Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
"The Covenant" message #2: Resources of the Relationship
As I stated last week, when first became a Christian I set out to obey all of God’s commands. That was good, but I soon learned of the difficulty of the task and of the impossibility of doing so with my own strength and will power. I also had no idea that God would expect me to fight His enemies. However if our relationship is truly a covenant then in fact we would fight each others fight. In fact with all of our efforts to please God we often think that we need to do so on our own or just fall for the lie that we will never be able to please Him. The truth is that God has granted us all that we will ever need not only to please Him, but also to live in the victory over our enemies that so often cause us to believe that we are not pleasing our Heavenly Father.
Through the study of our relationship as a covenant we come to see that God has given us all we need for the fight that we call life. If you need a refresher on the definition of covenant see the last week's post. For this post we will be looking at the first three of ten steps in the ancient covenant ceremony. These three steps will help us understand that part of our relationship with God that resources us to successfully live in victory over our own enemies and the enemy of God.
Step #1: The exchange of Robes - As two kings would begin the ceremony they would there ribes. This would signify an exchange identity. Understood in our relationship with God, we come to find out that God has indeed exchanged identity with us.
Phil 2:5-8
5 For, let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God, 7 but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made, 8 and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death--death even of a cross,(YLT)
Luke 24:49
49 `And, lo, I do send the promise of my Father upon you, but ye -- abide ye in the city of Jerusalem till ye be clothed with power from on high.'
Romans 13: 13-14
13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Step #2: The exchange of belts - This exchange would symbolize the exchange of strengths. As kings came together they would now posses the strengths of each others kingdom. This usually amounted to an stoppable tandem. The following passages show how this has taken place in our relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 8:17-19
17 Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
2Corinthians 12:7-9
7 So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV)
Step #3: The exchange of weapons – This exchange meant that each king would be taking on the enemies of his covenant partner. Have you ever wondered how young David could have been so bold in his encounter with Goliath? In the following passage he calls Goliath "uncircumcised". Without understanding the covenant relationship one may ask "what in the wide world would that have to do with a fight?" The answer in light of the covenant is very powerful. It means that Goliath and the Philistines are not in covenant with God therefore can be defeated by those who are in covenant with God. To understand how this exchange is described in Scripture read the following passages.
1 Samuel 17:23-26
23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel." 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (ESV)
1 Corinthians 15:21-26
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Ephesians 6:10-17
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
May you know that He will defeat your enemies and may we use what He has given us in the fight.
Hope to worship our covenant God with you soon,
Pastor Paul
Through the study of our relationship as a covenant we come to see that God has given us all we need for the fight that we call life. If you need a refresher on the definition of covenant see the last week's post. For this post we will be looking at the first three of ten steps in the ancient covenant ceremony. These three steps will help us understand that part of our relationship with God that resources us to successfully live in victory over our own enemies and the enemy of God.
Step #1: The exchange of Robes - As two kings would begin the ceremony they would there ribes. This would signify an exchange identity. Understood in our relationship with God, we come to find out that God has indeed exchanged identity with us.
Phil 2:5-8
5 For, let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God, 7 but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made, 8 and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death--death even of a cross,(YLT)
Luke 24:49
49 `And, lo, I do send the promise of my Father upon you, but ye -- abide ye in the city of Jerusalem till ye be clothed with power from on high.'
Romans 13: 13-14
13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Step #2: The exchange of belts - This exchange would symbolize the exchange of strengths. As kings came together they would now posses the strengths of each others kingdom. This usually amounted to an stoppable tandem. The following passages show how this has taken place in our relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 8:17-19
17 Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
2Corinthians 12:7-9
7 So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV)
Step #3: The exchange of weapons – This exchange meant that each king would be taking on the enemies of his covenant partner. Have you ever wondered how young David could have been so bold in his encounter with Goliath? In the following passage he calls Goliath "uncircumcised". Without understanding the covenant relationship one may ask "what in the wide world would that have to do with a fight?" The answer in light of the covenant is very powerful. It means that Goliath and the Philistines are not in covenant with God therefore can be defeated by those who are in covenant with God. To understand how this exchange is described in Scripture read the following passages.
1 Samuel 17:23-26
23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel." 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (ESV)
1 Corinthians 15:21-26
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Ephesians 6:10-17
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
May you know that He will defeat your enemies and may we use what He has given us in the fight.
Hope to worship our covenant God with you soon,
Pastor Paul
Friday, March 25, 2011
"Knowing What They Knew": The Covenant Series
When I first started my relationship with God, I understood that my sin was forgiven through the death of Jesus, and that I was given eternal life in heaven because Jesus had risen from the dead. With this information I began to do my best to please Him by following His word and plan for my life. I could have lived the rest of my life with that knowledge and made it safely to heaven. What I did not know was that God had bound Himself to me and that everything that He is and does is being poured into my life and available to me.
We can live our lives without ever knowing all we have in our relationship with God and go to heaven. I believe that is why, for some, the Christian life gets extremely boring and just looks like a bunch of rules. I think that is why, when life get rough, people think that God has left them or somehow has failed to love them.
Perhaps this is because that we do not understand that all of God is ours. God makes it clear that all of His activity throughout history has been with one goal in mind. That goal is to lovingly bind all that He is with us.
Through this series my prayer is that God will radically broaden our understanding of the type of relationship that He has committed to us and that our understanding of who we are in Him will explode with passion. I pray that we will know what those thriving at the time of Christ knew. The following are the notes for the first sermon in our series, "The Covenant".
I. Zechariah worshiped and lived based on His understanding of God’s Covenant.
Luke 1:67-80 (ESV)
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,saying,
68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
I. Mary worshiped and lived based upon her understanding of God’s covenant.
Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)
46 And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
III. Paul the Apostle taught others to understand who they were based on God’s covenant.
Gal 3:8-9 (ESV)
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Gal 4:21-31 (ESV)
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
"Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband." 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Heb 6:13-20 (ESV) (Author Unknown)
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The above passages may have left you a bit confused at first reading, but by the end of this series they will become more clear. For know, if you want to worship and live like Zechariah and Mary; if you want to encourage others like Paul the Apostle; you need to know what they knew. They knew that God had made a covenant with His people and that it was impossible for Him to break it. May you worship and live knowing that God has bound Himself to you and all He is and has is yours. Stay tuned!
Pastor Paul
We can live our lives without ever knowing all we have in our relationship with God and go to heaven. I believe that is why, for some, the Christian life gets extremely boring and just looks like a bunch of rules. I think that is why, when life get rough, people think that God has left them or somehow has failed to love them.
Perhaps this is because that we do not understand that all of God is ours. God makes it clear that all of His activity throughout history has been with one goal in mind. That goal is to lovingly bind all that He is with us.
Through this series my prayer is that God will radically broaden our understanding of the type of relationship that He has committed to us and that our understanding of who we are in Him will explode with passion. I pray that we will know what those thriving at the time of Christ knew. The following are the notes for the first sermon in our series, "The Covenant".
I. Zechariah worshiped and lived based on His understanding of God’s Covenant.
Luke 1:67-80 (ESV)
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,saying,
68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
I. Mary worshiped and lived based upon her understanding of God’s covenant.
Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)
46 And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
III. Paul the Apostle taught others to understand who they were based on God’s covenant.
Gal 3:8-9 (ESV)
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Gal 4:21-31 (ESV)
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
"Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband." 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Heb 6:13-20 (ESV) (Author Unknown)
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The above passages may have left you a bit confused at first reading, but by the end of this series they will become more clear. For know, if you want to worship and live like Zechariah and Mary; if you want to encourage others like Paul the Apostle; you need to know what they knew. They knew that God had made a covenant with His people and that it was impossible for Him to break it. May you worship and live knowing that God has bound Himself to you and all He is and has is yours. Stay tuned!
Pastor Paul
Monday, March 7, 2011
Believing is Seeing
We often pray for second best when we pray for signs and fail to live by the inward guidance of His Spirit. I think we somehow ignore the fact that God leads from within and may or may not grant to us the signs which we speak. Matthew and Luke record some strong words from the lips of Savior that address this issue, but are in many ways misunderstood and wrongly applied to our prayer life.
Matt 12:38-41 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:14-16, 29 (ESV)
14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
Before diving into the text, we must be reminded that a request for a sign is not necessarily wrong in itself. God gave Abraham a sign to confirm his faith in Genesis 15. God also gave Gideon a sign to confirm his call to deliver Israel in Judges 6:36-40. So if asking for a sign is not a sin, why did Jesus speak as He did as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew an Luke? I think that if we read His statements within the context of the entire chapters in which they are foun we will come to understand that Jesus was unwilling to give a sign to those who would not believe even if He did. The phrase “An evil and adulterous generation…” is to applied to the Jews who in this very chapter accredited Jesus’ miracle of casting out demons to the work of Satan. God often referred to the Jews as adulterous for not being obedient to His laws and forsaking their relationship. We also may understand His words within the truth that a miracle may not convince the one who rejects the Word of God. Pause for a moment and read the story Jesus tells about a certain rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Pay close attention to verse 31.
Other factors that may be applied to the words of Jesus are, the reality of false miracles and the truth that those who sought a sign were most likely seeking another means by which to accuse Jesus. This was the common practice of the Pharisees and Saducees of Jesus day.
So if the request for a sign is not sinful nor adulterous why would I suggest we go about this another way? I have discovered that a better way of having Christ convince the non-believer and lead the Christian, is from within his spirit. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock”. Many use this saying of Jesus in a wonderful but misinformed manner. They do so by not recognizing that Jesus was not speaking to non-believers, trying to call them to salvation. However the context of the statement is Jesus speaking to believers in the church of Laodicea who have become blind to their spiritual poverty due to their material prosperity. Context is Rev. 3:14-22 andd through the context we learn that Jesus speaks to His people from within. It has been my experience that this is a more sure way to follow our Lord. Speaking of the Holy Spirit guiding us from within, Thomas Kelly writes, “Protestants emphasis, beginning so nobly in the early Luther, has grown externally rationalistic, humanistic, and service-minded.” (A Testament of Devotion 1941)p33.
Therefore based upon the above understanding of Scripture, may the secret places of your heart cease to be our noisy workshop, and may you continuously renew your intimacy with God so that you walk by His inward guidance without the need for outward signs.
Believing is seeing,
Paul
Matt 12:38-41 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:14-16, 29 (ESV)
14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
Before diving into the text, we must be reminded that a request for a sign is not necessarily wrong in itself. God gave Abraham a sign to confirm his faith in Genesis 15. God also gave Gideon a sign to confirm his call to deliver Israel in Judges 6:36-40. So if asking for a sign is not a sin, why did Jesus speak as He did as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew an Luke? I think that if we read His statements within the context of the entire chapters in which they are foun we will come to understand that Jesus was unwilling to give a sign to those who would not believe even if He did. The phrase “An evil and adulterous generation…” is to applied to the Jews who in this very chapter accredited Jesus’ miracle of casting out demons to the work of Satan. God often referred to the Jews as adulterous for not being obedient to His laws and forsaking their relationship. We also may understand His words within the truth that a miracle may not convince the one who rejects the Word of God. Pause for a moment and read the story Jesus tells about a certain rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Pay close attention to verse 31.
Other factors that may be applied to the words of Jesus are, the reality of false miracles and the truth that those who sought a sign were most likely seeking another means by which to accuse Jesus. This was the common practice of the Pharisees and Saducees of Jesus day.
So if the request for a sign is not sinful nor adulterous why would I suggest we go about this another way? I have discovered that a better way of having Christ convince the non-believer and lead the Christian, is from within his spirit. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock”. Many use this saying of Jesus in a wonderful but misinformed manner. They do so by not recognizing that Jesus was not speaking to non-believers, trying to call them to salvation. However the context of the statement is Jesus speaking to believers in the church of Laodicea who have become blind to their spiritual poverty due to their material prosperity. Context is Rev. 3:14-22 andd through the context we learn that Jesus speaks to His people from within. It has been my experience that this is a more sure way to follow our Lord. Speaking of the Holy Spirit guiding us from within, Thomas Kelly writes, “Protestants emphasis, beginning so nobly in the early Luther, has grown externally rationalistic, humanistic, and service-minded.” (A Testament of Devotion 1941)p33.
Therefore based upon the above understanding of Scripture, may the secret places of your heart cease to be our noisy workshop, and may you continuously renew your intimacy with God so that you walk by His inward guidance without the need for outward signs.
Believing is seeing,
Paul
Friday, February 25, 2011
I Don't Get It
I do not always understand the outcome of completing the work to which God has called me. This can, if I allow it, cause a hesitancy to obey His leading and sending. I tend to be a person who likes to have all the answers before making a commitment. However when dealing with God, you could call this a lack of faith. There is a big push for mission statements these days but are they really an attempt to erase faith by needing to know how our obedience will workout? I am for mission statements, but caution should be taken.
Some of us struggle to obey God because we are not sure how it will turn out. Because of this we say “I will not”; based on a misunderstanding of how God completes His work. Go does not always tell us all what He has planned within the scope of the work to which we are called. We often find ourselves in places we never would have dreamed, doing things that we never thought were possible. The point is this; as you participate in the work of God, He will determine the outcome as you walk in faithful obedience. The following is what we can learn from Jonah chapter four. I suggest that before you continue reading this, you open up your Bible and read this chapter.
At times we may struggle to connect who God is and what He is asking us to do.
Jonah’s knowledge of God’s merciful character caused him to say “I will not” to God at the outset of his call to announce judgement upon the city of Nineveh. Can you imagine Jonah pondering his call to announce judgment while believing God to be merciful. This is one reason why Jonah tried to escape following what God had called him to do.
A second point of concern is when God’s actions do not flow according to our thoughts and we become angry. Jonah was angry at the fact that His knowledge of God being merciful was fulfilled. To us this may not seem like some thing over which to become angry. However if you or I were an Old Testament prophet we would probably understand. There are several possible reasons for Jonah’s anger perhaps Jonah thought that others would think he was a false prophet. Or maybe he believed that the lack of judgment would give Gentiles a reason to mock God for the unfulfilled words of His prophet. One other possible reason for his anger could have been his patriotism that would have caused him to desire the destruction Nineveh as a means of alarming his own people who were in rebellion and bring them to repentance.
All this being considered God calls us to participate in His work and we have no right to be angry at what He chooses as the outcome. This is the point of the object lesson provided for Jonah in verses 5-11. This point is made many times throughout the Scriptures. One such occasion is Psalm 11. Here we come to understand that we are to engage in His work through study and remembrance while performing the work in the wisdom that comes from fearing Him. The challenge now becomes to follow God's call even if we just don't understand how it will all turn out.
May God bless you with a call to do His work, and may you never say no.
Some of us struggle to obey God because we are not sure how it will turn out. Because of this we say “I will not”; based on a misunderstanding of how God completes His work. Go does not always tell us all what He has planned within the scope of the work to which we are called. We often find ourselves in places we never would have dreamed, doing things that we never thought were possible. The point is this; as you participate in the work of God, He will determine the outcome as you walk in faithful obedience. The following is what we can learn from Jonah chapter four. I suggest that before you continue reading this, you open up your Bible and read this chapter.
At times we may struggle to connect who God is and what He is asking us to do.
Jonah’s knowledge of God’s merciful character caused him to say “I will not” to God at the outset of his call to announce judgement upon the city of Nineveh. Can you imagine Jonah pondering his call to announce judgment while believing God to be merciful. This is one reason why Jonah tried to escape following what God had called him to do.
A second point of concern is when God’s actions do not flow according to our thoughts and we become angry. Jonah was angry at the fact that His knowledge of God being merciful was fulfilled. To us this may not seem like some thing over which to become angry. However if you or I were an Old Testament prophet we would probably understand. There are several possible reasons for Jonah’s anger perhaps Jonah thought that others would think he was a false prophet. Or maybe he believed that the lack of judgment would give Gentiles a reason to mock God for the unfulfilled words of His prophet. One other possible reason for his anger could have been his patriotism that would have caused him to desire the destruction Nineveh as a means of alarming his own people who were in rebellion and bring them to repentance.
All this being considered God calls us to participate in His work and we have no right to be angry at what He chooses as the outcome. This is the point of the object lesson provided for Jonah in verses 5-11. This point is made many times throughout the Scriptures. One such occasion is Psalm 11. Here we come to understand that we are to engage in His work through study and remembrance while performing the work in the wisdom that comes from fearing Him. The challenge now becomes to follow God's call even if we just don't understand how it will all turn out.
May God bless you with a call to do His work, and may you never say no.
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