This is the last post on the topic of our perfect inheritance, based off of the sermon I preached on Sunday, 9/19/10. In the last two posts I have attempted to demonstrate that Ephesians 1:3-14 calls us to praise God for all he has done, and has called us to recognize that we are adopted as sons of God, and so we should live according to this truth. In this post I want to talk about one final aspect of our perfect inheritance, and that is the work of the Holy Spirit. There is so much more that can be said about Ephesians 1:3-14. The fact is this is an incredibly rich section of Scripture, but lest I tire you too much, or myself, this will be final post on it for now.
This post really is to make two points, those points have to do with what we read in Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul writes, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." The two points I want to address deal with the fact that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is not a future tense promise of sealing, it is a present reality: we have already been sealed.
In the first and second posts I continually made the point that we are saved according to God's will. Our salvation is not dependent on us and our continued work. This final section proves that point concretely. We have been sealed, and that which is sealed, according to what Paul says, is guaranteed. How can that guarantee be violated then unless God himself is a liar about what he has sealed? Basically, either God must be a liar, or he must be weak.
Certainly we would be complete fools to argue that God is a liar. If God were a liar (such a blasphemous idea ought to be repugnant to our thoughts) then there would be no point in believing anything in Scripture. What would be the point of trying to do anything to please God? If God were a liar then everything we know of his character in Scripture and everything he tells us to do as pleasing to him could potentially be a lie. In such a situation we may as well throw the bible away, because it would be useless to us.
But, God is not a liar. Therefore Scripture is trustworthy, because it comes from him. So, if God says we are sealed, then we are sealed. If God says that our salvation is guaranteed, then it is guaranteed, there is no need to doubt that. But, is God strong enough to make good on his guarantee? That is, what if God has guaranteed our salvation, but he can't really secure it against our strength, or the strength of sin or whatever else?
If that were the case then we would be back to the first point, believing that God is a liar. If God has said we have a guarantee of salvation, and we say, "But I could walk away from God! His guarantee could become void!" then we are arguing the idea that God is in fact wrong in saying that our salvation is guaranteed. In such a situation, God is once again a liar. Therefore, because God has said we are sealed, and our salvation is guaranteed, it must be so.
Therefore we are sealed, and there is no disputing this is what Scripture says. We accept this by faith then, and we ask the question, "What does our sealing mean?" It means that we will one day receive our inheritance. All of creation will one day be given over to Christ, and we will reign over it with him. We will have perfect relationship and harmony with God, even as we are already perfect before him. This inheritance will be ours, unquestionably.
But, it also means that one day we will be given to God. The fact is that we are God's possession. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says we were bought with a price. That which is bought is owned by the one who bought it. We are God's and one day God will take full possession of us.
It is hard to explain why this is such a wonderful fact, but I'll endeavor to do so. Because we have been bought by God, we are not slaves to anyone or anything else. According to what Paul commands us in 1 Corinthians 7:23, we are not to become slaves, which means that we are not slaves now. We were redeemed, purchased by God for himself, and that means we were set free from all our sinful limitations that at one time held us down.
We are possessed by God, so we are free to hope, free to rejoice, free to give him the glory for all that he has done. We are promised that he will have us, and that reassures us that we will also receive all that he has promised us. The promises given us belong to us because we belong to God. And because we know that God will assuredly take possession of us, we do not have to fear that somehow we will lose that which he has promised us.
We are sealed to receive and inheritance, and as an inheritance to be received by God. Our God, the maker of the heavens and the earth will not lose that of which he has taken possession. There is nothing stronger than God, nothing that can from his hand that which he has grasped. There is no one who can stand before God or be victorious over God. And that means that we do not have to fear that we will ever lose that which has been given to us, we can praise God in good times and bad, knowing that our hope is sure, because of the awesome might of our God who holds us, even if we should fail to hold to him.
Give God the glory, praise him for his might. Realize that you have been sealed, and what has been promised will be accomplished. Let this sink into your life and change you. Do not be afraid that you are going to go the wrong way, but remember, God will accomplish what he wants for you, because you are his possession. Do this, as Paul says, "to the praise of his glory."
Showing posts with label Preaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Perfect Inheritance (Part 2)
I noted yesterday that God has provided a perfect inheritance for us in Christ. Today I'd like to develop that a little more. Not only has God provided a perfect inheritance for us, he has provided us with a means to receive that inheritance. God has given us Christ, he has provided us with a perfect savior, redeeming us from the curse of the fall. He has also given us sonship through Christ, providing the means by which we are able to receive that which he has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.
In Ephesians 1:5 we read, "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Our position before God is not dependent on our prayers or our works or our thoughts, they are dependent on God's determination.
Yes, we who are sons will pray to God, because we will want to speak with our Father, and to tell him of our troubles and ask him for his help. Yes, we who are sons will seek to do the will of our Father, not because of our great debt to God, which we can never repay, but because we desire to please our Father and show him our love for him. And yes, our thoughts will be upon the mercy of God, the goodness of God, everything good and noble and worthy of the Lord, because it is only normal and natural to think about that which is most important to us, which ought to be, and will be, God. But, none of these things makes us sons of God through Christ, instead it is the will of God that brings us to himself through Christ that makes us his sons. The Lord is responsible for our position before him, so that we cannot take credit for that which he has done.
But, consider that our position before God, being dependent on God, will never falter if we fail or fall. God has already ordained that we are his sons through Christ, if we are indeed in Christ, so that it does not matter if we stumble and fall, he still calls us sons. This is what Ephesians 1:4 & 7 tells us: "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him," and, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." We have this forgiveness now, not that we shall have it, but that already it is done. Already we are holy and blameless before God, and continually so, because God's word does not change. We are not now holy only to be unholy tomorrow, we are not now forgiven so that tomorrow we will be condemned. Our holiness and righteousness is not dependent on us, it is dependent on God alone, because it is what he has proclaimed.
Consider how this works in contrast with the choices of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 11:26 we read Moses words to the People of Israel that he was setting before them blessing and curse. In Deuteronomy 30 we can read how this blessing and curse would work out. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us that the blessing and curse can also be called life and death. Moses tells the people to choose life that they and their children might live. But, here, in Ephesians, notice that Paul does not call us to a choice, instead he tells us of the choice that God has made for us.
We are not a people who have to choose blessing or curse, our choice has been made for us. If we are in Christ, if we are those whom God has called to him, predestining us to receive his Son, then blessing has been chosen for us. It is not a matter of our will, so that our positions as sons before God depends on our continuous choosing. God has spoken, he has declared what will be, so that our adoption is sure, our redemption is promised and is ours now, and will be ours eternally. How wonderful it is to know that we can relax, we can trust in God, we can have faith in him, and we can enter into his rest, no longer striving but knowing that God holds us in his hands eternally.
Once we stop striving to save ourselves something more amazing comes into view. We who have been adopted and have been forgiven also have been told what God wants. We who have received the adoption of God through Christ have been told of God's amazing plan, to bring all things together in Christ at the end of all things. This is a wonderful blessing because it means that we don't have to wonder at what God wants of us. We don't have to worry about whether we will choose wrongly, because we know that our goal ought to be God's goal, and God will accomplish his goal, even if it seems we have butchered it.
What I mean is that we who have been redeemed and forgiven do not need to worry that we are not going to accomplish what God wants. We ought not be lazy, because laziness is not pleasing to our Father. We ought not be paralyzed by fear of making the wrong choice, because such a fear betrays a mistrust of the Lord. We ought to be busy doing the work of him who sent us, even as he sent Christ, because it is wonderful and good work, and it is this work which provides us with fulfillment in life. God's purpose for all of creation is to bring all things together under Christ, so what more meaningful lives can we live than lives that seek to bring everything we do under Christ today?
God has given us redemption through his Son, and he has given us purpose through Christ. We know that what we do in this life, done with the purpose of bringing all things, our money, our thoughts, our work, our culture, and our friends and neighbors, all under Christ, will prove of eternal worth. We may never see an ounce of movement, but we do not need to be discouraged, because the work is not ours, it is God's. This is not the plan of men, it is the plan of God, and it will be accomplished. The God we serve made the universe, saved us according to his will, and arranged all of history to his purposes; how then can history not end up where he has directed it, so that Christ is glorified and the Father receives all glory through him?
Because of all this there is one more thing we are able to rejoice in, and that is spoken of throughout this passage: we have an inheritance. If all things will eventually be united in Christ, and we are now in Christ, then eventually all things will be united with us in him as well. That means we who are in Christ will eventually receive all things. I'm not speaking out of line here, I assure you.
Consider the promises made to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will be made pillars in the temple of God, in the new Jerusalem. And we will sit down with Christ on his throne, even as he sat down with his Father on his throne. When you consider that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem, for God himself will be our temple, then the promise takes on its full import. We will be joined to God in a way that will be like being pillars in the midst of him, we will never leave from him or go out from him. And we will reign with Christ over all creation.
Paul says that we will judge angels! What is there left that is outside of our authority if we are in Christ then? We will reign with him, we will dwell in the presence of God eternally, and even angels will be under our authority and judgment. We who are in Christ, who stand forgiven and redeemed before God, who know the will of our Father, also have a great and wonderful (consider the real meaning of this word: full of wonder) inheritance in that we shall receive everything through Christ.
What do we have left that we should need then? You do not have a place to rest your head tonight? Don't worry, the whole of creation will be given to you, if you are faithful in Christ. Do you hunger, are you thirsty? Do what you can to eat what you need and drink so that you can be healthy, but remember, the point of life is not fine dining and expensive wine, it is to bring all things together under Christ, so that one day all things will be yours in Christ. Look forward to your inheritance, not for your physical appetites and the satisfying of your lusts, but because God has given you his own presence, he has given you Christ, he has given you a perfect inheritance, and this is your hope.
Live a life worthy of this, seek wisdom now that you will know how to rightly administer the inheritance that is to come. Give God the glory, praise him for all he has done. And share the good news of what you have, so that your rejoicing may cause others to rejoice and add again to your joy in Christ. What do you lack dear Christian? This world is not your home, do not fall in love with it, because you have a better home coming, a better inheritance than you can even imagine.
In Ephesians 1:5 we read, "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Our position before God is not dependent on our prayers or our works or our thoughts, they are dependent on God's determination.
Yes, we who are sons will pray to God, because we will want to speak with our Father, and to tell him of our troubles and ask him for his help. Yes, we who are sons will seek to do the will of our Father, not because of our great debt to God, which we can never repay, but because we desire to please our Father and show him our love for him. And yes, our thoughts will be upon the mercy of God, the goodness of God, everything good and noble and worthy of the Lord, because it is only normal and natural to think about that which is most important to us, which ought to be, and will be, God. But, none of these things makes us sons of God through Christ, instead it is the will of God that brings us to himself through Christ that makes us his sons. The Lord is responsible for our position before him, so that we cannot take credit for that which he has done.
But, consider that our position before God, being dependent on God, will never falter if we fail or fall. God has already ordained that we are his sons through Christ, if we are indeed in Christ, so that it does not matter if we stumble and fall, he still calls us sons. This is what Ephesians 1:4 & 7 tells us: "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him," and, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." We have this forgiveness now, not that we shall have it, but that already it is done. Already we are holy and blameless before God, and continually so, because God's word does not change. We are not now holy only to be unholy tomorrow, we are not now forgiven so that tomorrow we will be condemned. Our holiness and righteousness is not dependent on us, it is dependent on God alone, because it is what he has proclaimed.
Consider how this works in contrast with the choices of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 11:26 we read Moses words to the People of Israel that he was setting before them blessing and curse. In Deuteronomy 30 we can read how this blessing and curse would work out. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us that the blessing and curse can also be called life and death. Moses tells the people to choose life that they and their children might live. But, here, in Ephesians, notice that Paul does not call us to a choice, instead he tells us of the choice that God has made for us.
We are not a people who have to choose blessing or curse, our choice has been made for us. If we are in Christ, if we are those whom God has called to him, predestining us to receive his Son, then blessing has been chosen for us. It is not a matter of our will, so that our positions as sons before God depends on our continuous choosing. God has spoken, he has declared what will be, so that our adoption is sure, our redemption is promised and is ours now, and will be ours eternally. How wonderful it is to know that we can relax, we can trust in God, we can have faith in him, and we can enter into his rest, no longer striving but knowing that God holds us in his hands eternally.
Once we stop striving to save ourselves something more amazing comes into view. We who have been adopted and have been forgiven also have been told what God wants. We who have received the adoption of God through Christ have been told of God's amazing plan, to bring all things together in Christ at the end of all things. This is a wonderful blessing because it means that we don't have to wonder at what God wants of us. We don't have to worry about whether we will choose wrongly, because we know that our goal ought to be God's goal, and God will accomplish his goal, even if it seems we have butchered it.
What I mean is that we who have been redeemed and forgiven do not need to worry that we are not going to accomplish what God wants. We ought not be lazy, because laziness is not pleasing to our Father. We ought not be paralyzed by fear of making the wrong choice, because such a fear betrays a mistrust of the Lord. We ought to be busy doing the work of him who sent us, even as he sent Christ, because it is wonderful and good work, and it is this work which provides us with fulfillment in life. God's purpose for all of creation is to bring all things together under Christ, so what more meaningful lives can we live than lives that seek to bring everything we do under Christ today?
God has given us redemption through his Son, and he has given us purpose through Christ. We know that what we do in this life, done with the purpose of bringing all things, our money, our thoughts, our work, our culture, and our friends and neighbors, all under Christ, will prove of eternal worth. We may never see an ounce of movement, but we do not need to be discouraged, because the work is not ours, it is God's. This is not the plan of men, it is the plan of God, and it will be accomplished. The God we serve made the universe, saved us according to his will, and arranged all of history to his purposes; how then can history not end up where he has directed it, so that Christ is glorified and the Father receives all glory through him?
Because of all this there is one more thing we are able to rejoice in, and that is spoken of throughout this passage: we have an inheritance. If all things will eventually be united in Christ, and we are now in Christ, then eventually all things will be united with us in him as well. That means we who are in Christ will eventually receive all things. I'm not speaking out of line here, I assure you.
Consider the promises made to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will be made pillars in the temple of God, in the new Jerusalem. And we will sit down with Christ on his throne, even as he sat down with his Father on his throne. When you consider that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem, for God himself will be our temple, then the promise takes on its full import. We will be joined to God in a way that will be like being pillars in the midst of him, we will never leave from him or go out from him. And we will reign with Christ over all creation.
Paul says that we will judge angels! What is there left that is outside of our authority if we are in Christ then? We will reign with him, we will dwell in the presence of God eternally, and even angels will be under our authority and judgment. We who are in Christ, who stand forgiven and redeemed before God, who know the will of our Father, also have a great and wonderful (consider the real meaning of this word: full of wonder) inheritance in that we shall receive everything through Christ.
What do we have left that we should need then? You do not have a place to rest your head tonight? Don't worry, the whole of creation will be given to you, if you are faithful in Christ. Do you hunger, are you thirsty? Do what you can to eat what you need and drink so that you can be healthy, but remember, the point of life is not fine dining and expensive wine, it is to bring all things together under Christ, so that one day all things will be yours in Christ. Look forward to your inheritance, not for your physical appetites and the satisfying of your lusts, but because God has given you his own presence, he has given you Christ, he has given you a perfect inheritance, and this is your hope.
Live a life worthy of this, seek wisdom now that you will know how to rightly administer the inheritance that is to come. Give God the glory, praise him for all he has done. And share the good news of what you have, so that your rejoicing may cause others to rejoice and add again to your joy in Christ. What do you lack dear Christian? This world is not your home, do not fall in love with it, because you have a better home coming, a better inheritance than you can even imagine.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Perfect Inheritance (part 1)
From the time of the fall, as Adam and Eve were learning of their punishment from God, there was also a promise of hope set forth by the Word of the Lord. Of course, this is no new exegesis of Genesis 3. God, in speaking to Eve, told her that he would set enmity between her seed and that of the serpent, and that her seed would crush the head of the serpent and the serpent would bruise his heal. This first promise set forth all the expectations that built throughout Scripture for a messiah, an anointed one who would crush Satan under his heel. But, this promise also became an inheritance, because Eve did not bear the anointed child, instead the promise would be passed on, so that Mary would be the one to actually give birth to the Messiah, fulfilling the promise of God.
Likewise, with every promise of the Old Testament, Christ was the one to which they were pointing. The promise of land, the promise of peace, the promise of fellowship with God, and every other promise that God made was fulfilled in Christ. Not only were the promises fulfilled, they continue to be fulfilled in Christ. This is the beauty of the inheritance that God has provided for us in Christ. God has not only given us a promise of inheritance, he himself has perfected that inheritance by doing in Christ what we had no hope of doing for ourselves.
I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but this is the premise for why I call what we have in Christ our perfect inheritance. It is the basis of our praise for God, the reason for why we bless God and proclaim his glory. Some note that even if we did not have this inheritance, God's glory would not be diminished and we should still give him all the praise we do now, but that isn't a question Scripture addresses. As C.S. Lewis notes so often in the Narnia series, no one is ever told "What if?" what we have is what is, and that is what God has spoken to us about. So, instead of deliberating on theological "What ifs?" let us praise God for what he has done, let us always be reminded of our perfect inheritance.
This is where Paul begins in Ephesians. Ephesians 1:3-10 reads, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."
Notice the consistent present and past tense terms used by Paul here. God has blessed us, he chose us, he predestined us, he blessed us. We have redemption and forgiveness. He lavished his grace upon us. He has made known his will to us. Even the plans for the uniting all things in Christ happened in the past tense, so that while all things are not yet joined together, the process has begun, and the fulfillment is guaranteed.
God deserves all praise, and he is worth of our blessings, because he has done great and wondrous things on our behalf. Consider what it means that we have been predestined us for adoption, and that he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. God knew us before the world was formed. The same God who loved Christ before the foundation of the world, according to what John quotes from Jesus' own lips, loved us in Christ. God's love for us is not bound with time and space, but before there was time, as God exists (existed?) outside of time itself, God already (whatever that means in non-temporal conception) loved us in Christ, for his love for Christ is the limit of his love for us.
But, since the creation of the world, God has continued to love us. Even when we were at war with him, God knew there would be a time where we would be in Christ. Somehow, in a way we cannot comprehend, God loved us even while he was at war with us and his wrath remained on us because we had not yet accepted the love and sacrifice of his Son for us. God's amazing choice, his making us holy and blameless is not dependent on present, past, or future actions we have taken, but it is according to his wisdom and insight, for his will. Yes, when we come to Christ we choose God, but it is a choice that was predestined, it was a faith given to us, it was a gift that we might come to Christ and love him as he chose us and loved us while we were yet sinners.
And yet, the love of God goes one step further to really leave us wondering at his grace. Consider this: God chose you in Christ (if you are in Christ) before the foundation of the world. That means that before creation began, God had already willed to save you. But think of what that really means! God created the world and organized all of history so that you would be born, you would live the life you have lived, and you would hear the gospel of Christ. This is perhaps one of the most amazing things to me about the whole matter: God not only balanced all of the world and the whole of creation in his mind, he also arranged all of history so that he could save us who were his enemies!
What are we left to do with this then? Praise God. Live a life that praises God. Worship the God of creation, the God who knows all things and ordained all things according to his will and for his glory. Be found in Christ so that all the blessings that Paul discusses in Ephesians, "every spiritual blessing" can be yours. Long to know God more completely so that you can know the vast and amazing reach of his love, so it can transform your life as you worship him who is worthy of all blessing and gives all blessing.
Your inheritance is perfect. It is completed, not wanting. Be found in Christ so that every promise declared as yours can be enjoyed by you both now and eternally in the future. You know that God has given Christ for us, you know the work that God has done. Why now, with all that God has done on your behalf, would you remain unchanged and unaffected by the glory of him who loves you, and have loved you, since before the world was formed?
Likewise, with every promise of the Old Testament, Christ was the one to which they were pointing. The promise of land, the promise of peace, the promise of fellowship with God, and every other promise that God made was fulfilled in Christ. Not only were the promises fulfilled, they continue to be fulfilled in Christ. This is the beauty of the inheritance that God has provided for us in Christ. God has not only given us a promise of inheritance, he himself has perfected that inheritance by doing in Christ what we had no hope of doing for ourselves.
I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but this is the premise for why I call what we have in Christ our perfect inheritance. It is the basis of our praise for God, the reason for why we bless God and proclaim his glory. Some note that even if we did not have this inheritance, God's glory would not be diminished and we should still give him all the praise we do now, but that isn't a question Scripture addresses. As C.S. Lewis notes so often in the Narnia series, no one is ever told "What if?" what we have is what is, and that is what God has spoken to us about. So, instead of deliberating on theological "What ifs?" let us praise God for what he has done, let us always be reminded of our perfect inheritance.
This is where Paul begins in Ephesians. Ephesians 1:3-10 reads, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."
Notice the consistent present and past tense terms used by Paul here. God has blessed us, he chose us, he predestined us, he blessed us. We have redemption and forgiveness. He lavished his grace upon us. He has made known his will to us. Even the plans for the uniting all things in Christ happened in the past tense, so that while all things are not yet joined together, the process has begun, and the fulfillment is guaranteed.
God deserves all praise, and he is worth of our blessings, because he has done great and wondrous things on our behalf. Consider what it means that we have been predestined us for adoption, and that he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. God knew us before the world was formed. The same God who loved Christ before the foundation of the world, according to what John quotes from Jesus' own lips, loved us in Christ. God's love for us is not bound with time and space, but before there was time, as God exists (existed?) outside of time itself, God already (whatever that means in non-temporal conception) loved us in Christ, for his love for Christ is the limit of his love for us.
But, since the creation of the world, God has continued to love us. Even when we were at war with him, God knew there would be a time where we would be in Christ. Somehow, in a way we cannot comprehend, God loved us even while he was at war with us and his wrath remained on us because we had not yet accepted the love and sacrifice of his Son for us. God's amazing choice, his making us holy and blameless is not dependent on present, past, or future actions we have taken, but it is according to his wisdom and insight, for his will. Yes, when we come to Christ we choose God, but it is a choice that was predestined, it was a faith given to us, it was a gift that we might come to Christ and love him as he chose us and loved us while we were yet sinners.
And yet, the love of God goes one step further to really leave us wondering at his grace. Consider this: God chose you in Christ (if you are in Christ) before the foundation of the world. That means that before creation began, God had already willed to save you. But think of what that really means! God created the world and organized all of history so that you would be born, you would live the life you have lived, and you would hear the gospel of Christ. This is perhaps one of the most amazing things to me about the whole matter: God not only balanced all of the world and the whole of creation in his mind, he also arranged all of history so that he could save us who were his enemies!
What are we left to do with this then? Praise God. Live a life that praises God. Worship the God of creation, the God who knows all things and ordained all things according to his will and for his glory. Be found in Christ so that all the blessings that Paul discusses in Ephesians, "every spiritual blessing" can be yours. Long to know God more completely so that you can know the vast and amazing reach of his love, so it can transform your life as you worship him who is worthy of all blessing and gives all blessing.
Your inheritance is perfect. It is completed, not wanting. Be found in Christ so that every promise declared as yours can be enjoyed by you both now and eternally in the future. You know that God has given Christ for us, you know the work that God has done. Why now, with all that God has done on your behalf, would you remain unchanged and unaffected by the glory of him who loves you, and have loved you, since before the world was formed?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Confident Insufficiency
I'm reading through Dr. Bryan Chapell's book Christ Centered Preaching again. I haven't read the book in probably a year or so, since going through seminary. Even in seminary I read the book because I had to for a book review, and while it was good, I have a feeling that I didn't get out of it what I could have, so now I'm going to read it again, so I can be reminded of the great truths that Dr. Chapell has distilled in this wonderful volume. If you haven't read it, and you want to preach, I entreat you, read it.
One of the earliest truths that Dr. Chapell discusses is the fact that preachers are insufficient to the task of preaching. But, it's okay that we be insufficient to the task, because the real task of preaching is the winning of souls to God. The presentation of the Word of God with power to the goal of converting sinners to Christ, and empowering Christians to live their lives, in every way, in deeper relationship with God. What mortal man could be sufficient to this task? All of us are too sinful, too imperfect, too limited to accomplish the goals we should have with every sermon.
But, that's okay. In fact, that's a good thing. Because we are insufficient we are able to do exactly what we need to do. Because we are imperfect, we are able to call upon God, who perfects his power in our weakness, that he might do that which we cannot, and glorify himself through the foolishness of preaching. I told my wife one of the first lines in that book that made me chuckle is that Dr. Chapell notes that Paul commends the foolishness of preaching, but not foolish preaching.
A good preacher, a good pastor, is not called to stand up and be foolish in what he says, but he is called to be wise and give forth the Word of God. This is foolish precisely because we expect somehow that mere words will have effective power to change the lives of those that hear them. But, this is the means by which God has determined that his power should be shared. He works through his Word. The same Word that created the world holds all things together now, it raised Christ from the dead, sent the Spirit into timid fishermen and rejects from society, and even now is working powerfully in the world to accomplish the will of God. This Word no man is worthy to proclaim, but we are called to go forth and do that which we are not worthy of, because God is powerful enough to redeem the fallen.
Isn't this the same thing that applies to all of us? What are you sufficient to do on your own? Banking, physics, driving, shoveling, what is any of that in the eternal scheme of things? Yet, in Christ when we are obedient, those things which are nothing in the eternal scheme become important, because God does amazing things with insufficient people.
None of us is sufficient to fulfill the task to which we were called, because we were called to conform to the image of Christ. I don't know about you, but I have found that no matter how much I may try and force my heart to be more faithful, I don't seem to have a lot of power to change my very nature. I can control my actions, I can choose not to dwell on the sinful thoughts that enter into my mind, but I seem to have a nature that keeps on wanting to go back to sin. I am insufficient to change myself, to conform myself, to the image of Christ. But God is sufficient, and he will do that which I am incapable of doing, I just have to be faithful to him.
Likewise, Christ called upon us to go out into all nations and proclaim the gospel, making disciples of every people, tribe, tongue and nation. We were told to do this not because of the great power that was given unto us, but because all power in heaven and earth has been given unto him. Our commission does not rely upon our sufficiency, but upon the sufficiency of our God. He alone is able to do all things, without him, we can do nothing.
Take comfort in your insufficiency. Be confident that whatever God has called you to do, you are incapable of doing. And that is to his glory, because what you cannot do, he can. Where you are insufficient, God, my God, is more than sufficient. When you are faithful to God, and you work with all the strength which he gives you, then you can do great things, because you are not sufficient to do it on your own.
But, that means that you don't need to worry about whether you will save your best friend. You don't need to worry about whether your life will be perfect enough to stand against those who would test you and examine every aspect of you. You have sinned, and though you have (hopefully) put that sin behind you, you will never attain perfection in this life. You don't need to worry about those things, because the reality is that this is who you are, imperfect, insufficient to achieve the great tasks which God will set before you.
But, because God's Word is sufficient, because his power is able to do all things, when he commands you, if you are faithful to do what he says, then he will accomplish his purposes. Your life will never save anyone, only his word will. You will never have the power to save any man, only Christ can do that. You can take comfort in knowing that God is not relying upon your insufficiency, he is giving you the chance to join with his power to accomplish his purposes. This same God who made all things, who raised Christ from the dead, is able to raise the dead people we speak to, but we are not.
Praise God for our insufficiency, that he may be glorified. I will never save any man with my preaching, and that's perfectly fine with me. I may stumble, I may fall, I may make a fool of myself in the pulpit, and that's okay. As long as God's Word is proclaimed, that is all that matters. I may be a stuttering fool, I may lack all eloquence, I may be monotone and forget my outline, but if I am obedient to what God has called me to do, if I proclaim his Word, then he will be faithful to himself, and he will use his Word to accomplish his purposes. It is God who gives a man ears to hear and a mouth to speak. If he gives me an eloquent tongue, then so much more to his praise, but if not, I do not need to worry, I may be insufficient, but that's just the kind of person God wants me to be.
Have you thanked God for your insufficiency today? Have you praised God that you do not have the burden to accomplish what you cannot accomplish? Have you thanked him that he chose to let you join him in accomplishing his will? Our God is awesome, his power is beyond description. If you do not know this God, please, write me that I can share his Word with you. Seek him while he may still be found, for all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
One of the earliest truths that Dr. Chapell discusses is the fact that preachers are insufficient to the task of preaching. But, it's okay that we be insufficient to the task, because the real task of preaching is the winning of souls to God. The presentation of the Word of God with power to the goal of converting sinners to Christ, and empowering Christians to live their lives, in every way, in deeper relationship with God. What mortal man could be sufficient to this task? All of us are too sinful, too imperfect, too limited to accomplish the goals we should have with every sermon.
But, that's okay. In fact, that's a good thing. Because we are insufficient we are able to do exactly what we need to do. Because we are imperfect, we are able to call upon God, who perfects his power in our weakness, that he might do that which we cannot, and glorify himself through the foolishness of preaching. I told my wife one of the first lines in that book that made me chuckle is that Dr. Chapell notes that Paul commends the foolishness of preaching, but not foolish preaching.
A good preacher, a good pastor, is not called to stand up and be foolish in what he says, but he is called to be wise and give forth the Word of God. This is foolish precisely because we expect somehow that mere words will have effective power to change the lives of those that hear them. But, this is the means by which God has determined that his power should be shared. He works through his Word. The same Word that created the world holds all things together now, it raised Christ from the dead, sent the Spirit into timid fishermen and rejects from society, and even now is working powerfully in the world to accomplish the will of God. This Word no man is worthy to proclaim, but we are called to go forth and do that which we are not worthy of, because God is powerful enough to redeem the fallen.
Isn't this the same thing that applies to all of us? What are you sufficient to do on your own? Banking, physics, driving, shoveling, what is any of that in the eternal scheme of things? Yet, in Christ when we are obedient, those things which are nothing in the eternal scheme become important, because God does amazing things with insufficient people.
None of us is sufficient to fulfill the task to which we were called, because we were called to conform to the image of Christ. I don't know about you, but I have found that no matter how much I may try and force my heart to be more faithful, I don't seem to have a lot of power to change my very nature. I can control my actions, I can choose not to dwell on the sinful thoughts that enter into my mind, but I seem to have a nature that keeps on wanting to go back to sin. I am insufficient to change myself, to conform myself, to the image of Christ. But God is sufficient, and he will do that which I am incapable of doing, I just have to be faithful to him.
Likewise, Christ called upon us to go out into all nations and proclaim the gospel, making disciples of every people, tribe, tongue and nation. We were told to do this not because of the great power that was given unto us, but because all power in heaven and earth has been given unto him. Our commission does not rely upon our sufficiency, but upon the sufficiency of our God. He alone is able to do all things, without him, we can do nothing.
Take comfort in your insufficiency. Be confident that whatever God has called you to do, you are incapable of doing. And that is to his glory, because what you cannot do, he can. Where you are insufficient, God, my God, is more than sufficient. When you are faithful to God, and you work with all the strength which he gives you, then you can do great things, because you are not sufficient to do it on your own.
But, that means that you don't need to worry about whether you will save your best friend. You don't need to worry about whether your life will be perfect enough to stand against those who would test you and examine every aspect of you. You have sinned, and though you have (hopefully) put that sin behind you, you will never attain perfection in this life. You don't need to worry about those things, because the reality is that this is who you are, imperfect, insufficient to achieve the great tasks which God will set before you.
But, because God's Word is sufficient, because his power is able to do all things, when he commands you, if you are faithful to do what he says, then he will accomplish his purposes. Your life will never save anyone, only his word will. You will never have the power to save any man, only Christ can do that. You can take comfort in knowing that God is not relying upon your insufficiency, he is giving you the chance to join with his power to accomplish his purposes. This same God who made all things, who raised Christ from the dead, is able to raise the dead people we speak to, but we are not.
Praise God for our insufficiency, that he may be glorified. I will never save any man with my preaching, and that's perfectly fine with me. I may stumble, I may fall, I may make a fool of myself in the pulpit, and that's okay. As long as God's Word is proclaimed, that is all that matters. I may be a stuttering fool, I may lack all eloquence, I may be monotone and forget my outline, but if I am obedient to what God has called me to do, if I proclaim his Word, then he will be faithful to himself, and he will use his Word to accomplish his purposes. It is God who gives a man ears to hear and a mouth to speak. If he gives me an eloquent tongue, then so much more to his praise, but if not, I do not need to worry, I may be insufficient, but that's just the kind of person God wants me to be.
Have you thanked God for your insufficiency today? Have you praised God that you do not have the burden to accomplish what you cannot accomplish? Have you thanked him that he chose to let you join him in accomplishing his will? Our God is awesome, his power is beyond description. If you do not know this God, please, write me that I can share his Word with you. Seek him while he may still be found, for all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Promised Inheritance (part 3)
In the last two posts I began typing up a series of posts based off of the sermon I preached on the 12th. This will be the last of those entries. The first part basically examined Number 36:1-4, the second 5-9, this part will examine 10-12. Verse 13 I did not preach on as it is a summation of the whole book, and basically a sermon in and of itself.
In Numbers 36:10-12 we see the results of the complaint of the sons of Manasseh, and Moses response to them. The sons of Manasseh came to Moses to have their needs addressed as it concerned the inheritance of their brother, Zelophehad. Moses then responded according to the word of the Lord, and told them what should be done in this case. The issue developed due to the inheritance of Zelophehad which passed on to his daughters, as he had no sons. The concern was that the inheritance that God had promised to the clan of Manasseh would be lost due to the marriage of their daughters to another tribe. God responded by giving a command to the people of Israel that would ensure the inheritance of every tribe, eternally.
So, we have been challenged to be a people of faith, and a people of hope, what shall we do with this last section of Scripture? What we see here is how a people of faith and love live. Those who have faith in the promises, the victory, and the commands of God must live in accordance with those promises, victories, and commands. And that is what the 5 daughters of Zelophehad do. These are women of faith, just as those who brought the complaint were men of faith.
The obedience of these women is according to the faith they had in the word of God. God had given these women permission to marry anyone they wanted, so long as they married in the clan of their father. Remember, these women had not yet received the land they were anticipating as an inheritance. Just as the men of the clan believed that God would grant this land, so also these women trusted that God would do what he had said. These women were not just obedient due to social pressures, they were obedient because of their faith.
Faith requires obedience. Another way of looking at this would be that obedience is a result of faith. We see this idea discussed explicitly in James as he notes that Abraham was saved by his works and not just his faith. James here seems to be contradicting Paul, but the reality is that Paul and James are in agreement. James notes that Abraham acted in response to what he believed, this was the proof of his faith. Without works, faith is dead, so if we claim to have faith, but have no works, what good is that faith to us?
Just as obedience is a result of faith, obedience also anticipates the result of faith, an inheritance given by God. Consider that this passage does not tell us that the daughters of Zelophehad waited until after they received their inheritance to marry, but rather that they did as they were commanded, and married within their clan. These women anticipated that they would receive the inheritance promised, their faith was active in the fact that they were not passively waiting, but actively anticipating the inheritance to come. Our faith must also lead to an obedience that anticipates the inheritance that is to come.
But, it is also our obedience to the word of God that secures our inheritance. Once again we are brought back to James and we see that he tells us that if we are not living lives in obedience to the word of God, then our faith is dead, and of no use to us. If our faith is dead, if it is of no use to us, then it cannot save us and give us reason to expect the inheritance that has been prepared for us. So, while we cannot earn our salvation by work, we secure it by our works, understanding that our faith is demonstrated in our works. Hence why Paul says that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, as this is our spiritual worship.
We walk a fine line here. It is a fine line because some might say that they are saved by their works, meaning what Paul means by salvation. These people think that because they do good works, God will look on them with mercy and allow them into heaven. That position is simply false, and is not condoned in Scripture at all. Rather, what we see is that those who seek to earn their way to salvation are challenged with their imperfections, called hypocrites, and rejected.
However, those who come to God humbly, having faith in Jesus Christ, they are saved. James notes this as he says to us that we must come to God in humility, that we must love God and not the world. Our love of God requires us to have faith in Christ, and thereby we are saved. But, this is also informative for us because we see that if we love the world we are enemies of God. That means that James is reminding us of our inheritance. He is reminding us that we who love God and draw near to him are securing our inheritance through works done as a confirmation of the faith that lives within us.
Obedience is necessary in order to be called the children of God. We are not being obedient to the law though, but to the love of God, and for God, that has been placed within us. Our obedience is not what causes faith, but is in response to the faith we have. Obedience anticipates the inheritance we will have, in that we are always reminded that we are obedient expecting God to reward us who seek him. Our obedience also secures our inheritance though, as we demonstrate our faith and are assured of our salvation by the things we do.
Where have you been disobedient in this last week, day, or even hour? Have you known what is good and right to do, and not done it? Have you resisted the law of love in any way? Have you refused to trust in God, holding on to your own problems and trying to fix things yourself? Consider these things and be challenged today to be more obedient to what you know you should be doing.
For the non-Christian, the act of obedience is simple: believe in Christ. This is what God has commanded for all people. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and was raised again on the third day. Believe in the gospel as it has been handed down faithfully to us.
For the Christian, obedience is equally simple: take up your cross daily and follow Christ. Have this same mind in you as was in Christ, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) To not be ashamed of Christ, and do not despise the discipline of the Lord. Rejoice, anticipate your inheritance that is coming, be obedient and look forward, hopeful because you have faith in Christ, you who are a child of God, who Christ is not ashamed to call his own.
In Numbers 36:10-12 we see the results of the complaint of the sons of Manasseh, and Moses response to them. The sons of Manasseh came to Moses to have their needs addressed as it concerned the inheritance of their brother, Zelophehad. Moses then responded according to the word of the Lord, and told them what should be done in this case. The issue developed due to the inheritance of Zelophehad which passed on to his daughters, as he had no sons. The concern was that the inheritance that God had promised to the clan of Manasseh would be lost due to the marriage of their daughters to another tribe. God responded by giving a command to the people of Israel that would ensure the inheritance of every tribe, eternally.
So, we have been challenged to be a people of faith, and a people of hope, what shall we do with this last section of Scripture? What we see here is how a people of faith and love live. Those who have faith in the promises, the victory, and the commands of God must live in accordance with those promises, victories, and commands. And that is what the 5 daughters of Zelophehad do. These are women of faith, just as those who brought the complaint were men of faith.
The obedience of these women is according to the faith they had in the word of God. God had given these women permission to marry anyone they wanted, so long as they married in the clan of their father. Remember, these women had not yet received the land they were anticipating as an inheritance. Just as the men of the clan believed that God would grant this land, so also these women trusted that God would do what he had said. These women were not just obedient due to social pressures, they were obedient because of their faith.
Faith requires obedience. Another way of looking at this would be that obedience is a result of faith. We see this idea discussed explicitly in James as he notes that Abraham was saved by his works and not just his faith. James here seems to be contradicting Paul, but the reality is that Paul and James are in agreement. James notes that Abraham acted in response to what he believed, this was the proof of his faith. Without works, faith is dead, so if we claim to have faith, but have no works, what good is that faith to us?
Just as obedience is a result of faith, obedience also anticipates the result of faith, an inheritance given by God. Consider that this passage does not tell us that the daughters of Zelophehad waited until after they received their inheritance to marry, but rather that they did as they were commanded, and married within their clan. These women anticipated that they would receive the inheritance promised, their faith was active in the fact that they were not passively waiting, but actively anticipating the inheritance to come. Our faith must also lead to an obedience that anticipates the inheritance that is to come.
But, it is also our obedience to the word of God that secures our inheritance. Once again we are brought back to James and we see that he tells us that if we are not living lives in obedience to the word of God, then our faith is dead, and of no use to us. If our faith is dead, if it is of no use to us, then it cannot save us and give us reason to expect the inheritance that has been prepared for us. So, while we cannot earn our salvation by work, we secure it by our works, understanding that our faith is demonstrated in our works. Hence why Paul says that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, as this is our spiritual worship.
We walk a fine line here. It is a fine line because some might say that they are saved by their works, meaning what Paul means by salvation. These people think that because they do good works, God will look on them with mercy and allow them into heaven. That position is simply false, and is not condoned in Scripture at all. Rather, what we see is that those who seek to earn their way to salvation are challenged with their imperfections, called hypocrites, and rejected.
However, those who come to God humbly, having faith in Jesus Christ, they are saved. James notes this as he says to us that we must come to God in humility, that we must love God and not the world. Our love of God requires us to have faith in Christ, and thereby we are saved. But, this is also informative for us because we see that if we love the world we are enemies of God. That means that James is reminding us of our inheritance. He is reminding us that we who love God and draw near to him are securing our inheritance through works done as a confirmation of the faith that lives within us.
Obedience is necessary in order to be called the children of God. We are not being obedient to the law though, but to the love of God, and for God, that has been placed within us. Our obedience is not what causes faith, but is in response to the faith we have. Obedience anticipates the inheritance we will have, in that we are always reminded that we are obedient expecting God to reward us who seek him. Our obedience also secures our inheritance though, as we demonstrate our faith and are assured of our salvation by the things we do.
Where have you been disobedient in this last week, day, or even hour? Have you known what is good and right to do, and not done it? Have you resisted the law of love in any way? Have you refused to trust in God, holding on to your own problems and trying to fix things yourself? Consider these things and be challenged today to be more obedient to what you know you should be doing.
For the non-Christian, the act of obedience is simple: believe in Christ. This is what God has commanded for all people. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and was raised again on the third day. Believe in the gospel as it has been handed down faithfully to us.
For the Christian, obedience is equally simple: take up your cross daily and follow Christ. Have this same mind in you as was in Christ, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) To not be ashamed of Christ, and do not despise the discipline of the Lord. Rejoice, anticipate your inheritance that is coming, be obedient and look forward, hopeful because you have faith in Christ, you who are a child of God, who Christ is not ashamed to call his own.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A Promised Inheritance (Part 1)
Today I have the blessed opportunity to preach at the church my wife and I are attending here in Carrollton. (That's why I set this to come up later in the day than normal, so as not to ruin the surprise of the sermon for her since she will be hearing it today.) The text I have chosen for this sermon is Numbers 36:1-12. This sermon is the first in a two part series dealing with inheritance. Next week I will be preaching on Ephesians 1:3-14. Because my sermon will be approximately 40 minutes in length I have broken it into 3 parts for the sake of posting it here. Parts 2 and 3 will follow in the next couple of days.
Numbers 36 is the culmination of nearly 500 years of history. 470 years prior to the events taking place in the text God made a promise to a lone man, an 85 year old who had no children, Abraham, that his descendants would possess all the land in the area. 40 years earlier, God heard the cried of his people, and he sent a lone man, Moses, to deliver his people from Egypt, and to bring them into the land they were preparing to enter. Yet, though God had been faithful to deliver his people from Egypt after 430 years, and though he had destroyed the army of Pharaoh, and had done amazing works in the sight of the children of Abraham, the Israelites, they saw the inhabitants of the land that had been promised to them, and they doubted. For 40 years, those who rejected the promises of God, who doubted his faithfulness and had no faith in his word, wandered in the wilderness, until every member of that Generation, save Joshua and Caleb, died out.
Thus, the first thing we see as read this text, is that these men who have come to Moses with this legal dispute are men of faith. These are men who believe in the promises of God, the victory of God, and the commands of God. It is important that we note this because this idea is the foundation for the rest of the text, and what it teaches us today. The faith of these men is what drives them to come to Moses to seek the word of the Lord in regards to what may seem to us a minor issue, at best.
I noted that these men had faith in three things in particular, the promises of God, the victory of God, and the commands of God. I want to unpack that. First, I want to show what I mean by saying that these are men who have faith in the promises of God. These are men who believe that what God has said he will do, is exactly what he will do. They believe that because God has promised them the land, he will deliver it to them.
You see, these men have not even crossed the Jordan yet. Moses is going to die soon, God will not bring him into the promised land, and the fact that Moses stands to answer these men shows that, as of yet, these men have not entered into the land they are discussing. Yet, God promised to Abraham 500 years before that the land would be given to his descendants. These men, preparing to cross the Jordan and enter into the land promised them only have the promise of God to trust in that they will ever see the land they are concerned over. These are men who have faith in the promises of God.
Likewise though, these are men who have faith in the victory of God. 40 years ago their fathers saw the vengeance of God on the Egyptians. God worked 9 wonders in the land of Egypt, blotting out the sun and killing the first born of Egypt in order to deliver his people. And, when that wasn't enough, God even destroyed the army of Pharaoh by drowning them in the Yom Suf. God did all of this, yet their fathers feared to enter into the land, lest the people in the land should kill them and enslave them.
These men though, the ones who came to speak with Moses and the rest of the leaders of Israel, they have wandered 40 years in the wilderness. They were not there to see the wonders God did in Egypt, or, if they were, they were small and it was a long time ago. But, they have seen the mercy of God for 40 years, following after the cloud of dust by day, and the pillar of fire by night. These men have walked in sandals that have not grown old, and worn clothes that have not fallen apart for 40 years. And now, as they prepare to enter into the land of promise, they have faith that God will be victorious over those who live in the land, and will lead his people to victory.
But not only do these men have faith in God's promises, and his victory, they have faith in his command. Their concern is that when the Jubilee comes, the land given to daughters of Zelophehad would transfer to another tribe. The law of Jubilee said that on the 50th year all the land that had been sold and traded had to return to the possession of the family who had ancestral claim to that land. In the case of these women though, when they married into another tribe, the land that belonged to them would pass into the hands of the sons of that tribe. Thus, their sons would inherit a tribal identity (or a clan identity) from their fathers, but they would inherit the property of their mothers (and fathers).
This issue of inheritance presented a problem, because that would mean that on the year of jubilee, 50 years down the line, that land would permanently be joined to the new clan, because the sons of that union would now have right to claim that land. If the Israelites lived according to the law this would create a situation where the inheritance promised to one clan would pass to another clan. If you are wondering what that is a problem, it is because the land was promised to one clan, according to God's decree the inheritance had been allotted to the tribe of Manasseh. To join that land then to the tribe of Judah, or Issachar, or Simeon, or any other tribe, would create a significant problem. (Let's not even get into the multiple issues that would arise from one of the daughters marrying a man from the tribe of Levi, because the Levites weren't supposed to have any "land" possession beyond certain cities lying within the realm of each clan.)
The fact that the men were concerned about this though shows that these were men who had faith in God's commands. They saw God's commands as being good, and they sought to obey the commands of God. Think about this: the best biblical evidence we have indicates that the year of jubilee was never kept. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21; Leviticus 26:34-35; Jeremiah 25:11-12) Yet, despite the fact that perhaps they, and definitely their children, would go on to act faithlessly in regards to the law of the Lord, here they demonstrated that they really had faith that the commands of God would be fulfilled. The tragic result of history says that the people of Israel were not faithful to God, yet those who appeared before Moses were men of faith, who sought to do what was right in their own generation, and whose concern was upon the command of God to them and their families.
What are we to make of this then? What does any of that matter to us today? Please, understand me when I tell you that these are the very same issues that face us today, and we would do well to learn from the example that these men set forth. Let us be people who have faith in God's promises, God's victory, and God's commands. If we have faith in these things, it will change how we live our lives.
If we were a people who had faith in the promises of God, we would recognize that this current economy should not be our primary concern. Politics, poverty, possessions, none of these things are of tantamount importance to those who believe in the promises of God. For God has said that he works all things for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) God has said he will never leave us nor forsake us, if we do what he has called us to do. (Deuteronomy 31:8) As we hold to these promises, we are reminded also of God's victory.
But, God's victory is not just limited to this world, for we have the testimony of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that even death has been defeated. For this reason Scripture tells us, "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:54) Yet, we do not see this victory completed yet, thus we must be those who have faith in God's victory. We must trust that one day we will be set free, because death will be destroyed. But, even now, we can celebrate that we are no longer enslaved to death, we are those who have been set free, because of the victory of Christ, and because of the victory we will one day experience through him. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
And, as we live in delight of the promises of God to us, celebrating the victory which we look forward to, we are able to live by his commands. For, because we are free from the bonds of death, we are also free from that which divided us in life, we are able to come together as a family, obeying Christ's command to love one another. (John 13:34-35) And not only can we love one another, but we can also put away the things which we used to love, we can live without sin hindering us any longer. (1 Peter 1:14) Thus, we who have faith in the promises of God, and the victory of God, can also have faith in the command of God. We can be sure that the one who has given us a command will be with us to complete that command, so that he will be glorified. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
This is what we should aspire to be: A people of faith, who love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. We must have faith in God's promises, trusting that he who has called us will do that which he has promised us he will do. We must have faith in God's victory, for only he is strong enough to overcome our enemy, and he has done it, and will do it again, to the joy of we who wait on him. And we must have faith in God's commands, knowing that they are good, seeking to be obedient to the one who called us, not because we under the Law of Moses, but because we are free to live by the law of faith. Are you living up to that ideal? I bet if you examine your heart you aren't, there are some things you just are trusting God with, whether it be his promises, his victory, or his commands, there is room for continued sanctification. I pray you would go to God and seek to determine where he would change you, for his glory.
Numbers 36 is the culmination of nearly 500 years of history. 470 years prior to the events taking place in the text God made a promise to a lone man, an 85 year old who had no children, Abraham, that his descendants would possess all the land in the area. 40 years earlier, God heard the cried of his people, and he sent a lone man, Moses, to deliver his people from Egypt, and to bring them into the land they were preparing to enter. Yet, though God had been faithful to deliver his people from Egypt after 430 years, and though he had destroyed the army of Pharaoh, and had done amazing works in the sight of the children of Abraham, the Israelites, they saw the inhabitants of the land that had been promised to them, and they doubted. For 40 years, those who rejected the promises of God, who doubted his faithfulness and had no faith in his word, wandered in the wilderness, until every member of that Generation, save Joshua and Caleb, died out.
Thus, the first thing we see as read this text, is that these men who have come to Moses with this legal dispute are men of faith. These are men who believe in the promises of God, the victory of God, and the commands of God. It is important that we note this because this idea is the foundation for the rest of the text, and what it teaches us today. The faith of these men is what drives them to come to Moses to seek the word of the Lord in regards to what may seem to us a minor issue, at best.
I noted that these men had faith in three things in particular, the promises of God, the victory of God, and the commands of God. I want to unpack that. First, I want to show what I mean by saying that these are men who have faith in the promises of God. These are men who believe that what God has said he will do, is exactly what he will do. They believe that because God has promised them the land, he will deliver it to them.
You see, these men have not even crossed the Jordan yet. Moses is going to die soon, God will not bring him into the promised land, and the fact that Moses stands to answer these men shows that, as of yet, these men have not entered into the land they are discussing. Yet, God promised to Abraham 500 years before that the land would be given to his descendants. These men, preparing to cross the Jordan and enter into the land promised them only have the promise of God to trust in that they will ever see the land they are concerned over. These are men who have faith in the promises of God.
Likewise though, these are men who have faith in the victory of God. 40 years ago their fathers saw the vengeance of God on the Egyptians. God worked 9 wonders in the land of Egypt, blotting out the sun and killing the first born of Egypt in order to deliver his people. And, when that wasn't enough, God even destroyed the army of Pharaoh by drowning them in the Yom Suf. God did all of this, yet their fathers feared to enter into the land, lest the people in the land should kill them and enslave them.
These men though, the ones who came to speak with Moses and the rest of the leaders of Israel, they have wandered 40 years in the wilderness. They were not there to see the wonders God did in Egypt, or, if they were, they were small and it was a long time ago. But, they have seen the mercy of God for 40 years, following after the cloud of dust by day, and the pillar of fire by night. These men have walked in sandals that have not grown old, and worn clothes that have not fallen apart for 40 years. And now, as they prepare to enter into the land of promise, they have faith that God will be victorious over those who live in the land, and will lead his people to victory.
But not only do these men have faith in God's promises, and his victory, they have faith in his command. Their concern is that when the Jubilee comes, the land given to daughters of Zelophehad would transfer to another tribe. The law of Jubilee said that on the 50th year all the land that had been sold and traded had to return to the possession of the family who had ancestral claim to that land. In the case of these women though, when they married into another tribe, the land that belonged to them would pass into the hands of the sons of that tribe. Thus, their sons would inherit a tribal identity (or a clan identity) from their fathers, but they would inherit the property of their mothers (and fathers).
This issue of inheritance presented a problem, because that would mean that on the year of jubilee, 50 years down the line, that land would permanently be joined to the new clan, because the sons of that union would now have right to claim that land. If the Israelites lived according to the law this would create a situation where the inheritance promised to one clan would pass to another clan. If you are wondering what that is a problem, it is because the land was promised to one clan, according to God's decree the inheritance had been allotted to the tribe of Manasseh. To join that land then to the tribe of Judah, or Issachar, or Simeon, or any other tribe, would create a significant problem. (Let's not even get into the multiple issues that would arise from one of the daughters marrying a man from the tribe of Levi, because the Levites weren't supposed to have any "land" possession beyond certain cities lying within the realm of each clan.)
The fact that the men were concerned about this though shows that these were men who had faith in God's commands. They saw God's commands as being good, and they sought to obey the commands of God. Think about this: the best biblical evidence we have indicates that the year of jubilee was never kept. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21; Leviticus 26:34-35; Jeremiah 25:11-12) Yet, despite the fact that perhaps they, and definitely their children, would go on to act faithlessly in regards to the law of the Lord, here they demonstrated that they really had faith that the commands of God would be fulfilled. The tragic result of history says that the people of Israel were not faithful to God, yet those who appeared before Moses were men of faith, who sought to do what was right in their own generation, and whose concern was upon the command of God to them and their families.
What are we to make of this then? What does any of that matter to us today? Please, understand me when I tell you that these are the very same issues that face us today, and we would do well to learn from the example that these men set forth. Let us be people who have faith in God's promises, God's victory, and God's commands. If we have faith in these things, it will change how we live our lives.
If we were a people who had faith in the promises of God, we would recognize that this current economy should not be our primary concern. Politics, poverty, possessions, none of these things are of tantamount importance to those who believe in the promises of God. For God has said that he works all things for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) God has said he will never leave us nor forsake us, if we do what he has called us to do. (Deuteronomy 31:8) As we hold to these promises, we are reminded also of God's victory.
But, God's victory is not just limited to this world, for we have the testimony of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that even death has been defeated. For this reason Scripture tells us, "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:54) Yet, we do not see this victory completed yet, thus we must be those who have faith in God's victory. We must trust that one day we will be set free, because death will be destroyed. But, even now, we can celebrate that we are no longer enslaved to death, we are those who have been set free, because of the victory of Christ, and because of the victory we will one day experience through him. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
And, as we live in delight of the promises of God to us, celebrating the victory which we look forward to, we are able to live by his commands. For, because we are free from the bonds of death, we are also free from that which divided us in life, we are able to come together as a family, obeying Christ's command to love one another. (John 13:34-35) And not only can we love one another, but we can also put away the things which we used to love, we can live without sin hindering us any longer. (1 Peter 1:14) Thus, we who have faith in the promises of God, and the victory of God, can also have faith in the command of God. We can be sure that the one who has given us a command will be with us to complete that command, so that he will be glorified. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
This is what we should aspire to be: A people of faith, who love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. We must have faith in God's promises, trusting that he who has called us will do that which he has promised us he will do. We must have faith in God's victory, for only he is strong enough to overcome our enemy, and he has done it, and will do it again, to the joy of we who wait on him. And we must have faith in God's commands, knowing that they are good, seeking to be obedient to the one who called us, not because we under the Law of Moses, but because we are free to live by the law of faith. Are you living up to that ideal? I bet if you examine your heart you aren't, there are some things you just are trusting God with, whether it be his promises, his victory, or his commands, there is room for continued sanctification. I pray you would go to God and seek to determine where he would change you, for his glory.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
What are we Preaching?
I know I'm not currently preaching in a church. I'm not a pastor of a church, nor can I claim to have years of preaching experience under my belt. However, I have been listening to sermons for years. I have set in the pews, heard men get up and preach, and I have listened to what they said. In combination with all this, I have also been reading my bible, studying Scripture, and seeking after Christ for probably longer than I have been a regular church attendee.
I note all of the things above, because I would like to talk about preaching. I want to discuss the right way, and the wrong way. I can only write from the perspective of someone who has read Scripture, taken classes, and had limited opportunity to, pardon the pun, practice what I preach. But, I believe I can write about preaching from three perspectives: the preacher, the hearer, and the Word.
The most important aspect of preaching is what the Word has to say about it. Here is a list of 26 verses that have to do with preaching in the Bible: Ezekiel 20:46, 21:2; Amos 7:16; Micah 2:6, 2:11; Matthew 3:1-2, 4:17, 11:1, 11:5, 12:41, 23:3; Mark 1:7, 1:35, 1:38, 1:39, 2:2, 3:14, 16:20; Luke 3:18, 4:43, 4:44, 7:22, 9:6, 11:32, 16:16, 20:1. I invite you to take your time and read each of these verses, and then to read the context around those verses to see to what "preaching" the author has in mind. My conclusion is this: preaching, in every section of Scripture, is proclaiming the word of God as it has been given to the individual proclaiming it. (Notice that those who "preach wine" are not preaching God's word, but are preaching their own word, a passage to which everyone who would preach would do well to devote their attention.)
For a prophet, preaching would be proclaiming the message God has given him to the people to whom he has been sent. For a modern day preacher, preaching is proclaiming the word of God as it has been handed to us in our particular formats to the people to whom God has sent us. This means that no preacher has actually preached until he has spoken the word of God. And the word of God has not been spoken until the whole counsel of God has been spoken on any subject. And, because Christ is the one whom God has spoken to us through, in these last times, (Hebrews 1:2) no modern preaching is complete if the hearers of the message are not brought to Christ.
When we stand up and read a section from Genesis, Leviticus, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Isaiah, or any other book of the Old Testament, if we do not show how that passage relates to Christ, we have not preached. We have not preached because, no matter what we have said, we have not really shared what the Word of God was saying. Notice that when Christ preached, he preached the good news (go back and re-read the vast majority of the verses listed above from the gospels if you want evidence). If we preach anything less than the good news of Jesus Christ, then we have not preached.
If we preach from proverbs then, and encourage men to have wisdom, but we do not point that wisdom is offered to us freely through Christ, then what wisdom have we encouraged men to have? If we preach from the prophets and show that God is a righteous God who judges his enemies, but do not tell them that Christ has suffered that judgment on our behalf, then what judgment are they expecting? No matter what section of Scripture we preach from, if we fail to show how these Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that he offers men redemption before a holy and righteous God, then we have not preached.
Likewise, when we hear a sermon that tells us how to live a good life, or tells us about the great love of God, or tells us about the rapture of the church, or how to suffer through the tribulation, (pick any millennial position, for the sake of the example it doesn't matter) if we do not hear about the fact that we are sinners, and we stand separated from God, but that Christ died for us, and he rose again on the third day, and that anyone who places their faith in him can have eternal life, then we have not heard a sermon. If hearing a sermon means we have heard the preached word of God, then we have not heard a sermon until we have heard the good news proclaimed from the pulpit, because the good news is the Word of God to us today.
Hebrews 4:2 says that the good news has come to us, just as it came to those in the wilderness. God's message has always been the good news of salvation through faith. The law did not abrogate his promise. The law did not conflict with grace, but acted as an instructor to point us to the grace of God that was coming. And now, the grace of God has come, so it is the message that we need to continually preach and hear. My challenge to every pastor, and I hope my people will challenge me with this, is to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, because that is the only message that is worth preaching, anything less is just advice.
If your goal is just good advice, then get out of the pulpit. God has called pastors to be preachers, caretakers of the flock. Do you think your advice is better than his? Do you think your wisdom is superior to the good news of Jesus Christ? Pulpits are places for preachers, and preachers preach the Word of God.
I note all of the things above, because I would like to talk about preaching. I want to discuss the right way, and the wrong way. I can only write from the perspective of someone who has read Scripture, taken classes, and had limited opportunity to, pardon the pun, practice what I preach. But, I believe I can write about preaching from three perspectives: the preacher, the hearer, and the Word.
The most important aspect of preaching is what the Word has to say about it. Here is a list of 26 verses that have to do with preaching in the Bible: Ezekiel 20:46, 21:2; Amos 7:16; Micah 2:6, 2:11; Matthew 3:1-2, 4:17, 11:1, 11:5, 12:41, 23:3; Mark 1:7, 1:35, 1:38, 1:39, 2:2, 3:14, 16:20; Luke 3:18, 4:43, 4:44, 7:22, 9:6, 11:32, 16:16, 20:1. I invite you to take your time and read each of these verses, and then to read the context around those verses to see to what "preaching" the author has in mind. My conclusion is this: preaching, in every section of Scripture, is proclaiming the word of God as it has been given to the individual proclaiming it. (Notice that those who "preach wine" are not preaching God's word, but are preaching their own word, a passage to which everyone who would preach would do well to devote their attention.)
For a prophet, preaching would be proclaiming the message God has given him to the people to whom he has been sent. For a modern day preacher, preaching is proclaiming the word of God as it has been handed to us in our particular formats to the people to whom God has sent us. This means that no preacher has actually preached until he has spoken the word of God. And the word of God has not been spoken until the whole counsel of God has been spoken on any subject. And, because Christ is the one whom God has spoken to us through, in these last times, (Hebrews 1:2) no modern preaching is complete if the hearers of the message are not brought to Christ.
When we stand up and read a section from Genesis, Leviticus, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Isaiah, or any other book of the Old Testament, if we do not show how that passage relates to Christ, we have not preached. We have not preached because, no matter what we have said, we have not really shared what the Word of God was saying. Notice that when Christ preached, he preached the good news (go back and re-read the vast majority of the verses listed above from the gospels if you want evidence). If we preach anything less than the good news of Jesus Christ, then we have not preached.
If we preach from proverbs then, and encourage men to have wisdom, but we do not point that wisdom is offered to us freely through Christ, then what wisdom have we encouraged men to have? If we preach from the prophets and show that God is a righteous God who judges his enemies, but do not tell them that Christ has suffered that judgment on our behalf, then what judgment are they expecting? No matter what section of Scripture we preach from, if we fail to show how these Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that he offers men redemption before a holy and righteous God, then we have not preached.
Likewise, when we hear a sermon that tells us how to live a good life, or tells us about the great love of God, or tells us about the rapture of the church, or how to suffer through the tribulation, (pick any millennial position, for the sake of the example it doesn't matter) if we do not hear about the fact that we are sinners, and we stand separated from God, but that Christ died for us, and he rose again on the third day, and that anyone who places their faith in him can have eternal life, then we have not heard a sermon. If hearing a sermon means we have heard the preached word of God, then we have not heard a sermon until we have heard the good news proclaimed from the pulpit, because the good news is the Word of God to us today.
Hebrews 4:2 says that the good news has come to us, just as it came to those in the wilderness. God's message has always been the good news of salvation through faith. The law did not abrogate his promise. The law did not conflict with grace, but acted as an instructor to point us to the grace of God that was coming. And now, the grace of God has come, so it is the message that we need to continually preach and hear. My challenge to every pastor, and I hope my people will challenge me with this, is to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, because that is the only message that is worth preaching, anything less is just advice.
If your goal is just good advice, then get out of the pulpit. God has called pastors to be preachers, caretakers of the flock. Do you think your advice is better than his? Do you think your wisdom is superior to the good news of Jesus Christ? Pulpits are places for preachers, and preachers preach the Word of God.
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