Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church: Recent Episodes
[Sung Psalm: 84] Sermon Outline: 1. Restoration (vv. 18–26) 2. Renewal (vv. 27–31) 3. Recognition or Rejection (vv. 32–34)
aith – now share in those same promises. Here in chapters 10 and 11, Moses concludes his exposition of the first commandment. He has focused on what it means to have no other gods besides Yahweh, and has repeatedly drawn us back to our need to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. Moses offers us our motivation for why we should love and obey God TODAY...
[Sung Psalm: 98] There are all sorts of fascinating ways in which Pentecost completes Passover. In the OT, the very structure of the two feasts makes it clear. The fiftieth day (which is what Pentecost means) is calculated from the day after the seventh Sabbath (the seventh Saturday) after Passover. So Pentecost is always on a Sunday! Seven times seven plus one – makes Pentecost the ultimate eighth day – a day associated in the OT with the new creation – with entering into the presence of God. In the OT, the sacrifices and the Law were the two great gifts of God to Israel. Passover signaled the great redemptive act of God in the Exodus – symbolized in the offering of the Passover Lamb. Pentecost signaled the entrance into the Promised Land – symbolized in the giving of the Law – the pattern of life that God expected his people to live in the Land. Acts 2 shows us how Pentecost fulfills Passover in the new covenant as well. The feast of Passover was the feast of the firstborn and of deliverance from bondage. It perfectly sets up the death and resurrection of Christ, as he, the firstborn of the Father becomes the firstborn from the dead. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest. But Pentecost is not some afterthought to the resurrection. It is the fulfillment of the resurrection. As Peter says in verse 33, "being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.} The giving of the Law was a good gift – the problem was that the Law didn't convey power to keep the Law! But the coming of the Holy Spirit changes all that!!
Before we dig into our text tonight, I want to show you how the temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4 map pretty closely to what Moses describes here in Dt 7-10. We've been using three "m's" – militarism, materialism, and moralism. In chapter 7 we heard about the temptation of militarism – "Do not say in your heart..." 7:17 that the nations are mightier and more numerous than you. Only Yahweh can defeat your enemies, So trust in God. Then in chapter 8, we heard about the temptation of materialism – "Do not say in your heart..." 8:17 – that my power and the might of my hand has got me this wealth. Remember that it was the LORD who provided for you in the wilderness - do not forget the LORD and turn aside to trust in stuff – do not love created things more than you love the Creator! You are not self-sufficient! Now in chapter 9 we hear about the temptation of moralism – "Do not say in your heart..." (9:4) – that you are morally superior to others. The only reason God is giving you the land is because he promised your fathers (v5) Do not be self-righteous! These three temptations are echoed rather clearly in Matthew 4. The first two are particularly straightforward: First, "If you are the Son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread" – this is the temptation to materialism (trusting in stuff) Dt 8 Second, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you...'" – the temptation to militarism (trusting in power) Dt 7 And then third, "All the kingdoms of the world I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me" – the temptation to moralism (trusting in self-righteousness) Dt 9-10.
110] Have you ever wondered why preachers often use three point sermons? Perhaps it is because Peter's first sermon had three points! The first sermon preached after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a three-point sermon, each point demonstrated from scripture: 1. The Coming of the Holy Spirit Is the Beginning of the Last Days (from Joel 2)... 2. Jesus Was Raised from the Dead, Because Death Could Not Hold Him (from Psalm 16)... 3. Therefore the Gift of the Holy Spirit Demonstrates that Jesus Is the Christ (from Psalm 110)
Sermon outline: 1. Our Blessing (v. 24) a. In This Life b. In The World to Come 2. God's Blessedness (v. 25)
[Sung Psalm: 81] Passover was the feast commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt; but Pentecost was the feast that commemorated Israel's being brought into the land - it is a harvest feast celebrating God's provision. Some rabbis even called it "the closing season of the Passover" because Pentecost brings Passover to completion. After all, when you end the feast of Passover, where are you? In Exodus 12-13, Passover ends, and Israel is still in Egypt, awaiting the coming of the LORD - awaiting the death of the firstborn son of Pharaoh. And the timing of Pentecost is totally dependent on Passover. The barley sheaf is waved on the day after the Sabbath during Passover. (In other words, it is waved on Sunday) And then you count 50 days (7 weeks) until the day after the seventh Sabbath (in other words, Pentecost is always on a Sunday). Pentecost is the fulfillment of Passover - it brings Passover to its completion, as the firstfruits offered in Passover week come to fruition in Pentecost. But also – without Pentecost, Passover is incomplete. This will be at the heart of Peter's sermon in Acts 2...
Last time, in chapter 7, we saw that there were two poles to the temptation of militarism: there was the temptation of spiritual arrogance (God chose us because of our strength!), but also the temptation of spiritual anxiety (our enemies are too strong!) In the same way, chapter 8 shows that there are two poles to the temptation of materialism: Do you believe that God will provide? (will you remember his promises?) Or do think that you are self-sufficient (I can take care of myself – and so I forget God)? When Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread, he doesn't focus on his hunger – he focuses on the promises of God – "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
Three temptations from Deuteronomy 7-10 find their final answer from our Lord Jesus. Each time Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 7-10! Jesus plainly thought that Deuteronomy 7-10 contain the answers to the temptations of Satan. Jesus was being tempted with the same temptations that Israel faced. The difference is that Jesus succeeded where Israel failed! Tonight we will look at the worship of strength or power. You see this starting in verses 6-7 – The LORD chose you not because you were so mighty – "you were the fewest" – but "because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers" And what will keep Israel from their enemies is not their military might – but the presence and protection of Yahweh himself (v13-16) If Israel is going to be faithful to the LORD, they cannot rely on military might. This is part of the reason why the Law of Moses is not particularly addressed to modern nations. Deuteronomy does not give a charter for how modern nations should operate! Israel, after all, is a holy nation – language that the apostle Peter will apply directly to the church in 1 Peter 2:9 – "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of a darkness into his marvelous light." What Peter is saying is that the church is the new Israel. What God said to Israel in Deuteronomy is what God is saying to the church in the NT. Are you trusting in your own strength? Conversely, are you afraid that you are too weak? Both attitudes betray a failure to put your trust in the LORD...
[Sung Psalm: 69] Why must Jesus have twelve apostles? When Judas kills himself, Peter seems to think that a twelfth apostle is needed. What is the point of having twelve apostles? Our passage today starts with the return to Jerusalem, reminds us of David, and of what David said about Judas, and then emphasizes the importance of having twelve apostles. Jerusalem, David, and the Twelve. Watch what happens as we look at Jerusalem, David, and the twelve – because Luke is preparing us for the restoration of the kingdom. The house of David had been reduced to two tribes – the northern ten went with Jeroboam – and indeed, during the exile, the house of David lost even those two! The disciples had asked if Jesus was restoring the kingdom to Israel. And Jesus had answered that the Holy Spirit was going to empower them, so that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So it all starts in Jerusalem...
[Sung Psalm: 47] Here at the beginning of Acts, Luke makes it plain that he thinks of Acts as "part two" of the story of what Jesus has done and taught. Luke opens his second book by referring back to his first book. "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." He is writing to Theophilus - whose name means "lover of God." Theophilus may well be the real name of a real person, but Luke cannot have missed the double meaning here: after all, he is not just writing for one person! He is writing for all those who love God – for all those who want to know what Jesus has done and taught. But this reference back to Luke's gospel reminds us that Luke thinks of this book as a continuation of his first book. The first book dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, the second book will now deal with all that Jesus continues to do and teach through his apostles. So we should expect to see continuity between Luke and Acts...
Sermon outline: 1. Scoffers (vv. 17–19) 2. Yourselves (vv. 20–21) 3. Others (vv. 22–23)
Last time we saw that Moses speaks of "your fathers" as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here – in verse 10 – you see this explicitly. Do you see how the rebellion at Massah is not attributed to "your fathers" – but to "you" – even though all those who rebelled at Massah are dead. But it was you who rebelled at Massah – because you are Israel. The LORD swore to your fathers that he would give you the land. So "your fathers" are the patriarchs – but "you" are Israel. And in every generation "you" refers to those who are presently alive – and "you" must teach your children so that they remember what "you" have seen. This is the root of the principle that God has no grandchildren! In every generation you are the children of God. And yes, you must teach your children the ways of the LORD – but that means that you must teach your children that they are the first generation!
[Sung Psalm: 45] Sermon outline: 1. New Disciple(s) [vv. 9–13] 2. New Era(s) [vv. 14–17]
[Sung Psalm: 40] Here, at the end of his epistle, Peter draws back the curtain for a moment, and shows you the source of the fiery trials that you endure. "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Suffering has a demonic source. We often speak of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We believe in the world–its temptations are too obvious to deny. We believe in the flesh–we feel most painfully our own weakness. But do we really believe in the devil? Do you really believe that the adversary is seeking to devour us? Peter portrays the devil as a roaring lion, prowling around seeking for easy prey. A lion's roar is terrifying. A roaring lion is a hungry lion, seeking to frighten his victims. But it's important to recognize that our adversary is already a defeated foe. He has lost – and he knows it! That's why he wants to make us suffer. But it's also worth saying that Satan remains a creature. He is a powerful creature – certainly! But as a finite creature, he does not know everything – nor can he be everywhere. He can only be at one place and do one thing at a time. While he almost certainly knows who Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are – he probably does not know our names. If C. S. Lewis is anywhere close to accurate in the Screwtape Letters – his minions don't particularly like each other any more than they like us (and why should they, if they have rebelled against the One who is Love!) So we should certainly take the demonic seriously. The devil is a dangerous foe. But how should we respond to the devil? Peter is very clear how to do this...
Tonight we are listening to Moses' reflections on what the Covenant at Sinai was all about. Moses is about to die. And so he reminds Israel of the things that matter most. Forty years earlier he had received the Ten Commandments. Now he reminds Israel what that was all about...
Last week we didn't really have time to talk about the cities of refuge – and since the end of chapter 4 is setting up Moses' second sermon (which starts in chapter 5) – I thought it would be useful to spend a little time today doing precisely what the end of chapter 4 does – and set us up for Moses' second sermon! Deuteronomy consists of three main sermons. But rather than jump straight from the first sermon to the second, verses 41-49 provide us with an interlude. What are these verses doing here? I would suggest the following: As God has chosen Israel from all the nations of the earth, out of his pure mercy, despite the unfaithfulness of the people; so now the Israelites are to show mercy to the manslayer who kills his neighbor unintentionally. In Moses' first sermon, he showed how God has established Israel as the city of refuge for the nations. Those who would flee his wrath must flee to Israel. Now these towns are set apart as cities of refuge for individual Israelites...
How do you avoid idolatry? How do you avoid letting your sinful desires and cravings gain control? Moses gives us the answer here in Deuteronomy 4. We avoid idolatry by doing what God commands. The Reformation said that there are three uses of the Law: 1) to show us our sin and drive us to Christ 2) to restrain evil and maintain order in society 3) to teach us how God wants us to live There's a way in which this passage illustrates all three – but especially at the end, the focus in on the third use of the Law. Why is obedience important to the Christian life? FIRST--Because blessing in the land depends upon obedience (vv1-8) SECOND--Because God does not tolerate disobedience/idolatry (9-31) THIRD--Because of the great redemption which God has given you (32-40)
[Sung Psalm: 28] Last week we looked at the calling of the shepherd. The elders are called to shepherd the flock that is among them. And as shepherds they are to lead the flock, feed the flock, and defend the flock from their enemies. Today we turn to the character of the shepherd. I should start by pointing out that Peter's exhortation is in the plural. Peter assumes that there are a plurality of elders. A wise 19th century elder once wrote that elders have no individual tasks, but are called to shepherd as a group. Certainly, there may be one-on-one conversations, and a certain amount of preparation and prayer can be solitary tasks, but Trinitarian leadership will always be leadership in community, because that reflects something basic to who God is...
[Sung Psalm: 23] When shepherds fail, in Ezekiel 34, the result is that the sheep begin to fight and quarrel. The sheep that have good pasture trample on the rest to prevent other sheep from eating; after drinking themselves, they muddy the water so that the rest have nothing. The strong sheep "thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad." "Strong" – you see – does not mean "strong in the Lord" weak does not mean spiritually weak. The strong sheep is one who has the power to intimidate the weak. God promises that he will judge between the strong and the weak, between the fat and the lean. He will give them one shepherd – "my servant David." The people of God need a shepherd. They need someone who will feed them. Someone who will ensure that the weak get enough food, and that the strong do not get too much. They need someone who will judge their quarrels and defend them from their enemies. And this is why the Son of David sings "The LORD is my shepherd"...
It's important to see that Herem warfare, or holy war, is actually spiritual warfare. With Sodom and Gomorrah, God brought fire from heaven. But his purpose is to bring salvation to the earth – and fire from heaven cannot accomplish that! His purpose is to bring salvation through a man – and so humanity must become the agent of salvation: and thus of judgment also. In Egypt it was the angel of death sweeping through the land – in order to bring Israel out of bondage – "Israel is my son, my firstborn – let my son go, that he may serve me!" Israel is called to be the son of God – to go to the Land of Promise, where he will receive the inheritance from his Father. And so in Canaan it will be the Son of God who sweeps through the land – destroying the wicked in order to bring salvation to the earth. This is the holy war that Moses is describing in chapters 2-3. And in a holy war the LORD fights for his people. And as we'll see, this points us to Christ, who has defeated all our enemies, and who is the Divine Warrior who wins the final battle for us. How does God fight for us? I kept the four points from last time – though we already looked at the first two: 1) God doesn't fight against his own people 2) God utterly destroys his enemies 3) God requires all of his people to fight together 4) God himself chooses his general So we're going to see how Deuteronomy tells us about Holy War, how it points us to Christ's final victory, and how it shows us how Christ fights for us today...
[Sung Psalm: 129] Judgment begins with the household of God! We've been seeing that in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy on Sunday evenings. God brought Israel – through judgment – into the Promised Land. Now, let's be clear what we mean by judgment. Judgment does not equal condemnation. When a judge renders his verdict, he proclaims his judgment. The judgment that comes on the household of God is God's verdict. Peter is saying that the final judgment has come. The eschatological judgment in which God vindicates his people and condemns his enemies, is beginning. But as with our savior, Jesus Christ, the beginning of the final judgment does not wait until the end of history, but begins in the middle of history. How does this judgment come upon us? Through the fiery trials that are sent to test us...
What is a holy war? Islamic jihad has given us a modern perspective on this. And some purportedly "Christian" militias have added their own modern take. But there's a problem with all these folks, well, maybe more than just one problem! In Islamic Jihad, the faithful warriors fight for God. In the militia movement, the people are to fight to bring about a righteous nation. But that's not what holy war is about. For modern folks, the people fight for God. In a truly holy war, GOD fights for his people. I say "modern" because contemporary Islamists do not follow historic Islam. They have abandoned historic Islam for a modern "reconstruction" of what Islam must have been!! Just a brief note on this: Historians have noticed that many of the modern Islamist movements grew out of the same soil that produced Christian restoration movements. What they shared was a common idea of "going back to the original way" – the difference was – for Muslims it was "the way of Muhammed" while for Christians it was "the way of Jesus and the apostles." And following Jesus is always better than following Muhammed! But the problem with the both restoration movements is that you can't go back. Every attempt to go "back" to an ancient ideal must fail. Because your efforts to reconstruct this ideal past will run headlong into two problems: 1) You don't actually know what it looked like "back then" – so you will make up all sorts of stuff along the way! 2) The present won't let you pretend that the last 2000 years (or 1300 years, for Islam) didn't actually happen! This is why every effort to go back and "get it right this time" has failed...
[Sung Psalm: 90] The end of all things is at hand. We live in the last days. Jesus Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for your sake. The resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrated God's righteous judgment. All the wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Christ. He endured the pains of hell for us. And in his resurrection, God declared Jesus to be the righteous one. God's final judgment was declared in Jesus Christ. In Christ we see the eschatological judgment. Therefore, the end of all things is at hand. If God has already declared his final judgment in Christ, then all that remains is the execution of that judgment. The redemption of the saints is accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All that remains is its application in the salvation of his people. The condemnation of the powers of sin, death and the devil has been accomplished in Christ. All that is left is for them to be cast into the lake of fire. The resurrection of Christ was the beginning of the end. Now, Peter says, we must live in a manner that is consistent with this truth. Peter is saying, "Since the end of all things is at hand, live as those who have passed through the judgment of God." For the believer, the judgment of death no longer holds any fear! This is quite a contrast to the "Gentile way of life" that he has described in verses 3-4...
[Sung Psalm: 80] There is no glory without suffering. There is no grace without weakness. As a Christian you will suffer. Today we come to the heart of Peter's epistle. Peter regularly moves back and forth between Christ and your situation, showing how your situation needs to be seen in the light of what Christ has done. In chapter 1, we saw that because of the resurrection of Christ, you need to see yourselves as elect exiles in the midst of a foreign land; you have an eschatological hope that gives you joy in the midst of trials (1:1-12). Because Jesus' resurrection is the promise of his return, therefore you need to be holy in all your conduct (1:13-25). Because he is the precious cornerstone, you are being built into the holy temple for God's own dwelling (2:1-10). Because he suffered for you, you must suffer patiently in civic, economic, and domestic life (2:11-3:17)...
Deuteronomy 1 is all about the coming of Jesus. After all, Deuteronomy 1:38 says, "Jesus, the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it [the good land that I swore to give to your fathers - v35]." I know, your translation probably says "Joshua" – but Joshua is the same name as Jesus – and when the NT refers to "Joshua" it simply says "Jesus" – because that's his name! We'll see this several times in Deuteronomy – especially here in chapters 1 and 3 – and then again at the end of the book. But this contrast between Moses and Jesus – Moses and Joshua – plays a very important role in the book of Deuteronomy. To put it simply – Moses, the man of the Law, cannot bring you into the land. The Law was not intended as the means to enter the Land. The Law is not how you get in. The Law is how you live in the land. So how do we get in? Jesus – the man whose name means "Yahweh Saves" – only Jesus can bring you into the Promised Land!
Sermon outline: 1. Saved from Egypt (v. 5) 2. Straying Angels (v. 6) 3. Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7)
[Sung Psalm: 29] We are looking today at Peter's discussion of "the days of Noah" – and if you want to understand what is so important about the "days of Noah," then you need to pay attention to what the rest of the scripture says about this. Often, our impulse is to go back to Genesis 6-9, and then try to make sense of what Peter is saying. But, of course, when Peter thinks about "the days of Noah" – he would remember what Isaiah had said as well...
Moses is about to die. But before he dies there are certain things that he wants Israel to remember. So Moses reminds them of what God has done for them. And what God has said to them. The book of Deuteronomy consists of three sermons which Moses gave to the children of Israel on the plains of Moab before his death, as they were about to enter the Promised Land. And right up front, in the first sermon of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds us of the importance of who leads you. While Moses speaks of many issues in Deuteronomy, one of the primary concerns he has is to ensure that the coming generations will have godly leadership. Therefore the book begins with his reminder to the Israelites of what happened when they listened to the wrong leaders; and it concludes with the transfer of authority from Moses to Joshua, the one who will cause them to inherit the land...
Sermon outline: 1. Certain Creepers 2. Condemnation Confirmed 3. Contend For our Common Salvation
[Sung Psalm: 73] We're covering much of the same ground as last time – but this time with a different focus. Last time we focused on Christian character – from verse 8 – how our thinking should be characterized by unity of mind – which requires humility of mind; how our feeling should be characterized by sympathy (feeling with) – which requires a tender heart; and how both our thinking and our feeling (both head and guts) need to be characterized by brotherly love, which ties everything together in the Christian life. And we saw how this is demonstrated in Psalm 34 (the quotation in verses 10-12). The Christian life consists of loving God with all our heart, loving our neighbor as ourselves – and then, when we fail, we turn away from evil and do good! – we repent and believe the gospel. And when we live this way – when we are zealous for what is good – we have nothing to fear. Because even if we suffer for righteousness' sake, we are blessed! Christians should never sound scared of what might happen to us. What are you afraid of? Why should cross and trial grieve me? For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. And when we suffer for righteousness' sake, this is a gracious thing – it is a gracious gift from God. We are being conformed to the likeness of our Savior! But last time, we didn't really get into the latter part of the passage – especially verses 15-16 – which get at the heart of how we are conduct ourselves before the watching world...
[Sung Psalm: 34] Does Peter seem a little naive? "who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" (v13) Remember this is the same Peter who watched Jesus die on the cross. "who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" Peter remembers this very well! After all, his next line is: "but even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed." Suffering unjustly is a gracious thing! When you suffer unjustly, you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ! This is why our dear brother – a pastor in Egypt several years ago – could say to those who bombed Egyptian churches on Easter Sunday, "thank you!" Thank you! You are giving us instant tickets to the one we love! Unjust suffering is not something good – or something to be desired or sought after! But it is a gracious thing. God's grace pervades the suffering and sanctifies us through it. It is not something you should seek – but neither should you hide from it. Today we come to the central exhortation of Peter's letter.
Josiah was the last – and best – of the good kings of Jerusalem. He was the best because he repented better than anyone else! He not only turned away from idols – he turned to the living God, and restored the worship of Jerusalem better than anyone before him. But by this time, it was too late. God's purpose in all of this story was to show us the need for Christ! We need a Son of David who will deal with sin once and for all...
Sermon outline: 1. The Authority of Jesus' Teaching (7:28–29) 2. The Authority of Jesus' Healing (8:1–4) 3. The Extent of Jesus' Healing (8:5–17) a. Unto the World b. Unto Salvation
Have you ever had those moments? You did your best -- really! (not just half-heartedly, but you whole-heartedly did your best!) – but it still wasn't good enough. That's Josiah. According to the Word of God, Josiah was the best king ever. He followed God and did what he was supposed to do better than anyone. Even better than David? Well, what does verse 25 say: "Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, ccording to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him." That sure sounds like he was better than David! But even the best king ever was not good enough to turn Yahweh aside from his burning anger against Judah. Why not? "Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him." (2 Kings 23:26) There's the problem: the wages of sin is death. When it comes to God's holy standard, anything less than true holiness isn't enough! Once Manasseh's sin is on the books, there is no way for Josiah to erase it. All the faithful obedience in the world simply postpones and delays judgment. It cannot erase it...
[Sung Psalm: 128] Peter commands wives to "be subject to your own husbands." Submission is a difficult subject in our day. Plainly we live in a very different culture than the apostles did. But the point of what Peter is saying is the same in every time and place. What is submission? Peter enjoins submission three times in this section (2:13-3:6). Christians are to be subject to the emperor and other rulers. Slaves are to be subject to their masters. Wives are to be subject to their husbands. And later, he will say that the younger in the church should be subject to the elders (5:5) Does submission mean the same thing in all four cases? In one sense, yes. The word "likewise" suggests that there is a fundamental similarity between them. All were intended by God to be good: - The state was intended by God to praise the good and punish the wicked. - The master/servant relation was intended to be good, as the master is to reflect the kindness of God in his treatment of his servants. - The marriage relation was intended to reflect the love of God for his people. - And in the church, elders are called to shepherd the flock in the way of Christ. But all four have been perverted by sin: despotism and tyranny in the state; cruelty and oppression in master/servant relations; abuse and infidelity in marriage; domineering in the church. Peter is saying that the Christian must remember the purpose of these various institutions, and live according to that purpose – even when others forget. Because in each of these arenas, God is still in control. And those who trust in him have the confidence that he will turn all things to his glory and our good...
[Sung Psalm: 105] In 1 Peter 2 the apostle says that it is a gracious thing in the sight of God when we suffer unjustly in his service. A gracious thing?! How is it a gift of grace to suffer unjustly?! Remember the story of Joseph! In Genesis 39 we certainly hear about Joseph's unjust suffering. He does what is right – and is punished for it! And yet this is a gracious thing – because God will use all these sufferings to bring salvation for his people! The problem is that we tend to be forgetful... and so we respond to unjust suffering with grumbling and groaning – and we turn away from the LORD and we forget him...
We saw last time that Manasseh is best described as "an idolatrous Solomon on steroids." We saw last time that when Manasseh made Judah to sin God declared that it was time to pull the plug on the house of David. We've been seeing for the whole series that the message of the book of Kings is that Israel and Judah must die. Tonight we see very poignantly that there is nothing that can save Judah from death. All of God's blessings to Israel are found in the reign of Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23: - a reforming king, - a faithful priest, - a true prophetess, - a cleansed and properly functioning temple, - and renewed obedience to the law. But the story of Josiah makes it abundantly clear that none of these things is enough: - A reforming king cannot save them. - The temple cannot save them. - A prophet cannot save them. - A faithful priest cannot save them. - Even obedience to the law cannot save them. Israel's hope is not that they will escape death - Israel's hope is that there is life beyond the grave. Israel's hope is that God will raise them from the dead...
One commentator describes Manasseh as "an idolatrous Solomon on steroids." (Leithart) The other way of saying it is, "the Ahab of the South." Think back to the Omri – and his dynasty (the third story in the book of Kings). Omri was a parody of David. Everything about Omri reminded us of David – he was the general of the previous king, and a few years after he took power he built a new capital city. And then Omri's son built a temple for his god. Omri's son was Ahab. And we saw that Ahab was very much like Solomon – except the temple he built was for Baal. If Hezekiah is the greatest king since David, one would expect his son to be like Solomon. And Manasseh was a great temple builder – but his building projects are all idolatrous. Indeed, Manasseh is rightly compared to both Solomon and Ahab – he is truly an idolatrous Solomon on steroids! Manasseh reminds us – over and over – for 55 years – that the wages of sin is death, but – for 55 years – this most wicked king in all of Jerusalem's history – refuses to die. Why does God do this? Kings never answers this question. Only the book of Chronicles will point out that Manasseh repented! The book of Kings never mentions Manasseh's repentance! Why not? Because the book of King is focused on how Jerusalem wound up in exile. Manasseh's repentance is irrelevant to the story of the book of Kings. The book of Kings wants you to see that Manasseh's sin resulted in the death of Jerusalem. The Chronicler wants you to see that there is hope even for sinners like Manasseh! But the book of Kings wants you to see that in the middle of the story, sometimes we don't understand why God allows wickedness to prosper...
We have come to the final section of the book of Kings: the end of the house of David (at least as a ruling power). And the last chapter of Hezekiah's life is the first chapter in this final story. It is the beginning of the end. Because in those days, Hezekiah became sick...
[Sung Psalm: 67] In chapter 1, Peter showed us the eschatological hope of salvation – as God "has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance is that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1:3-5) And this eschatological hope is rooted in the Christological substance of salvation – the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1:3), or in 1:18-19, "you were ransomed…with the precious blood of Christ" And all of this comes to us through the preaching of the gospel (the kerygmatic means of salvation – since kerygma means "preaching"). Then at the beginning of chapter 2, Peter shows us how we are living stones, being built up in Christ, the chief cornerstone, into a dwelling place for God. Peter tells us that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation – drawing on the language of Exodus 19 – which God spoke to Israel. In other words, Peter is telling the church, that YOU ARE what Israel was called to be. In Jesus Christ, who himself is the true Israel, you have become citizens of the kingdom of God. Your identity is no longer that of Americans. You are now Christians. And as citizens of the kingdom of God you cannot live the way you once did...
[Sung Psalm: 34] At the end of chapter one, Peter said that you have been born again "not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." "And this word is the good news that was preached to you." So we have the eschatological hope – that's where we're going! We have the Christological core – we are born again in Christ – joined to his life. And we have the kerygmatic means! Kerygma is the Greek word for "preaching." It is through the preaching – it is by means of the proclamation of the word - that we are born again to this living hope. As Paul says, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17) And so because of this – because of the eschatological hope (the goal), because the Christological core – the substance of our faith, and the kerygmatic means of grace in preaching – that Peter opens Chapter 2 telling us to crave pure spiritual milk...
Last time, we saw that Hezekiah was the best king in Jerusalem since David – "he trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him." His father, Ahaz, had renounced his Davidic sonship, acknowledging Tiglath-pileser – King of Assyria – as his father, but Hezekiah is a true son of David. After the death of the house of Ahab, the house of David renewed the covenant under Joash; and now after the death of the northern kingdom, the house of David renews the covenant under Hezekiah. God is faithful to his promises to David. And even when he brings judgment against his people, his purpose is to restore his people under the son of David forever...
Does this language ring any bells for anyone? "they stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer's Field." Have you heard of this place? It is the place where, thirty years earlier, God had sent Isaiah the prophet to meet Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, "at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field." It was here, thirty years earlier, that Isaiah told Ahaz to ask for a sign, "But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.'" And so Isaiah replied, "The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:3-14) So this is the place where God had promised Immanuel – God with us. In a very real way, Hezekiah himself was a partial fulfillment of this promise. Verse 7 of 2 Kings 18 tells us this: "The LORD was with him" Truly, with the coming of Hezekiah, there was at least a partial beginning of what God had promised: that he would be with his people! And now, in the same place where that promise was made to Hezekiah's father, comes precisely what his father had feared! The Assyrian army. Ahaz did not trust in the LORD. What will his son do?
[Sung Psalm: 99] "You shall be holy, for I am holy." How do you react to this call? Do you say, "that's impossible!"? On one sense, that's the right reaction – for no one can be holy exactly the way God is. But that is NOT what Peter is saying. God is not saying "be holy exactly as I am holy". No, God says, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." Because I am holy, therefore you are to be holy. This sort of holiness is what God calls us to. And if God has called us to be holy, then let us believe his promises, and in faith, obey his commands. So what does it mean to "be holy, for I am holy"?...
The overarching pattern of the book of Kings communicates clearly that the wages of sin is death. Israel is going to die. Judah is going to die. And there is nothing you can do to stop it! Reforming kings are great! But their sons do not follow in their paths – and so the relentless tide of destruction continues. Godly priests are wonderful! But all it takes is one weak link to break the chain of succession. And faithful prophets who proclaim the word of the LORD are essential! But as we saw in the central stories of Elijah and Elisha – all they can do is bear witness to the word of the LORD! They cannot change the hearts of man! But Elijah and Elisha do bear witness to the solution! Yes, Israel is going to die. Yes, Judah is going to die. Yes, the wages of sin is death! Israel's hope is not that reforming kings can save them. Israel's hope is not that faithful prophets will deliver them! No, Israel's hope is that God will raise the dead! That's why Elijah raises one son from the dead. And Elisha raises another! And right in between those two events is the ascension of Elijah up into heaven! Israel's hope is that God raises the dead and seats him in the heavenly places!
[Sung Psalm: 66] The English Standard Version says: "To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, etc., according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." Every previous translation has separated the idea of election from the idea of exile. All previous translations give you the sense that you are elect in spite of the fact that you are an exile–or a sojourner–or a stranger. They suggest that your sojourning or exile is something incidental to your election. The key point is that you are elect, and for now you are also an exile or sojourner. But that is not what Peter is saying. And it's not a question of the Greek being complicated. Peter is saying that it is precisely in your exile that you are elect. Your election and your exile–your sojourning–are bound up together. In other words, it is of the very character of the elect that they are exiles or sojourners. It is probably worth noting that all these translations – from the King James through the 20th century – were translations from the standpoint of Christendom, where Christians were the dominant culture. Only in the 21st century do Christians start reading the NT again with a more serious eye towards what it means to be in exile...
Do you see what Paul did with Psalm 68? "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." In Psalm 68, God ascends on high and receives gifts from men. In Ephesians 4, God ascends on high and gives gifts to men! But Paul is not mis-quoting Psalm 68. Rather, Paul is thinking about the whole of Psalm 68 – not just verse 18. He blends verse 18 with verse 35 – because in Jesus God has arisen and ascended – and Jesus is the God who gives power and strength to his people Today is sometimes called "Ascension Sunday." Technically Thursday was Ascension Day – since Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. We could have a special service on Ascension Day – or we could remember it on the following Sunday – which then also sets up Pentecost Sunday next week! But why do we celebrate the Ascension?
Throughout the book of Kings, we have seen that our author has one basic test for a king: Does he do what is right in the sight of the LORD – or not? And what it means to do what right (or evil) in the sight of the LORD is always focused on worship. Worship will have profound consequences on everything else in life! Why do you do what you do in worship? Tonight we watch Ahaz conform his worship to the standards of the nations around him. "Ah! I like that altar! We should do it that way!!" The last four kings of Judah have all been "good" kings. Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, and Jotham – all worshiped Yahweh at his temple. They had their problems (often described as allowing worship at the high places) – but for more than 120 years, Jerusalem was governed by four reasonably good kings. Until Ahaz. Ahaz is the one king of Judah of whom it is said, "He did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD" There are several kings who did evil in the sight of the LORD (e.g., Jehoram and Ahaziah back in chapter 8 – or Manasseh coming up in chapter 21). But only Ahaz is said to have not done right. There's not much difference between doing evil and not doing right – but the effect is to highlight Ahaz. Ahaz is uniquely problematic...
We have come to the end of our journey through Psalm 119. As we come to the concluding pair of stanzas, we find a word that we have not heard much in the whole Psalm: "Praise" (verses 164, 171, and 175). In all of the intimate conversation between the Psalmist and the LORD, the word "praise" only arises here at the end. Even as the Psalter as a whole ends with a crescendo of praise (Psalms 146-150), so also Psalm 119 ends with praise as well. Another unique phrase is found in verses 166 and 174: "your salvation, O LORD." The word "salvation" has been used a couple of times in the Psalm, and the name of Yahweh has frequently occurred. Last week we saw that the Psalmist cried out to the LORD to save him (v145-146), and pled with the LORD for mercy in the context of talking about salvation (v155-156). But only here does "your salvation, O LORD" become the central theme. The connection between stanza Shin and stanza Taw is made especially clear because this phrase "your salvation, O LORD" occurs in the sixth line of each stanza (verses 166 and 174). By putting it in the same line of each stanza, the poet calls your attention to it. And so Psalm 119 concludes with the Psalmist praising the LORD. The persecutors have not gone away. But together with his cries for help he also mingles songs of praise...
We're back to the short, swift, boring narrative. One boring king after another. There are two periods in Israel's history where you see this rapid-fire style: 1 Kings 15-16 and 2 Kings 14-16. Both start with a Jeroboam, and then run quickly through seven kings. There are lots of conspiracies, coups, and dynastic changes. Israel is in turmoil. But of course, if you look at the layout of the book of Kings, we were due for another boring section! Many have noted that these "boring" sections seem very intentional. Our author wants you to understand that sin is boring. Rebellion against God is not interesting. It's boring. And so he tells the story of rebellious kings in a very formulaic, boring way. The interesting stories are told about the prophets – or faithful kings who sought to return to the LORD...
Have you ever noticed that the death of Elisha seems to be hanging in the middle of nowhere? We haven't heard from Elisha in the last four chapters. Indeed, after the anointing of Hazael and Jehu, Elisha disappears. Elisha had been anointed during the reign of Ahab. He took Elijah's place just after the death of Ahaziah. The bulk of his ministry was focused on the 12 years of Jehoram, the son of Ahab, and his last act was to send a son of the prophets to anoint Jehu. Jehu reigned for 28 years, but we hear nothing of Elisha for those 28 years. Jehoahaz reigned for 17 years, but we hear nothing of Elisha for those 17 years. For 45 years, Elisha is silent. Only now on his deathbed does Elisha break his silence. Elisha's ministry was very focused. In life he fulfilled the ministry of Elijah – reminding Israel that they were going to die, but pointing them to a hope beyond the grave. And in death Elisha points them to that same hope: in the face of their enemies, Israel's only hope is that the Word of the LORD will raise the dead. While the house of Ahab is gone, the problems continue. The sin of Jeroboam continues to plague the northern kingdom – and the corruption of the house of Ahab lingers in both north and south, such that Ezekiel will say that there is no noticeable difference between the two. Normally (as we've seen) when the two kingdoms look alike, this is bad news for Judah. But tonight, while there will be some bad news, there is also good news! Because Israel, in spite of its apostasy, is still a part of God's covenant people. And God will not forget his people. Even when we are faithless, he is faithful – because he cannot deny himself!
As we draw near to the end of Psalm 119, the Psalmist makes it clear that the point of this prayer is a matter of life and death. A dozen times in Psalm 119 the Psalmist says "give me life." Four of those times are in today's two stanzas: verses 149, 154, 156, and 159. God created Adam after his image and breathed the breath of life into him. But in his rebellion Adam forfeited life. And ever since the sin of Adam and Eve death has haunted all of humanity. Death stalks you, too. It lurks around every corner, waiting to ensnare you. Your time here is limited. Your time is running out. Will you spend it seeking after vain and empty pleasures? Or will you spend it seeking after the One who has conquered death and gives life to those who seek him?!
2 Kings 11 starts off with a bizarre episode of a grandmother killing all her descendants. We've heard in recent years of mothers killing their children, or children killing their parents, but it's rare that you ever hear of a grandmother killing her grandchildren! What is going on? Athaliah guarantees that she will have no legacy. All she cares about is what happens in her own lifetime. I suppose you could say that she was the original Ayn Rand – "the universe dies with me!" But all this takes place to fulfill the word of the LORD. We have now reached the end of the house of Omri. Jehu has slaughtered everyone belonging to Omri and Ahab in the northern kingdom. And now in chapters 11-12 we hear about how the curse of Ahab affects the house of David. Because Joram, the son of Jehoshaphat, married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab (and probably of Jezebel as well: while the text does not state the name of her mother, Athaliah was certainly raised in a house where Jezebel was the dominant force). But either way, this brings the house of David under the curse of Ahab. Athaliah is very much the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel – the daughter of Jezebel is the bane of kings. All kings who heed Jezebel will die – something you should remember! Because the books of Kings and of Revelation use Jezebel as a reminder that all who fall prey to her schemes will die...
And so now in the last half of Psalm 119 we are looking at life in the "already" and the "not yet." Jesus Christ has established his kingdom. He is seated at the right hand of the Father as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But we do not yet see all things in subjection to him, rather, "we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death." (Heb 2:9) And in this time in between the resurrection of the Christ and his return in glory, our hope is in the righteousness of God as it is clearly revealed in Jesus Christ...
"I hate the double-minded" Is hatred ever appropriate for the Christian? The last line of our text today, verse 128, "I hate every false way," is much easier to handle. Of course we hate every false way. Of course we hate evil generically considered. But to hate the "double-minded" means that we are hating people. Is this just an Old Testament mindset? Or is it ever appropriate for a Christian to say, "I hate the double-minded"? Let me start by reminding you that Jesus said that we are to love God with all our hearts, and that we are to love our neighbors (even the least loveable) as ourselves. So there is no way that Psalm 119:113 will contradict the command to love God and neighbor. As we will see, it is your love for God – and for the double-minded themselves – that requires you to hate the double-minded...
Last time we saw the beginning of the destruction of the house of Ahab, and tonight we will see its utter eradication from the face of the earth. This is a reminder to us of how our Lord Jesus Christ overthrows every antichrist. Every power that arrays itself against the Lord and his anointed will be overthrown. Last time we saw how Jehu is the only "christ" in the northern kingdom of Israel. He is the only anointed king in the history of the northern kingdom. He is also the closest thing to a good king that Israel ever had. In faithfulness to the word of the LORD, he assassinated both Joram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, self-consciously bringing to pass the word of the LORD through the prophet Elijah. Jehu has killed the leaders of the house of Ahab, but that is not all that Elijah had said. It is not enough to overthrow the antichrist, you must destroy everything that belongs to him...
[Sung Psalm: 16] This is an adaptation of Melito of Sardis' sermon "On the Passover" ("Peri Pascha"). A current English translation starts on page 37 of this book: https://sachurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/On-Pascha-Melito-of-Sardis.pdf
Do you remember Jezreel? Jezreel means (in Hebrew) "God will sow." But it was in Jezreel that Ahab turned a vineyard into a vegetable garden. The vineyard was a picture of Israel – the vine whom God planted in the land – the vegetable garden was a picture of Egypt. A vineyard takes years to develop, and lasts for generations. A vegetable garden may come and go, and may last for only a season. And it was here in Jezreel that Ahab and Jezebel had put Naboth to death in order to steal his vineyard (1 Kings 21). And now the son and the grandson of Ahab are gathered in the city where Ahab and Jezebel had done this wicked deed. The blood of Naboth cries to heaven for vengeance against the house of Ahab. As the martyrs cry out throughout all generations: How long, O LORD, faithful and true, until you avenge our blood! The house of Omri has demonstrated itself to be an anti-Christian dynasty. We don't usually use the word "Christian" to refer to the OT church. But "Christ" is simply the Greek word for "anointed one," or Meshiach and as Omri is a parody of David (a military commander who became king, and built a new capital city), and Ahab is a parody of Solomon (the son who built a temple in his father's city), it is fair and proper to call them "antichrists" because they are both "in the place of" and "against" the Anointed king in Jerusalem. But our story begins with another Christ – another Anointed One. In fact, the only anointed king in the whole history of the Northern Kingdom...
One of the key words for stanza 12 was "forever" (olam). "Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." (v89) "Forever, I will not forget your precepts" (v93) That same word continues to play an important role in stanzas 13-14 (verses 98, 111, 112). This pair of stanzas both opens and closes with "forever" and in the middle it talks about the path (verses 101, 102, 104, 105). In other words, verses 97-112 are all about how to walk the path of life in the light of forever...
In Elijah, God was trying to provoke Israel to repentance by sending his prophet to the Gentiles. In Elisha, God has given up on Israel as a whole, but calls the remnant – the sons of the prophets – to faithfulness in spite of the apostasy of their rulers. Now, let's remember where we are in the book of Kings: the book of Kings starts with the establishment of the house of David; then tells of the division of Israel and the establishment of the northern kingdom; It then tells of the establishment of the house of Omri in Israel (and Elijah). 2 Kings 2 is the transition from Elijah to Elisha. Now we are going to hear of the death of the house of Omri (and Elisha); then we are going to hear of the death of the northern kingdom of Israel and finally we will hear of the death of the house of David - except unlike the rest of the death and destruction in the book of Kings, the house of David will not be utterly destroyed. Kings will end with hope. The Temple will be destroyed. The Kingship obliterated. The People exiled. The Land overrun by foreigners. Everything that Israel had trusted will fail. And yet the gospel according to Kings proclaims a message of hope - that beyond the grave – beyond the destruction of all their false hopes – lies a resurrection from the dead. And as we come to the end of the house of Omri we will also begin to see that God's faithfulness to David will endure forever!
Nowadays we are very "present" focused. We are very shortsighted – only thinking about our immediate future: what we will eat, what we will wear, or at most what we will do in a few months or a few years. We buy computers that will last for 2-3 years. We have a "disposable" mentality – everything is designed to last for a few months or a few years. In such a transient world, "longing for forever" may seem out of place – or out of touch...
What should you think about when you sing these lines? "Although the proud smear me with lies, I keep your decrees from the heart. Their hearts are unfeeling and hard; I love what your precepts impart." Do you struggle with singing about the "proud" in this way? Do you feel "proud" – as though you are saying "I'm better than them"? We live in a day that delights in absolute equality. No one is better than anyone else, and no one wants to say "I'm better than them." And yet, as I speak, the sports world is obsessed with "March Madness" the beginning of the baseball season, and debates about who is the GOAT – the greatest of all time – in the NBA. As a nation we are obsessed with ranking everything. Everything is about being "the best" "the fastest" "the most" -- everything except morality. When it comes to morality, everything is equal. Or so some would say...
Today we are looking at the 7th and 8th stanzas of the Psalm. The seventh stanza begins with the letter "zayin." This seventh stanza is the stanza of memory – rooted in the word "zachar" which means "remember." Zachar is the first word of verses 49, 52 and 55. Even as the seventh day of Exodus 20 is the day of rest – and remembering - so also the seventh stanza of Psalm 119 is the stanza of remembering. And, not surprisingly perhaps, the eighth stanza of Psalm 119 is the stanza of promise. The remembering of the Sabbath day, and the remembering of the seventh stanza, points back to the creation as well as the redemption from Egypt, but it also leads up to the inheritance of the eighth stanza – the promises of God, as well as my own promise to keep your words. There are five clear connections between the stanzas: 1) both refer to "night": "I remember your name in the night, O LORD" (v55) "At midnight I rise to praise you (v62) (this word is found nowhere else in the Psalm) 2) both stanzas refer to "your promises" in the second line (v50 and v58); 3) in line six of each stanza there is a reference to praising God in song (v54 and v62). 4) the noun for "the wicked" appears in line five of each stanza (the first two appearances of a word that is only used six times in the Psalm) 5) both stanzas follow very similar themes: Zayin (verses 49-56) could be summarized, "Remember me, Lord, as I remember you and your word". Heth (verses 57-64) could be summarized, "I am keeping my promise, Lord, please keep your promise." In other words, Psalm 119:49-64 is all about covenant faithfulness – or "hesed" (which is the word that begins verse 64)...
Kings has told us stories of the battles between Israel and Syria. The military-political strife between Ben-Hadad and the northern Kingdom of Israel dominated the era of the Omride dynasty. Kings has also told us micro-histories - little stories of little people on whom God had mercy and preserved them in the midst of the apostasy of the nation. 2 Kings 5 tells a very different sort of story. It does not tell the story of God's mercy to one of the faithful sons of the prophets – rather it tells the story of the curse of the best of the Israelites (Gehazi). It does not speak of God's protection of Israel, but of his blessing upon the very man who was tasked with destroying Israel! Brothers and sisters, we must beware lest we become too smug in our position. We are far too quick to identify the good guys and the bad guys in our day. Would you have given Naaman a chance? It would be as though a general from Hamas came to town. He had previously been known for conducting raids and kidnapping your children. On the other hand, Gehazi is as good as you get! He is Elisha's right hand man (the servant of the greatest ecclesiastical figure of the day) And yet by the end of our story Naaman is the blessed and Gehazi is cursed. The kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom...
Our passage tonight is pervaded with death. It starts with a widow crying out, "Your servant my husband is dead." The Shunammite woman is barren (lifeless), and when God gives her a son, the son dies. The sons of the prophets nearly die of eating poisonous gourds, and a famine threatens death. (Indeed, next time we will see the living death–leprosy–that afflicts Naaman). Elisha is a prophet who brings life out of death by the Word of the LORD...
Why does the Psalmist delight so much in God's law? Christopher Ashe gives three reasons: 1) The law in Psalm 119 combines law as command with law as promise; it encompasses the whole of God's gracious revelation... The 'law words' are at bottom 'grace words.' 2) Only Jesus Christ has gladly and freely kept every word of the law. The obedience of this one man is the necessary and sufficient basis for the many to be made righteous (Rom. 5:19). Psalm 119 is supremely an expression of the flawless piety of Jesus on earth. The reason that 'law words' can be 'grace words' is that Jesus has kept the law for us. 3) Only the Spirit of Christ can write the law on a human heart. Under the new covenant, we pray the psalm as those in whom the Spirit has placed the desires and delights of Jesus. (Ashe, 274) Because Jesus is the great singer of Psalm 119, therefore we who are joined to Christ – we who are united to him by his Spirit – may now sing Psalm 119 with the same love for and delight in God's law...
What was the sin of Jeroboam? Jeroboam had made two golden calves and told the people to worship Yahweh through the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. God had said for the people to worship him at Jerusalem, but the kings of Israel feared that the people would return to the house of David, and so they devised their own way to worship. (This is a good reminder that it is not merely who you worship, but also how you worship; God does not take kindly to being worshiped in a manner of our own devising.) And yes, there is a sense in which Jehoram is an improvement over Ahaziah. If a man who is a murderer and a thief has a son who is only a thief, then that is an improvement! But that is not repentance. The house of Omri must die. To be the best king in an apostate dynasty is like saying, "He was the nicest ax-murderer I've ever known!" This is the story of the book of Kings. - Reforming kings are not enough. - Sin is not a problem that can be "reformed" away. - The cyclical pattern of the book of Kings (like that of Judges) demonstrates that there is no hope so long as life continues in this pattern of rebellion and reformation. The only way to deal with sin is through death and resurrection. Reformation says, "we'll do better next time!" But God says to the house of Omri: "there is no next time..."
We have come to the very center of the book of Kings! We have seen over and over in this story that the wages of sin is death. (We see that again tonight!) But in the ascension of Elijah we see the most profound sign of hope in the Old Testament! Why do I say the most profound sign of hope? Moses died here – and was buried by God. But Elijah is take up to heaven! Admittedly – in its own day, it might be taken ambiguously: "Oh great, someone special, like Elijah, gets zapped out of here – but for us ordinary schmucks, we're just stuck in the mess!" But one who is paying attention will notice that this ascension is surrounded by two resurrections: Elijah raises the Sidonian widow's son – and Elisha will raise the Shunamite's son (ch 4). And Elijah and Elisha have a ministry that reminds us of Moses and Joshua. And the point of the whole book is that yes, Israel is going to die – Judah and Jerusalem are going to die – so what hope is there for those who are doomed to death and exile?! Your hope is that God raises the dead! Your hope is that there is one whom God has raised up to heaven! – not just Elijah (who serves here as a type and a shadow) – but our Lord Jesus Christ himself!
Psalm 119 is known for being the most orderly and structured Psalm, with each of its 22 stanzas consisting of eight lines, each line beginning with the same Hebrew letter. But Psalm 119 should also be known for the way it talks about how disordered life can be. In fact, the rigidly ordered structure of Psalm 119 reminds us that in the midst of the seeming chaos and disorder that we face, nonetheless, God's word endures. Today we are looking at the third and fourth stanzas of Psalm 119 (gimel and daleth). We could summarize these two stanzas in two questions: Who am I? What am I clinging to?
When you hear "Psalm 119", what are your first associations? There are probably two things that immediately pop into your mind: 1) it is very long 2) it talks incessantly about the word of God With a little more study a third fact emerges: Psalm 119 is arranged as an acrostic. Each stanza has eight verses. Each of the eight verses in each stanza begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. That is why most English translations divide the Psalm into 22 stanzas, with the name of each Hebrew letter at the beginning of each stanza: aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, etc. Hebrew has 22 letters, and so the 22 stanzas complete the whole Hebrew language. And quite frankly this third fact explains the other two. The reason why Psalm 119 is so long – and the reason why it talks incessantly about the word of God, is because we should see that all of human language from aleph to taw in Hebrew, and from A to Z in English, should be employed in extolling the glories of the Word of God...
How does Ahab die? One could say that he dies in battle against the Syrians. That's true. But one could also say that Ahab dies by the Word of the LORD. Ahab spent his whole life in rebellion against the Word of Yahweh. The real battle in Ahab's life was not his border skirmishes with the Syrians. The real battle was his unremitting warfare against the God of Israel and his prophets. The basic lesson that we should learn from the life of Ahab is that the Word of the LORD will accomplish his purposes. You can run, you can hide, you can fight and kick against the word of the LORD, but in the end, you will lose...
Do you understand what an insult it is for Ahab to ask Naboth if he can turn his vineyard into a vegetable garden? A vineyard takes years to develop. You carefully tend the vines over several years, and only when they are mature do they provide a bountiful crop. A good vineyard is hard work and difficult to replace, and can last for generations. A vegetable garden, on the other hand, comes and goes. It has no abiding value. Ahab is asking Naboth to give up the vineyard where his fathers had labored in order to turn it into a vegetable garden for Ahab's own personal convenience. Earlier we sang from Psalm 80 about how God had taken a vine from Egypt and planted it in the promised land. Israel is God's vine. He tends it and cares for it. But Ahab is not interested in caring for the vine. He is a boar from the forest, uprooting the vine and casting it out, so that he might have a vegetable garden. He is not thinking about the kingdom of God, he is interested merely in his own convenience...
[Sung Psalm (91) "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." This is a stunning statement – but Paul just says it and moves on. "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." Wait, Paul, don't you mean that God has crushed Satan under Jesus' feet? Or at the very least, God will crush Satan under Jesus' feet, when he returns? No. Paul says, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." To understand what Paul is saying here, we need to think about what Paul has been saying throughout Romans...
1 Kings ends with three stories about Ahab that tell of his sins: first in relation to the nations (chapter 20), then in relation to Israel (chapter 21) and finally in relation to the prophet of the LORD and the king of Judah (chapter 22). At the end of chapter 19 we heard that Elijah was commissioned to anoint the three agents of God's judgment against Israel. First, he was to anoint some guy named Hazael as king over Syria. That provided the hint that Syria is going to be an instrument of God's judgment against Israel. And sure enough we already see this at work in the days of Ahab. At the beginning of chapter 20, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, is preparing an assault on Israel. Hadad is the name of a Syrian deity – so "ben-Hadad" means effectively "son of god" – and so you find many kings of Syria who go by the title "Ben-Hadad." The Syrian capital was Damascus – in present day Syria. The Assyrians (modern day Iraq) were pushing Syria from the east, and so Ben-Hadad is trying to consolidate his territory in the west. Israel is a convenient target. He has 32 kings in his entourage (In other words 32 independent rulers whose realm may consist of a single city, and have formed a coalition under the ruler of Damascus) Syria has not been a major player in Israel's history before. In 10:29 we heard that Solomon provided the Syrians with horses, and in 15:18 we heard that Asa, the king of Judah, had allied with Ben-Hadad of Damascus against Israel. This was only around 20 years ago, so tensions still remain high between Israel and Syria...
[Sung Psalm: 129] In verses 3-16, then Paul says to "greet" someone sixteen times. It would be easy to skim over this as just another list of names. When John Chrysostom came to the end of the book of Romans, he said: "I think that many even of those who have the appearance of being extremely good men, hasten over this part of the Epistle as superfluous, and having no great weight in it...For because it is a catalogue of names, they think they cannot get any great good from it. Yet the gold founders' people are careful even about the little fragments; while these pass over even such great cakes of gold...For it is possible even from bare names to find a great treasure." Chrysostom was right. There are truly great treasures in this passage!
[Sung Psalm: 72] In Isaiah 60, we hear a promise that the coastlands shall hope for the LORD – and ships of Tarshish will come, bringing your children home – laden with gold and silver. We don't know the exact location of Tarshish – but many have suggested that it may refer to a trading port in Spain. In Romans 15, Paul speaks of his desire to go to Spain the preach the gospel there. He also speaks of how the Gentiles now share in the Jews' spiritual blessings, and so should be of service to help with the Jewish Christians' material needs. Both things are found in Isaiah 60. Isaiah 60 speaks of how the glory of the LORD will rise upon you – and how the wealth of the nations will come to Jerusalem – on ships of Tarshish, no less! And all this because the LORD has made you beautiful! When King Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, his people – his city – holy Zion – is beautified and built up by the glory of the nations...
This is a passage that has often been misread. Too many commentators and preachers have tried to psychologize Elijah. They think that Elijah is whining – and that God is rebuking Elijah for self-pity. Baloney. Elijah is not whining. He is complaining! If you would learn to complain well to God – then listen to Elijah! And further, where in this passage do you hear the slightest hint of rebuke? If you would learn to listen well to God – then you may also take comfort from the gentleness and kindness of Elijah's God!). Dale Ralph Davis says it well (268): "I would far rather fall into the hands of Elijah's God than into the clutches of his interpreters." After all, what do you do when God's purposes for history are going backward? God's purposes for history, after all, are centered around the establishment of his kingdom. Jesus himself said, "The gates of hell will not prevail against my church." So what do you do when the gates of hell prevail? That is the situation that Elijah is facing. I did what you told me to – and it didn't work!
In Luke 9 Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus at his transfiguration. Moses is the obvious one. He was the one whom God used to bring Israel out of Egypt. But why Elijah? Why not Abraham or David or Isaiah? When you consider what Jesus came to do, it makes sense: Elijah is portrayed in Kings as a new Moses. He is the one who leads a new exodus out of idolatry. Just as Moses had triumphed over the gods of Egypt, so now Elijah triumphs over the gods of the Canaanites (in Israel). Moses had faced the magicians of Egypt single-handedly, as now Elijah faces the prophets of Baal (in Israel). In other words, when you think about who is the "prophet like Moses" that Deuteronomy had promised? The book of Kings makes a strong case that the answer is Elijah! And so when Moses and Elijah show up at the transfiguration, it is as if to say, yes, Elijah was – sort of – the prophet like Moses... but Jesus will take it to the next level as he faces down not merely the apostasy of the priests in the temple in Jerusalem – but the devil himself – the principalities and powers of this age. In the presence of Moses and Elijah, God declares from heaven that this Jesus "is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!"
[Sung Psalm: 90] In Romans 15, Paul will refer to the "priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable." Where would Paul have gotten the idea of offering people to God? Obviously, human sacrifice is condemned and forbidden by God! Well, Isaiah 66:19-21 speaks about how God will send survivors to the nations – those who "have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD...just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD." Now, I realize that some commentators think that "all your brothers from all the nations" refer merely to Jewish exiles being returned home. I don't pretend to know what was in Isaiah's mind – but on the authority of the apostle Paul, I am willing to state that what was in God's mind when he inspired this, was that his purpose was to bring about one new man in Christ Jesus – that "all your brothers from all the nations" really does mean, "all your brothers from all the Goyim" – from all the Gentiles. If Isaiah didn't understand that yet – that's okay! He didn't need to understand it! He just needed to say it! It might have been another 700 years before anyone really understood what it meant – but that's okay! Sometimes it takes us a long time to figure out what God is saying and doing...
Why is Elijah sent to a Sidonian widow? Well, remember what we saw last time? Ahab had married a Sidonian princess! Ahab "took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians." The name of Baal – the Canaanite god – is all over verses 31-32 of chapter 16: "he took for his wife JezeBaal, the daughter of EthBaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria." Ahab has turned away from Yahweh and identified himself with Baal...
[Sung Psalm: 69] Last time we saw at the beginning of chapter 14 that the strong should welcome the one who is weak – but not to quarrel over opinions. The one who is weak (according to Paul) is the one who tends to be judgmental and legalistic – in Paul's day, this was the one who insists on following the details of the Mosaic system with respect to food laws and feasts/fasts. Paul repeatedly warns the weak, "Do not pass judgment on the one who eats." (v3) The weaker brother is one who is bound to the Mosaic food laws: and the strong should receive him – so long as the weaker brother is willing to avoid quarreling about the subject. (And this is why, in Galatians, where these "weaker brethren" are trying to force Gentiles to observe the Mosaic law, Paul will change his tone!) It is important to understand that when Paul says not to make your brother stumble, he is saying, do not make him do something contrary to his conscience (in things indifferent). If it is something truly indifferent, then it really doesn't matter – now does it?! Don't make your Jewish Christian brother eat pork! Think about it this way: if you can't eat the same foods, then how can you have table fellowship together? A weak Jewish Christian might not invite Gentile Christians over for dinner (because they eat unclean foods), and perhaps a strong Jewish Christian would insist on serving pork when Jewish Christians come for dinner. The weak condemn the strong, and the strong despise the weak. And Paul says, "don't do this to each other!!"
Have you heard of the "year of the four emperors"? In AD 69, there were four different emperors who ruled in Rome. After Nero's suicide in AD 68, there were four men who reigned in the next few months: Galba (reigned for six months – assassinated in January), Otho (committed suicide after losing a key battle in April), Vitellius (killed by a mob in December), and Vespasian, who finally restored some semblance of order. This is pretty much the story of 1 Kings 16. After Baasha died, Elah reigned for "two years" (which could mean as little as two months, since it just means "parts of two years"). Elah was a drunken fool who preferred drinking parties to governing well, and so Zimri struck him down and reigned in his place. But Zimri only reigned for seven days – and then he committed suicide when he saw that Omri had the support of the people. But Omri only had support of half the people – and so Israel was divided for four years (between 27th and the 31st years of Asa, King of Judah)...
[Sung Psalm: 34] Paul has just said that we are not to live like the nations around us. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. We live in the hour between the resurrection of Jesus and the final resurrection of the dead. We cannot live in darkness – we cannot walk in the ways of darkness, in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. We are called to put on the armor of light – to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (13:14) There is no place in the Christian life for indulging the flesh. Paul is about to introduce the question of "adiaphora" – things indifferent – things about which Christians may disagree. But before this he has made it perfectly clear: there is no place in the Christian life for gratifying the desires of the flesh. We have freedom in Christ, but do not use your freedom for selfish reasons...
[Sung Psalm: 80] Last time we saw that the politics of the kingdom of God demands that we submit to earthly rulers, even as we seek first the kingdom of God. And in verse 7, Paul concluded his exhortation regarding this submission by saying, "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." But now he follows that up with "owe no one anything"? What does this mean? Let's look at this in context: He has just said that if you owe taxes, pay your taxes. If you owe honor, then show honor. And to be clear – with honor (as with taxes) you do not get to decide what is owed! When your tax bill comes, that's what you owe (unless you can persuade them to reduce the bill, and such an appeal is part of the process that the government has established – so when you appeal your taxes, you are still honoring your rulers). So if Paul says to owe no one anything – why does he say to pay what is owed?! The answer is pretty simple: if you pay everything that you owe, then what do you still owe? Nothing!
Is God enough for you? One phrase that we have often heard in the book of Kings is that "his heart was wholly true to the LORD" (15:14) Or – in contrast – "his heart was not wholly true to the LORD" (15:4) The word "shalem" has the same root as "shalom" (peace) and it means "complete, full, perfect." "His heart was complete in the LORD" It was used of Solomon – both positively in 1 Kings 8:61, and negatively after he was drawn away by his foreign wives in 1 Kings 11:4. We will only hear it used one more time: of Hezekiah, who walked before the LORD with a heart that was wholly true to the LORD (2 Kings 20:3) Is your heart wholly true to the LORD? Does your heart rest complete and content in him? Our problem is that we are too much like our fathers...
Solomon's sin was that he was led astray by his foreign wives – nd aso he worshiped foreign gods. The result was that his son, Rehoboam, lost the kingdom to the upstart, Jeroboam. God promised Jeroboam that if Jeroboam was like David and was faithful to Yahweh, then God would establish Jeroboam's house. But instead, Jeroboam refuses to allow his people to worship in Jerusalem, and he builds golden calf shrines at Bethel and Dan. If Jeroboam had trusted God, he would have allowed his people to worship God the way that God said! In other words, Jeroboam is trying to worship God in ways "he devised from his own heart." God warns us against worshiping him in any way other than that which he himself has commanded...
[Sung Psalm: 2] Francis Schaeffer warned that Christians should not become identified with a particular nation or political party. Christians can be co-belligerents with those who share our views on a particular issue. We can work together with anyone – in any party – who will do what it right before God. But our allegiance is not to a political party – or even to the United States of America. Our allegiance is given to King Jesus. If anyone tries to tell you that Christianity is not political, they are mistaken: Christianity is political, but the politics of the Kingdom of Christ cannot be easily squished into the political categories of modern American politics. After all, in politics (as much as any area of life) you must not be "conformed to this age", but you must be "transformed by the renewal of your mind." (Romans 12:2) And Romans 13 tells us what this looks like, because while we serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords, we are called to submit to earthly authority – just like he did...
[Sung Psalm: 94] Our ordinary Christian life is lived in union with Christ. Our everyday, normal existence is normed by life in the Spirit. And that means that you don't need to "make up" for failures in the ordinary through doing something extraordinary – but simply through repentance. And what is repentance? I like the Shorter Catechism's answer: "repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it, unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience." Repentance includes a clear recognition of how you have fallen short – as well as grasping hold of what God has done in Jesus to deliver us from sin! And when you clearly see your sin – and God's grace and mercy in Jesus – then you hate your sin for what it is – and turn away from sin, and turn towards God! Learning to live an ordinary life the way God calls you to live! And that ordinary life is a life of genuine love...
[Sung Psalm: 131] How often have you heard people object that "Christians are hypocrites"? How do you answer someone who says that? I think the best answer is to confess that too often it is, in fact, true. And not just in "churches out there" – but right here. How often have we thought about "what do I get out of it?" As we go through these verses, we need to confess that we have fallen short of what our Lord Jesus Christ has called us to do and to be! Paul had said in Romans 11 that we Gentiles should not get cocky, but we should remember that if God cut off the natural branches to graft us in, he can just as easily cut us off, if we rebel like they did...
In chapter 11, we heard how Solomon's life had ended poorly. The wages of sin is death – not only the death of Solomon himself, but also the dismemberment of the Kingdom. The golden age of Israel's history – the new Eden that Solomon built – ends the same way that the first one did. And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. When his heart was set on the LORD, he built a house for the name of the LORD. Now that his heart is set on foreign women, he builds houses for the names of their gods. God had warned him! But still he did precisely the thing that God had told him not to do! Sounds like Adam, doesn't it? God gives a very specific command – if you do this one thing, you will die–your kingdom will be taken from you. And so what is the one thing that Solomon makes sure that he does?! God had brought everything to fulfillment in the days of Solomon. All that God had promised to Abraham and Moses had come true. But the Second Adam–the one who restored paradise – did not persevere to the end. This is the difference, humanly speaking, between Solomon and Jesus. Solomon got off to a great and glorious start, but he could not finish what he started. We need a king who will persevere to the end, and sit down not merely on the throne of David in Jerusalem, but at the right hand of the Father in heaven. At the end of chapter 11, we were told of the rise of Jeroboam...
[Sung Psalm: 51] In Romans 12 Paul launches a new section of Romans. He will now talk about the "practical" side of the Christian life. He has spent the last 11 chapters talking about the importance of Christian doctrine – the importance of the good news of what Jesus has done. We should remember that "doctrine" simply means "teaching." Doctrine is the foundation for practice. "Teaching" is the starting point for "doing." Doctrine results in practice. It always does. Whatever you really believe is what you will act upon! So if you want to know what you really believe – take a look at your life! How you live tells the world what you believe! How do you live? Does your whole life revolve around your family? Do you focus your energy simply on enjoying life now – whatever the cost? What do your priorities say about what you really believe?
In chapter 3, verse 1, we are told that Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh. But we are assured two verses later that Solomon loved the LORD. So at the beginning of his reign, Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter while remaining true to the LORD. But now – we are told that Solomon "loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh." In other words, if he had only loved one – that could have meant the salvation of Egypt! But Solomon turned aside from the path of faithfulness. He forgot the LORD and clung to foreign women instead. In Hebrew, the "heart" includes both the intellectual and the emotional. This is the part of you that makes decisions, and thinks things through. And five times in verses 2-4, we hear about the heart: "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." (v2) "His wives turned away his heart" (v3) "his wives tuned away his heart after other gods" (v4) "and his heart was not wholly true the LORD his God" (v4) "as was the heart of David his father" (v4) This contrast with David reminds us that what made David distinct was his heart. He remained true to the LORD – he never turned aside to worship other gods. The first commandment is "you shall have no other gods before me." When you place something else before God, your heart is no longer true to him. And that is where all sin is ultimately rooted. If you don't see how you have sinned against God, then you don't yet really understand your sin. Solomon loved his wives more than he loved his God – and so he worshiped other gods...
1 Kings tells the story of Solomon as a story of wisdom. The whole Solomon narrative revolves around the gift of wisdom and Solomon's use of that gift, centered around the building of the temple – and indeed, with the worship service of chapter 8 at the very heart of the narrative. Our passage tonight returns us to the general theme of Solomon's wisdom, which we saw exhibited in chapters 3-5. In 4:29 it started with the nations and moved to Hiram. Here it moves backward, starting with Hiram and ending with the nations coming to Solomon...
[Sung Psalm: 80] The basic picture in Romans 11 is that of a cultivated olive tree. The olive tree refers to Israel – you might say that it has an Abrahamic root! Exile and judgment is described by the prophets as a "chopping down" of the tree. When God sends his people into exile, he sends his agents to cut down the tree – but trees are resilient – and you never know what will grow back. I grew up in a Coastal Redwood forest. There was an old stump by our front walk that had been cut down years before the house was built. But it kept putting out suckers – and so my dad had me and my brother cut it back every year. When my parents sold the house in 1985, the new owner decided to stop fighting. Less than 40 years later, there is a massive 100 foot tree eating up the front walk! So the fact that a tree is felled does not mean that the tree is gone forever! Isaiah spoke of a shoot that would come forth from the stump of Jesse. because all the promises to Israel have their focus on the house of David – and, as Paul has been showing us throughout Romans, they all come to their fruition in Jesus Christ...
[Sung Psalm: 69]At the beginning of this series on Romans we looked at Paul's mission: "to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations."In other words, Paul's mission is to make disciples of the nations. And his letter to the Romans is all about that mission. Paul wants you to understand your place in the kingdom of God. He wants to you understand what God is doing in history – and how you fit into what God is doing.What is God doing?The Bible is not an instruction manual. If you approach it that way, you will find vast swathes of the Bible that would appear useless. What do you do with the hundreds of chapters of OT history and prophecy that has no obvious "application" to my life.Rather, the Bible tells a story. The Bible contains the narrative of what God is doing in history. You and I are not the main characters in this narrative.The story of the Bible is not all about me. The story of the Bible is all about Jesus. And because it is all about Jesus, it does speak to you. It calls you to look to him, to believe in him, to love him, and to obey him...
In the 2 Chronicles version of this story, you hear God's famous response, "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (7:14)Why is that missing here?The book of Kings is focused on the question of why the Exile? Chronicles is very interested in what to do after the Exile. Kings is not.Kings is interested in "why has this disaster fallen on Jerusalem?" For Kings, the point is that only God can raise the dead!For Chronicles, the point is that now that you have been raised from the dead, walk in newness of life!!The point that Kings is making is that when Judgment Day comes, it will be too late! When God brings disaster on the earth, there is nothing that can stop his mighty hand!And that's why Kings highlights Solomon's prayer.The central feature of this chapter is Solomon's prayer. Solomon's prayer is a model intercessory prayer.He takes the themes of the sermon – the basic gospel message that he preached – and structures his prayer around that...
[Sung Psalm: 19]We believe in our heart and we are justified (being) and then we do confess with our mouths and are saved.There must be both the inward faith and the outward confession. Salvation requires both the inward and the outward – being and doing.And, Paul says, this is true both for the Jew and for the Greek. Because the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. That is a remarkable thing. That God should bestow his riches on us! We have already seen in chapter 8 that we have been adopted into God's family. We have become fellow heirs with Jesus.God has called us into his family. Therefore, we are to respond by calling upon his name.But this provokes Paul to ask a series of questions. We started looking at this last time – but I'd like to focus here a bit more...
What we do in our worship at MCPC is modeled after this worship service in 1 Kings. Of course, all Christian worship is modeled after this worship service.Or, more precisely, Solomon's worship service is modeled after the heavenly pattern that Moses saw dimly (Exodus 24-25) – and John saw so much more clearly in Revelation. The heavenly pattern is quite simple: we enter worship based on a sacrifice (a sinner cannot approach God without the shedding of blood); we hear the Word of God; we respond with our prayers and praises; and we partake of the covenant meal.That's what Christian worship is – and always has been! Every worship service described in Scripture is consistent with that pattern. Obviously the dedication of the temple is more elaborate than most worship services! – but the basic pattern is exactly the same...
-Sung Psalm- 119-137-144---Before the coming of Christ we heard many voices in the Old Testament proclaiming that God is righteous, and we saw many pictures that bore witness to the righteousness of God.--But it is only in the gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed. What is the difference between witnessing to the righteousness of God and revealing -or manifesting- the righteousness of God-- --Moses bore witness to the righteousness of God when he led Israel out of Egypt, testifying that God delivers his people from bondage.--The sons of Aaron bore witness to the righteousness of God when they offered sacrifices on the altar, testifying that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.--King David bore witness to the righteousness of God when he established his throne in Jerusalem, testifying that the kingdom of God endures forever.--We could multiply examples of words and signs in the OT, all of which testified to the righteousness of God - all of which pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah.--But it is only in the death and resurrection of Jesus that we see clearly the manifestation of the righteousness of God.--We saw this at the beginning of Romans 1 - where Paul says that the gospel of God is all about his Son - descended from David according to the flesh - but declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.--In the resurrection of Jesus Christ we see the righteousness of God made manifest...
Mephibosheth is lame in both feet. And yet he sits at the king's table among the king's sons - who are called priests.--We saw last time that 2 Samuel 7 prepared us for understanding how the Son of David will be a kingly priest according to the order of Melchizedek. 2 Samuel 8-10 now prepares us for understanding what the steadfast love of the king looks like. He is faithful and kind to the lame.--We saw in chapter 5 how the Jebusites of Jerusalem had mocked David, saying that the blind and the lame would ward David off. Now we see that David brings the lame into his city and cares for them - because such is the steadfast love and kindness of the King.--At the very center of chapter 9 is verse 7 - David's covenant protection and provision. This is not mere -protection- - but provision - restoring his inheritance, feeding him at his own table - treating him as his own son -how God deals with us-.--To put it simply- -we are the Lord's Mephibosheths, and there is absolutely no reason why we should be eating continually at the King's table.---And yet here we are---Dale Ralph Davis says well that David's loyalty to his covenant with Jonathan should teach us to be loyal as well. David had promised - and so now he looks for opportunity to do good to the house of Jonathan. And -a love that truly loves is willing to bind itself, is willing to promise, willingly and gladly obligates itself -why----so that the other may stand securely in that love.----We are the Lord's Mephibosheths---You must do what is just and right for those under your care...
-Sung Psalm- 14---I once met a man who openly declared that he had broken at least nine of the ten commandments -taken strictly in a literal sense--, and yet he proclaimed that he was a good man.--What would Paul say to such a man-- Sometimes we seem to think that we need to prove that he is not a good man. And we point to Romans 3 - -there is no one who does good.---But remember that in the previous chapter Paul said that -when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things of the law...they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.- -2-14-15---In other words, sometimes even unbelieving Gentiles -do the things of the law.- So I think Paul would say to this man, -I do not doubt that you love your wife and your children. I do not deny that in many respects you are a good and honorable man, but according to your own testimony, you have admitted that you are under the power of sin, after all, your conscience is already both accusing and defending you.---Paul's point is not that fallen humanity does nothing good. Paul's point is that there is no one who does goodness. There is no one who only practices goodness. Your track record is mixed. Sometimes you do good, sometimes you do evil - that's the point of 2-15.--At the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 Paul makes it clear that the Jew is no better...
The pattern of ancient kings was to establish themselves through two things- victory in battle - and then once they had proven themselves militarily, they would embark on great building projects, in order to leave monuments to their great might.--After all, if you are going to devote your resources to building, that means that you are secure militarily. --But David has built his house - with the help of Hiram of Tyre - and now his conscience gets to him- See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.--There is a sense of guilt here - how can I live in such splendor, while the ark of God has only a tent to cover it----And the prophet Nathan responds by encouraging David- sounds great to me- Go for it- The LORD has been with you in battle, so surely the LORD is with you in building as well---But building a temple is different from other building projects. Building a temple signifies that God is on your side- If David builds the temple, then it has the effect of saying that David is the great king who has given a permanent residence to the nomadic god Yahweh.--Our God is not very fond of those who try to use him for their advantage. David's desire seems to have arisen from genuine piety, but God will allow no confusion in this matter. It is not that God is on David's side. God will not be the agent of any earthly king...
-Sung Psalm- 147---Here in chapter 2, Paul begins a series of questions that will run through chapter 11. You can outline these central ten chapters of Romans around Paul's questions. And we'll highlight them as we go through the book.--Our passage today flows out of the principle stated in verse 13 that -it is not the hearers of the law that are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.---What does it mean to be a doer of the law-- It does not mean that you never sin- After all, the law itself taught Israel how to offer sacrifices for sin. So being a doer of the law cannot mean someone who never sins. So what does it mean to be a -doer of the law-----Put simply, it means that you not only hear what Gods says, but you do it- When God says, -repent of your sins and believe in Jesus,- you respond by repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus. When God says, -love the Lord your God with all your heart,- you respond by loving God. When God says, -love your neighbor as your yourself,- you respond by loving your neighbor. -And then repenting of your sins when you fail...-
Last time we saw how David defeated his enemies - and how he established his new capital city - and how he had lots of sons.--But there is more to being a king than this. After all, Saul had defeated his enemies at the beginning of his reign as well- And Saul had several sons. So how will David prove himself better than Saul----Where had Saul failed-- Saul had failed in the area of worship. Saul had offered sacrifices without Samuel. Saul had tried to bring peace offerings out of the best of the devoted plunder of the Amalekites.- -A king, in the biblical sense of the word, is more than just a political leader. He is also supposed to lead his people in worshiping God. He is not a priest, but he is the one who goes before his people, not only in battle, but also in worship.--We saw last time how the promises to Abraham begin to come true in David- the land and the seed and the blessing to the nations ---but all of this can only come true if God is with us.--The presence of God is more important than any victory in battle---And the presence of God is what makes something - or someone - holy...
-Sung Psalm- 86---What is an apology----When someone -apologizes- for a mistake they are defending their action by explaining the circumstances.--I'm sorry that I ran into your car - I was watching the dog that ran into the street.---That is an apology. It may include an expression of regret --I'm sorry that I smashed your car-- but it also at least implies a defense. The classic case was Pope Benedict's -apology- after calling Islam a religion of violence. He did not repent of what he said. He apologized. He said that he sincerely regretted -that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful.- It was not repentance. He clearly believed that what he said was right. There was no need to ask for forgiveness, because he did not sin in what he had said.--And so he issued an apology - a defense with an expression of regret. And sometimes an apology is all you can offer.--But Paul's point in chapter 2 is that an apology is not enough- God's kindness is designed to lead you to repentance...
The point of 2 Samuel 5 is to highlight certain key themes that we see in David's reign. Indeed, chapter five is designed as a prelude to chapters 6-7 - the coming of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and God's covenant with David.--What are the central themes of the chapter--- The city of David.- The children of David.- And David's interactions with the surrounding nations.--Think about that. What are the three parts of the promise to Abraham-- The land, and the seed, and the blessing to the nations.--The land is now focused on the City of David - the stronghold of Zion - which, by the way, is where Abraham had taken Isaac, when God had told him to offer Isaac on the mountain---The seed is now focused on the Son of David. The house of David will now become all that Israel failed to be.--And the blessing to the nations was that those who curse you will be cursed - those who bless you will be blessed.--The Gibeonites and the Philistines try to curse David.-The king of Tyre seeks to bless David.--So as God prepares the way for establishing his covenant with David we should not be surprised to see Abrahamic features in the story---Because God will fulfill in David what he promised to Abraham...
Israel was presently divided into - yes, you guessed it- Two camps---Mahanaim had originally been named by Jacob when he came back to the Promised Land. At Mahanaim the angels of God met him, and so he said, -This is God's camp- -the two camps being the angels and Jacob-.--Then, as soon as he hears that Esau is coming, he divides his own company into -two camps- in 32-7, and prays to God for mercy - thanking God that though he left the land with only his staff, now -I have become two camps- -32-10-.--Now under David and Saul's son Ish-Bosheth, the house of Jacob is divided once again.
-Sung Psalm- 19---When we do not love and fear and honor God as our God, then God gives us over to sins against others. And this is why our repentance must always start where the prodigal son did- -I have sinned against heaven and before you- -Luke 15-18-. --If you think about it, this is why modern people don't see a problem with sexual sin. They don't believe that there is such a thing as sin against God, and so as long as -nobody gets hurt- there is no sin. -And on the flip side, if I feel hurt, then someone must have sinned against me-. --We have exchanged the glory of God for images. We have exchanged the truth about God for a lie. And so all we have is life under the sun. There is no room in the modern world for sin against God...
We have come to the -hinge- of the book of Samuel - the central turning point.--There are three songs in the book of Samuel - Hannah's thanksgiving at the beginning - David's lament over Saul and Jonathan in the middle - and David's thanksgiving at the end.--It is worth noting that Hannah's Thanksgiving had been sung more than 80 years earlier - just after the birth of Samuel.--Now Samuel is dead - and still Hannah's prayer has not been answered- -The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces- against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth- he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.---Do you sometimes feel as though God is slow to fulfill his promises-- What is God waiting for------If God's purpose is to destroy his enemies and exalt his Messiah - why take so long to do it------The simple answer is this- If God had done that - then you would never have been born. If God had made everything right -back then- - then we never reach today.--And this is at the heart of the book of Samuel. The book of Samuel will end with the death of David - and the celebration that came with the king handing the throne over to his son- But that celebration could only come through the lament and the misery in the middle of the book.--And indeed, since the book of Samuel is only the first part of the book of Kings - by the time the first hearers of this book are hearing it - Judah is already in exile - the temple is already destroyed - How the mighty have fallen.---How the mighty have fallen- is at the middle of every story. It's not just a literary convention- It's the central theme of history.--It's the story of the cross...
-Sung Psalm- 40---As we saw last time, the Gospel of God - the good news that God has proclaimed to us - is -concerning his Son.- The good news is not good news about you or me. The gospel is the good news about Jesus.--Verse 2 relates the -gospel- to the OT scriptures - The prophets promised the gospel beforehand.-They spoke of the good news ahead of time.--Verse 3 then states clearly what the gospel is all about- The gospel is about the Son of God- The Son who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, The Son who was declared the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead--THIS is what God had promised beforehand through the prophets- that he would take David's son and exalt him to his right hand. And it is only in Jesus Christ that we discover that only the Eternal Son of God could become the eschatological Son --eschatological- means -about the last times-- so -eschatological Son- means the last days Son of God-.--And it is only by the resurrection from the dead - it is only by his triumph over sin, death and the devil - that the eternal Son, who had become the incarnate Son, now is constituted as the eschatological Son of God in power.--That is why the good news - the gospel of God - is emphatically the gospel concerning his Son.--And throughout Romans Paul will continue to return to this theme...
In 1 Samuel 30, David and his men face three temptations in the wilderness- materialism, militarism and moralism. --And as we see tonight, even as his men spoke of stoning him, David -strengthened himself in the LORD his God,- and inquired of the LORD. And unlike Saul, God answers David, and told him to overtake the Amalekites and destroy them. David will do what Saul would not-
-Sung Psalm- 110---What is the point of preaching----We live in the -information age- where we are overloaded with information and images, sights and sounds. A thousand years ago if there was an earthquake in Japan, you NEVER would have heard about it.--But last month, we heard about it within minutes. --With all of the information that pours in through television, radio, and internet, why do you sit and listen to a preacher for half an hour on Sunday morning----Later, in Romans 10, Paul will ask -how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard-- And how are they to hear without someone preaching--- -Romans 10-14- And so Paul concludes that -faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.- -Romans 10-17---In an -information age- where words and images bombard us constantly, we are too easily distracted.--We need the simplicity of the preaching of the Word to draw us back to Jesus. No matter how complicated and high-tech our world may become, we will always need to have a simple messenger standing before us, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. Because the Word did not become silicon and microprocessors. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...
-Sung Psalm- 85---I've titled the sermon, -the Holy Kiss- - because when you really understand what a -holy kiss- is - you realize that it embodies everything that Paul is talking about here.--In 1 Thessalonians, Paul has been urging us to walk in faith, hope, and love, as we await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.--And we've seen that hope has to do, particularly with our goal - our focus - what are we aiming towards-----What is the hope that endures-- Only one hope can survive Judgment Day- Because only one hope has already passed through Judgment Day.--Our Lord Jesus Christ - the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us - He is the one who has passed through Judgment Day- The Final Day has already come for Jesus- And he has triumphed - and so in him, the light of the world has dawned---And so you are not in darkness...
Tonight we watch as David follows the pattern of the LORD himself as he descends into the realm of the Philistines.--You may remember that Yahweh himself had gone before David to Gath - when the ark of the covenant was taken captive- --Now the LORD's Anointed is following the path of Yahweh himself - as David spends 16 months in Gath -the ark had spent 7 months in Philistine territory-. --David will pass through his own humiliation to glory, as he remains in exile awaiting the day when the LORD will vindicate him and establish his house.--You might wonder, -Is there any other way-- That sounds hard-- Yes, it is. And yes, there is another way- the way of Saul -- which is a one-way ticket to the grave. --What is the difference between David and Saul-- In a word, repentance. Saul is so focused on his kingdom that he loses sight of God's kingdom. David recognizes that -yours is the kingdom- -1 Chron 29-11- - and so when David sins, he recognizes that he has sinned against God, whereas when Saul sins, he only sees his sin against man.--The difference is catastrophic -- as Saul will end with a banquet in the grave, while David will end at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb...
-Sung Psalm- 32---Last time we looked at how we are to respect those who labor among us, who are over us in the Lord, and who admonish us. In other words, respect your elders and esteem them very highly in love because of their work.--And then in verses 13-15 he talked about how we ought to conduct our life together. God made us to live in harmony with him - with one another - with ourselves - and with all creation. --And when that harmony is functioning properly, that is what we mean by peace.--We need to -admonish the disorderly- and thus put back together that which is falling apart.--That which is orderly is that which is directed by and to Jesus.-That which is disorderly is that which is directed at something else.--And then encourage the -small-souled.- How do you encourage the small-souled----Build up their souls- Feed their souls- Show them Jesus- Nourish their souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ-
There has been a tendency in modern translations to replace the word 'soul' with other words - such as -life.---There are two problems. One is that there is another word in Hebrew for -life.---The word for soul is nephesh.-The word for life is hay.--Sometimes they are found together - as in Genesis 1 - where God breathes the breath of life into Adam, and he became a nephesh hayyah - a living soul.--So if you translate -hay- as life and -nephesh- as life, then you would just a -living life.- Which would be kind of absurd.--The second problem is that we wind up losing sight of what the soul is. We saw this morning that the word -small-souled- was translated -faint-hearted- - which doesn't help us think about the soul at all---But scripture is very clear that the soul is something fundamental to who we are. It is not just that we have a soul. We are a soul.--At the heart of our passage tonight is the great soul - the precious soul - of the LORD's Anointed.--Israel's only hope - humanity's only hope - is found in that soul.--Because ultimately, the soul of the LORD's Anointed will be the human soul of our Lord Jesus. And what sustains us - body and soul - is nothing less than the body and soul of the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us...
-Sung Psalm- 103---I want to slow down a little bit here at the end of 1 Thessalonians, because Paul packs a whole lot into some very short statements---First, I want you to see how Paul connects these exhortations to what he has just said. Paul has been speaking of the Coming of the Lord and the Day of the Lord.- -While the coming of the Lord at the end of chapter 4 was a comfort and encouragement, the day of the Lord is the day of judgment -as Isaiah 57 had spoken-.--And that day is also connected -for us- with the day of our death. For each of us it is appointed to die once - and then judgment. And no one knows the hour of your death---What is the hope that endures-- Only one hope can survive Judgment Day- Because only one hope has already passed through Judgment Day.--Our Lord Jesus Christ - the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us - and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only-begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.--He is the one who has passed through Judgment Day- The Final Day has already come for Jesus- And he has triumphed - and so in him, the light of the world has dawned---And so you are not in darkness...
-Sung Psalm- 30---Last time we looked at the Coming of the Lord - and now we turn to the Day of the Lord.--The idea of the Day of the Lord is closely connected with the theme of -Judgment Day- in scripture.--Isaiah 13-6-9 speaks of the Day of the LORD as the day of destruction.--Jeremiah 46-10 refers to the Day of the LORD as the day of vengeance.--Ezekiel 30-3 speaks of the Day of the LORD as the day of doom for the nations.--The whole book of Joel is organized around the Day of the LORD as the day of judgment.--Amos 5-18-20 warns that the Day of the LORD is a day of darkness - not light.--Zephaniah 1 speaks of the bitter sound of the Day of the LORD.--And Malachi 4 says that the Day of the LORD will be a day of consuming fire.--So when Paul speaks of the -Day of the Lord- here in 1 Thessalonians 5, he is building on a familiar theme.--While the coming of the Lord is used at the end of chapter 4 as a comfort and encouragement, the day of the Lord has a very different connotation---And while the main theme is the judgment day at the end of history, it is important to recognize that for each of us, we all face the Day of the Lord.--For each of us it is appointed to die once - and then judgment. And no one knows the hour of his death---As John Chrysostom put it, -Do not place your confidence in your youth, nor think that you have a very fixed term of life, 'for the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.'...Let the old man keep this admonition- let the young man heed this advice.---So as we look at the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5, remember that this life is the training ground for the next. How you live now sets the trajectory for eternity...
What is 1 Samuel 25 doing-- Is it simply an interesting story about David that the author decided to -throw in- just for fun-- Probably not. And especially because chapter 25 is sandwiched in between the two stories of how David spared Saul. And the story of Abigail is carefully crafted. The narrative is carried by speeches - and the longest and most important speech is right at the middle - and in the voice of Abigail.--The story of Nabal and Abigail is at the very center of -The Adventures of David.- It is surrounded by the two episodes of Saul being given into David's hand- it is preceded by the story of David in the Judean wilderness- it is followed by David in the land of the Philistines. The Adventures of David begin with the death of Goliath. They end with the death of Saul.--And in the middle come the deaths of Samuel and Nabal.--In these central episodes in 1 Samuel 24-26 we hear of what will happen to all of David's enemies. David's enemies will be destroyed - not because of David's might and power, but because the LORD was with David.--It is not David's military might, but his faith and trust in Yahweh that give him the victory- Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD- And as that was true for David, so was it most powerfully true for our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore it is true for us as well- Wait upon the LORD and he will accomplish his purposes for you...
-Sung Psalm- 80---In 2-19, Paul asked, -what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming-- Is it not you-- For you are our glory and joy.- --In 3-13, Paul prayed, that God -may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.---Here in 4-15, he speaks of -we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord.---And again in 5-23, -may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.---When Paul speaks of the coming of the Lord, he is usually referring to the future coming of Christ - but that future coming cannot be divorced from his first coming.- -We have seen throughout this series that Paul is centered on the themes of faith, hope and love. We are to keep believing God in our work of faith. We are to keep loving God and neighbor in our labor of love. And all of this because of our steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ---What is lacking in our faith is endurance. What is lacking in our faith is simply that our faith has not yet persevered to the end---That is why hope is so important in Paul's letter. And hope is intimately bound up with the coming of Christ - as we saw in 3-11-13----and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. --What is it that motivates our love for one another and for all-- Hope.--What is it that establishes our hearts blameless in holiness-- Hope.
In these central episodes of 1 Samuel we hear of what will happen to all of David's enemies. They will be destroyed - not because of David's might and power, but because the LORD was with David.--It is not David's military might, but his faith and trust in Yahweh that gave him the victory- -Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD-- And as that was true for David, so was it most powerfully true for our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore it is true for us as well- Wait upon the LORD and he will accomplish his purposes for you.--It is important to point out that -waiting on the LORD- does not mean that you never do anything- Rather, it means that you wait for the LORD to do what he has promised - and then, when God says -Go-- you go.--But sometimes it is the tempter who says -now is the time-- David in the wilderness reflects the three temptations of Deuteronomy 6-11, -Do not say in your heart, these nations are too great for me.- -Dt 7-17- -Do not say in your heart, my power has gotten me this wealth -Dt 8-17- -Do not say in your heart, it is because of my righteousness- -Dt 9-4---These three temptations come back in the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. And we will see how Satan's temptation of Jesus is prefigured when David's men say, strike down Saul, and you can have the kingdom now----But David refuses. Why-- Because David knows what God has said- You don't strike down the LORD's Anointed- When you know what God has said - and what God calls you to do and to be - the temptations of the wilderness do not have nearly so much power over you- And you can have simple confidence in God that he will do what he has promised...
-Sung Psalm- 130---We have seen throughout this series that Paul is centered on the themes of faith hope and love. We are to keep believing God in our work of faith. We are to keep loving God and neighbor in our labor of love. And all of this because of our steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ---What is lacking in our faith is endurance. What is lacking in our faith is simply that our faith has not yet persevered to the end---That is why hope is so important in Paul's letter. Even though he doesn't use the word -hope- in chapter 3, the concept of hope was very much the whole point of verses 11-13----...and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.---Notice the connection that Paul makes between love and holiness. The Lord Jesus makes you increase and abound in love for one another and for all - that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God...
Tonight is all about the Messiah in hiding. The book of Samuel makes frequent reference to -the LORD's anointed- -Ha Meshiach Yahweh-. David often uses it to refer to Saul -as we'll see next time-, but it has an unmistakable connection to David as well, because David is also the LORD's anointed. He is the Messiah.--Once you have seen this, it is easy to see parallels to Jesus as he teaches and makes disciples in Galilee - hiding in the wilderness, gathering followers, as he awaits God's timing --My hour has not yet come...----Jesus recapitulates the history of Israel - and since Israel has failed, and God has anointed David to be the king who succeeds where Israel fails, it is not surprising to see David himself recapitulating the history of Israel.- -David must wander in the wilderness -as Israel had done, and as Jesus would do-, and wait for the LORD's appointed time. The new feature is the feature of betrayal. This wasn't as much of an issue for Israel in the wilderness, because their treason arose from within.--But David is not only supposed to succeed where Israel failed, he is to lead Israel back into the right way - and not surprisingly, not all Israel will be entirely eager to follow---The LORD's anointed - the Messiah - has no place to lay his head, and worse, he will be betrayed even by those whom he has delivered from their enemies-
-Sung Psalm- 36---Paul thinks the Christian life as a life lived at the intersection of the cross and resurrection of Christ. We share in the sufferings of Christ - we share in his trials and tribulation. --But we also share in his resurrection glory - not just -someday-- Already - by faith - we see him sitting at the right hand of God. Already - by faith - we have been raised with him and are seated with him in the heavenlies.--That is our present identity. I have been crucified with Christ -there is the suffering with him-, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me - and the life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Gal 2-20-.--This is our present reality in Christ...
Last time we asked the question, why did God permit Saul to persecute David----And we saw that the LORD's anointed must be brought through suffering to glory. The only way for a son of Adam to become the son of God is the way of the cross. And even as Israel was tested in the wilderness, in order to learn to trust in the LORD, so also David must be tested in the wilderness.--And that won't happen as long as David is getting comfy as the great warrior, the king's son-in-law.--And so God sends the evil spirit to Saul in order to drive David into the wilderness...
What if I told you that your suffering - your affliction - is a part of the -great trial that was prophesied to come upon God's people at the end--- What if I told you that your suffering was part of God's plan for the ages - part of what God is doing in order to bring about the salvation of humanity-----Well, that's what it is- -How should Christians respond to the prognosis of a terminal illness, to a job loss because of refusal to compromise faith, to the death of a loved one.... Whenever we maintain our faith in Christ throughout these situations, we demonstrate our identification with the Messiah.- -Beale, 100---The church will never be healthy unless she suffers for Christ...
In 1 Samuel 18-20, David is the general who goes up against Saul's enemies - the LORD's enemies. After Goliath we hear about David's victories in 18-5, 18-14-16, 18-27, 18-30, and 19-8.--And Saul is not blind to who David is. By the end of chapter 20, Saul understands full well that David is the Lord's anointed -20-31-. But Saul is jealous and wants to see his own line follow him as king.--What is interesting is that Saul's family -and all Israel- sees more clearly than Saul. They see that the LORD is with David, and that is enough for them.--If we are going to keep our Messianic theme here - since the king is the Lord's anointed one -meshiach- - then we need to see that loving David, protecting David, and making a covenant with David is all about loving Jesus, delighting in Jesus, and protecting Jesus - and by -protecting- I mean defending and maintaining his kingdom - rather than seeking our own kingdoms...
-Sung Psalm- 116---Preaching the gospel is a great and glorious thing - but Paul says that they were pleased to impart not only the gospel of God - but their own souls---How do you impart your soul to another person------When we are joined to the life of the Son of God - when the Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Holy Trinity - joins us to the life of God - then we are joined to one another as well.--And so not only do we impart to you the gospel of God - but also, we impart to you our very souls.--Very imperfectly. With much weakness - much frailty - and with much sin and repentance- - we impart to you our own souls.--This is how Paul and Silas and Timothy walked among the Thessalonians. And this is how we, as your elders, seek to walk with you...
What is the point of the story of David and Goliath-- You often hear sermons focus on -what is the Goliath in your life---- Is cancer your Goliath-- Unemployment-- Lust----God was with David. God will be with you- So go out there and slay Goliath-----Another favorite is, David defeated Goliath when he was young - so the church should value young people---A third -application- is that David followed his heart, therefore if you are a man after God's own heart, then you should follow your heart too.--There is something tragically absent from all of these approaches to our text.--Christ...
-Sung Psalm- 103---Have you ever felt as though God has forgotten you-- I think that everyone feels that way at times - even Zion, the city of God, says, -The LORD has forsaken me- my Lord has forgotten me.---Those of you who have borne children will understand something of what Isaiah means- -Can a woman forget her nursing child-----If she forgets for even a little while, there is soon a reminder---But the LORD says, -Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.- -v15---God will not forget his people. It may feel like it sometimes- God does not promise that everything will turn out the way we want it to---But he does promise us himself...
The story of 1 Samuel 16 is a story of two strange visitations at Bethlehem - the first being the coming of the Prophet Samuel to anoint David- the second being the messengers of King Saul to take David to the king.--And at the heart of the chapter - at the heart of the two visits - is the movement of the Holy Spirit - rushing upon David, even as he departs from Saul.--We saw last time that the LORD rejected Saul as king because Saul does not fear God. Saul fears the people. A king who fears the people will not - in the end - lead them to do what is right in God's eyes.--Oh, he may do a few things right- And our author is a faithful author who points out many things that Saul does right. But if your central failing is that you fear the people rather than God - then you will not lead well.--The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...
-Sung Psalm- 115---In 1 Thessalonians we will hear about how Jesus is the one who delivers us from the wrath to come. Nowadays we don't like to talk about -the wrath to come.- That doesn't sound very nice.- -True. So let's not talk about anything that doesn't sound nice- Let's not talk about the war in Ukraine - that doesn't sound nice. Let's not talk about global warming - or abortion - or human trafficking - they don't sound nice.--God says that there is wrath to come. That he will judge each one according to his deeds. And those who turn aside from the living and true God have rebelled against him.--Isaiah 44 describes the process of idolatry. An idol is anything that we trust to deliver us. As verse 17 says, -He prays to it and says, 'Deliver me, for you are my god-'---The idolater knows full well that the piece of wood is not actually a god. But the idolater is seeking to worship his god through that piece of wood.---He feeds on ashes- Isaiah says, -a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, 'Is there not a lie in my right hand--'---Idolatry is fundamentally built on lies. When we worship something other than the living and true God when we think that something else can deliver us - we are deluded-- -What is your situation right now-- What is it that you are counting on to make your situation better----I know. I'm the same way. I know the right answer - -Jesus-- But then - in the moment - I've got a better answer, 'cause Jesus is taking too long...
We cluck our tongues at Saul, shocked that he did not obey God. God had been perfectly clear. He had given Saul a direct, specific command. And yet Saul thought he knew better than God.--Have you ever thought that you knew better than God-- Has God really said that . . . -- Wouldn't God prefer it if you did this instead----Saul's rebellion is especially poignant because it is based on such good intentions. His first error, which we saw last time, was that he offered the sacrifices, instead of waiting for Samuel. He was worshiping God---His second error, which we are looking at tonight, was that he did not totally destroy the Amalekites, but brought some of their flocks for a sacrifice. Again, he was worshiping God---We see this over and over in scripture. The Israelites tried to worship Yahweh through a golden calf. But God was not pleased---Ananias and Sapphira tried to worship God but lied about the percentage they were giving. But God was not pleased---If you would worship God - then you must hear his word and do what he says...
-Sung Psalm- 71---Today we turn to 1 Thessalonians - one of Paul's earliest epistles. Written to a church that was only a few months old, Paul had been hurried out of the city due to threats from the Jewish community, so he is eager to communicate with this fledgling group of believers. --And partly because Paul only had a short time in Thessalonica, this epistle gives us a glimpse into what Paul thought was most important for the church to know. He seems to think that some of his teaching and some of his conduct may have been misunderstood - so he writes to the church, seeking to correct the misunderstandings that have been reported by Silas and Timothy. --At the heart of his concern is to encourage the Thessalonians to continue in -faith, hope, and love- - a triad that will play a key role in Paul's writings for the rest of his life...
Saul of Tarsus was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was some sort of relation to King Saul. And certainly he was named after King Saul.--It is always important to pay attention to biblical names. Saul defeated Nahash the Ammonite. Do you know what -Nahash- means-- Serpent. King Saul has crushed the head of the serpent---And yet, King Saul apostatized. He had a high calling. He was called by God to be his servant in going before the people of God, and deliver them from their enemies. Now his namesake has been called to be God's servant in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. --I said last week that the narrative of Saul of Gibeah in Benjamin is either the story of the redemption of Benjamin, or a bitter irony as Benjamin goes from bad to worse.--Do you think that Saul of Tarsus was unaware of this bitter irony-- The story of the redemption of Benjamin is found in Saul of Tarsus. When Saul of Tarsus says in Philippians 3 that he is of the tribe of Benjamin, and comments in verse 13, -Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,- I cannot imagine that he was ignorant of his namesake's failure to press on...
Our final Psalm in our journey through book One of the Psalter is Psalm 41. If you read it simply as an individual lament over sickness and trouble, then you will struggle over how to sing it. After all, few of us have enemies who would rejoice over our death. And -hopefully- few of us are wishing that God would raise us up, so that we can repay our enemies for their malicious betrayals---If you read Psalm 41 as a generic individual lament, then Psalm 41 sounds like a mean and nasty song that Christians shouldn't sing.--But Jesus said that Psalm 41 is about himself and Judas. That line about -my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me- - Jesus says in John 13 that this scripture was fulfilled by Judas.--That's why Psalm 41 has the title that it does- -To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.---This song should be sung in corporate worship- and this song should be sung in the voice of David...
The story in our passage for tonight is what happens when the Spirit of the LORD turns Saul into another man---We sometimes talk about how the first Joshua resembles the second Joshua -our Lord Jesus-. Perhaps we should also talk about how the first Saul resembles the second Saul -the apostle Paul-.- -Both have a remarkable encounter with God -this Saul with the Holy Spirit - in Acts it will be the exalted Lord Jesus- And both, it could be said, were turned into another man---Now, at first blush, 1 Samuel 10-12 sounds awfully pro-Saul. Israel sinned in rejecting the LORD as king, but Saul seems to do everything right- In other words, our author is an honest man. He admits that Saul started out well. But he also hints at what is to come...
At least - it sounds odd to us- Shouldn't the movement be from sorrow to joy-- Shouldn't we go from death to resurrection--- Shouldn't every song have a happy ending-----No.--What do you sing when you are in the middle of a horrible part of the story-- What do you sing when you are poor and needy-- When the world, the flesh, and the devil are trying to destroy you----In the middle of your pain and your affliction, you can sing Psalm 40...
The request for a king was simply the logical outcome of the failure of Israel. Israel had failed to be and to do what God had called them to be and to do.--It wasn't the request for a king that was the problem. For that matter, it wasn't even the way that they asked for a king.--It was the fact that with the exception of Joshua's generation, the people of Israel had continued to forsake the LORD more and more in each generation...
Samuel's sons do not follow in their father's steps.--We have seen this problem of the -next generation- before. Eli's sons had become like Canaanite priests - treating the women who served at the tent like prostitutes. Now Samuel's sons become like Canaanite judges - taking bribes and perverting justice.--The prophet Jeremiah would say generations later- -Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is- and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.- -Jeremiah 6-16---What does he mean by -the ancient paths--- In the following chapter, Jeremiah warns against thinking of the temple as a magical talisman- -Do not trust in these deceptive words- 'this is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD' -in other words - the same magical thinking as in 1 Samuel 4 - when they thought that the ark would save them...---And yes, Jeremiah is referring to 1 Samuel 4, as he makes clear in Jer 7-11-12 - -Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes-- Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. Go now to my place at Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel...---The ancient paths are the ways - the word - and the Law - of the LORD...
Psalm 39 says, -I am mute- I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.- I am afflicted and in trouble - because of your stroke. Sometimes God puts you in a situation where you have nothing to say - indeed, he calls you to say nothing.--Sometimes, if you say anything, you will make things worse. David realizes this. Sometimes the way we engage in spiritual warfare is through silence.--So David is silent. As Ambrose said, -He had no wish whatever to do the will of him who ruins one's peace of mind.---This runs contrary to everything we think. We tend to think that if we say something - we can fix things---But in our anger, our tendency is to react with bitter words. And sometimes there are no words that can make a situation better...
-Here I raise my Ebenezer-. How did an obscure location in 1 Samuel become part of one of the most famous hymns of the church----Tonight we are concluding our story of Ebenezer and Ichabod. The Battle of Ebenezer opened chapter 4 and a different Ebenezer closes our passage, while Ichabod - no glory - well described the condition of Israel when the Ark of the Covenant was taken captive...
We saw last time that Psalm 37 is the Psalter's version of the Sermon on the Mount. -Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.---Psalm 38 is a very different sort of song.--Psalm 38 is a lament.
What does it mean that Psalm 37 is -Of David--- Well, watch the first person singular---Verse 25- -I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.---Verse 35- -I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more- though I sought him, he could not be found.---That's the voice of David - David is speaking to Israel. Israel is singing this song in and with David.--Psalm 37 is the Psalter's version of the Sermon on the Mount- -Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.-
1 Samuel 4-7 is held together by the story of the two Ebenezers. Ebenezer means -stone of help- - as Samuel will say in chapter 7, verse 12 - -Till now the LORD has helped us.---Israel had encamped at the first Ebenezer in chapter 4. The first Ebenezer was in the coastal plain near the foothills of Ephraim. That was the place where Israel was defeated, where the ark was captured, and where the two sons of Eli were killed.--That does not sound much like a stone of help---And in chapter 7, Samuel will set up a stone in Benjamin, near Mizpah, and call its name -Ebenezer.- -stone of help- -Till now the LORD has helped us.---Samuel is teaching his people that God's triumph comes through our weakness. The LORD brought judgment upon his priests and upon his people at Ebenezer.--What kind of help is that----- If God helps us by turning us over to our foes - what kind of help is that-----But his purpose is to bring Israel through suffering to glory...
Some think that the first line of verse 1 belongs properly to chapter 3. After all, there is no other reference to Samuel in chapter 4.- -But this is why I preached on 1 Samuel 4-7 in a single sermon last time- If you turn over to chapter 7, verse 3, we hear how the word of Samuel came to all Israel. -And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, -if you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods----And then notice chapter 7, verse 12, -Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer, for he said, 'Till now the LORD has helped us.'---In chapter 4, there are the two battles of Ebenezer - where the LORD fought against Israel - and Samuel is silent. In chapter 7, Samuel will finally speak -many years later- - and a new Ebenezer will be established -many miles away from the Ebenezer of ch 4-.
Psalm 36 opens -Of David, the servant of the LORD.---This exact title is given to only three people in the Old Testament- Moses, Joshua, and David. -God refers to a few others as -my servant- - like Job, Isaiah, Nebuchadnezzar- He also speaks from time to time of Israel or of the prophets as -my servants--- -So when Psalm 35 says that the LORD delights in the welfare of his servant, the singular is important. The LORD delights in the welfare of the King - the Servant of the LORD - because when the King establishes righteousness and justice, then there is joy and peace in all the earth---Psalm 36 opens with an oracle regarding the wicked. The problem with the wicked is that -there is no fear of God before his eyes.- --The song then turns to give praise to God for his steadfast love - and concludes by praying that God will continue his steadfast love to his people...
We have heard many times how David is spoken of as the LORD's anointed - the Messiah. He is the anointed King - the Son of God - whom God set on his throne, as the one who would begin to establish the kingdom of God. The kings of the earth should -kiss the Son- -Psalm 2- - but as Psalm 2 pointed out - instead the rulers of this age have conspired against him.--And so Psalm 35 is a song for the hated King - the despised servant of the LORD. I title it this because Jesus himself says that Psalm 35 is about him.--In John 15-25, Jesus quotes verse 19 --they hated me without cause-- - as he tells his disciples that the world will hate you as well. So Jesus clearly calls you to sing this song with him...
Here at the beginning of the book of Samuel, we are seeing the beginning of the themes of the kingdom and the temple.--Long before Solomon asked God to hear the prayers made in that place, God was drawing his people toward himself in the tabernacle. And the faithful would come to the house of the LORD to pray and to make their vows to him.--In Leviticus God showed Israel a picture of how truth, goodness, and beauty could be restored at the Tabernacle. --And now in 1 Samuel, we see two opposed visions of what happened. Eli's sons - turning to perversity and lust. And Hannah - with the eyes of faith - seeing that the sanctuary is indeed the place where wombs are renewed...
In Psalm 33, we saw that God's word remains true. He is faithful. His steadfast love endures forever-----Psalm 34 now sets us up for David, the servant of the LORD, with a song about how God redeems the life of his servants through the righteous one - the one whose bones are not broken-...
When Samuel was born, Hannah waited until the child was weaned - and then brought him to the priest, Eli, at the tabernacle.--What did it take for that mother to leave her firstborn behind-- What did it cost for Hannah to fulfill her vow-- She had longed to bring a son into the world, and having done so, she would now have to hand over that son to another.--Why did Hannah do this-- Because she had put to death the desires of the flesh. She was walking by the Spirit- Her desire to be a mother played second-fiddle to her desire to see the glory of the kingdom of God.--Many centuries later the priest, Zechariah, was offering incense at the temple. When his barren wife conceived and bore a son, John would be the one to baptize Jesus - just as Samuel would anoint David. The Song of Zechariah and the Song of Mary both resonate with Hannah's song.--Because it is at the temple where humanity can once again ascend the hill of the LORD in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ - the Son of David - and the Son of God.--Not only was Hannah a faithful woman who vowed what was pleasing to the LORD, but Hannah was also - at least in this moment - a prophetess. There in the tabernacle, as she delivered her son to Eli, she spoke forth the word of the LORD in song...
As you read Psalm 33, did you notice what's missing-- There is no title for Psalm 33. All of the Psalms in book 1 have a title - except Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33.- -All of the other Psalms are Psalms of David. All of the surrounding Psalms call us to sing them in and with David. Psalm 33 does not.--Then again, look at the content of Psalm 33. There is no -first person singular- speaker. Most of the Psalms that we have been singing recently distinguish between -I- -the king- and -we- -the people-. Psalm 33 does not.--There is a king in Psalm 33 -verse 16-, but he is a passive figure who cannot be saved by a great army.--This reinforces for us the importance of seeing the titles as directions for how to sing the song- By omitting any title, Psalm 33 gives us no particular direction. In other words, sing this song in your own voice - in the voice of the people of God.---And since the psalms were written to be sung in the temple by the Levites - we should hear Psalm 33 as the Levitical choir singing to the congregation - as we sing to one another - and to all the nations - of God's great faithfulness----Psalm 33 still connects closely with the themes of this section of the Psalter.--32-11 had closed with an appeal for the righteous to be glad and rejoice and shout for joy.--Psalm 33 opens with an appeal to the same people to do the same thing.-Psalm 34 will be a song of thanksgiving for deliverance - precisely what the conclusion of Psalm 33 asks for...
Why did God raise up Samuel himself-- Samuel comes after the period of the judges. Or, more properly, Samuel is himself the last judge. Samuel is the hinge of history between the era of the judges and the era of the kings. The book of Judges ended with the refrain -in those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.---Samuel will conclude the era of the Judges by appointing a king-indeed, anointing two kings- The first - King Saul - will do what is right in his own eyes-just like the people- But the second - King David - will do what is right in God's eyes.--Samuel is referred to three times in the NT---- Acts 3-24 - where he is spoken of as the first of the prophets-- Acts 13-20 - where Samuel is seen as the transition between the judges and the prophets-- Hebrews 11-32 - 'Samuel and the prophets'--Each time, Samuel is portrayed in the NT as this -hinge- character. The last of the judges - the first of the prophets.--He is a prophet - he is a priest - and while he is not a king, he is a judge- He prefigures Christ in some interesting ways...
Psalm 32 is called a -Maskil of David.- We don't know for certain what a Maskil is. It is probably a type of song.--Psalm 32 is not itself a prayer, but rather a song of instruction. The voice keeps changing in this Psalm. Verses 1-2 are in the third person. Verses 3-7 shift to the first person addressing God as -you.- But then verses 8-9 stay in the first person, but the second person addressed is now the hearer, as David instructing his hearers in the way -you- should go. And then verses 10-11 conclude with an exhortation to -you- but now the -you- are the righteous.--We've been seeing that Book One of the Psalms portrays a world where the King is on the throne. And yet things are not as they should be. We are not as we should be.--The LORD's anointed - the Messiah - has ascended the hill of the LORD. He dwells at God's right hand. And because Jesus sits at God's right hand - we who sing these songs with him have confidence - because we wait upon the LORD who has not just promised that he would come to David but he has come in the flesh in our Lord Jesus Christ-
A pastor friend of mine was visiting in a church in a culture of honor. After the service they had to stack the chairs, so as they were talking, he began to help. The church had a couple of young associate pastors, as soon as the visiting pastor stacked a chair, they stacked two chairs for every chair he stacked. He was busy talking with the senior pastor and didn't notice how quickly the associate pastors were working. Finally the senior pastor pulled him away and explained - -If you keep stacking chairs you will create a disaster, because everyone else will see the associate pastors stacking chairs, and then they will feel obligated to do even more.---Paul understands that culture of honor - and so he has to figure out how to thank the Philippians for their gift without creating a sense of further obligation---In Paul's context, if he simply says -thank you for the gift- - then the Philippians will hear - -please send another one-- And that's not what he wants to say...
Psalm 31 is a song for those who are still in the midst of bearing the cross. In other words, it is a song for you, who by the grace of God are denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus, because you see by faith that because God has delivered Jesus and raised him up from death - therefore he will raise you who have been united to Christ by faith-
Paul has used the image of the runner pressing on - pursuing the goal - the prize - and now he uses the image of the crown - the victor's wreath.--The crown is the public sign - the visible evidence - that Paul has not labored in vain -2-16-.--4-1 functions as something of a bookend with 1-27, where he had urged the Philippians to let their -manner of life be worthy of the gospel- so that he might hear that they were -standing firm in one spirit.---Now he concludes with the same exhortation to stand firm at the end of his epistle.--But he has some concluding exhortations to deal a problem in the Philippian church. And the problem is that the -mind of Christ- that he has been expounding is not evident in the church at Philippi...
Last time, in Psalm 29, we heard David call the heavenly beings -the sons of the gods- to worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.--Now, in Psalm 30, David does precisely what he called upon them to do-
Paul's idea of -thinking- is not an intellectualist concept. Our thinking - this common -mind- that we are to share - is nothing less than the mind of Christ - the cruciform way of life that puts the needs of others ahead of our own.--No one can accuse Paul's way of -thinking- as being devoid of action- Thinking, for Paul, includes both our experience of our union with Christ, as well as our action in being conformed to the image of Christ.--Let's see how this works out in the second half of Philippians 3 - because Paul starts by pointing out that he has not yet attained to what he -thinks.-
Have you ever thought that the solution to your problem is found in the path of a thunderstorm-- Probably not- We live in an age of barren, sterile interpretation. We don't see the connections between scripture, nature, and history - because we think of each of these subjects as totally different.--We interpret nature by means of careful scientific investigation - and our weather forecast explains where the thunderstorm comes from, and where it is going. We interpret history by means of careful study into what people said and did. We even interpret scripture by means of grammatical-historical analysis.--And we have carefully sealed off any overlap.--One of the reasons why I really enjoy reading the early church fathers is because they lived in a world where they expected overlap- They interpreted nature, history, and scripture all together. --Psalm 29 invites us to reconnect the broken fragments of our lives. When you hear the Voice of the LORD in the thunder you will never experience -nature- the same again- When you hear the Voice of the LORD shaking the wilderness you will never think of history the same again - because the Voice of the LORD - the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us - has opened your ears so that you might hear the scriptures afresh-
What does it mean to -rejoice in the Lord-----Think of all that Paul has said so far about joy and rejoicing---- He thanked God for the Philippians in 1-3-4, making his prayer with joy, because of their partnership in the gospel.--- He rejoices that Christ is preached - whether in pretense or in truth -1-18---- He rejoices in his ultimate salvation through the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ -1-19-20---- He sees his continued work in the flesh as necessary for their -progress and joy in the faith- -1-25---- He calls them to -complete my joy by being of the same mind -2-2---- He rejoices with them that he may be poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial liturgy of their faith -2-17- and calls them to rejoice with him in this as well -2-18---- And he calls the Philippians to rejoice in the return of Epaphroditus -2-28-29-.--What themes do you see there-- Rejoicing in the Lord has very little to do with what we today call -happiness.- Rejoicing in the Lord is all about the gospel - and therefore joy comes in the midst of suffering, death, and the cross.- -Or to put it another way, rejoicing in the Lord is all about having the mind of Christ - a mindset that sees that the only path to glory-is the path of the cross---That's why Paul says -to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.-- -In other words, I'm now going to repeat myself - and give you one more example of what it means to have the mind of Christ.--Philippians 3 is one of the clearest statements of Christian theology - and one of the most powerful statements of Christian piety - ever penned...
Who is this song about-----Of David- The Hebrew preposition here could mean -for David- -about David- -by David.- Given that David is said to have written many songs, it is likely that many of the Psalms were written by him. But the point of the superscription is not that David wrote the song. The point is that this is Davidic song. This is a David-centered song.--In 5th century Antioch, Theodoret thought that it referred to a time hen Saul was chasing David. As such, he said that it is well suited -to everyone encountering calamities of this kind- In 4th century Tarsus -Paul's home town-, Diodore thought that Psalm 28 was spoken of Zekiah's illness and recovery.In 5th century Rome, Arnobius the Younger says that Psalm 28 speaks in the inner man of Christ, -that he who committed no sins not be handed over to sinners.- -p210---The first thing they all agree on is that Psalm 28 is speaking first and foremost of the Davidic King - the Lord's anointed, and the second thing they all agree on is that when we see this song in a David-centered way, we will then know how to sing this song with the Lord's anointed---If you try to start with yourself, then you will stumble over verse 8- -The LORD is the strength of his people- he is the saving refuge of his anointed.- It is only because Jesus is the anointed one - because God has heard Jesus - that we can sing these songs in Jesus.--But as we've seen throughout Book One of the Psalter, when Israel sings these songs in David - and when we sing them in David's Lord, Jesus Christ - then we can inhabit them as we are drawn into the greater story of what God is doing in Jesus.
In Philippians 1-26 Paul had told them that he wanted to come to see them - but then he launched into his central concern for them, which is that whether he can come see them or not, -let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ- -1-27- or that you would hold -fast to the word of life- -2-16-. And all of this because you are to have the same mind - which is the mind of Christ.--And the mind of Christ is an attitude, or disposition, of humility and sacrificial service.--In the coming weeks, our servant leadership training class will be working through what it means to put this into practice. --I cannot imagine a better passage to consider- Because if the church of Jesus Christ is to have this one mind, then there is no better way to get there, but by having servant leaders who share this same mind---And indeed, this is Paul's point in verses 19-30. Paul starts with an exhortation to the church - be of one mind -1-27-2-4- because that who Christ is -and you have been united to him- -2-5-11- then he returns to his exhortation to be of one mind - -2-12-18- before concluding this section with two examples -2-19-30---Or to say in another way, the center of Paul's exhortation is Christ's own humiliation and sacrificial service- and this mind is yours in Christ Jesus -because of your union with Christ- and so therefore you are to look like Jesus -as you imitate Christ---And if you want to know what this looks like- look at Timothy and Epaphroditus-
Psalm 25 confessed the guilt and shame of the Psalmist - asking God to pardon my guilt and forgive all my sins - but it ended with confidence- -may integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you- And that same confidence remained at the heart of Psalm 26- David's prayer for vindication - that God would declare him innocent - so that he might dwell in the house of the LORD forever.--These themes all continue in Psalm 27. But it's not just the same song over and over again. There was the song of the lonely in Psalm 25 - the song seeking vindication at God's altar in Psalm 26 - and now a song of the One Seeking God in Psalm 27. They are all connected, but each song focuses on a different aspect of Christian experience.--And, as we keep seeing over and over, the reason why these are different aspects of Christian experience is because they were first different aspects of Christ's experience. We sing Psalm 27 because Psalm 27 was first true for Jesus.
In verses 12-13, Paul urges us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure.--Note- both to will and to work.--Thomas Aquinas points out that verse 13 rules out four errors---1- that man can be saved without God's help. After all, Paul says -it is God who works in us- - so without God's help, we are literally helpless.--2- that free will is not destroyed by fate --work out your salvation---you must do that which God calls you to do----3- it rejects the idea that whereas the accomplishing comes from God the choice -the willing- comes from us -no, it is God who works in us both to will and to work- - it's not that -we want to- - but we need a little help to make it happen-- We only want to because God himself is at work in us -both to will and to work--4- it rejects the idea that God rewards us according to our merits - --no, it is his good pleasure---This statement of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility sets up Paul's warning against the perils of grumbling...
The way of discipleship - the way of Jesus - is the way of integrity - the pursuit of holiness.--There is a tendency today to say -Hey, don't worry about it, man, we're all sinners- We all make mistakes----Have you ever noticed that the Bible never talks like that-- Hebrews 12 - which we read a couple weeks ago - says -lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees- -see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God...- -strive for the holiness without which no one will see God.---God never says -don't worry about your sin- - he says -repent- of your sin---There is an equal tendency today to pretend that everything is fine - when it's not. We don't want to admit that we have problems. Well, maybe problems, sure - but not sin- But it is only when we admit that we have a sin problem that we can repent of that sin and become innocent. --Our culture says that our problem is that we feel guilty and we need to get over it. God says that our problem is that we are guilty and we need to repent of it- And if we repent of it - if we actually turn away from our sin - then we can begin to walk in integrity.--In other words, everything we saw last time in Psalm 25 sets us up for Psalm 26. At the end of Psalm 25 - after repenting of his sin - -pardon my sin, for it is great- -v11- - David says -may integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you- -v21-.--In other words, you cannot sing Psalm 26 - you cannot ask God to vindicate you - unless you have first sung Psalm 25 - and turned away from your sin...
As Americans we have a tendency towards individualism. When I was in seminary, I met a lot of Korean students who really struggled with this. In their culture, the way that you learned was to adopt your teacher's way of thinking and talking. --For them, that was honor. In the US, that's called plagiarism- --What Paul is talking about in Philippians 2 is a way of thinking together that is quite different from the modern American way of thinking for yourself...
often do we sing about loneliness at church-- --This is a problem in both traditional and contemporary worship songs. The old Trinity Hymnal only contained one song --His Eye Is on the Sparrow- -- 618- that used the word lonely to describe us, and even that song asks -why should my heart be lonely...when Jesus is my portion--- It almost rebukes us for feeling lonely- --But Psalm 25 is a song for the lonely. It promises us that we will not always be alone --the friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him-- - but it does not pretend that we will always experience that nearness of God. --Sometimes we are lonely. And that's okay. I'm not saying that loneliness is a good thing- It's not a good thing- But it is not a sin to be lonely---What should you do when you are lonely-- --We have God's promise that it won't -always- be like that - but when we are lonely, we have a song to sing.
Calvin was right when he said that -there is no middle ground between these two- either the world must become worthless to us or hold us bound by intemperate love of it.---This life has value for us only because here -we begin-to taste the sweetness of the divine generosity,- but that taste of divine sweetness should prompt us to long all the more for the heavenly life.--Therefore, Calvin concludes, -no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection.---If you do not -desire to depart and be with Christ,- then you are not thinking rightly about your life in Christ---I would suggest that you will only come to say that -to live is Christ- when you believe from the heart that -to die is gain-...
Psalms 20-24 bring us through a sequence of songs about the kingdom. Psalm 20 started by asking the LORD to send help from the sanctuary in order to deliver the Messiah - the LORD's anointed king.--Psalm 21 then is the song of praise as the Messiah celebrates God's salvation.--Psalm 22 is the song of the suffering Messiah as he passes through death into life everlasting - and there is a way in which Psalm 22 captures all these themes - because Psalm 22 says -All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.- -v27-28- The Kingship of God and the kingship of his Messiah is ultimately about the nations coming to worship the LORD.- -Psalm 23 then says that the King - the Messiah - looks to the LORD as his shepherd - and will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.--So when you hear in Psalm 24 - -Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD-- And who shall stand in his holy place---, Psalms 20-23 have set you up to think - the Son of David-- The Messiah--- The one whom God delivers from death and exalts to his right hand--
The same voice that was crying out, -My God, my God, why have you forsaken me--- in the last Psalm - is now saying -Yahweh, my shepherd- in this Psalm.--It is worth remembering - not just on Easter Sunday - but all through the year, that even as our Lord Jesus walked through the valley of deep darkness - the valley of the shadow of death - he did not fear evil.--Even as he was forsaken - afflicted - abandoned - yet even then could he say, -you are with me.-- -Yes, it is true that Jesus was the eternal Son of God - and so he was one with the Father even as he hung on the cross. But that's not the only reason why he could say -you are with me.---He was also the LORD's Anointed - the Messiah - the one in whom God and Man walked together as one Person-- -He was one with the Father from all eternity - and in the incarnation, he had joined God and man in his own flesh---And yet, on the cross, while he remained the one who holds the universe together by the word of his power - He did not experience that closeness - that oneness with the Father.--He experienced our alienation - our affliction - he bore our sin and our misery. He did not cease to be who he was - but he took to himself all that we are - so that he might join us to himself----This is what Psalm 23 is all about.
The church in Philippi was not fractured with division like the Corinthians. There was no major heresy - like in Galatians.--The church in Philippi had its share of personal conflicts -Euodia and Syntyche- and faced plenty of dangers -Paul cautions them against the Judaizers-, but Paul's central concern in this epistle is to urge the church to make progress in their faith.--As one commentator puts it, -the world is too perilous and the gospel too glorious, -for them to be content with past achievements.- They must press on toward the goal -for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. -3-14---And so I want us to reflect on the book of Philippians as an opportunity to us to grow in our own discipleship...
The church in Philippi was not fractured with division like the Corinthians. There was no major heresy - like in Galatians.--The church in Philippi had its share of personal conflicts -Euodia and Syntyche- and faced plenty of dangers -Paul cautions them against the Judaizers-, but Paul's central concern in this epistle is to urge the church to make progress in their faith.--As one commentator puts it, -the world is too perilous and the gospel too glorious, -for them to be content with past achievements.- They must press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. -3-14---And so I want us to reflect on the book of Philippians as an opportunity to us to grow in our own discipleship...
Psalm 22 is - in many respects - the perfect song for Good Friday. All four gospels quote or allude to Psalm 22 when talking about the cross.--So why use Psalm 22 for Easter Sunday----In Psalm 22 we hear how David passed through suffering and affliction - and yet -you have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen- - and the LORD -has heard when he cried to him.- And so the families of the nations shall worship before the LORD - because -kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.---If -kingship belongs to the LORD- - then who is the Messiah - the LORD's anointed-----In Psalms 20-21, the focus was the LORD's anointed - the Messiah.--In Psalm 22, you see a suffering servant who passes through affliction to glory. Then, as we'll see over the next couple weeks, in Psalm 23, the LORD is the shepherd of the shepherd-king, and in Psalm 24, the LORD himself is the King of Glory.--Think about what this meant for Jesus on Good Friday and Easter Sunday- What did Jesus mean when he said, -My God, my God, why have you forsaken me---- And particularly, what does it mean to say -my God------My God, my God- is a confession of faith. You are the God of my salvation. You are the God who saves me -remember Psalm 88 from Friday night-.--Right now you seem entirely absent. You do not answer. Indeed, you are the one who is doing this to me---And yet, you are my God - I am living right now - Jesus says - at the beginning of Psalm 22- and I am the one who will bring Psalm 22 to its completion in three days---When we sing Psalm 22 on Good Friday, we only sing the first half. But because it is Easter Sunday, we must sing the whole thing--
-We apologize for the poor sound quality of this recording. If you find it unlistenable, please read the provided transcript.---In today's world, vows are relics of the past. The fate of marriage vows is a good example. The fact that half of all American marriages end in divorce demonstrates that we do not take our vows very seriously.--What was a vow in biblical times-----In making a vow, a person demonstrated his love for the Lord's worship, or his thankfulness for an answer to prayer by earnestly resolving to dedicate something or someone as a gift to the Lord -Hannah- or to deny himself certain pleasures -the Nazirite - Num. 6-, or to present a certain offering -Lev. 6-6-.---Dt 23-21-23 makes it clear that vows were optional, but if they were made, they must be kept -cf. Num. 30-2-15---The principle of Leviticus 27 is that if you wish to redeem your vow, then you must pay a higher price than the value of the thing that you vowed.--Leviticus 27 applies this principle to humanity, to the land, and to all the produce of the land. In other words, all of creation is in view.--In the end we will see that God had vowed to save his people. Therefore he must offer something of greater value than humanity.- -God had vowed to redeem creation. Therefore he must offer something of greater value than all creation-
Jesus is King.--We live in a culture shaped by democracy - our Constitution says that the highest authority is -we, the people.---So it's not surprising that our culture has tried to make religion more democratic as well. But the religion of the Bible is uncompromisingly monarchical. Jesus is King. We are not.--That point should provide a great deal of help in our prayer life. Jesus is King. I am not.--Therefore, what I think about what needs to happen is not all that important. What Jesus thinks is what matters. After all, he's the king---Last time we looked at Psalm 20. In Psalm 20 we prayed that God would save the King. We will be saved only if God saves the king.--Now in Psalm 21, we thank God that he saves the king - because now the king can protect us-
Every other section of the book of Leviticus starts with some sort of clear marker. Over and over we have heard the phrase, -The LORD spoke to Moses.- In fact, that phrase occurs at least 37 times in the book of Leviticus - almost in every instance, it is setting up a new section.--Chapter 26 has no such marker.--What does that mean----It means that we need to read chapters 25-26 together. All that we have seen about the Jubilee year - the importance of the return to the Land in the 50th year - and the redemption of the Land and of the Seed - and of God's people not being slaves - all of this is prelude to the blessings and curses of chapter 26...
In Psalm 20, we pray for the king, because we know that our only hope is if God saves the king- If God hears him and answers him - then we are saved as well---And if you think about it, that is exactly true in Jesus.--In John 18-19, Jesus acknowledges that he is a king - but -my kingdom is not of this world- - or -not from this world.---Jesus is the Son of David. He is the King of Psalm 20. It is only if God hears Jesus that we can be saved.- -Pilate thinks that he is just annoying the priests by writing -King of the Jews.--But then they say -we have no king but Caesar--- -And in so doing, they reject the message of Psalm 20 - our only hope is if God saves the king- Only if God hears him and answers him can we be saved-
Christians talk a lot about -redemption.- We are -redeemed- by the blood of the lamb- Leviticus 25 is where we learn what redemption means.--To redeem is to buy something back. We still use the term to talk about buying something back. You can -redeem- a coupon or a gift card - and investors use it in a variety of ways.--In Hebrew there are two words that are often translated -redeem.- The other word is more closely related to the idea of -ransom- or -rescue.- To redeem -ga'al in Hebrew- expresses not just a financial transaction, but also a personal relation. Redemption -ge'ulla- is properly done by a kinsman - one who stands in close relation to you.--Think about Boaz redeeming Ruth -and really, Naomi-. Boaz became their redeemer.--Redemption is both an economic activity and a personal activity.--We saw this morning in Psalm 19, that the LORD is my rock and my redeemer. And truly - with respect to our salvation - the Lord Jesus Christ is the only redeemer of God's elect---But just as Leviticus 25 speaks of -redemption- in more -earthly- ways, so also today, we should not be afraid to use the term in an analogical way as well---If Christ redeemed us from our sins with his precious blood - then we should be willing to -redeem- others. Obviously we cannot redeem them from sin- But when they are in distress, we can redeem them from lesser troubles...
In the evening we are going through Leviticus, exploring how the Law of God applies today in Jesus Christ.--The heart of Leviticus is about Israel being united in the person of the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies and bears all Israel into God's presence---And we've been seeing how Book One of the Psalter teaches Israel to see Themselves -in David- in a very similar way.--This is why we sing Psalm 19 in Christ. And Psalm 19 teaches us to sing this way by giving the direction at the beginning----To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.-
The Sabbath is not just a weekly principle. It is a principle that structures all time.--In Leviticus 25 the Sabbath is applied not only to weeks, but also to years, and indeed to weeks of years. The seventh day is the weekly day of rest. The seventh month is the annual month of rest. The seventh year is sabbatical year of rest. But the 49th year is NOT the Jubilee.--The Jubilee is the 50th year - the year after the seventh seven. In other words, the Jubilee is the ultimate Sabbath, but it occurs on an eighth year - the first year of the new creation.--The seventh day, month, and year is about endings. The end of the week, the end of the harvest, the cycle of harvests. But the Jubilee - the 50th year - is about new beginnings...
-A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.---Psalm 18 is almost identical to 2 Samuel 22. Indeed, the title is taken from 2 Samuel 22-1. It is an interesting description. David, after all, had many enemies - and many of them came long after King Saul. Since the song is placed in 2 Samuel 22 - at the end of David's reign - it takes the form a retrospective - a reflection on God's faithfulness to David--And, indeed, this is emphatically David's story. God's love for David was shown in that when David was in trouble, God rent the heavens, smoke came from his nostrils, fire from his mouth -think of God as the heavenly dragon coming to rescue his people from their foes----When David was in trouble God moved heaven and earth - laying bare the foundations of the world - in order to deliver his chosen servant...
Besides its central focus on the Day of Atonement, there are two -events- in the book of Leviticus- The ordination of the priests with the death of Nadab and Abihu in chapters 9-10, and the blasphemy of the unnamed man in chapter 24 - which is linked with the oil and the bread.--There are two sections to this chapter. The first part deals with matters specifically focused on the tabernacle worship. The final section deals with the violation of God's holy name by a nameless man...
Psalm 17 helps us to give voice to the frustration and agony of life -in a world where the innocent often suffer - where we frequently experience the pain that comes from other people sinning against us.--If you read Psalm 17 without Jesus, you might be tempted to think, -I alone am innocent - everyone else around me is an idiot----But if you read Psalm 17 with Jesus, then you must see him first as the innocent one - the one who suffered because of what you did-
Having set forth the requirements for maintaining the holiness of the priests and of the sacrifices in chapters 21-22, Moses now turns to the feasts of Yahweh. --The liturgical calendar of Israel was to structure life before the LORD. Like the rest of life in the ancient world, the agricultural cycle of planting and harvesting sets the tone for worship as well. The various feasts of Israel were timed to coordinate with the harvest, in order that they might bring their firstfruits and their tithes to the LORD.--Here we have a chronological description of the Lord's appointed feasts, which were to be sacred assemblies-or holy convocations. Numbers 28-11-15 adds the -new moon- in the section describing the sacrificial calendar, but since it was not a feast, it is not included here or in Deuteronomy 16. The New Moon festival would become important in later Jewish worship -Cf. Amos 8-5, Is. 1-13-14, 2 Kings 4-22-23-.--It is worth noting that two of the three feasts have clear New Testament parallels. Passover and Easter are clearly connected in the gospels. And Pentecost and Pentecost are clearly connected in Acts. The Feast of Booths-Tabernacles is the one that is less obvious.--We'll come back to that at the end...
Christ is the center of Psalm 16. Peter, in Acts 2, says that David was a prophet-speaking about the coming of Messiah.--Did the prophets always understand the implications of what they said-- Did they always even know that they were speaking of the future-- The same apostle Peter later tells us in 2 Peter 1-21 that -no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.--Did David realize that he was speaking of Jesus-- Maybe. Maybe not. But whether he realized it or not, he was indeed prophesying about the one to come.--Psalm 16 describes the Son of God in his reliance upon his heavenly Father. This was to be Israel's attitude toward God. It was especially to be the Davidic king's attitude. And it was most emphatically the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ.--And so it is to be the attitude of us who are in Christ...
For the last few weeks we have been looking at how God called Israel to be holy. Now we are looking at the priests. The land is holy-yet the there is a special holiness focused on the tabernacle. Even so, the people are holy - yet there is a special holiness focused on the priests.--Chapters 21-22 focus on four things.--The first two we saw last week, talking about the holy priests--- v1-15 avoiding defilement- v16-24 physical holiness--Now tonight, we turn to holy things--- v1-16 who may partake of the holy things- v17-30 what animals may be offered as holy sacrifices--concluding with a focus on God holy name.--Each of the four sections is prefaced with -And the LORD said to Moses...-
When you look at Psalms 14-15 side by side you see the path of fools and the path of the righteous clearly contrasted---Psalm 14 shows us the fool - who does not seek after God, who devours people with his words, who is corrupt and does abominable things, who uses power and influence to shame the poor.--On the other hand, Psalm 15 shows us the righteous, who worships at God's holy hill - and stays there because he does what is right- The righteous speaks truth in his heart - and therefore uses words to bless those who fear the LORD. --The righteous is incorruptible - and uses his power and wealth to help the innocent...
For the last few weeks we have been looking at how God called Israel to be holy. For the next two weeks -chapters 21-22-, we will turn to the priests. The land is holy - yet the there is a special holiness focused on the tabernacle. Even so, the people are holy - yet there is a special holiness focused on the priests...
How long, O LORD-- Will you forget me forever----Does God actually forget you-- No- Of course not- God does not have a faulty memory---But the language of -forgetting- and -remembering- is not just about the -faculty- of memory.--Remembering cannot be detached from words and actions. In Deuteronomy Moses repeatedly tells Israel, -Remember the LORD your God.- -Do not forget- the days in the wilderness. In the same way, in Exodus 2, we are told that God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.--And that -remembering- is what sparks God's actions in redeeming Israel from Egypt.--When God remembers, he speaks and acts. When God forgets, he is silent. Ps 13 teaches us that it is okay for us to say that God has forgotten me- It is okay to say that God is silent - and that his silence is very painful for me---Psalm 13 is a song for those who lament and mourn over the silence of God...
God's holiness is not about him being far off and distant. God's holiness is what impels him to draw near - and to create a way for us to draw near to him.--Holiness requires separation from evil because we are separated to and for God- He made us for himself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in him.--We've been learning to make distinctions- between the holy and the common - and within the common, between the clean and the unclean - and within the unclean, there is also depravity and abomination. --Things that are moving in the direction of the unclean - and worse - are moving toward death. Things that clean - and moving towards the holy - are moving toward life- --Chapter 20 is closely related to the previous chapters. It sets forth some of the penalties for certain sins in chapters 18-19, and it concludes the section on the holiness of Israel from 17-20.-The following chapters will turn to the holiness of the priests.--Israel needs to understand that their continued inheritance depends upon the maintenance of holiness. Life in the promised land is contingent upon being holy even as God is holy.--And the apostle Peter tells us that this is the same command that comes to us as Christians- As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, -You shall be holy, for I am holy.- -1 Peter 1-14-16-
Psalm 12 may have been written 3,000 years ago, but as with all the Psalms, it connects with every generation.---On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.- It can be tempting at times to think that it has never been this bad before- That this generation trumps all prior generations.- -In the 4th century, Evagrius of Pontus said it this way- -First the righteous fail, then the truth is diminished. Not only is there no truth among the righteous, there is no holiness among honest people. Now, since the righteous have failed, truth is diminished. Perhaps the poverty of righteous people is the reason why so many heresies have shot up.---That's what they said in the 4th century, as the gospel -triumphed- over the Roman empire. As millions professed faith in Jesus Christ - the faithful could only see how truth had perished.--Why do I say this-- Do I say this to tell you that it's not really that bad today-- No.--I say this to tell you that it is still that bad today---The Psalms were collected and gathered together in order to be the hymnal of God's people.--The Psalms were given to us as templates - as patterns - so that we might inhabit them -in Christ-. Just as Israel was called to sing these Psalms in David, so we are called to sing them in Christ.--Have you had any experience with friends who betrayed you-- Neighbors who lied to you-- Flatterers who flattened you-- People who used their tongues to cut you down----Then Psalm 12 is for you. In every generation from David to the present, Psalm 12 is designed for the people of God to cry out to the LORD and find comfort and refuge in him...
Last time we saw five expressions of love toward neighbor. The refrain, -I am Yahweh,- reminds Israel that God is their judge. If they fail to exhibit holiness in their relations with one another, they will one day stand before God. His character must be the standard for their lives---1- Holiness requires leaving a portion of your harvest for the poor -v9-10-.--2- Holiness also requires us not to steal, either by act of theft, or by word of deceit -v11-12-.--3- Holiness also requires us not to defraud or cheat our neighbors in any way -v13-14---4- Holiness requires that we defend the good name of others -v15-16-.--5- All of this comes down to one basic principle- -Do not hate your brother in your heart....but love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.- -v17-18---God's holiness is not about him being far off and distant. God's holiness is what impels him to draw near - and to create a way for us to draw near to him.--In this week's passage, God sets forth nine more statutes that illuminate holiness for us...
Sometimes you hear people say that God hates the sin but loves the sinner. But Psalm 11-5 says that -the LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.---God's soul - the deepest part of him - hates the wicked.--How can that be-- Doesn't God love everything that he made----Yes---It is entirely possible to love the sinner and hate the sinner at the same time. How-- Well, insofar as this person is made in the image of God, God loves him- And insofar as this person is in rebellion against God, God hates him.--Why does God hate-- God hates because God is love- And because God loves all that he has made, therefore he hates whatever is trying to destroy that which he loves---This is important for us as we think about how we are to live in a crooked and perverse generation - when the foundations are destroyed...
As we turn to chapter 19, it may appear at first to be a strange combination of laws, blending civil, moral, and ceremonial matters.--But we are largely looking at the Ten Commandments - though as we'll see, the Ten Commandments as applied to Israel's pursuit of holiness.--The organizing principle, around which the whole chapter is built, is verse 2- -You shall be holy, for I Yahweh your God am holy.- There are two basic sections- the call to love God and neighbor in verses 3-18, and the call to keep God's statutes in verses 19-37.--The phrase, -I am Yahweh- appears 16 times in this chapter. The rationale for Israel's holiness is found not in themselves, but in their God.--God is holy- And his holiness must not be profaned- But we are unclean.--How can a people of unclean lips draw near a holy God----The first 16 chapters focused on how we can draw near. Now we will look at what that holiness should look like in our lives.--As the chapter concludes -and as we'll see next week-, Israel's holiness is rooted in their redemption from Egypt. They are not delivered from bondage because they were holy, they are holy because they were delivered from bondage.
Psalm 9 concluded by reminding us that God will not forget the poor. In the conflict between rebellious nations and the LORD God, we ask God to remind the nations -that they are but men.---Psalm 10 -or part two of Psalm 9- then reflects on how this isn't happening right now. The future hope of the poor is not a present reality- And so we share the King's perplexity at why God seems so far away -v1-11-, and we unite in the King's confidence that God will make it right in the end...
Leviticus 18 is part of a whole section-chapters 17-20 - where God sets forth the meaning of holiness from an ethical standpoint.- -Leviticus 11-15 explained ceremonial cleanness and uncleanness, so that Israel would be prepared to enter the worship of God. But ceremonial cleanness is only a part of the picture. God also demands ethical holiness.--Leviticus 18 explicitly sets forth God's commands for sexual purity in the context of Egypt and Canaan. Israel must be different, and so the laws of Leviticus 18 address sexual matters in terms that were quite familiar to the Israelites - but may seem strange to us...
-Sung Psalm- 2---How do we sing Psalm 9 as a Christian-- -Arise, O LORD- Let not man prevail- let the nations be judged before you- Put them in fear, O LORD- Let the nations know that they are but men----If you have ever been afflicted - if you have ever suffered because of someone who was better connected, better able to manipulate -the system- - then you will understand how to sing Psalm 9-10...
The whole story of the Bible - the whole of human history - rides on the current of blood.--In Genesis 4, the blood of Abel cries out to God for justice.--In Egypt, the first plague turned the water of the Nile into blood.--At the Passover, blood was placed on the doorposts of the house - to prevent the angel of death from striking the firstborn.--The opening chapters of Leviticus spelled out in great detail how our approach to God requires the careful use of blood.--And here in chapter 17 - right after showing the way back into the Most Holy Place in ch 16 - the first thing God says is to remind his people not to eat blood.--Eating or drinking blood is consistently a cursed thing- Think of how Revelation 16-6 speaks of this- When the third angel pours out his bowl into the rivers and springs, they become blood. And the angel of the waters says- -Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve.---And so the title of tonight's sermon should sounds horribly disconcerting- -Unless You Drink of His Blood, You Have No Life in You.---When Jesus said in John 6, -unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,- that prompted many of his followers to abandon him.--That's just crazy talk. How can an observant Jew say this----Let's look at this more carefully...
-Sung Psalm- 8---When you hear the question, -what is man--- you might expect a discussion of Genesis 1-2, and the creation of man in the image of God.--But in Psalm 8, the question -what is man--- has a different tone than we might use. To understand the question, think about how it is used in the OT - for instance, 2 Samuel 9-8.--When Mephibosheth -son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul- comes before David, he falls on his face and pays homage. When David promises kindness to Mephibosheth for the sake of his father, Jonathan, Mephibosheth says, -What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I-----Likewise, in 2 Kings 8-13, when Elisha speaks to Hazael of Syria, prophesying of how Hazael will torture and destroy Israel, Hazael responds, -What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing-----So the phrase -who, or what, am I- is used frequently to express a sense of subordination - a posture of humility.--It is also used that way with God, the great King. In Exodus 3-11, we have perhaps the most famous- Moses says to God, at the burning bush, -Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt-----David also speaks in 2 Samuel 7-18, after God has established his covenant with him, saying, -Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far-----The question, -who am I,- that you should do such kind things for me, is the background to Psalm 8. --What is man, that God would give him dominion over all things----Who are we, that God would crown us with glory and honor--
God's purpose in history is to bring people to himself- He is opening the way to draw humanity back to himself.--Indeed, this is the big picture of the 5 books of Moses---Genesis begins with humanity expelled from the Garden.--Deuteronomy ends with the new humanity preparing to enter the Promised Land.--Exodus tells the story of how God brought Israel out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai.--Numbers tells the story of how God brought Israel from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land.--Leviticus takes place entirely at Mt. Sinai.--Exodus ended with the glory of the LORD filling the Most Holy Place - so that no one could go in- That was both glorious and troubling---Glorious - because God now dwells with his people---Troubling - because God said that he wanted his people to draw near - but so long as the glory of the LORD is in the Most Holy Place, we can't get the...--and when Nadab and Abihu tried - they were burnt to a crisp---So Leviticus is all about how humanity can draw near to God without getting crispy-
We've looked at the importance of complaint and lament - but today we look particularly at how the LORD is the refuge of the righteous.--When you are innocent - it's not your job to vindicate yourself- -O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge- save me from my pursuers and deliver me...-
We need to remember that Leviticus is all about the question of how humanity - and particularly how Israel, God's firstborn son - can ascend God's holy mountain. How can sinful humanity enter the presence of a holy God----Tonight we look at how male and female connect to this question...
Psalm 6 particularly teaches us the art of lamentation. It is entitled----To the choirmaster- with stringed instruments- according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.----According to the Sheminith- could be translated, -according to the eighth- -which is probably a musical term - perhaps even identical to our word -octave--.--The early Fathers recognized here the principle of the number eight. After all, there are seven days in the week, and so the eighth day is the first day of the new week. Likewise, there are seven notes in the scale, and so the eighth note is the first note of the next octave.--There are two Psalms that use this designation- Psalm 6 and Psalm 12 - both of which are laments. The octave - the eighth note - is particularly appropriate for a lament, because the octave signals a new beginning - and a lament recognizes that something is fundamentally wrong, and so we need a new beginning-
We saw last time that any disease which disfigured the skin could be called -sara'at,- and anyone who had such a disease would be quarantined - separated from the community.--This was not due to contagion -there is no mention of that in the text-, but rather it focuses again on proper function. Internal diseases are not in view. For that matter, contagious diseases are not in view. Rather, the focus is on visible diseases. Israel must be clean in order to worship God and partake of holy things. Therefore Israel must be visibly pure.--If a person has a visible disease, then he is rendered unclean, and must be put out of the community.--The picture here is that of the corruption of the flesh - quite literally- The outward and visible corruption of the flesh symbolizes humanity's problem. How can corrupt flesh come into the presence of a holy God----The point is that raw flesh - leprous disease - these unclean skin diseases - are the undoing of creation - a returning to the barren wasteland - the -formless and void- - of Genesis 1 -before God spoke----That's why the unclean person must dwell outside the camp. He is to dress in a manner that makes clear from a distance that he is unclean. Since touching an unclean person rendered you unclean, Moses puts a certain responsibility on the unclean to protect others from becoming unclean. The unclean person lives alone.--This is why we need to understand chapter 14 - because how can the leper be made clean----How can that which is unfit for the presence of God become fit---
-Sung Psalm- 5---Psalm 5 is part of a group of five Psalms -Psalms 3-7- that explore the theme of refuge.--Psalm 2 ended, -blessed are all who take refuge in you.- So during Advent we are looking at these songs of refuge---In verse 11 we now hear -let all who take refuge in you rejoice.---The word translated -refuge- in verse 11 is found 25 times in the Psalter-15 times in book One -the first 41 Psalms---But it's not just about the word -refuge.- If you look at Psalms 3-7, you will notice that only Psalm 5 and Psalm 7 actually use the word refuge, but all five of them focus on the same idea.--David cries out for deliverance in Psalm 3, describing Yahweh as a -shield about me.- In verse 4, he speaks of how Yahweh answered him from his holy hill. And notice the result- When God answered David's prayer, he lay down and slept-he had found refuge in the care of the Lord.--Psalm 4 calls upon God to hear the prayer of the godly, including, -in peace I will both lie down and sleep- for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.---Psalm 6 likewise calls out to God for deliverance. Verses 6-7 speaks of how he floods his bed with tears every night- without the deliverance of the Lord, he has no strength. But then in verses 8-10 he declares that the Lord has heard his plea, and therefore his enemies will be driven back.--Psalm 7 starts by declaring, -O Yahweh, my God, in you do I take refuge - save me from all my pursuers and deliver me----These five Psalms of refuge will set us up for Psalm 8 -on Christmas morning- - the Son of Man who has dominion over all things-
Why does God give to Israel such a detailed procedure for identifying skin disease-- We use the term -leprosy- - but what we call leprosy today didn't exist in Moses' day.--The word translated -leprosy- in this passage means simply to be struck,-and by implication means to be struck by God.--Any disease which disfigured the skin could be called -sara'at,- and anyone who had such a disease would be quarantined - separated from the community. This was not due to contagion -there is no mention of that in the text-, but rather it focuses again on proper function.--Internal diseases are not in view. For that matter, contagious diseases are not in view. Rather, the focus is on visible diseases. Israel must be clean in order to worship God and partake of holy things. Therefore Israel must be visibly pure. If a person has a visible diseases, then he is rendered unclean, and must be put out of the community.---The picture here is that of the corruption of the flesh - quite literally- The outward and visible corruption of the flesh symbolizes humanity's problem. How can corrupt flesh come into the presence of a holy God----You can see here how Leviticus understands clearly that the fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Our problem is not just sin- Our problem is not just a -soul problem- - our problem affects even our bodies...
-Sung Psalms- 3 - 4---Sometimes it's really dark. Sometimes you wonder, -will I really wake up in the morning--- Will there even be a morning----Listen- there was a day when Jesus lay down and slept - when he died - and was laid to rest in a tomb. But did Jesus stay dead-- Did he remain in the grave-- No- God raised him from the dead - he rose again from the dead---And because Jesus has been raised from the dead, therefore the power of darkness has been broken.--The Light always shines in the face of Jesus- And so in your dark nights - when you cannot sleep - remember Jesus, who lay down and slept, and woke again, because the LORD sustained him...
In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire - and died, as fire came out from the LORD and consumed them.--In Leviticus 16, we are told that the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died -suggesting that they may have tried to go into the Most Holy Place-.--Chapters 11-15 form something of an interlude to that narrative. These laws about the clean and the unclean are all about how Israel can approach a holy God- Aaron and his sons are supposed to distinguish between the holy and the common - and between the clean and the unclean.--Holy - is that which is devoted solely to God-Common - is that which is for man'' use--And within the -common- there is yet another distinction---The Clean - is suitable for-moving toward the holy place-The Unclean - is unsuitable for-moving away from the holy place--And as we saw last time, there is another category as well---The Abomination - that which is detestable - connected with idolatry and death.--So where does childbirth lie in these categories--
-Sung Psalm- 2---Psalm 2 starts by asking a question, and this question provides the backdrop for the entire Psalm. -Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain-----Remember that the Psalmist is writing this at a time when Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests. Israel was supposed to mediate the blessings of God to the nations. But the nations did not seem very interested in receiving God's blessings. The kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord, And the rulers take counsel together against Yahweh and his anointed.--The nations are not coming to Jerusalem, beating down the door to hear the Word of the LORD- they are coming to Jerusalem, beating down the door to destroy the Lord's Anointed king---But the Psalmist understands that the Davidic king, sitting on David's throne, is the embodiment of Israel. All that God has promised to Israel is going to be fulfilled in their anointed king.- -God laughs at the enemies of Israel, because he has established the Son of David in Zion. And the dominion of the Son of David is going to extend to the whole earth.--Because the Son of David is also the Son of God...
Deuteronomy 14 speaks of clean and unclean animals. Leviticus 11 provides the basic principles, which Deuteronomy expands on.--What is the reason for these prohibitions-- The rabbis argued that it was especially for reasons of health- but if that is the case, then God was most cruel to the NT church, because he has set this law aside most explicitly, as we will see later.--There are other reasons that are more compelling.--1- Some of these animals were used in pagan religion. The pig, for instance, was a sacrificial animal for the Babylonians and ancient Canaanites. In Egypt and Iran many believed the dog to be sacred, while field mice were offered as sacrifices in Haran.--But this doesn't provide an adequate explanation. Virtually every animal had some use in pagan religions.- -The cow, the sheep and the goat were commonly used in Ancient religious rites. So we need to find a better explanation.--2- We come closer to an explanation when we consider the relationship -between -clean- and -holy-. In order to be set apart for the Lord's worship and service, in order to participate in the covenant blessings, a person had to be clean. Your proper function as a member of the covenant community was to serve the living God.---Clean- animals were those that fulfilled their proper function. Leviticus 11 sets forth the -proper function- of the various sorts of animals.--To be clean means to be fit for the presence of God. To be holy means that one belongs to God.--What is clean is closer to the life of God. What is unclean is closer to death - closer to chaos and misery...
-Sung Psalm- 1---Why does a person get -prickly--- defensive-- Jeremiah says that it is because he dwells in the parched places of the wilderness - in an uninhabited salt land.--The desert shrub has little access to water. And so the desert shrub gets prickly and defensive - trying to guard itself from invaders that would steal its water---I know that's how I can be- When the heat comes - when I make -flesh- my strength - I get defensive and prickly.--Remember where Jeremiah starts- -cursed is the man who trusts in man- - When we trust in man - when our hope is in human strength and resources - whether our own, or that of others - our hearts are turning away from the LORD.--And Jeremiah contrasts this with the Blessed Man -whose trust is the LORD- - and then he quotes Psalm 1.--But then Jeremiah reminds us that our hearts are deceitful. We may think that everything is fine. We may think that we are listening to the right voices---But when we make the flesh our hope, when we hope in human strength and resources, we are isolating ourselves from the river of living water----O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame- those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.---Whose words matter to you----Whose voice are you listening to--
What's going on here-- Nadab and Abihu were the two older sons of Aaron. They had been with Moses and Aaron and the 70 elders on Mt. Sinai in Ex. 24.--Now - they offer strange fire before the LORD - and fire comes out from the LORD and consumed them.--We have seen that Aaron failed catastrophically in making a golden calf. Yet God forgives that sin - and allows Aaron to become High Priest. But Nadab and Abihu offer -strange fire- and are burnt to a crisp on the spot---Whatever happened to getting a -second chance--- Whatever happened to -the LORD is merciful and gracious------What we are seeing is the fact that yes, the LORD is merciful and gracious - but the LORD is also holy. --And these two things are not opposed to each other- Moses has been laying out clearly the importance of doing what God says. When the priests are bringing God's people into the holy place - they themselves need to be holy.--When God says -do it this way- - don't do it some other way--
-Sung Psalm- 103---The OT law was clear- Israel was not supposed to enslave fellow Israelites. In certain cases -particularly for debt-, an Israelite might temporarily become a slave - but they were to be set free in the 7th year.- -Jeremiah 34 makes it clear that Israel was ignoring this requirement. Oh, sure, they -set them free- - only to enslave them once more.- -But God says that you should not enslave your brother. --In Philemon, Paul will make a big deal about how Onesimus is your brother. You should not be holding your brother as a slave.--Many have criticized Paul for failing to condemn the institution of slavery. They want Paul to be a modern abolitionist. But abolition takes as its goal merely the -end of slavery.- Abolitionism has no positive goal - what are you going to replace it with----Paul wants to see reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus. He wants to see them live together as brothers.
-On the eighth day---It is remarkable how important the eighth day was to Israel. You might think that the seventh day would be the most important. After all, God blessed and sanctified the seventh day in Genesis 2.--Yes - but Genesis 2 ends with humanity in the Garden in Eden - Adam and Eve were walking with God in the cool of the day - living in fellowship with God. Every seventh day, they entered God's rest---But there is a problem with the seventh day. Because in Genesis 3 man rebelled against God, refused to heed his voice - followed the voice of the serpent - and were banished from the Garden. They were exiled from the presence of God - and thus on every seventh day, they failed to enter God's rest.--The seventh day is a reminder that things are not what they should be...
-Sung Psalm- 66---In Paul's letter to Philemon, the apostle calls a master to free his slave.--Some have wondered why Paul did not appeal to OT law. After all, Deuteronomy 23-15 says that -you shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you.- And yet Onesimus has escaped from Philemon and has sought refuge with Paul.--In our Politics and the Kingdom of God study, we have had some opportunity to reflect on how the OT law applies today - and now in the book of Philemon, we can see how Paul applies the law.--He doesn't simply say, -Hey look, Moses says I shouldn't return him-- After all, the Mosaic law was given to Israel - and under Roman law, Paul was obligated to send Onesimus back. So what we see here is how Paul applies the equity of the Law - the principle - to a Roman situation.--Paul submits to the governing authorities - he sends the slave back to his master - but along with the slave, he sends a letter that is designed to convince Philemon to set Onesimus free.--If Paul had attacked the institution of slavery - insisting that slavery was morally wrong - and threatening to excommunicate Philemon if he refused to emancipate all his slaves, Paul would have turned the church into a revolutionary institution.--But while Paul thinks that freedom is better than slavery - Paul does not think that the gospel should be subordinated to political ends. There are lots of problems in every society.--Rather, Paul wants us to see that our new identity in Christ also brings a new community in Christ. We are a family. Our old ways of thinking about -family- will be challenged by this.
After all the details about offerings in chapters 1-7, you might be hoping for another sermon to put the whole picture together---Well, that's exactly what God thought you would need- So he gave us Leviticus chapter 8- In Leviticus 8 you get to see how all the offerings fit together.--Leviticus is all about two things---1- how you can come before God through the offerings, and--2- how you should live before God - in holiness.--Or, you might say that Leviticus is all about justification and sanctification.--Chapters 1-7 lay out the various offerings that God commanded. Now we hear about how the priest was ordained. The offerings were important to God - and so was the mediator who offered them. Israel's priesthood was to be hereditary. Given that the promises of God revolved around the promised Seed, the Son who would come and deliver his people, it was fitting that the priesthood would pass from father to son...
-Ed- is the Hebrew word translated -witness-.--The story of Ed begins with the tribes of Israel returning the land of their possession - particularly the warriors from the eastern tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.--After dividing the land -in Joshua 13-19- Joshua sends the eastern tribes home...
-Sung Psalm- 116---We are concluding our catechetical series with a ten-part reflection on the Lord's Prayer. And I want to start by connecting what we have seen in the Creed with Prayer.--If our faith is a Trinitarian faith, then our prayers should be Trinitarian prayers---Our Larger Catechism has some useful reflections on how to pray.--It starts by asking---Q. 178. What is prayer--A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit- with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies.--Notice the Trinitarian structure of the answer--Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God,- in the name of Christ,- by the help of his Spirit,- -and remember that the Creed goes on to speak of -one baptism for the remission of sins- and the catechism echoes that -with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies.-
The next section of Jushua tells of cities of Refuge and the Levitical cities that Moses commanded Israel to set aside after they conquered the land. --Levi is scattered among the other 12 inheritances -or thirteen, if you count the two halves of Manasseh-- God does this in order to remind Israel that they are one people. And also that the inheritance of the land is pointing them to the inheritance of God himself-
-Sung Psalm- 49---What is your hope- Where are you going- Where is your story heading---I fear that for so many who claim to be Christians, they would conclude their Creed -I look for my bodily happiness, and the life of the present age.---Do you really believe what you say in the Creed each week---In the Apostles' Creed we confess the -resurrection of the body and the life everlasting- - and in the Nicene Creed we say -I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.---Think about Paul's conclusion----Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.---Paul seems to think that his whole discussion of the resurrection is eminently practical.--If you believe in the resurrection of the body, then you know that your bodily labors are not in vain - in the Lord...
Seven tribes have received their inheritance - with seven more to go- Wait, you might say, but there are only 12 tribes - how come there are 14 inheritances----There were 12 sons of Jacob - each gets one inheritance, right- Except Joseph gets a double portion, so there are 13 inheritances to be distributed. Except Levi doesn't get a full portion - but Levi's portion is the sacrifices -13-14-, or the LORD himself -13-33-, or the levitical cities with their pasturelands -14-4-.--So if you look at the previous chpaters, you will see inheritances given for Reuben, Gad, half of Manasseh -that's 3-, Judah, Ephraim, and the other half of Manasseh -that makes 6-, with regular reference to Levi's portion -that's 7-.--And so Israel gathers at the tent of meeting at Shiloh...
-Sung Psalm- 42---The waters of baptism are a rushing torrent that threatens to sweep us all away- If you think about it, that's the picture of baptism that Peter uses in 1 Peter 3 - the Flood, where God saved Noah and family in the same waters that destroyed the wicked.--Or Paul speaks of how Israel was baptized in the cloud and in the sea - the same Red Sea that destroyed Pharaoh's army---Water cleanses. But water also destroys.--After all, how does water cleanse- By washing away the dirt from the body. Water cleanses by removing - destroying - that which is impure.--Maybe you didn't realize it at the time. Maybe you were baptized as an infant - and you don't remember that day. Maybe you didn't really understand yet what baptism meant.--But that's what your baptism was all about-
Have you ever wondered why Judah and Joseph receive all the land listed as conquered- -If you look at chapter 18, verse 3, Joshua asks the other seven tribes, -How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land...-----I used to wonder about that when I would pour over maps in my youth. But when you read more carefully, you discover that there was really no conquered land---The combined forces of the twelve tribes only operated under Joshua for a few years to overthrow the military power of Canaan. That initial operation succeeded in overthrowing 31 kings as we saw in chapters 10-12. But at the end of that campaign, the only place on the western side of the Jordan-where the people of Israel lived was the camp at Gilgal.--Most of the kings of Canaan are dead. A large number of the warriors were killed. But only a relatively small percentage of the Canaanites themselves were dead.--Cities that were captured were then left empty, while the army moved on to the next place. So, probably within a few days, those who had fled would return - hoping that Israel wouldn't come back---There is still a lot of hard fighting ahead in order for Israel to take possession of their inheritance. Whosoever wishes to take possession of their inheritance may do so-
-Sung Psalm- 47---Paul speaks of how Jews and Gentiles are brought together into one new man - as Jesus Christ reconciles both Jew and Gentile to God in one body through the cross.--And through him - we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.--And in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. God the Father has welcomed you into his household, because God the Son has brought you near by his own blood, and God the Spirit is the gift of uncreated grace - the presence of God himself - to be with us as the guarantee of the inheritance of Jesus-
This sermon may, at times, feel like a geography lesson- But that is as it should be - because the central chapters of the book of Joshua are a geography lesson---For many of us, geography was about memorizing the various states, and the capital cities of each state.--But geography is about so much more---When I was growing up in California, I learned all about the -water wars- between the various interests - the cities, the central valley, the -salad bowl- - all of which were fighting over a decreasing amount of water---Many of you have heard my prediction that the Great Lakes area will be the next region to experience an economic boom. Why- Because water always wins---We learn that in our text tonight- Without water, what is the use of land---But tonight's geography lesson is not just a matter of -secular- geography. When Joshua lays out the boundaries of the tribes of Israel, he wants us to see the importance of the land - the inheritance - that God is giving to his Son. The boundaries and cities named in our text were familiar to those who lived there. hTey would have walked these paths - they would have known people in these places.---I had a cousin who lived there----It's more remote for us - but it is important for us to remember that - like Rahab - we have been grafted in to Israel, so that this becomes our story as well.--The inheritance of Joshua's day, after all, prefigures the inheritance that we have received in Jesus-
-Sung Psalm- 143---The Spirit leads and the Spirit speaks. That's what he does- He guides the church into all truth. And he takes what belongs to the Son and declares it to us---He is the Spirit of truth.--In the Apostles' Creed we simply say, -I believe in the Holy Spirit.---But in the Nicene Creed we say a little more- -the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son- who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified- who spoke by the prophets.-
-All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.---You might wonder - how is Joshua 11-12 -profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness-- How do these chapters help equip me for -every good work----It is not as simple as -go and do likewise-- I am very confident that you should not burn South Bend with fire. You should not devote to destruction every resident of Granger---The lesson of the Conquest - in Psalm 44 - is that God is King- He is the one who gives victory. He is the one who goes before his people---You might think - then - that the key is Israel's faithfulness. If Israel obeys God, then God gives Israel victory - right----After the victory at Jericho, Achan took the devoted goods - and judgment fell upon God's people. Only when they disciplined Achan - and removed the evil from the camp - only then did God give them victory over Ai.--Psalm 44 wrestles with this - because according to the Psalmist - Israel had been faithful- Their defeat in battle could not be attributed to their sin. They had done what God said- They had been faithful to God's covenant---And yet their enemies had defeated them - humiliated them...--How do we make sense of this- If obedience is supposed to result in victory - then how do we make sense of the awful tragedies and sufferings of life-- -If we pay attention to the text of Joshua, we discover that this is not only a true historical account of what happened when Israel invaded the Land.--It is also profitable for you...
-Sung Psalm- 104---Every week we say that we believe in the Holy Spirit - the -Lord and giver of life.- Why do we call the Holy Spirit the -Lord and giver of life----At the Creation - we are told that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters - brooding over the deep. And then all that God brings forth came from this -deep- over which the Spirit hovered.--But the Holy Spirit is not just the Lord and giver of life -in the beginning.- The Holy Spirit is the -life-giver- of all life.--Job reflects on this in Job 33-4 - -The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.---All life - human life as well as animal life - is given by the Spirit of God.--He is the Lord and giver of life---So it should not surprise us that the Holy Spirit is also the Lord and giver of eternal life- Because when God called Israel -my firstborn-, and called Israel out of Egypt, he led him by his Spirit through the wilderness.--The glory cloud - the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day - that led Israel through the wilderness was none other than the Holy Spirit himself---That's what Isaiah says --Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit-- -when the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle-. -who led them through the depths... Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name----The same Spirit who gave life at the Creation - and who gives life to all living things - is the same Spirit who brings the life of the New Creation-
What we saw last week in the story of Achan was the need for holiness in spiritual warfare. If Israel is not holy - then they will not inherit the land.--If Israel is not faithful to God - if they pursue their own wealth and glory then they will become just like the Canaanites.--We have seen that in the conquest - in Joshua's day - Israel was supposed to be the angel of death bringing judgment upon the wicked, as a picture of the final judgment.--If you are going to serve as a stand-in for Jesus, then you had better be holy-- -Tonight we see a curious example of the mercy of God. Curious because the Gibeonites were supposed to die. They are among the condemned tribes. They are supposed to be exterminated. And - as we'll see - there is a strong hint in our text that if Israel had consulted with the LORD, the LORD would have ordered the death of the Gibeonites---But they didn't- And in his great mercy, God used that in order to bring salvation to the Gibeonites...
-Sung Psalm- 110---What does the Bible teach about vengeance- -Vengeance is mine, I will repay- - says the LORD.--I think sometimes we hear that as -vengeance is bad----But if vengeance belongs to the LORD - then vengeance is not bad- Rather, we are very bad at vengeance---The story is told of a monk in the Egyptian desert who was furious at how he had been treated. He visited an older monk and explained that he had been wronged and could not rest until he had vengeance. So the older monk said to him, -My brother, let us pray.- Raising up his hands, he prayed, -God, we don't need you. We can avenge ourselves.- The younger man fell on his face and begged forgiveness, realizing that -vengeance presupposes a godless world.- -Harmless, 236---Our problem is that when we take vengeance we overdo it. And sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes we convict the innocent. And sometimes we let the guilty get away with murder.- -When you ask God to take care of vengeance - you may be certain that he will do it properly---That's why we need Jesus to come with glory to judge both the living and the dead- Certainly we should do justice as far as we can in this life. After all, Psalm 94 condemns wicked rulers for their failure to do justice----But Psalm 94 recognizes that only the God of vengeance is able to make right all wrongs-
Today we are looking at the need for holiness in spiritual warfare. In Joshua's day, Israel was supposed to be the angel of death bringing judgment upon the wicked, as a picture of the final judgment.--If you are going to serve as a stand-in for Jesus, then you had better be holy---And that's not just the case for the OT people of God- After all, we are called to bring the message of salvation to the nations---And so we are called to be holy as he is holy---What does it mean to be holy- In our text for tonight we see how it means to be faithful to God. That his ways would be more important to us than our own desires.--Because when we seek first our own kingdoms, the result is invariably that we harm others.--And we see this with Achan...
As we are working our way through the Creed, we have talked about how we confess our faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.--The Creed follows a Trinitarian structure, because our God has revealed himself to us as one God in three persons.--For the last several weeks we have been talking about how our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was dead and buried, he descended into hell, and the third day he rose again from the dead.--And today we come to the phrase, -he ascended into heaven.-
Now we have come to the central section of the book of Joshua. Taking Possession of the land -the last two sections will be -dividing the land- and -worshiping God.---God had promised this land to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob - that their heirs - their descendants - would take possession of the land of Canaan.--And so the leading verb in this section of the book - not surprisingly - is the verb to take possession- --And now that the army has been cleansed. Now that the army has been nourished by word and sacrament, as Joshua...
-Sung Psalm- 8---Last time we talked about how Christ descended into hell. He took upon himself the wrath and curse that we deserved- He entered the realm of the dead - so that we might never dwell in darkness.--But what happened next- Did Jesus stay dead-- By no means---The Apostles' Creed says it this way- the third day he rose again from the dead- he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty---The Nicene Creed adds a phrase- and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures- and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father---That line -according to the scriptures- is quoted from 1 Corinthians 15-4 - -He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.---The whole of the Old Testament is all about the death and resurrection of the beloved Son. Whether it was Isaac, whom Abraham received back, as it were, from the dead. Or Israel who descended into hell -in other words, Egypt- - and who was restored to life again 400 years later- Or Jonah who spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. Or Elijah and Elisha who each raised a beloved son from the dead - as a sign to Israel that their only hope is that God raises the dead---The whole Old Testament is all about the death and resurrection of the beloved son.--So today I want to focus particularly on -Why the Resurrection Matters-...
We saw last time how the LORD brought Israel through the Jordan River on dry land - just like he brought Israel across the Red Sea on dry land---In the Exodus, God parted the waters - and Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea- Now, Joshua and his people are baptized in the Jordan River - consecrated to the work of bringing God's judgment upon the wicked and his salvation to those who believe in him...
-Sung Psalm- 16---As we've been working through the Creed, we have seen a lot of parallels between the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.--Only occasionally is there a line in the Apostles' Creed that has no parallel in the Nicene. But this is most famous one----He descended into hell.---What does this mean---Notice the order of the Creed-- He was crucified, dead and buried-- He descended into hell-- On the third day he rose again from the dead--There is a clear historical order to this- First he was crucified, then he was dead and then buried, at which point he descended into hell, and then on the third day he rose again from the dead.--Some have tried to say that the -descent into hell- refers to the sufferings of Christ, -especially on the cross.---But that's not what the Creed is saying.--Why do we say that Christ -descended into hell----Before we answer that, we need to make sure that we understand our terms.--What do we mean by -hell--
Joshua begins with the words, -After the death of Moses...- making it clear that the author expects that you have already read Deuteronomy.--And in Joshua 1 this commission is repeated- -be strong and courageous.---As we saw in chapter 1, this is because if Joshua fails, then Israel will not receive their inheritance.--If Joshua turns aside to the right or to the left, then all the promises of God become null and void.--But that is precisely what God assures Joshua- -Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.---And so, filled with the Spirit, commissioned by God at the Jordan River by the hand of God's anointed servant, he comes and speaks to the people.--You'd almost think we were talking about a guy named Jesus.--Oh, that's right.--We are. Jesus is simply the Greek spelling of Joshua...
-Sung Psalm- 49---Paul thinks that it matters where you are buried. For Sarah it was to be buried in the promised land. For you and me - it is to be buried with Christ by baptism into his death- --If you have been united with Christ through baptism into his death, then sin and death no longer have dominion over you, because you share in the resurrection life of our Lord Jesus Christ-- -After all, Paul says in Romans 6-3-4, -Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death- We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.- --Last time we looked at why it was necessary for the Christ to be crucified.--But in the creed, there are three things in parallel- crucified, dead, and buried.--Some translations of the creed thought that sounded odd, and so worded it -was crucified, died, and was buried.---But the Creed used the same verb tense in all three--was crucified-was dead-and was buried.--If you think about it, -was dead- communicates better than -died.- Either one works. But -died- leaves open the question of what came next. -Was dead- strongly suggests that he is not dead any more----He was crucified.--He was dead.--And he was buried.--As we saw with the importance of naming Pontius Pilate in the creed, the focus is on the importance of these things happening in history.--So we start with how Jesus was dead - and how Jesus was buried - and then we will ask what that means for us to be dead and buried in him...
What was going through her mind- Why would t his prostitute welcome spies from a nomadic people lurking across the Jordan River from her city---One could propose a secular argument- she may have been disenchanted with the current regime and thought she could advance further under Israelite leadership. Or maybe there was a feud between two families, and this her way of trying to get rid of the other family. Maybe so.--But whatever else may have been going on in Jericho, Rahab the prostitute was convinced that Yahweh, the God of Israel, was going to give his people victory over Jericho, and that if she wanted to live, she must ally with Yahweh.--People often do things out of mixed motives. Walking by faith does not mean that your motives are entirely pure---Walking by faith means that - whatever else may be going on - you believe the gospel, and you act accordingly-
-Sung Psalm- 86---In 1 Timothy 2 there are two are remarkable statements- God our Savior -desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth- and Christ Jesus -gave himself as a ransom for all.---Jesus Christ gave himself as a ransom for all. His suffering and death was a full and sufficient sacrifice to cover the sins of the whole world.- -We don't need to be bashful about saying this- And for that matter, we don't need to resort to saying that Paul means that Jesus is the ransom for -all sorts of people,- because Paul isn't talking about Jesus forgiving -every individual- here, he is talking about humanity as a whole. Even as Adam brought the human race under God's wrath and curse, so now Christ ransoms the human race.--But the only way that you will partake of the benefits of the redemption wrought by Christ is by faith.--And so we say that Christ's atoning sacrifice is sufficient for all -he gave himself as a ransom for all- but it is efficient only for the elect -this ransom is only applied to the elect-...
Having just preached on Esther - it seemed appropriate to go back to the book of Joshua.--Esther deals with the OT people of God in their final state before the incarnation -diaspora-. Joshua contains all the things that Esther is lacking. It's all about the inheritance.--Joshua begins - -After the death of Moses...---Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses. But Moses' work is only half finished. He has brought Israel out of Egypt, but he has not yet brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey -Ex. 3-8-. The promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has not yet been fulfilled. The children of Israel have not yet received their inheritance.--In the last chapters of Deuteronomy, God promises that he will bring the people into the land and give them an inheritance. Joshua is the fulfillment of the promise of Deuteronomy.--But God also warns that if Israel fails, he will judge them with the curses of Egypt.-Judges is the fulfillment of the warnings- -Though even within Joshua there are clear signals that the unconditional promise is still conditioned on faithfulness.---You might wonder - how can an unconditional promise have conditions----There is a tension in Joshua between the success of the conquest - but also that it was incomplete. Some commenters say this indicates two different authors.--But the tension in Joshua is not rooted in contradictory texts, but in the two sides of the covenant. In Joshua we have a unified narrative that is deeply rooted in the tension already stated between covenant faithfulness and rebellion. -The dynamics that would eventually lead to exile are already in place in Joshua- -as we will see at Jericho and again at Ai-.
-Sung Psalm- 80---God had promised Ahaz that the sign of a virgin birth -or young woman - the Hebrew word there can mean either young woman or virgin. Isaiah says that the Lord himself will give you a sign- -Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.--The sign of Immanuel is a sign for Ahaz. Because indeed, only a couple years later Damascus and Samaria were overthrown by Assyria. But then Isaiah continues and says that those days will be days of judgment, not blessing.--The sign of Immanuel - God with us - is a sign to the house of David that God will come in judgment. The only way that you can turn the prophecy of Immanuel into a nice happy promise is if you only read the one verse and totally ignore the rest of the chapter---You might think that Matthew does this too. All he says is that -all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet- Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel -which means, God with us-.---Matthew doesn't quote the rest of Isaiah 7---But as you read the rest of Matthew's gospel, you very quickly start to realize that Jesus is the one who came in judgment to the house of Israel. W God comes to dwell in our midst, then truly judgment comes to the household of God.--The Virgin Birth is a sign of judgment, for in this birth - in the coming of Immanuel - God has come in the flesh.--As Paul says in Romans 8-3, -By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.-
Have you noticed the date- It is the twelfth day of the twelfth month -in the modern calendar-. Purim is in February of our calendar - but it was the 13th day of the 12th month in the Jewish calendar. So it seems fitting that we conclude our study of the Book of Esther on the 12th day of the 12th month---It is also fitting that we do this in Advent - as we celebrate the proclamation of -peace on earth, good will toward men.---Because this is what Purim is all about. The salvation of the Jews brings peace -shalom- and welfare -tov- - to the Jew first and also to the Greek -or at least the Persian--
-Sung Psalm- 27---Today we come to the central addition that the Nicene Creed added to the Apostles' Creed----God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God- begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.---The Apostles' Creed had simply said, -I believe in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, our Lord.---But as we have seen in our study of the Church Fathers, there were some who taught that Jesus was a lesser being than God. And if Jesus is a lesser being than God, then to put it simply, Jesus is not God - and therefore, Jesus could not be the Light of the World - he could not be the Redeemer that Isaiah had promised-
Tonight we look plainly into one of the central themes of the book of Esther- when the chips are down, Esther does not simply pray and ask God to intervene.--No, Esther herself goes to the king and puts her life on the line. She certainly prayed. She spent three days fasting - which, in Jewish culture, meant prayer as well. But due to the author's decision to leave the name of God out of this book, we are left with a striking impression that when God is silent, it is human action that -saves the day.---Because sometimes it appears that God is about as involved in day-to-day life as Xerxes.--Is God really paying attention- Is he really doing anything- In the middle of the book of Esther, you would be pardoned for wondering, is God really going to let his people perish---Some Christians have thought that we should form a Christian ghetto and passively endure the troubles of this age. That's not Esther.--Other Christians have said that we need to oppose, protest, and fight the cultural decline. That's not Esther, either.--Still other Christians have assimilated to the -spirit of the age- - and look just like the culture. That's not Esther - although until four days ago, she sure looked like it-----That's why some commentators think that Esther compromised her Jewishness by marrying a Gentile and eating unclean foods----But as we have seen, she didn't really marry a Gentile. She was forced into the harem.--This is not -assimilation- - this is called doing your best in a very awful situation...
-Sung Psalm- 2---In Isaiah 9 the prophet speaks of the coming of the son - the one who would reign on the throne of David, his father, forever.--God had told David in 2 Samuel 7, -I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.- God was teaching David - and us - what it means to be a child of God. David wanted to build a house for God - but God says, no, it's the other way around- I will build your house.--The throne of David will be established forever. The son of David will become the Son of God.--Little did David realize how true that would be- But Isaiah seems to have glimpsed it - the name of the Son of David will be -Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...- And God himself --the zeal of the LORD of hosts-- will make it happen...
We heard last time that the King's decree was issued on the 13th day of the first month. In other words, the day before the Passover.--So the conversation between Mordecai and Esther happened either on the 13th or the 14th day of the first month - which would also explain why Esther was horrified to hear that her cousin was in sackcloth and ashes on the Passover----So Esther's fast starts on the Passover. All of history is turned on its head. The feast celebrating the great victory of God over Egypt is turned into a fast lamenting the Persian decree against the Jews.--Think about it this way- under what circumstances would a Christian turn Sunday into a fast day---It is almost inconceivable- How could one fast on the day of resurrection-- -This is why Esther is so remarkable- She joins Moses and Jesus as the three people to command a canonical feast. And for us who live in the diaspora - the dispersion among the nations - she shows us what it means to live as elect exiles of the dispersion.--And in our passage tonight, she starts by keeping her eyes on the resurrection - even as she endures the cross...
-Sung Psalm- 148---The early Fathers recognized that there was a danger in the way the Apostles' Creed was worded. You might wind up thinking that the Father is the Creator, the Son is the Redeemer, and the Spirit is the one who is active in the church.--But if you believe in the Holy Trinity, then you must confess that the Triune God is the maker of heaven and earth.--This is what Paul is getting at in Colossians 1 - when he says that the Son 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... All things were created through him and for him.---Paul cannot imagine a unitarian deity. The One God who is the maker of heaven and earth is the Tri-une God...
Esther and Mordecai are living in a world that is overtly hostile. -The Jews are a small minority in the Persian Empire and are potentially vulnerable. A second given is the arbitrariness of Persian laws in general and Haman's decree in particular. Such a law cannot be revoked. And with Haman at the helm, there is no doubt that it will be executed thoroughly...--A third given is the social code of the period. The palace has a particular rule of conduct. A constant series of royal laws suggests how hidebound life in the palace is. In addition the wider social code assumes a number of static relationships such as the low status of women.- -Wells, 55---But Mordecai will call Esther to think of all of these obstacles as gifts- -Take your femininity, your long training in the harem, your vulnerability, your membership of the Jewish people - givens that may seem challenging or unjust - and treat them as gifts by incorporating them into the larger story of saving your people. -And- each of these apparent givens does indeed become a gift in the course of Esther's sequence of banquets for and petitions to the king.- -Wells 56---The weak and foolish things of the world are precisely what God uses in salvation to shame the wise and powerful-
-Sung Psalm- 32---The Apostles' Creed was probably not written by the apostles, but it is an excellent statement of the basic teaching of the apostles.--Some have complained that there is no teaching about justification or regeneration or other points of the doctrine of salvation, but the reason why the Creed does not focus on such things is because you are not saved by believing in the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Satan believes the doctrine of justification by faith alone - and he hates it- It is not believing a doctrine that saves you.--Rather, you are saved by believing in the Triune God and what he has done in history through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.--That's what the Creed is all about-
The first two chapters set the stage for the book of Esther - but the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 sets the contrast between Mordecai and Haman.--Mordecai, as we saw last time, is a descendent of Kish - King Saul's father. That means that King Saul was his great-uncle many times removed---We also should note that Haman is an Agagite. What is an Agagite- A descendent of Agag. Agag was an Amalekite king - in the days of King Saul.--The book of Samuel tells us that Saul was commanded to destroy Agag - and devote Agag and his people to destruction -a term used in the OT when God commanded their utter destruction-. But instead, Saul spared Agag - along with much spoil - claiming that he had intended to offer sacrifices to the LORD.- -Samuel replied that the LORD desires obedience rather than sacrifice---The basic problem was that Saul did not do what God commanded.--Now, in our text tonight, we see that a son of Agag and a nephew of Saul are pitted against each other.--Perhaps the family history may explain some of the animosity between these men. Haman would remember that the house of Saul was the occasion for his ancestor's demise. No, Saul did not kill king Agag - but Samuel the aged prophet did. It may have been nearly 600 years before - but if the Jews remembered the story, how much more would the Amalekites-
-Sung Psalm- 131---What do you covet- Do you look at your neighbor's house, and desire it- Do you look at your neighbor's wife, and desire her---Or is your coveting of a different sort- Do you desire status- Do you long for the praise of others- Do you look at others and wish that you had their position- their gifts- their abilities---Whatever you covet, God calls you to repent. And he calls you to contentment. Are you content with what God has set before you to do- It may be a small place. But you may be content in a small place, being faithful in that which Christ has given you to do...
There are three things we learn at the beginning of Chapter 2- King Xerxes is a prisoner of his anger - he is a prisoner of his feelings for women - and he is a prisoner of his advisors.--Anger is not always a bad thing- You can be -good and angry- -David Powlison-- But the book of Esther portrays Ahasuerus's anger as a problem. He is angry - but his anger controls him. He is -out of control- - and so has to cool down before he can think rationally.--But then, when he cools down, he does not consider that maybe he was at fault for what happened with Vashti- As the king, he is used to having whatever he wants. And he wants women to do whatever he says---With Vashti out of favor, he wants to find someone else---He is the Great King - the King of Kings - and he is in charge- But, oddly enough, for the King of Kings - he always seems to be waiting for his advisors to tell him what to do----These three themes will recur throughout our story - Ahasuerus is driven by his anger - by his sexual appetite - and by his advisors.--And throughout the book, the theme of 'remembering' -or forgetting- will also recur. Ahasuerus tends to be forgetful. His remembering and his forgetting will play a key role in the story...
What does it mean for a Jew to be living in Persia- It means that you grandfather chose not to go back to Jerusalem. Rather than return when Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to go home in 538 B.C., instead your grandfather chose to stay in Babylon - and then he chose to take his chances by moving further east into Persia, in order to serve Cyrus - or maybe his son - your father - took a job working in Darius's court.- -And now you find yourself - 50 years later - living in a Jewish expatriate community in Susa -modern day Iran-.--The book of Esther is not about living in Exile. The Exile is over- You could go home to Jerusalem any time you like- Although -home- is an odd name for a place your family hasn't lived for more than 120 years.--The book of Esther is not about living in Exile - the book of Esther is about what it means to live in the Dispersion - the diaspora. Your identity as a people still matters - but you no longer really think of that land as your home.--In that way, Esther helps us to think about what it means to be the people of God in the new covenant-
-Sung Psalm- 52---Last week, we looked at the ninth commandment - and I've generally been preaching just one sermon per commandment in this section, but I came away from last Sunday with the sense that all I had done was lay a foundation.--We talked about the importance of thinking charitably of others - we saw the need for speaking truth in love - but I felt as though we missed a couple of key points - points that are especially important in our day.--In one sense, every generation faces the same basic issues. But every generation has to think through these issues specifically.--It's why I love the Larger Catechism's approach to the ninth commandment. In one sense it says everything that needs to be said - but today I would like to think about how to apply it to our own day.--And so today we will consider two questions arising from the Catechism---Do we have a charitable esteem for our neighbors--Are we eager to believe the best regarding them-
We've been seeing that Isaiah's vision of the new creation includes where we are right now. Isaiah speaks of the new heavens and the new earth as a place where people are born - where people die -65-20-. John, in the book of Revelation, will make clear that in the final new creation there is no death - and Jesus affirms that there is no marriage in the final new creation---But at the same time, Paul affirms that if anyone is in Christ, he participates in a new creation.--The New Creation has begun in the ascension of Jesus to the Right Hand of the Father. The New Creation has dawned in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. That's the -already- of the new creation in Jesus.--The -not yet- is what is still to come - and in between the already and the not yet, we are building - we are enriching and improving - that new creation...
-Sung Psalm- 64---The central point of the Ninth Commandment has to do with the law court.--When you stand before the judge, you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.--But the ninth commandment has a far broader application than the legal system. Just like -you shall not kill- is about how you handle anger - because murder is about striking back at God- so also the ninth commandment -as all the commandments- has to do with what kind of person you are. Are you a person characterized by -the truth----We all like to think so. I used to think that I was a -straight shooter- - that I would just tell it the way I saw it----But I'm not. I tend to think an awful lot - and sometimes too much - about how the other person will hear what I am about to say. In one sense, it's a good trait- It is good to be sensitive to how others will hear you---But sometimes it gets in the way of the truth. Sometimes I wind up trying to out-think the Holy Spirit - and that never ends well...
The creation of a New Jerusalem, the city of the living God. This is the heart of Isaiah's message to Israel and Judah.--Exile is coming. And after the Exile, even the Restoration is not going to bring about a fundamental change.--Only when my Singular Servant comes to suffer, only when the Anointed One arises to conquer, only then will I establish a new creation. Only then will I change the hearts of my servants so that they might seek me as I desire.- -But first we start with God's readiness to save the Gentiles...
-Sung Psalm- 15---The Eighth Commandment is, You shall not steal.--And when one thing is forbidden, its opposite is commanded. What is the opposite of stealing- ---Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.---Paul says that there are two parts- labor - working honestly - and giving to those in need...
Having heard of the promise of the coming of the Anointed Conqueror, the righteous remnant now lift up their prayers in response to God's promise.--We are drawing to the end of Isaiah's prophecy. The message of salvation has been announced. Now he gives the faithful a model for their prayers as they await the coming of that day. And as such, it is useful for us. Because while we live on the other side of the coming of the Christ, we still anticipate his return and the final consummation of his kingdom...
-Sung Psalm- 45---God's commands are not burdensome. Jesus calls us to take his yoke upon us - for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When we walk willingly in God's ways, then we find out how easy it is- But when we grumble and rebel - then we find out how heavy and burdensome disobedience can be---God's law is not a straitjacket to bind you, but the path of true freedom and contentment.--The seventh commandment is an excellent example of this. The sexual revolution promised freedom and happiness to all. All manner of sexual sins-from adultery to homosexuality to fornication - have been encouraged and rewarded.--But what has it produced- The self-indulgent quest for pleasure invariably reaps a harvest of pain and anguish. Divorce rates have skyrocketed. Sexually transmitted diseases have brought both fear and death. Unwanted pregnancies have resulted in a meteoric rise in the abortion rate as well. In order to hide from the consequences of breaking the seventh commandment, people frequently break the sixth commandment as well, murdering the unborn, hoping to escape from the consequences of their sins.--Sin produces fear, misery, and death.
In Isaiah 59, we heard of the Anointed Conqueror - when God himself comes to do what Israel has failed to do---Now in chapter 61, we hear again of the Anointed Conqueror who is given the Word and Spirit of God. -Cf Is 59----The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the poor---Isaiah 60-15-22 spoke of how Zion's sorrows would be replaced with joy. Now we hear that it is the Anointed Conqueror who will do this. His dual ministry of vengeance and comfort fits nicely with Isaiah 59 as well...
-Sung Psalm- 10---We saw last time that every interpersonal sin is a violation of the fifth commandment - because every interpersonal sin is a failure to honor another person rightly.--Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at how to love and honor one another. The command to love one another is explicated in the Ten Commandments especially in commandments 5-9--- honor your father and your mother,- you shall not kill,- you shall not commit adultery,- you shall not steal,- you shall not bear false witness.--There is a way in which these commands are structured in order of magnitude.- Murder deprives you of life.- Adultery deprives you of wife -or husband-.- Theft deprives you of goods.- False witness deprives you of your good name.--So today we come to the sixth commandment...
Isaiah 60 contains two imperatives-both of which come at the beginning of the chapter---Arise -v1--and lift up your eyes -v4---Stand up and see what God is going to do-
-Sung Psalm- 128---We saw last time that Moses applies the fifth commandment to judges, kings, and elders - in other words, both to religious and political authorities.--And we saw from Paul in Ephesians 5-6, we ought to have a general disposition towards submission. Our basic inclination should be obedience to those who are over us - and self-denying concern for those under our care.--Pretty obviously that is not the picture in Judges 17-18---To use the words of Judges, -In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes....-
-A Redeemer will come to Zion - to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, declares the LORD.---There you have the five characters in our story- We have often seen that there is a masculine singular character - who is now identified as the Redeemer. There is a feminine singular - Zion - the city of God. There is the masculine plural - those who turn from transgression. And there is Jacob - -Israel, my servant- - the servant of the LORD who fell short.--And - of course - there is the LORD...
-Sung Psalm- 84---We've seen in this series that Deuteronomy 6-26 follows the general order of the Ten Commandments. And so - not surprisingly - after the section on the fourth commandment applied the Sabbath principle to the feasts and the sabbatical year, in chapters 17-18 Moses applies the fifth commandment to all superiors.--It's worth noting that Moses does not promise that the judges and priests will always be right. Sometimes they will get it wrong - but if everyone does what it right in his own eyes, then chaos will ensue---Sometimes you just have to submit to those in authority - not because they are right, but because they are those whom God has placed in authority over you-
Tonight we look at God's criticism of the religious practices of the house of Jacob. The special focus is on fasting and Sabbath-keeping. Fasting and Sabbath-keeping were proper expressions of true piety, but only when used in faith...
-Sung Psalm- 92---There has never been a time when no one had to work on Sunday. But as we head further into our post-Christian culture, we are seeing more disregard for those who take the fourth commandment seriously...
Having promised the return from Exile, Isaiah deals with the problem that will follow from the Restoration. Israel - even the righteous remnant - does not have the strength to overcome their enemies. The Restoration is not going to change the basic character of the Exiles.--Therefore Isaiah promises that a Messiah will come - an anointed one - through whom God will establish his kingdom. If Isaiah 1-37 is the Book of the King, and Isaiah 38-55 is the Book of the Servant, then Isaiah 56-66 is the Book of the Messiah, the anointed conqueror who will bring salvation to his people and vengeance to his enemies.--And the Sabbath functions as one of the central themes of this section. Isaiah 56 opens with a blessing upon Sabbath-keepers, and chapter 58 concludes with a call to delight in the Sabbath.--Chapter 61, at the center of the book, proclaims the Jubilee-the year of the Lord's favor - --the ultimate Sabbath year, according to Leviticus 25-.--And chapter 63 speaks again of the -year of redemption,- before the whole section concludes in chapter 66-18-24 with the glory of the eschatological Sabbath...
Sung Psalm- 95--Today I would like for us to reflect on the idea of the Lord's Day as the -Christian Sabbath.---And right up front, I would like to clear up one common misunderstanding. You don't find the apostles or early Fathers using the phrase -Christian Sabbath- for a very simple reason - -shabbat- means -seventh- - and so people who were still familiar with Jewish usage would not generally refer to the Lord's Day as the Christian Seventh Day, because the whole point of the Lord's Day is that it is the Eighth Day---You'll find lots of references to Christians gathering on the Eighth Day -or the First Day-.--So some would prefer not to use the phrase -Christian Sabbath.- And that's fine - so long as you recognize that the Lord's Day is a Christian feast day.- -The Roman Senator Cicero - writing a generation before the birth of Christ - explained that in the Roman world, a feast day was a day when the courts were closed, ordinary work should not be done, servants were to be given the day off, and religious rituals were to be performed.--In other words, a Roman feast day looked an awful lot like a Jewish Sabbath.--So when the early Christians talked about the Lord's Day as their feast day, that means that they did not do ordinary work - they gave rest to their servants - and they engaged in religious worship...
-Seek the LORD while he may be found- call upon him while he is near.---For some of you, that may sound odd at first. Isn't God always near- When was God ever hard to find---But for others, you have experienced this first hand- Because there are times when God is distant...
-Sung Psalm- 90---I thought about titling this sermon -Six Days Shall You Labor- - because I want to focus on that line - but as I reflected on how to get at this, I realized that the real point here is that God is teaching us how to think about time.--The third commandment focuses on the holiness of God's name. The fourth commandment turns to the sanctification of time. --We saw that God's name is profaned both by our careless words and our careless deeds. And now we see that our use of time is also something that matters to God.--Why do we have a seven day -week-- All of the other ways we measure time are based on some rhythm of nature. The year is based on the earth's revolutions around the sun. The month was originally based on the phases of the moon. The day is based on the earth's rotation.--All of these are universal to all human cultures, because the sun, moon, and stars provide a way of marking times and seasons.--But the week has no such relation to nature. The seven-day week is based on God's own creation of the world. Our seven-day week is modeled after God's seven-day creation week. Our days are patterned after his...
Isaiah chapters 49-55 speak of the singular Servant who will redeem Servant Israel. One man will arise to bear the sins of the many. The LORD will lay on him the iniquity of us all.--Chapters 54-55 provide a fitting conclusion to this message. When God reveals his promise of a suffering Servant who will deal finally with sin, it is fitting that there should be great rejoicing- The singular suffering Servant has accomplished salvation. Now the servants respond to what the Servant has done.--This response takes two parts--Chapter 54 on the enlarging of the tent of Zion-Chapter 55 on who will dwell in that tent--We'll focus on chapter 54 tonight...
-Sung Psalm- 106---How should the Christian think about the Law- The simple way to say it is that while Christ transforms the Ten Commandments, he does not abolish them. --The third commandment says- -You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, -for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.---The details of what this looks like in the New Testament may be somewhat different than in the Old Testament, but if we would understand how this is so, we need to start by understanding the Old Testament...
Isaiah 41-48 spoke of the restoration from Babylon. Cyrus of Persia would be God's instrument in restoring the people of God to Jerusalem. But at the end of chapter 48 we saw that the restoration from exile would not change anything. Israel, the Servant of the LORD, is still blind and deaf.--And so chapters 49-55 speak of a restoration beyond Babylon. There must be a Servant who will redeem the Servant - a righteous remnant that will bring salvation to Israel.--The problem is that Zion's sons have fainted in the streets. God has called Jerusalem to wake up and stand - but -there is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne.- Even the house of David has failed -as we saw in chapters 1-37-. Israel is so pathetic that they needed a foreign king -Cyrus- to deliver them -41-48-.--But Isaiah promises that there will be one to whom the arm of the LORD will be revealed-
-Sung Psalm- 96---As we saw from Deuteronomy 6, the commandment - the shema - said that all the law depends on one command- -Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.- --So there is a very real way in which each commandment will begin with the question, -How do I love God in this area of my life----So how do we love God well with respect to the second commandment-
Comfort is used 17 times in Isaiah - mostly in this second part of Isaiah.--It is most famously used in chapter 40, verse 1 -twice- - -Comfort, comfort my people, says your God---Then in 49-13 - at the transition of part 2.--And now five times our text tonight - in chapter 51-3 -twice-, 51-12, 19, and 52-9.--In other words, we have come to the fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah 40 - the comfort that God has promised to his people.
-Sung Psalm- 44----Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures----This gets at the heart of idolatry. What do you do in the dark- What do you do when no one is watching---We go to church and worship the Triune God on Sunday - and we try to maintain an image of being a good, upstanding Christian, at least when others are around.--But what rules your heart- Who rules your -room of pictures- - that private realm of your heart and mind-
As we've been seeing in chapters 41-48, Israel, God's Servant, needed to be redeemed. But at the end of chapter 48, we discover that the redemption of the servant from Babylon does not solve the problem. The redemption from Babylon has no more power to change the people of God-than the redemption from Egypt did.--And so Yahweh, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says, -Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments- Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea...- --But because the Servant is still blind and deaf, -There is no peace for the wicked.---But now the Servant speaks...
-Sung Psalm- 11917-24---There are three temptations that Moses warns about----7-17- Do not say in your heart, -these nations are greater than I- - but remember the LORD and his mighty deeds against Egypt- This is the temptation to think that it's all up to us.---8-17- Do not say in your heart, -My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth- - but remember that the LORD is the one who gave you the land- This is the temptation of materialism.---9-4- And do not say in your heart, -It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess the land- - it is not your righteousness, but God's faithfulness to his covenant with your fathers- This is the temptation of moralism.--Do you see how the three temptations in the wilderness bear a striking resemblance to the temptations in the Matthew 4---- The devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread.-- The devil tempted Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple.-- The devil tempted Jesus by offering him all the kingdoms of the world - if Jesus would only worship him.--In other words, Satan was offering Jesus the same temptations that Israel fell for- trust in your own power - trust in your own righteousness - you can't defeat me, join me-- -And, interestingly enough, Jesus understood exactly where these temptations came from, because all three times he quotes Deuteronomy 6-9 in answer---Man shall live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.---You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.---You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.---Jesus is the Israel who is tempted in the wilderness - and where Israel had failed, Jesus succeeds-
There is no peace for the wicked.--The Hebrew word for -peace- is shalom. Shalom includes the idea of peace in an all-encompassing sense of well-being.--So when Isaiah says -There is no peace for the wicked- - he means that there is no well-being for the wicked. Their sense of security and wholeness is illusory. It's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down...--Babylon is condemned to fall at the hand of Cyrus. But Israel has become no better than Babylon---And if we take a hard look at ourselves- We are no better than them---After all - as we saw this morning - our biggest problem is that we don't love God-
-Sung Psalm- 119-1-16---I remember preaching a sermon in Scotland one Lord's Day. I told the congregation - -I know what your worst sin is- You don't love God----There was one woman sitting right in the middle of the church - and she looked almost angry as she shook her head, as if to say, -how dare you say that - of course I love God----So I veered off my manuscript to say, -Do you want to know why I say that- Because every time you sin, you are saying, 'I don't love God'- If you always loved God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then you would never sin- Your biggest problem is that you don't love God----I don't know what sins you are struggling with today. But as long as you only focus on how you have sinned against others - or how your sin has affected yourself - then you are not dealing with your sin---Your biggest problem is that you don't love God- It's why David can say, -Against you, you only have I sinned...-
-Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant- I formed you- you are my servant- O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.---God calls his servant, Israel, to remember what idolatry is. Remember that idols cannot save you. -But I will not forget you. I will remember you, my Servant-, and speaking of what he will do first in the restoration from exile, but then finally in our Lord Jesus Christ, -I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist- Return to me, for I have redeemed you.---Remember these things.--Humanity has Alzheimer's. Worse yet, the people of God have Alzheimer's. We are forgetful. We forget the one who formed us.--And Isaiah speaks here both of the first creation, and also the new creation-when he took Israel out of Egypt, and created his Servant. And so Isaiah calls us to remember what God has done, and to remember what God will do. Speaking to Israel before they go into exile, Isaiah declares that God -has done it.- That is how certain your redemption is.-And so Isaiah calls out.--Now, how will Yahweh redeem Israel his Servant- That is the burden of 44-21-46-2, which consists of five statements, each beginning -thus says the LORD.-
-Sung Psalm- 50---Hebrews says that we are supposed to offer sacrifices to God. So, next week, who wants to bring the cow- Anyone got a goat- We'll probably need drop cloths to prevent the blood from getting on the carpet---What does it mean when it says -let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name-----Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.---The sacrificial system of the NT does not require the death of animals - but instead the putting to death of our own selfish desires.--The sacrifices that please God are the words and deeds that flow from the cross.--You can bring a sacrifice that will please God - but only because Jesus has offered the once-for-all sacrifice that has made us right with God...
It is a strange habit of the LORD -at least, strange to us-- that he starts with the weak, the foolish, what appears to be the wrong place - the wrong time---Canaan was the promised land - but in Joseph's day, Egypt became the land of life. There were lots of widows in Israel in Elijah's day, but God chose a Sidonian widow - a widow from Jezebel's country- --So perhaps we should not be surprised to hear that life will come - the Spirit will be poured out - in Babylon.--Jacob has been handed over to the looters and plunderers - the Servant of the LORD has refused to obey the LORD---And so last time, in chapter 43, we heard that the LORD is the Redeemer of his Servant.--That theme is at the heart of chapter 44. If you sometimes get whiplash thinking that Isaiah is talking about Israel - but then all of a sudden, it sounds like Isaiah is talking about Jesus - you are on the right track- Because Jesus is and does all that Israel was supposed to be and to do---Even the parts about the deaf and blind servant- After all, as Paul says, -For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin...- -2 Cor 5-21-
-Sung Psalm- 118---Do you see Jesus- -Hopefully, by now, you are seeing him more and more clearly - so that you can say, -Yes, by faith, I do see him--- And where are you- -I hope that you are seeing that again - by faith - you have ascended into the heavenlies, where we now gather with Jesus----So what-- If the book of Hebrews ended at the end of chapter 12, it would still be true - but it might easily be mistaken for -pie in the sky by-and-by.---Chapter 13 tells us here is how to make visible on earth the fellowship of the heavenly city-
Isaiah 41-48 consist of seven messages for Judah - Israel. --Last time we heard the first message - where Israel was set forth as the Servant of the LORD. In 42-6-7 God promises that he will give Israel, his Servant, as a covenant for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon.--And in 42-16 God promises that he will lead the blind in new paths, -and turn the darkness into light. --But now in 42-18-20 we hear that the Servant is blind and deaf...
-Sung Psalm- 77---Did you know that the priesthood of all believers is an Old Testament idea- The whole people of Israel - the whole church in the OT - is a -kingdom of priests- -a holy nation.---The apostle Peter uses this same theme in 1 Peter 2, when he says that -you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.---God's purpose in calling Israel out of Egypt is what Jesus brings to pass---God desires to dwell with his people. But for a holy God to dwell with his people, they must also be holy. And that is what the whole story at Sinai is all about - indeed, it is what the whole story of scripture is showing - because without holiness, no one will see the Lord---But what God was showing them - and us - is that there is no way to approach a holy God, unless he makes that way...
Last time we heard Isaiah introduce the Servant as Israel.--Israel is the elect Servant - the one whom God upholds and sustains. God will use his servant - -worm Jacob- to thresh the mountains - to judge the nations. And God will provide water in the wilderness to quench the thirst of his Servant. He will be the shelter and refuge of his people...
-Sung Psalm-13-----Do you feel forgotten- As though God has hidden his face- -Psalm 13-----Or in the language of Hebrews 12---Do you have drooping hands---Do you have weak knees---Are you spiritually lame, injured---Are you spiritually -out of joint------Hebrews calls us to endure faithfully through suffering.----Faith and endurance cannot be divorced from each other. A faith that does not persevere is not truly faith...
Last week we heard three voices calling Jerusalem and Judah to listen to the LORD. God has decreed that Jerusalem shall fall to the hand of Babylon, but he has also promised that the exiles shall return. God himself will come to Jerusalem. The glory of Yahweh will be revealed as he comes down the highway in the wilderness. And those who trust in him - those who wait for him - shall have the strength to walk with him to Zion.--Chapter 41 continues this theme, but now no longer are the heralds speaking to Jerusalem. No longer does Jerusalem speak to the cities of Judah. Now Yahweh himself speaks. This is the message that the heralds called Jerusalem and Judah to hear.--What is the word of our God that endures forever- What has the mouth of the LORD spoken---He has spoken of his purposes for his servant...
-Sung Psalm- 136---Everyone lives by faith. For some people, their faith is in a certain ideal of the family. They have this picture - this hope - this idealized vision of what a family should be. And with that hope in view - they believe that if they do certain things right, then they will attain the result in which they hope.- -I remember one time we were driving to Bible Study. Ginger and I were having a fight - disagreeing about something or other. We quarreled all the way to Bible Study. The topic of the discussion that evening was about marriage and parenting.--So we started talking about our struggle - our fight - and how we were working through it.--At one point, one young lady burst in - -Ah, but look at you now - you've fought and worked through it - and you are so much stronger----Ginger and I looked at each other, and then at her, -No, this is the debate we had in the car tonight. We're still not through it. We're still figuring it out.---Her jaw hit the floor - and for the first time, I began to have hope for their marriage.--Until that night, she had thought that if they could just figure out these two things, they would have a strong marriage to build on. The problem is - marriage isn't strong enough. If your hope is in marriage - if your faith is in marriage and family - then it will collapse under the weight of your life.--What are you believing in- As we go through these faithful saints of the Old Testament, Hebrews shows us that their faith was in Jesus Christ. And because they saw him - by faith - they were able to walk by faith in the midst of all sorts of challenging circumstances-
In chapter 39 Isaiah spoke of the coming judgment against Jerusalem. The house of David will be taken into captivity into Babylon, and the treasures of Jerusalem will be carried off.--But wait---Isaiah is the prophet who has said over and over again- -I will deliver you and this city- -38-6-. -I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.- -37-35- -Behold Zion...an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up.- -33-20---How can it be that now he speaks of the exile of Judah---Isaiah chooses not to explain it directly. Instead he turns to the future. Because indeed Zion will never be plucked up. Unlike Babylon and Edom, which will uninhabited and desolate -forever,- Zion will endure forever. That does not mean that the exile will never happen- it means that Jerusalem will come through exile into glory...
-Sung Psalm- 105---What does faith look like---We saw last time that faith is the eye of the soul. By faith we see that which is unseen. So faith is a sort of spiritual vision, that enables you to see beyond the testimony of your senses.--But what does faith look like---Our text today helps us to understand what faith looks like. Faith looks like Abraham...
What do you make of Hezekiah's -there will be peace and security in my days-- I think most people find it rather selfish and disturbing. What about your children-- Your grandchildren----In September of 1938, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, announced that he had entered into a treaty with Germany, resolving -the Czechoslovakian problem- -Germany had taken over part of Czechoslovakia, and Chamberlain hoped that a policy of appeasement would contain Hitler---Chamberlain declared that he believed that the Munich agreement would provide -peace for our time.---A year later, Germany invaded Poland, launching World War II.--We tend to laugh at the Chamberlains - and the Hezekiahs - who seem to be blithely indifferent to their offspring, so long as we have peace for our time---But how long has peace ever lasted- Chamberlain was actually quoting from an earlier Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli who had gone to German in the 1870s, and managed to achieve a peace that lasted for 40 years---Forty years. How often has a region seen peace for more than 40 years-- -The United States is an oddity in human history. It has been 150 years since we have seen a full-fledged war on this continent.- -For most parts of the world, to go for a generation without war was impressive- And especially in the light of the Assyrian invasion, one could forgive Hezekiah for expressing such relief---Because - as we'll see - the Assyrian invasion hadn't happened yet...
-Sung Psalm- 36---Do you ever wish that you could see Jesus- Wouldn't it be nice if you could just look up into the sky and see Jesus there, sitting on the throne at the right hand of God the Father---Hebrews 2-8-9 says At present, w-e do not yet see everything in subjection to Jesus. But we see . . . Jesus . . .---Do you see Jesus--Hebrews says that we see Jesus--How--With your eyes--No.-By faith.--Faith is the eye of the soul.-Faith enables us to see the invisible.--Because -We see . . . Jesus.---That's what Hebrews 11 is all about...
Our passage this time is a war of words. Whose word carries weight---The Rabshakeh says, -Thus says the Great King- Thus says the King of Assyria----But then Eliakim and Shebna say, -Thus says Hezekiah-please pray.---And finally Isaiah says, -Thus says the LORD.---This passage teaches us not to boast in empty words. If you know the word of the LORD, by all means say it- But if you don't know what God is up to- What should you say---I like Hezekiah's approach- please pray-
-Sung Psalm- 119-65-72---Passages like this one are sometimes difficult for us. We don't like to think about the fact that sometimes Christians apostatize. But I suspect you've all seen it - someone you knew and trusted, someone you thought was sound in faith, hope and love, turns away from Christ and rejects the faith.--What is apostasy- And how can we avoid it---Hebrews clearly says that some Christians apostatize- -those who shrink back and are destroyed.- -v39---Some would prefer to say that -those who shrink back- aren't really Christians. But a Christian is one who professes Jesus as Lord. A Christian is one who has been baptized into Christ and his church. If you have been baptized, and you profess Jesus as Lord, then you are a Christian.--But Hebrews wants to encourage you that this is not you- -We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed - but of those who have faith and preserve their souls...-
The six woes against the Egyptian alliance in chapters 28-35 set forth God's purposes for all of redemptive history. While the first five woes are directed against those who put their hope in Egypt, the final woe is directed against Assyria itself.--The Assyrian army is advancing on Jerusalem for the last time. Hezekiah has made an alliance with Egypt, and judgment draws near.--But you can hear in chapter 35 language that foreshadows the coming of Jesus. -The eyes of the blind shall be opened...the lame shall leap like a deer.-
-Sung Psalm-42---The problem of Ezekiel 36 has been dealt with- No longer are we unclean---God has done what we could not do for ourselves- Jesus has opened the way to God- Our hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience - our bodies have been washed with pure water - we have been baptized into Christ - cleansed from our sins - and we now enter the heavenly holy places by the blood of Jesus.--So now what-- Now we draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, we hold fast the confession of our hope, and we consider how to stir one another up to love and good works.--Faith, hope, and love...
We have come to the fifth out of six woes in Isaiah 28-35. These woes have warned against trusting in Egypt for help.----Why should we care about this- Why are you sitting there listening to yet a fourth sermon about an obscure political alliance of the eighth century B. C.- And you know that a fifth one is coming next week- Why should we care about whether an ancient city entered into an alliance with Egypt-----This one little alliance at the end of the eighth century B.C. is symptomatic of the human condition.----Who do you trust- Where is your heart set-----This fifth woe reveals the sovereignty of God over the affairs of human history. He is the one who will accomplish his purposes. He is the one to trust...
-Sung Psalm- 40---Have you been confessing your sins more often since we started working through Hebrews- I hope so. Have you been forgiving those who have sinned against you- I hope so.--As we wrap up our focused study on what God has done for the forgiveness of our sins, I hope that these principles continue to dwell in your hearts and lives.--Every week, as we confess our sins together, and as we hear God's assurance of pardon, we are reminded of what it means to repent and forgive.--Our passage today brings to completion the themes that we have been exploring in the last few weeks- the better priesthood, the better covenant, the better sacrifice...
Tonight we will look at the Woe to the stubborn children.--Finally, in chapter 30, Isaiah explains the context. Woe to the Stubborn Children- There is a sense in which chapter 30 summarizes the three woes in chapters 28-29. It makes explicit what was implicit in the first three woes. Because the stubborn children are the leaders of Judah,-the house of David in all its folly..
-Sung Psalm- 16---We often refer to the -sacrifice- of Jesus. What does that mean---We thank God that he sent Jesus to be -the sacrifice for our sins.- What are we referring to---Probably you are thinking of the cross. It is on the cross that Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Right---If you mean by -the cross- the whole death-resurrection-ascension of Christ, then it is fine to say -the sacrifice of the cross- because it is indeed the blood shed on the cross that Jesus offered to the Father - but it was not on the cross that Jesus offered his blood to the Father.--Think of how Exodus 24 speaks of the offering of the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and then the sprinkling of the blood on the altar - and on the people. That's what Hebrews is talking about here.--Last week we saw how the Mosaic worship of the first covenant foreshadowed Christ.--We looked last week at the earthly holy place and the Mosaic regulations for worship. We saw that the earthly tabernacle had two parts, the first -the Holy Place- symbolized the present age and the first covenant, the second -the Most Holy Place- symbolized the age to come-the new covenant.--So long as the first part of the tabernacle was standing, so long as the priests offer the repetitive day after day sacrifices, the way into the heavenlies is shut. Only the high priest could enter once a year. --Now Hebrews is ready to explain how the better covenant is expressed through a better sacrifice...
The six woes in chapters 28-35 fit together. All of them focus on the futility of trusting in Egypt against the power of Assyria, and call Judah to trust in Yahweh to deliver them.--Assyria is coming. That is the relentless theme of chapters 1-35. Assyria is coming. Your only hope is to trust in the LORD, because he alone can deliver you from their hand.--Tonight we will look at the Woe to Ariel, and the Woe to those who hide from Yahweh...
-Sung Psalm- 122---Once again, we are talking about some pretty strange things-at least to modern ears- altars of incense, a golden urn filled with manna, cherubim of glory, not to mention sprinkling defiled persons with blood- Nowadays that sounds just weird.--But Hebrews 9 is speaking to us today just as clearly as it spoke to those who lived 2000 years ago...
We have come to the fourth and final section of the first part of Isaiah. Alec Motyer calls the first 37 chapters -the Book of the King,- because the focus is on the house of David and the city of Jerusalem.--The first section -chapters 1-6- set forth the basic problem- the sin of Judah and Jerusalem, and the coming judgment.--The second section -chapters 7-12- spoke of the dying house of David, and the promise of a future deliverer who would arise from Jesse's stump.--The third section -chapters 13-27- broadened the horizon, and spoke of the judgments against the nations, concluding with the vision of the two cities- the city of man and the city of God.--Now in the fourth section Isaiah returns to the present, in order to demonstrate that God is truly the Lord of history. You may trust God's promises about the future, because of what you see in the present.--Chapters 28-35 are woven together by six woes.-28-1 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim-29-1 Woe to Ariel-29-15 Woe to those who hide from the LORD -30-1 Woe to the stubborn children-31-1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help-33-1 Woe to the destroyer--These six woes parallel the six woes of chapter 5 - the parable of the vineyard. The harvest of stink fruit is revealed here as a lack of faith in the LORD's ability to save.--The theme of this entire section is Judah's proposed treaty with Egypt in the face of the Assyrian threat.--Isaiah 28 is quoted three times in the New Testament. Peter and Paul both thought that Isaiah 28 speaks clearly to our situation as well- So listen to how Isaiah speaks of the alien works of God...
-Sung Psalm- 63---When the apostles wrote to weak, struggling churches, they didn't spend a whole lot of time analyzing the problems - and trying to understand the underlying motivations. They didn't give a list of -how to- tips or provide -practical suggestions- for -fixing things.---If you insist on putting a band-aid on a severed artery - go ahead - but your patient is going to die---When the apostles write to the weak - to the helpless - they don't waste time with nonsense.--They point the church to Christ. They point those who are struggling to who Jesus is and what he has done, and they call you to a life of participation in Christ- because of who Christ is, and because of what he has done, you have a new identity. And so everything in your life must be reoriented around him...
We heard last time how 24-10 spoke of the -wasted city- the city of -tohu---a reference to Genesis 1-2 where the earth was barren and empty -formless and void-. The city of man has been returned to its primeval state of chaos. All that is left for the city of man is destruction.--And while Isaiah speaks of this in terms of the nations, he also uses language that suggests that Jerusalem is no better. And yet, at the end of chapter 25 Isaiah promises that Yahweh of hosts will make a feast for all peoples on -this mountain.- -25-6- This promise forms the heart of chapters 24-27. And while chapters 24-25 focused on the destruction of the city of man, now chapters 26-27 focus on the establishment of the city of God.-- -The first thing to notice is that the city of God is established in the same day of the Lord, when the city of man is destroyed. We are still talking about judgment and destruction. But in chapters 24-25, the city is laid waste. In chapters 26-27, the city stands firm. Both the judgment of the city of man, and the stability of the city of God are the fruits of the -Day of the Lord-...
-Sung Psalm- 110---At this point in Hebrews, we are dealing with the implicit question- why is the eternal covenant with David -regarding the Son- continued, when the eternal covenant with Phineas -regarding the priesthood- is abandoned- Why does Psalm 110 say that the Levitical priesthood would be replaced---And the answer is simply that if Psalm 110 speaks of a new priesthood, then that means that the Levitical priesthood was defective----Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood -for under it the people received the law-, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron----In other words, the fact that David spoke of the need for a priest after the order of Melchizedek demonstrates the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood.- -Hebrews hasn't told us what that imperfection is yet. Rather, he is showing that the Old Testament itself declared that Aaron's order would be replaced. And if Aaron's order must be replaced, then the law of the priesthood itself must be replaced...
For the last few weeks we have heard of the oracles against the nations. Ten oracles proclaiming the coming day of the LORD, when Yahweh would strike the nations, and every power would be humbled.--Mighty Assyria would plunder the nations, but in the midst of its glory, it too would fall to Babylon. But Babylon itself would not stand. For the LORD himself will cast down the mighty.--Where was a poor nation like Judah to turn- Isaiah insists that there is no hope in earthly alliances. Jerusalem must trust in the LORD.--In chapters 24-27 Isaiah reflects upon these oracles in a tale of two cities. Chapters 24-25, which we are looking at tonight, speak of the city of man...
-Sung Psalm- 110---Why should you care that Jesus was a priest according to the order of Melchizedek- Because you need a priest that does not die.--Why do you need a priest at all- Well, have you ever sinned- Have you ever done something wrong---God says that the wages of sin is death. So if we have sinned, then the only way to pay for our own sins is to die-- -And if you are dead - then you are... well, dead.--In other words, you need someone to offer a sacrifice on your behalf - because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.--There is something rooted in the human psyche that recognizes that we have sinned - and we need some way of making it right.--And so God established the Levitical priesthood as a means of showing Israel how all this works.--Of course, the problem -as we'll see in the rest of Hebrews 7-10- is that the Levitical priesthood can't actually deal finally and fully with sin.--And at the heart of the problem is that the Levitical priests kept dying off. Every generation there was a new high priest. You need a priest who lives forever.--You need a priest who is a Son of God...
As we go through the oracles concerning the nations, we are beginning to see more and more clearly the distinction between the city of God and the city of man.--Over the last few weeks we have been looking at the oracles concerning the nations in Isaiah 13-23. There are ten oracles in two groups of five.--And tonight we hear the final oracle, concerning Tyre...
-Sung Psalm- 105---Last week we looked at the warning against apostasy - how there are those who only believe for a time - who taste of the heavenly gift, share in the Holy Spirit, and even partake of the powers of the age to come, but who fall away. They are like a supposedly fertile field that produces thorns and thistles - it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.--But Hebrews does not leave us in despair. Having set forth the danger of apostasy, he now launches into a discourse on the certainty of God's promises. --And he starts with Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac...
-Two cities have been formed by two loves- the earthly by the lover of self, even to the contempt of God- the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.- St. Augustine, The City of God, Book XIV, Chapter 28 --Augustine borrowed this from Isaiah.--And as we go through the oracles concerning the nations, we are beginning to see more and more clearly the distinction between the city of God and the city of man...
-Sung Psalm- 80---Have you ever known a person who seemed to be a strong Christian, who wound up denying the faith and abandoning Christ- We call it apostasy.--You can look at apostasy from the divine perspective or from the human perspective. --From God's perspective, the elect will never finally fall away. But from our perspective, we have all seen Christians fall away---Because not all Christians are elect---What does it mean to apostatize-
We concluded last time on a note of hope. Egypt and Assyria will gather together to worship God with Israel. Tonight, however, we get a darker picture. --Isaiah does not have a progressive view of history. There is no steady march of progress in Isaiah's view. While Isaiah has a very rosy picture of where things are going - he also has a very realistic picture of how bad things are - and how they are likely going to remain this way for a while yet...
-Sung Psalm- 110---Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as your fathers did in the wilderness. But Pastor, I've tried - and I've failed - why should I think that today will be any different---Because Today is a new day - and by that, I do not mean some cheesy, sappy bromide about how this time just might be different from last time---No, Today is different - not because you are different - but because Jesus, the Son of God, is a faithful high priest who has passed through the heavens, therefore, hold fast your confession. --Jesus, the Son of God, is a merciful high priest who can sympathize with you in every way, so let us draw near the throne of grace with confidence...
Isaiah 19 consists of the oracle concerning Egypt. If, as we saw in ch 18, God is going to bring the tribute of the nations to Zion, on what basis will they come- This oracle claims that the nations will be given equal standing with Israel---This is especially shocking because Egypt was the first and chief enemy of God's people. Just as the Spanish merchant ships feared the buccaneers of the 17th century, so also Israel had long viewed Egypt as their chief enemy.--But attitudes change - and as Assyria became more and more of a threat, many Israelites came to see Egypt as a potential ally.- -But God had warned Israel not to go back to Egypt...
-Sung Psalm- 107---Hebrews is teaching you how to read the Old Testament. Do you tend to read the Old Testament as a story of -what happened back then-- The Old Testament provides a truthful history - but it's more than just that. Do you read it as a series of moral lessons- The Old Testament provides lots of moral lessons - but it's more than just that. The Old Testament is your story, too.--Hebrews wants you to see yourself in the story...
Tonight we look especially at the oracle concerning Damascus. Some commentators divide this into two oracles - with chapter 18 being a separate oracle - but as we go through, we will see that Isaiah sets this up as one.--Now it's true that this one oracle includes both Damascus and Cush.--Damascus was the capital city of Syria, once the main enemy of the northern kingdom of Israel. But after the rise of Assyria, Damascus and Samaria unite against the menace of the east.--Cush is the region below Egypt - probably as far south as Ethiopia and Eritrea. Moses had married a Cushite, and the Queen of Sheba came from that area and to this day there is a small Jewish population in Eritrea of African Jews.--In the 8th century the Cushites had conquered Egypt, so Piye, the King of Cush -modern Sudan-, was now the ruler of Egypt, and in 715 -the year that King Ahaz died- he promised all the Palestinian states his aid against Assyria.--So even though you might think that Cush and Damascus are far apart, they were a lot a closer together, due to their common hostility to Assyria---But we start with Damascus...
-Sung Psalm- 95---In light of the comparison between Moses and Jesus, it is fitting that Hebrews turns to Psalm 95 in reflecting upon Israel's rebellion, while wandering in the wilderness. He takes the wilderness rebellion of Israel and says, -Don't you make the same mistake they did.---God had just redeemed them from bondage and slavery in Egypt. He had just saved them. But just because you heard the message doesn't mean that you're going to enter the promised land.--You must believe the message. Hearing must be blended with faith. And faith must persevere until the end.--Israel in the wilderness was yesterday. Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father is today. Don't be defined by yesterday- Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts- Don't live in yesterday- Live in the today of the gospel.
We saw in chapters 13-14 the mockery of the King of Babylon, and the certainty of the fall of Assyria.--The great and proud nations will fall because of the lofty pride of their rulers.--Tonight we are looking at two much smaller nations - Philistia and Moab. And Isaiah's tone is also quite different.--There is much more lament here - and only a little bit of rebuke. And the rebuke comes for Moab's pride-
-Sung Psalm- 133---The message that you heard has called you out of darkness into light. God has spoken not just through prophets and angels, but now in these last days has spoken in his Son.--And because Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father - and because he has united you to himself - therefore, you share his heavenly calling---So - as Hebrews says- -consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,- --Hebrews is concerned that you might drift away. The temptation that he's dealing with here is especially the danger of drifting back towards Judaism, back to Moses, but it applies to any lure that draws you away from Christ.--Hebrews reminds us that God has subjected everything under the Son's feet.--We don't see everything under his feet - we see a world that seems very much out of control- a virus that keeps spreading - and mutating- a political world that has lost any real sense of truth or honor- and for that matter, the church doesn't seem to be much different from the world---But how are things different - really - than they were in the early church-- In the second century, smallpox ravaged the Roman empire. And as for political instability - at one point there were 26 emperors in a 50 year stretch---And even the apostles comment on how divided the church was---That's why Hebrews admits - we do not see everything in subjection to him- But we see Jesus. We see him, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death.--So when Hebrews calls you to hold fast your confidence and your boasting in your hope, he is reminding you to hold fast to Jesus. When you face temptation and trial, consider him.
Our passage tonight - the oracle against Babylon - has a chiastic structure---1. The Coming Day of the LORD against Babylon -13-1-5--2. The Humiliation of Babylon -13-6-22--3. The LORD's Decree Regarding the Restoration of Jacob -14-1-2--2'. The Proverb against the King of Babylon -14-3-21--1'. The Purpose of the LORD- Assyria - and All Nations - Will Fall -14-24-27---There is a reason why Isaiah starts with an oracle against Babylon. The Hebrew word for -Babylon- is the word babel. As in the tower of Babel. In English we distinguish between Babylon and Babel. In Hebrew you don't.--So when Isaiah opens his oracles against the nations with an oracle against Babel, it would certainly make people wonder - does this have anything to do with the Tower of Babel---As we will see throughout these oracles in chapters 13-27, the nations are very much like Babel - Babylon. They may be weaker - but in their hearts, they too are like their big sister.--Chapter 13 starts with a description of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the LORD is a common prophetic theme, which appears to have originated with Amos a century before Isaiah's time. The Day of the LORD is a day of darkness, and not light...
-Sung Psalm- 22---Was Jesus ever tempted like we are- --We don't know all the details, but we do know that Jesus endured all the same sorts of temptations that we do. -He had to be made like his brothers in every respect.- -He himself has suffered when tempted.---I think sometimes we talk as though because Jesus has survived all these temptations, so can we- Just try harder----Is that how it works- Is that what it says---NO----That's not the point here at all- -Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.---What in particular was Jesus tempted to do- Jesus was tempted to bow the knee to Satan, to exalt himself-to take the route of pride and selfishness - instead of the route of humility and service.--Remember that Hebrews has just called us to -hold fast- to what you have heard. Do not forget the great salvation that God has given us in Christ- So when you are tempted to forget your God,-remember Jesus. Because he is able to help---That little lie that you told your friend - maybe it wasn't a big issue.- -It was just a little thing, right- But in that moment when you lied, you said, in effect, I don't want Jesus' help.--Hebrews chapter 1 is all about how Jesus is greater than the angels because he is the one through whom God created the ages, he is the very radiance of the glory of God. And his inheritance is an eternal sonship in which he rules as king forever.--Hebrews 2 is all about how Jesus is greater than the angels because he humbled himself, and became like us, lower than the angels. He is exalted in his very humiliation...
Tonight we are wrapping up part 1 with a final look at these four sons - particularly Shear Jashub - -a remnant will return-, and Immanuel - -God with us-.--We often think of Immanuel as Jesus - the Prince of Peace. But how often do you think of Shear-Jashub as Jesus- A remnant shall return-