The Gospel First

Recently one of our church leaders made a distinction between ‘relational evangelism’ and ‘Jesus died for you’ evangelism. I think I understand what he meant in his seeing the need, especially in a city, to build relaitonships with people and to share the gospel in the context of a relationship. My problem is in his use of words not so much in what I think he meant.  My response to the distinction between ‘relational evangelism’ and ‘Jesus died for you’ evangelism is as follows.

There is no such thing as ‘relational evangelism’ without ‘Jesus died for you’ evangelism. Evangelism is sharing the gospel, which is “Jesus died for you.” If relational evangelism does not include “Jesus died for you,’ then it is relational but not evangelism. All true evangelism is relational in that it loves the person or persons whom are addressed.

 I am all for doing anything that builds relationships with people in and outside the church. I do believer that personal evangelism takes place best in the context of relationships, though, at the same time, I believe in the power of the gospel even in less-relational, group contexts to bear fruit. There are two extremes and two dangers.

On the one hand we may have alot of relationship building without giving the gospel and on the other hand we may have alot of evangelism without love for people. The danger of the first is that someone we profess to care about never hears the gospel, often because of a fear of offending someone with the exclusive claims of Christ. The danger of the second is that the gospel is preached without a true love for people and the offense is not the gospel but the one presenting it.

I do believe (because I see it practiced in the New Testament and have experienced it in my own life) that the gospel can be and should be preached with true love for people in both personal relationships and larger events (ie. the woman at the well and day of Pentecost).

Personally (and I’m only saying this for myself), if I have a group of people come to a church event (most of whom I will likely not see again and most of whom will not enter into a personal relationship with a believer) and I do not share the gospel with them, I would feel remiss.

Yes, I do realize that it’s not up to me to save everyone or anyone for that matter. God does the saving. But, He only does the saving through the gospel.

So, I hope that, however we do it, whether by preaching, or literature, or personal interaction, everyone who comes to a church event will somehow have an opportunity to know who Jesus Christ is and why He came.

Hebrews 3:1-5Consider Jesus 

Why are we to consider Jesus? As the writer continues to argue the superiority of Jesus Christ over everything, having shown His superiority to angels, he now turns to the one man who was held in highest esteem because of his role in establsihing the Jewish theocracy. The writer argues that in relationship to one of the greatest of men (Moses) of all times, Jesus is greater!            

Jesus is a greater person  Though Jesus is “the Servant of the Lord’ at the same time he is the Son of God. We all recognize the difference between a servant who serves and a son who serves. He is a greater person because he is the Second Adam who succeeds where Adam failed. Because of his victory, His Father leads us to glory along with Him. He is, as the writer of Hebrews will later say, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens.” He is greater as a person because as a man he knows our suffering but as God he has the power to help us.             

Jesus has a greater workMoses was actually part of the house that Jesus is building. He was part of the true believing Israel within national Israel. But Jesus builds the house itself. The ‘house’ turns out to be (Verse 6) the very people of God (variously called the church, a holy temple, a holy nation, the family of God, etc).  Moses work was one of preparation in bringing the law which exposed men to their sin and need of a savior. Jesus work is that of “savior” who dies the death than men deserve. Moses is one of those for whom Christ tasted death. 

Jesus has a greater word                        Moses’ word was “to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” The law Moses brought is fulfilled in Christ. The institutions and system of worship that Moses brought were fulfilled Christ.  Jesus is the reality while Moses was the shadow.           

Jesus has a greater glory.             2 Corinthians 3 speaks of the fading glory of Moses and the Old Covenant and the permanent glory of Christ and the New Cocvenant. 

2 Corinthians 3:7-11   ⁷ ¶ Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end,  ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?  ⁹ For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.  ¹⁰ Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.  ¹¹ For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 

Moses had the glory of a faithful man who life was marked with imperfection. Jesus has the glory of a faithful man who never sinned. 

Moses had the glory of a great man but only a man. Jesus has the glory of a perfect man but also perfect God. 

Moses had the glory of serving in God’s house. Jesus has the glory of building the house in which Moses served. 

Moses had the fading glory of a shadow. Jesus has the lasting glory of an eternal reality. 

Moses had the glory of the law which pointed to the gospel. Jesus has the glory of the gospel which does what the law cannot do.

A Christian View of FriendshipBy Dr. John Davis ·         A brief speech given at the Turkish-American Dinner on Feb 3, 2004.  

I have been asked to share a few words about friendship. Since I am a Christian, I will talk about friendship from a Christian perspective. Friendship involves at least three things. It is a commitment to companionship, to love and mutual support, and to growing in a relationship. As a Christian I am called to be a friend of all people. How is it possible that I as human being can find the kind of common ground with any person of any nation that could make friendship possible? The Christian answer to that question is this: I believe that I share at least three things in common with all people:

 1 – Every human being is created in the image of God. As a Christian I understand that part to of what it means to be created in the image of God is that there is within me an innate desire for community – for relationship with others. As you know, the Christian view of God is that God is Three Persons in One. This is a complex mystery, yet it helps us understand why community – friendship is so important. One of the primary attributes of God is love. Love requires both one who loves and one who is the object of love. Before creation took place – the Christian God – Three Persons in One – experienced the reciprocation – the mutual sharing of love. This might explain why when God made man in his image he made two – a male and a female who could share friendship and community. We believe that every human being in the world is made in the image of the Trinity and has within an innate, created desire for friendship with other human beings.

However, we all realize that something is wrong. Not everyone wants friendship. There is hatred and enmity and war. This leads to the second thing that all human have in common.

 2 – Every human knows that there is something wrong – the world is broken. One thing we all have in common is that we suffer and we struggle with relationships. As a Christian I understand that when the parents of the human race chose to rebel against God, they lost their friendship with God and began to struggle with human friendship. Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves – they were no longer transparent and open with each other and they tried to hide from their Creator God in the Garden. The relationship of first two children ended with fratricide – one sibling killing another. Because all human beings are descendants of the original human parents we all share their brokenness. This is why friendship is such a struggle. None of us are beyond hate, racism, or prejudice. I cannot judge you nor can you judge me because, we share the same struggle with evil in our hearts. How then is friendship possible in the midst of such brokenness?

The third common thing among all human is this:

3 – Every human being longs for restoration.  We all use words like forgiveness, mutual understanding, healing, and restoration. Even though we may not desire friendship with everyone, we all desire it with someone. It is a rare few whose humanity has nearly been erased who no longer care about being a friend of someone. As a Christian, I believe that this desire for restoration is a feint, yet real cry for what the Bible calls ‘reconciliation.’ As a Christian I believe that the best way for me to become reconciled to you is that I must first be reconciled to God. My alienation with humanity is rooted in my alienation to God. This is why Jesus is the great Reconciler. As the Son of God, he takes on human flesh. He is perfect God and perfect man. His incarnation is a vivid picture of bringing God and man together. In his death, he atones for our rebellion and offers healing for our brokenness; at the same time his death turns away God’s just anger against rebels. In His resurrection, He comes alive to empower and transform lives and fill their hearts with love.

 As a Christian, I believe that the only answer to true friendship is found in acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. I do not believe that the power for lasting and unprejudiced friendship is solely within the human spirit or the human will. In our brokenness we need divine help. We need God’s help. We need Jesus Christ. May God help us! Thank you and may God bless you as you search for true friendship.

Hebrews 2Jesus – Second Adam and Perfect Man It’s important to place our text in Hebrews 2 about the humanity and suffering of Christ in the context of the beginning chapters of Genesis. I’ve thought more about Jesus’ contrast with Adam (The first Adam and the Second Adam, i.e. the Adam in whom all who are genetically connected to him share in his fall and the second Adam in whom all who are spiritually connected to Him share his redemption). I previously wrote about Adam’s responsibility in the original garden-temple of Paradise, which was proto-typical of the eternal temple we find in the book of Revelation.  Adam was more than a horticulturist; his main function was that of a priest, worshipping and serving the Creator God who visited the garden to walk and talk with Adam. Outside of the garden-temple of Paradise was the yet uncultivated and uninhabited world. Adam’s mandate was to extend the order and dominion of the garden-temple so that all the earth became like the garden-temple, a place of order and beauty under the dominion of man where they would worship and serve the Creator God.             Adam’s dominion responsibility flowed from his worship commitment. When humans exercise dominion without worship they become idolaters.             We know that Adam failed in his responsibility by disobeying God and choosing to not make the worship of God and communion with God his highest aspiration. The consequence of Adam’s and mankind’s rebellion was the building of a world (carrying out the dominion mandate) that did not begin with worship. God destroyed that world. Genesis 6:5-8  ⁵ ¶ The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”  ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. We know from the biblical text that God preserved Noah who was a true worshipper of God and it was to Noah that the dominion mandate was given again, after the flood and Noah’s affirmation of worship.Genesis 8:20 - 9:1  ²⁰ ¶ Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  ²¹ And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  ²² While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” ^ESV Genesis 9:1 ¶ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Along with God’s blessing of Noah, he grants Noah and the human race a promise (the sign of the rainbow) that even though similar conditions of rebellion and idolatry may exist throughout human history, which call for the severe judgment of God, God will preserve the race and the world until his purposes of redemption are accomplished.  We know as we read on in Genesis that Noah also failed, as did all of his descendants. In every generation until Jesus, the human race is left looking for that man who will obey and carry out the dominion mandate. Jesus is that man who takes on human flesh to identify with humanity and who offers his life to redeem from humanity a new family that will worship God. That worshipping family will begin to exercise godly dominion over their sphere of life while anticipating the day when the will reign with Christ in a new heaven and a new earth where the curse and sin is removed.  John Calvin aptly comments on Hebrews 2: We found at the beginning of this epistle that Christ has been appointed by the Father the heir of all things. Doubtless, as he ascribes the whole inheritance to one, he excludes all others as aliens, and justly too, for we are all become exiles from God’s kingdom. What food, then, God has destined for his own family, we leave no right to take. But Christ, by whom we are admitted into this family, at the same time admits us into a participation of this right, so that we may enjoy the whole world, together with the favor of God. Hence Paul teaches us that Abraham was by faith made an heir of the world, that is, because he was united to the body of Christ. (Romans 4:13) If men, then, are precluded from all God’s bounty until they receive a right to it through Christ, it follows that the dominion mentioned in the Psalm was lost to us in Adam, and that on this account it must again be restored as a donation. Now, the restoration begins with Christ as the head (John Calvin). Jesus succeeds where we have failed – he is the only ‘man’ who has all things in subjection to him. Through His suffering he has conquered death. His victory becomes our victory as he brings many sons and brothers (humans not angels) unto glory. 

Mark 2:23-28

The Stealers of Joy

Was Jesus a liberal?

Who decides what is lawful?

Do you pick at people who don’t follow your rules?

A basic analysis of the text.

The ambiguity: Using the notion of “being right” while stealing the joy of others.

The analysis: What motivates us to act in such ways?

The Key: Not losing sight of Jesus in the discussion.

The gospel: Is the gospel an invitation to misery or joy. Not that we are excluded from miseries in a fallen world but that we experience joy in midst of fallenness.

The consequences: Appreciate the freedom that other thinking Christians have to figure out what it means to walk with Jesus.

Introduction:

            Let’s think today about two people. I’ll call them, Mr. and Mrs. Right – RIGHT is “the ideal of moral propriety.” Mr. and Mrs. Right are pretty easy to identify because they are always right. They wear the right clothes; they listen to the right music; they have the right theology; they belong to the right political party; they’re happy to be a member of the right race. Mr. and Mrs. Right were born at the right time and in the right place. They have the right life-style. They only choose the right things in life. The world is blessed because they are right.

            Mr. Right says to a teen that has given testimony of a wonderful experience at camp, “yes, that’s nice but you’ll come back to the real world.” Or, “let’s see if you live up to it.” (To my regret that I have done that!)

            Mrs. Right takes a child’s report card of  “A’s”, “B’s”, and “C’s” and points out only the “C’s”? (I regret that I’ve done that!)

There’s nothing like having the joy of preaching a great sermon (that happens once in a while) only to be met by Mr. Right with a disagreement over a minor theological point. He’s right! (I’ve done that!)

Mr. Right comes home from work each day only noticing the toys not put away, and dust on the piano, missing the smile of children and the eyes of a wife looking for affirmation? He’s right!

            Who hasn’t had those moments of great joy stolen away by inconsiderate and sometimes malicious judgments by Mr. or Mrs. Right? My first inclination is that I want to stone Mr. and Mrs. Right! Then I’m reminded that at times I am Mr. Right!

            Everyone one of us has lived those moments when we are the thieves who steal away the joy of others? Mr. and Mrs. Right live within each of us.

Listen to our text:

Mark 2:23-28  ²³ ¶ One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.  ²⁴ And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”  ²⁵ And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him:  ²⁶ how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”  ²⁷ And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  ²⁸ So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Imagine this leisurely stroll through the wheat fields with Jesus on a sunny Sabbath in Galilee. The Sabbath was Israel’s day of rest and a time for reflection on God’s creation and His redemption. It was a day for joy and removal from the pressing obligations of six days of work.

This moment with Jesus is one of those rare carefree times to simply enjoy the walk and the world. As they walk, they pluck and eat the ripened wheat. They savor the moment, tasting fresh grain, leisurely strolling, and being with Jesus.

The Pharisees speak. Their words are like a thunderstorm on a quiet autumn beach. Their accusation rings like that annoying wrong number at 2:00 in the morning when you’ve just reached a point of deep sleep.

The silence and quietude is broken -  ”Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”  Suddenly, the wheat on the tongue no longer draws saliva. The sun seems to dim; legs labor to move on. The joy of that moment is swept away by the cloudburst of criticism.

Mr. Right has appeared to spoil the day. The Pharisees had been spying. They were certain that anyone who was having a good time must have been doing something wrong.

If a group of teens are huddled together laughing, it must be risqué.

If a guy and girl want to be alone, they must have sex in mind.

If alternative Christian music creates such celebration, it can’t be Christian.

If they dance at a wedding, they must be worldly.

If they look like they have a really good marriage, they must be hiding something.

If they enjoy a glass of wine, they must be drunkards.

I spoke with a woman one day who is married to a Pharisee (yes, Pharisees still live in the 21^st Century). The Pharisee husband determines the movies she watches. He insists that she read only the KJV. She cannot listen to contemporary Christian music. He forbids her to have a glass of wine with her Italian dinner. He is quick to remind her that he is the head of the house and she is to submit to him. With a broken heart, she said to me, “I finally concluded that it just wasn’t God’s will for me to be happy.” The I wanted to cry for her. The Pharisee had succeeded in stealing her joy!

But the Pharisees appear to be right. They are smug, convinced they have the law on their side. “Unlawful” and “lawful” are the key words.

What did the law say about what the disciples were doing?

Deut 23:25 “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain (NAS).

It is clear that the disciples are not violating what this verse says.

But the Pharisees have another verse (they always do).

Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

The Rabbis took this command to rest on the Sabbath and established 39 categories of work that were forbidden. The third category was reaping. They concluded that the act of picking the grain, rubbing it in your hands to get the kernel, was the work of reaping.

I know what you think. Give me a break – that’s stupid. You can’t be serious! But Pharisees are serious! (Maybe they are stupid too!)

Why do Pharisees need to be right? A Pharisee might think the following:

·        Feed my ego – It feels good to be right!

·        I need control – My world is more secure if I am right.

·        I fear difference – Life is easier if I don’t have to deal with diversity.

·        This is what pleases God – Perhaps this is the most dangerous of all, that God is pleased by my self-rightness.

·        Share my misery – I’m not happy as a Pharisee, so why should you be.

Pharisees need a deeper, perhaps even a genuine, experience of the gospel of God’s grace.

Remember that woman who concluded that it just wasn’t God’s will for her to be happy. I found out later that her Pharisee husband had an affair with his next door neighbor. I really believe that the Pharisee in us most comes out when we are not dealing with our sin and shame. Remember how Jesus describes the Pharisees as nicely painted mausoleums that are filled on the inside with dead men’s bones.

Pharisees are often saying by their judgments, “I haven’t found the joy of freedom in Christ so I want to make sure no one else does.”

Listen to how Jesus responds. He calls their attention to an instance in David’s life where he clearly broke the ritual OT law. He and his men ate bread that was dedicated to God and was reserved for the priests to eat.

Now, let’s be clear that Jesus is not teaching situation ethics where all right and wrong is determined by circumstances. At the same time we realize that not every issue of human behavior is as neatly packaged, as we’d like it to be.

Jesus suggests the Pharisees had a fundamental misconception of God’s purpose for the law. He says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Pharisees would say, “God made man for the Sabbath.”

            Think about that statement for a moment. Did God establish the Sabbath and then create Israel so they could become slaves to its observance, or did he establish the Sabbath as a gift of grace to his people?

Jesus and the Pharisees viewed the law through different lenses.

The Pharisees only saw, “do not commit adultery,” as a warning against the evils of sex. Jesus saw that “do not commit adultery” primarily calls us to the beauty and pleasure of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage relationship.

Did God sit down one day and say, “let’s create this wonderful thing called sex and then create humans who crave it but can’t have it?” Remember how Mark Twain lamented when “he railed against God for parceling out to each human a source of universal joy and pleasure, then forbidding it until marriage and restricting it to one person” (Leadership (Fall 1982): 33). Is God a stealer of joy?

The Pharisees only saw that, “do not steal,” warns of the wrong possession of property. Jesus saw that “do not steal” primarily emphasizes the joy, value, and beauty of possessing things. Possessions may be wrongly obtained, or become idolatrous, or be used as a means by which to enjoy God’s good gifts and glorify him.

The Pharisees allowed the abuse of something to become the lens through which they forbade the use of it.

The law’s focus is not the forbidding of pleasure but the preservation of God-honoring pleasure.

            I am afraid that as evangelical Christians we have so focused on the negatives and, like the Pharisees, have added our own 39 interpretations of it, that we lose our joy and steal the joy of others.

            All Christian young people know they shouldn’t fornicate or even “hook up” as they call it. But how many understand the beauty of sex that has been preserved for a monogamous heterosexual marriage relationship. They know what they shouldn’t have, but lack the faintest idea of what they should desire.

Jesus affirms that His law is alive and gives life. It is not a lifeless corpse. It is the voice of a gracious God calling those whom He loves to live fully. He also implies that ‘law’ (whether Old Covenant or New Covenant) can be and often is misapplied.

            But, Jesus then says something startling to the Pharisee: So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

            In my understanding he’s saying this: These men are walking with me and plucking grain on the Sabbath without my rebuke. However, you might interpret the Sabbath law does not matter if I say differently. Here, as in other places in the gospels, we see this transfer of authority. The law anticipated Christ. Christ fulfills the law. Christ is the new law of liberty.

            He declares that all interpretation of Sabbath law is subject to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the new and final lawgiver, better than Moses (Heb 3) who gives us the law of liberty (James 1) and the Spirit of liberty (2 Cor 3) so that we may live lives of liberty (John 8:32-34), free from the bondage of man-made legalism (Gal 5:1). 

A good motto for anyone’s life is given by Paul in 1 Cor 4:6:

… not to go beyond what is written,…

Remember that Pharisee husband I mentioned. I’d like to talk to him someday (first with a baseball bat – only kidding) about how he views the law and how he views Jesus. Apparently, his relationship with Jesus is one that is miserable and consequently he makes his wife miserable. He needs a deeper experience of the gospel of grace. I would like to ask him, did Jesus die for you to make your life miserable so that you could make your wife’s life miserable? Does the truth set only you free and not your wife?

What does God offer us through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Does the gospel take us from pleasure in sin to misery in Jesus? Is that our picture of the Christian life? Is the gospel a judge’s gavel or the key to freedom? “If the son therefore shall make you free you will be free indeed.”

Is the gospel a choker chain or a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light? Does the gospel call us to lives that are governed by what we think the Pharisees might say? Or, does the gospel call us to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

Instead of allowing the Pharisees to steal our joy, why not submit to the Lordship of Christ and to His will as revealed in the Bible. There we will find a comforting balance and avoid the extremes of those who deny Christ’s authority and those who deny Christian liberty.

The unbelieving world denies Christ and abuses God’s good gifts (such as food, sex, and dance, wine) while the Pharisaical world denies the pleasure of the rightful use of them. Neither abuse nor abstention is the biblical answer. Though one may personally conclude that abstention is necessary for himself because of his own personal proclivities and weaknesses, he should never conclude that his personal standard is equivalent to God’s standard.

 The Bible is clear on a proper and God-honoring use of food[1], sex[2], wine[3], and dance[4], while at the same time it exposes the improper use of them (gluttony, fornication, drunkenness, idolatrous dance).

Conclusion:    

            We aren’t told what went through the disciples’ minds that day as they witnessed this confrontation. Certainly, they were in a quandary. On one hand they have the Pharisees who are the respected religious authority in 1^st Century Palestine. On the other hand they have Jesus who questions their authority.

I suspect that when the dispute was over, they plucked some grain, placed it on their tongue, salivated with joy, and went on walking joyfully with Jesus.

Listen to Paul in Galatians 5:1:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

You may enjoy your dance to the glory of God, but avoid the dance of idolatry.

You may enjoy the wonderful variety of food that’s out there, but avoid gluttony.

You may enjoy the pleasure and joy of wine, but avoid drunkenness.

You may enjoy the wonder of marital sex, but avoid fornication.

I pray that all of us will consider this text and make at least two decisions:

·        I will pursue joy in Christ by living in biblical freedom and will refuse to let anyone steal it.

·        I will stop stealing the joy of others by holding them to expectations that are beyond the scope of clear biblical teaching.

I hope that all of us would choose a joyful walk with Jesus through the grain field even though violating the expectations of the Pharisees.

Walking with Jesus on a holy day

Plucking the grain along the way

A Heart filled with joy

A Mind that’s at peace

Until I hear the Pharisees say,

You must be wrong

You’re having fun

Those who are righteous

Don’t live in the sun

They love the shadow

They fix upon gloom

They don’t imagine

A fun-filled room

But Jesus speaks

With words so strong

“I am right and you are wrong”

I give life, and joy and peace

Freedom, love, and glad release

Follow me and you will see

I am better than the Pharisee.

And, indeed! He is!

[1] See Nehemiah 8:10; Ecclesiastes 8:15; 9:7; 1 Chronicles 12:39-40

[2] See the article on the Joy of Christian sex at http://sheilawraygregoire.com/thejoyofchristiansexp57.php.

[3] See the excellent article by Daniel Whitfield at http://chetday.com/alcoholandthebible.htm.

[4] See the reference to dance in the Bible at http://bonasdancesite.homestead.com/DanceinBible.html.

Jesus’ Humanity affirms and completes our humanityA Summary of Hebrews 2:5-9 

            The writer of Hebrews continues his argument from 1:4 and following that Jesus is superior to the angels. In the course of that argument, the question arises concerning Jesus’ humanity. Since in the ancient mind, spirit beings, like angels, were superior to humans, Jesus’ humanity seems to contradict the writer’s assertion of His superiority to angels.

The writer of Hebrews argues that God’s original design and destiny for all humankind placed them in a superior position to angels. In the original creation, humanity was granted dominion over the present world. The world to come will be ruled by redeemed humanity, not angels.

Humans in their physical state and Christ in His incarnation are for a little while lower than angels in that they are in physical bodies that are dependent on a physical world. However, the intent for Adam was a permanent state of glory had he passed the test of obedience. Now, Christ in his obedience, death, and resurrection has been crowned with glory and honor. This glory and honor was forfeited by Adam’s sin but it regained by Christ’s obedience and atonement.

All who are in Christ become members of the new humanity (2 Corinthians 5:17) who, in Christ, regain all that Adam lost and more.

The failure of humankind to take dominion of the world and the presence of death are constant reminders of the need of One who would succeed where Adam failed. That One, Jesus, has come. He both lived the life that we failed to live and died the death that we deserve so that we can be restored to a true humanity that worships the living God and lives out the design and destiny for which we are created.

Jesus is Superior to the Angels

Summary Notes on Hebrews 1:4-14

Dr. John P. Davis

Angels had a special role in mediating the giving of the law at Sinai. Though the Scripture does not tell us exactly what that role was, it does indicate in a number of places that such a role existed (Deut 33:2; Acts 7:39; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2). Consequently, angels were held in high esteem in Judaism, even being referred to as the ‘sons of God’ (Job 38:7). Among the Essenes there existed a highly developed doctrine of angels in which angels received great worship. This Jewish understanding of angels is the background for the teaching in Hebrews 1 and 2 that Jesus is superior to angels.

What is in view in Hebrews 1 is Jesus in his incarnation. As the eternal Son of God there would be no questions about his superiority to angels. Angels have bowed in worship to God the Son ever since they were created by him. However, Jesus, as the Son of Man, born of a woman (Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4-5); born of the seed of David (Rom 1:1-5), born as the second Adam (Rom 5), born in humility and apparent weakness (Phil 2:5-9; Isa 53:1-6); and who was crucified and died, this Jesus appears at least to be lesser than the angels (Heb 2:9).

It is to this point that the writer of Hebrews argues for the superiority of Jesus. Don’t be fooled by the incarnation and death of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus declares he is both the seed of David, the Messiah, who inherit the promises, and the Son of God (Rom 1:1-5). Angels are called to worship this incarnate, crucified, and risen Son. This Son is the same one who created the world and is eternal and immutable. Angles serve this Son who sits at the right hand of the Father and they serve those whom he came to redeem. This Son, who is both perfect Son of God and perfect Son of Man, is the One through whom God has now finally spoken. We would be wise to listen to Him.

There is only one true God! Do you know Him? 

All religious beliefs are not equal. All religious beliefs have an equal right to exist in a free society, but not all religious beliefs are equal, and not all religious beliefs are true.

Immediately someone will respond and say that I am a bigot for making that statement, but I think even they know I am simply saying what is obvious to all thinking people.  

Yes, the modern mind seeks to escape the dilemma of deciding which religion is true by redefining truth as “true to me” or “true to you.” But again the thinking person realizes how silly it is to speak of truth as something that is purely relative. If it is ‘true to me’ without regard to its correspondence to reality, then it is really an illusion.  Illusions may at times be comforting but eventually any disconnect from reality leads to problems.

Is it really safe to build your life and destiny on something that is simply ‘true to you’?

I know that is it not politically correct to say another’s belief is wrong or that one belief system is better than another. But, neither is it intellectually honest or rationally sane to say that truth only exists in one’s mind or it really doesn’t matter what you believe.

Why does it matter? I suppose that other religions have answer to that question, but as a Christian here is my response to that question.

• Since there is one true God, if we worship anyone else, we dishonor Him.
• Since the true God is a Trinity (Father-Son-Spirit), if we worship a God who is non-Trinity, we worship an idol, a false god.
• Since this Triune God (Trinity) is our Creator, if we do not worship Him, we rebel against the One to whom our very life belongs.
• Since this God has revealed Himself and His will in creation, history and especially the Holy Bible, if we do not obey Him, we then live as rebels.
• Since this God has planned and accomplished the one way of redemption in Jesus Christ, if we do not submit to Him, we will remain on a path that leads to destruction.
• Since this God’s love is so great that His Son, Jesus, would take on human flesh to receive our punishment and die the death that rebels deserve, if we do not trust him, then we will receive punishment and die the death that we deserve.
• Since Jesus is the Son of God, who died, rose again from the dead, lives today, and is coming again to judge and rule the world, if we do not submit to Him as Lord, then we will face Him one day as an enemy, not as a friend.
• Since the one True God offers forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift of His grace to those who submit to Jesus by faith, if we try by any human or religious means to earn God’s favor, we insult Him and forfeit any possibility of knowing God’s forgiveness and having eternal life.

There is only one true God – the Trinity. You can know that God personally by turning from your rebellion, believing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins and rose again, and submitting to His lordship over your life. When you do that, you will begin to experience the forgiveness and love of the Father; He will send the Holy Spirit to live within you and you will begin a new life that last’s forever.

1 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

Romans 1  1 Paul, a servant  of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David  according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

I was watching John Gibson and Heather on Fox News as they commented on what they thought was a misstep by Huckabee in questioning whether Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. Heather’s mild ridicule of Huckabee’s alleged ignorance of what Mormonism teaches revealed her own naiveté about Mormonism. The Book of Mormon teaches that Lucifer and Jesus are brothers (Abraham 3:22-28 with Moses 4:1-4). This is the long standing teaching of Mormonism. Some present day Mormon leaders may try to avoid admitting this, while others clearly do. http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/huckabee_dont_mormons_believe_that_jesus_and_the_devil_are_brothers.php.

Lessons from the Sins of Church Leaders 

            Rarely does a week go by without hearing of a church leader who has abandoned the moral principles of the Bible. This is tragic and serves as a warning to all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. We are admonished to “take heed, lest we fall.” We know that within each of us lies the potential to do what others have done. However, this knowledge of our own propensity for evil thought and act does not justify or excuse any evil thought or act. Sin is sin regardless of who commits it or why they commit it. The cross not only calls us to holiness, it provides the power for holiness. Though any confessing believer may surreptitiously or blatantly choose to practice sin, thankfully many do not. When any confessing believer chooses to practice sin and that sin is exposed, the church is responsible to judge those within her midst, to discipline them, and to call them to repentance and restoration.

            The following Scriptures offer instruction and warning to all believers, and especially to church leaders.

Be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23   ²³ But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. 

Luke 12:2-3  ² Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Church leaders/Teachers are held to a higher standard.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Church leaders who sin are to be rebuked before all.

1 Timothy 5:19-21  ¹⁹ Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.  ²⁰ As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.  ²¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

Do not fellowship with one who claims to be a Christian yet lives immorally.1 Corinthians 5:9-11  ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people–  ¹⁰ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one. Ephesians 5:5-7   ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  ⁷ Therefore do not associate with them; 

Romans 16:17-18   ¹⁷ I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.  ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. Sin in the church is a time for the church to mourn.1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.  ² And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 

James 4:8-10  ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 

We are called to pursue those who depart from the faith.James 5:19-20   ¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,  ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 

A time may come for forgiveness and restoration.2 Corinthians 2:6-11   ⁶ For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,  ⁷ so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.  ⁸ So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.  ⁹ For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.  ¹⁰ Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,  ¹¹ so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

The Bible challenges us to seek the balance of godly judgment and gracious forgiveness toward those who fall and to exercise great care over our own hearts at all times.

Proverbs 4:23  ²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 1 Corinthians 6:18 - 7:1  ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.   

Romans 6:12-13   ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.  ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.