Wow. So after last night's post, having put that little rant behing me, I'm sitting at work on my break relaxing while reading the July 2007 issue of Newsweek when I see the following from the Letters section of the magazine:
"...the key concepts of love, charity, social justice, forgiveness, humility, and courage provide the foundation for all major religions. As a Christian, my faith has beeen strengthened by studying and teaching the world's religions...the realization that the core values of the major religions' founders and true followers are indeed very similar provided me with hope and comfort. People of all faiths strive in different ways toward deeper understanding and practice of those values essential to meaningful faith."
The context here is that this gentleman who professes Christ was responding to the Newsweek question "Are the Major Religions Essentially Alike?" The answer from the author of the letter above was "true."
Think about it...here's someone who identifies himself as a Believer, a Christian, and believes that all major religions are alike...this means he believes Islam and Christianiy are similar...he believes Buddhism and Christianity are similar. How does this make any sense whatsoever? How unless we understand that too many people call themselves Christians who are anthing BUT lovers of Christ. Did Jesus not say "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me"? How do we understand this comment? I think, and forgive me for stating the obvious, but i think that Jesus meant that NO ONE comes to the Father except through HIM!!
As with the Methodist gentleman from the last post, the writer of the letter above has no true understanding of what it means to be a Christian...to follow the One who says of Himself "I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me." No other God...all others are therefore false! For he says again "There is no other God" and "Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one." Let us who profess Christ stop fooling ourselves...God is our King and His Word is our guiding light. Believe nothing else...not your "feelings" not your "gut instinct" NONE of that! Rely solely on the Word of God for what we believe...either that or stop blaspheming the name of God by claiming Him.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
"Christian" Inclusivism
I'm going to try and include a video in this post so I hope it works...
Did you hear what the Methodist gentleman was saying? I wish that we could all say that "Christians" who believe such trash are far and few between (is that the right expression?) but the reality is that they are NOT!! Sadly there are probably more so called Christians who would side with him than with Pastor John MacArthur on this issue. And incidentally, kudos to MacArthur for the courage to say the things he did!
The words spoken by the Methodist man remind me of how blind some people are and how willing to blaspheme our Lord in order to gain acceptance by the world, a world that is set against us and hates us because the Lord we serve is indeed a stumbling block and a rock of offense to them. And I daresay that the Emergent church movement is representative of this kind of stupidity, heresy, and cowardice. That movement, born of a worthy desire to see faith be relevant, has gone to the extreme of teaching that we cannot truly know what Scripture says! And unfortunately so many once conservative churches are heading straight into that cesspool, jumping in with their mouths wide open out of a desire to see their churches grown in number rather than in true strength...the strength that comes only from a strong dedication to teaching and preaching the Word of God.
Amen?
Did you hear what the Methodist gentleman was saying? I wish that we could all say that "Christians" who believe such trash are far and few between (is that the right expression?) but the reality is that they are NOT!! Sadly there are probably more so called Christians who would side with him than with Pastor John MacArthur on this issue. And incidentally, kudos to MacArthur for the courage to say the things he did!
The words spoken by the Methodist man remind me of how blind some people are and how willing to blaspheme our Lord in order to gain acceptance by the world, a world that is set against us and hates us because the Lord we serve is indeed a stumbling block and a rock of offense to them. And I daresay that the Emergent church movement is representative of this kind of stupidity, heresy, and cowardice. That movement, born of a worthy desire to see faith be relevant, has gone to the extreme of teaching that we cannot truly know what Scripture says! And unfortunately so many once conservative churches are heading straight into that cesspool, jumping in with their mouths wide open out of a desire to see their churches grown in number rather than in true strength...the strength that comes only from a strong dedication to teaching and preaching the Word of God.
Amen?
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Genesis 3:1-5
This is a study I have created for the boffer group that meets at my house. The boys that come range in age from 6-14 and we have a great time swordfighting (with fake swords!) and having fellowship. The last time we met we started having a Bible study as an outreach tool for those kids who come who may not know the Lord.
Anyhow, that is the intended audience so when you read the study be aware of it! :)
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Ask: How many of you believe that when you die, you will go to heaven?
Ask: Why do you believe this? (the response should be “the Bible says it…”
Ask someone to recite 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Word of God is entirely trustworthy BECAUSE God is entirely trustworthy. Those who would say they do not believe in the Bible…do NOT believe God!!! For He is the Author of the Bible and Jesus is the Word of God…John 1:1
Now then…earlier you said you believe you will go to heaven…let me ask this: on what basis will you get there? What allows you to get to heaven? (response should be “the blood of Christ”)
Jesus, dying on the cross made your salvation certain!
Now then, the blood of Christ atones for your sin because He was perfect and loved you so much He chose to die so that you could have eternal life! BUT, did you know that unless you also keep do good things you cannot get into heaven? (pause to allow them to contradict you)
No?
You do not agree with this? But the Word of God in 1 John 2:3 says that we can know we are His “if we keep His commandments”? Don’t you believe this?
Ok, ok…you are correct! The Word of God tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that “by grace [we] have been saved through faith, and that not of [ourselves]; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So, then, the good works that we do are not for our salvation, but to serve Him as our Lord. So what we read in 1 John does NOT teach that if we do good works and keep the commandments we will be saved…it teaches that those who are saved, will do the works of God and be obedient to Him.
Now, today’s lesson is from Genesis 3:1-5...let’s examine it and find out why in the world I brought up all this other stuff!
Read Genesis 3:1-5
The reason I wanted to discuss what we did is because I want to stress to you how important it is for us to have a solid understanding of what the Bible teaches. We do not read our Bibles so we can impress our friends with our knowledge, or to puff ourselves up with pride. If that is your reason for studying and reading then you need to rethink your walk with God. No, we read and we study so that we are not misled by the devil!
When he comes to us and says, “Has God indeed said…?” then we can turn to that which we have hidden in our heats (Psalm 119:11) And believe me, the devil sends his servants to try and confuse you and mislead you and make you doubt God…the evil one will say to you as he did to Eve, “You will not surely die…” Because the last thing Satan wants is an on-fire servant of the Lord! The last thing he wants is to see us faithfully serving God!
Ask: Whom do YOU want to please? God? Or Satan?
Let us serve God, then, by being in the Word
Let us serve God by opposing the schemes of Satan
Let us serve God totally and without any doubts…and when you feel doubt coming upon you, rebuke Satan and turn to God’s in prayer…and go to your parents and those adults you know who love God totally and are wise.
Let us pray.
Anyhow, that is the intended audience so when you read the study be aware of it! :)
****************************************************************************
Ask: How many of you believe that when you die, you will go to heaven?
Ask: Why do you believe this? (the response should be “the Bible says it…”
Ask someone to recite 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Word of God is entirely trustworthy BECAUSE God is entirely trustworthy. Those who would say they do not believe in the Bible…do NOT believe God!!! For He is the Author of the Bible and Jesus is the Word of God…John 1:1
Now then…earlier you said you believe you will go to heaven…let me ask this: on what basis will you get there? What allows you to get to heaven? (response should be “the blood of Christ”)
Jesus, dying on the cross made your salvation certain!
Now then, the blood of Christ atones for your sin because He was perfect and loved you so much He chose to die so that you could have eternal life! BUT, did you know that unless you also keep do good things you cannot get into heaven? (pause to allow them to contradict you)
No?
You do not agree with this? But the Word of God in 1 John 2:3 says that we can know we are His “if we keep His commandments”? Don’t you believe this?
Ok, ok…you are correct! The Word of God tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that “by grace [we] have been saved through faith, and that not of [ourselves]; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So, then, the good works that we do are not for our salvation, but to serve Him as our Lord. So what we read in 1 John does NOT teach that if we do good works and keep the commandments we will be saved…it teaches that those who are saved, will do the works of God and be obedient to Him.
Now, today’s lesson is from Genesis 3:1-5...let’s examine it and find out why in the world I brought up all this other stuff!
Read Genesis 3:1-5
The reason I wanted to discuss what we did is because I want to stress to you how important it is for us to have a solid understanding of what the Bible teaches. We do not read our Bibles so we can impress our friends with our knowledge, or to puff ourselves up with pride. If that is your reason for studying and reading then you need to rethink your walk with God. No, we read and we study so that we are not misled by the devil!
When he comes to us and says, “Has God indeed said…?” then we can turn to that which we have hidden in our heats (Psalm 119:11) And believe me, the devil sends his servants to try and confuse you and mislead you and make you doubt God…the evil one will say to you as he did to Eve, “You will not surely die…” Because the last thing Satan wants is an on-fire servant of the Lord! The last thing he wants is to see us faithfully serving God!
Ask: Whom do YOU want to please? God? Or Satan?
Let us serve God, then, by being in the Word
Let us serve God by opposing the schemes of Satan
Let us serve God totally and without any doubts…and when you feel doubt coming upon you, rebuke Satan and turn to God’s in prayer…and go to your parents and those adults you know who love God totally and are wise.
Let us pray.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Exodus 11:1-3
Verses 1-3:
Matthew-Henry describes this event as happening before Moses has left the presence of Pharaoh, for recall from the last verses of chapter 10 that Pharaoh had ordered Moses out of his sight, never to return again. The purpose of this would be of mercy, for God wants Pharaoh to hear exactly what will happen if he continues in his rebellion. The context of the chapter, as we will see so clearly, supports this, yet in the very first verse we also see something else…God’s Sovereignty at work!
Let no one be confused, everything that has happened has been according to the will of God, and nothing, absolutely nothing, has come as a surprise to the Lord.
“I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go.”
God is about to show Pharaoh the futility of resisting Him! Read Isaiah 14:24-27.
Brothers and sisters, it does not matter how powerful Pharaoh is, God’s desire shall come to pass, for He is Lord! It does not matter how haughty Pharaoh is, declaring he knew not the Lord, it does not matter how emphatically he has declared that he will not let Israel go, God has declared that Israel will go! Despite this, however, Pharaoh has had opportunity to repent, God has extended the offer, but Pharaoh’s rebellion is in his very nature, just as sin grips man, naturally. We act sinful because we are depraved and wicked, and only by the grace of God and by the mercy that He extends are we allowed to see the light and turn to Him in repentance.
While this may seem wrong to the sinful and prideful man, it should fill the Believer’s heart with nothing but gratitude and love for the Lord of all Creation who loved us enough to make sure we would not remain as slaves to sin!
To clear up any misunderstanding, the word translated as "ask" in verse 2 is the Hebrew sha’al. It appears 168 times in the OT and it is translated as ask, beg, or require 162 times. The Septuagint translates it into aites, which is Greek for ask. I mention this only because the KJV and some other translations render this word as borrow. This has caused many opponents to accuse God of ordering His people to deceive the Egyptians, since anything borrowed implies there will be a return of the borrowed object! Rest assured this is not the case.
Let us think about this, however. Why did God require the Egyptians to give up the jewelry?
There are 2 possible reasons:
They were lawfully entitled to the jewels as payment for the unpaid labor they had done for Egypt. With this view, we see the Israelites as merely requisitioning what they had earned.
The spiritual reason becomes a spiritual lesson. Just as Egypt benefited by the labor of Egypt, so the world today benefits by the presence of the Redeemed in this world. Our labor maintains the fabric of it. Example: Where did hospitals come from? Where did orphanages originate? All by Christians doing the work of the Lord in obedience to the command that we love our neighbor as ourselves!
So when God takes His people out of Egypt, he wants the Egyptians to feel the loss, even if here it is financially. Yet it is more, for eventually they will lose the witness of a people who serve the Lord, just as when Christ returns the world will be momentarily without any of the Light, because God’s people will be reunited with their Master!
One other thing:
This is a fulfillment of God’s words. Note the beginning of verse 3. “And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.” Now look at Exodus 3:21. Pretty amazing, right?
Look at Genesis 15: 13&14.
What do you think about this? What is this if not God’s plan coming about just as He said it would? This is a truth that any Believer should understand…The Word of the Lord cannot fail! And this is another thing we should understand, that just as God was certain to fulfill His words to the descendants of Abraham, so shall He be faithful to us…
Matthew-Henry describes this event as happening before Moses has left the presence of Pharaoh, for recall from the last verses of chapter 10 that Pharaoh had ordered Moses out of his sight, never to return again. The purpose of this would be of mercy, for God wants Pharaoh to hear exactly what will happen if he continues in his rebellion. The context of the chapter, as we will see so clearly, supports this, yet in the very first verse we also see something else…God’s Sovereignty at work!
Let no one be confused, everything that has happened has been according to the will of God, and nothing, absolutely nothing, has come as a surprise to the Lord.
“I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go.”
God is about to show Pharaoh the futility of resisting Him! Read Isaiah 14:24-27.
Brothers and sisters, it does not matter how powerful Pharaoh is, God’s desire shall come to pass, for He is Lord! It does not matter how haughty Pharaoh is, declaring he knew not the Lord, it does not matter how emphatically he has declared that he will not let Israel go, God has declared that Israel will go! Despite this, however, Pharaoh has had opportunity to repent, God has extended the offer, but Pharaoh’s rebellion is in his very nature, just as sin grips man, naturally. We act sinful because we are depraved and wicked, and only by the grace of God and by the mercy that He extends are we allowed to see the light and turn to Him in repentance.
While this may seem wrong to the sinful and prideful man, it should fill the Believer’s heart with nothing but gratitude and love for the Lord of all Creation who loved us enough to make sure we would not remain as slaves to sin!
To clear up any misunderstanding, the word translated as "ask" in verse 2 is the Hebrew sha’al. It appears 168 times in the OT and it is translated as ask, beg, or require 162 times. The Septuagint translates it into aites, which is Greek for ask. I mention this only because the KJV and some other translations render this word as borrow. This has caused many opponents to accuse God of ordering His people to deceive the Egyptians, since anything borrowed implies there will be a return of the borrowed object! Rest assured this is not the case.
Let us think about this, however. Why did God require the Egyptians to give up the jewelry?
There are 2 possible reasons:
They were lawfully entitled to the jewels as payment for the unpaid labor they had done for Egypt. With this view, we see the Israelites as merely requisitioning what they had earned.
The spiritual reason becomes a spiritual lesson. Just as Egypt benefited by the labor of Egypt, so the world today benefits by the presence of the Redeemed in this world. Our labor maintains the fabric of it. Example: Where did hospitals come from? Where did orphanages originate? All by Christians doing the work of the Lord in obedience to the command that we love our neighbor as ourselves!
So when God takes His people out of Egypt, he wants the Egyptians to feel the loss, even if here it is financially. Yet it is more, for eventually they will lose the witness of a people who serve the Lord, just as when Christ returns the world will be momentarily without any of the Light, because God’s people will be reunited with their Master!
One other thing:
This is a fulfillment of God’s words. Note the beginning of verse 3. “And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.” Now look at Exodus 3:21. Pretty amazing, right?
Look at Genesis 15: 13&14.
What do you think about this? What is this if not God’s plan coming about just as He said it would? This is a truth that any Believer should understand…The Word of the Lord cannot fail! And this is another thing we should understand, that just as God was certain to fulfill His words to the descendants of Abraham, so shall He be faithful to us…
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A Summary of Pharao's Actions
Before continuing, remember the following:
God has called Moses to be the redeemer of His chosen people, and all the events we have so far read about are for the sole purpose of attaining their release from slavery. God, as we have discussed before, could easily have willed their release and it would have been done, but He has decided to attain their release while also humbling the power of the day, Egypt. Egypt represents at this time all that is against God. They practice the worship of natural things, and they fail to acknowledge the Creator of the universe. Pharaoh, unfortunately for him, rules this kingdom, and God will show His power through the humbling of this most powerful man.
How has Pharaoh acted so far, and what kind of man is he? He reacts to God always in antagonism.
1st. he refuses to even recognize God, saying “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice….I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” (Ex 5:2)
2nd, Pharaoh tells the Israelites to sacrifice to their God in the Land, in other words, within Egypt. So while Pharaoh certainly seems to be softening, what is he really saying? Do not obey your God! The Lord wants the Israelites to worship him in the wilderness, separate from the stench of false gods. God has called us to be separate from the world, and Egypt represents the world. By being separate, it does not mean merely physical separation, but spiritual separation. We must not mix the things of the world with the things of God. What does this mean…in what way does the Church stand in danger of doing this?
*Our services are geared to the non-Believer rather than the instruction of the Saints.
*We dress up to go out with our friends but not to enter the house of the Lord.
*We place an emphasis on how we feel about the message rather than if it was Scriptural.
*We want entertaining messages rather than deeply theological ones.
Are these examples of compromises with the world? You bet they are!
We should be concerned when a non-Believer enters a service and feels completely comfortable and leaves thinking that was the greatest message in the world...don't you think?
The next example of Pharaoh’s antagonism is from 8:28, he tells Moses to take the people to worship , but not to go too far. Yet God demanded total separation. He called Israel to be separate. In like manner, the world wants us to be close to them. Do not go too far the world says…do not be fanatical, do not be extreme, balance your religious life with the rest of it, do not be narrow-minded…don’t let Christianity get in the way of enjoying your life…this is what the world says to us.
Read Colossians 3:1-3, Hebrews 3:1-3, and 1 John 2;15-15.
The happiness of the Christian is in being separate, being holy, being in bondage to our Lord. Our happiness stems from being absorbed with the Word of God and by meditating upon His promises and doing His will everywhere and all the time…this is the source of a deeper, fuller, and lasting satisfaction, which God imparts to His children!
Finally, Pharaoh is also quite revealing when he says to Moses that, “you who are men, go and serve the Lord.” (10:11)
What is Pharaoh really saying here?
Do not involve your children in the worship of God! Does not the world attempt to tell us the same today?
Do not force your religion on your family, do not force them to attend services.
Yet, it is in the home that our religion should be most abundantly clear! There is where we set the standards, there is where we protect and nurture our children, fending the world so that it does not unduly influence and corrupt them, and there is where we have the best opportunity to prepare them to take their rightful place in the Church, as future pastors, elders, teachers, and deacons. We must NOT relax the godly discipline of our children, we must not allow the Holy Scriptures to gather dust until the following Sunday! If anything, our personal Bibles should be in constant need of replacement from falling apart because we use them so much!
A wise and God-honoring parent will guide their children into the ways of the Lord, and will certainly regulate how they dress, model how they should speak and be vigilant over whom they choose as their closest friends.
God has called Moses to be the redeemer of His chosen people, and all the events we have so far read about are for the sole purpose of attaining their release from slavery. God, as we have discussed before, could easily have willed their release and it would have been done, but He has decided to attain their release while also humbling the power of the day, Egypt. Egypt represents at this time all that is against God. They practice the worship of natural things, and they fail to acknowledge the Creator of the universe. Pharaoh, unfortunately for him, rules this kingdom, and God will show His power through the humbling of this most powerful man.
How has Pharaoh acted so far, and what kind of man is he? He reacts to God always in antagonism.
1st. he refuses to even recognize God, saying “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice….I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” (Ex 5:2)
2nd, Pharaoh tells the Israelites to sacrifice to their God in the Land, in other words, within Egypt. So while Pharaoh certainly seems to be softening, what is he really saying? Do not obey your God! The Lord wants the Israelites to worship him in the wilderness, separate from the stench of false gods. God has called us to be separate from the world, and Egypt represents the world. By being separate, it does not mean merely physical separation, but spiritual separation. We must not mix the things of the world with the things of God. What does this mean…in what way does the Church stand in danger of doing this?
*Our services are geared to the non-Believer rather than the instruction of the Saints.
*We dress up to go out with our friends but not to enter the house of the Lord.
*We place an emphasis on how we feel about the message rather than if it was Scriptural.
*We want entertaining messages rather than deeply theological ones.
Are these examples of compromises with the world? You bet they are!
We should be concerned when a non-Believer enters a service and feels completely comfortable and leaves thinking that was the greatest message in the world...don't you think?
The next example of Pharaoh’s antagonism is from 8:28, he tells Moses to take the people to worship , but not to go too far. Yet God demanded total separation. He called Israel to be separate. In like manner, the world wants us to be close to them. Do not go too far the world says…do not be fanatical, do not be extreme, balance your religious life with the rest of it, do not be narrow-minded…don’t let Christianity get in the way of enjoying your life…this is what the world says to us.
Read Colossians 3:1-3, Hebrews 3:1-3, and 1 John 2;15-15.
The happiness of the Christian is in being separate, being holy, being in bondage to our Lord. Our happiness stems from being absorbed with the Word of God and by meditating upon His promises and doing His will everywhere and all the time…this is the source of a deeper, fuller, and lasting satisfaction, which God imparts to His children!
Finally, Pharaoh is also quite revealing when he says to Moses that, “you who are men, go and serve the Lord.” (10:11)
What is Pharaoh really saying here?
Do not involve your children in the worship of God! Does not the world attempt to tell us the same today?
Do not force your religion on your family, do not force them to attend services.
Yet, it is in the home that our religion should be most abundantly clear! There is where we set the standards, there is where we protect and nurture our children, fending the world so that it does not unduly influence and corrupt them, and there is where we have the best opportunity to prepare them to take their rightful place in the Church, as future pastors, elders, teachers, and deacons. We must NOT relax the godly discipline of our children, we must not allow the Holy Scriptures to gather dust until the following Sunday! If anything, our personal Bibles should be in constant need of replacement from falling apart because we use them so much!
A wise and God-honoring parent will guide their children into the ways of the Lord, and will certainly regulate how they dress, model how they should speak and be vigilant over whom they choose as their closest friends.
Exodus 10:21-29
Verses 21-23:
The Egyptians worshipped the sun, whom they called Ra, and who was referred to in the very title of Pharaoh.
From this, we see the following:
The darkness was one more illustration of God’s contempt for the false gods of Israel. He made powerless one more god of Egypt, declaring His own power and might over all of creation. He also demonstrated one of His character traits…that He is a jealous God, not condoning the worship of any created thing. And since only He is un-created, only He is worthy of worship.
Realize this: Despite any other concerns we may have, our chief obligation is to worship Him faithfully, it is to obey Him without hesitation, and it is to reflect His glory to the world, always being careful that we do not besmirch His Holy Name by our own misconduct. God should always be on our minds! Shame on us when we allow other things to interfere with our relationship with Him…shame on us when we choose the things of this world over the wonderful Word which He has provided for us!
What is the interpretation for this group if verses? What do they tell us, aside from the narration they provide? Read John 1:1-5 & John 8:10-12 & Psalm 27:1 & 1 John 1:5&6 God is the source of Light, He is the Light!
Light therefore represents God, and darkness represents separation from God, or the withdrawal of Light. This plague, then, was symbolic of the fact that Egypt was abandoned by God…separated from the source of all that is Good. And what comes when separation from God occurs? Death! Which is the next plague! Do you see how Scripture fits together so beautifully? We have pictures of God’s atonement throughout the Word, and we have pictures of His judgment as well. Think about what we have discussed regarding death following separation from God.
Read John 19:17-30
Realize the following:
Christ suffered separation from God the Father (Read Mark 15:33-34)! Do you know why He did this? For the Believer, then, this is why we submit to His Lordship…this is why we obey…and this is why we love to study His Word (or should), why we love to keep His words on our hearts, why we love to meet together and corporately worship Him…Because He is worthy! It was our depravity that nailed Him to the cross, and it is our sin that hurts God.
What are we going to do about this? If nothing else, we need to commit to His Word!
Let us now contrast the Israelites with the Egyptians. The latter are enveloped in darkness so thick that it can be felt. But note from the last part of verse 23 that Israel had Light!
Matthew-Henry makes the point that it would have been better to be the poorest Israelite than the richest Egyptian at this point. And the same is true today! It is better to be a poor Christian who is rich in the mercies of God than the richest un-Believer headed towards his Judge!
When we come together, we do not ask about our walk’s with God to annoy one another, it should not be an annoyance to talk about the things of God, it should be a joy!
Verses 24-26:
From Matthew-Henry we receive the following bits of wisdom:
The sinner will always try to bargain with God, but in doing so he mocks God. Who is he that he seeks terms from God? The way of salvation is plain. Acknowledge and submit. There is nor bargaining with the Lord of Creation, with the Sovereign Lord of the Universe! As Believers, all of our worldly possessions are to the glory of God, and as leaders of our households, all of our members should be in submission to God’s sovereign will.
Verses 27-29:
Note that at this point that Pharaoh’s heart is once again hardened. He threatens death unto Moses. The heart of the unredeemed is callous and foolish. Here Moses is the man whom God said would be god to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh threatens him with death! Man in his natural state has nothing but contempt for God, and this is manifested in how Pharaoh rejects the messenger of God, and in how man today rejects the message and the messengers of God!
Note verse 29:
Rest assured that Moses’ words were not haughty or triumphant, but more than likely sad.
Such should be our attitude when we confront unbelief and antagonism…sadness at the knowledge of the fate that awaits those who refuse to submit to the will of God and accept His Sovereign Lordship.
The Egyptians worshipped the sun, whom they called Ra, and who was referred to in the very title of Pharaoh.
From this, we see the following:
The darkness was one more illustration of God’s contempt for the false gods of Israel. He made powerless one more god of Egypt, declaring His own power and might over all of creation. He also demonstrated one of His character traits…that He is a jealous God, not condoning the worship of any created thing. And since only He is un-created, only He is worthy of worship.
Realize this: Despite any other concerns we may have, our chief obligation is to worship Him faithfully, it is to obey Him without hesitation, and it is to reflect His glory to the world, always being careful that we do not besmirch His Holy Name by our own misconduct. God should always be on our minds! Shame on us when we allow other things to interfere with our relationship with Him…shame on us when we choose the things of this world over the wonderful Word which He has provided for us!
What is the interpretation for this group if verses? What do they tell us, aside from the narration they provide? Read John 1:1-5 & John 8:10-12 & Psalm 27:1 & 1 John 1:5&6 God is the source of Light, He is the Light!
Light therefore represents God, and darkness represents separation from God, or the withdrawal of Light. This plague, then, was symbolic of the fact that Egypt was abandoned by God…separated from the source of all that is Good. And what comes when separation from God occurs? Death! Which is the next plague! Do you see how Scripture fits together so beautifully? We have pictures of God’s atonement throughout the Word, and we have pictures of His judgment as well. Think about what we have discussed regarding death following separation from God.
Read John 19:17-30
Realize the following:
Christ suffered separation from God the Father (Read Mark 15:33-34)! Do you know why He did this? For the Believer, then, this is why we submit to His Lordship…this is why we obey…and this is why we love to study His Word (or should), why we love to keep His words on our hearts, why we love to meet together and corporately worship Him…Because He is worthy! It was our depravity that nailed Him to the cross, and it is our sin that hurts God.
What are we going to do about this? If nothing else, we need to commit to His Word!
Let us now contrast the Israelites with the Egyptians. The latter are enveloped in darkness so thick that it can be felt. But note from the last part of verse 23 that Israel had Light!
Matthew-Henry makes the point that it would have been better to be the poorest Israelite than the richest Egyptian at this point. And the same is true today! It is better to be a poor Christian who is rich in the mercies of God than the richest un-Believer headed towards his Judge!
When we come together, we do not ask about our walk’s with God to annoy one another, it should not be an annoyance to talk about the things of God, it should be a joy!
Verses 24-26:
From Matthew-Henry we receive the following bits of wisdom:
The sinner will always try to bargain with God, but in doing so he mocks God. Who is he that he seeks terms from God? The way of salvation is plain. Acknowledge and submit. There is nor bargaining with the Lord of Creation, with the Sovereign Lord of the Universe! As Believers, all of our worldly possessions are to the glory of God, and as leaders of our households, all of our members should be in submission to God’s sovereign will.
Verses 27-29:
Note that at this point that Pharaoh’s heart is once again hardened. He threatens death unto Moses. The heart of the unredeemed is callous and foolish. Here Moses is the man whom God said would be god to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh threatens him with death! Man in his natural state has nothing but contempt for God, and this is manifested in how Pharaoh rejects the messenger of God, and in how man today rejects the message and the messengers of God!
Note verse 29:
Rest assured that Moses’ words were not haughty or triumphant, but more than likely sad.
Such should be our attitude when we confront unbelief and antagonism…sadness at the knowledge of the fate that awaits those who refuse to submit to the will of God and accept His Sovereign Lordship.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Exodus 10:1-20
This lesson from Exodus is one I presented at Trinity Baptist Church back in about 1998-99. I post it here for my readers (however many of you there are!):
Verses1 & 2:
From God’s own mouth we have His declaration that all He has done, He has done it for Israel! All of His works are for the sake of His people and to consummate the promises which he has made them. How does this apply to us today? Think Salvation!
Read John 10:22-30
John 17:6-12, 20-26
Romans 8:33-39
Ephesians 1:13 & 14
Philippians 1:3-6
1 Peter 3-5
Does not God make us promises just as He did to the nation of Israel? Why is it then, that we so often lead lives of despair? Should we not live daily in victory knowing that we possess something that nobody can take away from us?
Verses3-6:
Note from verse 3 that God demands submission, He does not plead for it, nor beg us to accept His gifts. Furthermore, God demands for His people the right to worship Him. This tells us that we must make worship of God our #1 priority, it must, in fact, be the focus of our entire lives!
Read John 14:15, 19-24
This is why self-examination is so important!
Are we walking in obedience to God?
Do we read our bibles daily and with excitement?
Why do we memorize Scripture? Just because it kills time?
No!
Because we seek to implant His words into our minds both in obedience and in Love! Every action we take should be given close attention to make sure that we do it to bring glory to God, and since we represent God to the world, we need to take this a little more seriously than our jobs, our schooling, and even our personal relationships with our spouses! And realize this, placing God first as a couple, together being in obedience to God, will make the relationship more secure than putting aside God to focus on one another!
Questions or comments so far?
The next few verses (4-6) provide us with a picture of the reality that consequences do come from failing to obey the Word of God. These consequences apply also to those whom the person being judged protects. And…just as Pharaoh was responsible for the lives of his people, men are responsible for the well-being of their own families!
We see two things then,
Believing men are responsible, and accountable, for the spiritual instruction which they give to, or withhold from, their wives and children.
The non-Believer is held accountable for those children whom he misleads for the sake of not submitting to God!
Read Matthew 18:1-6
Verses 7-11:
Here we note the following:
The servants of Pharaoh , meaning his people, are pretty tired of the suffering they have had to endure due to his hard-hearted attitude.
This much we can see…but do you see what it is they ask of Pharaoh? Do they say, “give the Israelites what they want”? NO!
Even in their submission they want things their way…they are no better than their leader! So even Pharaoh “submits” to God and lets Moses and Israel go, but only the men can go. Why?
As surety for their return! So Pharaoh also wants things done according to his own terms!
This points to the depravity in which Pharaoh and his people existed…for we all know that only the depraved unregenerate soul behaves in this manner right? Obviosuly NOT!
Note:
We see from verse 9 another beautiful picture of the responsibility God has placed on men. We cannot compromise the spiritual growth and maturity of our children for the sake of anything! *What good is it for us to dutifully attend the worship services and leave our children at home to sleep?
*What good does it do them if when we study our Bibles we tell them to stay away so we can spend time with God?
Finally, we see that in his anger, Pharaoh drives Moses and Aaron out of his court, and he does so expecting them to do as he had ordered, in other words, he wants them to obey him rather than the Lord!
We should all know by now that when rulers placed by God over us want us to do something that directly contradicts the Word of God, we have a responsibility to obey God rather than Man.
Incidentally, when Moses and Aaron are driven out, I don’t think they were gently escorted to the door, but thrown out with violence…which is the treatment we should expect when we stand firm for the things of God!
Now, God’s servants have been mishandled, and His words have been ignored…how do you suppose the Lord will respond?
Verses 12-15:
Let us say this: When God gives a warning, it is perhaps best if we take heed and obey! Still, Pharaoh can be seen as just another representation of how people do not take seriously the Word of God. Even today! God’s Word gives warning, yet few respond to it.
What is it that makes people ignore the Word of God?
Is it our culture? If so, how is it similar to Egypt’s?
(Discuss)
Verses 16-20:
We see here again how Moses faithfully intercedes on behalf of Pharaoh, despite having reason to believe that he is less then sincere in his repentance…just as we must faithfully intercede for the un-Believing friends and family who are ignorant of God.
We also see the tragedy of Pharaoh. Again, his heart was hardened. If nothing else, this latest plague should have let him know that God meant what He said!
Any questions or comments?
Verses1 & 2:
From God’s own mouth we have His declaration that all He has done, He has done it for Israel! All of His works are for the sake of His people and to consummate the promises which he has made them. How does this apply to us today? Think Salvation!
Read John 10:22-30
John 17:6-12, 20-26
Romans 8:33-39
Ephesians 1:13 & 14
Philippians 1:3-6
1 Peter 3-5
Does not God make us promises just as He did to the nation of Israel? Why is it then, that we so often lead lives of despair? Should we not live daily in victory knowing that we possess something that nobody can take away from us?
Verses3-6:
Note from verse 3 that God demands submission, He does not plead for it, nor beg us to accept His gifts. Furthermore, God demands for His people the right to worship Him. This tells us that we must make worship of God our #1 priority, it must, in fact, be the focus of our entire lives!
Read John 14:15, 19-24
This is why self-examination is so important!
Are we walking in obedience to God?
Do we read our bibles daily and with excitement?
Why do we memorize Scripture? Just because it kills time?
No!
Because we seek to implant His words into our minds both in obedience and in Love! Every action we take should be given close attention to make sure that we do it to bring glory to God, and since we represent God to the world, we need to take this a little more seriously than our jobs, our schooling, and even our personal relationships with our spouses! And realize this, placing God first as a couple, together being in obedience to God, will make the relationship more secure than putting aside God to focus on one another!
Questions or comments so far?
The next few verses (4-6) provide us with a picture of the reality that consequences do come from failing to obey the Word of God. These consequences apply also to those whom the person being judged protects. And…just as Pharaoh was responsible for the lives of his people, men are responsible for the well-being of their own families!
We see two things then,
Believing men are responsible, and accountable, for the spiritual instruction which they give to, or withhold from, their wives and children.
The non-Believer is held accountable for those children whom he misleads for the sake of not submitting to God!
Read Matthew 18:1-6
Verses 7-11:
Here we note the following:
The servants of Pharaoh , meaning his people, are pretty tired of the suffering they have had to endure due to his hard-hearted attitude.
This much we can see…but do you see what it is they ask of Pharaoh? Do they say, “give the Israelites what they want”? NO!
Even in their submission they want things their way…they are no better than their leader! So even Pharaoh “submits” to God and lets Moses and Israel go, but only the men can go. Why?
As surety for their return! So Pharaoh also wants things done according to his own terms!
This points to the depravity in which Pharaoh and his people existed…for we all know that only the depraved unregenerate soul behaves in this manner right? Obviosuly NOT!
Note:
We see from verse 9 another beautiful picture of the responsibility God has placed on men. We cannot compromise the spiritual growth and maturity of our children for the sake of anything! *What good is it for us to dutifully attend the worship services and leave our children at home to sleep?
*What good does it do them if when we study our Bibles we tell them to stay away so we can spend time with God?
Finally, we see that in his anger, Pharaoh drives Moses and Aaron out of his court, and he does so expecting them to do as he had ordered, in other words, he wants them to obey him rather than the Lord!
We should all know by now that when rulers placed by God over us want us to do something that directly contradicts the Word of God, we have a responsibility to obey God rather than Man.
Incidentally, when Moses and Aaron are driven out, I don’t think they were gently escorted to the door, but thrown out with violence…which is the treatment we should expect when we stand firm for the things of God!
Now, God’s servants have been mishandled, and His words have been ignored…how do you suppose the Lord will respond?
Verses 12-15:
Let us say this: When God gives a warning, it is perhaps best if we take heed and obey! Still, Pharaoh can be seen as just another representation of how people do not take seriously the Word of God. Even today! God’s Word gives warning, yet few respond to it.
What is it that makes people ignore the Word of God?
Is it our culture? If so, how is it similar to Egypt’s?
(Discuss)
Verses 16-20:
We see here again how Moses faithfully intercedes on behalf of Pharaoh, despite having reason to believe that he is less then sincere in his repentance…just as we must faithfully intercede for the un-Believing friends and family who are ignorant of God.
We also see the tragedy of Pharaoh. Again, his heart was hardened. If nothing else, this latest plague should have let him know that God meant what He said!
Any questions or comments?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Acts 2:40-47
Presented to the Pacesetter class on September 24th, 2006
This morning, for the sake of clarity of thought, we pick up with Acts 2:40-47, but I wanted to touch on some things from last week. Remember that the preaching being done here, in many languages, is to the Jews. These are people who clearly know of the Father, men familiar with the OT and the words from which Peter cites for his sermon.
What Peter is declaring then, is the truth that the prophets spoke of Jesus, as he says in v. 31, “foreseeing…they spoke of the resurrection of the Christ…”. In other words, God granted these men of old the ability to look into the future, not a possible future, and see the atonement! In vs. 34-35 Peter declares w/out a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God! Note the word “therefore” in v. 36.
To what does that word refer? The OT quote from the Psalms!
In other words, he cites those verses as text proof for his declaration in verse 36 (read) that Jesus is Lord and Messiah!! This is the name sure to strike all Jews with awe! Messiah, their Anointed One! Peter says that Jesus is the one they’ve rested all of their hopes on…all of their fervent prayers for a Deliverer were answered in Jesus! And then, Peter reminds them that this Jesus is the very one “whom you crucified.”
Note the power of Peter’s words in verse 37...”they were cut to the heart.”
Brothers and sisters…the Holy Spirit used the words of Peter to bring conviction upon the hearers…the scales over their eyes were taken off and they saw with new eyes…and so they ask, “what shall we do?”
Brothers and sisters…the point of preaching is to bring this reaction about in the hearer…”what shall we do.”
We must realize this: these blind men were made to see and were seeing now with eyes that were made open; these deaf men were made to hear and were hearing now with ears that could understand, and they realized the severity of their sin and their culpability in the death of Christ…and they want to know how to escape the punishment that they deserve!
Note carefully Peter’s response to them:
Repent)
Turn away in sorrow from your sin.
Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ)
Not only were they to go through such a radical thing as baptism…they were to do in it the name of Jesus Christ, thereby showing their acceptance and submission of Him as Lord and Messiah.
We can take “for the remission of sins” to mean that they received forgiveness through baptism or we can take it to mean that the remission of sins was meant as a tie in of what baptism meant…an outward sign pointing to the repentance which was expressed and for which remission of sins was given.
Likewise, the gift of the Spirit can mean that the Spirit was received upon baptism or that the Spirit is the gift to those who repent.
Remember that the audience here is the Jew. Those who were familiar with the Father and even the Spirit…so while they had some faith and trusted in the promises of God…when the fulfillment of the promises arrived in the Person of Jesus they did not believe and so had to repent of this unbelief. They had to profess Jesus as Christ and be baptized...this baptism symbolizing their obedience, they received forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit not upon the act of baptism but upon the repentance of sin, all of which was to be publicly declared through that act of baptism.
Finally though, an application: When we are given the privilege of being used by the Spirit to bring someone to Christ, we must make certain that our response to “what must we do” is always for them to repent. One of my criticisms of modern evangelistic methods is that we tell people to enter into a relationship with Christ but we don’t always tell them on what basis!
The basis of the relationship between God and man is repentance!
Repentance meaning expressing sorrow for their sin and turning away from it!
God alone knows how many people walk around certain of their salvation because they prayed a prayer and that prayer did not change their lives…but they prayed it so they are saved! Shame on us if we become enablers of such tactics and don’t share with the fallen the truth of what salvation really is.
Well unless there are any questions or comments, let us proceed to our text for today.
Read Acts 2:40-47
I don’t have very much to say on this passage, and we have already discussed verses 40-42, so let us jump right into verse 43.
“…fear came upon every soul…”
What caused this “fear” to come upon every soul?
And whom is “every soul” being referred to here?
Albert Barnes says the word fear refers to awe and amazement. The people being referred to are all of those who saw and heard of the events just described.
I personally think that while it included this awe and amazement…perhaps it also refers to a fear of the work of God. To those not moved by the Spirit, the events occurring before them were a frightening thing…a terrible thing. Here were a people behaving in ways that could not be explained by someone who had not shared in the event.
And this brings me to the next thing I wished to discuss here.
Note again verses 44 through the first part of verse 47. Last week a brother made a comment and brought up a sentiment that I have often shared.
Let me say this first: I bear much responsibility because of my own personality: However, it is also true that it seems we as Christians, even with other Christians, turn inwardly and refuse to make room for our brothers and sisters. Why don’t we break bread with one another more often…outside the church….why don’t we share what we have with others, why don’t we give sacrificially when there is a need among us?
I walk on thin ice here, but I say what I have to say: Discuss the “Unequal giving/equal sacrifice” banner so often hung in the sanctuary of Central Valley Baptist.
Now I know that we will not solve this dilemma right here right now…but it is important for us to face up to the truth. To acknowledge it and admit it is hopefully the first step in us attempting to shape and mold our lives into what is described here in Acts. Those of our brothers and sisters who are of the Reformed faith use a motto from the age of the Reformation…the Latin semper reformando…always reforming…this means that we are always willing to change our practices, our beliefs, our doctrines…not on what feels good at the moment but upon what the Scriptures teach. The Scripture is our final authority…not Pastor Clint, not the President of the SBC…certainly not either of your S. school teachers! We reform our behavior and our beliefs by the conviction of the Word and we do not reform the Word based on our stubborn desire to believe as we have always believed.
Note at the end of verse 47 that we are told God added to His church daily.
Many churches today focus so much on growth because of this verse. A large church, they believe, is a successful church. I tell you that is not true. A large church that is dead is a useless church!!
What should we be focusing on above all?
Worship: worship Him in spirit and in truth…obey His commandments…and He will give the increase or He will not. But our task is to worship Him and spread His good news.
We cannot nor should we dare to see large numbers as signs of success, otherwise the Mormons and the Muslims and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are far more successful than we are!
We need to be obedient in the preaching of His Word and then responsible in the discipling of His people! And brothers and sisters, if we do this…the church will grow in the right way…in a way that gives Him the full honor and the full glory…
But another thing that is important to me about this verse is that it shows how much God loves His church. Jesus gave His life for the church…He loves us!!
Think about that!! As wickedly sinful as we are…as totally undeserving of His grace as we are…as poorly as we obey Him…Christ loves His church!!
Ephesians 1:22 says that God “put all things under [the feet of Jesus], and gave Him to be head over all things to the church…” Then in Ephesians 1:23 we are told that we, His church, are “His body, the fullness of Him…” Brothers and sisters, because of this, we “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens…and members of the household of God…” Ephesians 2:19
God loves His church.
Is there anyone in this room who believes the church will ever die out? God forbid anyone professing Christ as Lord should believe so!!!!
Why, then, do we come up with strategies for increasing the sizes of our congregations instead of focusing on being obedient to His word? Is it not because in some way we think it is we who are ultimately responsible for adding to the church? Before I stop, please don’t leave this room thinking I am against churches growing. Nor am I against changing HOW we present the Gospel in order to reach different people. What I mean to do by saying what I have said is to warn us against changing the substance of the Gospel. If we preach the Word, if we study our Bibles, if we believe what we read…then our churches will grow not because Starbucks is in our lobby but because people will look at us and wonder what makes us different!!
Let us close with prayer!
This morning, for the sake of clarity of thought, we pick up with Acts 2:40-47, but I wanted to touch on some things from last week. Remember that the preaching being done here, in many languages, is to the Jews. These are people who clearly know of the Father, men familiar with the OT and the words from which Peter cites for his sermon.
What Peter is declaring then, is the truth that the prophets spoke of Jesus, as he says in v. 31, “foreseeing…they spoke of the resurrection of the Christ…”. In other words, God granted these men of old the ability to look into the future, not a possible future, and see the atonement! In vs. 34-35 Peter declares w/out a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God! Note the word “therefore” in v. 36.
To what does that word refer? The OT quote from the Psalms!
In other words, he cites those verses as text proof for his declaration in verse 36 (read) that Jesus is Lord and Messiah!! This is the name sure to strike all Jews with awe! Messiah, their Anointed One! Peter says that Jesus is the one they’ve rested all of their hopes on…all of their fervent prayers for a Deliverer were answered in Jesus! And then, Peter reminds them that this Jesus is the very one “whom you crucified.”
Note the power of Peter’s words in verse 37...”they were cut to the heart.”
Brothers and sisters…the Holy Spirit used the words of Peter to bring conviction upon the hearers…the scales over their eyes were taken off and they saw with new eyes…and so they ask, “what shall we do?”
Brothers and sisters…the point of preaching is to bring this reaction about in the hearer…”what shall we do.”
We must realize this: these blind men were made to see and were seeing now with eyes that were made open; these deaf men were made to hear and were hearing now with ears that could understand, and they realized the severity of their sin and their culpability in the death of Christ…and they want to know how to escape the punishment that they deserve!
Note carefully Peter’s response to them:
Repent)
Turn away in sorrow from your sin.
Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ)
Not only were they to go through such a radical thing as baptism…they were to do in it the name of Jesus Christ, thereby showing their acceptance and submission of Him as Lord and Messiah.
We can take “for the remission of sins” to mean that they received forgiveness through baptism or we can take it to mean that the remission of sins was meant as a tie in of what baptism meant…an outward sign pointing to the repentance which was expressed and for which remission of sins was given.
Likewise, the gift of the Spirit can mean that the Spirit was received upon baptism or that the Spirit is the gift to those who repent.
Remember that the audience here is the Jew. Those who were familiar with the Father and even the Spirit…so while they had some faith and trusted in the promises of God…when the fulfillment of the promises arrived in the Person of Jesus they did not believe and so had to repent of this unbelief. They had to profess Jesus as Christ and be baptized...this baptism symbolizing their obedience, they received forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit not upon the act of baptism but upon the repentance of sin, all of which was to be publicly declared through that act of baptism.
Finally though, an application: When we are given the privilege of being used by the Spirit to bring someone to Christ, we must make certain that our response to “what must we do” is always for them to repent. One of my criticisms of modern evangelistic methods is that we tell people to enter into a relationship with Christ but we don’t always tell them on what basis!
The basis of the relationship between God and man is repentance!
Repentance meaning expressing sorrow for their sin and turning away from it!
God alone knows how many people walk around certain of their salvation because they prayed a prayer and that prayer did not change their lives…but they prayed it so they are saved! Shame on us if we become enablers of such tactics and don’t share with the fallen the truth of what salvation really is.
Well unless there are any questions or comments, let us proceed to our text for today.
Read Acts 2:40-47
I don’t have very much to say on this passage, and we have already discussed verses 40-42, so let us jump right into verse 43.
“…fear came upon every soul…”
What caused this “fear” to come upon every soul?
And whom is “every soul” being referred to here?
Albert Barnes says the word fear refers to awe and amazement. The people being referred to are all of those who saw and heard of the events just described.
I personally think that while it included this awe and amazement…perhaps it also refers to a fear of the work of God. To those not moved by the Spirit, the events occurring before them were a frightening thing…a terrible thing. Here were a people behaving in ways that could not be explained by someone who had not shared in the event.
And this brings me to the next thing I wished to discuss here.
Note again verses 44 through the first part of verse 47. Last week a brother made a comment and brought up a sentiment that I have often shared.
Let me say this first: I bear much responsibility because of my own personality: However, it is also true that it seems we as Christians, even with other Christians, turn inwardly and refuse to make room for our brothers and sisters. Why don’t we break bread with one another more often…outside the church….why don’t we share what we have with others, why don’t we give sacrificially when there is a need among us?
I walk on thin ice here, but I say what I have to say: Discuss the “Unequal giving/equal sacrifice” banner so often hung in the sanctuary of Central Valley Baptist.
Now I know that we will not solve this dilemma right here right now…but it is important for us to face up to the truth. To acknowledge it and admit it is hopefully the first step in us attempting to shape and mold our lives into what is described here in Acts. Those of our brothers and sisters who are of the Reformed faith use a motto from the age of the Reformation…the Latin semper reformando…always reforming…this means that we are always willing to change our practices, our beliefs, our doctrines…not on what feels good at the moment but upon what the Scriptures teach. The Scripture is our final authority…not Pastor Clint, not the President of the SBC…certainly not either of your S. school teachers! We reform our behavior and our beliefs by the conviction of the Word and we do not reform the Word based on our stubborn desire to believe as we have always believed.
Note at the end of verse 47 that we are told God added to His church daily.
Many churches today focus so much on growth because of this verse. A large church, they believe, is a successful church. I tell you that is not true. A large church that is dead is a useless church!!
What should we be focusing on above all?
Worship: worship Him in spirit and in truth…obey His commandments…and He will give the increase or He will not. But our task is to worship Him and spread His good news.
We cannot nor should we dare to see large numbers as signs of success, otherwise the Mormons and the Muslims and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are far more successful than we are!
We need to be obedient in the preaching of His Word and then responsible in the discipling of His people! And brothers and sisters, if we do this…the church will grow in the right way…in a way that gives Him the full honor and the full glory…
But another thing that is important to me about this verse is that it shows how much God loves His church. Jesus gave His life for the church…He loves us!!
Think about that!! As wickedly sinful as we are…as totally undeserving of His grace as we are…as poorly as we obey Him…Christ loves His church!!
Ephesians 1:22 says that God “put all things under [the feet of Jesus], and gave Him to be head over all things to the church…” Then in Ephesians 1:23 we are told that we, His church, are “His body, the fullness of Him…” Brothers and sisters, because of this, we “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens…and members of the household of God…” Ephesians 2:19
God loves His church.
Is there anyone in this room who believes the church will ever die out? God forbid anyone professing Christ as Lord should believe so!!!!
Why, then, do we come up with strategies for increasing the sizes of our congregations instead of focusing on being obedient to His word? Is it not because in some way we think it is we who are ultimately responsible for adding to the church? Before I stop, please don’t leave this room thinking I am against churches growing. Nor am I against changing HOW we present the Gospel in order to reach different people. What I mean to do by saying what I have said is to warn us against changing the substance of the Gospel. If we preach the Word, if we study our Bibles, if we believe what we read…then our churches will grow not because Starbucks is in our lobby but because people will look at us and wonder what makes us different!!
Let us close with prayer!
Acts 1:23-26
Presented on September 3, 2006
Last week when we stopped we had been studying about how the Apostles have decided to add to their number. Today we will see by what method they decide to choose the man who will take the place of Judas, that "son of perdition".
Read Acts 1:23-26
Having decided that someone must take up the mantle that Judas dishonored, two men of good character and that met the qualifications were named: Barsabas and Matthias.
Note that before proceeding, the congregation went before God in prayer. The prayer is worth noting carefully:
“You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all”
Indeed our God is Sovereign. He can see into the hearts of those whom He has created. He knows, brothers and sisters, our very thoughts. Foolish is the man or the woman who thinks they deceive our God. Many there may be who come to church and play the game, deceiving us every day. But I tell you with full assurance that God is not fooled for so much as one second! He knows the heart of all.
“show which of these two You have chosen”
Do not miss the importance of these words. The Scriptures record clearly here that the gathering was fully aware that one of these men was already called of God. They themselves did not know whom it was…but God did. Not because He knew the outcome but because He determined it.
“to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, the apostles fulfilled a ministry which no longer exists. At this time, however, their ministry was important to the birth and growth of the Church, and so they were to add another to their number. Note also the words referring to Judas going to “his own place“. Both John Gill and Albert Barnes go to great lengths to explain how the phrase was used by the Jews of antiquity to denote an eternal destination. And since we may be fully confident that Judas’ final destination was not heaven, it has been the natural interpretation of the church that “his own place” refers to that terrible place which we know as Hell. A place that is the natural destination of all of sinful mankind; a place which we are spared only by the merciful grace of a loving God.
Brothers and sisters, in an age of skepticism, there are those who deny the existence of a literal hell. Some may well ask, “How could a loving god send someone to hell?” The more accurate question we should ask, however, is “Why would a holy God redeem any of us from our well earned punishment?” Before we shake our fists at God and shout “how dare you” we should remember that our redemption was purchased by His own blood! Furthermore, let us never forget that God does not owe us our salvation. I pray that nobody in this room thinks they are worthy of it, that they were deserving of the gift that Jesus purchased for us by hanging on the cross and enduring the torture that He did.
So ends the prayer and then they cast their lots and it falls upon Matthias to enter into the fellowship of the Apostles.
Interestingly enough, the casting of lots was considered essential in important decisions for the Jews. And it was not considered what we might think of it today. Casting of lots was a solemn and reverent appeal for direction and guidance from man to God. As Barnes notes, the manner in which Canaan was divided was chosen by the casting of lots (Numbers 26:55).
Before we vent our fury and righteous indignation to this casting of lots…what exactly was it? While the exact manner is not known, a manner of doing so was to write the names of people on stone or wood, along with some blanks, and put them in an urn or bowl from which someone drew a lot, or which was then thrown on the ground and the one that came face up was the one chosen for whatever office or honor was being decided upon.
In its most simple design, of course, we can be sure that the result of any casting of lots is always decided as the Lord wills. To not admit this is to say that God is ignorant of future events…and only the most foolish of men hold that notion. Does this mean, however, that the casting of lots is the best manner by which we decide important spiritual decisions? I would say no. I do not dare to judge these men here…but I would say that unless the Holy Spirit gives you an unequivocal sign that you must rely on the casting of a lot…we should instead turn to other means when faced with important decisions.
The only other thing I want to mention about this is that some have said that the casting of lots was in reality voting. In other words, each man cast a lot for the man he or she chose, and the one with the most lots won. The only problem is that the word for lots is kleros and nowhere in the Scriptures is it used to refer to a vote in the sense that we understand it today.
Let us close in prayer
Last week when we stopped we had been studying about how the Apostles have decided to add to their number. Today we will see by what method they decide to choose the man who will take the place of Judas, that "son of perdition".
Read Acts 1:23-26
Having decided that someone must take up the mantle that Judas dishonored, two men of good character and that met the qualifications were named: Barsabas and Matthias.
Note that before proceeding, the congregation went before God in prayer. The prayer is worth noting carefully:
“You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all”
Indeed our God is Sovereign. He can see into the hearts of those whom He has created. He knows, brothers and sisters, our very thoughts. Foolish is the man or the woman who thinks they deceive our God. Many there may be who come to church and play the game, deceiving us every day. But I tell you with full assurance that God is not fooled for so much as one second! He knows the heart of all.
“show which of these two You have chosen”
Do not miss the importance of these words. The Scriptures record clearly here that the gathering was fully aware that one of these men was already called of God. They themselves did not know whom it was…but God did. Not because He knew the outcome but because He determined it.
“to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, the apostles fulfilled a ministry which no longer exists. At this time, however, their ministry was important to the birth and growth of the Church, and so they were to add another to their number. Note also the words referring to Judas going to “his own place“. Both John Gill and Albert Barnes go to great lengths to explain how the phrase was used by the Jews of antiquity to denote an eternal destination. And since we may be fully confident that Judas’ final destination was not heaven, it has been the natural interpretation of the church that “his own place” refers to that terrible place which we know as Hell. A place that is the natural destination of all of sinful mankind; a place which we are spared only by the merciful grace of a loving God.
Brothers and sisters, in an age of skepticism, there are those who deny the existence of a literal hell. Some may well ask, “How could a loving god send someone to hell?” The more accurate question we should ask, however, is “Why would a holy God redeem any of us from our well earned punishment?” Before we shake our fists at God and shout “how dare you” we should remember that our redemption was purchased by His own blood! Furthermore, let us never forget that God does not owe us our salvation. I pray that nobody in this room thinks they are worthy of it, that they were deserving of the gift that Jesus purchased for us by hanging on the cross and enduring the torture that He did.
So ends the prayer and then they cast their lots and it falls upon Matthias to enter into the fellowship of the Apostles.
Interestingly enough, the casting of lots was considered essential in important decisions for the Jews. And it was not considered what we might think of it today. Casting of lots was a solemn and reverent appeal for direction and guidance from man to God. As Barnes notes, the manner in which Canaan was divided was chosen by the casting of lots (Numbers 26:55).
Before we vent our fury and righteous indignation to this casting of lots…what exactly was it? While the exact manner is not known, a manner of doing so was to write the names of people on stone or wood, along with some blanks, and put them in an urn or bowl from which someone drew a lot, or which was then thrown on the ground and the one that came face up was the one chosen for whatever office or honor was being decided upon.
In its most simple design, of course, we can be sure that the result of any casting of lots is always decided as the Lord wills. To not admit this is to say that God is ignorant of future events…and only the most foolish of men hold that notion. Does this mean, however, that the casting of lots is the best manner by which we decide important spiritual decisions? I would say no. I do not dare to judge these men here…but I would say that unless the Holy Spirit gives you an unequivocal sign that you must rely on the casting of a lot…we should instead turn to other means when faced with important decisions.
The only other thing I want to mention about this is that some have said that the casting of lots was in reality voting. In other words, each man cast a lot for the man he or she chose, and the one with the most lots won. The only problem is that the word for lots is kleros and nowhere in the Scriptures is it used to refer to a vote in the sense that we understand it today.
Let us close in prayer
Acts 1:4-8
Read Acts 1:4-8
Re verses 4-5)
In John 14:15-18 the Lord promised to send a Helper, and here in verse 4 we see Christ commanding His people to gather in Jerusalem and wait for that Helper of whom He’d previously spoken.
What is more, they are to receive the special baptism of the Holy Spirit…a wholly new thing in the world at this point. It is interesting to note that this baptism of the Holy Spirit is a direct gift from the Father as presented by the Son. Jesus here in verse 5 makes a special reference to John 1:32-33, where we read that it is Jesus Himself who baptizes with the Holy Spirit!
Note now in verse 6 what the disciples ask of Jesus….
Remember throughout the ministry of Jesus…His followers have been expecting Him to establish an earthly kingdom…to revive the glory that was the Israel under King David. His followers never totally understood the specific reason for which He had come. Here we see that this misunderstanding still persists! He has risen from the dead and shown that He is God and they still want the earthly kingdom of Israel to be restored.
Note carefully in verse 7 the rebuke offered by our risen Savior:
It is not for you to know!
Brothers and sisters…many have come, and many will come, who profess to know when our Lord will return! Do NOT listen to them! It is not for us to worry about when He will return! Jesus in verse 8 tells them and He tells us that we are to be His witnesses! The Greek word for “witness” is martus… what modern word do you think derives from this? MARTYR! Jesus says we are to be His martyrs!
Why does He say this?
Brothers and sisters, we are called to bear witness of the work He has done in our lives, we are to tell others the Good News of His atoning work on the cross, and if we do this faithfully…then we shall truly “incur the wrath of the ungodly world.” Just as our Lord was killed for His call to repentance, so shall we be vilified by the world around us when we bear testimony and witness of Jesus. Barnhouse makes the convicting comment that if the world around us is not seeking to kill us it is either because they cannot do so legally or because our witness is not strong enough!
So then…there is nothing wrong with wondering when our Lord shall return. But be prepared for His imminent return…plan for it to come today…and our time will be better spent on witnessing to the world around us than trying to nail down a specific day!
Finally…the witnessing we do is not through our own power…none of our works are! We have been given the power by God Himself…the ability to do that which He commands is ours! Do not waste the power that has been entrusted to you…be a witness!
Re verses 4-5)
In John 14:15-18 the Lord promised to send a Helper, and here in verse 4 we see Christ commanding His people to gather in Jerusalem and wait for that Helper of whom He’d previously spoken.
What is more, they are to receive the special baptism of the Holy Spirit…a wholly new thing in the world at this point. It is interesting to note that this baptism of the Holy Spirit is a direct gift from the Father as presented by the Son. Jesus here in verse 5 makes a special reference to John 1:32-33, where we read that it is Jesus Himself who baptizes with the Holy Spirit!
Note now in verse 6 what the disciples ask of Jesus….
Remember throughout the ministry of Jesus…His followers have been expecting Him to establish an earthly kingdom…to revive the glory that was the Israel under King David. His followers never totally understood the specific reason for which He had come. Here we see that this misunderstanding still persists! He has risen from the dead and shown that He is God and they still want the earthly kingdom of Israel to be restored.
Note carefully in verse 7 the rebuke offered by our risen Savior:
It is not for you to know!
Brothers and sisters…many have come, and many will come, who profess to know when our Lord will return! Do NOT listen to them! It is not for us to worry about when He will return! Jesus in verse 8 tells them and He tells us that we are to be His witnesses! The Greek word for “witness” is martus… what modern word do you think derives from this? MARTYR! Jesus says we are to be His martyrs!
Why does He say this?
Brothers and sisters, we are called to bear witness of the work He has done in our lives, we are to tell others the Good News of His atoning work on the cross, and if we do this faithfully…then we shall truly “incur the wrath of the ungodly world.” Just as our Lord was killed for His call to repentance, so shall we be vilified by the world around us when we bear testimony and witness of Jesus. Barnhouse makes the convicting comment that if the world around us is not seeking to kill us it is either because they cannot do so legally or because our witness is not strong enough!
So then…there is nothing wrong with wondering when our Lord shall return. But be prepared for His imminent return…plan for it to come today…and our time will be better spent on witnessing to the world around us than trying to nail down a specific day!
Finally…the witnessing we do is not through our own power…none of our works are! We have been given the power by God Himself…the ability to do that which He commands is ours! Do not waste the power that has been entrusted to you…be a witness!
Acts 1:1-3
Our study on Acts was begun in August of 2006 in the Pacesetter's class at Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho. This and other postings I will make on Acts are a sampling of the lessons presented. My family and I have since left that church but I'm certain that the Pacesetter's remain faithful to the teaching of the Word of God.
***********************************************************
The book of Acts was written by Luke as a sequel, if you will, to the gospel that bears his name. It is believed that it was written around A.D. 63, about 30 years after the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
What is the book of Acts about?
The first answer to that is that Acts is the record of what the apostles did after the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the Church.
Donald Grey Barnhouse, one of the commentators I am using for this study, says that the book of Acts, rather than the acts of the Apostles, should be better known as “The Acts of the Holy Spirit” “because the things God did through the apostles were in reality the acts of the Holy Spirit through those who were the Lord’s chosen for His purposes.”
I tend to agree with Barnhouse because I see this book as being primarily the story of how God gave birth to His church on earth and how He made it grow and spread through the teachings of the apostles, who were empowered by the Holy Spirit. We will see throughout the book how God carefully seeds His Body, bringing to it many converts.
Read Acts 1:1-3
Re: verse 1)
As mentioned above, we know that Luke was the author of this book, and that Luke was also the author of the gospel that bears his name, and we also know that he wrote both books to Theophilus (compare Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:1-4) in order to explain to him the many wonderful things he knew about Jesus.
Although Theophilus was a real person, some commentators believe the book of Acts was intended for a wider audience than just the one man bearing the name. They take pains to point out that the name Theophilus is derived from the Greek words theos and phileo, the first meaning God and the second meaning to love. Therefore, it is said, the name of Theophilus meant “God lover” or “lover of God.” This, then, really refers to all Believers…to all Christians…for those of us who bear that name are by definition lovers of God. We love God.
Even so, it is a beautiful interpretation but the fact remains that the context of the passage is clear that this is a letter being written to a man named Theophilus, a man to whom Luke has already sent one letter…the Gospel.
Re: verses 2 & 3)
As with the gospel that bears his name, Luke wrote Acts in order that Theophilus might believe and have his faith confirmed! Notice how he explains that he will tell him all that Jesus had done while alive and then what Jesus did after the resurrection! He clearly states that there were infallible proofs to the resurrection of the Lord! This is important to note because were these proofs not infallible, then Theophilus would easily be able to rebuke Luke. But Luke is confident of his message, as he should be.
Likewise, brothers and sisters, our message to the world is an infallible message. Proclaim it without shame and without hesitation because the success of the message we take to the world does not rest on our ability to properly transmit it! The success of the message lies within itself! Our task is to tell others the message of our risen Savior, to call people to repentance of sin and submission to Jesus as Lord and Savior…God will do the rest!
How true it is that “the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Now then, before moving on to other verses, I want us to focus special attention on the verse about the apostles…
"the apostles whom He had chosen"
When I first started coming to this church, I remember being surprised to hear a man among us referred to as an apostle…I understood what the pastor meant but remember feeling some unease about it. Later on, in a discussion in Sunday school, we talked about apostles today and how we all fit into the definition of apostle.
I want to tell you today that that is both true and it is false.
It is true because the word apostle is the Greek apostolos, which means delegate or messenger of the gospel. All of us, in this sense of the word, are apostles.
But at the same time, the Scriptures clearly teach that Apostle is also an office. In fact, Strong’s concordance includes the first two definitions but adds that the word also was used officially to designate those commissioned by Christ who were known by their workings of miracles.
Therefore, the statement that we are all apostles is also false because only a select few were ever in the position of Apostles of Christ.
Again, many people use the word and apply it to anyone who spreads the Gospel...who teaches the Bible. They use the term in this general way because they believe that since we are all delegates of Christ and witnesses of Him, then we are all technically apostles.
HOWEVER...the Bible does recognize a particular group of men who are referred to as Apostles in the sense of a special relationship and job that they had.
The word apostles (plural) is used over 50 times in the NT, the singular version apostle is used only 19 times. When used in the singular, it always refers to one of those whom Jesus had called or to Paul and/or Matthias. In the plural, it always refers to that select group mentioned above and never to the followers of Christ as a whole.
Those whom the apostles commission and send out are not also known as apostles…and in 2 Peter 3:1-2 we see that apostleship came with the authority to teach and introduce doctrine, for their teachings were inspired…I cannot introduce doctrine to you. I have no authority with which to do so. But the chosen delegates who held the office of an Apostle did have that authority which was confirmed by the workings of miracles.
Can we have such an office holder today? The answer is no. For remember that in 1 Corinthians 9:1 Paul asks the rhetorical question, “Am I not an apostle?” Part of the reason he give for his authority is that he is one who had “seen Jesus.” The Apostles, therefore, were those who had seen Jesus…they were given to the church to help establish it…to be used by the Holy Spirit for the work of giving birth and direction to the church. Since no man since then can claim to have seen Jesus, there can be no Apostles today. At least not in the biblical sense of the word.
Questions or comments?
***********************************************************
The book of Acts was written by Luke as a sequel, if you will, to the gospel that bears his name. It is believed that it was written around A.D. 63, about 30 years after the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
What is the book of Acts about?
The first answer to that is that Acts is the record of what the apostles did after the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the Church.
Donald Grey Barnhouse, one of the commentators I am using for this study, says that the book of Acts, rather than the acts of the Apostles, should be better known as “The Acts of the Holy Spirit” “because the things God did through the apostles were in reality the acts of the Holy Spirit through those who were the Lord’s chosen for His purposes.”
I tend to agree with Barnhouse because I see this book as being primarily the story of how God gave birth to His church on earth and how He made it grow and spread through the teachings of the apostles, who were empowered by the Holy Spirit. We will see throughout the book how God carefully seeds His Body, bringing to it many converts.
Read Acts 1:1-3
Re: verse 1)
As mentioned above, we know that Luke was the author of this book, and that Luke was also the author of the gospel that bears his name, and we also know that he wrote both books to Theophilus (compare Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:1-4) in order to explain to him the many wonderful things he knew about Jesus.
Although Theophilus was a real person, some commentators believe the book of Acts was intended for a wider audience than just the one man bearing the name. They take pains to point out that the name Theophilus is derived from the Greek words theos and phileo, the first meaning God and the second meaning to love. Therefore, it is said, the name of Theophilus meant “God lover” or “lover of God.” This, then, really refers to all Believers…to all Christians…for those of us who bear that name are by definition lovers of God. We love God.
Even so, it is a beautiful interpretation but the fact remains that the context of the passage is clear that this is a letter being written to a man named Theophilus, a man to whom Luke has already sent one letter…the Gospel.
Re: verses 2 & 3)
As with the gospel that bears his name, Luke wrote Acts in order that Theophilus might believe and have his faith confirmed! Notice how he explains that he will tell him all that Jesus had done while alive and then what Jesus did after the resurrection! He clearly states that there were infallible proofs to the resurrection of the Lord! This is important to note because were these proofs not infallible, then Theophilus would easily be able to rebuke Luke. But Luke is confident of his message, as he should be.
Likewise, brothers and sisters, our message to the world is an infallible message. Proclaim it without shame and without hesitation because the success of the message we take to the world does not rest on our ability to properly transmit it! The success of the message lies within itself! Our task is to tell others the message of our risen Savior, to call people to repentance of sin and submission to Jesus as Lord and Savior…God will do the rest!
How true it is that “the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Now then, before moving on to other verses, I want us to focus special attention on the verse about the apostles…
"the apostles whom He had chosen"
When I first started coming to this church, I remember being surprised to hear a man among us referred to as an apostle…I understood what the pastor meant but remember feeling some unease about it. Later on, in a discussion in Sunday school, we talked about apostles today and how we all fit into the definition of apostle.
I want to tell you today that that is both true and it is false.
It is true because the word apostle is the Greek apostolos, which means delegate or messenger of the gospel. All of us, in this sense of the word, are apostles.
But at the same time, the Scriptures clearly teach that Apostle is also an office. In fact, Strong’s concordance includes the first two definitions but adds that the word also was used officially to designate those commissioned by Christ who were known by their workings of miracles.
Therefore, the statement that we are all apostles is also false because only a select few were ever in the position of Apostles of Christ.
Again, many people use the word and apply it to anyone who spreads the Gospel...who teaches the Bible. They use the term in this general way because they believe that since we are all delegates of Christ and witnesses of Him, then we are all technically apostles.
HOWEVER...the Bible does recognize a particular group of men who are referred to as Apostles in the sense of a special relationship and job that they had.
The word apostles (plural) is used over 50 times in the NT, the singular version apostle is used only 19 times. When used in the singular, it always refers to one of those whom Jesus had called or to Paul and/or Matthias. In the plural, it always refers to that select group mentioned above and never to the followers of Christ as a whole.
Those whom the apostles commission and send out are not also known as apostles…and in 2 Peter 3:1-2 we see that apostleship came with the authority to teach and introduce doctrine, for their teachings were inspired…I cannot introduce doctrine to you. I have no authority with which to do so. But the chosen delegates who held the office of an Apostle did have that authority which was confirmed by the workings of miracles.
Can we have such an office holder today? The answer is no. For remember that in 1 Corinthians 9:1 Paul asks the rhetorical question, “Am I not an apostle?” Part of the reason he give for his authority is that he is one who had “seen Jesus.” The Apostles, therefore, were those who had seen Jesus…they were given to the church to help establish it…to be used by the Holy Spirit for the work of giving birth and direction to the church. Since no man since then can claim to have seen Jesus, there can be no Apostles today. At least not in the biblical sense of the word.
Questions or comments?
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