“The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit”
[Acts 2:1-21]
May 31. 2009 Emmanuel OPC
June 14, 2009 Second Reformed Church
After the Resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with the disciples. While He was with them, He gave them proofs that He truly rose from the dead and was not a ghost. Jesus showed them His wounds from the nails and the spear. He allowed them to touch Him and see that He had flesh and bones. And He ate with them. Jesus had risen from the dead in His Physical Body, and in doing that, He assures all those who believe in Him Alone for salvation, that we shall also rise in our physical bodies, perfected, sinless, made like Him.
During those forty days, Jesus also taught them about the Kingdom of God and promised them that they would receive power through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And Jesus called them – and all believers after them – to be His witnesses to every people and nation throughout the world.
After the forty days had lapsed, Jesus ascended, bodily, before the eyes of His disciples, on a cloud, back to the Throne of the Son, and where He reigns over all creation. The disciples were confronted by two men who appeared and told them to stop staring into the heavens, but to go to Jerusalem as Jesus had instructed them, to wait for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And the men reminded the disciples that Jesus would return one day, just as He had left them, on a cloud.
So, the disciples returned to Jerusalem – there were one hundred and twenty in their company – and they waited in the upper room and prayed. While they were there, they discussed that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was prophesied in Scripture, as was Judas’ suicide. And they decided, under the direction of God, to choose Matthias to replace Judas.
When we reach this morning’s Scripture, it is ten days after the Ascension. It was the day that we now remember as the day of Pentecost. We celebrated Pentecost two weeks ago, but, today, let’s remember what the Scripture tells us about it.
Ten days after the Ascension, the disciples – one hundred and twenty of them – were in the upper room, praying, and suddenly a noise came from heaven like a mighty rushing wind, which filled the entire house. And then, divided tongues of fire, visibly appeared and rested on each one of the disciples. And they were all indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.
And we might wonder why – why the noise and the visuals? We understand that every one who believes in Jesus Alone for salvation is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but I would venture to guess that when we received Jesus, none of us heard a mighty, rushing wind and saw divided tongues of fire. Why was there noise and visuals for the one hundred and twenty?
The Holy Spirit indwelt the disciples with audible and visible signs so there would be no doubt that they had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His Power. God had work for the disciples to do – that day – and they needed to have the assurance that they had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and now were empowered by Him.
John the Baptist indicated that this would be the way that the Holy Spirit would be received, as he said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11, ESV).
Luke tells us that when “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...[they] began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” What does that mean, and why were they all given that gift?
Luke tells us that there were people in Jerusalem at that time “from every nation under heaven”: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and Romans. They were in Jerusalem: Jews, Gentiles, and Arabians. Why? Because it was the Feast of Weeks.
Moses recorded God’s Words in Leviticus 23:15-21: “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering of pleasant aroma to the Lord. And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places through out your generations" (ESV).
Devout people from all over the world were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks and – here is the reason God gave the disciples the gift of tongues – that they all spoke different languages. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift – the ability – to speak in other languages instantly, because they did not have time to go to school to learn all of the languages that were represented at that time in Jerusalem. They needed to be able to speak in all of those languages instantly, so they could preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have everyone hear and understand it in their own language.
It was always God’s Purpose to call people to Himself from all over the world, as Isaiah prophesied, “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11, ESV).
Jesus, Himself, promised that they would be able to address the nations in their own tongues, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on they sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:15b-18, ESV).
God gave them the ability to speak in all of those languages because people from all over the world were worshiping in Jerusalem, and God wanted them to hear the Gospel in their own language; the disciples didn’t have the time to learn the languages, so the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in all those languages immediately.
What about today? There are some denominations that say that the gift of tongues is still given. There are some who say that Christians are even given the ability to speak in a non-earthly, angelic language. Without going into a long apologetic on this, let us understand that the purpose of the gift of tongues was to be able to immediately preach the Gospel to people who spoke other languages, who would not be there long enough for the disciples to study the languages first. Let us also understand that even if there is a non-human angelic language, Jesus did not purchase salvation for them, so what would be the point of preaching the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to them?
Hear what Paul wrote about the gifts of the Holy Spirit:”Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed ’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given through the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one, individually as he wills” (I Corinthians 12:1-11, ESV).
Paul continues, “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away” (II Corinthians 13:8, ESV).
So, the disciples were given the ability to speak in the languages of all those in Jerusalem for the feast that they would be able to preach the Gospel to everyone in their own language. And what was the response of the people? All the people were “amazed and perplexed” and asked themselves, “What does this mean?” Suddenly all these Galileans were speaking in the languages of the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, and Pontius, the inhabitants of Asia, Phrygians, Pamphylians, Egyptians, the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and the Romans.
Some answered, “They are filled with new wine.” Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it? The disciples suddenly had the ability to speak in all the languages of those there in Jerusalem. The only way they could have gained that ability was through getting drunk. Right? Were it only that easy to learn another language No. We see in this response that Satan will do anything to distract and dissuade from the message of the Gospel. The devil will resort to cunning and stupidity to try to get people to doubt or ignore the Gospel message. And we need to be aware of that when we talk with people about the Gospel.
When we talk with people about the Gospel, we need to gently keep the discussion on track. Very often when I talk with people, they bring up the sins of the Church – the Inquisition, the Crusades – or they tell me that they know Christians who are involved in this sin or that sin, or they tell me that they attended such-and-such a church and found this wrong and that wrong. We need to be honest: Christians sin; the Church sins. But then we need to gently guide the conversation back to looking at the Scripture and what Jesus has done. Because God’s Word is infallible and inerrant, and Jesus never sinned. If salvation were to be received based on the actual holiness of the Church and Christians in this life, then very few would reason to believe. It is through Jesus Christ and His Sinless Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, which the Holy Spirit had recorded without error in the Scripture, that anyone receives salvation.
So the apostle Peter guided those there away from Satan’s ridiculous accusation – Peter told them that they were not drunk; it was only nine o’clock in the morning – and he brought them back to the Scripture, “This is what was uttered by the prophet Joel.”
What the prophet Joel prophesied was this:
In the last days, God the Holy Spirit will indwell people from all over the world. Isaiah also prophesied, “For I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessings on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3, ESV). And Ezekiel prophesied, “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:27, ESV).
Paul confirms that everyone who believes in Jesus Alone for salvation receives the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit: “And hope does not put to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5, ESV). And again, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7, ESV).
And God will shows His Power in the Creation: “blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke, the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.” Matthew wrote of the crucifixion and death of Jesus, “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ... And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of their tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:45, 51-53, ESV).
And then Peter tells us, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe in Jesus Alone for salvation, then He has saved you, and He has given you the Gift of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “But when the Helper, the Holy Spirit comes, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV). “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:8-15, ESV).
Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the disciples, and all we who believe, now have the power to do what God has called us to do. We have each been given gifts – many different gifts – by the Holy Spirit that we are to use in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit now helps us to remember and understand what God has said in His Word.
What shall we do with this truth? Now that we know that God the Holy Spirit lives within us and empowers us and leads us to remember and understand God’s Word, are we willing to be obedient to God’s call on us to proclaim the Gospel to all people?
We are not all pastors. We are not are evangelists. We are not all “professional” missionaries. But God has gifted you and God has gifted me in ways that He will use to proclaim His Salvation. Shall we teach in the public schools in such a way that people come to know that Only in Jesus Alone is there salvation? Shall we work as an accountant in such a way that people come to know that Only in Jesus Alone is there salvation? Shall we work at being a student in such a way that people come to know that Only in Jesus Alone is there salvation? Shall we work as a homemaker or a retired person in such a way that people come to know that Only in Jesus Alone is there salvation? Shall we do whatever we are gifted to do in such a way that people come to know that Only in Jesus Alone is there salvation? Jesus has placed that call upon our lives.
We are not called to be Billy Graham or R.C. Sproul or John Piper or any other figure that we may see God working through. God has called us to be who each of us is, with the gifts that He has given us, to be used for His Sake, for His Glory, for the proclaiming of His Gospel.
As we remember the day of Pentecost, let us seek to understand what gifts the Holy Spirit has given to us, and then let us purpose to use them to make the Gospel of salvation known, “that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that we have not been left alone, but You have indwelt every Christian with God the Holy Spirit and gifted each one of us for Your Sake. Keep us from being afraid, and cause us to live out our faith as witnesses to You, for the salvation of Your people and to Your Glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Reformed Wisdom
On Acts 2:6 –
“Without the gift of tongues their ministrations must have been confined to their own countrymen; for it is not probable, that at their time of life, with their habits, they could have acquired, by ordinary means, a single foreign language so perfectly, as to be able to deliver a discourse in it upon the subject of religion.” – John Dick, Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles, 25.
“Without the gift of tongues their ministrations must have been confined to their own countrymen; for it is not probable, that at their time of life, with their habits, they could have acquired, by ordinary means, a single foreign language so perfectly, as to be able to deliver a discourse in it upon the subject of religion.” – John Dick, Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles, 25.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Reformed Wisdom
On Acts 2:4 –
“The great event was the Advent of the Holy Spirit for His indwelling among men. This is here expressed by the phrase, ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ – and this was the case with each one of the whole assembly of Disciples; and we are to suppose that it was such a fulness of the Spirit as had been promised to them by Christ, as a Comforter and Advocate – Teacher – Leader into all truth – Reminder of Christ’s words – Reminder of the things of Christ – and permanent indwelling Agency, to abide with them for ever, (John 14 and 16.)”
“We cannot suppose, with some. That the miracle consisted in the multitude hearing the same language as if it were their own tongue, and so as to understand it; for that would have been a gift of ears and not of tongues.” – Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes – Critical and Explanatory – on the Acts of the Apostles, 53-54.
“The great event was the Advent of the Holy Spirit for His indwelling among men. This is here expressed by the phrase, ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ – and this was the case with each one of the whole assembly of Disciples; and we are to suppose that it was such a fulness of the Spirit as had been promised to them by Christ, as a Comforter and Advocate – Teacher – Leader into all truth – Reminder of Christ’s words – Reminder of the things of Christ – and permanent indwelling Agency, to abide with them for ever, (John 14 and 16.)”
“We cannot suppose, with some. That the miracle consisted in the multitude hearing the same language as if it were their own tongue, and so as to understand it; for that would have been a gift of ears and not of tongues.” – Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes – Critical and Explanatory – on the Acts of the Apostles, 53-54.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
"The Right to Become Children" Sermon: John 1:6-13
“The Right to Become Children”
[John 1:6-13]
June 11, 2009 Old First Presbyterian Church
Last week, as we began our look at the Gospel of John, we saw that the Word, Jesus, is God. He is the Salvation that God sent to all those who would believe in Him.
In this morning’s Scripture, we begin by noting that God also sent a forerunner to the Word: John the Baptist. He was sent by God to bear witness to the Light Who came in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Now, let’s ask ourselves, why was John the Baptist sent? Why was he necessary? If Jesus is the Light, wouldn’t He be seen? If someone is outside and stares up at the sky during the day, won’t he see the sun? If we are inside and the lights are turned on, can we not look at the bulb and see the light? Why did God send John the Baptist to tell people that Jesus is the Light?
The necessity is found in the problem of blindness, as Jesus said, “‘Woe to you, blind guides.... You blind fools ... You blind men ...’” (Matthew 23:16a, 17a, 19a, ESV). We are born blind to the things of God, and more than that, we are born dead to the things of God, as Paul wrote, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked...” (Ephesians 2:1a, ESV).
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way and to announce to the blind and dead humanity around him that the Light had come among them. John, the author of the Gospel, notes that the problem is not with Jesus, “At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in [Jesus] and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (I John 2:8, ESV).
Even with John the Baptist declaring that the Light had come and He is the Word, Jesus, John tells us that the Light came into the world that He created, but it did not recognize Him: the world did not recognize Jesus when He came. Worse than not recognizing one’s parents, the world did not recognize her Creator.
Then John tells us that Jesus drew the circle tighter and went to His people – the chosen people of God – the Jews. But, when the Light came to His own people, they (generally speaking) did not receive Him – they rejected Him. He was not the Light – the Savior – they were looking for. So, His people did not receive Him.
Amidst this incredible lack of recognition and large-scale rejection, we do find Good News. Some people did receive Him. Some people did believe in Him. And John tells us “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
For all those who did receive Him – and all those Who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation now – Jesus gave them the right to become the children of God. We who believe have been given the right to be the sons and daughters of God – brothers and sisters of Jesus – co-heirs with Jesus of His Kingdom. But there’s a problem: if we are all born dead and blind, unable to even recognize Jesus as the Word – the Light – the Savior, then how is it that any come to believe in Him and receive the right to become children?
In verse thirteen of this morning’s reading, John tells us that we “who were born, not of blood.” We have not been given the right to become children because we are of the right or superior bloodline or DNA. God has not given us the right to become children because He saw how special we are or how wonderful or helpful we would be to the Gospel.
John tells us that we “who were born...not of the will of the flesh.” We have not been given the right to become children because we were born into the “right” families – the ones that would make God look good. We have not been given the right to become children because we just willed it to be so or because we were so persuasive to God, or any other reason we can come up with.
No, John tells us that we “who were born...[were born]...of God.” That means that all of us who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation were born as children of God, not because of anything in us or due to what we did, but of God’s Will Alone.
John wrote, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (I John 3:1-3, ESV).
And James confirms what John wrote, “Of [God’s] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation” (James 1:18, ESV).
What does it mean for us that God has given us the right to become His children by His Will Alone?
It means we owe God everlasting thanksgiving for saving us from the death that our sin deserves and granting us life. In our darkens hour, we always have reason to lift our voice in thanks because God has made us His sons and daughters. We are always better off for what He has done, for the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus, than were would be if He had passed us by. Let us be a people of constant thanksgiving.
It means we owe God, our Father, honor. If we are commanded to give our earthly parents honor – to respect them and obey them – how much more do we owe our Heavenly Father respect and honor? Let us obey God and show the world our love for God and them by living out His Commandments, as we show how worthy our God is and how thankful we are for what He has done for us.
It means we may go to God, our Father, when we are in need. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to ask our Father for everything we need for this day, and we are promised that we will receive what we truly need. And the author of Hebrews tells us, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
It means that God will discipline us when we need it. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews 12:7-9, ESV). Let us receive God’s discipline with respect.
It means that we have an inheritance with Jesus, our Brother. Paul wrote, “In [Jesus] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-14, ESV).
It means that we can never lose our status as sons and daughters of God. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). God has given us the right to become children of God. God has saved us through Jesus’ Work. And God will keep us until the day of Christ Jesus when we will enter into His Glory.
Brothers and sisters, the human condition, based on our ability, is hopeless from the moment of conception. But thanks be to God, He has chosen to make some – to give some the right to become – children of God – for His Reasons, according to His Will, and by His Power.
Let us pray:
Almighty God and Father, we thank You that You have saved us from ourselves and made us Your sons and daughters. Help us to live up to the high call that You have put upon our lives, and be glorified through us. For it is in our Brother, Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.
[John 1:6-13]
June 11, 2009 Old First Presbyterian Church
Last week, as we began our look at the Gospel of John, we saw that the Word, Jesus, is God. He is the Salvation that God sent to all those who would believe in Him.
In this morning’s Scripture, we begin by noting that God also sent a forerunner to the Word: John the Baptist. He was sent by God to bear witness to the Light Who came in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Now, let’s ask ourselves, why was John the Baptist sent? Why was he necessary? If Jesus is the Light, wouldn’t He be seen? If someone is outside and stares up at the sky during the day, won’t he see the sun? If we are inside and the lights are turned on, can we not look at the bulb and see the light? Why did God send John the Baptist to tell people that Jesus is the Light?
The necessity is found in the problem of blindness, as Jesus said, “‘Woe to you, blind guides.... You blind fools ... You blind men ...’” (Matthew 23:16a, 17a, 19a, ESV). We are born blind to the things of God, and more than that, we are born dead to the things of God, as Paul wrote, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked...” (Ephesians 2:1a, ESV).
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way and to announce to the blind and dead humanity around him that the Light had come among them. John, the author of the Gospel, notes that the problem is not with Jesus, “At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in [Jesus] and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (I John 2:8, ESV).
Even with John the Baptist declaring that the Light had come and He is the Word, Jesus, John tells us that the Light came into the world that He created, but it did not recognize Him: the world did not recognize Jesus when He came. Worse than not recognizing one’s parents, the world did not recognize her Creator.
Then John tells us that Jesus drew the circle tighter and went to His people – the chosen people of God – the Jews. But, when the Light came to His own people, they (generally speaking) did not receive Him – they rejected Him. He was not the Light – the Savior – they were looking for. So, His people did not receive Him.
Amidst this incredible lack of recognition and large-scale rejection, we do find Good News. Some people did receive Him. Some people did believe in Him. And John tells us “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
For all those who did receive Him – and all those Who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation now – Jesus gave them the right to become the children of God. We who believe have been given the right to be the sons and daughters of God – brothers and sisters of Jesus – co-heirs with Jesus of His Kingdom. But there’s a problem: if we are all born dead and blind, unable to even recognize Jesus as the Word – the Light – the Savior, then how is it that any come to believe in Him and receive the right to become children?
In verse thirteen of this morning’s reading, John tells us that we “who were born, not of blood.” We have not been given the right to become children because we are of the right or superior bloodline or DNA. God has not given us the right to become children because He saw how special we are or how wonderful or helpful we would be to the Gospel.
John tells us that we “who were born...not of the will of the flesh.” We have not been given the right to become children because we were born into the “right” families – the ones that would make God look good. We have not been given the right to become children because we just willed it to be so or because we were so persuasive to God, or any other reason we can come up with.
No, John tells us that we “who were born...[were born]...of God.” That means that all of us who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation were born as children of God, not because of anything in us or due to what we did, but of God’s Will Alone.
John wrote, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (I John 3:1-3, ESV).
And James confirms what John wrote, “Of [God’s] own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation” (James 1:18, ESV).
What does it mean for us that God has given us the right to become His children by His Will Alone?
It means we owe God everlasting thanksgiving for saving us from the death that our sin deserves and granting us life. In our darkens hour, we always have reason to lift our voice in thanks because God has made us His sons and daughters. We are always better off for what He has done, for the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus, than were would be if He had passed us by. Let us be a people of constant thanksgiving.
It means we owe God, our Father, honor. If we are commanded to give our earthly parents honor – to respect them and obey them – how much more do we owe our Heavenly Father respect and honor? Let us obey God and show the world our love for God and them by living out His Commandments, as we show how worthy our God is and how thankful we are for what He has done for us.
It means we may go to God, our Father, when we are in need. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to ask our Father for everything we need for this day, and we are promised that we will receive what we truly need. And the author of Hebrews tells us, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
It means that God will discipline us when we need it. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews 12:7-9, ESV). Let us receive God’s discipline with respect.
It means that we have an inheritance with Jesus, our Brother. Paul wrote, “In [Jesus] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-14, ESV).
It means that we can never lose our status as sons and daughters of God. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). God has given us the right to become children of God. God has saved us through Jesus’ Work. And God will keep us until the day of Christ Jesus when we will enter into His Glory.
Brothers and sisters, the human condition, based on our ability, is hopeless from the moment of conception. But thanks be to God, He has chosen to make some – to give some the right to become – children of God – for His Reasons, according to His Will, and by His Power.
Let us pray:
Almighty God and Father, we thank You that You have saved us from ourselves and made us Your sons and daughters. Help us to live up to the high call that You have put upon our lives, and be glorified through us. For it is in our Brother, Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Review: How to Read Proverbs
Upon reaching Proverbs in our Sunday morning Bible study, I decided I needed some help. Having read Tremper Longman’s How to Read the Psalms and found it useful, I turned to his book, How to Read Proverbs, which I found equally useful.
Longman begins by looking at what a proverb is. He explains that a proverb is a saying that helps one navigate life well. It is not a universal truth, but a guide to be used in certain situations. He explores the structure of the book of Proverbs, especially as it presents the two different women of the book. He also explores the structure of individual proverbs by way of literary analysis.
In the second section, he begins by comparing the book of Proverbs to other wisdom literature, and he notes that the authors/compiler of the book of Proverbs may have taken worthy proverbs from other cultures/religions. This is where I find a weakness in the book: while I will not deny that it is possible that some of the proverbs are “borrowed,” as one who was beaten up with historical-critical theory, I wish Longman would have argued the reasoning behind accepting “borrowed” literature as Holy Scripture. Such a defense would have buffeted his work.
In any event, he then compares Proverbs with the other biblical wisdom literature – Job and Ecclesiastes – as well as the histories of Joseph and Daniel. He ends the section by exploring Jesus as the Wisdom of God.
In the third section, Longman looks at some of the themes of the book of Proverbs, including money. This is followed by useful appendices which help the student to set up a plan for reading and studying the book.
Longman’s work is a very useful introduction to Proverbs, and I would recommend it for that. However, I wish he would have defended the authority of Proverbs against the historical-critical view which would find ways to dismiss the text by finding its roots in extra-biblical literature.
Longman begins by looking at what a proverb is. He explains that a proverb is a saying that helps one navigate life well. It is not a universal truth, but a guide to be used in certain situations. He explores the structure of the book of Proverbs, especially as it presents the two different women of the book. He also explores the structure of individual proverbs by way of literary analysis.
In the second section, he begins by comparing the book of Proverbs to other wisdom literature, and he notes that the authors/compiler of the book of Proverbs may have taken worthy proverbs from other cultures/religions. This is where I find a weakness in the book: while I will not deny that it is possible that some of the proverbs are “borrowed,” as one who was beaten up with historical-critical theory, I wish Longman would have argued the reasoning behind accepting “borrowed” literature as Holy Scripture. Such a defense would have buffeted his work.
In any event, he then compares Proverbs with the other biblical wisdom literature – Job and Ecclesiastes – as well as the histories of Joseph and Daniel. He ends the section by exploring Jesus as the Wisdom of God.
In the third section, Longman looks at some of the themes of the book of Proverbs, including money. This is followed by useful appendices which help the student to set up a plan for reading and studying the book.
Longman’s work is a very useful introduction to Proverbs, and I would recommend it for that. However, I wish he would have defended the authority of Proverbs against the historical-critical view which would find ways to dismiss the text by finding its roots in extra-biblical literature.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Reformed Wisdom
On Acts 2:2 –
“How could the Jewish converts fail to think of Ezekiel’s vision, in which the man of God was ordered to ‘cry to the wind, and prophesy and say to the wind, “Come from the four winds, O breath, (Spirit, the same term in Hebrew,) and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”’” – Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes – Critical and Explanatory – on the Acts of the Apostles, 50.
“How could the Jewish converts fail to think of Ezekiel’s vision, in which the man of God was ordered to ‘cry to the wind, and prophesy and say to the wind, “Come from the four winds, O breath, (Spirit, the same term in Hebrew,) and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”’” – Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes – Critical and Explanatory – on the Acts of the Apostles, 50.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Wisdom of the Fathers
On Acts 1:19 –
“Not only does the saying hold true in the time of Judas, but even today. If Judas lost his office of apostle, let priest and bishop be on guard lest they, too, lose their ministry. If an apostle fell, more easily is it possible for a monk to fall. Virtue is not lost, even though man falls and perishes. The Lord continues to lend out his money at interest; if anyone who receives it does not double it, it is taken away and given to another who already has the same. The Lord’s money cannot lie idle.” – Jerome, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 17.
“Not only does the saying hold true in the time of Judas, but even today. If Judas lost his office of apostle, let priest and bishop be on guard lest they, too, lose their ministry. If an apostle fell, more easily is it possible for a monk to fall. Virtue is not lost, even though man falls and perishes. The Lord continues to lend out his money at interest; if anyone who receives it does not double it, it is taken away and given to another who already has the same. The Lord’s money cannot lie idle.” – Jerome, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 17.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
"Choosing Matthias" Sermon: Acts 1:12-26
“Choosing Matthias”
[Acts 1:12-26]
June 7, 2009 Second Reformed Church
After the Ascension, the disciples were confronted by two men, who were likely angels, and told to stop staring up into the heavens and to be about the work that Jesus had called them to do. So they all went back to Jerusalem, as Jesus had said, and the one hundred and twenty went to the upper room where they were staying. Among the one hundred and twenty disciples were the eleven remaining apostles – who Luke names anew – the women who followed Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ biological brothers.
Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem to wait for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the power that they would receive once He had indwelt them. Looking at the history, we know they had ten days to wait. During this time they “devoted themselves to prayer.” What were they praying about – or for?
Well, they would have been praying that Jesus’ Promise would come – that the Holy Spirit would indwell them and give them the power they needed to be the disciples of Christ – His representatives and witnesses to the world. They may have been praying for the Jews and the Romans who would hear them proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness – that God would cause them to respond favorably to the message He was sending. They may have been praying for Jesus’ Return – that He would come soon and restore the Creation and establish His Kingdom in all its fullness.
We are called to be a people of prayer. We ought to be in prayer for each other, for this church, for this community, for this world – have you prayed this week? Have you prayed that God would give us wisdom? Have you prayed that God would cause this church to grow – in maturity and in numbers? James said, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2b-3, ESV).
God knows what we need, and He will provide us with what we need, but He also desires to hear from us in prayer. If we don’t pray, we should not expect to receive. And if we pray for sinful reasons, we should not expect to receive. But if we pray for those things that God wants for us, our Loving, Heavenly Father will give them to us in His time.
Let us be a people of prayer. Let us pray that God’s Will would be done. Let us pray for this church and each other that we would be worthwhile witnesses to the Gospel.
Once the one hundred and twenty were gathered in the upper room, Peter stood up and began to preach. He told the other disciples that what happened to Judas was prophesied in the writings of the prophet, David.
The money that Judas received was used to buy a field to bury paupers and the unknown. And Judas went to that field and committed suicide: he threw himself down on a spike, tore open his middle, and his bowels gushed out on the ground. This is what was written in the book of Psalms, “May his camp become desolate, and let there be noone to dwell in it.” Judas died in the “Field of Blood,” and there was no one to carry on his family line.
We ought not to rush over Judas’ suicide, because Judas has been ordained to the office of apostle, and he fell to his everlasting ruin. That should give us pause. That should make us desire to “make our calling and election sure” as we will remember from Peter’s letters. Because having a high office, being ordained, being a part of the ministry – does not, itself, guarantee salvation. It looked like Judas had it all – he was one of the apostles of the Savior, Jesus Christ. But Judas left Jesus – denied Him – and Judas reaped what he sowed. Are you and I sure that we really believe? Because if an apostle could fall away, is it not possible that a pastor or elder or deacon or pillar of the church could fall away?
Let’s understand, Judas’ suicide is not teaching us that we can lose our salvation. All those who have been saved by Jesus will be persevered. Everyone who believes in Jesus Alone for salvation will be saved. No. What we are being told is that it is possible to fool others about our beliefs – it is even possible to fool ourselves. Let us make sure we truly believe.
Peter then quotes David as prophesying about Judas, “Let another take his office.” It was part of God’s Plan that Judas would fall and a successor – as the twelfth apostle – would be named. The number twelve, among other things, symbolized the twelve patriarchs – the twelve tribes of Israel – so it was symbolically appropriate for all twelve to be represented when the Holy Spirit indwelt them for the work that Jesus called them to do. It was symbolic of the whole Israel being saved and restored through her Savior.
Now, Peter explained that there were qualifications for being an apostle: first, every apostle has to be an eyewitness to the three-year ministry of Jesus. In order to be an apostle, a person had to be an eyewitness to the things that Jesus said and did while He was on earth. And second, every apostle had to be an eyewitness to the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In order to be an apostle, a person had to have been with Jesus during the forty days He spent on earth after the Resurrection. An apostle was someone who was an eyewitness to Jesus’ Ministry and Resurrection; an apostle did not merely believe that Jesus is the Savior, he was an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did, before and after His Crucifixion.
Notice, that means that the office of apostle no long exists. There is no one on the earth today that was an eyewitness to Jesus’ Ministry and Resurrection. So, there is no one on the earth today who is called to the office of apostle. There are people in the ministry that use the title “apostle,” but they really shouldn’t, given what the Bible tells us about who is qualified to be an apostle.
The disciples came up with two names from among them: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they did two things to confirm a choice of one of them: first they prayed and asked that the God Who knew the hearts of every person would make it clear to them which of the two God had chosen to replace Judas. Second, they cast lots.
The first thing the disciples did was to acknowledge that God is Sovereign in the knowing of humans’ hearts and in putting persons in power. As Paul would later write, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1, ESV). And as Daniel said, “[God] changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21, ESV). Everyone who holds a position of authority was put there by God.
And then they cast lots: they wrote the two names on stones and drew one out, or they threw dice, to pick one of the names. Does that strike anyone as strange? They pray. They acknowledge that God is Sovereign. And then they throw dice to pick the replacement apostle.
Let’s notice first what we’re taught in Proverbs: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33, ESV). In other words, even if someone casts lots to get an answer, God is Sovereignly in control of the lots and the decision they give. Nothing is outside of God’s Sovereign Control. And, the commentator, the Venerable Bede wrote, “Matthias was chosen by lot so that the choice of apostle would not be out of harmony with the command of the old laws, where it was ordered that the high priest be sought, as was said of Zechariah, ‘according to the custom of the priest’s office, it came about by lot that he offered incense” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 18).
God had told Israel to choose the high priest each year by casting lots. Why? We’re not told. Perhaps it was to impress upon Israel that the decision was out of their hands – God is the One Who chooses the high priest and all who serve in office. However, we do well to notice that the choice of the replacement apostle is the last recorded time that lots were cast. By the witness of the Scripture, once the disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, casting lots was no longer an approved method of discerning God’s Decision.
Remember what Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them right now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15, ESV).
Once the Holy Spirit indwelt the disciples, they had God living in them to teach them, remind them, and guide them in the things of God. We, Christians, now have God the Holy Spirit living in us, too. And with the Holy Spirit living in us, He guides us through God’s Word, and we no longer need or have the use of lots or other such devices.
And the lot fell on Matthias, “and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” – there were now twelve apostles again. All things were ready for the Day of Pentecost: the disciples were in prayer, Judas was dead, and it was understood that he fulfilled his place in prophecy, and they had reconstituted the twelve apostles with the choosing of Matthias.
God is still Sovereign over all things, and we, Christians, have God the Holy Spirit indwelling us – teaching and reminding us of everything that Jesus said and all that is written in the Scriptures. And we are called to be a people of prayer – not to rely on lots or other devices – even though they were approved in times past, but to rely on God and wait on Him for His Answer. Let us turn to God in prayer often, asking that His Will would be done, praying for those things we understand to be His Will, and we will see them come to pass, to His Glory.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for choosing us to be Your people and for giving us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Help us to know what Your Will is, and cause us to pray that Your Will would come to pass. We know it is Your Will that we join together in receiving the Lord’s Supper, and we ask as we receive these elements that You would minister to us and give us the grace we need to be Your people and to accomplish your Will. Keep us from fear, but strengthen our faith and trust in You and in all You have called us to be and do. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
[Acts 1:12-26]
June 7, 2009 Second Reformed Church
After the Ascension, the disciples were confronted by two men, who were likely angels, and told to stop staring up into the heavens and to be about the work that Jesus had called them to do. So they all went back to Jerusalem, as Jesus had said, and the one hundred and twenty went to the upper room where they were staying. Among the one hundred and twenty disciples were the eleven remaining apostles – who Luke names anew – the women who followed Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ biological brothers.
Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem to wait for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the power that they would receive once He had indwelt them. Looking at the history, we know they had ten days to wait. During this time they “devoted themselves to prayer.” What were they praying about – or for?
Well, they would have been praying that Jesus’ Promise would come – that the Holy Spirit would indwell them and give them the power they needed to be the disciples of Christ – His representatives and witnesses to the world. They may have been praying for the Jews and the Romans who would hear them proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness – that God would cause them to respond favorably to the message He was sending. They may have been praying for Jesus’ Return – that He would come soon and restore the Creation and establish His Kingdom in all its fullness.
We are called to be a people of prayer. We ought to be in prayer for each other, for this church, for this community, for this world – have you prayed this week? Have you prayed that God would give us wisdom? Have you prayed that God would cause this church to grow – in maturity and in numbers? James said, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2b-3, ESV).
God knows what we need, and He will provide us with what we need, but He also desires to hear from us in prayer. If we don’t pray, we should not expect to receive. And if we pray for sinful reasons, we should not expect to receive. But if we pray for those things that God wants for us, our Loving, Heavenly Father will give them to us in His time.
Let us be a people of prayer. Let us pray that God’s Will would be done. Let us pray for this church and each other that we would be worthwhile witnesses to the Gospel.
Once the one hundred and twenty were gathered in the upper room, Peter stood up and began to preach. He told the other disciples that what happened to Judas was prophesied in the writings of the prophet, David.
The money that Judas received was used to buy a field to bury paupers and the unknown. And Judas went to that field and committed suicide: he threw himself down on a spike, tore open his middle, and his bowels gushed out on the ground. This is what was written in the book of Psalms, “May his camp become desolate, and let there be noone to dwell in it.” Judas died in the “Field of Blood,” and there was no one to carry on his family line.
We ought not to rush over Judas’ suicide, because Judas has been ordained to the office of apostle, and he fell to his everlasting ruin. That should give us pause. That should make us desire to “make our calling and election sure” as we will remember from Peter’s letters. Because having a high office, being ordained, being a part of the ministry – does not, itself, guarantee salvation. It looked like Judas had it all – he was one of the apostles of the Savior, Jesus Christ. But Judas left Jesus – denied Him – and Judas reaped what he sowed. Are you and I sure that we really believe? Because if an apostle could fall away, is it not possible that a pastor or elder or deacon or pillar of the church could fall away?
Let’s understand, Judas’ suicide is not teaching us that we can lose our salvation. All those who have been saved by Jesus will be persevered. Everyone who believes in Jesus Alone for salvation will be saved. No. What we are being told is that it is possible to fool others about our beliefs – it is even possible to fool ourselves. Let us make sure we truly believe.
Peter then quotes David as prophesying about Judas, “Let another take his office.” It was part of God’s Plan that Judas would fall and a successor – as the twelfth apostle – would be named. The number twelve, among other things, symbolized the twelve patriarchs – the twelve tribes of Israel – so it was symbolically appropriate for all twelve to be represented when the Holy Spirit indwelt them for the work that Jesus called them to do. It was symbolic of the whole Israel being saved and restored through her Savior.
Now, Peter explained that there were qualifications for being an apostle: first, every apostle has to be an eyewitness to the three-year ministry of Jesus. In order to be an apostle, a person had to be an eyewitness to the things that Jesus said and did while He was on earth. And second, every apostle had to be an eyewitness to the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In order to be an apostle, a person had to have been with Jesus during the forty days He spent on earth after the Resurrection. An apostle was someone who was an eyewitness to Jesus’ Ministry and Resurrection; an apostle did not merely believe that Jesus is the Savior, he was an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did, before and after His Crucifixion.
Notice, that means that the office of apostle no long exists. There is no one on the earth today that was an eyewitness to Jesus’ Ministry and Resurrection. So, there is no one on the earth today who is called to the office of apostle. There are people in the ministry that use the title “apostle,” but they really shouldn’t, given what the Bible tells us about who is qualified to be an apostle.
The disciples came up with two names from among them: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they did two things to confirm a choice of one of them: first they prayed and asked that the God Who knew the hearts of every person would make it clear to them which of the two God had chosen to replace Judas. Second, they cast lots.
The first thing the disciples did was to acknowledge that God is Sovereign in the knowing of humans’ hearts and in putting persons in power. As Paul would later write, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1, ESV). And as Daniel said, “[God] changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21, ESV). Everyone who holds a position of authority was put there by God.
And then they cast lots: they wrote the two names on stones and drew one out, or they threw dice, to pick one of the names. Does that strike anyone as strange? They pray. They acknowledge that God is Sovereign. And then they throw dice to pick the replacement apostle.
Let’s notice first what we’re taught in Proverbs: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33, ESV). In other words, even if someone casts lots to get an answer, God is Sovereignly in control of the lots and the decision they give. Nothing is outside of God’s Sovereign Control. And, the commentator, the Venerable Bede wrote, “Matthias was chosen by lot so that the choice of apostle would not be out of harmony with the command of the old laws, where it was ordered that the high priest be sought, as was said of Zechariah, ‘according to the custom of the priest’s office, it came about by lot that he offered incense” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 18).
God had told Israel to choose the high priest each year by casting lots. Why? We’re not told. Perhaps it was to impress upon Israel that the decision was out of their hands – God is the One Who chooses the high priest and all who serve in office. However, we do well to notice that the choice of the replacement apostle is the last recorded time that lots were cast. By the witness of the Scripture, once the disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, casting lots was no longer an approved method of discerning God’s Decision.
Remember what Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them right now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15, ESV).
Once the Holy Spirit indwelt the disciples, they had God living in them to teach them, remind them, and guide them in the things of God. We, Christians, now have God the Holy Spirit living in us, too. And with the Holy Spirit living in us, He guides us through God’s Word, and we no longer need or have the use of lots or other such devices.
And the lot fell on Matthias, “and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” – there were now twelve apostles again. All things were ready for the Day of Pentecost: the disciples were in prayer, Judas was dead, and it was understood that he fulfilled his place in prophecy, and they had reconstituted the twelve apostles with the choosing of Matthias.
God is still Sovereign over all things, and we, Christians, have God the Holy Spirit indwelling us – teaching and reminding us of everything that Jesus said and all that is written in the Scriptures. And we are called to be a people of prayer – not to rely on lots or other devices – even though they were approved in times past, but to rely on God and wait on Him for His Answer. Let us turn to God in prayer often, asking that His Will would be done, praying for those things we understand to be His Will, and we will see them come to pass, to His Glory.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for choosing us to be Your people and for giving us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Help us to know what Your Will is, and cause us to pray that Your Will would come to pass. We know it is Your Will that we join together in receiving the Lord’s Supper, and we ask as we receive these elements that You would minister to us and give us the grace we need to be Your people and to accomplish your Will. Keep us from fear, but strengthen our faith and trust in You and in all You have called us to be and do. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Wisdom of the Fathers
On Acts 1:16 –
“The apostle Peter was apprehensive about continuing with the number eleven [of the apostles], ‘for every sin is eleven, because when one does wicked things he goes beyond the command of the decalog.’ Hence, because the righteousness of our is innocent of itself, the tabernacle which contained the Lord’s ark was covered from above by eleven veils of goats’ hair.” – the Venerable Bede, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 16.
“The apostle Peter was apprehensive about continuing with the number eleven [of the apostles], ‘for every sin is eleven, because when one does wicked things he goes beyond the command of the decalog.’ Hence, because the righteousness of our is innocent of itself, the tabernacle which contained the Lord’s ark was covered from above by eleven veils of goats’ hair.” – the Venerable Bede, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, 16.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Reformed Wisdom
On Acts 1:14 --
"And Mary. Our Lord's mother is here mentioned for the last time -- and her name is added here with emphasis -- as if to prevent any such superstition as that of the Romanists, who pay worship to her as the Queen of Heaven. She is here particularly named as one of the Disciples, and not claiming any superior rank among them -- acting with them as a Disciple of her exalted Son, and a believer in His proper Godhead. Who would ever dream of her having or claiming any rank with Him as an Intercessor or Mediator? Who could justly suppose that she who here prays to Him as the only Mediator, would receive the prayers of the Church as if she were Divine and a Goddess?" -- Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes -- Critical and Explanatory -- On the Acts of the Apostles, 38.
"And Mary. Our Lord's mother is here mentioned for the last time -- and her name is added here with emphasis -- as if to prevent any such superstition as that of the Romanists, who pay worship to her as the Queen of Heaven. She is here particularly named as one of the Disciples, and not claiming any superior rank among them -- acting with them as a Disciple of her exalted Son, and a believer in His proper Godhead. Who would ever dream of her having or claiming any rank with Him as an Intercessor or Mediator? Who could justly suppose that she who here prays to Him as the only Mediator, would receive the prayers of the Church as if she were Divine and a Goddess?" -- Melancthon W. Jacobus, Notes -- Critical and Explanatory -- On the Acts of the Apostles, 38.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
"The Word is God" Sermon: John 1:1-5
“The Word is God”
[John 1:1-5]
June 4, 2009 Old First Presbyterian Church
What is the most important question for us to answer? How to fix the economy? How to stop North Korea’s nuclear ambitions? How to stop global warming? How to get one politician in and another one out? How to lose that last five – ten – pounds? I am firmly convinced that the most important question – the only question that will matter for all of eternity – is, “Who do we believe Jesus is?”
Over the next three Thursdays – and more – if the Lord is willing and you would have me preach – I would like to look at the beginning of the Gospel of John with you. And more – if we are able. John gave us the reason for his writing his gospel: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20::31, ESV).
John begins his gospel by stating, “in the beginning was the Word.” Notice – John does not say, “from the beginning was the Word,” although the Word was from the beginning, the Word was also “in the beginning.” That means that the Word existed before time and space were created. The Word existed before anything but God existed.
He continues: “and the Word was with God.” That means that the Word is distinct from God. For example, if I say I am with Dorothy, the implication is that we are not the same person – we are distinct persons from each other. So, the Word is distinct from God.
Yet, we’re told that “the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Even though the Word is distinct from God, the Word is also the same One Being as God. What John is telling us is the same thing that we’re told in the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity: there is One God, and He exists in more than One Person – in fact, in Three Persons.
Then John tells us that “all things were made through [the Word], and without him was not anything made that was made.” We known from the first chapter of Genesis, that God created everything that is. Here we are being told that the Word created everything that is.
Paul said the same thing: “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (I Corinthians 8:6b, ESV).
In the first three verses of his gospel, John tells us that there is a God Who existed before the creation and created everything that is. He tells us that this One God exists in more than One Person – One of Whom is the Word, Who is also known as Jesus Christ.
And, at this point, we may think, “Well, that’s wonderful, but what does that do for me today?” “That may be fine to talk about and figure out – as far as we can understand the Trinity – but so what?”
John begins to explain the “so what” of this in the next two verses: “In [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men.” The Word, we see, Jesus Christ, gives life. John explained this further when he wrote, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and that life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (I John 5:11-12, ESV).
John says that we only have life through the Word – through Jesus Christ. And by that, he means that the life we live now only really has meaning through belief in Jesus Christ, and we will only receive life in the Kingdom of God after death through Jesus Christ. If we do not have Jesus Christ – if we do not believe in Him, we will not receive life after death, but eternal Hell instead.
John concludes this section by writing, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Word – Jesus – is “the light of men,” and He has defeated the darkness. All the things that hide in the darkness – sin, death, and the devil, have been defeated by Jesus.
Paul explains it this way, “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that everything in him might be preeminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15-20, ESV).
Jesus, Who is God, grants life both now and in the life to come to all those who believe in Him Alone for their salvation. He is able to do this because He is God and He took on a real human body and soul so He could take the place in judgment of all those who would believe – and survive – be victorious – over sin and death and the devil – through His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
Jesus has purchased eternal life for all those who will believe in Him Alone for salvation.
The economy ebbs and wanes and it will do so until Jesus returns. Yet, as important as it is to be wise and good stewards with our money, we can’t buy our salvation – we can have all the money in the world, and we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
It is important to make sure that North Korea and others are kept in check with regards to their nuclear ambitions. However, if we die of old age in our sleep or under a hail of nuclear bombs, it doesn’t change the fact that we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
It is also important for us to care for the planet – for all the Creation – and if we are causing global warming, to seek a way to stop, or at least, control it. But, in the end, if we abuse the planet to extinction, or care for it and preserve it to the best of our ability, we will die, and we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
Each of us has understanding of politics and how we believe government ought to be run, and we are right to pray for our politicians and to go out and vote whenever we are given the opportunity. But politicians come and go: some are bad, some are worse – a few might even do some good – but we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
And our weight – we are to care for our bodies as best as we can, but we ought not to be obsessed with them. When Jesus returns, all those who believe will be raised from the dead and given new, restored, perfected, sinless bodies, like Jesus’. And all those who do not believe will be raised from the dead and given new, eternal bodies that will continue to sin and eternally be punished for their sin.
That’s why the most important question is, “Who do we believe Jesus is?”
The answer we give will make all the difference for all of eternity. John says that Jesus is God – the Incarnate God – the Word – the Only Life and Salvation.
Who do you believe Jesus is?
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for the Gospel of John – for leading John to explain that Jesus is both Perfect Human and Holy God – the Only One Who can save us from our sin and return us to a right relationship with You. We ask that You would help us to believe. Assure us of the Truth of Salvation in Jesus Alone. And give us a life of joy as we follow after Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[John 1:1-5]
June 4, 2009 Old First Presbyterian Church
What is the most important question for us to answer? How to fix the economy? How to stop North Korea’s nuclear ambitions? How to stop global warming? How to get one politician in and another one out? How to lose that last five – ten – pounds? I am firmly convinced that the most important question – the only question that will matter for all of eternity – is, “Who do we believe Jesus is?”
Over the next three Thursdays – and more – if the Lord is willing and you would have me preach – I would like to look at the beginning of the Gospel of John with you. And more – if we are able. John gave us the reason for his writing his gospel: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20::31, ESV).
John begins his gospel by stating, “in the beginning was the Word.” Notice – John does not say, “from the beginning was the Word,” although the Word was from the beginning, the Word was also “in the beginning.” That means that the Word existed before time and space were created. The Word existed before anything but God existed.
He continues: “and the Word was with God.” That means that the Word is distinct from God. For example, if I say I am with Dorothy, the implication is that we are not the same person – we are distinct persons from each other. So, the Word is distinct from God.
Yet, we’re told that “the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Even though the Word is distinct from God, the Word is also the same One Being as God. What John is telling us is the same thing that we’re told in the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity: there is One God, and He exists in more than One Person – in fact, in Three Persons.
Then John tells us that “all things were made through [the Word], and without him was not anything made that was made.” We known from the first chapter of Genesis, that God created everything that is. Here we are being told that the Word created everything that is.
Paul said the same thing: “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (I Corinthians 8:6b, ESV).
In the first three verses of his gospel, John tells us that there is a God Who existed before the creation and created everything that is. He tells us that this One God exists in more than One Person – One of Whom is the Word, Who is also known as Jesus Christ.
And, at this point, we may think, “Well, that’s wonderful, but what does that do for me today?” “That may be fine to talk about and figure out – as far as we can understand the Trinity – but so what?”
John begins to explain the “so what” of this in the next two verses: “In [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men.” The Word, we see, Jesus Christ, gives life. John explained this further when he wrote, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and that life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (I John 5:11-12, ESV).
John says that we only have life through the Word – through Jesus Christ. And by that, he means that the life we live now only really has meaning through belief in Jesus Christ, and we will only receive life in the Kingdom of God after death through Jesus Christ. If we do not have Jesus Christ – if we do not believe in Him, we will not receive life after death, but eternal Hell instead.
John concludes this section by writing, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Word – Jesus – is “the light of men,” and He has defeated the darkness. All the things that hide in the darkness – sin, death, and the devil, have been defeated by Jesus.
Paul explains it this way, “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that everything in him might be preeminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15-20, ESV).
Jesus, Who is God, grants life both now and in the life to come to all those who believe in Him Alone for their salvation. He is able to do this because He is God and He took on a real human body and soul so He could take the place in judgment of all those who would believe – and survive – be victorious – over sin and death and the devil – through His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
Jesus has purchased eternal life for all those who will believe in Him Alone for salvation.
The economy ebbs and wanes and it will do so until Jesus returns. Yet, as important as it is to be wise and good stewards with our money, we can’t buy our salvation – we can have all the money in the world, and we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
It is important to make sure that North Korea and others are kept in check with regards to their nuclear ambitions. However, if we die of old age in our sleep or under a hail of nuclear bombs, it doesn’t change the fact that we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
It is also important for us to care for the planet – for all the Creation – and if we are causing global warming, to seek a way to stop, or at least, control it. But, in the end, if we abuse the planet to extinction, or care for it and preserve it to the best of our ability, we will die, and we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
Each of us has understanding of politics and how we believe government ought to be run, and we are right to pray for our politicians and to go out and vote whenever we are given the opportunity. But politicians come and go: some are bad, some are worse – a few might even do some good – but we will still go to Hell if we don’t believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation.
And our weight – we are to care for our bodies as best as we can, but we ought not to be obsessed with them. When Jesus returns, all those who believe will be raised from the dead and given new, restored, perfected, sinless bodies, like Jesus’. And all those who do not believe will be raised from the dead and given new, eternal bodies that will continue to sin and eternally be punished for their sin.
That’s why the most important question is, “Who do we believe Jesus is?”
The answer we give will make all the difference for all of eternity. John says that Jesus is God – the Incarnate God – the Word – the Only Life and Salvation.
Who do you believe Jesus is?
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for the Gospel of John – for leading John to explain that Jesus is both Perfect Human and Holy God – the Only One Who can save us from our sin and return us to a right relationship with You. We ask that You would help us to believe. Assure us of the Truth of Salvation in Jesus Alone. And give us a life of joy as we follow after Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Monday, June 01, 2009
June Sermons
D.V., I plan to preach:
6/7/09 Communion/Trinity Acts 1:12-26 "Choosing Matthias"
6/14/09 Acts 2:1-21 "The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit"
6/21/09 Guest preacher: Will Lampe
6/28/09 93rd Anniversary Acts 2:22-41 "God's Plan"
I have been invited to preach at the Thursday noon worship at Old First Presbyterian at 820 Broad Street, Newark, NJ and plan, D.V., to preach:
6/4/09 John 1:1-5 "The Word is God"
6/11/09 John 1:6-13 "The Right to Become Children"
6/18/09 John 1:14-18 "Grace"
All are welcome!
6/7/09 Communion/Trinity Acts 1:12-26 "Choosing Matthias"
6/14/09 Acts 2:1-21 "The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit"
6/21/09 Guest preacher: Will Lampe
6/28/09 93rd Anniversary Acts 2:22-41 "God's Plan"
I have been invited to preach at the Thursday noon worship at Old First Presbyterian at 820 Broad Street, Newark, NJ and plan, D.V., to preach:
6/4/09 John 1:1-5 "The Word is God"
6/11/09 John 1:6-13 "The Right to Become Children"
6/18/09 John 1:14-18 "Grace"
All are welcome!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
"It Is Not For You To Know" Sermon: Acts 1:6-11
“It Is Not For You To Know”
[Acts 1:6-11]
May 24, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended back to the Father. Today is Ascension Sunday.
Jesus gathered the disciples, and when they had all gathered around Him, they asked Jesus if now was the time when He would restore the kingdom to Israel. Was this the moment when Jesus would overthrow the Roman government and restore an independent Israeli state?
We can become impatient with the disciples, because we now have information that they did not have. We know that that was not the time that Jesus would restore Israel – and we might even disagree with them about what it means for Jesus to restore Israel. Because the Scripture does tells us that there will be a restoration of the Creation – we’ve looked at that before – there will come a day when Jesus restores the earth – and it will be perfected and sinless, and we will be raised to inhabit it in our perfected and glorious bodies. But that will come when Jesus returns; it was not to happen on the day of the Ascension.
However, the disciples were not completely out of line in wondering if then was to be the time. After all, Jesus had spent the prior forty days teaching them about the Kingdom of God. He promised that they would be indwelt with power, by the Holy Spirit. And He told them to wait in Jerusalem – the capital of the country. Still, that was not the day of the restoration.
Jesus told them that it was not for them to know “times or seasons” – with rare exception, God has not seen fit to give us particular information about the future and when things will happen. The times and seasons have been set or fixed or predestined by the Father – God has a plan and everything that will happen is planned out by God and will happen exactly as God has planned it without fail. We don’t understand how everything is going to work out. We don’t always understand why certain things happen. But we have been told that everything that happens is according to the Plan of God. Ours is to trust in the God Who so loved us that He gave His Only Son for our salvation. And notice that Jesus calls Him, “the Father,” not “My Father.” Jesus is telling the disciples that all those who are His – all those who believe in Jesus Alone for their salvation have God as their Father. We are the children of God, and He is bringing us through the history that He has planned and is in total control of.
Daniel confessed: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:20b-22, ESV).
And King Nebuchadnezzar confessed: “I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all of the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34b-35, ESV).
It is one thing to understand that God the Father has fixed what will occur by His Power, but it is a blessed assurance to know that this God is our Father – we are His children – and He loves us. The Almighty God Who has planned out exactly will happen from the moment He spoke all things into existence to the day when He restores the Creation and forevermore – He is the Father Who loves us and saves us from our sin. That is wonderful news indeed. It is news that gives us assurance that no matter what happens – everything will work out in the end – and for our good. Remember the promise: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV).
We don’t need to know the details of God’s Plan, because we know that He loves us and is bringing all things together for our good, no matter how things may look to us at any given moment. So we ought not to worry about the future, but trust in our Father.
Jesus said, “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:24, ESV).
In a similar manner, Jesus told the disciples that God has revealed some things, and those are the things that they – and we – should focus on. Jesus told them that God would give them power through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, and when the Holy Spirit had come upon them, they would be called to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Moses wisely said, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law” (Deuteronomy 29:29, ESV).
In other words, we do not need to know the things that God has not revealed to us. That does not mean that we should abandon all science and research: God has given us dominion over the Creation and gives us the ability to try to understand. But, there comes a point where we can know no further, and we must accept that God did not see it fit for us to know more. God has revealed to humanity that He is One, and we understand from the Scripture that the One God exists in the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Persons are distinct, but they are the One God. How that is, we don’t know. What we know is that God has revealed the Truth of the Trinity – that God is a Triune God – but He has not given us any further understanding, so it is not necessary for us to know more than that.
Jesus told the disciples that God was going to give them the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and power with Him. We know that that occurred and we know that now all believers receive the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote, “our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (I Thessalonians 1:5a, ESV). If we are Christians – if we believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation – then God the Holy Spirit indwells us and has given us power – power to believe and understand the Word of God and power to be witness to the Gospel.
Jesus told the disciples that once God the Holy Spirit indwelt them, they would be given power, and once they had that power, they would also have the call on them to be witnesses to the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Jerusalem – in the capital city. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Judea – throughout the nation. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Samaria – in the nation to the north, which was composed of half-breeds – those Israelites who had married pagans, and were thus unclean. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to the ends of the earth – everywhere – to the pagans and Gentiles – to every tribe and nation on the planet.
Every Christian has received that same call. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in our home towns – in Irvington, in Maplewood, in South Orange, in Union, in Livingston, in Edison – wherever we live. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in the State of New Jersey – and the whole United States. We are live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Canada and Mexico. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to every person, everywhere on the planet.
Some of us may be deflated by that call – don’t be. As we have seen recently, God has given each of us gifts and abilities. Not all of us will go to the ends of the earth, but all of us have been given the power by God the Holy Spirit Who indwells us to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness. Each of us will do that differently in different places. But whenever there is a chance to tell someone Who Jesus is or to invite them to worship to hear about Jesus, we are to do it.
This week, I went to a political meeting which concerned taxes in Maplewood, and I got talking with one of the women there and invited her to worship with us sometime. She told me that she is a Roman Catholic and asked me what made us Reformed. I told her that we believe, with all Christians, that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone, and generally, our distinctive is our focus on the Sovereignty of God.
Telling others – inviting others – is not just the call of the pastor – every Christian is to use what God has given him or her to draw people to Jesus. Each of us has been gifted and empowered by God to be a witness to the Gospel. That is really the theme of the book of Acts: all Christians have been empowered to be witnesses to the Gospel, that the whole world would hear of Jesus and His Salvation. God has saved us by Himself and God has made us able to live as Christians and tells others about His Salvation. We don’t need to be scholars to live and invite people to worship. If we believe that I am preaching the Scripture alone and accurately, we can ask others to come to worship sometime, because what our pastor preaches is important to hear.
After Jesus explained that the Father has predestined everything that will occur and that there are things that they didn’t need to know, and after He told them that they would receive power through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and were then called to proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness throughout the world, Jesus ascended back to the Throne of the Son, at the Right Hand of the Father, where He reigns, having completed the cycle of salvation.
Jesus, in full view of all of the disciples, rose up into the sky, in His Glorified Body, which they had touched and examined and eaten with. Just like Elijah and Enoch had been taken up into the air in their bodies, Jesus was taken up into the air in His Body. Since that is true, we have confidence that our bodies will be raised and perfected – made like Jesus’ Body – since Jesus finished His Work of Salvation by returning to His Throne, which He left in the Incarnation.
Jesus had known that this was the way that He would leave the earth: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1, ESV). And the disciples wouldn’t have been entirely shocked, since they knew that Elijah had been taken up in the whirlwind and Enoch had walked with God and was not. Still, they watched Jesus ascend upon a cloud and disappear from sight.
The disciples stood there – they were waiting for Jesus to come right back. They didn’t imagine that Jesus would be gone for thousands of years. They thought He would return quickly – in human terms – and restore the Creation. So, they stood, looking up into the sky.
Then two men appeared – and most commentators believe that they were angels – and they asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” “Men of Galilee, what are you doing? Why are you staring into heaven? You know that Jesus will return the same way He left – He told you that. Don’t you have anything to do in the meantime?”
The men reminded the disciples that Jesus had given them work to do. They didn’t need to know when Jesus would return. They certainly shouldn’t stand there waiting for Him. Jesus had told them what they should do, so they should go do it.
I use to work in a Christian bookstore, and I can tell you there are many books on how to discern God’s Will. I can also tell you that most of them are somewhere between useless and dangerous. God has told us everything we need to know for faith and life in this book – the Bible. There are plenty of things that God decided we don’t need to know, but there is much that He has told us. We ought to spend our time in the Scripture, not in other books which purport to tell us how to figure out what God wants. God has already told us – believe in Jesus Alone for salvation. Live according to God’s Law. Proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. That is enough to keep us busy, brothers and sisters!
We don’t need to wait for a new revelation from God. We don’t need to look to Ouija boards and tarot cards, or the daily horoscope. God has told us enough and God has given us the power to do what He has called us to do. Let us learn what God has revealed and live that out – tell others about Him. And let’s not worry about those things that God has said, “It is not for us to know.” We have plenty to do – let us be about the work of the Lord and worship Him.
Jesus and the men told the disciples that Jesus would return the same way that He left the earth – on a cloud. Paul put it this way: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4: 16-18, ESV).
Jesus ascended back to His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father where He now reigns. He told the disciples and us that God has revealed some things to us, but others are not for us to know. Therefore, we ought not worry about what God does not see fit to tell us, but, instead, let us know and live out what He has revealed. God the Holy Spirit has indwelt us and given us the power to follow Jesus, especially in His charge to us to let the whole world know about Him and His Salvation.
We live in hope and expectation that the day will come when Jesus returns on the clouds, as John put it: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Revelation 1:7, ESV).
Until that day, let us follow His Call on us to tell the world: there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone.
Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, we thank You for revealing Yourself and Your Salvation to us. We thank You for saving us and making us Your children. We ask that we would accept the fact that we do not need to know everything, but instead, may we work to understand what You have revealed. And may we, by the power of God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us, be pleasing children, as we let the whole world know that Jesus Only is Salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Acts 1:6-11]
May 24, 2009 Second Reformed Church
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended back to the Father. Today is Ascension Sunday.
Jesus gathered the disciples, and when they had all gathered around Him, they asked Jesus if now was the time when He would restore the kingdom to Israel. Was this the moment when Jesus would overthrow the Roman government and restore an independent Israeli state?
We can become impatient with the disciples, because we now have information that they did not have. We know that that was not the time that Jesus would restore Israel – and we might even disagree with them about what it means for Jesus to restore Israel. Because the Scripture does tells us that there will be a restoration of the Creation – we’ve looked at that before – there will come a day when Jesus restores the earth – and it will be perfected and sinless, and we will be raised to inhabit it in our perfected and glorious bodies. But that will come when Jesus returns; it was not to happen on the day of the Ascension.
However, the disciples were not completely out of line in wondering if then was to be the time. After all, Jesus had spent the prior forty days teaching them about the Kingdom of God. He promised that they would be indwelt with power, by the Holy Spirit. And He told them to wait in Jerusalem – the capital of the country. Still, that was not the day of the restoration.
Jesus told them that it was not for them to know “times or seasons” – with rare exception, God has not seen fit to give us particular information about the future and when things will happen. The times and seasons have been set or fixed or predestined by the Father – God has a plan and everything that will happen is planned out by God and will happen exactly as God has planned it without fail. We don’t understand how everything is going to work out. We don’t always understand why certain things happen. But we have been told that everything that happens is according to the Plan of God. Ours is to trust in the God Who so loved us that He gave His Only Son for our salvation. And notice that Jesus calls Him, “the Father,” not “My Father.” Jesus is telling the disciples that all those who are His – all those who believe in Jesus Alone for their salvation have God as their Father. We are the children of God, and He is bringing us through the history that He has planned and is in total control of.
Daniel confessed: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:20b-22, ESV).
And King Nebuchadnezzar confessed: “I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all of the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34b-35, ESV).
It is one thing to understand that God the Father has fixed what will occur by His Power, but it is a blessed assurance to know that this God is our Father – we are His children – and He loves us. The Almighty God Who has planned out exactly will happen from the moment He spoke all things into existence to the day when He restores the Creation and forevermore – He is the Father Who loves us and saves us from our sin. That is wonderful news indeed. It is news that gives us assurance that no matter what happens – everything will work out in the end – and for our good. Remember the promise: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV).
We don’t need to know the details of God’s Plan, because we know that He loves us and is bringing all things together for our good, no matter how things may look to us at any given moment. So we ought not to worry about the future, but trust in our Father.
Jesus said, “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:24, ESV).
In a similar manner, Jesus told the disciples that God has revealed some things, and those are the things that they – and we – should focus on. Jesus told them that God would give them power through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, and when the Holy Spirit had come upon them, they would be called to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Moses wisely said, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law” (Deuteronomy 29:29, ESV).
In other words, we do not need to know the things that God has not revealed to us. That does not mean that we should abandon all science and research: God has given us dominion over the Creation and gives us the ability to try to understand. But, there comes a point where we can know no further, and we must accept that God did not see it fit for us to know more. God has revealed to humanity that He is One, and we understand from the Scripture that the One God exists in the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Persons are distinct, but they are the One God. How that is, we don’t know. What we know is that God has revealed the Truth of the Trinity – that God is a Triune God – but He has not given us any further understanding, so it is not necessary for us to know more than that.
Jesus told the disciples that God was going to give them the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and power with Him. We know that that occurred and we know that now all believers receive the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote, “our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (I Thessalonians 1:5a, ESV). If we are Christians – if we believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation – then God the Holy Spirit indwells us and has given us power – power to believe and understand the Word of God and power to be witness to the Gospel.
Jesus told the disciples that once God the Holy Spirit indwelt them, they would be given power, and once they had that power, they would also have the call on them to be witnesses to the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Jerusalem – in the capital city. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Judea – throughout the nation. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Samaria – in the nation to the north, which was composed of half-breeds – those Israelites who had married pagans, and were thus unclean. They were to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to the ends of the earth – everywhere – to the pagans and Gentiles – to every tribe and nation on the planet.
Every Christian has received that same call. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in our home towns – in Irvington, in Maplewood, in South Orange, in Union, in Livingston, in Edison – wherever we live. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in the State of New Jersey – and the whole United States. We are live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness in Canada and Mexico. We are to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to every person, everywhere on the planet.
Some of us may be deflated by that call – don’t be. As we have seen recently, God has given each of us gifts and abilities. Not all of us will go to the ends of the earth, but all of us have been given the power by God the Holy Spirit Who indwells us to live out and proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness. Each of us will do that differently in different places. But whenever there is a chance to tell someone Who Jesus is or to invite them to worship to hear about Jesus, we are to do it.
This week, I went to a political meeting which concerned taxes in Maplewood, and I got talking with one of the women there and invited her to worship with us sometime. She told me that she is a Roman Catholic and asked me what made us Reformed. I told her that we believe, with all Christians, that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone, and generally, our distinctive is our focus on the Sovereignty of God.
Telling others – inviting others – is not just the call of the pastor – every Christian is to use what God has given him or her to draw people to Jesus. Each of us has been gifted and empowered by God to be a witness to the Gospel. That is really the theme of the book of Acts: all Christians have been empowered to be witnesses to the Gospel, that the whole world would hear of Jesus and His Salvation. God has saved us by Himself and God has made us able to live as Christians and tells others about His Salvation. We don’t need to be scholars to live and invite people to worship. If we believe that I am preaching the Scripture alone and accurately, we can ask others to come to worship sometime, because what our pastor preaches is important to hear.
After Jesus explained that the Father has predestined everything that will occur and that there are things that they didn’t need to know, and after He told them that they would receive power through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and were then called to proclaim the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness throughout the world, Jesus ascended back to the Throne of the Son, at the Right Hand of the Father, where He reigns, having completed the cycle of salvation.
Jesus, in full view of all of the disciples, rose up into the sky, in His Glorified Body, which they had touched and examined and eaten with. Just like Elijah and Enoch had been taken up into the air in their bodies, Jesus was taken up into the air in His Body. Since that is true, we have confidence that our bodies will be raised and perfected – made like Jesus’ Body – since Jesus finished His Work of Salvation by returning to His Throne, which He left in the Incarnation.
Jesus had known that this was the way that He would leave the earth: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1, ESV). And the disciples wouldn’t have been entirely shocked, since they knew that Elijah had been taken up in the whirlwind and Enoch had walked with God and was not. Still, they watched Jesus ascend upon a cloud and disappear from sight.
The disciples stood there – they were waiting for Jesus to come right back. They didn’t imagine that Jesus would be gone for thousands of years. They thought He would return quickly – in human terms – and restore the Creation. So, they stood, looking up into the sky.
Then two men appeared – and most commentators believe that they were angels – and they asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” “Men of Galilee, what are you doing? Why are you staring into heaven? You know that Jesus will return the same way He left – He told you that. Don’t you have anything to do in the meantime?”
The men reminded the disciples that Jesus had given them work to do. They didn’t need to know when Jesus would return. They certainly shouldn’t stand there waiting for Him. Jesus had told them what they should do, so they should go do it.
I use to work in a Christian bookstore, and I can tell you there are many books on how to discern God’s Will. I can also tell you that most of them are somewhere between useless and dangerous. God has told us everything we need to know for faith and life in this book – the Bible. There are plenty of things that God decided we don’t need to know, but there is much that He has told us. We ought to spend our time in the Scripture, not in other books which purport to tell us how to figure out what God wants. God has already told us – believe in Jesus Alone for salvation. Live according to God’s Law. Proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. That is enough to keep us busy, brothers and sisters!
We don’t need to wait for a new revelation from God. We don’t need to look to Ouija boards and tarot cards, or the daily horoscope. God has told us enough and God has given us the power to do what He has called us to do. Let us learn what God has revealed and live that out – tell others about Him. And let’s not worry about those things that God has said, “It is not for us to know.” We have plenty to do – let us be about the work of the Lord and worship Him.
Jesus and the men told the disciples that Jesus would return the same way that He left the earth – on a cloud. Paul put it this way: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4: 16-18, ESV).
Jesus ascended back to His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father where He now reigns. He told the disciples and us that God has revealed some things to us, but others are not for us to know. Therefore, we ought not worry about what God does not see fit to tell us, but, instead, let us know and live out what He has revealed. God the Holy Spirit has indwelt us and given us the power to follow Jesus, especially in His charge to us to let the whole world know about Him and His Salvation.
We live in hope and expectation that the day will come when Jesus returns on the clouds, as John put it: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Revelation 1:7, ESV).
Until that day, let us follow His Call on us to tell the world: there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone.
Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, we thank You for revealing Yourself and Your Salvation to us. We thank You for saving us and making us Your children. We ask that we would accept the fact that we do not need to know everything, but instead, may we work to understand what You have revealed. And may we, by the power of God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us, be pleasing children, as we let the whole world know that Jesus Only is Salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Review: Why Johnny Can’t Preach: the Media Have Shaped the Messengers
I bought T. David Gordon’s book, Why Johnny Can’t Preach: the Media Have Shaped the Messengers, based on the recommendation of a couple of the modern theologians I respect. Unfortunately, the title would never have grabbed me. Even with the recommendations, I worried that this slim volume would not be worth the time and price. Thankfully, it was.
Gordon is a retired seminary media ecology professor. Thankfully, Gordon doesn’t assume that anyone would know what in the world that is. He explains that Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death, etc.) “coined the term media ecology to describe how changes in dominant media alter the human and social environment. Media ecology, as a discipline, is comparatively less concerned with the content of a given medium and more concerned about how the mere presence of that medium itself alters individual consciousness, social structures, or cultural habits and sensibilities. In this book, I am asking the media-ecological question: How has the movement from a language-based media to image-based and electronic media altered our sensibilities, and how, in turn, has this change in sensibility shaped today’s preachers?” (16, emphasis his).
In the first chapter, Gordon argues that most seminary graduates can’t preach – at best, they present their opinions. He turns to Dabney’s “The Seven Cardinal Requisites of Preaching” and argues that they are absent from most modern preaching. They are: Textual fidelity, unity, evangelical tone (that is, desiring the salvation of his hearers and the glory of God), instructiveness, movement (that is, a coherent structure), point, and order (24-27). Gordon caps this explanation by saying that the length of the sermon is irrelevant – when something is well done, one will not complain about its length (28). (I have mentioned before that I was taught, at both seminaries I went to, that a sermon should be ten to fifteen minutes long because we no longer have the ability to concentrate for longer than that amount of time – this was explained to us in three-hour long classes.) He ends the chapter arguing that the lack of an annual review of the pastor is a sign that the preaching has gone awry – without this, the pastor cannot improve I areas of weakness, etc.
The second chapter deals with the fact that “Johnny Can’t Read (Texts).” Gordon argues that we are taught to read for information, not to read for “the pleasure obtained by reading an author whose command of the language is exceptional” (44). This affects preaching in that pastors look for information by don’t take account of how a passage is constructed (46). When one actual reads texts, one learns how to distinguish between the significant and the insignificant (51).
Chapter three: “Johnny Can’t Write.” Preachers, Gordon argues, need practice in reading the physical reactions of their hearers (64). Also, preachers need to practice writing – with the advent of the telephone, Internet, and other wonders of communication, we rush off meaningless and inaccurate and insignificant pieces, whereas, in the days of letter writing, one would take time to compose something meaningful/significant. (I.e., there are volumes of collected letters. It is unlikely that one will publish a collected e-mails.)
Chapter four deals with content. Gordon argues that the content of preaching is neither mere moralism, nor navel-gazing, but “the person and work of Christ includ[ing] the character of Christ” (71).
The final chapter is his prescription, which is largely the opposite of the problem he has diagnosed. One stunning quote: “Television-watching prohibits such discernment. One simply cannot regard the significant as more important than the insignificant, and then plop himself in front of a television for two or three hours an evening. The only way the conscience can survive such a colossal waste of a human life is for the individual to refuse to entertain the question of the difference between the significant and the insignificant” (97, emphasis his).
Gordon’s book is profound and provocative. I pray it gets a large reading and, even more so, that pastors would desire to preach and to preach well, no matter what the culture is pushing.
Gordon is a retired seminary media ecology professor. Thankfully, Gordon doesn’t assume that anyone would know what in the world that is. He explains that Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death, etc.) “coined the term media ecology to describe how changes in dominant media alter the human and social environment. Media ecology, as a discipline, is comparatively less concerned with the content of a given medium and more concerned about how the mere presence of that medium itself alters individual consciousness, social structures, or cultural habits and sensibilities. In this book, I am asking the media-ecological question: How has the movement from a language-based media to image-based and electronic media altered our sensibilities, and how, in turn, has this change in sensibility shaped today’s preachers?” (16, emphasis his).
In the first chapter, Gordon argues that most seminary graduates can’t preach – at best, they present their opinions. He turns to Dabney’s “The Seven Cardinal Requisites of Preaching” and argues that they are absent from most modern preaching. They are: Textual fidelity, unity, evangelical tone (that is, desiring the salvation of his hearers and the glory of God), instructiveness, movement (that is, a coherent structure), point, and order (24-27). Gordon caps this explanation by saying that the length of the sermon is irrelevant – when something is well done, one will not complain about its length (28). (I have mentioned before that I was taught, at both seminaries I went to, that a sermon should be ten to fifteen minutes long because we no longer have the ability to concentrate for longer than that amount of time – this was explained to us in three-hour long classes.) He ends the chapter arguing that the lack of an annual review of the pastor is a sign that the preaching has gone awry – without this, the pastor cannot improve I areas of weakness, etc.
The second chapter deals with the fact that “Johnny Can’t Read (Texts).” Gordon argues that we are taught to read for information, not to read for “the pleasure obtained by reading an author whose command of the language is exceptional” (44). This affects preaching in that pastors look for information by don’t take account of how a passage is constructed (46). When one actual reads texts, one learns how to distinguish between the significant and the insignificant (51).
Chapter three: “Johnny Can’t Write.” Preachers, Gordon argues, need practice in reading the physical reactions of their hearers (64). Also, preachers need to practice writing – with the advent of the telephone, Internet, and other wonders of communication, we rush off meaningless and inaccurate and insignificant pieces, whereas, in the days of letter writing, one would take time to compose something meaningful/significant. (I.e., there are volumes of collected letters. It is unlikely that one will publish a collected e-mails.)
Chapter four deals with content. Gordon argues that the content of preaching is neither mere moralism, nor navel-gazing, but “the person and work of Christ includ[ing] the character of Christ” (71).
The final chapter is his prescription, which is largely the opposite of the problem he has diagnosed. One stunning quote: “Television-watching prohibits such discernment. One simply cannot regard the significant as more important than the insignificant, and then plop himself in front of a television for two or three hours an evening. The only way the conscience can survive such a colossal waste of a human life is for the individual to refuse to entertain the question of the difference between the significant and the insignificant” (97, emphasis his).
Gordon’s book is profound and provocative. I pray it gets a large reading and, even more so, that pastors would desire to preach and to preach well, no matter what the culture is pushing.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wisdom of the Fathers
On Acts 1:11:
“How did they see him go? In the flesh which they touched, which they felt, the scars of which they even probed by touching; in that body in which he went in and out with them for forty days, manifesting himself to them in truth, not in any falsity; not as an apparition, not as a shadow, not as a spirit, but as he himself said, not deceiving, ‘Handle and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me to have.’ Now, indeed, that body is worthy of a heavenly dwelling place, not subject to death, not changeable through ages. For as he had grown to that age from infancy, so he does not decline to old age from the age which was young adulthood. He remains as he ascended. He is going to come to those to whom, before he comes, he wanted his word to be preached. So, therefore, he will come in a human form.” – St. Augustine, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament V: Acts, 11-12.
“How did they see him go? In the flesh which they touched, which they felt, the scars of which they even probed by touching; in that body in which he went in and out with them for forty days, manifesting himself to them in truth, not in any falsity; not as an apparition, not as a shadow, not as a spirit, but as he himself said, not deceiving, ‘Handle and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me to have.’ Now, indeed, that body is worthy of a heavenly dwelling place, not subject to death, not changeable through ages. For as he had grown to that age from infancy, so he does not decline to old age from the age which was young adulthood. He remains as he ascended. He is going to come to those to whom, before he comes, he wanted his word to be preached. So, therefore, he will come in a human form.” – St. Augustine, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament V: Acts, 11-12.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Reformed Wisdom
On Acts 1:1-11:
“‘Men hate the light, because their deeds are evil.’ This will appear to be no false charge, if you consider, that there is scarely any thing that infidels believe, for which they have half the evidence that can be produced in favor of the truth of Christianity. It is not, therefore, to reason that their unbelief should be attributed, but to some other cause; a corrupt taste, an impatience of restraint, a wish to live without any law to control them, or any fear to disturb them in their pleasure.” – John Dick, Lecturers on the Acts of the Apostles, 17-18.
“‘Men hate the light, because their deeds are evil.’ This will appear to be no false charge, if you consider, that there is scarely any thing that infidels believe, for which they have half the evidence that can be produced in favor of the truth of Christianity. It is not, therefore, to reason that their unbelief should be attributed, but to some other cause; a corrupt taste, an impatience of restraint, a wish to live without any law to control them, or any fear to disturb them in their pleasure.” – John Dick, Lecturers on the Acts of the Apostles, 17-18.
Monday, May 18, 2009
"Many Proofs" Sermon: Acts 1:1-5
“Many Proofs”
[Acts 1:1-5]
May 17, 2009 Second Reformed Church
This morning, we begin our look at the book of Acts. The book of Acts is Luke’s second volume – the continuation of his Gospel. We remember how Luke opens his Gospel: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4, ESV).
Luke addresses both his Gospel and the Acts to Theophilus, who was likely a high-ranking official of some sort, given the way Luke addresses him. Theophilus is a Christian, and Luke states that he has written these accounts of the Work of Jesus Christ for Theophilus that he would gain certainty – assurance – about the things he has been taught. How would he gain assurance? By hearing the eyewitness testimony of those who saw and heard all that Jesus did and taught. The Holy Spirit saw to it that the Gospel and Acts were written down, recording the eyewitness testimony of scores of people, that we who believe in Jesus would have additional certainty and assurance in Jesus through reading them.
As Luke open Acts, he tells Theophilus, and us, that the Gospel dealt with everything that Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that Jesus is still working and teaching in His Risen and Glorified State. Jesus is still working for us and He is still teaching us. Though Jesus is not physically on the earth, He is ministering to us through the reading and preaching of His Word and through the right administration of the sacraments. And, He is working and teaching us and working and teaching through us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:7-15, ESV).
Jesus has ascended back to His Throne, as we mentioned last week. He is sovereignly reigning over all things right now. Do we believe that? Do we have assurance that Jesus is in control of all things? That He is carrying out His Plan, just as it was intended from before the foundation of the world? If we have any doubt, may God the Holy Spirit instruct us and assure us through His Word – through Acts – as we look at it. May He be pleased to increase our faith that we might be better witnesses to Him and His Salvation.
The author of Hebrews wrote, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV).
We are to encourage one another – to build each other up in the assurance of the faith – reminding each other that, through Jesus Christ, we have access to God – we can come before Him boldly – confidently in prayer – and in the sanctuary. As we pray – and pray together – often – we will become all the more certain of the Truth of God’s Word. As we gather together for worship – as we read and hear the Word of God preached – as we receive the sacraments – and do so as often as we are able – we will become all the more certain of the Truth of God’s Word. Jesus continues to work and teach us and work and teach through us, through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord is willing, we’ll talk about that more in a few weeks, but let’s understand, this morning, that God the Holy Spirit dwelt in the apostles and dwells in all those who believe in Jesus Christ Alone for salvation. That means when God calls us to faith and belief in Jesus Alone for our salvation, He changes us and gives us work to do. We, Christians, are not the same people we were before we believed in Jesus: we have been forgiven for our sins, we have been credited with Jesus’ Righteousness, we have been indwelt by God the Holy Spirit – by God Himself, and we are now – all – witnesses to Jesus and His Salvation.
We cannot say that we have not be called to be Jesus’ ambassadors. Not all of us have been called to be pastors, but all of us have been gifted by God, and we are to use the gifts that God has given each of us to glorify God – by employing them the best we can – and to show His Salvation to others. Let us rejoice that God equips us and let’s love each other and encourage each other in those ways each of us have been gifted that God would receive the glory and others would desire Jesus and His Salvation through our witness.
After the Resurrection, Luke tells us that Jesus spent forty days on earth with the apostles before He ascended back to His Throne. During that time, He proved the fact of His Resurrection to them – and many others – by showing them His Wounds and allow them to touch Him – to see that He is not a ghost, and by eating with them. Also, during this time, He taught them about the Kingdom of God.
Paul records these words about Christ and the number of eyewitnesses there were to His being raised from the dead: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the very least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (I Corinthians 15:3-11, ESV).
Many people talk about faith and belief as though it is something we do and have but have no proof – no reasons – for having. In the show “All in the Family,” Archie tried to defend faith by defining it this way: “Faith is believing in something that no one in their right mind would believe” – and many people think like that today. But that’s not what we see in Luke. That’s not what we see in Paul. They say we believe and have faith as a gift from God and through the proofs of the eyewitness testimony of hundreds of people. We have believable eyewitness testimony of the life and teachings of Jesus.
If a person were on trial for murder, and the prosecution brought twenty eyewitnesses forward who saw the defendant commit the murder, it would be practically certain that the defendant would be found guilty – would it not? Luke and Paul had access to over five hundred eyewitnesses – who were all in agreement – to the life and teachings of Jesus.
Now, we cannot interview those eyewitnesses today – now they have all died. But we have the record of the Bible. Sixty-six books written by forty-some different authors, written over two thousand years of time, and there is complete agreement on all things among them. I am often told, “The Bible is full of contradictions,” but I have been challenging anyone from this pulpit for ten years to show me one, and no one has every taken me on. Because they can’t. There are mysteries in the Bible. There are things God did not think we needed to understand. But what we can understand – what God saw as necessary for faith and life – is clear.
So, we might wonder: if the Gospel is clear in the Scripture, why don’t all people believe when it is preached to them? Because “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV). Because of the sin of our first parents, every mere human being is born unable to receive the Gospel – everyone is born a sinner, with a will inclined toward evil. We are born doomed, unless God, Himself intervenes and changes our heart – changes our will – so we can believe. Salvation is the Work of God; our work is to spread the Gospel. God has chosen to use us to spread His Word, but it is only by His Will and Power than anyone can come to faith and belief. The problem is not with the mind or the understanding – the problem is with the heart. God must change a human heart in order for him or her to receive the Gospel.
So God has equipped us, just as He equipped the apostles, by changing our hearts and bringing us to faith and belief in Jesus Alone for our Salvation. He has gifted each one of us in ways that we can glorify God and show His Salvation to others. And He has given us the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, through Whom Jesus continues to teach us, work in us and through us, to His Glory, and as He brings others to faith and belief through us.
Notice that after giving this call to the apostles and promising the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to them, Jesus does not give them the indwelling of the Holy Spirit immediately, and He does not send them right out to witness to His Salvation. Instead, He tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Why?
One reason He told them to wait was so they would be in Jerusalem for what would become the Day of Pentecost – and if the Lord is willing, we’ll talk more about that in a few weeks.
Another reason He told them to wait is due to the fact that being God’s people – His ambassadors – His witnesses – is not just about action: sometimes God calls us to stay, to wait, to pray, to listen, to be still. There are times when God calls us to wait on Him quietly – that is not wasting time or being lazy. Jesus often went away by Himself to pray and commune with the Father. We need to do that as well. We need times of quiet waiting and worship before Him, as we pray and read the Scripture and meditate on what He has said and done. Sometimes that is not easy, given the frantic lives that we live, but it is necessary if we are to be healthy and grow and be right before God and useful to Him.
God has given us different gifts and abilities to use for Him, but there are times for us to wait and be still before Him as well. And there are times to gather together with our brothers and sisters and to lift each other up and encourage each other in love and to come before the Throne of God in worship. Let us not neglect all the varieties of our service, because it is for our good.
Luke begins Acts by explaining that he wrote his Gospel and Acts so that the reader would have greater assurance in Jesus and His Salvation through reading them – through knowing the many proofs that Jesus gave of His Resurrection, through the recorded eyewitness testimony of more than five hundred persons who were all in agreement about what Jesus did and said, through the knowledge that Jesus is reigning now, over all things, and continuing to work and teach, through the gift of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit that everyone who believes receives, and through the call that is given to us to employ the gifts we have received, both in times of quiet waiting on God and times of action for God.
Let us read the testimony of the eyewitnesses and believe it and find assurance in it as God convinces us of its truth. And let us renew our commitment to use the gifts that God has given to us for Him in every way He leads us.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You have not left us to our own devices, but You have saved us Yourself for Yourself. We thank You for giving us the Scripture and the testimony of eyewitnesses, so we can know what really happened. We thank You for the gift of God the Holy Spirit, so we can continue to be taught and live out all that You have said. We ask that You would help us to recognize our gifts and use them for You. And we ask that we would be obedient when You call us to wait and when You call us to act. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
[Acts 1:1-5]
May 17, 2009 Second Reformed Church
This morning, we begin our look at the book of Acts. The book of Acts is Luke’s second volume – the continuation of his Gospel. We remember how Luke opens his Gospel: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4, ESV).
Luke addresses both his Gospel and the Acts to Theophilus, who was likely a high-ranking official of some sort, given the way Luke addresses him. Theophilus is a Christian, and Luke states that he has written these accounts of the Work of Jesus Christ for Theophilus that he would gain certainty – assurance – about the things he has been taught. How would he gain assurance? By hearing the eyewitness testimony of those who saw and heard all that Jesus did and taught. The Holy Spirit saw to it that the Gospel and Acts were written down, recording the eyewitness testimony of scores of people, that we who believe in Jesus would have additional certainty and assurance in Jesus through reading them.
As Luke open Acts, he tells Theophilus, and us, that the Gospel dealt with everything that Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that Jesus is still working and teaching in His Risen and Glorified State. Jesus is still working for us and He is still teaching us. Though Jesus is not physically on the earth, He is ministering to us through the reading and preaching of His Word and through the right administration of the sacraments. And, He is working and teaching us and working and teaching through us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:7-15, ESV).
Jesus has ascended back to His Throne, as we mentioned last week. He is sovereignly reigning over all things right now. Do we believe that? Do we have assurance that Jesus is in control of all things? That He is carrying out His Plan, just as it was intended from before the foundation of the world? If we have any doubt, may God the Holy Spirit instruct us and assure us through His Word – through Acts – as we look at it. May He be pleased to increase our faith that we might be better witnesses to Him and His Salvation.
The author of Hebrews wrote, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV).
We are to encourage one another – to build each other up in the assurance of the faith – reminding each other that, through Jesus Christ, we have access to God – we can come before Him boldly – confidently in prayer – and in the sanctuary. As we pray – and pray together – often – we will become all the more certain of the Truth of God’s Word. As we gather together for worship – as we read and hear the Word of God preached – as we receive the sacraments – and do so as often as we are able – we will become all the more certain of the Truth of God’s Word. Jesus continues to work and teach us and work and teach through us, through the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord is willing, we’ll talk about that more in a few weeks, but let’s understand, this morning, that God the Holy Spirit dwelt in the apostles and dwells in all those who believe in Jesus Christ Alone for salvation. That means when God calls us to faith and belief in Jesus Alone for our salvation, He changes us and gives us work to do. We, Christians, are not the same people we were before we believed in Jesus: we have been forgiven for our sins, we have been credited with Jesus’ Righteousness, we have been indwelt by God the Holy Spirit – by God Himself, and we are now – all – witnesses to Jesus and His Salvation.
We cannot say that we have not be called to be Jesus’ ambassadors. Not all of us have been called to be pastors, but all of us have been gifted by God, and we are to use the gifts that God has given each of us to glorify God – by employing them the best we can – and to show His Salvation to others. Let us rejoice that God equips us and let’s love each other and encourage each other in those ways each of us have been gifted that God would receive the glory and others would desire Jesus and His Salvation through our witness.
After the Resurrection, Luke tells us that Jesus spent forty days on earth with the apostles before He ascended back to His Throne. During that time, He proved the fact of His Resurrection to them – and many others – by showing them His Wounds and allow them to touch Him – to see that He is not a ghost, and by eating with them. Also, during this time, He taught them about the Kingdom of God.
Paul records these words about Christ and the number of eyewitnesses there were to His being raised from the dead: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the very least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (I Corinthians 15:3-11, ESV).
Many people talk about faith and belief as though it is something we do and have but have no proof – no reasons – for having. In the show “All in the Family,” Archie tried to defend faith by defining it this way: “Faith is believing in something that no one in their right mind would believe” – and many people think like that today. But that’s not what we see in Luke. That’s not what we see in Paul. They say we believe and have faith as a gift from God and through the proofs of the eyewitness testimony of hundreds of people. We have believable eyewitness testimony of the life and teachings of Jesus.
If a person were on trial for murder, and the prosecution brought twenty eyewitnesses forward who saw the defendant commit the murder, it would be practically certain that the defendant would be found guilty – would it not? Luke and Paul had access to over five hundred eyewitnesses – who were all in agreement – to the life and teachings of Jesus.
Now, we cannot interview those eyewitnesses today – now they have all died. But we have the record of the Bible. Sixty-six books written by forty-some different authors, written over two thousand years of time, and there is complete agreement on all things among them. I am often told, “The Bible is full of contradictions,” but I have been challenging anyone from this pulpit for ten years to show me one, and no one has every taken me on. Because they can’t. There are mysteries in the Bible. There are things God did not think we needed to understand. But what we can understand – what God saw as necessary for faith and life – is clear.
So, we might wonder: if the Gospel is clear in the Scripture, why don’t all people believe when it is preached to them? Because “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV). Because of the sin of our first parents, every mere human being is born unable to receive the Gospel – everyone is born a sinner, with a will inclined toward evil. We are born doomed, unless God, Himself intervenes and changes our heart – changes our will – so we can believe. Salvation is the Work of God; our work is to spread the Gospel. God has chosen to use us to spread His Word, but it is only by His Will and Power than anyone can come to faith and belief. The problem is not with the mind or the understanding – the problem is with the heart. God must change a human heart in order for him or her to receive the Gospel.
So God has equipped us, just as He equipped the apostles, by changing our hearts and bringing us to faith and belief in Jesus Alone for our Salvation. He has gifted each one of us in ways that we can glorify God and show His Salvation to others. And He has given us the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, through Whom Jesus continues to teach us, work in us and through us, to His Glory, and as He brings others to faith and belief through us.
Notice that after giving this call to the apostles and promising the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to them, Jesus does not give them the indwelling of the Holy Spirit immediately, and He does not send them right out to witness to His Salvation. Instead, He tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Why?
One reason He told them to wait was so they would be in Jerusalem for what would become the Day of Pentecost – and if the Lord is willing, we’ll talk more about that in a few weeks.
Another reason He told them to wait is due to the fact that being God’s people – His ambassadors – His witnesses – is not just about action: sometimes God calls us to stay, to wait, to pray, to listen, to be still. There are times when God calls us to wait on Him quietly – that is not wasting time or being lazy. Jesus often went away by Himself to pray and commune with the Father. We need to do that as well. We need times of quiet waiting and worship before Him, as we pray and read the Scripture and meditate on what He has said and done. Sometimes that is not easy, given the frantic lives that we live, but it is necessary if we are to be healthy and grow and be right before God and useful to Him.
God has given us different gifts and abilities to use for Him, but there are times for us to wait and be still before Him as well. And there are times to gather together with our brothers and sisters and to lift each other up and encourage each other in love and to come before the Throne of God in worship. Let us not neglect all the varieties of our service, because it is for our good.
Luke begins Acts by explaining that he wrote his Gospel and Acts so that the reader would have greater assurance in Jesus and His Salvation through reading them – through knowing the many proofs that Jesus gave of His Resurrection, through the recorded eyewitness testimony of more than five hundred persons who were all in agreement about what Jesus did and said, through the knowledge that Jesus is reigning now, over all things, and continuing to work and teach, through the gift of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit that everyone who believes receives, and through the call that is given to us to employ the gifts we have received, both in times of quiet waiting on God and times of action for God.
Let us read the testimony of the eyewitnesses and believe it and find assurance in it as God convinces us of its truth. And let us renew our commitment to use the gifts that God has given to us for Him in every way He leads us.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You have not left us to our own devices, but You have saved us Yourself for Yourself. We thank You for giving us the Scripture and the testimony of eyewitnesses, so we can know what really happened. We thank You for the gift of God the Holy Spirit, so we can continue to be taught and live out all that You have said. We ask that You would help us to recognize our gifts and use them for You. And we ask that we would be obedient when You call us to wait and when You call us to act. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Review: The Crusades: a Short History
One of the books I read in preparation for our next historical and theological study is The Crusades: a Short History by Jonathan Riley-Smith. I contacted one of my history professors from seminary for his recommendations, since I am not well-verse in this time period, and this was one of the books he recommended.
Riley-Smith’s history is short (257 pages covering 1095 to 1798), but it is also dense. Every sentence is thick with names, places, and dates. For someone wanting to cover the period in detail, but not having to read voluminously, this book is to be highly regarded.
It was good for me to read, both for the information to help me teach the subject, but also in the fact that it emphasizes the history and politics of the period. While the religious aspects of the conflict are (necessarily) mentioned, he does not go into great detail about them. This is an area I will have to supplement and is, perhaps, the book’s major weakness: he talks about “holy war,” “just war,” and “jihad,” but he doesn’t really explain the theological justification (as they understood it) for them.
I have come to understand that, while the crusaders may have largely understood themselves as defending Christ, the kings and popes behind the Crusades certainly appear to have been (largely) more interested in politics that the glorification of Christ. It also seems as thought the Roman Church had come to the misunderstanding of the first century Jews – that the land is central to the Covenant of Salvation.
An enlightening work.
Riley-Smith’s history is short (257 pages covering 1095 to 1798), but it is also dense. Every sentence is thick with names, places, and dates. For someone wanting to cover the period in detail, but not having to read voluminously, this book is to be highly regarded.
It was good for me to read, both for the information to help me teach the subject, but also in the fact that it emphasizes the history and politics of the period. While the religious aspects of the conflict are (necessarily) mentioned, he does not go into great detail about them. This is an area I will have to supplement and is, perhaps, the book’s major weakness: he talks about “holy war,” “just war,” and “jihad,” but he doesn’t really explain the theological justification (as they understood it) for them.
I have come to understand that, while the crusaders may have largely understood themselves as defending Christ, the kings and popes behind the Crusades certainly appear to have been (largely) more interested in politics that the glorification of Christ. It also seems as thought the Roman Church had come to the misunderstanding of the first century Jews – that the land is central to the Covenant of Salvation.
An enlightening work.
Consistory
The Consistory plans to meet (D.V.), this Sunday, the 17th, after morning worship. Consistory members, please plan to stay for this meeting.
Wednesday Night Study
Due to a scheduling conflict, "The General Councils and the Crusades" study will not start on June 3rd. We plan, D.V., to begin our study on Wednesday, June 10th, at 7PM. Everyone is welcome!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
"Continual Blessing" Sermon: Luke 24:50-53
“Continual Blessing”
[Luke 24:50-53]
May 10, 2009 Second Reformed Church
This morning, we continue our look at what happened after the Resurrection. We remember that Jesus appeared to the disciples and gave them proof and assurance of His Resurrection: He allowed them to touch Him and look at His Wounds – to see that He was alive, in His Physical Body, and He also ate with them to prove that He was not a ghost.
Jesus also went through the entire Old Testament and showed them how He fulfilled the Scripture concerning the first coming of the Savior and why He had to endure the suffering He endured in order to give salvation to all those who would believe in Him Alone for salvation.
Then Jesus told His disciples that He was calling them to preach the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to the whole world – first in Jerusalem and then throughout the world – not just to the Jews, but to all people. That call remains on the Church until Jesus returns.
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until power came upon them – the power to be able to do all that God had commanded them. That power would come upon them in the form of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And now every Christian has God the Holy Spirit within him or her – to remind us of what Jesus said and to help us to understand all that God has taught us in the Scripture.
This morning, we come to the end of the first volume of Luke’s work – the second volume being Acts. Luke ends his Gospel in a way that suggests a sequel, and, Lord Willing, we will look at Acts beginning next Sunday.
In these final verses, we learn four things:
First, we learn that, after Jesus led the disciples to Bethany, He lifted up His Hands and blessed them. Jesus, the Holy God, graciously blessed His sinful followers – and Jesus continues to bless all those who believe in Him: being a disciple of Jesus is a blessing – it is to live in a state of blessedness. You and I and all those who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation are blessed.
Paul explains some of what that means: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mysteries of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
“In him we obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed him were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:3-14, ESV).
What blessings have we been blessed with? To begin with:
We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing – including the fact that God chose us to be His before the foundation of the world, and He has promised that we shall be holy and blameless, like Jesus, at the end of the age.
We have been blessed in God loving us so much that He adopted us through Jesus Christ, according to His Eternal Purpose – which brings praise and blessing to God for His Glorious Grace. God has made us brothers and sisters of Jesus – co-heirs with Him – and now that we are co-heirs with Christ, we glorify His Grace. You and I are sons and daughters of God – the God Who called all things into being and preserves them by His Power. We only, of all the created beings, call God, “Father.”
We have been blessed by being redeemed through Christ’s Blood. We have been forgiven for our sins through Christ’s Blood. We have been credited with Christ’s Holiness through His Blood. He has lavished His Grace upon us – He didn’t just give us a little here and a little there – no, Jesus dumped bucket after bucket of grace over us. (To put it crudely.) And we have received wisdom and insight, so that we might understand the mysteries of His Will. God inhabits us and makes us understand His Word – the believers of the Old Testament wished that they had the insight from God to understand all that we can now understand on this side of the cross.
We have been blessed through the assurance and the promise that Christ gives us that God has a Plan, and He is carrying it out, exactly as He planned. And in the wisdom of that Plan, we and all things are being united to Christ – we look forward to the restoration and perfection of ourselves and the rest of the Creation.
We have been blessed, as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, in being promised that there is an inheritance for us, which we shall receive in God’s Time, in accordance with the counsel of His Will, so that our hope will be fulfilled, to the glory of Christ. The future is set, and it is glorious for the Christian. We have received the Holy Spirit, and He is the guarantee of our inheritance, that God would receive the glory.
If these are some of the blessings we have received through Jesus, how ought we to live? We ought to have joy, ought we not? By looking at ourselves and our world through the light of the blessings of the Gospel, we can have joy at all times and in all places.
Most of you know that I have sarcoidosis, which is, at present, an incurable disease. I would prefer not to be ill. I would prefer not to endure the pain I have. But, I have joy through Jesus Christ, because this illness is not an accident, but something God has given me to mature me and teach me and to help me in my ministry to you. And, I have joy, because I know that after I die, I will be raised again, and when I am raised, this body will be perfected and disease-free. On that day, I will be a glory to God, and I have joy because I know that is true and certain.
You can also have this joy, by looking at yourself and your circumstances through the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You will still have pain and disappointment and suffering, but, as you understand it in the bigger picture of what God is doing and what Jesus has done for you, you can have joy – not a phoney smile, but a deep, abiding peace in the knowledge of the Sovereignty of our God.
Second, Luke tells us that Jesus ascended back to His Throne – and we’ll look at this in more detail, Lord Willing, as we look at the book of Acts. For today, let us understand that in the Ascension, Jesus completed the Work of Salvation.
Paul wrote, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11, ESV).
And the author of Hebrews wrote, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1b-2, ESV).
Theologians talk about this as the humiliation and the exaltation of Christ: The Son of God willing left His Throne and descended to earth and was born as a human being, suffered, died, rose, and ascended back to His Throne. The Ascension completes the cycle of the Work of Christ. The completion of Jesus’ Work is not Christmas or Easter, but the Ascension.
Keep this in mind, and if the Lord is willing, we will look at this in more detail soon.
Third, Luke tells us that the disciples worshiped Jesus. The doubt the disciples previously had was now gone: they believed in Jesus whole-heartedly, and they fell down before Him and worshiped Him.
Now, if you were a Old Testament Jew or a modern Christian, how would you answer this question: “Who is to be worshiped?” Lest we forget: “You shall have no other gods before me. ... You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God and a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3, 5-6, ESV).
Who is to be worshiped? God, and God Alone. The disciples worshiped Jesus, so they understood Him to be Whom? God. The disciples worshiping of Jesus is a confession of their belief that He is the One, Almighty God.
I have a friend who gets mad at me when I say that Jesus is God. She always says, “Jesus is not God, He’s the Son of God.” I’ve tried to explain that confusion: her argument would be like saying, I am not a pastor, I’m a man. “Son of God” is a title that Jesus has, but in His Being, He is God. As we talked about the Trinity, we saw that there are Three distinct Persons, but Each One of those Persons is the Same One God. So, Jesus is God – in His Being, in His Substance, in His Essence, and He is the “Son of God” in His Person, just as He is also the “Prince of Peace” and the “Son of Man,” etc.
So don’t think you are blaspheming God the Father by calling Jesus God. Jesus is God and the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God, and the Three Persons are the One God. Jesus is not the Father, but He is the Same, One God as the Father. That is the mystery of the Trinity. But Jesus is God. And we are right to confess Jesus as God and worship Him as God, just as the disciples did.
And fourth, Luke tells us that the disciples returned to Jerusalem “and were continually in the temple blessing God.” That does not mean that they were in the temple every minute of the day and never left. What it means is that they were there whenever worship was occurring and that they believed and lived out the fact that our Triune God is always worthy of worship.
That worship did not just take place in the temple as a worship service, though. They also worshiped God by going out and telling others about the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness. Mark wrote, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20, ESV).
As Christians, we ought to find ourselves drawn to the things of God and to the worship of God. We ought to find ourselves desiring to be in His Presence with our brothers and sisters, worshiping Him, proclaiming Who He is and what He has done. We ought to find ourselves joyfully compelled to be in worship as often as possible and to tell others about Jesus and His Gospel.
Do you love Jesus? Do you love His Church? Do you want to be in His Presence, in worship? Do you want to commune with Him – fellowship with Him? Then look at yourself and your life through the lense of the Gospel and see how blessed you are. Understand that Jesus has finished the Work of Salvation. And worship Jesus, our God and Savior. Come into the sanctuary as often as you can and work to bring others with you. Tell them who Jesus is and why that matters – why you see things differently as a follower of Jesus Christ. And give continual blessing to our God, for He is worthy.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for blessing us beyond our comprehension. We thank You that the Work of Salvation is Yours Alone and You have completed it. We thank You for letting us know that You are a Triune God and only God could save us from the debt of our sin. We thank You for this Church, for this company of saints with whom we join together and worship You. We thank You for the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, for Your Presence in the Sacrament, and for the blessing of Your Grace that we shall receive as we receive the elements. We ask that, in all things, You would make us a glory to Yourself. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
[Luke 24:50-53]
May 10, 2009 Second Reformed Church
This morning, we continue our look at what happened after the Resurrection. We remember that Jesus appeared to the disciples and gave them proof and assurance of His Resurrection: He allowed them to touch Him and look at His Wounds – to see that He was alive, in His Physical Body, and He also ate with them to prove that He was not a ghost.
Jesus also went through the entire Old Testament and showed them how He fulfilled the Scripture concerning the first coming of the Savior and why He had to endure the suffering He endured in order to give salvation to all those who would believe in Him Alone for salvation.
Then Jesus told His disciples that He was calling them to preach the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness to the whole world – first in Jerusalem and then throughout the world – not just to the Jews, but to all people. That call remains on the Church until Jesus returns.
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until power came upon them – the power to be able to do all that God had commanded them. That power would come upon them in the form of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And now every Christian has God the Holy Spirit within him or her – to remind us of what Jesus said and to help us to understand all that God has taught us in the Scripture.
This morning, we come to the end of the first volume of Luke’s work – the second volume being Acts. Luke ends his Gospel in a way that suggests a sequel, and, Lord Willing, we will look at Acts beginning next Sunday.
In these final verses, we learn four things:
First, we learn that, after Jesus led the disciples to Bethany, He lifted up His Hands and blessed them. Jesus, the Holy God, graciously blessed His sinful followers – and Jesus continues to bless all those who believe in Him: being a disciple of Jesus is a blessing – it is to live in a state of blessedness. You and I and all those who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation are blessed.
Paul explains some of what that means: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mysteries of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
“In him we obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed him were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:3-14, ESV).
What blessings have we been blessed with? To begin with:
We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing – including the fact that God chose us to be His before the foundation of the world, and He has promised that we shall be holy and blameless, like Jesus, at the end of the age.
We have been blessed in God loving us so much that He adopted us through Jesus Christ, according to His Eternal Purpose – which brings praise and blessing to God for His Glorious Grace. God has made us brothers and sisters of Jesus – co-heirs with Him – and now that we are co-heirs with Christ, we glorify His Grace. You and I are sons and daughters of God – the God Who called all things into being and preserves them by His Power. We only, of all the created beings, call God, “Father.”
We have been blessed by being redeemed through Christ’s Blood. We have been forgiven for our sins through Christ’s Blood. We have been credited with Christ’s Holiness through His Blood. He has lavished His Grace upon us – He didn’t just give us a little here and a little there – no, Jesus dumped bucket after bucket of grace over us. (To put it crudely.) And we have received wisdom and insight, so that we might understand the mysteries of His Will. God inhabits us and makes us understand His Word – the believers of the Old Testament wished that they had the insight from God to understand all that we can now understand on this side of the cross.
We have been blessed through the assurance and the promise that Christ gives us that God has a Plan, and He is carrying it out, exactly as He planned. And in the wisdom of that Plan, we and all things are being united to Christ – we look forward to the restoration and perfection of ourselves and the rest of the Creation.
We have been blessed, as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, in being promised that there is an inheritance for us, which we shall receive in God’s Time, in accordance with the counsel of His Will, so that our hope will be fulfilled, to the glory of Christ. The future is set, and it is glorious for the Christian. We have received the Holy Spirit, and He is the guarantee of our inheritance, that God would receive the glory.
If these are some of the blessings we have received through Jesus, how ought we to live? We ought to have joy, ought we not? By looking at ourselves and our world through the light of the blessings of the Gospel, we can have joy at all times and in all places.
Most of you know that I have sarcoidosis, which is, at present, an incurable disease. I would prefer not to be ill. I would prefer not to endure the pain I have. But, I have joy through Jesus Christ, because this illness is not an accident, but something God has given me to mature me and teach me and to help me in my ministry to you. And, I have joy, because I know that after I die, I will be raised again, and when I am raised, this body will be perfected and disease-free. On that day, I will be a glory to God, and I have joy because I know that is true and certain.
You can also have this joy, by looking at yourself and your circumstances through the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You will still have pain and disappointment and suffering, but, as you understand it in the bigger picture of what God is doing and what Jesus has done for you, you can have joy – not a phoney smile, but a deep, abiding peace in the knowledge of the Sovereignty of our God.
Second, Luke tells us that Jesus ascended back to His Throne – and we’ll look at this in more detail, Lord Willing, as we look at the book of Acts. For today, let us understand that in the Ascension, Jesus completed the Work of Salvation.
Paul wrote, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11, ESV).
And the author of Hebrews wrote, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1b-2, ESV).
Theologians talk about this as the humiliation and the exaltation of Christ: The Son of God willing left His Throne and descended to earth and was born as a human being, suffered, died, rose, and ascended back to His Throne. The Ascension completes the cycle of the Work of Christ. The completion of Jesus’ Work is not Christmas or Easter, but the Ascension.
Keep this in mind, and if the Lord is willing, we will look at this in more detail soon.
Third, Luke tells us that the disciples worshiped Jesus. The doubt the disciples previously had was now gone: they believed in Jesus whole-heartedly, and they fell down before Him and worshiped Him.
Now, if you were a Old Testament Jew or a modern Christian, how would you answer this question: “Who is to be worshiped?” Lest we forget: “You shall have no other gods before me. ... You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God and a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3, 5-6, ESV).
Who is to be worshiped? God, and God Alone. The disciples worshiped Jesus, so they understood Him to be Whom? God. The disciples worshiping of Jesus is a confession of their belief that He is the One, Almighty God.
I have a friend who gets mad at me when I say that Jesus is God. She always says, “Jesus is not God, He’s the Son of God.” I’ve tried to explain that confusion: her argument would be like saying, I am not a pastor, I’m a man. “Son of God” is a title that Jesus has, but in His Being, He is God. As we talked about the Trinity, we saw that there are Three distinct Persons, but Each One of those Persons is the Same One God. So, Jesus is God – in His Being, in His Substance, in His Essence, and He is the “Son of God” in His Person, just as He is also the “Prince of Peace” and the “Son of Man,” etc.
So don’t think you are blaspheming God the Father by calling Jesus God. Jesus is God and the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God, and the Three Persons are the One God. Jesus is not the Father, but He is the Same, One God as the Father. That is the mystery of the Trinity. But Jesus is God. And we are right to confess Jesus as God and worship Him as God, just as the disciples did.
And fourth, Luke tells us that the disciples returned to Jerusalem “and were continually in the temple blessing God.” That does not mean that they were in the temple every minute of the day and never left. What it means is that they were there whenever worship was occurring and that they believed and lived out the fact that our Triune God is always worthy of worship.
That worship did not just take place in the temple as a worship service, though. They also worshiped God by going out and telling others about the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness. Mark wrote, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20, ESV).
As Christians, we ought to find ourselves drawn to the things of God and to the worship of God. We ought to find ourselves desiring to be in His Presence with our brothers and sisters, worshiping Him, proclaiming Who He is and what He has done. We ought to find ourselves joyfully compelled to be in worship as often as possible and to tell others about Jesus and His Gospel.
Do you love Jesus? Do you love His Church? Do you want to be in His Presence, in worship? Do you want to commune with Him – fellowship with Him? Then look at yourself and your life through the lense of the Gospel and see how blessed you are. Understand that Jesus has finished the Work of Salvation. And worship Jesus, our God and Savior. Come into the sanctuary as often as you can and work to bring others with you. Tell them who Jesus is and why that matters – why you see things differently as a follower of Jesus Christ. And give continual blessing to our God, for He is worthy.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for blessing us beyond our comprehension. We thank You that the Work of Salvation is Yours Alone and You have completed it. We thank You for letting us know that You are a Triune God and only God could save us from the debt of our sin. We thank You for this Church, for this company of saints with whom we join together and worship You. We thank You for the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, for Your Presence in the Sacrament, and for the blessing of Your Grace that we shall receive as we receive the elements. We ask that, in all things, You would make us a glory to Yourself. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Review: The Sparrow
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is a novel that was recommended and lent to me by one of the women at church. I took forever to open it, but once I got into it, and I admit, I struggled in the beginning, whether due to my state of mind or it being science fiction and moving back and forth in time throughout the text, I enjoyed the work greatly.
Russell writes of the discovery of life on a planet in the next galaxy. A team is put together to travel there to find out about them – a very curious group of people, including a few Jesuit priests. They arrive, meet the inhabitants and spend several years there, during which, they experience more than they ever expected.
Reading the novel, one is confronted with questions about how one ought and what it means to encounter a species for the first time. But even more so, one is faced with questions about God: Is there a God? And if so, does He intervene in human history in any way? And if God does, what does that mean, given the history of humanity?
I wondered about the title of the book, and it’s meaning is revealed very near the end of the novel. I was slapped across the face (figuratively) when it was revealed, being shocked into not just considering a novel, but real questions about the nature of reality.
I recommend the novel for any interested in science fiction, religion, and/or questions about providence. Russell has written a sequel, Children of God, and I intend to read it.
Russell writes of the discovery of life on a planet in the next galaxy. A team is put together to travel there to find out about them – a very curious group of people, including a few Jesuit priests. They arrive, meet the inhabitants and spend several years there, during which, they experience more than they ever expected.
Reading the novel, one is confronted with questions about how one ought and what it means to encounter a species for the first time. But even more so, one is faced with questions about God: Is there a God? And if so, does He intervene in human history in any way? And if God does, what does that mean, given the history of humanity?
I wondered about the title of the book, and it’s meaning is revealed very near the end of the novel. I was slapped across the face (figuratively) when it was revealed, being shocked into not just considering a novel, but real questions about the nature of reality.
I recommend the novel for any interested in science fiction, religion, and/or questions about providence. Russell has written a sequel, Children of God, and I intend to read it.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Review: The General Councils: a History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicea to Vatican II
I read The General Councils: a History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicea to Vatican II by Dr. Christopher M. Bellitto in preparation for a study I plan to lead on the Crusades and the Church Councils of the period. (Last year, I lead a study on the eight “ecumenical” councils.). Bellitto’s book is concise, readable, and presents the major historical, political, and theological issues involved in the Councils. I am finding it helpful in my preparations, and I believe anyone interested in the Councils would benefit from this introduction.
Two caveats about the book: First, I wish he had spent more time in fleshing out the theological issues: one can get the point of them, but one’s understanding would be clearer with a little more explanation.
Second, this book is written from a decidedly Roman Catholic perspective and that, perhaps, has led to slighting the Protestants, especially in the section on Trent, by not fully presenting their views. For example: on page 105, he claims that Protestants believe that Adam’s sin did not stain his prodigy, but only gave them a predisposition to sin. Then, on page 106, he claims that there are two views of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in Protestantism: consubstantiation and memorialism. It is disappointing that a historian would leave out other prominent views.
If one knows enough Protestant and doctrinal history, one can easily balance out these problems.
Two caveats about the book: First, I wish he had spent more time in fleshing out the theological issues: one can get the point of them, but one’s understanding would be clearer with a little more explanation.
Second, this book is written from a decidedly Roman Catholic perspective and that, perhaps, has led to slighting the Protestants, especially in the section on Trent, by not fully presenting their views. For example: on page 105, he claims that Protestants believe that Adam’s sin did not stain his prodigy, but only gave them a predisposition to sin. Then, on page 106, he claims that there are two views of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in Protestantism: consubstantiation and memorialism. It is disappointing that a historian would leave out other prominent views.
If one knows enough Protestant and doctrinal history, one can easily balance out these problems.
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