spiritual responsibility for his wife, but as with all things, this is impossible without the help of the Lord – this is not something we do in our own effort alone. We do it bathed in prayer for the power of the Spirit to help us. But when we don’t do this, you are letting your wife down. She is depending on you to lead her as she submits. She will continue to submit even as you mislead, as you don’t do your God-given responsibility. And this is tragic. Not only are you sinning before the Lord; you are tragically also impacting your wife. Let it not be so.

Let’s consider the parallel passages as we did with the wives:

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. – Col. 3:19

Yes, it is still agape, the self-sacrificial laying down of one’s life for your wife. And the opposite of harsh is gentle. We are to be gentle, caring, and tender towards our wives, building them up. Again, I think the picture of all of the preparations of a bride for her wedding is helpful here.

And from I Peter 3:

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. – I Peter 3:7

First note that the “in the same way” at the beginning of this verse means, if you go back to the previous chapter, like how Christ has treated you – He has given up His life for you. And so once again we see the charge to husbands to lay down their lives for their wives.

The word translated “partner” here in Greek has a much more specific meaning. It means vessel, a word often used metaphorically to represent the physical body. The word translated “treat them with respect” means honor. And so you are to honor them as you would honor, for example, a wise elder, even though he has become frail. You are to honor them despite their relative physical weakness compared to you. And this is a generalization – there are certainly women who are stronger than their husbands. But the point is to honor your wife even if she is weaker than you.

And men, this passage also comes with a warning – so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Can treating your wife poorly block your prayers? Yes. I think it is like the parable of the unmerciful servant, or the servant who received mercy but refused to show mercy to those who were in a similar situation to what he had been in. I think this is similar, because, men, God treats you with honor even though you are the weaker partner compared to Him. He treats you kindly, graciously, gently. And so if you turn around and treat your wife in an opposite way, God becomes opposed to you. This is a very serious thing.

Now let’s come back to the Ephesians passage. It says “He who loves his wife loves himself.” What does this mean? Well, we immediately get the following explanation:

After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. – Eph. 5:28b-33

Now in this modern day and age, unfortunately, many people in one sense do hate their bodies. That is, when they look in a mirror, they find faults with their weight or some other aspect of their appearance. But hating how you look in a mirror is not really what is being talked about here. The Greek word is strong, used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe hating a mortal enemy, or as behavior people do as unbelievers. If you really hated yourself like that, you wouldn’t eat, you wouldn’t do anything to take care of yourself. The truth is we all love ourselves even if we don’t like all aspects of ourselves, perhaps with the exception of the severely depressed. If we are sick, we want to get better, and we go to the doctor or the emergency room if it serious enough. If we are hungry, we want to be filled, and so on.

And as we see Genesis quoted here, we know that husband and wife in the eyes of God are treated as a unit. The passage talks about Christ and the church as a profound mystery – and we will come back to that in a moment – but I find it a big enough mystery just talking about husband and wife.

What is the point here? That we need to see our marriages as God sees them. Husband and wife are one flesh. And so, a husband who does not love his wife and take care of her like he takes care of his own body is the definition of foolishness. When we don’t follow God’s command to agape our wives, we are hurting our wives, and that means we are hurting ourselves. It’s like a bunch of the old sci-fi shows where a person and an alien creature become somehow linked, and when you shoot at the alien you also hurt the human. That is how it is for husbands and their wives. (I’m not saying that wives are alien creatures, although they can think quite differently from us at times.)

Now Paul throws a tantalizing thought at us but doesn’t develop it. We, the church, the ekklesia, the called-out ones, are the bride of Christ. And so the deeper ministry is that Christ and the church are also in some way one flesh. And I think this is a good thing for us to reflect on as we prepare are hearts for communion. Can we really grasp what this means? No – Paul calls it a great mystery. But there are other verses that speak of it.

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed with His disciples the following prayer:

I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. – John 17:20-23

Jesus gave His life once for all, on the cross, as payment for all sin. Jesus gave us the practice of the bread and the cup to help us to remember not only that He died for us but that He continues to love us, to agape us, to prepare us just like the perfect bride I described earlier.

I encourage you to spend some time now drawing near to Him in prayer, thanking Him for who He is and what He has done, and for the beautiful picture He has given husbands and wives to live out, a small picture of the great mystery of the oneness and unity we will have with Christ Himself.

Father, I pray for the husbands and wives here that you would help us to rededicate ourselves to the roles you have set out for us. Help the wives to hypotasso submit to their husbands, and help the husbands to agape love their wives. And help those who are single to find contentment in their singlehood, whether it is for a season or for the rest of their lives here on earth. And help us all to remember that this life is fleeting. It is short. And in heaven there will not be marriage as there is on earth, so even marriage and family itself are only shadows of something greater to come, the great mystery as Paul describes it – the culmination of marriage between Christ and the church, of which we are a part. Help us to know you more, to love you more, and to serve you more as we lay down our lives and submit to one another in You.

Therefore Be Pure

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:41:00 +0000

Eph. 5:1-20

Let us start with reading the entire passage for today.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Eph. 5:1-2

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. – Eph. 5:3-7

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Eph. 5:8-14

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Eph. 5:15-20

The Bible is filled with commands to obey. Here are the commands we went over in chapter 4 last week:

1. “Live a life worthy of the calling you received…”

2. “Be completely humble…”

3. “And gentle…”

4. “Be patient…”

5. “Bearing with one another in love…”

6. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

7. “You must no longer live as the Gentiles do…”

8. “Put off your old self…”

9. “Be made new in the attitudes of your minds…”

10. “Put on the new self…”

11. “Put off falsehood…”

12. “Speak truthfully…”

13. “In your anger do not sin…”

14. “Steal no longer…”

15. “Must work…”

16. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths…”

17. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit…”

18. “Get rid of all bitterness…”

19. “Get rid of all…rage…”

20. “Get rid of all…anger…”

21. “Get rid of all…brawling…”

22. “Get rid of all…slander…”

23. “Get rid of all…every form of malice…”

24. “Be kind…”

25. “Be…compassionate…”

26. “Forgiving each other…”

In chapter 5 we read:

1. “There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality…”

2. “There must not be even a hint of…any kind of impurity…”

3. “There must not be even a hint of…greed…”

4. “Nor should there be obscenity…”

5. “Nor should there be…foolish talk…”

6. “Nor should there be…coarse joking…”

7. “But rather thanksgiving…”

8. “Let no one deceive you with empty words…”

9. “Do not be partners with them.”

This is a long list of things to do and not to do. A lot of people think that this is what Christianity is…”Do this. Don’t do that.” If that was truly the case, then we would be the same as many of the other religions of the world. It would also be very disheartening. We would wake up thinking that all we were yesterday was a failure and all that we will be today is a failure. I left some commands out of this list. They’re in chapter 5. Do you know what I left out? The main target is missing. The power is missing.

My kids have done things in the past that they weren’t interested in. They were doing things that they didn’t have any experience with or any skills to do and, yet, there they were trying to do it. Sarah was two years old when we left Wilmington. I would sit a the desk and type on my computer. At the age of 1.5 years, she really hadn’t typed that many pages for school yet. Her experiences and skills were a little on the lacking side. She would climb into my lap and begin typing away. It wasn’t very elegant. She used her fingers but sometimes she used the palm of her hands. What she wrote wasn’t comprehendible. She had only been walking for about eight months and, yet, she was typing up her first essays on the subject of “lt34bhrt7zv42zzzzaa30.”

She didn’t understand what the box was that I was pecking on. She didn’t know much about church finances, sermons, or evangelism plans, but that didn’t stop her. She wanted to do what I was doing. She wanted to be like me. Paul said, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…”

No Christian has it all figured out. No Christian knows everything in the Bible or understands all prophecy. Every Christian sins, and oftentimes we do it willingly. I’ve sinned by doing some of the things in the list we went over earlier. I fail as a father, as a husband and as a church leader. A righteous life flows from being imitators of God. Being like him is the target. Max is on the archery team at school. What would happen if he misunderstood what the target was? He could be aiming for the lights or the doors or the walls. He will experience more sense of accomplishment if he aims at the target. Otherwise, he has an extremely small chance of hitting the bullseye. If we’re aiming just for the commands, then we’ll be all over the place. We’ll probably face great discouragement in our Christian walk.

The power is missing as well. Imagine you work for an employer that is offering a greater job. You only need to complete one task. The factory you work for needs an extremely important part. Their main machine is inoperable without it. He tells you to go pick up the part. You’ll be the hero of the year. Everyone will be so grateful, except the employees who don’t want to come to work. Your boss gives you the keys to the company vehicle. He tells you where the car is. He also gives directions about traveling to the place where the part is. He gives detailed instructions on where to go once you get there and who to talk to. You have the part name and the part number written on a piece of paper, on your phone and inked on your arm. You’re not going to fail at this mission.

You get in the car and turn the key over but nothing happens. It tries to turn over but it surely won’t start. Then you realize that there’s no gas in the gas tank. He has sent you on this mission but it has become impossible because there’s no fuel to make the car go anywhere. You’re super discouraged. There’s no way you can get this done. In my scenario, there is no Uber, Lyft, or other businesses like that. No one will let you borrow their car. There is no options for boat, train or airplane. So, besides the option of car-jacking, you’re stuck.

Before I became a Christian I heard of some of the things that I shouldn’t do and should do. But no one ever sat down me and personally explained how the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to live the Christian life. The Holy Spirit empowers someone to be an imitator of God. Because I lacked the power, I didn’t think I could stop doing bad things. I surely didn’t desire sharing the gospel, reading the Bible, or praying either. I didn’t realize that the Spirit would give me those desires and help me start dropping some of that old, bad fruit.

You and I are trying to learn the will of a person, not the formula to a problem. What word does Paul use to describe a person who goes their whole life not searching the word of God so that they can determine what God desires? The answer is in verse 17. He said that person is a fool. When we come before God one day we can’t say, “Oh, I didn’t know that was what you were wanting!” One of the things he desires for us is to “be filled with the Spirit.” The Greek text is written as “continually be being filled by the Spirit.” It’s not a one-time experience. When a person receives the Holy Spirit they are immersed or “baptized” into the Spirit. That’s what Paul talked about in Romans 6. That’s what the disciples experienced in Acts 2. But, we can make a decision every day to be filled with the Spirit. In Colossians 3 Paul said that being filled with the word has the same things associated with it as being filled with the Spirit. I encourage you to read that today before you go to bed. In Ephesians 5 it says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Being filled with the Spirit is opposed to being drunk with wine. How does a person get drunk? The alcohol people drank during the day of Paul was mostly on the weaker side compared to the liquor we have now. Paul didn’t say alcohol or liquor. He said “wine”. There was wine that only had a mild amount of alcohol. But there was something else that was considered “strong drink.” The milder wine was used to make the water palatable or to help with stomach ailments. The “strong drink” was beyond wine in the amount of alcohol. What does a person have to in order to be drunk? A person would have to drink a lot of wine. In other words, they wouldn’t get drunk on just one glass.

To be filled with the Spirit we must be filled with the Words of God. I don’t think that’s the only thing we need to do in order to be filled with the Spirit. Christians wonder why they lack power in their lives. One reason is because they don’t take in enough of God’s word on a regular basis. You don’t accidentally get drunk. You decide to take the time to drink and you decide to put the glass to your mouth, over and over and over. Then, you decide to swallow. The pathway to imitating God is by continually be being filled by the Spirit.

How is God described in chapter 5? He’s mainly described as loving. In verse one it says that we are “dearly loved children” and that we are to “live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” (Eph. 5:1) In 2 Corinthians 4:6 we see that God wanted to give us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” We can know what God is like by looking to Jesus. That’s why Paul said to love like Christ and to give yourself like Christ. Even though it was uncomfortable at times, Jesus did the Father’s will. Even though it was painful, he went to the cross.

According to the end or chapter four, what did God do for us because of his love? He was kind and compassionate to us, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) What flowed from his kindness and compassion? It was forgiveness. Kindness and compassion flow from love. Forgiveness flows from kindness and compassion. So, Paul is being very specific here. He’s saying that our love towards others should manifest as forgiveness. This is what he’s specifically telling us to imitate.

Mankind has conquered many challenges since the beginning of time. We’ve created and mastered certain technology. But it doesn’t take being filled with the Spirit to do that. We’ve mastered the science of growing of food. But it doesn’t take being filled with the Spirit to accomplish that either. We’ve traveled to the moon and explored the depths of the ocean. But it doesn’t take being filled with the Spirit to do this. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a different challenge altogether. You can’t forgive without being filled with the Spirit.

If we didn’t do all the bad things listed in Ephesians 4 and 5, then we would be pure. But we don’t attain to this by avoiding a bunch of bad stuff, otherwise we’d all have to become monks. We focus on being filled with the Spirit. This, in turn, will help us become imitators of God. As we align ourselves with being loving like God loved us, then we would inherently pursue purity. If I love someone then I won’t commit the sin of slander. If I love God and am thankful for what he has given to me then I won’t be greedy, nor will I commit sexual immorality. If the Holy Spirit lives in me, then I would be concerned about what I say and what I see because I know that he lives in me. I don’t want to grieve him.

Paul said, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” (Eph. 5:15-16) How can we be careful how we live and to make the most of every opportunity? He says, “understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:17)

We choose light over darkness, kindness and compassion instead of harshness and indifference, righteousness over unrighteousness and love over hate. We choose being filled with the Spirit over being filled with obscenity, sexual immorality or anger. Some of God’s will is straightfoward, understandable and doable. When we stand before God one day we can’t say, “Oh, I didn’t know you wanted that!” It’s each of our own responsibility to search out God’s will in his word. You can’t blame it on your pastor for not teaching it to you. You can’t put your parents at fault for not sharing it with you.

Adam and Eve knew what God’s will:

God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’ – Gen. 1:28

And one more thing… “You can eat from any of the trees in this garden, but don’t you dare eat from that tree over there.” These things were the known will of God. It was clear as can be. It was understandable and it was doable. But they chose darkness over light, and unrighteousness over righteousness. They chose to be filled with something that would only provide temporary satisfaction.

So, the title of this sermon is Therefore Be Pure. What does “pure” mean? One way to think of it is: freedom from any contaminants that would make a substance deviate from its intended purpose, appearance, strength, etc. The Cambridge English Dictionary states that it’s “the state of not being mixed with anything else.” In other words, if we’re filled with the Spirit, then we won’t be filled with anger, bitterness or alcohol.

I’ve been finishing up replacing the engine on my truck. I had the engine covered with several layers of tarp and trash bags. Somehow water got into the engine during a big rainstorm. The water, which was the impurity, would have made the engine fail if I didn’t get it out. The engine wouldn’t be able to operate as the creators intended. We too wouldn’t be able to operate as our creator intended if we are filled with sin. If you use something in a way that the creator didn’t intend, then that is called abuse.

On a spiritual level, I think that purity isn’t just the absence of sin. It’s mainly about the presence of God. In Revelation 21, John said,

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp…Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. – Rev. 21:22-23,27

Where the fulness of God’s presence is sin cannot be. When we stand before God one day he will give us a glorified body, without sin. When we see God in his fulness sin will flee. When light shines the darkness will vanish. So, what do you think will happen when we are filled with the Spirit? We will start seeing these troubling sins disappear. We will become more like God. As a result, we will start seeing more-and-more righteous fruit in our lives.

Therefore Be Like Him

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 20:14:00 +0000

Eph. 4:17-31

Good morning! We’re in the second half of chapter 4 in Ephesians today. This week and next week’s passages, Ephesians 4:17-5:20 form a two-part message on how we are to live as followers of Christ, how we are to relate to others.

We live in a broken world. As the years pass, it feels like the world has less and less unity. There are more conflicts globally. More broken homes. More political strife. More division about how to view and understand the world. More violence. More persecution.

The book of Ephesians is a reminder that this is not where the world is ultimately headed. Ephesians 1:10 tells us that Christ is returning to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, Himself. And, we certainly look forward to that!

For those who hear the word of truth about Jesus and believe, Ephesians 1:13 tells us that we are included in Christ now. Ephesians 3:6 says that through the gospel, believers are sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

And so during this time between Jesus’ ascension and His return, it is the age of the church. Jesus is head of the church. His church should exemplify the unity that Christ will bring to all things at His return. What should that look like?

Our passage last week (Ephesians 4:1-16) gave us two goals for the church. My study bible called them twin goals. And in that passage Paul weaves them one into the other almost in a kind of dance. Unity and maturity.

We are to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace,” (v.3) while Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.“ (v.12)

And this building up shall continue, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature.” (v.13) “We will no longer be infants.” Corporately, together, “we will grow to become in every respect the mature body.”

Today, we’re going to get into the how’s and what’s. What to do and what not to do, and how to do it. Most important of all is the Who? Who makes it all possible? Christ Jesus from whom, “the whole body … grows and builds itself up in love.”

Let’s pray and get into today’s passage.

Thank You Jesus that You are the One. The One who builds up the church. The One who sends us teachers and prophets and pastors and evangelists and apostles. Thank You that You are with us through Your Holy Spirit. We worship You. Teach us what to do and how to live. We pray in Your Name Jesus, Amen.

So that last phrase I shared before we prayed is the end of verse 16. “From [Christ] the whole body … grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Keep that in mind as we go into verse 17.

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. – Eph. 4:17-18

Okay. We’re starting with what not to do. If we’re going to grow and be built up in love, we’re going to have to stop what? Living as the Gentiles do. How is that? In the futility of their thinking.

Romans 1 gets into this in great detail. Starting in verse 22, it says that the ungodly people claimed to be wise, but instead they became fools mainly by exchanging the glory of God for idols. As a result, God gave them over to their sinful desires, specifically sexual impurity that further devolved into unnatural sexual relations. As they did not retain the knowledge of God, God allowed that way of thinking to run its course. They were “filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice; gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; inventing ways of doing evil; disobedient of their parents.” These people who reject God “have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

That matches with what we see in verse 18 above. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God.” Why? Because of their ignorance. Why are they ignorant? They have hardened their hearts. The easiest way to explain hardening your heart is to stop listening to God. To reject Him and His truth.

So, Paul is insisting that we don’t do that. Stay attentive and soft toward God. Desire to know what He’s like, what He’s doing.

Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. – Eph. 4:19-21

In large part, we have covered what verse 19 is telling us when we looked at Romans 1. The only other thought is that this verse reminds me of the phrase used in II Peter 2:12 and Jude 1:10. In both places, it is talking about people who speak evil, defile the flesh, reject the truth. It compares them to “brute beasts” destined for slaughter. Yikes!

As we get further into today’s passage, we’re going to see that good and bad or bad and good choices are contrasted against one another. So, if we apply that kind of thinking to what we see here, we should strive to keep our sensitivity, exercise self-control, be generous, and indulge purity. I don’t know how to indulge purity. When I went and looked at the Greek, the word indulge really means to practice or to work at. That fits better. We can practice purity. We can work at purity.

Because we have learned a better way of life. We have learned from the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Rebekah, my daughter, bought me a North Greenville t-shirt when she was in school there. That was pre-COVID, more than four years ago. I’ve worn it a good bit, and it’s starting to get a little bit ragged. I was wearing yesterday, in fact. It has a picture of the NGU logo. It has the name of the school. Then, at the bottom, it has their motto.

Shameless plug. There are all sorts of educational institutions. Public, private, Christian. I’ve also joked that with seven children, we have enough kids to have statistics. We’ve had kids take different educational paths over the years. So far, two have had at least some education at two different Christian universities. And, there’s a lot of good I can say about them for shaping character, framing a Christian worldview, sparking and inspiring vision to do many of the things we’re talking about in this Ephesians passage. I have been impressed, and I am grateful for these institutions.

Okay, that was a story in a story. Remember the t-shirt. The motto. It’s “Christ makes the difference.” That is crucial. He is the one who makes the difference in the way of life that we live. My study bible also contrasted Paul’s choice to use Christ and Jesus separately in the same sentence. Theologians have submitted that Paul chose to say Jesus when he wrote the way of life “in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” because he wants to point us to the life that Jesus lived on earth before His resurrection and ascension. Jesus did it. He lived the life that we need to live. He is our example.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Eph. 4:22-24

Be like Him. That is today’s title. That’s the goal for each of us.

Thankfully, some of you may be saying, “Well, I don’t really have that much of a former way of life before I trusted Christ,” because you were children when you put your faith in Him. As a result, you might wonder about the need to put off your old self. Do I need to do that?

There’s a certain recurring nature to this old-self / new-self business. It’s like that last phrase about being made new in the attitude of your minds. That kind of hearkens back to Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” We need to be renewed in our thinking again and again.

We are still “in the flesh.” And I can see that my flesh is aging, being corrupted by the consequence of sin and the Fall. I think we can also realize when we are walking around in our spiritual “old self”. Being selfish, being a grouch, not believing the best of others. We need to put off our old self and put on our new self. It’s like mentally changing clothes. Take off the old dirty things. Put on the new clean ones.

On Easter Sunday, I usually wear a white shirt. Years ago, I had to lead worship and teach on Easter. I grabbed what I thought was my good white shirt, put it on, and came to church. At some point in the course of the morning, I realized I didn’t have my good white shirt on. I had an older shirt. Not only a bit worn in the color and cuffs, it had a stain on it. I couldn’t believe it. Why did I keep that shirt when I already had another good one! We’re not talking about a t-shirt or even a shirt I would wear to work. A white button-down dress shirt. Needless to say, that after I made the best of the situation and used it as a show-and-tell sermon illustration, I went home and threw it away.

I don’t know why God decided to make it this way, that we can’t exactly throw away our old ways of thinking, that we can revert back to them. How then can we hope to reliably put on our new self?

One of the themes of Ephesians is power. Specifically, the power of God. Chapter 1 tells of His “incomparably great power for us who believe.” It’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. I’m not just saying that. That’s Ephesians 1:19-20. In chapter 3, we are reminded again of God’s mighty power, including the fact that “His power is at work within us.” Finally, (I know it’s jumping ahead) Ephesians 6:10 tells us to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” So, it really is like changing clothes. Because God’s power is at work within us to allow us to be successful in living the life that He has called us to.

The next verses are short ones, but I decided to separate them on the slides because they focus on different areas. Now that we have put on our new selves that were “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. – Eph. 4:25

Paul chose to write neighbor here, but the context tells us that he means the ones who are members of the one body. We, as believers, should not lie to one another. Hopefully, that’s not too difficult. If it does happen, that you lie to a brother or sister, then you should confess, apologize, and tell the truth.

We probably do need to have some care around speaking truthfully. Some of you don’t need any encouragement, those of you can remember that everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Others though are not big on confrontation. You’ll see my fear come up later. It’s too easy for me to get angry. So, confrontations can be a high-risk situation for me. If I don’t want to lose my cool, then it seems logical to avoid speaking truthfully. That’s not the only reason people have to avoid speaking truth. Fear is another reason. All kinds of fear. Fear of sounding dumb, fear of not saying it right, fear of what the other person might think or do.

This is going to come out wrong, but at a certain point, you just have to put aside the fear of looking dumb because it’s just going to happen. You’re going to look dumb at some point or other.

I have a tough situation with a project at work. It’s just not getting done. The main engineer working on it has been really anxious about it, putting the blame on himself, and offering to go in front of whatever firing line there might be. I wrote him an email on Friday really telling him the situation on the commitments that have been communicated outwardly which once I got to looking weren’t that bad.

After I wrote that, I then realized that I was the one who had presented this project to the plant manager and other external executives. I was the one that said that the project would be done in October, and then November, and then December, and then January. Digging into the project and working with the engineer to make a realistic aggressive timeline on Friday, I’m pretty confident that we are going to finish before March.

I realized then that I am the one who looks like an idiot, at least on this one project. I was equally surprised to realize that it really didn’t bother me all that much. Because, when I had said the project was going to be done all those different times, I had been telling the truth. I was just wrong. There is something important about telling the truth. If you don’t tell the truth and say nothing, how will you learn, how will the other person learn, how will wrongs be righted, how will hurts be healed? If you have something on your heart that needs said, pray about it, seek counsel if you need to, but speak truthfully with one another. If we don’t, then our body won’t be whole and healthy.

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. – Eph. 4:26-27

See, I told you anger would be on the list. Anger is not always wrong. It is a strong emotion though, so it is easy to jump from it into sin. Whether or not the anger is righteous, we are told not to let it persist beyond the day. If we hold on to our anger, it really does give the devil a foothold.

If one of the key goals of the church is unity, then one of Satan’s main points of attack is going to be to sow division. If you are angry with a brother or sister, and you hold on to that anger without addressing it, then you run the risk of giving the devil a foothold.

If you’re angry because someone has sinned against you, then you need to approach them about it. If you can’t go by yourself, then take another brother or sister. If you’re angry about a situation you can’t control or where it is not possible to approach the person, or where you are being overly sensitive, take it to the Lord. At some point, you will have to release your anger. That doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting what happened, especially if there is a risk of it happening again. But, do not hold on to the anger. Proverbs 19:11 tells us a persons wisdom yields patience, “it’s to their glory to overlook an offense.”

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. – Eph. 4:28

I probably need to pick up speed. This is one of the verses which shows a stop bad – start good contrast. The thief should not only stop his stealing, but he should also start working so that he can bless others who are in need. Stop being stingy and start being generous.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Eph. 4:29

When I was a student and a younger believer, we had a two-word paraphrase for this verse. It’ll stick with you, so I’m a little reluctant in sharing it. We summed up Ephesians 4:29 as “Edify, stupid.” It’s a bad joke because we are told here, “do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.”

If you have a question about what is unwholesome, then contrast it with how we should address one another. If something isn’t helpful for building others up according to their needs, then it’s probably unwholesome in some way.

That last little phrase has a significant practical application. If you speak in ways that build someone up, it benefits not only the person you are building up, but it benefits anyone who is listening.

Going back to the speaking truthfully point, if you have something on your heart that blesses or encourages, then by all means share it. It will bless them, it will bless you, and it will bless anyone else that is listening.

There was a book called the 10-Second Rule published about ten years ago. The goal of the book was to encourage moment-by-moment obedience to Jesus. If you felt like the Spirit was prompting you to do or say something, you needed to take action within ten seconds or else it wasn’t obedience.

If the something you’re feeling led to do is good or encouraging, I would say that the ten second rule is okay, but if you are going to confront someone or share something that might not be taken the right way or you’re trying to communicate something to someone who you may have had a hard time being on the same page with, then the ten second rule might not be appropriate. The tongue is a troublemaker and cannot be tamed, just look at James 3:1-12.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. – Eph. 4:30

Looking to the verse before, unwholesome talk would grieve the Spirit. Let me tell you something funny. I don’t think I can always perceive whether or not something I say grieves the Spirit in my heart or my mind. But, I do get a sensation, a physical one. I don’t have as much hair as I used to. If I say some sharp retort that I have no business making, my scalp will flush, like a micro-flush for a second or less. Either the Spirit has allowed that to develop over time, or since I have less dense hair on my scalp, I can feel it. Maybe God is showing you somehow when you’re out of bounds. If you can pick up on it, use that to train yourself. Or just ask a brother or sister to “elbow” you.

Looking forward, we are going to come back to anger of all kinds. These too grieves the Spirit.

There’s one other interesting point in this verse which we should not miss. You can only grieve a person. This verse speaks to the personhood of the Holy Spirit. If you were wondering where the bible communicates that the Holy Spirit is a person, this is a good one. Of course, John 14-16 is probably more thorough.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. – Eph. 4:31

Anger is a big deal. So much so that Paul was led to repeat and expand it here. Every form of anger. Internal anger in the form of bitterness. External anger by raised voice in the form of rage. External anger by physical force in the form of brawling. External anger by talking bad about someone in the form of slander. Internal anger by desiring pain, injury, or distress to someone by every form of malice. Get rid of all of it. And instead …

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Eph. 4:32

This is a high contrast to the preceding verse about anger. Be kind. Be compassionate. Forgive one another. Not just a little bit, not just lip service, but forgive as God forgave you in Christ. Whoa! That’s a big forgiveness. Big enough to cover the sin of the whole world.

We’re supposed to end here, but I’m going to sneak over into the first verse of chapter 5. I think Brian is teaching next week. Brian, you can use as many of my verses from chapter 4 as you want.

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. – Eph. 5:1

I feel like this is such a good conclusion for what has come before, and our message title.

The world would tell us to stand up for ourselves. The world tells us that the ends justify the means. Elijah and I were watching an old Woody Woodpecker cartoon, and the title character was just cruel to another character in the cartoon just because he was scared. It wasn’t for a moment. That was the point of the entire cartoon. Based on the animation, I expect was a cartoon from the 1960’s, but still both Elijah and I were surprised by the unprovoked meanness of a “good guy.” The world was telling us, it’s okay to be mean as long as you laugh about it. Imitating the world or sinful desires is not in keeping with the new life in us.

After working through these verses for a while, I came to see the last phrase a bit differently than I had before. As Jesus told us in Mark 10:15 (and Luke 18:17), we need to have faith like little children to enter the kingdom of God. Following the lessons from today’s passage, we also need to be like little children.

Little children can be so very cute when they imitate their parents. In those moments, they are dearly loved for the honor they show.

When we put our faith in Christ, we become children of God. He can’t love us more or love us less. When we seek to imitate him by turning away from sin and doing good as Ephesians 4 shows us, then we are acting as dearly loved children. The ones who show honor by trying to be like their parents. Let’s be like Him.

Let’s pray.

Father God, thank You that Your Spirit is in us. Thank You that Your mighty power is at work within us. Help us each one to live out the words of Ephesians 4. Glorify Your Name through us we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Therefore Be One

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 20:07:00 +0000

Eph. 4:1-16

Good morning! Today we return to the second half of our series on the book of Ephesians. The title of the series is “Therefore”, and today we will see the reason for this title. Because it has been about a month since we were in the series, I think it will be useful to provide a little background and a brief review of the first three chapters.

Paul’s initial visit to Ephesus is described in Acts 19, which tells us that Paul first went to the synagogue so as to try to reach the Jews, as was his usual practice. He spoke boldly in the synagogue about Jesus for 3 months. But, although some came to faith, others became opposed to his teaching, and as their opposition grew, Paul left the synagogue and began teaching daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where many Jews and Greeks heard his message as he spoke for two years.

God did great miracles through Paul. Acts 19 says that people were healed by simply touching handkerchiefs that had touched Paul. Many people came to faith in Christ.

There were seven brothers, sons of an important Jewish priest, who went around trying to invoke the name of Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. Did they themselves have genuine faith in Jesus? No. And one day, a demon in a demon-possessed man called them out on it, saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” And then the demon-controlled man thrashed these men thoroughly. This event caused many Jews and Greeks in Ephesus to be filled with fear, and this healthy fear led many to publicly repent of sins they were practicing in secret. A number of people had been practicing sorcery, and they brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly, and in this way, faith in Jesus in Ephesus continued to grow.

The growth was so significant that people who made idols became quite concerned about the future of their business. One of them in a speech whipped up the others into a frenzy, which spread throughout the city. Paul’s traveling companions were grabbed by the crowd. Paul wanted to speak to the crowd, but the disciples would not let him, because they saw how great the danger was. A city clerk was able to quiet down the crowd and have them disperse, and soon after, Paul left Ephesus.

At a later point in time, after being imprisoned by the Romans, Paul writes and sends his letter that we call Ephesians to the many believers in Ephesus. Chapter 1, after its opening verses that explain who the letter is to and from, begins with an extended passage of praise to God for what He has done through and in Christ. He explains that he and the other early believers were predestined for being given the revelation of the gospel, redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of sins, and that they were chosen to put their hope in Christ, thereby receiving this redemption and forgiveness. In the same way, he tells his listeners, they too were included in Christ when they heard the gospel message of salvation, and that when they believed, they were marked in Him with a seal, the Holy Spirit, who serves as a kind of deposit guaranteeing the fulfillment, the completion, of our future redemption. By extension, we too, as modern-day readers of Paul’s letter, are also included in Christ when we hear the gospel message and believe.

Paul goes on to explain how thankful he is for them and prays for them, asking for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they would know Christ better. He says that he prays that they would know the hope to which God has called them, their incredible inheritance they now possess by faith, and the power of God that is available to them. He says that this power is one and the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

In Chapter 2, Paul reminds them that, before coming to faith in Christ, they were dead in their sins, slaves to their sinful desires. But, he tells them, even while they were in this dead state, God made them (and us) alive with Christ. His point is that it is by faith we have been saved, not by any works we did in that dead state (which weren’t truly good works anyway). He says that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works that God has planned for us to do. In other words, good works don’t save us, but the saved versions of us does do good works, to the glory of God.

In the second half of Chapter 2, Paul focuses in on the Gentiles and their relationship to the Jews. He reminds them that, prior to hearing and responding in faith to the good news about Jesus Christ, they were separated from the covenants given to the Jews, separated from being in any way a part of the Jews, and because the promises were only given to the Jews, separated from any kind of promise of redemption or salvation.

But Christ has changed all this. He didn’t only die for the Jews. He died for all people, Jew and Gentile. By fulfilling the Law in Himself, He effectively set the law aside, so that Jews and Gentiles are in the same position in Christ. By doing this, He brought both groups together, not only making peace between us, but making us brothers of one another. God, who at one time was only accessible to the Jews, who lived in some sense in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, is now accessible to all through and in Christ. As a result, Paul says, Jews and Gentiles alike are like stones set in a single building, one in which Christ Himself is the cornerstone, a building in which God through His Spirit now lives.

I find this a beautiful truth, a powerful metaphor. I often wonder what it was like to be in the presence of the Spirit of God in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle or the Temple. I imagine how thrilling, but also how scary, that must have been. What would it be like to be a fly in the inner room, sitting on a stone? Or, if stones could be alive, what would it be like to be one of those stones? Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is saying that this is exactly what we are – we are stones that make up this inner room with other believers, both Jew and Gentile, and there among us is the awesome Holy Spirit of God.

In Ephesians 3, Paul further develops the truth of God’s marvelous work of bringing Jew and Gentile together in Christ. He talks about how incredible this revelation of God is, and how, although there was nothing in Paul worthy for this honor, God chose Paul to be a central person in preaching this revelation to the Gentiles. He calls this a “grace.”

I find this also a beautiful truth, one that I don’t often think about. When I think about grace, I think about how it is totally by grace that I have been saved. But it is equally and totally by grace that I get to be used by God in some way to further the kingdom of God. It is by grace that I get to tell some unbelievers the gospel. It is by grace I have been able to tell my wife and kids more about Jesus. And it is by grace that I am here today, and on other Sundays, encouraging other believers and explaining the Word of God. It is equally by grace that you get to serve Him in various ways. When it comes to sharing the gospel, I think we all get nervous because we don’t feel like we are capable of doing something so important. Well, we aren’t capable! That’s an important part of what “grace” means! It is by God’s grace that we can open our mouths, and reasonably coherent words can come out. And thinking about things in this way makes me want to get out there, because I want to see the power of God’s grace at work.

Paul goes on to say that, in effect, this grace Paul has experienced to be one who shares the gospel with Gentiles is so wonderful that his many trials, his frequent sufferings, are nothing to be discouraged about. Paul looks at the total package, grace to share and sufferings, and sees the combination is one million percent positive.

Again, this is a powerful lesson for us. The joy of knowing Jesus, and the privilege of encouraging others, believers and unbelievers alike, in Jesus, is so incredible that the hard things of this life, even the super hard things, simply do not compare. Paul tells us not to be discouraged when looking at Paul’s hard life, and by extension, we should not be discouraged by looking at own lives, no matter how hard they become.

And then, in the second half of Chapter 3, Paul makes an absolutely beautiful prayer for the Ephesians. He prays that God would strengthen them with power in their inner beings so that Christ would dwell, would live, would reign, in their hearts through faith. And given that their lives in Christ have been rooted and established in love, He prays that they, along with all God’s holy people, which includes us, would grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. He prays that we would know this love, not just know about it, a love that surpasses knowledge, and in so doing that we would be filled with the fullness of God. And then He praises God and says to Him be the glory. Amen!

I feel like we could all go home now. But this letter of Paul has a second half, and we will start to explore this second half today. Now the two halves and joined together, by a single word, and you guessed it, that word is the Greek word for “therefore.”

By way of analogy, at the Jewish funeral I went to for my dad when I was in California a few weeks ago, we were given a little prayer booklet, which I have brought with me and will pass it around so you can look at it. One of the things to notice is that the page numbering is backwards. This is because Hebrew reads right to left rather than left to right, as English reads. But the booklet contains both English and Hebrew, and lots of Jews don’t really know Hebrew, so it is confusing to people to try to find things in such a booklet. The rabbi leading the service knew this. We only used a small number of prayers or passages from the booklet, but the most important prayer is a prayer of mercy for the departed. I love the way he told us how to find this prayer. He said to just go to the middle of the book, to find the staples. Well, this “therefore” in Ephesians is the “staples” in the letter. On one side is the first half, which we just went over. And on the other side is the other half. The second half of the entire book of Ephesians is the answer to the question, “What are the practical applications of what we have learned?” And so, let us dive in to Chapter 4.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then [therefore], I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. – Eph. 4:1

This verse is the staple of the booklet. It is what holds the whole booklet together. Without it, you have a bunch of loose thoughts, loose pages. So let’s go deeper into this verse.

First Paul describes himself as a prisoner for the Lord. Is he speaking figuratively? In what sense is he a prisoner for the Lord? Well, to use a well-worn quote, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” People attribute this quote to Sigmund Freud, but like many funny sayings, he didn’t actually say it. But it is directed at him and his work, because he viewed everything as symbolic in some way. Well, sometimes a prisoner is just a prisoner. Paul was a literal prisoner; that is, he was in prison. And viewing himself as a prisoner for the Lord is something he did elsewhere in his writings and when he spoke, and it was true. It was because of his love for and obedience to the Lord that he was in prison. And this fact was relevant to the rest of the message of this verse – it was proof that he himself had lived a life worthy of the calling that he had received.

I want to say something about the word translated as “urge”. It is parakaleo. It is the same root as that of paraclete, a word for the Holy Spirit. It means to come alongside and call. I think a better word for the translation would be beg, because begging implies this personal involvement, a joining of the person, even to the point of embarrassment for the person doing the begging. Paul is saying, “I beg you – I’ll come down on my knees in front of you and do it – I beg you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

I want to also say something about the word translated as “worthy.” We can react to this because we know that we are not worthy. God is worthy to receive all praise and honor and glory. The Greek word is axios, and I think a better translation for our time might be “appropriate to” or “in keeping with”. We are to live a life in keeping with the calling we have all received, the amazing promises and realities described in Chapters 1-3.

And so the supremely honorable Paul, gladly suffering the indignity of being a prisoner, gladly even goes further in throwing away his honor status by saying, “I beg you – please – you see that I have lived 100% for God, putting Him above my honor, even my life – I beg you, please, do the same.

And so we hear this, and our response should be “How?” “How do we do this? What does it even look like?” “And how do we find the power to do it?” The answer to the power question is before the “staple” – God has given us this power, as it says in Eph. 3:20, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or even imagine, according to His power which is at work within us! And as for the “what do we do” question, that is the main content of everything that comes after the “staple”. So let’s keep going, and see some of the answers to the “what do we do” question.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. – Eph. 4:2-3

Paul has a long list of answers to the “what do we do” question, but he starts with one of the most important. I think about how different this is from what our culture teaches, if adventure stories and movies are any indication. Now, as often as not, the hero of the story is not even very nice, although he eventually does the thing only he can do. This is not really a new thing – I think of Han Solo and Ironman as examples. But there are countless others. Our society teaches that it is OK to be rude and brash and even mean, as long as you eventually get the job done.

But God teaches, through Paul, that our character is the job to get done. Humility, gentleness, patience, not letting disagreements lead to disunity – these things are the very calling that we have in Christ. These are hard things. Subduing a wild beast is easier than taming our own selves. But in the power of God, we can do even these.

Paul then goes on to explain that unity is not the same thing as uniformity. In fact, true unity occurs through diversity. God purposely didn’t make us clones of each other, although He certainly could have chosen to do that. If we were clones of each other, it would probably be a lot easier to have unity. But no, He chose to make us all different, with different strengths and weaknesses, and different gifts of grace. Here is what Paul writes:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people.” (What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Eph. 4:4-13

Our unity runs deeper than we can understand. We are all, as we said earlier, bricks in His new building, the replacement, so to speak, for the Tabernacle and the Temple, and beyond this, we all share the same Spirit. The same Holy Spirit is at work in each of us. So we are not even any longer truly distinct entities. If I were to use Venn diagrams and draw one circle for me and one circle for one of you, there would be a large region of overlap, because the one Holy Spirit is in both of us.

Let’s talk about the Old Testament scripture quote in here. This is from Psalm 68, verse 18. The entire Psalm seems to be describing a military victory procession, the result of God defeating all His people’s enemies. In the past, when there was a great miliary victory, the winners would take the valuable spoils of the losers with them. And as part of the celebration, when the soldiers came back to their people, they would throw some of these spoils of war, whether coins or other valuable items, into the crowds that were welcoming them. And so the picture here is of Christ the victor, being given everything, for dying on the cross and then being resurrected unto life. We know that, this makes Him uniquely worthy to open the seals of Revelation, and we know from other passages that in doing this, He has defeated even death, forever. And so the picture here is of us, gathered around like the crowds observing the victor coming home, and as He goes by us, He throws to us incredibly valuable gifts. He gives us apostles, the forerunners of the gospel, and prophets, who tell us what is to come and who rightly divide truth from falsehood, and evangelists, who continue to share the good news of the gospel around the world, and pastors, who shepherd believers and help them to grow together and keep them protected and rescue them when needed, and teachers, who help explain the Word of God so that all can understand and apply what it teaches. If you view these as people, these are the “captives”, or if you view them as abilities, these are the “gifts”. From my perspective, as one whom Christ has saved, I see myself as one who has been captured by Him from Satan, and I also see my ability to teach as His gift.

And the point here is that these gifts are not for the benefit of the people that have received them. Indeed, these people are captives. They no longer live for themselves. Their gifts and indeed their very lives are for the body, to equip them for works of service, so that we can all live a life worthy of the calling we have all received.

And as we are all being built up, we will grow. We will mature. We will be built up. And it is through these processes, along with our individual devotion to God, that we will become increasingly humble, increasingly gentle, increasingly patient, increasingly bearing with one another in love, and increasingly unified in the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Paul goes on:

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Eph. 4:14-16

When I think about being blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming, my thoughts go back to my dad’s funeral, where I was given the booklet we have already talked about. At the funeral, my stepmom, my sister, and I were also given special candles, called Sheva candles. Sheva is the Hebrew word for the number seven. In Jewish tradition, when a close family member dies, those closest to the person are to “sit sheva”, which means to not leave their home for seven days. During this time, they are not to work, or cook. They are simply to “sit.” People are supposed to visit them throughout these seven days, to get things done that need doing, and also just to “sit” with them. If the person grieving wants to talk with them they can, and the person sitting with them will talk about whatever they want to talk about, but the “sitter” is not supposed to initiate conversation. Sitting in silence is fine too. The stricter versions of the traditions include covering up all mirrors, so you don’t look at how bad you look, and also includes having a short service every day, where they pray together the prayer at the staple in the booklet. During all this time, during these seven days, a candle, the Sheva candle, remains lit. It is large enough to burn for 7 days.

I took my Shiva candle with me back to South Carolina, and the morning after our late night flight, I lit my candle and put it on the mantle. Whenever I walk into the living room of our house, I look at it. I watched it getting lower, and lower, and lower. When I first lit it, it was somewhat challenging moving it to the mantle, because moving too quickly would have blown the candle out. Symbolically, I think of that candle initially being potentially blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. But because the candle is enclosed by a cylinder, as the candle continued to burn, it went lower, and lower, and lower, down to where no wind could affect it. You could say that the candle has had to die to self in order to become able to resist the false winds. And this is not a Biblical analogy – it is my own – but I think it fits. We too need to allow God to burn us down – we need to die to self – in order for us to become what God wants us to be.

Perhaps I am stretching the analogy too far, but I like to picture a second candle growing larger, being built as the one in the jar burns down. This second candle is entirely unlike the first one. It is living, and growing, and becoming more and more beautiful, even as the original candle diminishes and becomes less and less presentable. Take what you will with this picture.

As for the Scripture itself, believers here start out with a Greek word this version translates as “infants.” I think perhaps a better phrase would be “little children.” Little children can be easily misled. And they are quick to become emotional, to break down, to cry. This is the picture we should have of ourselves, if we choose to not do what it takes to grow in Christ, if we don’t read our Bibles, if we don’t pray, if we don’t regularly fellowship with a church body. And of these three things I have mentioned, it is the third one which really gets the emphasis here in Ephesians. If you are not in a church body, how will you benefit from the teachers and pastors and others who God has placed among you to expressly help you to grow?

Then we will become the body God calls us to be. It’s not really about us as individuals at all. There is very hard for us to accept or understand in our individualistic culture. But it is the clear message of Ephesians.

I’ve been struggling the past week or two with foot pain. The pain is in a very specific place, below the second toe of my left foot, and it kind of feels like I am walking with rock in my shoe at that very place. What has happened is that the tendons and ligaments that support that one small, seemingly innocuous toe joint, have become inflamed, swollen, and weak. They are not supporting the joint correctly, so the joint kind of subtly sticks out under my foot, and then when I walk, excessive pressure is put on that point. This one tiny issue is affecting my entire body. It is hard for me to walk, and when I do walk, I compensate using muscles I should not be using in that way, and I get more aches and pains.

As I was writing this message, I began to wonder if maybe this issue has happened solely for the sake of this sermon illustration. I can’t say that makes me particularly happy, but I will accept it. Again, here is the end of the passage: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I find that the phrase “speaking the truth in love” is often misused. People take it to mean permission to say hurtful things to people “for their own good.” But that is not the meaning here, which can be seen if you look at the context. The word “instead” means there is a contrast. To what is the phrase being contrasted? To being tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. In other words, the contrast to being told the truth in love is being told falsehood with evil intent. Is there ever a time for a hard truth to be told? Yes, but the spirit in which it is told is extremely important and can determine whether the truth is or is not received. I think of the phrase, “Come, let us reason together,” from Isaiah 1 as a better framework for speaking truth that is hard for someone to accept.

I don’t think we should avoid having difficult “truth-telling” conversations with people, but I think they should be bathed in prayer, and we should ask for wisdom in how to share such things with as much love as possible. The word for “love” in “speaking the truth in love” is agape, the self-sacrificial kind of love, the kind of love used to describe Jesus’ love for us, exemplified by His death on a cross. It is in this spirit of dying to self that we should seek as we undertake not only hard truth telling, but also any activity that has as a goal the growing and building up of the body of Christ.

Bright Hope for the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 19:45:00 +0000

We have a bright Hope for the future! Let us start by reading Psalm 90 together.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, or as many years as we have seen trouble. May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. – Psalm 90:1-17

Now the year 2023 will be over tonight. It has been a rough year on all accounts. We have had millions of people cross our southern border illegally. They are not all bad but amongst them are many bad actors who have carried illegal drugs specifically fentanyl. In 2023 there were reported more than 112,000 deaths due to this one drug. Drug overdoses have killed almost a million people since 1999. Overdose deaths ranks just below diabetes in terms of highest death count. In 2022 the US Drug Enforcement Association (DEA) seized 59.6 million fentanyl laced fake pills and 13,300 pounds of fentanyl powder these seizures were equivalent to more than 397 million lethal doses of fentanyl. The present US population is 335.9 million. The 2023 fentanyl seizers surpassed the fentanyl seizers from the previous three years. So in 2022 the DEA seized enough illegal fentanyl alone to kill every man woman and child in the US. In 2023 the DEA seized more than twice the amount of fentanyl that they seized 2022. In addition this year they seized fentanyl laced pills that resembled the smarties candy that kids get on Halloween and fentanyl laced gummy bears.

In 2023 there were more than 18,600 murders in the US. There were more than 500,000 cars were reported stolen in the first half of 2023. In 2023 the average number of rape and sexual assault victims is 463,634 in the US. In 2023 Satan Clubs in the primary schools. “in a victory speech and religious freedom, a federal court has ruled that the Saucon Valley School District must allow the After School Satan Club to meet in the District facilities. In 2023 Drag Queens held story time in the public libraries for children. In 2023 Pornographic books were allowed in public schools and public libraries. In some denominations Homosexuals have been ordained as priest and Bishops. In 2023 the Roman Catholic Pope has permitted the priest to give a blessing to same sex couples.

I know that this all seems depressing. So why did I title today’s message “We have a bright Hope for the future”?

Because we do!

In Revelation 21 read of John’s vision:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” - Rev. 21:1-7

Skipping ahead we read:

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. - Rev. 21:22-27

In Daniel 12 we read:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted His right hand and His left hand toward heaven, and I heard Him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” - Dan. 12:1-13

In Matthew 24 we read what Jesus says about the end and how it relates to what the prophet Daniel wrote:

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. - Matt. 24:3-25

Jesus continues:

“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. - Matt. 24:26-44

To recap, Jesus warns that because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And the good news is that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus also says that this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Those things did not happen in Matthew’s generation but they are happening in our generation.

In Revelation 22 Jesus Himself says:

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” - Rev. 22:12-16

This our hope for the future and our future is bright. No matter how dark the world gets Jesus promised that He was coming. He had the apostles record His words so that when we see these terrible things happen that we would not despair as the world does who have no hope. He wants us to fix our hope on Him. Our future is bright. As we see these things happening we can count on Jesus’ promise that He is right at the door. Things may get worse before they get better but don’t lose hope trust Him. He will make all things new when He comes as He has promised.

Jesus the Light

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 19:36:00 +0000

Good evening! Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus, long prophesied as the Messiah who was to come. There are many Old Testament verses that point to Christ, but I want to just look at one tonight:

If you listened carefully to this passage, you may have noticed that God promises to make this Person into two things. The first promise of God to make this person into is a covenant. This is a strange idea. How can a person be a covenant? Well, Jesus gives us the answer at the Last Supper, where in Luke 22:20, He says, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.” The Old Covenant was the sacrificial system given to Moses and explained in Exodus and Deuteronomy, where innocent animals were sacrificed to atone for the sin of people. This system was only a shadow of greater things to come, however. The Old Testament sacrificial system was temporary, in the sense that you had to keep sacrificing animals over and over as you continued to sin. It was also ineffective, in that the sinner did not seem to be able to stop continuing to sin, despite the fact that animal after animal was sacrificed; that is, the sacrificial system did not seem to be able to permanently change the sinner. And because of this, it was incapable of truly bringing God and man together; the intimacy with God experienced by Adam “walking with God” in the Garden of Eden was never reproduced. In fact, God was unapproachable. Only the high priest, once a year, after undergoing all kinds of purification practices, could enter the Most Holy Place, where the Presence of God dwelt.

But the New Covenant is different. Jesus, the God-Man, fully man and fully God, also without sin, became the Covenant. That is, He allowed Himself to be sacrificed, through death on a cross, as a once-for-all sacrifice to atone for sin. His incarnation – His coming in the flesh – to Earth, as an infant to be brought up by Mary and Joseph – was necessary for this New Covenant to happen. This Covenant is eternal, not temporary, because the one sacrifice is for all sin forever. And it is effective, not ineffective, because God is working through His Spirit in us to make us become people who never sin again. This process has its beginning in our present lives, but it will find its completion later, when “we will all be changed – in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye”, as we are told in I Cor. 15:51-52. And this change will include changes to our bodies, so that death itself is defeated, and we will be clothed with immortality. And unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant will truly bring us and God together. We experience this to a degree now, in how the Holy Spirit lives in us, guides us, teaches us, and comforts us. But we will experience this too in another way, as we will be with and worship the Lamb who was slain, and we will experience true intimacy with God forever.

The second promise of God in this Isaiah passage is to make this Person, whom we know is Jesus, into a light for the Gentiles. What does this mean? Well, the passage itself provides some explanation. This Light for the Gentiles will open eyes that are blind and free captives from prison, release from dungeon those who sit in darkness. Now this is highly symbolic language, so it is fair to again ask the question, what does this mean?

Well, being a Light is a major theme in the Gospel of John. Starting in John 1:4, we are told,

In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:4-5

And then we are given an almost parenthetical comment:

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. – John 1:6-8

But then we get back to the Person who indeed was the light:

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. – John 1:9-13

And so, although it is true that Jesus literally healed blind people of their blindness while He was on Earth with His disciples, I believe the Isaiah passage has a deeper fulfillment. John says that the world did not recognize Him. But then those that received Him, who believed in His name, became children of God. How? By opening their eyes. And if you are here today as a believer in Christ, He has opened your eyes as well. You are a fulfillment of Isaiah 42.

And, as for freeing captives from prison and releasing from a dungeon those who sit in darkness, I think we could say that how Jesus cast demons out of people was one fulfillment of this passage. We could also point to the Book of Acts, where God miraculously released His followers from jail. But the deeper meaning and fulfillment is again referring to us, to all believers. We sat in darkness, because we did not have the “light” of Christ. And we were captives, prisoners, because we were slaves to sin and we were also headed for eternal separation from God as our sin separated us from Him, and a day was coming when we would be judged for our sins. And apart from God, we were powerless to stop sinning. We were utterly unable to break free from the predicament we had put ourselves into. But through receiving Jesus, believing in His name, we went from prisoners in darkness to children in light.

The theme of the light of God runs throughout Scripture. In Genesis 1:4, God says that the light is good, and He separates the light from the darkness. In Exodus 10, one of the plagues sent against Pharaoh is a plague of darkness. It affects all of Egypt for three days, except where the Israelites are, where there is light. And then as God leads the Israelites in the Exodus, He does so as a pillar of fire, a source of light. In the Tabernacle and then the Temple there are lamps that are burning continually. Light is a frequent theme in Job and in the Psalms. And it is a huge theme in Isaiah – we have looked at one passage but there are many more, and in nearly all of them they point to Christ.

And then we have Jesus. During the transfiguration His face “shone like the sun,” and his clothes became blindingly bright white. And He spoke of Himself as the light, saying for example in John 8:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12b

And in John 12:

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” – John 12:46

And because this is Christmas Eve, I last turn to Simeon, the old man who was led by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple courts when the Christ child would be there. And he had the rare blessing few people will ever experience, the blessing of picking up his Savior in his arms. And this is what he said:

“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” – Luke 2:29-32

And so we have one song left to sing, Silent Night, and as is our tradition for many years, we will turn off the lights and sing to the Lord in candlelight. We are incredibly blessed, because we are the beneficiaries of God’s promise in Isaiah 42, where God said [I] will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Christ Jesus is indeed our covenant and our light. Let us sing to Him.

This Good News

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 19:13:00 +0000

Luke 1

Good morning! As Carl mentioned last week, we are taking a break from our series on the book of Ephesians. Today, we will have a Christmas focused message. After Christmas, we will have a New Year’s message before returning to the Ephesians series on January 7th.

It is a rare occasion where I start with a nearly blank sheet in front of me. I say nearly blank because it’s supposed to be a Christmas message. Obviously, that narrows things down a bit. I had been thinking about using Luke 1 as a basis for the message, but the title did not come about until David asked me what to put on the sign last Sunday.

We are going to take a look into the first chapter of the book of Luke. It’s a long chapter, 80 verses. So, we won’t be taking the whole chapter into view but rather the messages that Gabriel brings to Zechariah and Mary and then the prayers of Mary and Zechariah as a result of what God had done.

Let’s take a moment and pray and then we’ll jump right into the word.

Dear Jesus, thank You that You came from heaven to earth to show us the way. Thank You that you are the Way. That You came as a little baby, and You lived a sinless life. Then, You gave Your life for us on the cross so that we could be a part of Your family forever. Thank You Jesus, Amen.

We’ll pick up the reading at Luke 1:11. The first few verses are Luke’s introduction. Then, we are told of Zechariah, a priest who lived during the time when Herod was king of Judea. His wife’s name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God and observed the Lord’s commands and decrees. But, they didn’t have any children. We are told that Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and now they are both very old. The expression here is the same as used to describe Anna in Luke 2. Anna was at least 84 years old. So, Zechariah and Elizabeth are old enough that any hope of having a child is gone.

Zechariah is in Jerusalem working in the temple as his division was on duty. He is chosen to go into the temple to burn incense. While there, an angel of the Lord appears. Remember, Zechariah went in to burn incense. It says the angel is standing at the right side of the alter of incense. The altar of incense is not big. I didn’t find dimensions for the temple in Jesus time, but in the tabernacle, it was only a foot and a half by a foot and a half. In the temple of Ezekiel’s vision it’s three feet square. Either way, the angel is “right there.” When Zechariah saw him, “he was startled and gripped with fear.”

But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." – Luke 1:13-17

Gabriel starts by saying: Your prayer is heard. (A prayer of long ago.) Elizabeth will bear a son. You are to call him John. (The Lord is gracious.) He will be a joy and delight to you. Many will rejoice at his birth. He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is to be set apart for righteousness (no wine or fermented drink). He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord. He will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children. (A prophecy in Malachi 4:6 of the Elijah before the Lord comes.) He will turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.

Why? To make ready a people prepared for the Lord. John will prepare. He is a forerunner.

Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." The angel said to him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time." – Luke 1:18-20

Zechariah doesn’t ask the angel how it can happen. He wants to know how he can know, how can he be sure that what the angel told him is true. Gabriel answers.

I am Gabriel (mighty one of God). I stand in the presence of God. (Contrast with Zechariah’s words “I am an old man.”) I have been sent to speak to you. (This doesn’t happen every day.) I have been sent to tell you this good news. Without Zechariah, there is no John the Baptist. If there is no John the Baptist, there is no herald who announces the coming of the Messiah. If there is no herald, the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah are not fulfilled. If any of the prophecies aren’t fulfilled, then the Jesus doesn’t fulfill all things. If Jesus doesn’t fulfill all things, then God’s plan for our redemption for us is not completed. This message from Gabriel to Zechariah is good news.

Zechariah is going to lose his voice for about 9 months. Already when he comes out of the temple, the people are waiting because he has been inside too long, he cannot speak. How difficult it must have been to be unable to speak at the moment of the greatest good news. After his time of service, Zechariah returns home, and lo and behold, Elizabeth becomes pregnant. She stays in seclusion for five months. We aren’t told why. Maybe she is afraid she will lose the child. But maybe she is secluded in joy, devotion, and gratitude to the Lord. She is convinced that the Lord has allowed her to have a son. “The Lord has done this for me. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Now in Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, Gabriel is sent again by God with a message. This time it is not to the big city of Jerusalem, but to a small village in Galilee. Not to a priest but to a young virgin named Mary. Mary is pledged to marry Joseph, a far descendant of King David. But Joseph is not a king, not even a wealthy many, he is a carpenter in a small village in the remote northern region of Galilee.

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." – Luke 1:28-33

Gabriel opens saying: Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid Mary. You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son. You are to call him Jesus. Yeshua, Savior. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The divine Son of God, and the Messiah born in time. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. (Another promise to the Messiah from the Old Testament.) He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever. His kingdom will never end.

This is a different level than John. It reminds me of John’s words about Jesus. “There is one coming after me whose sandals I am not fit to untie.” (Mark 1:7)

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. – Luke 1:34-38

Contrasted with Zechariah, Mary doesn’t ask for a sign or proof. She’s asking a question for understanding. How can a virgin have a baby?

Gabriel gives Mary’s humble question a full answer.

The Holy Spirit with come on you. It will be a supernatural conception, not a natural one like John. The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. He is God’s Son from birth. Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age. Though she could not conceive, she is in her sixth month.

Why? For no word from God will ever fail. No word of God is without power to accomplish what He has said. The things Gabriel has said will come to pass.

At this point, Mary gets ready and goes to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth in the hill country of Judea. Upon her arrival Mary greets Elizabeth, and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaims with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” – Luke 1:42-45

Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the child you bear. Why am I so favored the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Again, a clear difference between John and Jesus.) Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.

Here the emphasis is on Mary’s faith, and the work is the Lord’s, not Mary’s.

Mary’s Prayer:

Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is His Name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors." – Luke 1:46-55

My soul glorifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Mary considers her own need for a savior. Mary is favored by God, blessed by God. She is not divine.

Why? He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

Why? The Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His Name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds. He has scattered those who are proud. He has brought down rulers from their thrones. He has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things. (Beatitudes.) He has sent the rich away empty. (Physical and spiritual, John 6:35.) He has helped his servant Israel.

How? Remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised. The Savior has come from and to Israel just as had been foretold.

Mary stays on with Elizabeth for about three months and then returns home. That means it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, and Mary stayed for the birth before departing. As Gabriel foretold, she gives birth to a son. Neighbors and relatives share her joy which was also foretold by Gabriel. At the time of circumcision on the eighth day, it is tradition to name the baby then. Everyone expects the baby is going to be called Zechariah Jr. after his father. But Elizabeth speaks up and says, “No! He is to be called John.” Now everyone is curious because John is not a family name. So they make signs to Zechariah which is a funny thing to me. Zechariah is not deaf, he just can’t speak. He gets a writing tablet and surprises everyone by writing, “His name is John.” At that moment, Zechariah’s speech is restored, and what does he do first? He praises God. Everyone is amazed and story goes throughout the region with everyone wondering who then will this child become, what is he going to do? Meanwhile back at the moment of getting his voice back …

Zechariah’s Prayer:

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." – Luke 1:68-79

Zechariah starts with praise as Mary did. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel.

Why? Because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His prophets long ago) He’s not talking about John but Jesus. He has raised up salvation from our enemies and the hand of all who hate us.

Why? To show mercy to our ancestors and remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to Abraham.

Which oath? To rescue us from our enemies and enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. You, my child, will be called prophet of the Most High. John will be a prophet. He is not the Son of God, like Jesus.

Why? You will go before the Lord and prepare the way for Him.

Why? To give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins

Why? Because of the tender mercy of our God by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

It is clear that Zechariah is not speaking only about his newborn son John. He is speaking of Jesus, the one who John will go before. Jesus who will come from heaven to shine on those in darkness. Zechariah even includes himself in the ones living in darkness who will be guided into the path of peace by the Messiah. He says guide our feet. Both Mary and Zechariah recognize their need for a Savior.

People today have the same need for a Savior. And as we sang in the third verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem, “Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.”

Luke 1 is a remarkable whirlwind of revelation. The last recorded prophecy had been the book of Malachi, 400 years prior to the events of Luke 1. Now, we have two visits and messages from God by way of Gabriel. And, the divinely inspired responses of Elizabeth, Mary, and Zechariah.

Their messages blend together and point to the arrival of the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The already, but not yet. This is a moment of revelation and yet, we’re left holding our breath waiting for the real events to come.

Most if not all of us look forward to Christmas. To me, it somehow captures a similar feeling of anticipation combined with fulfillment in the same event. This is the place we live today. Jesus has come and he is coming. He is risen, and he will return.

Going back to the words of Gabriel in Luke 1:37, “No word of God will ever fail.” He will reign forever. His kingdom will never end. (Luke 1:32-33.)

This is good news!

Rooted and Established

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 18:26:00 +0000

Eph. 3:1-21

Good morning! Today we continue our series in Ephesians by looking at Chapter 3. For some context, I think it is necessary for us to review the second half of Chapter 2. Now the book of Ephesians, written by Paul, the “minister to the Gentiles,” is primarily addressed to Gentiles – that is, to believers who were not of Jewish descent. And in the days before Christ, Jews and Gentiles largely kept to themselves, although a small number of Gentiles did become attracted to Judaism and even supported the Jews as they could. These people are mentioned repeatedly in the book of Acts, sometimes by the name “God fearers.” They are also mentioned on multiple synagogue inscriptions – on stones that describe those who helped to build the synagogues – from around the time of Christ.

Specifically, Gentile God fearers are mentioned in inscriptions at synagogues in Aphrodisias, Panticapaeum, Tralles, Rhodes, Venosa, Miletus, Sardis, Philaelphia, and Rome. I also think of the centurion in Capernaum in Luke 7 who had a sick servant. He sent some elders of the Jews to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant. They went willingly, and told Jesus, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” As for the rest of the story, Jesus is on His way to him and the centurion sends friends to tell Jesus to heal the servant from a distance, because he does not consider himself worthy to meet Jesus, and he knows that Jesus can do this. Jesus, the passage tells us, is amazed and tells the crowd following Him that he has not yet found such great faith even in Israel. He then, from that distance, heals the servant.

Now some God fearers chose to formerly convert to Judaism, but most did not. We don’t know all the reasons they did not, but to do so was a long process that required approval from the local Jewish community. Because Jews were not, in general, viewed favorably, it also represented a loss of status and could even be impossible for people in some occupations. For example, I strongly suspect that conversion was not even an option for the Roman centurion.

Now the Pharisees also had rules about Jews not associating with Gentiles. Did this apply to the God fearers? Not fully, but there was a degree of separation that was maintained. They were not permitted in the places Jews were permitted to go to in the Temple, for example. They could not participate in the sacrificial system. And there were undoubtedly countless other restrictions. And so what Paul writes in Eph. 2 is especially powerful:

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. – Eph. 2:11-13

We live nearly 2000 years after the time that this letter was written, and for most of that time, the number of Gentile believers has greatly exceeded the number of Jewish believers in Christ. As a result, it can be easy to miss the power of these words. For as long as we have been alive, and indeed, for much, much longer, all we have known is the Gentile church. But when you take a longer view, you can start to see how wonderful and special this really is. From the time of God’s calling of Abraham in Genesis, God worked and spoke primarily – but not exclusively – to the Jews. It was from the seed of Abraham, and then Isaac, and then Jacob, that the Messiah would come, and God gave amazing covenantal promises to Abraham and his descendants. And then God powerfully delivered the Israelite slaves from Egypt and led them supernaturally through the desert into the land He had promised them, the land of Israel.

And then, through the times of the Judges, and on into the time of Saul and David and Solomon, and even into the darker days of the divided kingdom, the destruction of the Temple, the years of exile, and the return to rebuild the Temple and walls of Jerusalem, God continued to have a unique relationship with the Jewish people, performing occasional miracles and speaking to them through prophets. And then there was a period in which the prophets were silent, and then sent an angel to speak to Mary and to Joseph – for the Messiah, at last, was to come. And by His blood, all those people groups who were, as it says figuratively, “far away”, at long last had the opportunity to become near to God. And this includes all of you.

My story is, ironically, a bit different. As a Jew, I should have been one of those whose family recognized Christ for who He is, and indeed, I should be the umpteenth generation of believers who followed Christ as descendants of those early Jewish followers. But, alas, most Jews did not receive Him. And so, in a way, our roles are reversed. Many of you come from generations of those who have been close to God, because your parents and grandparents and beyond have given their lives to Christ. And so you were the ones who were “near,” and I was one who was “far away.” And so it is for most Jewish believers today.

The end of Ephesians 2 says this:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Eph. 2:19-22

When I read this, I think of you as people who have citizens and members of His household, and me as the one who is no longer a foreigner or stranger (but who used to be one). I know, though, that really the description of being a former stranger really applies to all of us, because nobody is born into the kingdom of God. Each and every person must come to God in repentance and faith in Christ, for we are all sinners, all separated by our sin from a perfectly holy God.

In Christ, we are the same. I am reminded of what Paul writes in Gal. 3:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Gal. 3:26-28

We are in Him, together – by faith, because of what Jesus has done to save us. If you have wondered what the background image for this entire series is about, it is this. It shows a piece of Hebrew scripture on the left Greek scripture on the right, brought together to symbolize this joining of Jew of Gentile in Christ. And this brings us to Ephesians 3.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. – Eph. 3:1-6

Paul starts with a form of “therefore”. And we have just looked at what came before. So, to use a modern phrase, what is Paul’s “why”? Why does he do what he does? What is his motivation? Paul’s “why” is that God has done this epic thing – opening salvation by faith in Christ to the vast world of the Gentiles, to seemingly countless peoples and nations. But how will they partake, how will they be saved, if the gospel is not explained to them? And so Paul has dedicated the rest of his life to presenting the Gentile world with the gospel.

Paul then describes himself as a prisoner of Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles. What does this mean? Well, he is an actual prisoner. He is chained, almost certainly to a Roman soldier. We know this from chapter 6 where, in the closing of the letter, he describes himself as an ambassador in chains. Why is he a prisoner? Because he is, with God’s help, laboring to help the Gentile world come to Christ. We don’t know for certain if this imprisonment is the one described in the later part of Acts or a later imprisonment (if there was a later imprisonment). In the imprisonment described in Acts, the event that led to it was the fact that he was seen associating with a Gentile believer in Jerusalem. This particular Gentile believer was Trophimus, interestingly, an Ephesian. If he had not been ministering to the Gentiles, this particular arrest would not have happened. And this should inspire us to likewise be willing to sacrifice for God’s people, for those who have put their faith in Him. Here in America, at least for now, it is unlikely that anything we do for the sake of the kingdom of God will lead to our arrest – but that could change in the future. And being arrested for the sake of the kingdom is a sobering reality in much of the world where persecution of believers does take place.

Now there is a long dash, and the sentence doesn’t complete. What is happening? Paul is interrupting himself. We will see Paul come back to his uncompleted sentence in verse 14 to finish his thoughts. But now Paul appeals to them through his personal history, which we have covered in detail in our previous series on the book of Acts. He reminds them that his ministry to the Gentiles was not an idea he came up with, or something he reasoned out. Indeed, as we know from Acts, he was busy persecuting believers when God powerfully took hold of him. And it was God who supernaturally revealed to him the mystery that the gospel was not for Jews only, but for Gentiles as well, indeed, for the entire world, for all who would believe.

I had a very encouraging conversation with a faculty member from China on Friday. He has, from time to time, visited a local Chinese Christian church, and he agrees with some of the things he has heard. He told me the pastor came up to him and asked him about baptism. He was asked if he believed. He told me he thought about it and said he was “willing” to believe, and was that good enough? And to his credit, the pastor told him no, do not be baptized yet.

That is not enough.

This faculty member strongly reminds me of the God fearers I spoke about at the beginning of the message. He has respect for what he knows so far of Christianity, and he supports what he sees are the positive benefits of believing, both in the present and in history. But he has not yet personally taken hold of faith. He is willing to believe, but he does not yet believe. I believe his understanding of the gospel is very limited, and of the Bible even more so, and so I hope to be able to talk with him a lot more in the coming year and perhaps even study the Bible with him. We’ll see if this works out – you can pray that it will.

And in this situation I see the power of what Paul is saying in this passage. We forget that the people of the various regions that Paul went out to share the gospel with were from a wide variety of beliefs and cultures and practices, all generally very foreign to the message of Christ. And yet, when some of them heard, they believed, and they began a whole new life in Christ. And as they shared with those close to them, the gospel began to make inroads into these very different cultures. I think of my faculty friend from his Chinese cultural background, so different from cultures built upon western tradition which is itself in many ways built upon Christian belief and practice, albeit very imperfectly. And yet God may use, in His grace, me and other western believers to bring him to faith, and perhaps spread from him to his family and his acquaintances. This mystery is that through the gospel the Chinese (or fill in whatever people group you want) are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. This is indeed a fantastic and wonderful mystery being revealed. Paul continues:

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. – Eph. 3:7-13

Paul, of all people, is selected by God to preach this message of unity between Jews and Gentiles. I encourage you to stop and think for a minute how ironic, or ludicrous, or perfect this is, depending on your point of view. God chooses Paul, who describes himself as the least of all the Lord’s people, because he formerly persecuted Jews for coming to faith in Christ. Paul was an extremist. He promoted violence. He was the opposite of a unifying voice. As a fanatical legalist, given how much he hated Jews who didn’t believe what he believed, he of course hated Gentiles. And yet the Lord chooses Paul to not only be the person who brings the gospel to Gentiles, but also promotes this message that, in Christ, there are not two bodies of believers – there is only one. I think God often does this. He took a friend of mine who worked at a Salvation Army shelter and became worn out by all the alcoholics and how so few were open to the gospel and sends him to Mongolia, which at the time had the highest rate of alcoholism in the world. Or I think of Chuck Colson, who served under President Nixon and went to prison in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal for obstruction of justice, but was saved shortly before serving his time and then was used by God to lead a prison fellowship ministry that provided for prisoner’s needs but also led to many prisoners coming to faith in Christ.

And so Paul, whether despite or because of his background, or both, is chosen by God to explain to the Gentiles the gospel and to explain the “boundless riches of Christ”. The Greek word for “boundless” here is translated “unsearchable” in the King James Version, and this is a more literal translation, but one that might be harder for us to understand. Actually, I think in the computer age in which we now live, this term is easier to understand than it was in relatively modern times before computers. Think about the Internet and using Google or some other search tool. Are some things unsearchable? Yes, absolutely. Some things simply aren’t on the Internet, but more commonly the problem is that we don’t have enough specific information to find what we are looking for. Suppose you are trying to find someone you met on vacation named John Smith. Good luck! That is unsearchable. Literally, the Greek word here – which I will not attempt to pronounce – means “beyond finding out”. The idea is that the revelation of this mystery Paul is talking about, that the Gentile and Jewish believers are members of one body and sharers together in the promises of Christ, was hidden prior to God’s revelation of this in Acts. Although almost completely ignored, it was known that God had plans to have all nations worship Him some day. But the idea of Christ dying for the sins of all people, Jew and Gentile, and the idea that all believers would be together as brothers and sisters in Christ – that the ceremonial parts of the Law would be fulfilled in Christ, and that unity among Jewish and Gentile believers would be a distinguishing characteristic of the church – all of this was “beyond finding out” – it was “unsearchable”.

And not only was it beyond finding out for us humans, it also was a mystery even to the angels. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. The word “manifold” is not used often today (except as part of an engine) so let me explain it. It means many-faceted, many types or kinds. And so the manifold wisdom of God is wisdom on many different levels. That is, when people (and angels) realize God’s plan to bring the offer of salvation through Jesus to all people, whether Jew or Gentile, and to pour out blessings on both and have a unity among believers – not just a positional unity but even a unity in fellowship together – that people (and angels) will marvel at all the ways God is wise with this plan.

Then Paul says, In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. How do we approach God? Through prayer. Jew and Gentile together can approach God boldly and without restriction or hindrance in prayer. What a contrast this is to the past, where only the Jews to go to the most parts of the Temple, and only the priests to certain parts, and only the high priest once a year to the innermost part. Recall that the huge, thick, curtain of the Temple was supernaturally torn from top to bottom upon Christ’s death. No longer do only the Jewish priests have access to God. Now every believer can pray to God and know that their prayers are heard. We can approach God with freedom and confidence.

Paul is overjoyed by these truths and he is happy to encourage the Ephesians with these truths. He tells them not to feel sad for him and his imprisonment and other challenges, because he is happy to pour out his life in the service of God in this way. He goes on:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Eph. 3:14-19

And so now we return to the thought Paul started in verse 1 of this chapter – “for this reason.” And then Paul gives us one of the most glorious prayers in all of Scripture, one we would do well to emulate.

Paul starts by praying to God that He would strengthen us with the Holy Spirit’s power in our inner self. Why is strengthening important? Because it makes us able to withstand temptation, to be victorious and bold in faith. If we are weak in our inner self, we will fold, or give up when hardships come, or we will give in when temptations occur. Note that this power to be strong in our inner being is not a self-effort; it is supernatural power from God. And it enables Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith. If Christ dwells in our hearts, then there is no room for something else to dwell there, such as our own selfish will. What an excellent thing to pray for!

Paul goes on. The word for “rooted” is rizahoh, from which we get the word rhizome. Rhizomes are a type of plant that has a root system that spreads plants but they stay connected. Unlike regular root systems, they store lots of energy in the root system through bulbous portions. An example of a rhizome is a ginger plant. Another example is aspen trees. Aspen trees grow in stands, or clumps, and not only are the trees in a clump connected together, the stands themselves are also connected. In this way, the aspen can be considered to be the largest organism on earth. I find this a great word picture for the body of believers, fitting well with this chapter. We, the church universal, are all connected to Christ, all rooted in Him.

The word for “established” is in some ways similar, but it applies more to a building than to a tree. It refers to laying down a foundation. A foundation connects the structure built upon it to the ground. A foundation ensures that the structure cannot tip over or sink in a soft spot. And so Paul says that believers have both roots and foundations in love, and the word for love here is agape, the sacrificial kind of love. Paul means by this that we are rooted and grounded in the love Christ has for us, the love that led Him to die for our sins so that through faith in Him we might be saved.

And what does Paul pray for, for those of us who are rooted and established in agape love? He prays that we would be able to grasp the hugeness of the love Christ has for us. This is not something that is easy for us to grasp. But the more we understand Christ’s love for us, the more we want to live sacrificially for Him.

This is profound. Paul isn’t just praying that we live for Christ. He is instead praying that we would grasp the hugeness of Christ’s love for us, because this will enable/empower us to live for Him.

And so I would ask you – do you think about Christ’s amazing depth of love for you? This is how you become “filled to the measure of the fulness of God”. The word for filled here in Greek is used in fishing to describe stuffing a huge fishing net into a sack. I find this a very vivid picture. It reminds me of my backpacking days decades ago where I had to get my sleeping bag back into a nylon sack that came with it. I remember dreading the process of trying to roll it tightly enough to get it back in, wondering how it had ever fit in there before. Comprehending, taking hold of, the depth of Christ’s love for us can be hard, too. In fact, I would say it is impossible without the help of God. But the first step, I believe, is to accept how incredibly important this is. Paul could have prayed anything at all for these Gentile believers. He chose to pray this for them. And he gives the reason – it is critical for spiritual growth. When we sin, or when we stop growing in Christ, our problem is not a behavior problem. The behavior is only the symptom. The core problem is one of faith, one of comprehending. When we think of Christ on the cross, do you think of Him doing that for you? Not for the world, for other people, but for you?

If you were foolishly out in traffic and a stranger came, ran into traffic, yanked you out, but got hit by multiple cars and died as a result, you would understand that he gave his life for you, and I think it would change you profoundly. You would want to find his family and tell them what a hero he was and offer to do anything for them.

Now let’s slightly change this picture. You and another person, a total stranger, someone who is quite different from you, say a different race, a different culture, maybe a little strange to you, was also on that road playing in traffic, and the man yanked both of you out before dying. You two would now be connected. Both of you would want to serve his family. And because of this profound bond that you both have to this man, you would naturally want to work alongside this other person saved by him. His background wouldn’t matter, rich or poor, his race, his culture, etc. The bond you had through your savior would be infinitely more important. He saved both of you so you were equal before him. You both had an equal right and equal obligation to live for his family. This is what I believe Paul is getting at here. This is the transformative power of stuffing the hugeness of Christ’s love for you into the little sack of your heart.

Paul finishes his prayer, and indeed the first half of the book of Ephesians, with these verses:

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Eph. 3:20-21

This verse reminds me of what I came to call the second law of parenting. What we called the first law, by the way, was this: Don’t do something with your child that you are not willing to do over and over and over. Like most parents, we learned this the hard way, and we learned this pretty early in our parenting journey. The second law we learned later: If your child is doing something annoying, anything at all, instruct them to stop it. It’s not a permanent, unchangeable part of their personality. And if it annoys you, it will probably annoy many people. You are actually doing them a service in helping them to change this thing. Now parents cannot fundamentally change the personality of their children, and we should love our children for who they are. That’s not what I am talking about. I’m talking about things like using an indoor voice indoors, or not picking your nose in front of other people. I found that, for me as a parent, I tended to consistently underestimate the things I could change in my children, instead of just being embarrassed by what they did or said.

In the same way, I think we consistently underestimate what God can help us with. We just don’t think to ask God to help us with our anxiety, or our grumpiness, or our children, or whatever “minor” things are bothering us. We just put up with them, like parents just put up with the things their children do. If we truly grasped the depth of God’s love for us, we would not do this. We would be quick to come to Him asking for help in the little things as well as the big things.

And so, as an application this week, I would encourage you to do three things: First, spend a little time each day thinking about how much God loves you personally. Second, follow this up with time in prayer, giving Him praise as Paul does in the end of this passage, but also then praying for little things, the things you just put up with. And third, reach out to someone in the church this week that you don’t normally reach out to during the week. It can just be a text or email, or a phone call, or even a visit, but let us live out the truth that we are heirs together, members of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus.

Two Become One

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:16:00 +0000

Eph. 2:11-22

Good morning, we are continuing in our series on the book of Ephesians which is titled “… Therefore …” As we noted in our recent series from Acts, Paul spent more than two years in Ephesus, and from there, the gospel had gone out to the entire province of Asia to a million people or more.

Roughly 5 years later, Paul was in prison in Rome, and wrote a letter to the Ephesian believers. “This letter powerfully explains our blessings in Christ as a result of the gospel and tells us how we should *therefore* live.” And so, we are going verse by verse through this tremendously encouraging book.

Today’s passage begins with the word “therefore,” so I was curious how many therefores there are in the bible. If you will bear with me, I even made a graphic of what I learned.

First, there are 442 verses with the word therefores in the whole bible. Of that, 279 are found in the Old Testament and 163 in the New Testament. If you take the four gospels and the book of Acts together, there are just 52 therefores in those longer books. That leaves 111 verses in the New Testament Letters including Revelation. Ephesians by itself has seven occurrences, and the first one is here in Ephesians chapter 2. There is one in chapter 3. The other 5 are all packed into the second half of the letter. You’ll have to wait till the new year to hear about those (or you can just read ahead 😊).

Now, there are more than 600,000 words in the Bible. If you take all those verses and separate them out by which part of the bible they come from, you do find out that compared to other books there are a whole lot of therefores in Ephesians, about 5 times as many occurrences per word as the bible in average. One time per every 350 words of Ephesians, there is a therefore.

Ephesians gives us a lot to think about, and it builds on itself and the amazing truth of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. Therefore, let’s pray and get into today’s passage.

Lord, we thank You for all the work that You have done on our behalf that we therefore can have confidence in You and Your saving power. Teach us from these verses in Ephesians 2 today. We need You and Your truth. Renew our minds we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Okay, Ephesians 2, verse 1 …

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands) – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. – Eph. 2:11-12

I didn’t talk about the title for today’s specific message, but it’s “Two Become One.” If you noticed the title beforehand, maybe you were thinking about marriage, but it’s clear that the two are not a man and woman here, but rather two groups of people, Jews and Gentiles.

Acts 19 tells of Paul’s stay in Ephesus. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews first. He did this for the first three months of his more than two year stay. Among the Ephesian believers, there would have been far more Gentiles than Jews.

I spent a lot of time talking about “therefore,” so what is the therefore there for at the beginning of verse 11? As Brian shared last week, the first part of chapter 2 talks about how we were dead in our transgressions. Then, it goes on to say that we are saved by Christ out of that.

Here, this is called to our minds again. We, gentiles, were separate from Christ. What does it mean that we are separate from Christ? We had no citizenship in Israel. We were not part of the family of God. We were foreigners. Essentially, we were stateless with respect to the kingdom of heaven. As such, we were without hope and without God. But now …

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For, He Himself is our peace. – Eph. 2:13-14

I didn’t want to skip over these words too quickly. This is good news. We who were once far away have been brought near. We have been brought into God’s people. How? We are brought near by the blood of Christ. Jesus’ sacrifice of His own life has made a way for us. Jesus is our peace.

When you walk with the Lord and you have His word and you sing His praise, you have peace. Maybe not perfectly, maybe not all the time, but you have a refuge, a shelter, a rock to hold onto in the storm.

The people at the time Paul wrote Ephesians often lived in fear of the next thing that could happen. Their false gods were wicked; they were capricious doing whatever selfish thing they could think of. The people only thought of gods as ones to appease. You wanted to try and stay on their good side as much as possible.

What about today? We are living in a time when people are more anxious than ever before. People do not have peace. There are lots of ways that people try to find peace, but apart from Christ there is no real lasting peace.

We tend to focus on this internal peace that we have in Christ and the peace we have with God, but Jesus’ impact is even greater. The peace he brings is not just to individuals, but it is between individuals as well.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. – Eph. 2:13-15

I realize that a lot of time has passed since the Berlin Wall was torn down, but I have this picture, video really, in my mind of the wall being pushed over by bulldozers and other places by people. The wall was toppled and fell toward the west, and the people on the east could escape.

What Jesus has done in making the two peoples one, he has broken down the wall from both sides. Another way to translate the word destroyed is to say the barrier was dissolved. He has removed the barrier in every aspect. He has removed the hostility. He has set aside the law. He did not abolish the law. He fulfilled the law. (Matthew 5:17) He did it with His own flesh. Jesus was the sacrifice which removed the obligations of the law, its commands and regulations. It’s amazing, wonderful. What is the result, or why did he do it?

His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. – Eph. 2:15-16

This is a huge vision! In Christ, there is one new humanity, one body, one person, one man, unified.

Think about what the world is like both then and now. There is conflict between peoples wherever you look. Hard-heartedness, bitterness, conflict and war.

It pains me to say it, but even within the church of Christ, there is division. Why must it be this way? I think Paul explains this later in Ephesians. I’m thinking of verses like Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” God didn’t inspire Paul to write that we should be humble and gentle when we feel like it or when we don’t have our dander stirred up. It says to be completely humble. We are to interact with one another with all humility.

And then, I think about Ephesians 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Paul writes this command to submit before he writes about different roles within a household. Before different God-ordained roles, we are told to submit to one another. If we love our Lord Jesus Christ. If we have reverence for our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will submit to one another.

And when we fail, because we will, we need to apologize and ask forgiveness. Thereby, we will allow unity to be restored within the body of Christ. Dissension or disunity is an act of the flesh spoken against in Galatians 5 (v.20). We should not have hostility toward one another. This has been put to death in Christ as Ephesians 2:16 tells us. He has reconciled both groups together. If we hold on to hostility toward another believer, if we are not believing the best about a brother (I Corinthians 13:7), that’s a problem. Philippians 2:3 tells us that we should consider others better than ourselves, count them more significant, more important. If our attitude toward a brother puts them down and raises us up, that’s not okay. We are clearly not walking in the Spirit.

We have to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. – Eph. 2:17-18

Paul is speaking to both the Jews and Gentiles here. The Gentiles were the ones far away from God, spiritual foreigners, remember. The Jews were the ones who were near because they had the promises of God. They had the Old Testament, the covenants. But, the message to both is the same. It is a message of peace, a message of reconciliation.

Both groups, Jews and Gentiles, have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. What?! If we’re used to hearing this truth, it’s easy for it to slip past us as ordinary. We have access to the Father. The King of the Universe is friendly toward us. I know this is the third time I’ve looked ahead in Ephesians, but chapter 3 tells us that this access allows us to come freely to the Father with confidence. (v. 12)

I can tell you that the last couple of years have been tough for me on the personal friend front. Two of my long-time friends from work left to take other jobs. When I say long-time, I mean one was 10 years of daily interaction. The other has been a friend for 24 years. I don’t hear from either of them unless I initiate. One of those doesn’t reply with any words, just links to things that are on his mind. A third friend has moved on to other responsibilities within our plant. We still talk fairly often, but we’re not “besties.” I have conversations with other friends, and I feel like I listen well. I try to interact. To be honest and to my own shame, I think I’m a better listener to my friends than to my wife. After trying to be there for them, they might ask me how I’m doing. I start to tell them, but I feel like I usually get cut off. Nothing harsh, I just feel that they don’t have time for me because something else is more important. I don’t have free and confident access to the people I think are my closest friends.

That’s not the situation that we have with God our Father. He is always there for us. We can come to Him any time. There is nothing more important to Him. He is ready willing and able to talk to us. He has given us His word to hear from Him. He has filled us with His Spirit to guarantee that He is there for us.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. – Eph. 2:19-20

Thinking about being a foreigner and stranger reminded me of something I experienced years ago. There have been many times where I felt like a stranger in a foreign country that I was visiting. But, the most out of place I’ve ever felt was actually in Los Angeles. I had to go there on a business trip, and while I was getting my rental car, the guy at the counter looked at my driver’s license and says, “Hey, you’re Farmer John.” And I respond, “Excuse me.” At this point, he notes from my license that I’m from South Carolina and guesses that I’ve never heard of Farmer John sausage. Well, it turns out that Farmer John is the Jimmy Dean of California. Up until 2021 if you bought a hot dog at a Dodgers game or the Staples Center, it was a Farmer John hot dog.

It also turns out that there was a huge Farmer John packaging plant adjacent to Los Angeles in a city called Vernon. Vernon’s city motto is “Exclusively Industrial.” The city has a population of 328, and many of these are employees of the city. The 10 acre Farmer John plant had about 2000 employees and was completely painted with murals starting back in 1957. So, I think, “Man, I’ve got to see this.” So, when I visited, it was so big, I had to drive around the whole thing. Then I stopped and got out and walked around taking pictures mostly with my jaw on the ground. The guy who started the murals worked on it for 11 years, and then after he died another man continued for years. It is really something to see, not so much something to smell.

I walked around a corner, and I’m right next to the main entrance to the plant. I was wondering to myself if I should show my ID and see if they would let John Farmer in to see Farmer John. Right at that moment was shift change, and I go from being the only person on the street to standing in the middle of a crowd of several hundred people, and except for me everyone is going in the same direction, away from the plant. There was this dynamic that they all had a similar purpose. They were all moving the same way. They knew each other. They didn’t know me. They were dressed for work in a meat packing plant. I was dressed business casual. At first, I was moving sort of against them, or at least not along with them. As it became more of a wall of people, I just kind of got swept along with the crowd and then started making my way back to my car. And for that 5 or 10 minutes, I felt like a complete outsider. I was an alien. And I guess because of the suddenness and unexpectedness of it, it really stuck with me.

Another aspect of difference was that I was the only Caucasian that I could see in that crowd. There were about an equal share of people of Asian descent, Hispanic descent, and African descent. Fast forward a few years from this event, and I’m telling the story I told you to some friends at work including a dear brother in Christ who is of Indian-descent but is actually from Trinidad and Tobago. I get to that part about never feeling like a stranger to that extent, and I say something enlightened like, “I’m the only white guy in this HUGE crowd.” I look at my friend. He doesn’t say anything and doesn’t betray anything to the others listening. But, in about a half a second, I realized while I didn’t see him as a stranger, he had had that feeling of being a stranger a whole lot more times that I had. And in fact, I had just made him feel like a stranger and foreigner in the way I told that story. Ugh. I think it doubly hurt him because I was his friend. And I couldn’t see the danger because he was my friend. He’s moved away, first to Europe and now eastern North Carolina, but I have a reminder in my calendar, and I try to keep in contact with him each year. Why do I tell that story?

We are no longer foreigners and strangers to one another in the body of Christ. (I Peter 1:1 tells us that as believers we are strangers in the world though.) We have a common citizenship. We are fellow citizens. We have a place for eternity with God’s people. Not only that, we are members of His household. We are part of God’s family.

Paul turns his metaphor here and begins to look at the body of Christ as a building. Our place is much higher up or farther out in the construction than when Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus. Even then, he wrote of how new believers are added into the construction built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets who rest upon the chief cornerstone, Christ Jesus.

We sang that song earlier, “In Christ Alone.” He is our cornerstone, our solid ground. He is firm through the fiercest drought and storm. If we do not build our spiritual house of Jesus Christ, then we will not stand. Why? Because …

In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. - Eph. 2:21-22

It reminds me a little of Colossians 1:17 in how Jesus holds everything together, the whole universe. More importantly, Jesus joins together the whole body of Christ as a holy temple in the Lord. Not only is Jesus the foundation. He is also the mortar that joins us all together.

This earth and its heavens are passing away, but the family of God is forever. And Jesus is right there making sure we are built together and not apart. And that, brothers and sisters, is good news!

It’s interesting how messages come together sometimes. I thought that before the end, I would have come to the conflict between Israel and Hamas since this entire passage is about the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles. I hope it is plain to you all what the answer is for peace in the Middle East. The answer is the that peace is only possible if they would accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know from scripture that not all of them will, but some will, and we must continue to pray for the gospel to go forth and for people to come to Christ. The answer to the peace of Israel on both sides. It is for both Israel and her enemies to acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Sadly, neither side has been looking to the Lord certainly not at the leadership level. Again, I encourage you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and the salvation of her people both Jew and Gentile.

And, may we continue to love one another, pray for one another, submit to one another, in Christ because we are held together in Him and by Him and through Him.

Therefore … in light of what Christ has done for us. Let us continue to be built together as a dwelling in which God lives.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you not only save us as individuals, but you save us as a people together. Unify our hearts as a body of believers who love one another, believe the best, and encourage and build one another up. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Dead or Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Clemson Community Church) — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:56:00 +0000

Eph. 2:1-10

Here is today’s passage:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Eph 2:1–10

Black or white. Yes or no. True or false. Saved or objects of wrath. Grace or works. Dead or alive. Imagine going to your doctor and you ask him one simple question, “Do I have cancer?” His response: “Well, sort of.” What if you go to your banker and ask, “Do I have any money in my account?” Her response: “Well, sort of.” Before you take off in a jet you ask the pilot a simple question, “Do you have any experience flying an aircraft?” “Well, sort of,” is their response. There are some things in this world that are black or white, true or false. The same is true for spiritual life. We’re either dead or alive. We have to understand our spiritual state based on what God’s word says about us, not how we feel.

You can have the COVID virus and not have any symptoms. You feel healthy. The objectivity of science can show us whether or not we have the virus. We also need the objectivity of God’s word to tell us what is really going on with our relationship with God. The reality however is that we are experiencing the symptoms of a sinful heart. Some people don’t know what symptoms to look for. Others are in denial.

Imagine that you have a high fever. You’ve been coughing seemingly non-stop, your head hurts and you’ve lost your sense of taste. You go to the doctor and she gives you a COVID test. Your results come back as positive. There’s a virus inside of you that has been multiplying. It’s weakening your body. The symptoms are a result of a disease. Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matt. 6:19) The disease is sin, which is our rejection and hate towards God. As bad as the list Jesus gave, they’re still just the symptoms. We are accountable to God for our sinful heart as well as the sinful thoughts, words, and actions that come as the result of a sinful heart.

When you read the story of Adam and Eve you see what happens as a result of rebellion towards God. One thing that happens is blame. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Hiding is another symptom. They hid from each other and they hid from God.

There are different kinds of death you can find in the Bible. There is physical death. In Hebrews 9:27 it says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” There is eternal death as well. Paul talked about the “everlasting destruction” people will face:

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. – 2 Thess. 1:8-10a

The apostle John talked about this too:

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. – Rev. 20:14

Eternal torment is known as death. In Ephesians 2, Paul was talking to people who were alive physically but had been dead in the past. These people were without spiritual life. They didn’t have eternal life. They were disconnected from God. They were walking dead people.

When we see this world, all types of people know that there should be something better. This is true even for people who don’t believe in absolute truth. Some people don’t believe there is true or false, right or wrong, dead or alive. I try to help them see that they really don’t believe that. We all believe that certain things “should” be this way or that way. For example, instead of being violent, we should be loving. Instead of lying, we should tell the truth. Miriam doesn’t know much about car mechanics. When something is wrong she doesn’t say, “I believe that the valve spring on cylinder number 8 was tightened to 150 degrees instead of 365 degrees.” Instead, she shows me how the van lurches when she presses the gas. Sometimes she will make entertaining sounds, trying to mimic what she is hearing from under the hood. She doesn’t have to know the inner workings of the engine. She just knows that something isn’t right. The car is not doing what it’s supposed to. There are even atheists who believe that there should be more love instead of hate. As they would say where I come from, “Something just ain’t right here.”

Where does this sense of “should” come from? Take for instance what happened in Israel recently. Why can anyone say that Hamas “should” have loved the Israelites rather than raped them? Why can anyone say that showing kindness is better than killing an entire family in their home, including babies? My point is there is right and wrong. It’s possible that you are dead in your transgressions and sins. And it is possible that you are dead even though you may not feel like you are.

For many years I didn’t think that I was that bad of a person. At least I wasn’t as bad as this person over here. I didn’t think I was dead. Matter of fact, I didn’t even know there was a state of spiritual death. I’ll share one thing I did when I was a kid.

I was probably about 10 years old. I hung out with one of the neighborhood kids a lot. He was not a good influence. We ended up doing stupid things. One night we decided we were going to throw rocks onto the neighbor’s house. The kid that lived in that house was picked on by a number of kids our age. They were poor. We wanted to practice our ninja skill of stealthiness. We threw rocks and they would come outside to see who was doing it. They couldn’t find where we were. I remember hiding behind our green metal shed.

I had a good throwing arm. I lobbed a rock way in the air to maximize the noise I could make when it landed on the roof. But instead of hearing a thud, I heard the sound of glass breaking. I had broken the sliding glass door. It made a huge explosion sound. The mom came out of the house yelling. We stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. We talked for a couple minutes about our plan to escape. We turned around and there she was…the mom. I’ll never forget the feeling of fear and shame wash over the inside of me. She was a short lady but she seemed a couple of feet taller that day for some reason. We didn’t hear her coming at all. It turned out that she had some mom ninja skills. Apparently, our skills weren’t complete. What did I do?

I ran. I ran like I’ve never ran before. I ran like demons were chasing me all the way to the house. I think I jumped over all four steps that led to our back door. In the 3.2 seconds it took me to run 200 ft, I had come up with a plan. I busted through the doorway while out of breath and I saw something I couldn’t believe. Someone came to visit my mom and dad. This “someone” had never come to our house before. Before that day I felt like God didn’t want to be involved in my life. But that day changed my mind. You see God had sent someone at the most peculiar time. God had sent the prophet Nathan to King David. He sent the prophet Samuel to King Saul. And there on our couch, I saw who God sent to me…our pastor.

There are 365 days of the year. At this point, I had probably lived about 3650 days. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Out of all those days and all the minutes in that day, he “just so happened” to show up at our house during the moments in which I broke the sliding glass door. There in front of my parents and our pastor, I nervously explained what had happened. I had been so frightened by the momma ninja that I was speaking lightning fast. There, in front of all three of them, I made a confession. I did what I thought was the right thing. I confessed that it was my friend’s idea to throw the rocks. And it was he who threw the rock into the sliding glass door.

I had no regard for our neighbor’s well-being or their property. I caused suffering for someone else. I chose to lie over the truth. I had dishonored my parents. Just like Adam and Eve, I hid. I hid my sin. I hid the truth from all three of them. I don’t remember how things unfolded after that. I do know that because me and my friend were telling opposite stories it must have been difficult for the truth to be found out. I don’t remember receiving a severe punishment. I think I was able to get away relatively unscathed. It’s unfortunate I did. I have done many other things in life that have shown the disease of sin that I’ve had in my heart.

Paul said that “we were by nature objects of wrath…” Before we are “in Christ” we’re not God’s children. We’re objects of wrath. We’re all created by God. We’re created in his image. He loves us. But we are objects of wrath.

None of us are ever in a neutral spiritual state. We are always following someone. If we’re not following Jesus, then we are following Satan. He’s the one often thought of as the “ruler of the kingdom of the air…” Another translation says “the prince of the power of the air…” Most people would say, “Oh, I’m not following Satan.” I thought the same thing. How can we know if we are following Satan? We need to look at how God defines it. Have you ever gratified the cravings of your sinful nature and followed its desires and thoughts? Have you ever been disobedient to God? If so, then you qualify as a follower of Satan. You don’t have to be involved in the occult. You don’t have to be involved in pentagrams and strange animal, or even human, sacrifice. People have been saying that the attacks from Hamas on the Israelites were demonic. I think demons were involved in what happened. But let’s not forget that gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and being disobedient to God is Satanic. I’m not saying that we’re possessed by Satan. Satan does nothing but produce pollution and we’re taking all that air into our lungs. It’s not just murder that has demonic influences. James says,

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. – James 3:14-15

This passage that we’re looking at in Ephesians takes a dramatic turn in verse 4…”But God…” That’s how the NASB translates it. Paul, in contrast to our sin, begins talking about the nature of God and what he’s done for us. God has “great love for us” and “is rich in mercy.” He makes us alive and he saves us. He raises us up and seats us with him in the heavenly places. He has shown us the “incomparable riches in his grace, expressed in his kindness…” He makes us his workmanship to do good works.

Who God is and what he has done is set in contrast to who we are and what we have done. You know, I think I’ve done a pretty good job cleaning my teeth. They seem white and not too yellow. But it’s interesting what happens when I shave. I spread a really white substance on my face. All of a sudden my teeth don’t look so white. They actually look a disgusting yellow. The bright white reveals the true imperfection of my teeth. And my teeth reveal the incredible pure whiteness of the shaving cream. When we realize how sinful we were before Christ it reveals how merciful God has been to us in Christ. When we see how gracious God is we realize how much of his kindness we don’t deserve. When our sins are forgiven, God’s love, mercy, grace and kindness are magnified.

God always tells the truth. If we believe what God says about our sinfulness, then why not believe him about what he says about himself as well as what he has done for us. In Christ we’ve been prepared to good works. God saves us by grace. Our salvation is a gift. And at the same time he has expectations for us. He has good works for us to do. His grace empowers us to do those works. He also expects us not to live for ourselves anymore. Listen to what Paul said, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15). When lost people hear that we’re saved by grace they think we’re saying, “We want God to save us from hell to come. After we’re saved we can do whatever we want.” But we’re saying exactly the opposite thing. It’s God’s grace that empowers us to do good works, not our guilt. If I told Miriam that I love her and that I would never leave her, then what would that motivate her to do? It would motivate her to be faithful to me, not to leave me. It wouldn’t do the opposite.

What greater way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to celebrate what God has saved us from, what he has prepared us for, and all the things he has given to us. I’d like to close with the lyrics of a song I like. It’s by Lauren Daigle and it’s called “He’s Still Rolling Stones”.

Out of the shadows
Bound for the gallows
A dead man walking
Till love came calling
Rise up (rise up)
Rise up (rise up)

Six feet under
I thought it was over
An answer to prayer
The voice of a Savior
Rise up (rise up)
Rise up (rise up)

All at once I came alive
This beating heart, these open eyes
The grave let go
The darkness should have known

You're still rolling stones…