John 3:22-36

Introduction

Old Weddings – the best man and the cultural differences… Then and now! Daniel and Mark as opposed to other traditions?

The Continuity of Baptism looking at inward and outward expressions of faith.

1. Is baptism a ritual without reality? Or is it a death to self and a transformation into life eternal? Is life the same after baptism as before? Or does the Holy Spirit take control?
2. Charles Swindoll said: ‘As theologians and teachers of the Word we study the Holy Spirit from a safe doctrinal distance; we are loath to enter into any of the realms of His supernatural workings or even to tolerate the possibility of such.  Explaining the Holy Spirit is one thing: experiencing Him another’”
3. Competition in ministry is a good example of how we need to see the growth and constant development in character.  Here the question is who is greater, and the influence we thought we had, is waning. See 1 Corinthians 1:10-15:

“NowI exhort you,brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you allagree and that there be nodivisions among you, but that you bemade complete inthe same mind and in the same judgment.For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’speople, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, thateach one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I ofApollos,” and “I ofCephas,” and “I of Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were youbaptizedin the name of Paul?I thank God that Ibaptized none of you exceptCrispus andGaius, so that no one would say you were baptizedin my name.”

1. Great to Greater

Psalm 96:4

Forgreat is theLordandgreatly to be praised;
He is to befearedabove all gods.

Matthew 11:11

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisenanyonegreater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who isleast in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Who is the greatest? Luke 9:46;48

An argumentstarted among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

Jesus’ reply to such questions?

Then he said to them,“Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

1. John’s answer is thought provoking: Jesus is the greatest because:
2. The Supremacy of Jesus focuses on his Origin
3. The Testimony of Jesus focuses on his first-hand knowledge
4. The Authority of Jesus focuses on the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit
5. Our response to these things is important:  
6. Pointing people to Jesus 
7. Receiving the Holy Spirit 

The snake, the devil and the bite of sin that brings destruction and death compared to the one who takes that sting of death away! It is a type of the cross and a prophetic view of what was to come with the real exodus from slavery to sin in the world of the flesh. 

The abundant nature of God’s generosity to those who believe in him. 

Condemnation and believing in Jesus

The love of God for humankind is contrasted by our love of darkness. How do we identify darkness? By deeds that are evil – by God’s definition, which is the only one that counts in the face of eternity!

The focus on truth as the means of coming to the light.

Matt Carter: The reality of God’s love – 14-16 for us and so reveals the need, the reason,  the intensity and the demonstration of God’s love. The proof of the Love of God is in the giving. The demonstration proves the intensity and assurance of love, not just the words. The sacrifice is the proof more than time or money. Compare gave to sent in 17!

The reason Jesus came – 17 sent not to condemn Romans and liberate Jews. To condemn means to judge a person guilty and liable to punishment. 

The result of belief – 18 the message of the Bible is about God’s love and mercy and about man’s sin and need leading to the rescue found in Jesus Christ

The response of man – 19-21 our choice

The 3 Rs in school. Helps us to remember. Many preachers like to use the same alliterative method in their preaching to help folks remember their sermons. I have found that it does not really work like that. If you want folks to remember something, it has to be short and really memorable, (like “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!”) or you need to repeat it so often that at least the preacher can remember it. Usually, what people remember is how you made them feel, not what you said. The proof is not in specific words, but in what is printed in your heart! What you experience. Selwyn Hughes: l knowing the Psalm (23] is one thing – hearsay – but knowing the Shepherd is quite another – heart-say.

Read text

Let’s look at the three Rs in this passage: Selwyn Hughes: “make no mistake about it – the image of God that you carry in your heart is the one that you will relate to in a moment of crisis.”   

Repentance 
Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38
David Pawson: “Do you realize if you are ever going to start on the road to the kingdom of heaven you have got to repent of your good deeds as well as your bad deeds, if you’ve been putting your trust in them?”

Rebirth 
Titus 3:5 NIV

Revelation
Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. Matt. 16
The picture of the snake Numbers 21:4-9 and Jesus quotes this now.
The discussion with Nicodemus
Troubled by what he sees and knows and is honest enough to seek out answers  despite the perceived opposition, he takes a risk to seek out Jesus.

As a teacher in Israel, he knows the laws that govern and how they are interpreted.  Do good deeds, do the religious things and then you will be acceptable in God’s sight. But he obviously doesn’t know about the assurance of salvation, and the actions of Jesus, disturb him, even though he can see how those deeds were contrary to what they believed. But it was going to affect his as well as their income, lifestyle, teaching, and their way of life that they had become accustomed to. Was it worth it? Is what Jesus brings worth the price of every one else’s wrath? Isn’t what we do, perhaps with some alterations here or there enough? Why this dramatic confrontation and change? Aren’t we all the children of Abraham? Are we not on the right path? We are doing what we are supposed to do with the offering, sacrifices and the religious zeal for the Words of the law and prophets? We memorize it, we teach our children, we do our best to be kind and good people. Okay we mess up sometimes, but we all do it, but at least we belong to the right family!
Jesus cuts right through all his questions and his dilemmas and comes straight to the point: “You must be born again.”
This means, Jesus is saying you are not in the right family at all. Being a descendent of Abraham does not make you righteous. Keeping the laws to the best of your ability does not make you righteous. Your basic problem is: You have the wrong nature. Your good deeds are like filthy rags to God. He is not pleased with you because you try harder to please him. There is only one thing you can do with your nature, and that is it must die. If you want live, you must be born again.

Nicodemus: What do you mean? What are you talking about? How can you be a teacher in Israel and not know this? Abraham lived by faith in God! Jacob lived by faith in God. Joseph lived by faith in God. Moses lived by faith in God! All of them lived in faith before the law came! They understood their nature was the nature of sin, death, darkness and evil.  It is not about religious activities; it is a matter of a transformed heart. A birth where God Almighty is your father.
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, as a matter of fact, if you are not born again of the spirit of God you cannot even see the kingdom. Worshipping God is not about religious activities, it is something we do in Spirit and in truth! The breakthrough comes when God enters you like the wind and directs you in your faith and your life.
Wow. Jesus must have loved him a lot to confront him so directly.
Now the matter of being born of water and the Spirit: Some think it means the passage of water when you are born the first time. Birth of the Spirit comes when you believe in Jesus.
Most say it can be a dual understanding.  You see John has just spent time with John the Baptist and following this encounter Jesus and the disciples go baptizing as well.  
The focus really is on what happens in Baptism:
The First R is Repentance. Repenting from bad deeds and good deeds as well if they are what you are depending on for God’s pleasure and acceptance. The focus on repentance is critical for a spiritual life. It is the forerunner of moving into God’s Kingdom. Learning to be humble and repent before God. Being able to see when we do wrong to others and apologize to them. Letting the Holy Spirit show us just how frail we are and how vital and eternal the Kingdom of God is. It shows us that it is not about us, it is all about him!

The second R is Rebirth: That is when the Holy Spirit enters our lives to take up residence within us. We become Children of God. Our nature changes from sinner to sons and daughters of the Most High God! Make a confession: I am a child of God because I believe Jesus, I trust Jesus, and I will follow Jesus. 

The third R is Revelation: The snakes on a pole did not save the people, it was their obedience in Number 29.
Nicodemus remembered his discussion with Jesus when he came to take him down from the cross with Joseph of Arimathea. 

The picture in our home of Jesus knocking on the door – all the hidden messages! No way to open the door from the outside - “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Revelation 3:20 the heart of Jesus – the darkness on the inside, a ram’s head? rose of Sharon? “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.” Song of Songs 2:1-2 NIV

Read Text - John 2:13-25 

The pictures in the story

1. They point to the big event setting the stage for the main Passover event
2. The 3rd day reference to the resurrection
3. The Passover, the Lamb of God here, John 7 and later comes the climax of salvation…
4. The whip and purification
5. Signs of authority – Jonah 
6. Crowds that believe
7. The staircase events of John 1:51- heaven touching earth
8. Preparation for persecution
9. How does this fit in with the image you have of Jesus?
10. An angry guy? With your image of the loving gentle Jesus?
11. Notice the whip?
12. Understanding the situation: the influx of people to the Passover ca. 2 million and the temple tax – ½ shekel was worth 2 weeks labor for a common laborer, or a ½ week for a skilled laborer. (50 shekels was a good wage.) Today a comparison would have been ca. $2000 plus an animal from dove to sheep and goats or oxen. Imagine the noise, the smells, the bargaining, and the shouting going on in a marketplace! Photos! Bargaining and kickbacks in the marketplace that was to be a house of prayer for the nations! 
13. David Pawson suggests 4 reasons why Jesus was so angry:
14. Laziness and convenience?
15. Exploitation?
16. Nationalism?
17. Misappropriation? – And, and: “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”” Isaiah 56:7 
18. What authority did Jesus have?
19. He is the Son of God, the real High Priest: “It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrews 9:23-24 
20. He is the Messiah of Israel: Malachi 3:1-4

    ““I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.” Malachi 3:1-4  

1. He is the temple of God – that is his authority to cleanse 
2. How does it affect us? We become believers when we see the signs

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 

(1 Corinthians 6:19) “In (him) you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22) Jesus has authority to cleans the temple! Is he cleansing your temple? What are the hindrances? David Pawson writes: “is your body just a library to be stuffed with knowledge? Is your body a bank, a place for gathering money? Is your body a playhouse, simply for pleasure? Is your body a pigsty where slimy passions rule? Or is your body a temple where God lives?”

Let’s examine the 4 possible reasons why Jesus cleansed the temple:

Convenience - Exploitation – Nationalization - Misappropriation

There is a need to understand the social aspect of weddings to know why Jesus did this.

There is the transformational aspect of purification seen in this act

There is a sign of Jesus' declaration of love in the overabundance of his provision

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 1:16 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.1.16.esv

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."”

Matthew 19:24-26 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mat.19.24-26.esv

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:9-11, 14-17 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.10.9-11,14-17.esv

“And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.”

Luke 7:22 ESV

http://bible.com/59/luk.7.22.esv

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

1 John 3:8 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.3.8.esv

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.1.18.esv

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.1.21.esv

“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.2.3-5.esv

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,”

2 Thessalonians 1:11 ESV

http://bible.com/59/2th.1.11.esv

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.1.3-5.esv

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV

http://bible.com/59/eph.6.13-18.esv

“for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew 26:28 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mat.26.28.esv

“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

http://bible.com/59/heb.9.22.esv

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

Ephesians 1:7 ESV

http://bible.com/59/eph.1.7.esv

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:7-9 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.1.7-9.esv

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"”

Hebrews 10:10, 16 ESV

http://bible.com/59/heb.10.10,16.esv

“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.1.18-19.esv

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

Romans 5:9 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.5.9.esv

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 1:13-14, 20 ESV

http://bible.com/59/col.1.13-14,20.esv

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.2.24.esv

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

John 6:54-56 ESV

http://bible.com/59/jhn.6.54-56.esv

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Acts 20:28 ESV

http://bible.com/59/act.20.28.esv

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 12:10-11 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rev.12.10-11.esvVerses for Power of Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 1:16 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.1.16.esv

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."”

Matthew 19:24-26 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mat.19.24-26.esv

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:9-11, 14-17 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.10.9-11,14-17.esv

“And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.”

Luke 7:22 ESV

http://bible.com/59/luk.7.22.esv

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

1 John 3:8 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.3.8.esv

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.1.18.esv

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.1.21.esv

“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1co.2.3-5.esv

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,”

2 Thessalonians 1:11 ESV

http://bible.com/59/2th.1.11.esv

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.1.3-5.esv

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV

http://bible.com/59/eph.6.13-18.esv

“for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew 26:28 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mat.26.28.esv

“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

http://bible.com/59/heb.9.22.esv

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

Ephesians 1:7 ESV

http://bible.com/59/eph.1.7.esv

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:7-9 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.1.7-9.esv

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"”

Hebrews 10:10, 16 ESV

http://bible.com/59/heb.10.10,16.esv

“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.1.18-19.esv

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

Romans 5:9 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rom.5.9.esv

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 1:13-14, 20 ESV

http://bible.com/59/col.1.13-14,20.esv

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1pe.2.24.esv

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

John 6:54-56 ESV

http://bible.com/59/jhn.6.54-56.esv

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Acts 20:28 ESV

http://bible.com/59/act.20.28.esv

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 12:10-11 ESV

http://bible.com/59/rev.12.10-11.esv

Hosea 1: 2,3, 6-9

Introduction

Faithlessness is rampant. Who do we trust? People lie to protect themselves and hide their shame. In building teams, it is important that people are open and honest with one another. This helps me see the issues faced in interpersonal relationships:

The fundamental attribution error is simply this:  human beings tend to falsely attribute the negative behaviors of others to their character (an internal attribution), while they attribute their own negative behaviors to their environment (an external attribution).  Why?  Because we like to believe that we do bad things because of the situations we are in, but somehow, we easily come to the conclusion that others do bad things because they are predisposed to being bad.  (Similarly, we often attribute other people’s success to their environment and our own success to our character.  That’s because we like to believe that we are inherently good and talented, while others are merely lucky, beneficiaries of good fortune.) from Patrick Lencioni.

Read text.

What a crazy event and explain. Why was it so important for the prophet to do this? And how does this show us Jesus in the OT?

1. It demonstrates how people gradually move towards sin and get in deeper without recognizing it, and also feel justified in explaining it away.
2. It shows how far we drift from a real and vital relationship with God, and each other.
3. It shows the problems Jesus faced when he came.
4. And it shows how he patiently dealt with our blindness of heart.
5. Finally it shows his amazing love in redeeming us from the very sins that keep us captive.

Hosea 1: 2,3, 6-9

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.””

John 8:34-47 

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

Ephesians 5:25-32 

“Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!””

Mark 2:8-12 

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.””

Matthew 15:10-20 

“This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wrong.””

Proverbs 30:20 

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and putting Jesus to the test, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.”

Matthew 16:1-4 

Mark 8 – Blind man touched twice. And disciples see Jesus properly. 

“And they *came to Bethsaida. And some people *brought a man who was blind to Jesus and *begged Him to touch him. Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ.” And He warned them to tell no one about Him.”

Mark 8:22-30 

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”

1 Peter 2:1-3 

“For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers, “A stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this they were also appointed.”

1 Peter 2:6-8

2 Samuel 9:6-8

Introduction

Jesus in Moses and the Prophets.  We get some beautiful pictures of Jesus that help us understand who he is, and how amazing his love for us is! Seeing him demonstrated through history in so many ways, not just through prophecies, but through the lives of those who believe and trusted in God long before Jesus came.  We can trust God’s Love, God’s Word, and God’s Character.  “We can see that his love is compellingly intentional. It is not random nor sporadic. It is utterly reliable and full of purpose.”

Last week we saw in the life of David, that he foreshadowed Jesus by being a prophet, priest, and king. Today I want to look at how David was a covenant keeper.

Read Text

The Story! It all starts with a relationship between David and Jonathan. After David kills Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, David and Jonathan enter into a covenant. “Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that Jonathan committed himself to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his military gear, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.”

1 Samuel 18:1-4

The nature of a covenant is that all you have, all your potential, all your life, and all those who are in your seed, all you will ever be is given to your covenant partner. It was usually sealed by blood since life is in the blood. 

So, the death of Jonathan caused his son to grow up in fear of David, and believe his life was ruined by him. When he is found, he assumes he will be killed as an enemy who wants to subvert David’s kingdom.  Thus, his response is amazement.

The focus though is for us to see Jesus as the covenant keeper.  Look at what Jesus does in creating a covenant with his father, in his own blood. That means that all who are in the blood of Jesus are recipients of all he gets from his Father! 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The sign of the covenant – includes blood! Let it be unto me like this, if I do not keep this covenant!

“It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ God raised up His Servant for you first and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.””

Acts 3:25-26 

“God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

Genesis 17:9-11

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29 

The faithfulness of the covenant keeper – in word, including promises:

“I will not violate My covenant, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.” Psalms 89:34 

“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who love Him and keep His commandments;” Deuteronomy 7:9 

“¶He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac.” Psalms 105:8-9

Our signs of the covenant: baptism at the start and communion to constantly remind us of who we are!

Baptism as a sign of entering the covenant. “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”” Acts 2:38-39

“And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:20 

Our confidence and role in the covenant - “Such is the confidence we have toward God through Christ. Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 

Are you in Christ? You can’t fool God and you can’t pretend to be what you are not. You want the benefits of the covenant, then you must be born again.  

2 Samuel 7:12-16

Introduction

The mystery of 3 – everything seems to come in threes. 

David and Jesus are keenly related in the Messianic passages. Primarily in 2 Samuel as we continue from Moses to the Prophets.

The Prophecy of Nathan that points to Jesus.

The Threefold Anointing on David as Prophet Priest and King, as pointing to the Anointing on Jesus!

They both are:

Priests

Kings

Prophets

What this means to us!

2 Timothy 4:7,8

Liberty Church Birmingham

Sunday, October 8, 2023

1. Appreciation for Liberty Church – John Snow, David and Betty McCutchen and Ferrell Maughan were my first supporters, and continued after I married Jan. Bill Stamp, Bruce, Jeff Cato, and Ferrell visited us. Many wrote encouragement. Bill introduced us to Globe International in 85 and Liberty Fellowship the next year at Norman Park. 
2. Thank you, Bruce, for helping me finish this book. He suggested we launch it here today. And will be in the back room to sign copies for those who wish to make a donation for one to reach an Unreached people group in northern Mozambique. Providing local evangelists, trained by our German missionaries, motors cycles and bicycles to reach distant villages where you follow goat paths and cross torrent rivers in a canoe. – this book includes several events from here including one of Jerry Strong. How a German youth help a WWII vet get deliverance.
3. Finishing the race – a scripture for finishing well, spiritual warfare, and funerals.  What if it applies to God and is prophetic in a way that OT scriptures are? What if Paul writes it as pertaining to himself, but God inspires it because it also applies to Jesus and his work, specifically his work by the Holy Spirit in us? It could apply to his work on the cross, as well as his work through the church until the great and glorious day when he appears, and we all enter heaven. But that is a very western mindset to this problem. Always a focus on the winner!

1. When you think of races like the Marathon, you don’t know many if any of the participants. Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya holds the world record and 2 Gold medals in the Olympic Marathon will try for a 3rd in Paris next year.  That seems to be focus of our society as we hold such accomplishments in high esteem. Selfish Ambition can easily become a downfall for anyone. But two races impress me and give me a new sense of understanding regarding Gods plans and intentions: the Iditarod race is a grueling difficult race in March in Alaska, and it is not over until the last team arrives at the finish line.  The concern is for all to reach the goal! The Dream Marathon is unique in the fact that the established runners train the new runners personally 22 weeks before the race and when the first ones reach the finish line they return to the last ones and run with them encouraging them to finish as well! Here the whole idea is that the whole group is involved in the whole group! 

1. Look at this from God’s perspective it is not over until all ethnic people groups, language groups, cultures, races, are represented at the marriage feast of the lamb! Until All who call upon the name of the Lord are saved, it is not over! Until all have heard and have had a chance to respond, the race is not over! It will not be accomplished without more dedicated career missionaries that is for sure!  Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will cast out more into the white, ready and prepared harvest fields! But we need more than those who will sacrifice to go, we need those who will commit to do the praying, encouraging, communicating, visiting, pastoring those who have gone! We need an army who see that church is not where we go to be entertained, but where we learn how to serve, how to invest in people, how to give what is needed in the Kingdom of God.  It is not about a few doing the most, it is about us all moving together as the Holy Spirit directs us. Not listening to the myriad of voices but following the one! The task of reaching the Lost is our task together. Wherever they are found.

Hebrews 7-11

What do you think about when you hear the word “Priest”?

Our picture is often marred by various movies, novels, and pictures.  Imagine Jesus being like a priest in one of those shows like Balleykissangel. 

The order of Melchizedek- righteousness and peace Gen.: 14:18-20 and Psalm 110:4

See how Jesus is a high priest from a different law! Hebrews 8:1-6 a better priest!

Jesus inaugurates a new Covenant like Jeremiah prophesied: Jeremiah 31:31-34 quoted in Hebrews 8, see last verse.

The outer sanctuary and the Holy Place Hebrews 9:1-5

The job of the high priest – replaced by Jesus! Hebrews 9:8,11,14-17

The need for blood to activate the covenant. Hebrews 9:21-28

The old law does not make perfect! Psalm 40 speaks of one to come later! Psalm 40:6-8

Hebrews 10:1,4,9,10 shows the eternal work of Jesus!

By faith the early believers were looking for a better country, an eternal one! Hebrews 11:13-16

We have come to Mt. Zion and an unshakable Kingdom! Hebrews 12:22-24;

Don’t mess it up – give him your acceptable service!  25-28!

“And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has handed over your enemies to you.” And he gave him a tenth of everything.”

Genesis 14:18-20 

“The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.””

Psalms 110:4 

““Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.””

Jeremiah 31:31-34 

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.””

Psalms 40:6-8 

Exodus 25:1-9

Introduction

A trip through cathedrals – illiterate people and keeping the faith by art and sculptures.

A lot of history in these amazing structures: major events, burials, events that moved the world to remember: Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg that began a reformation! Or the move in Leipzig that brought down the Berlin Wall? Or the simple pastor in Timisoara, Romania that brought about the downfall of the government there. The many small chapels across England as John Wesley preached up and down the land. 

Show pictures:

Sistine Chapel at the Vatican- Italy

Cathedral in Krakow, Poland

Cathedral in Milan

Cathedral in Salisbury – a worker who loved Jesus

Cathedral in Wesel – Peter Minuit who bought Manhatten from the Indians

St. Paul’s Cathedral London – taken into the Holy of Holies

But all of these do not compare with what God gave to Moses!

Then the Tabernacle – above all the others

Read Text

The Character and nature of God is revealed

Through the blood of Jesus

The courtyard for sin, and the Holy place leading to the Holy of Holies.

46x23 meters (150 feet X 75 feet) cf Biltmore is 175,000 ft2 CFNBC 11,250 ft2

Outer Court and Inner Court

Holy Place – 10 X 5 meters 48x24

Holy of Holies – 5 X 5 meters 24ft

Worshiper could not go any further than bringing sacrifice to altar. Only priests could go farther to laver. Worth – Over 100 billion USD equivalent.

See the Revelation 21 for the New Jerusalem

Prayers of incense Revelation 5:8 and 8:3,4

Assumptions and shadows.  Solving the mystery and wanting to know all things. 

But there are issues that can develop because of this: the presence and leadership of God is replaced by dead works and dead traditions.  Where there. Is no life being infused, but the very condemnation that does not come from the Father:  ignoring him can lead to lifelessness. 

See what happens in Exodus 32.1

See what is in Cebu or in Chichicastenango. 

The tents in the wilderness were facing the tabernacle.

When we look forward to what Father intends for us both individually and collectively as a church, we can do a lot more moving forward in unity. 

“Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”

Colossians 2:16-19 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

James 1:14-17 

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Hebrews 10:1-4 

Exodus 3:13-15

Long Creek Baptist Church 

Sunday, September 17, 2023

Introduction 

The need for a cultural translator- Hajo helped by explaining the cultural realities of living in Germany.

We face something similar when it comes to understanding life in the Kingdom of God.  That is the job of the Holy Spirit.

Read Text

The need to know more about who God is.  I AM speaks to his eternal being, but that says little about his attributes, his character, his objectives and goals, his ideals, desires, his nature, his personality – the definition that explores and describes who you are. The journey into Exodus does a lot to explain who Jesus is, not only what he did on the cross. The introduction to the power, reliability and work of Jesus is core, critical and explains many the other aspects of who Jesus is that are found in the Exodus.

Here are some of the things we find concerning Jesus and the nature of the Kingdom of God:

Living Water - Exodus 15:22-26 Exodus 17:2, 5-6 John 4:10, 13-14

Bread of Life - Exodus 16:1-2, 4John 6:48-51

Lawgiver - Exodus 20:1 Matthew 5:38-39

Covenant Maker - Exodus 24:5-8Luke 22:20 

Life Changer - Exodus 19:3-6 Revelation 1:5-6

Mediator - 1 Timothy 2:5 

Friend - Exodus 33:11  John 15:15 

The introduction to Jesus is what gives us both our security in his promises as well as the joy of growing in our relationship to him. 

Living Water

“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter; for that reason it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.””

Exodus 15:22-26 

“So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Exodus 17:2, 5-6 

“Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.””

John 4:10, 13-14 

Bread of Life

“Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.”

Exodus 16:1-2, 4 

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.””

John 6:48-51 

Lawgiver

“Then God spoke all these words, saying,”

Exodus 20:1 

““You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.” Matthew 5:38-39 

Covenant Maker

“And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.””

Exodus 24:5-8  

“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke 22:20 

Life Changer! From slaves to a Kingdom and Priests

“Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.””

Exodus 19:3-6  

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 1:5-6 

Mediator

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5 

God speaks to pharaoh and the people through Moses

The people speak to God through Moses. What they miss is the direct communication.

Friend

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

John 15:15  

“So the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”

Exodus 33:11  

Read Text

Moses shows us the type of Jesus as the deliverer. 

Saved from death as a baby. Aware of his calling to be a deliverer, he tries to do so on in his own strength and fails miserably. Running away from the situation, he encounters God, and the relationship grows in an intimate way.

Here are some of the types readily visible:

His growing personal relationship with God, from the “l AM” encounter, to the regular discussions concerning pharaoh and his leaders. Growth in dependency upon God for every action, direction, etc. you have the bitter waters of Marah turning sweet when he throws the tree into the water and it becomes sweet, and you have the need for bread, and the Manna comes down from heaven: both are reflected in Jesus being the water of life, and the bread of life!

That relationship develops into a very close intimate relationship with a vision of the heavens, the tabernacle as a miniature of what John sees in the Revelation, and him telling God even what he cannot do and why! Even his death is a view towards the ascension of Jesus.  Get this, he returns at the transfiguration, which could also reflect the return of Jesus. But the greatest type of Jesus that is found in his life is that of deliverer.

Look at the issues facing him – his personal reputation.

The oppression from the Egyptians

            Burdens treated like slaves

            Based on Fear and a need for Cheap labor

            Mean, torture, evil – wanting to kill babies, inflicting pain, hurts, lies, deception, betrayal.

            Idolatry, the demonic, sinful, blasphemous 

The objections of the Hebrew people

            Mistrust, seen as a coward, ran instead of helping.

            How do we know he speaks for God? Lack of faith, hopelessness, helplessness. Depression.

            Really, you want us to be happy when everything is getting worse?

The objections from Moses: unqualified, no influence, no authority

How do you get 600 000 men plus women and children to trust you enough to lead you out of your situation?

How do you overcome the obstinance of pharaoh? 

How will we live if we go? Not in shape to lead a war.

The answer lies in God’s covenant, promises, and his word.

The need for deliverance in a society like that is real for everyone involved. The first one to be delivered is Moses – he needed to learn to trust God.

The warnings he brought were to both solidify his role as the called one.

His initiates the greatest deliverance from oppression and slavery to that date in history. It becomes something that will be remembered forever in Christian and Jewish families because of the Passover.

This is a type of Jesus who does a quick work when we put our trust in him and he passes over our lives, never to experience death. See John 8:51,52: “The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.””

the deliverance of Jesus is greater!

It is not just for time, but eternity!

His deliverance is from torment, personal, internal, oppressive, imposed, and evil torment. 

The Passover lamb in the story is Jesus! He is the One who meets the enemies within and without, whose covenant he keeps and whose promises are true, whose love endures forever.

Where is the evil one here? Turn to Jesus and be delivered. Be set free from all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life! 

Why praise? Why is it so important? – Let’s look at it from a non-Christian perspective:

Many have said to me, why would I want to go to heaven? Sitting around and playing harps all day.

How we view people who always want to be admired, constantly be assured of their virtue, or intelligence, how good they are at what they do?  We look down at the clouds that meet the demands of dictators and gratify their egos. So, what do we think of a god who demands praise from his followers?

How are we to equate that with being humble of heart? 50:14,15

Or it appears as though the Psalmists try and negotiate with God: if you do this for me, then I will do this for you. 54:1,6

Or the blackmail technique: If you don’t defeat my enemies, then I will go down to Sheol, and who will praise you then? 30:9

Or why does God demand we praise him? Or encourage others to motivate us to praise him? Does he really need it? Is he like humans, wanting to to be number 1 and all the world to know it? 119

In all of these negative approaches to Scripture, we fail to see the value and the importance of biblical praise. Let me begin with a couple of my experiences.  When the kids were little, Jan had to stay at home a lot. I traveled to May wonderful and exotic countries. The truth is, I only wanted to be there long enough to finish the work I came to do. I had no interest in sightseeing. Why, because Jan wasn’t there to enjoy it with me.  Now, when we are just the two of us, I have very rarely traveled without her, and when we go places, we love to try new foods, see new things, examine the similarities and differences in culture and appreciate it together.  So our trip to New Zealand, or Manu other places lives on in our hearts, not because of the pictures, but because of our identification and expression of our admiration.

This makes praising God different from seeing him as a benevolent dictator who wants to rob us of life and joy.

Why does God demand our worship? As the all-sufficient one, why does he demand we go to church and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together? Because in the corporate worship he communicates his presence to mere mortals. It is not for his sake, but for our sake that praise is most needed. God is not so vain that he needs our complements, but it is us who need to get to know him, appreciate him, and understand his magnificent ways. When we praise, and examine his laws, his character, his virtues, his will, his thoughts, his desires, our hearts are flooded with his wisdom, his understanding, his joy, and we become partakes with him in these divine experiences.

Often we only look at praise as being a complement, approval, or giving honor where it is due.  But look around us. Look at where praise happens: who do you praise? Your lover, your walks in the countryside, a good book, your favorite football club, a friend, your home, a picture, our lives overflow with enjoyment when we praise.  When we criticize, it falls flat and into arguments. Praise is what brings about encouragement and the best in all of us. It really begins when we can praise God.

That is why in the Psalms we have so many clear indications of God’s great plans and purposes. Hidden in dual meanings of the text, but which point directly to Jesus and his work and his joy and his salvation.

It starts in Psalm 1 with a view of the glory of heaven – trees with fruit every month revelation 22:2

“On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

Compare with this: “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3

Then we see Jesus as the good shepherd in Psalm 23 and in John 10:11

In Psalm 22 we see the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning. All who see me deride me; They sneer, they shake their heads, saying, “Turn him over to the Lord; let Him save him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery, And my tongue clings to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And they cast lots for my clothing. ¶I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s And He rules over the nations.” Psalms 22:1, 7-8, 14-18, 22, 27-28 - compare with Jesus in Luke 23:33-48 Bible

In Psalm 24 we see the triumph of Jesus over sin, death and the devil for all time, and his receiving the crown of glory with all authority in heaven and earth for the salvation of all who will call upon him. 

“Lift up your heads, you gates, And be lifted up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Lift up your heads, you gates, And lift them up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of armies, He is the King of glory.”

Psalms 24:7, 9-10 see Phil 2:9-11 and Eph 1:20-23

“For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 NASB2020

“which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:20-23

In Psalm 2 we see him as the conquering  king over all:  “Why are the nations restless And the peoples plotting in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers conspire together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ¶He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. “I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have fathered You. ‘Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.” Psalms 2:1-2, 4, 7-8 and see Matt 28:18-20

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20 

When that becomes clear to us, that God wants this known among all peoples everywhere, that his love surpasses all other loves, then the door that leads us into that courtyard is the door of praise. Our lives explode with the joy of worship and all finds its place of worth and value within the presence of the Lord. As we begin to live in praise, we start to praise one another, it changes our attitudes, it builds us all up, we become less critical of one another. It brings healing to our souls, our bodies, our approach to life.

We praise what we value! And we want others to enjoy it with us. We have to tell others about it, and we want to tell those who will appreciate it the most! The reason we do that with others is that praise with others completes the enjoyment!  Our delight is something is incomplete until it is expressed! The worthier the object of our praise, the more intense our delight will be!  As imperfect our attempts of worship are, we do glimpse it at times when God breaks through into our lives and the flow of praise erupts, as we join even for a brief moment the wonder of heaven and glimpse a bit of the love God has for us. What we begin to experience in our own prayer closets, let us bring in joy as we worship him together. Let us consummate our enjoyment of Jesus and the Father by Tell it to him, and to each other!

Choices in the church are difficult too. We deal with life and death issues as well, but they are more important as they affect a person's eternal destiny.

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1. Bring in the leaders of the Jews
2. Appoint a day when many come to hear
3. Conclude with the calling of Isaiah – the difference of cultures does not negate the power of the Gospel, nor the work of the Holy Spirit!
4. Continues to welcome all who come to him in captivity
5. The future growth of the church is secure

What do we glean from this:

This is the testimony of how the Holy Spirit works, in every culture and in every place. This is a testimony to the faithfulness of God to keep his promises to all who seek him and call upon his name. This is a clear view of how not all respond favorably to the transformation required by those who believe

Knowing this, how do we continue writing the end of Acts in our lives? What is the Holy Spirit doing in this place? How if Father wanted to spread the Gospel message throughout this community?  What will happen if we declare Jesus as the Messiah? Some will listen and some won’t. How do we continue to despite the hindrances in our way?  You might not be in chains, but there are other things that limit our abilities to share about Jesus.  How do we continue the work entrusted to us?

What do we do?  Love, forgive, show hospitality.

Let those who go, go.  The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgement to come.  Let him do his job. Focus on those who want to know more and grow in God.  Don’t be a parent to them, but someone who can open the scriptures to them and be life giving!  

Verses:

“All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”

Philippians 4:22 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:8-10 

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”” Isaiah 6:6-8 

“Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, that Rezin the king of Aram … went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it.  Isaiah speaks to Ahaz: 

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:1, 14

“and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:19-20

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Primary focus of this passage

Vs. 2 they welcomed us – throughout Luke -Acts, the theme of hospitality has been an important symbol of receptivity of God’s visitation. See Lk 5:29; 7:36-50; 9:4-5; 10:1-16, 38-42; 19:1-10; Acts 10:24; 16:11-15.

Vs. 3 Paul models authority as service Luke 22:24-27 just as Jesus did. Throughout the journey, his advice and actions have been practical and helpful, including helping with the fire.  Unusual for a prisoner to do so voluntarily. See 27:10, 22, 31, 34.

Vs 4 the assessment of Paul as a murderer, the in verse 5 as a god.  Allusion to Luke 10:18-19. Power over satan.  Reaction like Acts 14:8-13.

Vs.7 Paul has much freedom for 3 months. This includes the ministry of healing.  Throughout Luke Acts the healing ministry is coupled with the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Notice, it is not something that he sets up a healing crusade! What is going on in the centurion’s mind? Soldiers? Other prisoners? Sailors? Captain? Brought to the leading man and then conducts healing ministry on the island?  My assumption is that many believed, and he needed 3 months of discipleship training for the new believers. Paul is indeed the most unusual prisoner! Compare with Luke 4:38-44. On healing leads to many.

Vs. 10 demonstrates the sharing of good to be a sharing in the Gospel! Consistent with the narrative in Luke Acts: 

Vs. 14 meets the brothers.

The last chapters

What is the purpose of the book, and what are the most important themes that need to be conveyed?

Is Paul and his life the main character? Compare with writing my biography, I’m not dead yet!

Is there something much more significant being communicated her? In the last chapter, God reigns supreme in spite of storm, authority, laws to kill prisoners, darkest days of your life, in fear, in hunger, in hopelessness there is a way through. Jesus really has all authority in heaven and earth.

In this chapter we see the following main themes emerge that are continually visible in Luke and Acts:

The value and significance of service.

The value and significance of hospitality. Luke and Acts as well as the OT point to it’s importance. We are all sojourners in this world! Notice in heaven we are invited to a banquet! Celebration is eternal! 

The life of Jesus reproduced in every Christian, not just the celebrities.

The growth and the permanence of the church throughout both history and eternity despite all attempts by the devil to eradicate it.

Application is vital: contrary to today’s thinking: not a political kingdom, not individualism, not materialism – but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!

But a vibrant, life-giving church requires more, not less, time and energy from its members. It asks people to prioritize one another over our career, to prioritize prayer and time reading scripture over accomplishment. This may seem like a tough sell in an era of dechurching. If people are already leaving—especially if they are leaving because they feel too busy and burned out to attend church regularly—why would they want to be part of a church that asks so much of them?

Although understandable, that isn’t quite the right question. The problem in front of us is not that we have a healthy, sustainable society that doesn’t have room for church. The problem is that many Americans have adopted a way of life that has left us lonely, anxious, and uncertain of how to live in community with other people.

Verses

“Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brothers and sisters, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support such people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth.” 3 John 1:5-8 

“Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” Hebrews 13:1-3 

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:9-10 

“Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 

“When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. And they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.” Luke 9:51-56 

““When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you are not to go back to get it; it shall belong to the stranger, the orphan, and to the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches again; that shall be left for the stranger, the orphan, and for the widow. “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you are not to go over it again; that shall be left for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.” Deuteronomy 24:19-22 

“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:34 

“One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.” Proverbs 19:17 

“Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”” Mark 10:42-45 

“Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and served them. Now while the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was laying His hands on each one of them and healing them. Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” And yet He was rebuking them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.” Luke 4:38-41 

““The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; but the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”” Luke 10:16 

The ministry of Jesus
““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.””
Luke 4:18-19 

The Commission of Jesus:
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20 
The Gospel to the world – expansion of ministries
Galatians 2:9 
Practical support: The team on the road with the missionary
Financial support, prayer support, feedback, involvement as partners, not just donors. Doing what Jesus did in his purpose statement from Isaiah.  Remember the poor. Galatians 2:10 

The character of a giver – the sharing principle directed by the Holy Spirit - the giver and the receiver are intertwined Luke 6:38 
remember that God cannot be mocked, whatsoever a person sows that will he also reap 
Galatians 6 s 31, 2 Corinthians 9:7-9 

The church and the gift
2 Corinthians 8  and Phil 4

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Notice, before the big event, a daily investment in small faith steps prepares us for the great storms of life! Paul started by being faithful in little things along this great path he is living.

Sea of Adria was in the middle of the Mediterranean while the Gulf of Adria what we today call the Adriatic Sea. As they near shipwreck, it becomes clear to the crew that Paul’s prophecy is coming to pass.  Fear is still present.  Some want to escape.  Now Paul is in control with divine authority. His insight is followed by the centurion. When the ship starts to run aground, the centurion wants to save Paul, and the prisoners so all make it to shore.

What is the purpose of the very clear and extensive account given by Luke here and not in Chapter 21? Notice the lack of calming the storm. Here there is something else that God is doing, namely, he is establishing the power of faith and God’s control over history in sight of overwhelming paganism. What could be construed as magic has no place in the very real fear of the elements of nature. God is not tinkering with natural and human processes with arbitrary interventions, but with the direction of the human heart by revealing the purposes and call of God.  See Luke 21:12-19. 

When we are caught in the complexity of social entanglements, our faith in God must not be focused so much on the elimination of these circumstances but on God’s power that enables us to endure and so gain possession of our lives!

Here we find the real value of prophecy:  Though Paul is predicting the future and seeing it fulfilled, he is also a spokesperson for God! He advises, exhorts, comforts, strengthens, challenges as a servant of God whom he serves! And at the center of the storm and its ravages, fears, and confusion, he breaks bread.  Of the 276 on board, only 3 are Christians. Yet he includes all with dramatic results – not all believe, some try to escape, but all are brought to safety as he said they would. This act of faith changed the course of the events, as it gave courage, strength, and hope to all. Paul’s faith reminds us of Mary, who chose to believe God and whet he said would come to pass.  Put your faith in Jesus today.

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1. The “we” begins again after stopping in chapter 21. Luke and Aristarchus are part of the team.
2. Chain of command: Owner, Captain, then Roman centurion.  This one of Caesar’s cohorts!
3. Innocence of Paul shown in Sidon.
4. Trip to south of Turkey, and the to a new ship.  The Alexandrian ship is taking grain from Egypt to Rome, and the emptier paid extra, plus insurance to get the grain to feed the city in winter.  Leaving Turkey (Asia) the winds are contrary so the sail to Crete and want to spend the winter in a good Harbor.  Leave Fair Havens even though Paul warns against it. 
5. Danger at sea is something Paul has been used to, in 2 Corinthians 11:25 he says he had already been in shipwrecks and spent a day and night in the sea.  He is well travelled. And he is also a prophet though at this point in time the captain is making decisions based on his experience and knowledge – not on God’s direction. 
6. The dangers off the coast of Libya are treacherous. 
7. Now Paul uses his authority in Jesus to speak to the crew. The Centurion now takes his advice from Paul whose faith is going to save them all.
8. Paul’s purpose is now not just to witness in Rome, but to Caesar as well.
9. God’s authority supersedes all other authority. The Hope that faith gives, and the confidence of faith surpasses good ideas.

How does this affect us? In the storms of life, and in the crisis of worldly culture there is an anchor for our souls!

It’s a question of authority!

1. What is God saying to you? 
2. What place does God’s authority and word have in our lives? Only for salvation, or in all things?

Accepting God’s authority, leads us to obey that authority, leading to the salvation of our souls. 

1. It gives direction to what we do in life!
2. Obedience leads to the excitement of seeing God at work in our daily lives. 
3. Obedience to God’s authority is not enslavement but even greater freedom! (Soldiers)

How are you obeying in the midst of all going on around you?

1. The crisis the world is in does not affect the call of God upon your life, nor your obedience.
2. Whatever the culture of the world may say, it cannot negate the law of God.  If God says something is wrong, evil, sinful, or bad, your opinion on that matter is irrelevant.  You will not be able to argue with God on the day of judgement. The time to plead for mercy and grace is not on that day, but now in this life. By taking steps towards God in this way, you do not need to have a majority vote to do what is right! When God supports you, you will stand!  Paul ends up with more authority than all, and even the centurion takes his orders from him.

How sad it is when sharing the Gospel that some people reject it outright. My encounter with a motorcycle gang in Thirsk. Drawing board with the story: Almost persuaded

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Response from Festus

Paul asserting the reality of the resurrection of Jesus as being sane and credible

Basing this on the law and prophets and addressing Agrippa as to his decision.  It is a clear conundrum: 

1. If he says no, then he denies his own people and his culture
2. If he says yes, then why does he not accept Jesus as the Messiah?
3. His response is sarcastic by avoiding the issue

Paul asserts his primary function in life to lead people to Christ.

1. Does not respond to sarcasm, but takes a very serious view of the consequences
2. Does demonstrate his innocence of charges success
3. Does not get released, future is determined

Similarly to JESUS HE IS DECLARED INNOCENT 3 times but is still in custody

Application

            Where are you standing in response to Jesus? Are you almost persuaded?

            If you believe? Have you confessed and repented?

            Are you bringing forth deeds consistent with that repentance?

Sharing a testimony: before meeting Jesus, A Jesus encounter, what is my life like afterwards?

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Obedience to the heavenly calling: 

Proclaiming repentance

            Turn to God

            Perform deed consistent with repentance 

Testifying to Moses and the Prophets

            Messiah must suffer

Be resurrected 

Proclaim light to first to the Jews and then to all

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him.”

John 3:14-15

“And then He said to them, “You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to come into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.” Luke 24:25-27 

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on the flag pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:8-9 

“He was despised and abandoned by men, A man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. ¶However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, And our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, Struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:3-6

Life is short, enjoy it, or eternity is long, better prepare for it!

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What does “kicking against the goads mean?”

            The 4 things it means to Paul: Notice he talks about the “saints”. Verse 10 gives us the answer based on what he “did” in Jerusalem based on what “he thought was good to do.

1. I imprisoned many
2. I gave approval to put to death
3. I punished
4. I pursued

For this purpose or cause:

Compare to jesus

I have appeared to you

I have appointed you

I have rescued you

I am sending you

Private discussion between Festus and Agrippa. Points to Resurrection 

Public discussion between Festus and Agrippa. Points to lack of evidence

What does this tell us?

The need for political maneuvering- no longer able to do Jews a favor. 

Even the unsaved know that Paul holds to the resurrection.

“and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”

1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 

            Resurrection brings salvation, hope, and much more. 

            Everything in the Christian life revolves around the resurrection. 

Particularly the transformed life – away from self-focus to love.

Love is read, heard, seen, and does affect you.

Resurrection says God loves you and sends his children to communicate it.

Walk in Love

“and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Ephesians 5:2 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 

“Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;” 1 Thessalonians 4:9

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor,” Romans 12:10 

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:12-14 

“Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 

“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34 

“This I command you, that you love one another.”  John 15:17 

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

1 John 4:12 

Result: Focus on how to love.

A demonic plan – not about religion, culture or philosophy, but plain evil.

How did a boy find out about the plan?

How did the boy get to Paul?

Why did the commander take him aside personally?

God overrules the enemy because he knows all and has ways to confound the enemy to accomplish his purposes. 

God repeated his purpose several times over the last year in many different ways including the most recent one at the end of the last chapter.

You cannot thwart the purposes of God!  He can use a Pharaoh, a lion’s den, a nephew, or you in a way you are not even aware of.

What do we learn from this event?

God will use whoever he wants!

He is not impressed by greatness!

He uses many to build his Kingdom!

He is not taken by surprise!

God will thwart the devil’s purposes!

God makes a show of his victories!

In your life:  if you sin: you have an advocate with the    Father!

If you are sinned against: God fights for you!

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

1 Timothy4:12

““No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.”

Isaiah54:17

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

Proverbs15:22

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

2 Corinthians 2:14

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”

1 John 2:1 

“A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than rubies. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!”

FromProverbs 31:10-31 

A demonic plan – not about religion, culture or philosophy, but plain evil.

How did a boy find out about the plan?

How did the boy get to Paul?

Why did the commander take him aside personally?

God overrules the enemy because he knows all and has ways to confound the enemy to accomplish his purposes. 

God repeated his purpose several times over the last year in many different ways including the most recent one at the end of the last chapter.

You cannot thwart the purposes of God!  He can use a Pharaoh, a lion’s den, a nephew, or you in a way you are not even aware of.

What do we learn from this event?

God will use whoever he wants!

He is not impressed by greatness!

He uses many to build his Kingdom!

He is not taken by surprise!

God will thwart the devil’s purposes!

God makes a show of his victories!

In your life:  if you sin: you have an advocate with the    Father!

If you are sinned against: God fights for you!

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

1 Timothy4:12

““No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.”

Isaiah54:17

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

Proverbs15:22

Paul’s defense:

1. His Innocence with a clear conscience –
2. The chief priest is an example of sin and the law being abused.
3. Why did he order Paul to be hit?
4. For pronouncing the Devine name, speaking out of turn, or claiming a clear conscience?
5. The testimony of Jesus resurrection and thus the Messiah of Israel?

How did Jesus see his witness? Both to the mob and now to the Sanhedrin? – take it to Rome!

The importance of the resurrection at the center of our witness? (See Athens and here)

This is the key to a relationship with God in a whole new way, not available in any religion!  

            Are we hoping to go to heaven, so we believe?

            Or do we believe, and the result is the gift of eternal life? 

            Are we keen to be with Jesus, or are we afraid of death?

What are the responses to this declaration of the Gospel?  They are universal to our day as well:

1. We do not believe in life after death.
2. We believe that there is life after death, but Jesus is not central to that.
3. The Pharisees have a wait and see attitude.
4. They align themselves with the legalists.
5. They reject Jesus as the Savior.
6. We believe in Jesus and live our life in relationship with him!

He has been mistaken as a polluter of the temple, and as an Egyptian revolutionary. Now he has the chance to share who he is and why.  But the primary motive, is that he wants his listeners to become like him! He uses what he knows to be an attack to demonstrate God’s love others! He sees through the spiritual blindness of those he is now addressing.

First of all, what didn’t he do?

He didn’t demand a lawyer.

He didn’t accuse his tormentors.

He didn’t get angry.

He didn’t lose his peace.

See Elizabeth Elliott:  Christ in you is the secret, not me in my situation and circumstances. Circumstances change but Jesus doesn’t. Even in the midst of having been beaten he is able to give his defense.  But his defense is really a desire to see them saved, not himself!  Now he sets his witnessing in a different setting to address the people whose culture and attitudes he knows.

In Athens he uses their history, culture and beginning with creation shows the way to the resurrection. Here though, by establishing where he is is from, raised and educated, he already laid a foundation with the acceptance of resurrection (that is the basic difference of belief to the Sadducees) in their culture.  He also establishes his credibility as a Pharisee who had the best education in the law and prophets.

• Notice how Luke likes to repeat matters where something needs to be learned! Peter with Cornelius, Jesus in Luke, and Paul’s testimony. 
• Paul uses his credibility to establish that he is a witness to the resurrection of Jesus.
• Light is a recurring theme in this passage and has divine importance, as it indicates the Glory of God! The repetition in his testimony along with his credentials now demonstrates that he has the authority of God to speak. “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 
• His time in the temple shows: a direct rebuttal of their claim against him. He shows his claim to the guiding beliefs of Judaism, his long standing devotion to the temple; his prayer life demonstrates his piety, and the temple as a place of prayer (just as Jesus had done); his Vision relates to Paul’s vision regarding the clean and unclean; and most importantly:
• When Paul sees the vision in the temple, he is now claiming the same authority of a prophet – speaking both of Jesus and of Isaiah! Isaiah was in the temple when God called him. (6:1-10) and the message is similar: “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the protected ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”” Isaiah 49:6 and  Isaiah 6:8-10 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not understand; And keep on looking, but do not gain knowledge.’ “Make the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes blind, So that they will not see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.””
• The response is violent, similar to how it was with Jesus in Luke 4:28-29: “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff.”

Paul claims safety in Roman law to secure his passage to Rome, and fulfill his calling.

For us it is important to know that the Gospel is offensive, regardless of how lovingly we share it.  But it is required of us to love and demonstrate that love in word and in deed.  We can see how Paul identifies with the good in the people, but is uncompromising in his stand on the messianic mission.  He finds a way to share that in a context that ought to be understood, even if it is not.  I heard a woman decry on TV that Christians love sinners and hate sin.  Even if Jesus did do that.  But folks today want to be identified by what the do or have. Christians want to be identified by who they are in Christ. Who are you? What determines the values you have in life? What is your focus?

The grounds for a charge against him:

            A misunderstanding

            Hostility against Paul

What to do?

“I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB2020

Patience in the midst of persecution

When to say what to whom

Facing disappointment

Facing abandonment

Facing corruption

Facing injustice

How to respond like Jesus did – using previous experiences and spiritual growth

            With love

            With prayer

            With forgiveness

            With trusting and faith

            Seeing God’s purpose step by step

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NASB2020

Here is the struggle:  on the one hand Paul does not dispute that he is a Jew, that he understands the Law, he circumcised Timothy whose mother was a Jew, thus making him a Jew.  He does make vows and keeps them as well as shaving his head.  He understands the need for Nazarite vow of cleanliness, especially when he has touched a dead corpse.  He also sees the law from the eyes of one who is free from the law and who understands the law being written on the hearts of those who believe.  He does see the need for purity, holiness, as well as mercy and grace.  Especially when they seemingly are conflicting with one another.

But here he chooses the way of love in dealing with real people!  Not just theoretical theology to be disputed, but relationships that are messy because of the difference of both experience and understanding of the scriptures.  He chooses to serve and love – theological debates can happen at another time when it is appropriate.

He doesn’t raise the matter of money in this situation, but submits to his leaders of the church. They see his funds helping his cause with the Jewish believers, even if they do not come to his rescue.

Conclusion?  How will you react to those who disappoint you and who see things differently to the way you see them?  Will you respond in love?

1. 28. Be on guard and shepherd the church.  How? “Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Timothy4:13-16
2. 29. Beware of the wolves! Especially for those who come among you as wolves in sheep’s clothing. “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;” Philippians3:2 ““Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Jesus, in Matthew 7:15 

Looking beyond verses 32-36

1. 32- entrusting them to God and to the Word of His Grace!
2. Mercy and grace definitions
3. Mercy in OT : 45 – in NT: 60
4. Grace in OT: 8 – in NT: 122 (gracious in OT 64 and in NT 5)
5. The richness of God to show mercy, but the “boundless riches of Grace”
6. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, while Grace is receiving gifts beyond measure!  Definitely not deserved or earned. Ephesians x2  We are introduced to grace through faith! Not lacking in any gift! What we receive in this world now is more than we deserve and what we will receive in heaven has not been seen or heard about. 1 Cor 2:9
7. 33-35 a Model to imitate. Remember my way of life among you! “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians11:1 - also 1 Cor. 4:12; Eph. 5.1; 1 Thess. 1:6 and 2:14
8. Finally, he prayed for them.

Verse 32 Looking Beyond: 

1. I entrust you to God! And the Word of His Grace
2. This brings results!
3. Follow my example: care for the poor, be generous (offering for the saints in Jerusalem)
4. Prayer and anointing

The application: do we understand God’s purpose for us, both individually and as a church? Are we beginning to see God move with clarity in our hearts?  How do we both individually and collectively live out the will, purposes, and counsel? 

Let’s begin to take a closer look at this farewell speech: in three parts: Looking back, looking forward, and looking beyond.

In 16, he doesn’t want to lose time by going to Ephesus, but he calls the elders to him instead.  In the case of the early church, it is clear it is lead by a presbytery, so whatever Paul shares here will be passed on to the churches throughout the region. Isn’t the same amount of time used? Perhaps not, if the folks want him to stay, or there is much opposition, and he is hindered from continuing his journey. Perhaps even for the safety of the money being transported (see his final remark).

Verse 18 Looking back: the monuments and the museums in Washington let us remember where we have come from, the ideals we hold dear, and the values we cherish. Paul looks at the beginning of his time with the Ephesians.  By looking back, he lays claims to the authority for what he will say.

1. I was with you:  you got to know me by observation, interaction and teaching, and availability.
2. Served with humility, or lowly mindedness.  Like Jesus. Philippians 2:1-11
3. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:3-7
4. “and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”” Mark 10:44-45
5. Through tears and trials from the Jews
6. Taught what was profitable both publicly and from house to house: letters to follow up
7. Preached to both Jews and Greeks: repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ. “a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew...” Col. 3:11  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal. 3:28 

Verse 22 Looking forward: 

1. 22. Bound in Spirit and Uncertain what will happen in Jerusalem, except persecution. 
2. 24. I will finish the race testifying to God’s grace:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (Pause)
3. 25. You will see me no more
4. 26. I am innocent – I have warned all (repeated in his letters) “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:1, 3, 5 
5. 27. I proclaimed the whole counsel (purpose or will) of God to you.  “Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

1 Corinthians 15:50. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-1

1. 28. Be on guard and shepherd the church.  How? “Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Timothy 4:13-16
2. 29. Beware of the wolves! Especially for those who come among you as wolves in sheep’s clothing. “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;” Philippians 3:2 ““Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Jesus, in Matthew 7:15
3. Remember my way of life among you! “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 - also 1 Cor. 4:12; Eph. 5.1; 1 Thess. 1:6 and 2:14

Verse 32 Looking Beyond: 

1. I entrust you to God! And the Word of His Grace
2. This brings results!
3. Follow my example: care for the poor, be generous (offering for the saints in Jerusalem)
4. Prayer and anointing

The application: do we understand God’s purpose for us, both individually and as a church? Are we beginning to see God move with clarity in our hearts?  How do we both individually and collectively live out the will, purposes, and counsel? 

1. The prophetic insight of where Father is leading him: I must go here, there, and reach this goal.
2. Two, he seals the continued growth of the movement by giving responsibility to those he has trained. Timothy and Erastus

The riot in Ephesus

1. A basic knowledge of God’s care: 1 Cor 10:13
2. The impact the Gospel has on the world. Destruction of idols! Imagine the impact the Gospel ought to have on the pornographic industry!
3. God’s deliverance and protection, even in using secular people.

Paul’s motivation for what he does:

1. God’s love for the lost – 2 Peter 3:9
2. The knowledge of Jesus’ return – comfort 1 Thess. 4:15-18
3. Paul’s faith in God’s promises, power, and protection

Compare with matters that hinder God’s people from reaching the Lost.

1. WFear of repercussions
2. Fear of rejection
3. My friends are all saved or not interested.
4. I don’t know how to lead someone to Christ.
5. Somebody else will do it, it’s their job.
6. Unwilling to step outside of my comfort zone.
7. Too old to reach young people/ don’t understand their culture.
8. Too caught up with me, shy, insecure.
9. Don’t know how to approach people of other cultures.
10. Worldly behavior renders me useless to Kingdom purposes.

Pray for boldness, understanding the Father’s heart, look for Jesus’ return. Ephesians 6:19

There is a difference in fighting a battle in your own strength, or letting God fight for you.  In the OT there are several different cases where the situation seemed hopeless and yet God performed miracles to save his people.  From Jericho to Gideon’s 300, from Elisha and the army against Dothan who was captured and taken to Samaria to have peace with them and stop two wars.[1]  The joy of knowing Jesus is for us and not against us is very comforting. Our enemy cannot defeat Jesus.

Read Text

A note from last week:  Laying on of hands and the transference of gifts and graces, encouragement at hope by touching and praying to God. On the one hand God baptizes in the Holy Spirit even if no one lays hands on you, but it can happen.  The issue is this: Historically, a distinction between clergy and laity has been created, and there are some things that only clergy who are “ordained” according to a specific tradition are able to do. Personally, this debate is beyond me, but I personally find it difficult to take certain scriptures and create something that neither the early church practiced nor taught.

There are leaders in the church, elders, administrators, teachers, pastors, apostles, prophets, and evangelists.  These are gifts of Jesus to the church. But to place them on pedestals is not the intention, but they are to serve others, not be exalted.  If they are good at what they do, honor them.  If they are heretical, have nothing to do with them. So, matters like baptism, communion, laying on of hands, and other foundational teachings from Hebrews 6[2] are the domain of the church and those who know Jesus and live in him.  If you know someone is sick, and you want to pray for them and believe that God will heal them, place your hands of them.  If you lead someone to Christ, bring them here and baptize them so we can all rejoice with you!

If you have company at home, and you are talking about Jesus, and you are sharing a meal, have communion as well!

Now we see what happens when Paul continues his work in Ephesus:  Sick are healed, evil spirits are cast out.  The difference between evil spirits and the Holy Spirit are clearly demonstrated in this passage.  The result was that the fear of the Lord fell on them, and the Lord’s name was magnified.  Looks like revival to me!

The result of this was the most amazing campfire. Several million dollars of books and trinkets burned! This is a major position against sin and for God. It is an incredible move throughout the region. The battle is set against the principalities of this world. Against witchcraft, idolatry, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, discrediting God’s word, just as the devil did when he deceived Adam and Eve with: “Has God said?” casting doubt on salvation, judgement, eternal life, and mocking the cross and the empty tomb.  The value of life is only determined by whether it is my life that we are discussing, others are not as valuable.  The attack by the enemy will be the same throughout history, even if they take a different shape.  But the moral character of God and his laws will always come under attack by those who profit from sin.

In our lives, are we willing to take a stand for what is righteous – even if we are assaulted for our stand? Are we willing to let the Lord fight for us because we know that those who are for us are more than those who are against us? Can we trust God to shield and protect, keep and deliver us from evil?

Salvation comes with the trust we need to place our faith and our hope in Jesus.

[1] 2 Kings 6: 15-23

[2] Hebrews 6: 1,2

A bold start: The extent of John the Baptist’s ministry: at least from Egypt to Turkey.  The preparation for Jesus to come was significant. But it did need to be followed up with the introduction of Jesus into the lives of those who who had repented.  Just acknowledging the truth that we are sinners is not enough. Paul’s approach to Jews, Gentiles, and now disciples of John.

The event with these disciples of John – who believed in the One God! – shows us several important aspects of what receiving Jesus into our lives and being empowered by the Holy Spirit looks like in the lives of believers:

1. The two events of baptism in water (into the death and resurrection of Jesus) and being baptized with the Spirit, can be separated by time, though not necessarily essential.  We do not know when the disciples were baptized in water, but we know when Paul was baptized in the Spirit and then in water in Acts 9:17. Cornelius was baptized in the Spirit and then in Water.  The Eunuch was baptized in water and we know nothing after that. Paul only baptized a few in Corinth but it is not recorded in Acts, but they obviously were actively using the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 
2. Luke sketchily records the events, not the teaching about why, function, usage, etc. for that we turn to the letters of the NT.  
3. We do know that Jesus empowers his disciples to use the gifts he gives them.
4. Who has the power to lay on hands? Disciples, Ananias, Timothy, and Hebrews is a foundational teaching not just for special people.
5. All gifts from God are valuable and serve a function
6. The baptism in the Spirit is accompanied by the Gifts, Fruit, Presence, and Activity of the Holy Spirit. He never changes, he is God! Those who say that the gifts stopped with the Bible completion have no biblical evidence for that.  How can they think that and then not say the same for the fruit of the Spirit? Or the functions of the Spirit listed in Romans 12:6-9 
7. If you want to learn about the variety of gifts, then I am happy to do that on Wednesday nights where we can discuss and ask questions and share experiences. Acts only shows what happens.
8. There is a difference between phenomena and repeated and taught matters in Scripture.  For example, the tongues of fire is phenomena and not repeated.  God can do it, but that would not be something one can expect to happen. The gifts taught in scripture can be expected to be a part of normal Christian life and used for the benefit of others, not to puff oneself up with pride. 

Focusing on building a firm foundation

1. Separating the unbelievers from believers to invest in: for understanding the Scriptures, for training in righteousness, for correction, 2 Tim 3:16
2. Modeling and mentoring and releasing into ministry
3. Fulfilling the task, especially if you think Jesus is coming soon!  That is the attitude we all must have

The fruitfulness of God’s method

1. The disciples were able to spread the Gospel through out their region!
2. The investment was significant and life changing
3. The true power of the Gospel is evident in the fact that God is magnified by real growth

Who do you invest your Christian life into?

            Unusual and counter traditions, especially contrary to status quo when the status quo is sinful.  Radically pure and upright.  Leading young people to the Lord and getting them free of drugs, obedient to parents good in school, and having the local churches against us, parents against us, and evangelical churches unwilling to even pray with us. Fear after 9/11 and my stand to continue to work for the Lord and left on a flight to Turkey soon after.

We miss out on what Paul did on the end of his second journey and the start of his third journey, and the story continues in Ephesus, and will pick up again when Paul reaches Ephesus.  This is quite an amazing story where we first encounter Apollos. He is from Egypt, a Jew, learned and eloquent, instructed (a Disciple), teaches accurately about Jesus, and is bold!  He only knows the baptism of John!

A woman and her husband set time to discuss this with him…

1. Correcting an accomplished minister of the Gospel: how do you do that? Using the OT: Joel 2, Zechariah 4:6
2. Showing the importance of John‘s ministry: Isaiah 40:3
3. What John taught: Luke 3:16
4. What Jesus taught: John 16: 13,14
5. Instructions of Jesus: Acts 1:4,4; 7,8

The difference between repentance and filling with the Spirit of God.

            Our act and God’s action

            Empty and filling

            Our ability, and God’s ability

            Our power, and God’s power

            Our insight and God’s wisdom, knowledge, and understanding

            We see the outside, God sees the hearts

Our surrender to God includes receiving his power to overcome in our lives.

Just how radical was Paul?  How about the radical things God does in people’s lives – like a great deliverance from tyranny only to end up in a desert?

Definition of radical in the Webster’s dictionary:  Thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms; forming a basis or foundation; of or going to the root or origin.

From Corinth to Antioch, end of the second missionary journey

What stands out?

1. His leadership training method is very successful: P and A are entrusted to plant church in Ephesus.
2. After leaving the Jews (for the 2nd time) he heads back to the synagogue and keeps a vow by shaving his head. The issues of culture and seeing the authority of scripture in the light of a personal relationship with Jesus.
3. Why no reports on the rest of the journey to Antioch? The reports to the senders to give an account of the growth of the church.

Accountability

Acts 18: 24-28

Paul’s third missionary journey begins with a quick introduction

A brief excursion to Ephesus with the introduction of Apollos

1. An eloquent and learned expositor 
2. Demonstrates boldness
3. Only knows baptism of John – repentance 
4. Shown a more accurate way – the Spirit

What about us and our growing relationship with God? Where do we need to become challenged to a more accurate.

“Now He also spoke a parable to them: “A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

Luke 6:39-40 NASB2020

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Matthew 28:18-20 NASB2020

“So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way.”

Romans 14:12-13 NASB2020

“I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.”

John 17:4 NASB2020

Focus on the challenge to become more like Jesus – determination and how? Growing, stretching, and being challenged: 

1. Listening to Jesus and doing what he says John 10: 17 – not just our good ideas
2. Being kind to others, especially those who are not of the faith – Hebrews 10:23-25
3. Not forsaking the gathering together – how do you interpret that?

The focus on how the church started in Corinth

1. Meets refugees
2. Disciples them by working together – real Bible School!
3. When his support team arrives, he dedicates himself to full time ministry (who do we support?)
4.  Intercultural church and division
5. Not seeking separation but unity in the Gospel
6. Continued investment in others, reaching out into the community.

The challenge of a growing church.

1. The word of God grows – life begins at conception and continues for the Christian without end
2. The body of Christ will never die
3. Healing and life flow from the Father who loves all
4. The challenge is to be able to incorporate differences: Gentile and Jew
5. God doesn’t back down from challenges
6. The author of the church is Jesus and it is his responsibility: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18
7. Growth happens through relationships
8. The goal is encountering Jesus face to face: looking for his coming. This is our hope.

How will you grow in Jesus this year? Tune your ears and listen to his words. Trust him and obey him!

“Your next step now is this: set some clear objectives. Ask yourself: where would I like to be a year from now? Robert Mager, a consultant in the field of education, says that a well-stated objective defines where a person will be once he or she has achieved the intended outcome. ‘Clearly defined objectives,’ it has been said, ‘enable us to see truth as actions, not abstractions.’ If this sounds too regimented for your temperament, consider that your goal in life may actually be to remain comfortable rather than to be conformed to Christ. Don’t settle for a decaffeinated form of Christianity – one that promises not to keep you awake at night!” (Selwyn Hughes).

What is my “one thing” – decaffeinated or strong brew?

Paul offers an awful alternative. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things” (vv18-19).

‘Many’? Is it different today? Is it different from me? “Furthermore, some one-time followers of Jesus had given up and were now living as ‘enemies of the cross of Christ’ (v18). There was a danger that some Christians, in making their lifestyle choices, might follow them in abandoning the logic of the cross, opting instead for human wisdom and power and the self-interest they spawn.”

Selwyn Hughes defines that “one thing” very clearly. “Christians need not be in any doubt about the direction in which God wants them to go, or what is the Creator’s highest purpose for their life. It is receiving God’s love, and then channelling that love into the lives of those around us, including those who are discouraged or wounded. God wants you to be a caring person, sensitive to the needs of others, and aware of how He wants you to minister to them. Whatever else God may have for you to do in this world, His highest purpose is to make you a channel of His tender, loving care to others. Once you grasp this, then you are on your way to fulfilling your highest destiny.” 

For that I need to press forward, “eagerly waiting for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (vv20-21). I need to be running that way myself and helping as many as I can in the same direction, so my life and my message are “one thing”. Is that not a great 2023 ambition?

A final thought. “Passion shines bright, with the energy of a sprint, but can be over in an instant: someone launches into a project with wonderful ideas, but flakes out at the first hurdle. Perseverance may seem very dull in comparison, like a slow marathon. The faithful plodder, reliable and self-disciplined, may be less noticed but invariably respected. In this text, both qualities are beautifully combined in Paul as we witness his single-minded perseverance inspired by a passionate response to God’s grace.”

What do I need for that special race, holding on to both ‘passion’ and ‘perseverance’?

“(1) We must forget our sins. Obviously we must remember our sins in order to confess them. But having done so, we must let them go. The fact that God forgets is like calling Heaven and hearing, ‘There is no record of any offence.’ 

(2) We must forget our shame. Paul could have been a prime candidate for shame. He had presided over the harassment, imprisonment, torture and murder of innocent human beings. But God's grace is stronger than our shame. It was defanged when Jesus died and rose again” (Word For Today quoting Ellen Vaughn).

(3) Then “I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (verse 13 NLT).

All this is for us: God’s amazing love for each of us.

A child is born.

Mary asks the the question: how can this be?  That is a great question. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord! How do we receive Jesus? Get born again?

A son is given.  God so loved that he gave

What does he give through Jesus? Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1,2 in Luke 4:18,19:

• To preach the gospel to the poor.
• To heal the brokenhearted.
• To proclaim liberty to the captives.
• To give sight to the blind.
• To set free those who are oppressed.
• To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.  

The end of our verse is this: “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom…” Isaiah9:7

The gift is great but requires our sacrifice to get it. Is it hard? Yes, but it is also easy. Take up your cross and follow me, and my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

The response on our part is amazing joy! 

Where there is no peace

1. My first sermon in the open air - peace
2. In the confusion the story of Prince Charming: Charles and Diana, not the end but the beginning and the mess it made
3. The Prince is one who governs: what goes into the administration of peace? Walls, armies, weapons, money and decisions that have consequences for people.
4. The natural wall in the Badlands of South Dakota that separates the north from the south, the wall on our border, the wall of China, the iron curtain.
5. The greatest wall of all, the wall of separation between man and God, peace on one side and confusion, sin, and it’s results on the other. A lack of peace and the search for it in a bottle, pills, lust, lies we tell ourselves, everything except facing the truth: we need forgiveness that comes from confessing our sins.
6. King David saw this need, and realized that the only way to leap over this wall, was by the strength and power only God provides

The Promise of Peace

1. The announcement of the angels at the birth of Jesus
2. The Hope for peace
3. The scriptures of peace

The battle for Peace

1. Against the enemy of this world. The Prince of darkness! 
2. Jesus has overcome the world!
3. Are you a king?

The Reign of peace

1. The king in our hearts
2. The peace from, with, and in God

The ultimate winner in the conflict is Jesus

His rule extends to the hearts of those who love him: What happens when we encounter Jesus, we are overwhelmed by the freedom from sin, but even more so by the acceptance of the Father! What makes that special is the loss of the enmity against God and the flooding of our souls with his peace!

The beauty of his Kingdom is the nature of peace!  Resolved conflicts! Resolved misunderstandings, resolved personal greed and ambition, resolved stress factors, resolved pressures.  What we experience here when we find peace with God is just a small foretaste of what we will experience when the light overpowers the darkness, and death is no more!

This one has me stumped.  Why would you call a baby “Everlasting Father”? Son, brother, or uncle might be a better description.  I have some ideas rambling through my mind, but this particular prophecy has captured my imagination this Christmas season. It is a most amazing prophecy concerning Jesus’ names 750 years before he was born. A very powerful declaration of the uniqueness of the coming Messiah.

Something else has captured my imagination as well.  I was gathering up our Christmas albums to play some Christmas music while decorating our home for the season (Jan is always so creative in making our home “gemütlich” – cozy this time of year!) when I came across a cd labeled: Christmas 1969. I had no recollection of it, so Jan suggested I play it and find out what was on it.  The first sounds I recognized immediately as the Bells of Bethlehem, something as a boy I often experience as we spent our Christmases in Jerusalem.  

During Christmas 1969 I was in my freshman year at college, and met up with my sisters during the Christmas break.  Our parents were still in Beirut, Lebanon, and sent us a tape they had recorded for us. Somehow it had been saved to a cd, and I found myself listening to my mother’s voice for the first time since she had died in 1976, and my fathers voice since he died in 1990.  I was reliving memories from over 53 years ago: memories of special experiences as a child shared with family growing up in the Middle East. From my baptism in the Jordan River to walking in the places Jesus had walked, our parents had given us a very special childhood.  It was a foundation that would directly impact the rest of my life.  I can see how from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth I have gone sharing about Jesus wherever I went. Seeing people from all walks of life turning from sin to a savior, breaking the devil’s chains, and being set free to forgive and to be forgiven.  Family is important and key to the growth of individuals as well as communities and nations. Our father’s have great influence on us for good or for bad.  How often do we take on the characteristics of our fathers?  Their influence gives us norms in life. We judge what is normal and foundational by their behavior.  That is not always a good thing.

Just because I got the belt when I was a kid, that was how I knew to punish and correct bad behavior.  And that was how I started with my boys as well. It’s what I knew, and based on my experience it is what I did.  Believe me, I had to repent of my power methods. But we see Fathers as just a larger extension of our own fathers – domineering, inciting fear (just wait until your father comes home!), absent, disinterested in your life, ruling your life to the smallest detail, etc.  is the mighty God really like that?

That kind of a Father is not full of wonder for sure!  If we can adequately describe him, he cannot be the wonder-filled God of this prophecy. 

Now all of us had sinful parents.  They probably did their best, and we all still messed up, regardless of the effort they made. That, however, does not negate the value and importance of family.  Especially when it comes to learning how to be selfless and other key values to living in community. Family is the foundation of ordered life, something our very self centered society is drifting away from. Kindness in some government circles a very rare commodity. Meanness, anger, gossip, name calling, accusations, and general lack of good manners in social intercourse is the rule of the day. What does that teach our children? Perhaps we need better fathers who can teach their children in word, deed, and by example how to live good lives?  That has always been the cry.  Where are the fathers who do that?  From the beginning of time we see this very need! Whether it is Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David, or evil men like Herod, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Putin who waste lives striving for power… we always need fathers.  But all the fathers are sinful from Adam on. And we don’t just need a father for one generation, but for all generations!  Every child needs a father! Every generation needs fathers as well; the need is new with every child born! Our great need is for a a good and an everlasting father! One who has the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of One who is old, but the excitement and joy and discovery of one who is a father for the first time!

We each yearn for a father who fits that bill: who loves us unconditionally and continues to pursue us, doesn’t abandon us, who is always available wether we need him or not.  We need a steady constant model we can see and follow, but whose thrill of life and joy is so contagious.  Not just a disciplinarian, but an encouraging source of life, help and encouragement. We need someone who is there for us, our children, our grandchildren, and for generations to come!  We need a strong, and compassionate father. A wise and caring,  knowledgeable and understanding father.  My father is no longer here to ask for guidance or insight, or understanding. Where is the father who is dependable, available, and trustworthy?

Now you. Ought jump ahead of me and say well God is that kind of a father.  The problem we face however, is that we already have a father. 

Even if such a person were available how do you adopt them? If I try to sneak into someone else’s family, the closest I could get would be stepfather. They might be kind. But I would still be an outsider, a fostered child.  The only way you can be a father, is by giving birth. You see the seed enters the woman and it fertilizes the egg and a baby is the result.  Not a different kind of animal, but one born of the same kind.

It is no wonder that Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3: 3-21: “you must be born again!” If we are born by sinners, then that is the nature we get, but if we are born again by the spirit of God, we have a new Father! The Father Heart of God is ours and it affects all of our life.  The word of God is the seed and when it enters our hearts, and is joined by the Spirit of God, it creates a new creature in the likeness of the everlasting father!  It is all encompassing!

a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

There are many such things in the Gospel: “Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.” Luke 17:33 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”” Luke 6:38. The King of a Kingdom that is not of this world. 

Love your enemies and do good to those who persecute you. The first shall be last. Drink the water I give you and you will never thirst again. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,”

1 Peter 5:6 

Messiah – Christmas is another paradox: that is why there are so many festivities that have nothing to do with the Messiah but just having a good time.  Cashing in on generosity! Many just don’t comprehend the paradox.

Is the Messiah is God?  That is a paradox.  A God who is born? How can someone 750 years before Christ be able to prophecy that the Messiah could be both God and man?  This Messiah who comes to deliver is God himself? But this is what makes Christianity unique among religions: God comes to us because we are unable to come to him.  Our concepts and understanding of God(s) are so warped and confused.  Mixed with our own imaginations and our own ideas, thoughts, knowledge we assume things that we may have heard here and there and thrown together. Here in America as well as in the rest of the world we make assumptions and twist the Bible to make it fit our desires.  God is love and he loves me regardless of what I do, who I am, and what I say.  That is only a partial truth about love.  He is greatly concerned, not just about our morals, but also our attitudes, character, and behavior. God is greater than we think he is!

Mighty

Interesting adjective. Not Powerful God, not dominant, forceful, potent, dominant, but mighty. This becomes particularly poignant when we see the Government on his shoulders.  Might is right. Wars continue to prove that the big guy wins. Our concept of might just might not coincide with that of Jesus.  He claims to be meek.  Meekness is power under control. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 

Now Mighty can have two different reactions:

1. Mighty to judge – creating fear the the One who is coming to judge the world in righteousness
2. Mighty to save: grace and mercy, love and forgiveness 

How do you choose? Imagine all is OK, or do you repent and receive the gift of God today?

“Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.”” Acts2:11NASB2020

““For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.”

Luke1:49-50NASB2020

““Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding.”

Job36:5NASB2020

“Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.”

Psalms24:8NASB2020

“For this is what the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Isaiah57:15NASB2020

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew11:29NASB2020

“‘Oh, Lord God! Behold, You Yourself have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows mercy to thousands, but repays the wrongdoing of fathers into the laps of their children after them, great and mighty God. The Lord of armies is His name; great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of mankind, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;”

Jeremiah32:17-19NASB2020

“Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.””

Isaiah63:1NASB2020

““You will also suck the milk of nations, And suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Isaiah60:16NASB2020

I love the names of Jesus in the Bible.  This prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 is a direct exposition of who the Messiah will be. The focus is naturally an encouraging sign to those who are struggling, and it would lift up the spirits of those who are depressed. It raises our eyes, our vision of a great deliverer and inspires hope. Just saying the names of the coming One is uplifting!

Text again: Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7

My personal question of this passage is: Why is counselor listed first? What is so special about counselors? It surely would not have been my first choice.  Perhaps: Mighty God! Overcomer, Deliverer, Savior, Comforter, but Counselor? 

We often associate counselors with “shrinks”, or strange people who make lots of money off of others misfortunes. It carries a stigma, as if I couldn’t manage my own affairs. There’s a fear that others will look down on me if I have to visit a therapist.

I see two different kinds of counselors:

The first one is for my personal life. Our daughter Hannah, who did very well in Psychology - a course if barely passed in college, is a certified counselor for people who have needs in their lives.

A counselor is not responsible for changing your life. But gives you the insight, education, and tools to enable you to manage or overcome anxiety, come off drugs, or change your attitudes with a goal of motivating you to change. A modern example, though not necessarily a good one is social media.

The second one has to do with direction and comprehension in work or endeavors. A modern example is the use of YouTube. 

What does a counselor do? Helps to see the big picture, helps to understand a situation, helps to lay out options with their consequences. Then helps work out the practical steps to achieve goals.  My need exposed when we started a missions agency in Germany.  I had ideas, but no way of knowing how to go about it. I need a lawyer, other leaders who had accomplished something in missions that I respected, pointers in the right direction.  

How do you start an agency, what do you need to focus on?

What do you need to get to and manage 100 missionaries?

How do you train and release those among the focus people group to multiply among themselves?

Helpful counselors bring clarity to work, purpose, values, vision, direction, methods, and goals.  

The amazing thing about Jesus is that he is the best counselor for both personal and work matters. He guides us through the questions, not just of religion, but of all aspects of life! Does God have a specific calling for you? A specific purpose? For the church? For the community?  He helps us answer such questions and then helps us both individually and as a church to move forward together – and supplies us with all those who can counsel us effectively.  We all gain a lot through an abundance of counselors.

Our resistance to getting help – can have personal and eternal consequences.

Denial of problem.  Pride

Don’t want to change

Afraid if change

Stigma attached to getting help

Work time and cost associated with change. 

Unwillingness to pay the cost leads to no change.

Our desperation leads to acceptance for help

The help Jesus offers

1. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Romans11:34 first there is not Counselor above God!
2. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. Proverbs:  12:20 know who your counselors are!
3. Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalms1:1-3 first counsel comes from God’s Word.  It is the manufacturers handbook!  If you don’t understand something, ask the manufacturer.  He has a variety of helpers who can assist you as well!
4. John 14:16 HS is the Counselor! “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate (helper, comforter, counselor) to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John14:16-17our own personal counselor!
5. Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 work related 
6. Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in an abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs11:14 Guidance
7. Then I will restore your judges as at first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.”” Isaiah1:26 restoration in times of uncertainty and confusion!
8. “A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,” Proverbs1:5 personal counsel
9. Through overconfidence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.” Proverbs13:10 personal counsel 
10. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians10:13 personal counsel.  What is the wise counsel of Jesus?
11. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”” Matthew4:17
12. Our role in that: but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians1:23-24

Why wonderful? 

Counselors can be good, or helpful, but my daughter was stumped when asked if counselors were ever called wonderful. But Jesus is called the wonderful counselor. Why?

Because it is all encompassing.  His counsel is full of wonder! It is wise, just, righteous, fulfilling, amazing, full of understanding, logical, all encompassing, pure, clear, uplifting, and life changing! He doesn’t just motivate you towards change, he gives you the change by installing his counselor into your life! He gives you the power to change by giving you new life. He counsel is unique in being wonderful!

Our acceptance of the offer of new life leads to personal growth in every area of our being. Do you need to accept his counsel today?

Barnabas was an apostle (sent one) with a pastoral heart and a gift of healing and restoring leaders.  He was a mentor and spiritual father to Paul. He brought him into international leadership and set him free to pursue his ministry.

Paul is a zealot, an apostolic pioneer, filled with faith energy and willing to die for the cause of Christ! His goal is to make Christ known among the nations! He expects faithfulness from his team as their lives depend on it as well as the growth of the ministry.  This is not for the faint of heart!

The fly in the ointment is John Mark, who will author The Gospel which is based on Peter’s Message of Jesus.  He is related to Barnabas, and he left the missionary team in Perga.

I wish I had been a fly on the wall during this argument:  Barnabas insists on taking Mark along, and Paul resolutely will not allow it. The end result is a separation, Barnabas to Cyprus and Paul to southern Turkey.  Each has a new partner, and the church eventually overcomes this setback and continues to grow. But not without immense difficulties to over come.

1. Paul loses his mentor and spiritual father
2. Barnabas loses his dear friend and partner in the ministry.
3. The church in Antioch which had benefitted from Barnabas’ ministry, who also introduced Paul to them loses their leader and spiritual father. They also take on an offense.
4. The churches in Cyprus and Turkey are left wondering what happened, never to see the other one again – also taking on the offense.
5. There is a time of spiritual dearth coming for Paul.
6. In all of these tragic events, we also see they violated spiritual laws by allowing a root of bitterness to spring up which defiled themselves and many others.

“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;” Hebrews 12:15 

The question is, who was right? Each dealt with this event from their own perspective and ministry gift: Barnabas as a restorer of those who are broken and Paul as a pioneer of new churches. Neither was willing to budge from their view of truth, and both were right from their perspective.  We will see that both were effective in doing their work even though Luke will only focus on Paul from here on out as he becomes an eyewitness to the rest of the book.

What I fail to see, is why these spiritual men didn’t take the needed steps towards solving their dispute? Look at what they failed to do:

1. They didn’t pray about it and hear from God ( perhaps they prayed individually that God would change the other)
2. They did not appeal to those over them in leadership as they had with their theological problem
3. Why didn’t they work out a compromise?
4. Why didn’t Paul submit to Barnabas? He doesn’t do what he himself teaches! M 
   1. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17 
   2. “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17
   3. “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” Luke 22:26 (Jesus)
   4. “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,” 2 Timothy 2:24
   5. “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” Titus 2:7-8
   6. “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:20
   7. “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,” Titus 3:10
5. How could they have solved this? In hindsight they could have separated for a time to split the. I is try and meet up to see if Mark had been rehabilitated. They could have run a school in Cyprus with Paul submitting to Barnabas and learning from him. They could have approached others to help them resolve the crisis.  They could have fasted and prayed until God showed them a way out. The church leaders could have said, we will not support this kind of activity, you must stay until you resolve this issue. These are just a few of the thoughts I have had, but there must be other possibilities for conflict resolution.
6. How does this affect us?
   1. Be careful about creating major and bitter divisions that will defile many
   2. Seek God before it gets so far gone.
   3. Seek peace rather than your own will.  Be humble with things, knowing that things are not eternal, but you and the brother or sister are!
   4. Seek to understand the other point of view and how you can assist in helping them find God’s will and way.
   5. Love your enemy and heap coals on their head.
   6. Pay the price for an opportunity: one mile is an obligation, the second mile is an opportunity!

Acts 15: 13-35

Initial conflicts:

            Personal conflicts: repent and forgiveness

Attacks from without:

            Spiritual weapons: Prayer and forgiveness

Internal conflicts:

            Appeal process to accepted leadership is there a political struggle for the leadership of this movement? Do the Pharisees want to take control of the movement. (Is that why are they testing God like Ananias and Sapphira? Are they harassing believers?) Notice that leaders (elders) were set in place in the churches in Turkey!

            Open debate – notice that the debate does not center around the great commission that Jesus gave his disciples!

            Appeal to God’s intervention –

1.He moves, and we accept his doing. (See the witness of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul)

2. Faith is the basis of salvation and inclusion in the family of God!

3. Continuity of the movement is not the replacement of Israel, but its expansion 

4. Not the elimination of the Torah, but it’s prophetic fulfillment

            The confirmation of Scripture (Amos 9:10,11; and 2 Samuel 6:17) a different interpretation!

            The submission to and confirmation by the church legitimizes the decision.

            James sums up the debate and makes the case stating that God was involved in the process by His Holy Spirit, but then submits the decision to all fellowships!

The clarity of the process leaves the leadership intact and becomes a focus among all the churches.

More at stake here than just a theological controversy, there is also a clarification concerning leadership (do not harass the Gentiles!), administration and growth within the movement – locally and among the apostles. 

In this case, this council gave direction to the whole movement, including a new definition of “the people of God!” The reaction is for the church not to dictate God’s actions, but to discern them! Nor is it to close the Scriptures to further interpretation, but to open them: all nations share as equals in the faith with out discrimination since God shows not partiality! For the people of faith, this issue has never again required resolution. 

Do we find resolutions that end our squabbles? Do we seek God’s intervention, and do we accept his ways by submitting to him?

Acts 15

Long Creek Baptist Church 

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Introduction

Apparently, believers in the first century had a lot of issues to overcome:

First there were their own personal hurdles to conquer: pride, jealousy, shame, guilt which lead to their own encounter with the risen Lord, ending in freedom from sin, confidence in eternal life, a new life with Jesus as the Lord. This new life was filled with exciting adventures and challenges.

In Chapter 14 we encounter a new hurdle to overcome: the enemy without. Those who harden their hearts against this new movement and act both violently and unjustly against it. The mob experiences we see here are only the tip of the iceberg. More will follow. Becoming a believer in the face of evil, injustice, and persecution requires a strength that only Jesus can provide. They quickly learned to respond with only the spiritual weapons of prayer and faith they had been granted. How amazing this is for new believers to stand up to such a challenge!  It says a lot about the power Jesus gives to those who follow him.

But now, the new church faces a newer challenge: conflict among believers!

Read Text

The first conflict is a theological conflict. 

Describe the events. Do we have to become Jews in order to be saved? (Culture, mind set, world view?)

Why is this so significant? Because we become what we believe. Either we are the recipients of God’s grace and mercy, or we are working to either prove our worth to God, ourselves and others (pride) or we are working to earn God’s favor – I’m good, so you did right by saving me, or I work to overcome my faults for that I am accepted by God and he will continue to love me.

But keeping laws is not the same as receiving a gift! Laws only show up my inability to keep them. Either I work at becoming perfect, and fail, give up or just see how far short I come to God’s perfection and run away from anything that causes me to have to pretend to be what I am not. A sense of failure can be devastating – am I still accepted, valuable, or loved by God if I don’t keep the standard of living that he demands by his rules?

Or, do I rejoice in the gift that I do not deserve? Does my relationship with Jesus focus on his unconditional love that makes me want to respond to him? Can I rely on him when I mess up? When I am in trouble? The changes I go through are because of the love he has for me, not because of the rules he sets in my life. Life is about doing it together, not proving I can do it on my own. Growing together gives me insight into the ways of God, and being mentored into how God determines life to be lived and shared.

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Titus 3:3-7 

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

Paul’s response to being stoned: the different sides of walking with Jesus: Miracles and persecution, wisdom and misunderstanding or jealousy, grace and condemnation.

What happens when our expectations are not met, or we assume our prayers are not answered when they are not answered the way we want them to be? What is our reaction then? 

Here we see the impact that Jesus has had on Paul and his experience: He sees both the value and the importance of his mission over his personal comfort. Risking death is not a problem for him.

1. His faithfulness
2. His willingness to suffer for Jesus
3. His grace with those who stoned him
4. His faithfulness to continue with his mission

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Key events: continue to lead people to Christ and faith in Jesus

            Started church in Derbe

Returned to the places where his enemies lived to establish leadership in the new churches

Notice the change in his message:

            Strengthening the disciples in their multi cultured groups

            Encouraging them to continue in the faith with a new message   

Entering the Kingdom of God: the next step. Life in this new Kingdom

            Establishing leadership 

Moving on to two more cities in Turkey

Returning to give an account of the work among the Jews and Gentiles in Antioch.

How do we react to this:

1. Message for life in the church: Love with Grace
2. Caring for those in need
3. Servant leadership
4. Time together around both the Word, Prayer, and fellowship – the importance of growing together in the exchange.

What is astonishing is the fickle nature of people.  They go from wanting to worship Paul and Barnabas to stoning Paul and leaving him for dead. This is how people respond to Jesus as well.  We go from exalting him to leaving him when He doesn’t do what we want or expect. 

There are two sides to this experience: How do people, you and me, respond when we encounter Jesus? What happens when we know our sins are forgiven? What happens when we assume our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be? What is our reaction then? 

The other side of the this is Paul and his experience:

1. His faithfulness
2. His willingness to suffer for Jesus
3. His grace with those who stoned him
4. His faithfulness to continue.

Which one of these followed in the footsteps of Jesus?

Faith remains a mystery to me. God gives it. He does the work, and we walk with Him. He works through us, and we strive to understand him, but who can do so? Why take the mystery out of our relationship simply by trying to get it faith to operate like a machine? Walking with Jesus is a real and dynamic experience. His love is constant. It is not based on our works. So neither is anything else. It is based on relationship and trust. His timing is not ours, but that does not negate his promises.

Again, the key is walking with Jesus. Start your journey now.

Now they walk on to Iconium and have a similar experience with the Message shared!  Here, though there is opposition, it is not physically violent.  So they have peace (a manuscript dated later includes to show why the ‘therefore’ is included) and they stay on.  Verse 3 is central to this passage: Jesus testifies

            By confirming his word

            By working miracles using the hands of the disciples!

Vs 4 speaks of the division in the city and verse 5 shows their intent.

Vs.6&7 show their escape to continue preaching this message.

Notice that in none of these places were the disciples evicted! A community of those believing in Messiah Jesus remains and prospers even after the pioneers leave. 

What do we notice about these new communities of fellowship?

            They are centered around Jesus! Not on moral issues, political issues, not on anything other than Jesus! The new life life is that we become the bearers of the image of Jesus! Not comparing, judging, demanding, but allowing God’s Spirit to transform us.  It requires grace and forgiveness as the foundation of miracles done in our lives. That is the critical ingredient. That is the foundation that we build upon!  (Those who believe can disappoint as well, so that is a subject we will look at as we move forward.)

The communities of faith are gatherings of small house groups:

            They are focused on the foundations of relationship

            They imply new thinking and new activities not based on idol worship or legal control by the interpretation of others.  This is radically new because it focuses on how the life of Jesus flows through the believers!  Life, not perfection, not legalistic controls by a few elites who can read and write. 

The word of grace brings hope to troubled souls.

The key to this is believing that Jesus is able to forgive your sins and heal your wounds. Repentance is the result of believing in Jesus! Freedom from guilt and shame is the result of our confession as Jesus meets us with his power.

Unity with all those who have such an experience follows that as well! The journey of a new life in Christ begins. These are the steps of a good person!  

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24

We can practice that here: open encouragement

The message was preached to God-fearing people:
(Compare with Stephen who shared about Abraham and Moses)
A quick nod to the history until David – the messianic figure for the future king

            A man after God’s heart to do his will

Then directly to Jesus: the savior, with John the Baptist being the forerunner
His death, burial and focus on the resurrection and the scriptural support for that as being the sign of the Messiah!  
The focus on forgiveness of sins and a warning from Habakkuk 1:5
It ends with the yearning to know more!

Conclusion: do you yearn to experience what only God can give?

Moving out from Antioch, they started to experience many amazing things about God’s working beyond anything they had hitherto known.  But the encounter in Pisidian Antioch was greater than anticipated! An incredible event beyond the focus or expectations of any in the city! What a great means of going viral in the first century. (Chinese Whispers?) The news got around! God is moving!

There are two results that can occur when God shows up and people are convicted of sin:

1. Sin is defeated
   1. They confess and repent leading to forgiveness and salvation 
   2. The overwhelming release of freedom from sin is critical to a future life with Jesus
   3. The Joy that is unspeakable and full of Glory
   4. The transformation and wonderment of rebirth and the newness of life with Jesus
   5. The desire to serve and help others, moving towards a boldness in faith
   6. A desire to grow in faith
2. Sin is not defeated
   1. The heart hardens
   2. Sin rises to the surface and is visible in different ways: anger, hatred, fear, aggression, jealousy, control, power struggle, envy, greed etc.
3. There is joy! Regardless of the consequences, the overwhelming response is: God is greater and eternal!  
   1. In either case, God has shown up and those who encounter him are confronted with His Spirit 
   2. The victory is secure and cannot be overwhelmed by attacks
   3. The clarity of right and wrong becomes evident
   4. Our surrender to Jesus is to submit to the one who knows us and all things best leading to even greater things.
4. Who is the One you submit to? The author of sin or the author of life?

The Joys of Salvation!

1. The transition from death to life, darkness to light, renewing of the mind, 
2. forgiveness, cleansing, confidence of eternal life

The Excitement of Discovery

1. What it means to be filled with the Spirit of God
2. Greater works

The Surprise of Conflict

1. It ought to be no surprise at all – Jesus met with the devil after the Holy Sprit fell on him
2. His unusual promise: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”” John16:33NASB
3. Later Paul would write: “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans5:3-5NASB
4. The promises of God do not always present clear sailing, neither in the early church, in the history of the church, or even in our own lives.  The devil is real, sin is real, and as Billy Sunday said: “One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff rather than a rattlesnake

The Battle on THREE Fronts: three areas of conflict where Christians must overcome

1. The battle without: open attacks from non Christians, from intimidation, lies deceptions, aggressive behavior, attacks, and persecutions
2. The battle within: from brothers and sisters of the faith, jealousy, positions, authority, power struggles, personal desires, power plays, and control.
3. The battle of the mind: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians10:3-5
4. “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans8:5-11NASB

The Confidence of Victory

1. The confidence of victory is that Jesus has overcome!
2. He is the victor and gives us the victory! 

There are 3 aspects of this report that are obvious issues that the early Messiah-ists were facing:

1. Persecution:  James the brother of John is beheaded, something reserved for those who are either murderers or who have left the Jewish faith and started to worship idols.  The thought is that they cannot enter the resurrection in this manner.  The 3rd Herod has him executed just before the Passover, the relation to Jesus is obvious.  The period of peace after the uprising against Stephen is over.  This leads to the arrest of Peter.
2. Ernest Prayer for Peter is critical amid this new wave of persecution by a tyrant.  Prayer is the only weapon the church has!  Is it powerful enough to hinder this force of evil?  The answer is yes.
3. The deliverance of Peter and the death of Herod are both amazing responses to prayer.
4. Notice that this time, Peter doesn’t go back to the temple, but into hiding and traveling.  The leadership of the church in Jerusalem is now centered on James, the brother of Jesus.

Luke 1:52:  He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble.

The Grace, or “charis” speaks of gifts and power.  Often we associate the power with certain individuals.  But this is not a kingdom of celebrities, but of faithful ones to Jesus. The Gifts and graces are not dependent upon fancy words, rhetoric, or argumentation – rather upon the Lord.  The growth in our faith, dependence, and trust in the Lord comes from walking in His presence. Knowing him and through whom the gifts come, can be as much a surprise to them as to the ones who receive the gift! In each instance, it is the Lord who gives and who works!

The response of the church is also significant: they send someone whom they trust to see about what is happening.  This seems to not just be a singular phenomenon, but a movement of God! The travelers from this city in Syria are talking about it as they travel. The central control of this movement is now getting out of hand, and folks are losing control of it. There are many challenges coming. What about dealing with sin? How do we keep the purity of faith? How do we train new leaders and disciple new believers? How do we organize our ministries to the poor and our evangelistic movements? Who handles the finances and who does the administration? This thing is getting out of control. 

The focus can shift from knowing Jesus as Lord of his church to trusting in our own abilities! And this becomes crucial:  as we worship and seek him, our trust and reliance upon him grows! We can grow through praise, and through singing, and by resting in him!

At This Point, Barnabas remembers Saul. He goes to get him and uses this time as a Father to help lead and guide these new believers.  He helps them grow in the understanding of building a multi-national and multi-cultural group under the Lordship of Jesus who brought them together in the first place!  This is the next step in a growing movement.  And to distinguish them from the Pagans, they were called “Messianists”, or Messiah followers. Originally it appears to have been used by antagonists to label them, not a name they had adopted by themselves.

Conclusion

The cross is confounding to people. The way of the cross is even more confounding! It is despised by outsiders, misunderstood by those who see the kingdoms of this world, and it can appear to be a riddle as to how life is so utterly transformed by a new understanding of how to live!

For those who choose to seek the Kingdom of God first, it becomes an adventure!

God’s gifts are precious, especially when we are the recipients. We grow to become those through whom God’s gifts flow to others! The resulting praise, worship and joy, the result of our gratitude becomes the foundation for our growth! We live to please God and others before ourselves. We call on God as Father which solidifies our identity as the children of God!

The same is true with Jesus, when I see his defense before pilot, which leads to victory over the devil!

Read Text

The obvious question is: Why the repetition?

The Answer lies in the opening verses of the account:

1. The apostles and the brothers and sisters had heard about how the Gentiles had received the Word of God. As had they and the folks in Samaria when Peter and John went to them
2. It is those of the circumcision who criticize Peter for entering the house and eating with Gentiles
3. The messianic movement did not see following Jesus as a separate religion!
4. They do not see how their zeal for God should be minimized by association with Idol worshippers.
5. They are not against Gentiles becoming a part of the Jewish community and sharing in all the benefits of believing in the Messiah
6. They are against diluting their status as those who hold fast to the law God gave and the fear of the lord as in the one true God.  The status of the Gentiles has not yet been determined. In their minds, they should be circumcised, thought the Torah, and keep the festivals and traditions. “For a Jew to eat without attending to ritual purity or to dietary regulations meant loss of identity, for the entire rationale for such regulations was the “holiness”, that is the separateness, of this people, based on the commandments of God.” – Luke Johnson this is a major problem to them – one we will continue to see battled out in the books of the New Testament.
7. Peter’s defense
8. The sequence of events that were orchestrated by God
9. Two visions given in separate locations to very different people that complemented one another - a response to divine initiative!
10. The command by the spirit to not doubt, debate, or complaint (which is what these circumcizers were doing)
11. The presence of witnesses, both Jew and Gentile
12. The crowning event was the outpouring of the Spirit
13. Peter’s reply is: “Was I powerful enough to prevent God?” vs 17
14. The consequence of this is the following: If God accepts them, who are we to reject them? If they are participants of the same Spirit as us without all the religious traditions we have grown up with, why should we burden them with what they know nothing about?
15. This issue will not resolve itself for quite a while yet because it means that God is no respecter of person, male or female, jew or Greek, young or old, slave or free, rich, or poor: these tags mean nothing to God who gives abundantly all that we need for life and godliness.  All who seek God can be saved!  For Peter the sign of conversion is the evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life and then their baptism to seal their clear commitment to the Lordship of Jesus.
16. We see Peter’s growth in his understanding of the vision God gave him, and his interpretation of the words of Jesus take on new meaning:  In Acts 1:5 Jesus spoke of the baptism on the Spirit to a small group of Jewish followers, but he clearly intends it for all followers!
17. How do we apply this understanding to us today?
18. See what Church history teaches us:  Hudson Taylor taught his people to be Chinese in all things except sin.
19. How do we approach people who have different cultural ways of praising God?
20. In Korea they all pray out loud at once
21. In Polynesia they dance in church
22. In East Africa they play drums like church bells in England
23. In Mozambique they cast out demons and prove to the Imams that Jesus is still alive
24. In Brazil the small churches have large loudspeakers to preach to all the neighbors
25. In our community, all the different churches have their idiosyncrasies that keep us apart from one another – to which Jesus says, “All men shall know you are my disciples if you love one another, not if you love one another in your little corner.  You can start there, but we need to have a greater understanding of the vision that Jesus gives to his church!  His church ought to be international, intercultural, and diverse – loving the ones that Jesus loves and hating sin with a passion whenever it shows up in our lives or others to destroy them. We need to see God intervene in people’s lives working miracles of deliverance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  We need to celebrate when God breaks the barriers down that separate us and not complain about how they affect our sensitive traditions and preferences.  This battle is not just visible in the distant past but touches our lives in the here and now….
26. Whatever sin your life is hiding, you are not hiding it from God. And he wants to break through into your heart and give you his Spirit without condemnation. His salvation is for all who believe and put their trust in him.  Will you do it today?

From the beginning the Old Testament speaks of God’s desire for all to come to a knowledge of the truth.  The promises are not just for Abraham and his descendants, but for all who will call upon the name of the Lord! But the Jews see their purpose as defending God’s honor through their traditions and laws.  So though the prophets declared it, it is not something that their understanding could comprehend. As a result, they did little about it.  This passage is about a major change in understanding, and in application.  This is the greatest paradigm shift in the history of the Jewish people and nation.  It is an event that will alter the course of peoples, nations, and all of history.  How people understand this event will affect how they live and how they relate to others. This is a climatic event that Peter cannot imagine, nor will he be able to fully comprehend it’s significance while it is happening.  He is instructed to face it without doubt or debate!

There are two aspects to what happens in this passage:

First, the experience that Peter has and second the experience these Pious Gentiles have who had gathered to hear him speak.

Let us examine Peter’s growth in understanding as he begins to understand the vision and takes steps in growing in faith!  The first thing is he makes a connection to the vision!

1. The insight of fellowshipping with gentiles whom he had considered unclean 
2. The insight of preaching about Jesus as the Lord leading to believing and receiving forgiveness
3. The impact of God’s action leading him to certain conclusions. They belong to the family!

The impact on the gathered Gentiles must have been just as dramatic to the Jews present as to the Gentiles themselves.  Notice, there is no instruction about how to receive the Holy Spirit or speak in tongues or who can praise God!  The internal event was as much a surprise to them as to the Jews, perhaps even more so than on the day of Pentecost since they had no direct promise that it would happen, and none expected it.  So what happened to them?

1. They Heard- and understood the message: Caesar is not the Lord of all!
2. They believed and received forgiveness of their sins.
3. God baptized them in the Spirit with the same visible signs as they had experienced (surprise!)

What does this show us?

“They probably weren’t thinking in terms of labels (ie. becoming Christians instead of pagans). They would have bonded with any who had had the same experience of the Spirit. A new family/household was coming into existence that defied old categories. I think we get into tribalistic thinking only when we loose our sense of the living presence of God. We seem to divide over issues related to what we know versus who we know.” Andy Wiegand

Related Verses:

“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

Romans 14:9 NASB1995

“who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Romans 1:4 NASB1995

“but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

Romans 2:10-11 NASB1995

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28 NASB1995

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One obvious observation is God’s great imagination in communicating to his people.

One obvious question is this: why didn’t he just save Cornelius when he saw all his piety? What is with all this miracle stuff? Why involve so many people? Why go through so many hoops?

The answer lies in both the complexity and the conflict caused by God’s action and his intention to communicate the future direction and growth of this movement.  From our perspective today we may not understand just how inappropriate this event is for the religious Jews who are still discovering the greatness and extent of God’s love and grace, but also dealing with the human side of decision making to catch up with what God is doing.  But we can identify with the reasons behind wanting to exclude people from our community who are radically different to us. (Even though we have been sinners like them as well!

God is involving a greater community – one with enemies and uncleanness, and Gentiles, and who knows what. Peter is commanded to go without doubt or misgivings, or debate!

So, he offers these “unclean ones” hospitality, and accompanies them because not only Cornelius sent them, but Jesus!  

The unraveling of this puzzle is going to lead us to understand more about the nature and scope of Gods character and his actions.  The procedure and the means of communication is vital for the impact that it makes on all the players for them to understand this is of God and not my idea!

Where does this leave us?  When we pray for God to add to us, can we anticipate that he will only send folks like us to be a part of this move of his Spirit? Or can he determine who is to come and be a part?

Like Jan said, you must catch the fish before you can clean them! 

Who are we to tell Jesus whom he can love? Whom can he save? Whom can he deliver?

Whom can he forgive?  The cross of Jesus points to all who are afar off.  All who are broken and downtrodden, all who are lonely, all who are failures.  All who want to come, let them come.

“I can worship God anywhere”. “Church is full of hypocrites.” Church is not a castle for elitist people, it is more like a hospital full of every kind of human sickness where folks seek to be healed.  It is not intended to be a cruise ship with every kind of luxury, it is supposed to be a lifeboat rescuing those drowning in human misery. The church was never intended to be a club for select elites, but for those who are desperate for hope, forgiveness, and acceptance. We need to be loved, not in a lustful sensuous way, but in an uplifting, pure and encouraging way.  For that to happen, we need each other to build each other up in love.  This does not happen on our own, but in community where we face our own character faults as well as learning to manage with those of others, all the while yearning to grow in our faith into the likeness of Jesus from one level of glory to the next.

Read Text

Paul does not become the person he is going to be on his own.  When he met Jesus, it was not only his concept of god that changed! But everything.  He switched sides, which means those he was representing, his friends were about to desert him! How would the other Messiah followers accept him?  Would others be willing to accept him for real, or would they suspect them? Look at who is involved in his growth as a new Christian:

The virtues that the church shares! Forgiveness, Reconciliation, trust, and love.

Friends who become enemies! Enemies of truth, God, and his church!

The focus of the church is greater than “what does it bring me”. It is about us all and God’s love for all who are different than I am. The focus on God keeps us sensitive to Him and HIS WAYS!

My friend Wilkin in Holland wrote a book recently: God is Love, Period.  Here is an excerpt:

"Sometimes I get asked if I'm not afraid we'll develop a hug theology if we emphasize so strongly that God is love. 'God is first and foremost holy, right? "I always answer this question with another question: "Did God create Adam and Eve because He is holy, or because He is love?" "An extension of that is: "Did God send His Son into the world because He is holy or because He is love? “The answer is clear: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16, GN). It is not a question of whether God is love than that He is holy. He's both. God’s love and His holiness are both constant – they never become less or more. But it makes sense whether we start with God's holiness or with God's love. If we begin to emphasize that God is first and foremost holy, then there is a danger that we develop a distorted image of God. Then the God of heaven and earth - who as a father loves his children – may seem to be distant, numb, or even unattainable in our minds. Then we could continue to ask: 'Can I ever meet the standards that a perfect and holy God asks of me? ‘Whoever constantly hammers that God is holy, highly exalted, and a mystery – and that is all true – creates a greater distance between God and people that He loves. As a result, people on their own will try to meet God's standard, and holiness is devalued to appearance. The God that is love is becoming more and more the God of must and cannot. God knows how we can get stuck in our thought patterns, rules of behavior and rituals. We must go to church twice on Sunday. We need to pray, read the Bible, and give our tithes. We must evangelize and believe without doubting. In one church you are not allowed to do this. In the other church you are not allowed to do that. Church sometimes looks more like a prison than a house of God. It can appear to be a Christian bubble full of human rules, instead of a house of love where lost sons and daughters may come home to the arms of their Heavenly Father."

From: God is love period! by Wilkin van de Kamp

For Paul, he left his anger, murderous heart, threats, and evil desires to find a community of love where he, of all people, did not deserve it.

Read Text

Committed to God and defending his honor, following his understanding of the scriptures Saul is going to stamp out this new movement of Messiah followers.  He is going to keep the traditions handed down through his forefathers.  He is waiting for a real deliverer who will establish the Kingdom of David again and return all to the glory days of old. His zeal has blinded him. This Jesus they are talking about is dead and cannot fulfill the goals expected by the real Messiah.  These rebels are deceived.  Jesus was cursed by dying on a tree.  Saul’s zeal for God drives him to rid the world of this menace.  Notice that the church is already expanding beyond what was already noted!

Saul was not prepared for the Damascus Road encounter:  

1. He knew he was not up to the task of combating this powerful one, and calls him Lord, acknowledging his superiority
2. He questions him, as to who he is, wondering what he wants, and why this has happened to him.
3. He is shocked to discover that it is the very one against whom he has been railing. The proof of the resurrection had just encountered him in a real and powerful way.
4. He then tells him the next step to take without revealing why, what, where or when. The only thing he has answered is the question: Who?

Life Changing Encounters

            Sins, transgressions, iniquity: gross injustice or wickedness 

3 Dark Days – and a radical transformation 

            What goes on in his head during this time? Seeing his iniquity Isaiah 53:6

            The resurrection is not just an historical event, it is a personal experience for all who meet him

            Chuck Colson the former White House advisor knows the reality of the Resurrection from the lying perspective! Now we don’t just look back we look at our need now for the activity of God in our lives. He can change everything!  The gross transformation he needed; is what we all need. From a self based perspective on life to a God based perspective on life! Relying on the activity of Jesus to do what he promises in his way and time. This includes many surprising activities when we expect him to show up!

A calling and a promise

            At his conversion, Saul receives his life’s calling

            The means involvement of the community and action of the Holy Spirit who is obviously in charge of building trust, relationships, obedience in the face of danger.

            God’s perspective is greater than ours! From individualistic to building a Kingdom that cannot be defeated and covers the earth over all time!

What God does with broken vessels

            Here is an example of what God does with those who trust him:

            Takes our misconceptions and our own abilities to change and he carries them on our behalf- and then gives us the power to conquer the devil’s activity in our lives. He delivers us from great and small things! From sin, transgression, and iniquity!

Who is this Lord? He is the Lord of all! He breaks down the racial divides, the cultural divides, as well as the sin, transgression, and iniquity divides! He unites his followers with His Father!

On the way into Jerusalem, the crowds gathered and waved their Palm branches and shouted out praise as Jesus rode on a donkey into the city of Jerusalem.  It was a strange mixture of misunderstood preconceived ideas and Jesus accepting their worship even though he knew they were not properly interpreting the scriptures. All would be revealed at the right time! They would see that the King of Glory was going to cover the whole Earth with his Glory!

Psalm 24:7,8 and “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14 But the question does arise, how can we understand? A question our text today poses for us.  “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:9 

Read Text

A funny story, full of amazing miracles, incredible growth of God’s Kingdom, a deep encounter with God, and an answer to the question!

Retell the story of the rich influential man who is most likely a proselyte Jew who came to Jerusalem to worship: on his way home reading from Isaiah 53:7,8

Angel speaks to Philip, and then he runs alongside the chariot chatting to this fellow, who then stops to let him in!

Shares Jesus from the passage, and the exclamation to be baptized, and from there you have the start of the church in Ethiopia, - a major expansion without the help of the apostles!

Look at the message paradox: humility and power.

Look at the signs and wonders: Philip showing up to explain the Gospel, able to run and chat, being taken and deposited somewhere else. This man of influence is suddenly a key person in the Kingdom.

What is the difference? It is the activity of the Holy Spirit of God. The Teacher that Jesus promised. He is the one who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He is the Spirit of truth, and the guide in life.  He is the one who gives great joy and the one who reveals Jesus in the Scriptures!

There is a lot that is said about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but most of all, it is the Holy Spirit who honors and reveals the Son! The Holy Spirit is a gift that not only infills us but also teaches, leads, directs, reveals, and demonstrates the reality of the Life of Jesus.  There is always more, and we need to be as curious as the Ethiopian was and desirous as the Samaritans were.  We need to be eager to discover Jesus for ourselves in the reading of the word.  We cannot tell God what he is able to do, what he is allowed to do.  When we pray: Here is your servant, we must be willing to do anything the master tells us know that he will not give us anything bad when he does give his Spirit to us?

What is one of the great signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit? Great joy! Great love of God! Great desire to become like him.

The Kingdom advances in the following ways:

1. Through persecution

2. Through preaching the Word with signs and wonders following: what we do and what God does!

3. Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – what is God’s method? His desire? His Purpose?

4. Through overcoming internal struggles – where does the devil have a hold on us? 

What are our areas of disobedience, or our struggles with trusting God?

Come to Jesus in an open way, do not hold back when the Spirit of God is moving upon you.

A door of salvation to the Gentiles like Jesus to the Jews and second chance.

This leads to the stoning of Stephen outside the city. In this, there is a lot of similarity to Jesus by a Hellenistic believer:  which answers the question posed by Theophilus: for assurance: 1:4. Parallels to Jesus:

Stephen has grace and power, works wonders and signs among the people 6:8

Enters into dispute with those who challenge him 6:9 including spies 6:11

Arrested 6:12 and brought to trial before the Sanhedrin 6:12-15

False witnesses 6:13 (see Mk 14:56, Mt 26:59; taken outside the city 7:58

The matter of clothing discarded 7:58; Stephen prays 7:59; asks forgiveness of murderers 7:60;

Buried by pious people 8:2.  This is a correlation as a witness of Jesus who possesses the same Spirit.

Jesus was silent, but he said he would give the words to say in times like these: Lk 21:15: “for I will provide you eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.”

The introduction and role of Saul/Paul: 1. Accusers throw the stones, the cloaks at Paul’s feet show that he had authority, and his approval May have been more like instigator. Stephen like him was a hellenist Jew – a Roman citizen, and from a Hellenistic synagogue. He may have even known him. Prior to his conviction that Jesus was the Messiah.  This ends the Jerusalem Narrative, and begins the spread of the Gospel to the nations through Judea and Samaria.

The key event here is the references to the Holy Spirit, both in the accusation 7:51-53, and in his revelation. Luke makes clear to us, that this is not about superheroes great personalities, but it is the witness of Jesus alive in individuals.  It is the Holy Spirit that defines Stephen as a real witness to the message, the resurrection, and the newness of life in the dawning of a new kingdom with a new Lord who is over all. The Ruler is not the Sanhedrin, not the Romans, not Herod, not the Fathers, not the prophets, not the temple, and not the Torah! The Ruler, the Lord, the Prince of Peace, the counselor, the mighty God, Emmanuel, God with us is Jesus!

The reality of this confession is found in two facts:  1. He sees the Glory: the God of Glory who appears to Abraham and Moses, which makes Stephen a spokesperson for the people, the Glory is associated with Jesus, in particular his resurrection (Lk 9:31,32; 24:26; Acts 3:13) of which now Stephen is a witness to (Acts 22:20) “And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’”

and thirdly, Glory is associated with the coming of the Son of Man (Lk9::26; 21:27)

2. He sees heaven opened up: this is a two way street, directly from the Lord to his disciples, those who believe and follow him. It also is a direct new revelation about the role of the temple and the Torah. This is what causes those who are uncircumcised in their hearts and ears, to cover their ears not to listen to such blasphemy. 

He dies while calling on the Name of the Lord, as in Acts 2:21: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Saul is a witness to this martyrdom. Though his initial reaction is to be zealous for the traditions of Orthodox Judaism, Saul hear this messianic way of interpreting the scriptures!   

The open heaven is our choice!

What can we take out of this? The need we each have for being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Responding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, beginning with repentance, baptism, and then to follow him responding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Here the word translated most for faith: pistes, is a call to faithfulness and loyalty to the new Lord above all else. This is the hope that God gives in this life to those who follow him. It is a newness of life! It is a life filled with his presence, and a life that knows no end. This kingdom crosses borders, languages, cultures, divisions, and unifies people under the Lordship of Jesus.

What will you choose?

Zeal for the Jews from the Old Testament:

1. The story of Moses in deliverance, the tabernacle, and the giving of the law: one God and the restoration of life as in the Law. 
2. The stories of zeal for God that are told to the children: the story of Phinehas -in Numbers 25 and Psalm 106 as well as Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 
3. Two groups of thought at this time: Hillel and Gamaliel – live and let live; and Shammai who saw violence as a necessary means to protect Gods honor, glory, and presence.  This is to enemies outside as well an contaminates on the inside as the stories of Phinehas and Elijah demonstrate.
4. History matters as it tells us something about events today.  Yitzhak Rabin, Peres, and Arafat at Oslo accords, and Nobel Peace Prize.  Amir was a zealous Torah student, and is still unrepentant. November 4 1995.
5. Finally, the Hope of Israel is total deliverance and a turning to the one true creator God.

The parallels between Moses and Jesus show a different reading of the story. You see the correlation to Jesus: in this understanding, the new way is much more faithful to the scriptures! He shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic promises!  This is how the Jewish religion ought to have been understood! The holy place is the community of believers, and obedience to the Holy Spirit is the law!

Look how the story unfolds: just like Jesus Moses is the baby saved at a time when the fulfillment of the promise was near; came to brothers offering peace, but is rejected; he was mighty in word and deed; he was rejected, but later accepted on the second visitation, just like the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; confirmed by signs and wonders; Moses is also rejected a second time even with a more powerful deliverance, the people turn to idols and end up in exile. So Jesus must suffer before entering glory. 

This will launch the end of the Jerusalem narrative and move us into the gospel to the whole world.

The reading is a major change from how those of the day thought about the temple and the law.  Indeed, the fact that Jesus saw himself as the temple instead of a building was considered blasphemy 

But Stephen sees the place where heaven interacts with earth in Jesus, and because the Holy Spirit now in dwells those who believe in him, there is a new way of reading the scriptures.  They all speak of Jesus!

And now Stephen is relating these leaders of the people to the leaders who persecuted the prophets, including Moses and all the rest? He accuses them of killing ‘the Hope of Israel’! Hope is not wanting something, it is a a futuristic waiting on the Messiah. 

But they saw themselves as being righteous, no wonder their anger burned.

Challenge: where does our background, childhood stories, culture keep us from understanding Jesus as the great victor in our lives, and in the lives of those who are different from us?  

Explain the style and parts of this sermon, the longest single discourse in Acts: Abraham, Joseph, and then Moses with the end challenge. The response is overwhelmingly violent, throwing aside Gamaliel’s previous warning, and sets off a major attempt to annihilate the followers of “this Life”.  It will also have a dramatic effect on Saul and his future.

So what is it about this defense to the three accusations: “he speaks against the temple and the Torah” that is so volatile? Why is it so offensive?

First, it is an interesting defense that does not directly answer the accusations, but a retelling of the history of the Jewish people focusing on the Patriarchs, Joseph and the Exodus by the lawgiver.

Abraham and the patriarchs

1. “Our father” what makes up the authentic family: identifies with his hearers
2. The focus is on God: he appears (3), speaks (3,6), he moves (4), gives an inheritance (5), promises (5), judges (7), gives a covenant (8), and no mention of his faith, but that he dwells (4), begets and circumcises (8).  The focus is on God’s promise, and the way it will reach fulfillment in a time beyond Abraham.  In other words, the fulfillment of the promise comes with the messianic realization of the covenant!

The story of Joseph (9-16) we can see how The biblical account points to the future and to the present time:

1. Joseph as a type of Jesus
2. Rejected by his brothers (because of envy), sold into Egypt, but his fate is reversed by God.  God is with him and frees him from all his afflictions, he finds favor with the king, as becomes ruler over Egypt. In other words, the one rejected by his own people is empowered through God’s intervention and is in a position to save the ones who rejected him.
3. The double visitation is exposed, first Jesus recognizes them and second they recognize Jesus. This is a portrayal of Jesus who is the rejected and rescued savior, the double visitation with the possibility of acceptance or rejection. 
4. The focus is on the salvation of God in the stories chosen.  This indirect way of answering the accusers as to what they charge him with are rendered baseless. This is not an argument about the temple and the religious practices of the Jewish people, nor is it about a rejection of God’s laws.  It is about recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah, and gaining the salvation promised by God to the Patriarchs as delivered to both Joseph and as we shall see to Moses. The Good News is that the promised Messiah has come, can you not recognize him?

The stumbling block is the cross! How can the Messiah die, especially when everyone who hangs on a tree is cursed?  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—” Galatians 3:13 NASB1995

“But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.” Galatians 5:11 

Is our Gospel offensive? A stumbling block? 

“For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

1 Peter 2:6-9 NASB1995

“but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”

1 Corinthians 1:23 NASB1995

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

Galatians 5:13-14 NASB1995

            Growth as the Spirit leads. Question is this: why does the movement not have a name? Because they don’t see themselves as being outside of what is Jewish. Their worldview is very different from ours.  They see Jesus as the waited Messiah, so it is the completion of what they have been trying to defend. Here is the clash that the leaders had with Jesus, the apostles, and now the Hellenistic Jews. 

            The attack is similar to Jesus and the apostles who are arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin, and punished.  

            The face like an Angel is like Moses, the men in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19,25; Exodus 34: 29,30) and Jesus at the Transfiguration (Luke 9:29) is a sign of Godly authority to speak on his behalf.

Things like Jesus:

1. Wisdom that cannot be refuted: “for I will provide you eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.”  Luke 21:15 NASB2020
2. Sequence of events: open confrontation, spies, agitating the people, arrest, brought to trial at the Sanhedrin  
3. The “passion” of Stephen: false witnesses, blasphemy, accused of speaking against the temple, and Moses.  This accusation is repeated 3 times just as when Jesus is brought before Pilate.

The apostolic succession, and the future of this movement to the Gentiles is getting the same foundation as to the Jews.

What do we learn from this?

1. How are we preparing?
2. Understanding the issues within the Jewish mindset. 
3. What did the Pharisees believe? Why are they so upset?

The focus on Jesus and an experience that results in demonstrating the passion for The one true God!

            Like The fiery furnace, Moses, the transfiguration 

Our commitment to Jesus

I have just felt uneasy here, putting a very modern western individualistic business system in place to allow churches to function.  It seems it can be a real trap to head back to developing traditions and methods that replace the actual life which God wants to give.  That is problematic for me.

So, I went back and asked God to help me see this with new eyes:  here are some observations:

1. We never hear how the issue is resolved.  Was it financial, personal, counseling related?
2. We have no idea if the chosen ones have any business acumen or not, their qualifications do not fulfill HR Standards.
3. What is the purpose of this story, just to show the source of problems?
4. Was it to show the division of responsibilities? Then why were the qualifications basically the same as for the apostles? Or the goal of discipleship for everyone?
5. Was it written primarily for Baptist churches that evolved 1500 years later to let them know the value and purpose of deacons? Ridiculous. The message must be true throughout all generations and all cultures.

So, what is the primary purpose of this story?

Why is it so critical right here?

1. I maintain it has to do with passion. Passion for Jesus and passion for His Kingdom to grow and touch all peoples everywhere.
2. When passion wanes, the signs are grumbling and complaining, stress and anger, which indicate a changing of focus.  The issue is not seeking and obeying God, rather it asks: “what is in it for me, my group, my personal comfort and well-being”.  “We always do it like this” is a death toll to passion for Jesus, obedience to him.
3. When passion wanes, the devil gets the upper hand, and we are not quick to forgive and encourage.

What is passion?  It comes from a Latin word meaning “to suffer”.  All the events leading up to this moment show the willingness, even the joy of suffering shame for Jesus.  The complaints sound logical, but do not show the willingness to suffer on the part of either group!

The key to overcoming is to restore your passion and this is how it is done:

1. This is passion: Romans 5:17 “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
2. Abandonment to the authority of Christ, death to self: return to the temple in the face of persecution
3. Clarity of Focus: this is what we are called to be and to do: draw people to God – built into a church that worships and multiples into other churches
4. Prayer as a priority: Paul said he prayed day and night- with tears- without ceasing- with thankfulness- in the Spirit – constantly- boldly- for godly sorrow- against the evil one
5. Making right decisions even at personal consequence.

In other words, the work of the apostles was not so much more important, they needed more leaders like them to keep the fires of passion for Jesus burning. 

What about you? What about the fires of God’s passion in your life?

The Holy Spirit fills them again with boldness, and they take on a direct assault on the traditions of the elites. They return to the place where they had been arrested into the domain of the elders and leaders who commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, no they increase their following.

The believers acknowledge the leadership and authority that Jesus gave to the apostles by bringing their money and possessions to their feet, not into the coffers of the temple! It is used to care for the poor and the widows and all are involved in building community as a family of faith.

Truth and honesty over deception and lies.

Trusting God is serious business. A similar account at the start of taking the Land with Joshua in Chapter 7.  “So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.””

Joshua 7:10-13 NASB1995

Now there is a similar event (not the same) but with the same effect to show how serious God is about sin. Notice, Peter does not kill them, but God removes unrighteousness from their midst!  Please note that this does not become a regular event in the church, but it is a lesson for all ages to come. Holiness is important and a very valuable lesson for all to learn.

Life in the face of danger

The people are drawn to life that heals and instructs in values that are good. They not only respect God’s authority, it affects their whole understanding of community. It demonstrates their commitment to God and to each other.  Notice, they were not building houses of worship, they were investing in each other so that all basic needs were cared for.  The administration is not defined for us, but we do know that Jesus had a treasurer and that they empowered others to manage the affairs of such a great multitude.  The apostles did not keep it for themselves – as in “silver and Gold have I none”!

How does that apply to us today.  Where are we challenged in helping to meet needs?  How do we invest in people?  How can we build a community based on trust and faith and commitment to Jesus?

Let us pray about that right now.

The prayer is in stages: praise, God’s word, confidence in God’s will, ways and ability, request for confidence in the face of threats, request for miracles for others.

God’s reply: a shaking, and an infilling of the Holy Spirit!

Dictionary definition: Confidence is: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing,belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities, self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance! Or a secret that is confided or imparted trustfully

Biblical definition: the confidence of faith is:

1. Reliance on the trustworthiness of God – victory over fear it not of self!

2. The unity of the body – strength in weakness

3. The power of the Spirit – abundance of grace

4. The love for one another – encouragement in generosity

The description here of revival is not of an event, but of a transformed lifestyle that promotes God’s presence among the people.  The Roman emperor Justin demurred that the Christians took better care of the pagan poor than they did!

How can we respond and grow in faith and confidence?  

1. Pray in a similar vein
2. Be filled with the Spirit
3. Be confident in witnessing and following Jesus
4. Doing acts of kindness
   Medical bus
   Appreciation of Teachers; Police and Fire; National Guard 
   Supporting the poor in our community (see: when helping hurts)

I cannot think that “times of refreshing” fits into that list.  Some might think, guilt, shame, ugliness, fear, awkward, lost, evil, bad, judged, deceived.

But we need to see the three parts of this sermon

1. You are guilty even when no wrong was uncovered
2. You were innocent and there is still a chance, take it because now you are no longer innocent. This is a strict warning. Your opinions don’t count when God the creator determines what is moral.
3. The results of your repentance 
   1. Times of Refreshing
   2. Jesus coming, both now for your appointed time and in the future at the culmination of all
   3. The prophets spoke of this, and you can be the first to participate in Gods ultimate plan that will go from here to all the world
4. The message is for us all.  A simple short direct call to repent with consequences:
5. Choose the times of refreshing!

Notes from Acts 3: 1-16
What's in a Name?

Associations of identity come with names. A good name speaks of a good reputation, a good character, great feats, or memorable exploits. A good name brings up images of respect, or events, or relationships.  A good name can elicit feelings and emotions associated with a particular person. A bad name does the same in reverse, stirring up unwanted memories. Names can spurn people into action, from love to revenge they can be great motivators in life. Here we see another aspect that a particular name evokes:

The setting: The temple, the spiritual center of Jewish life. It is the place Jesus headed towards in the final days of his life here, and it is the place his disciples experienced his final discourses. The prayer life of the new converts to Christianity happened here daily. There is a growing movement that surely is not passing the attention of the religious leaders.  But this event is going to change the dynamic of the growing movement. It is a major turning point in the growth of what the church will be.

The beginning of opposition: it was this event that clinched the deal for me to become a Christian. How could the intelligent people of the day not see the good in what was being done here?

Here is the key to seeing the difference between legalistic religion and the joy of relationship in desiring to be like Jesus:

The lame man is not permitted to become a priest – he is considered imperfect and an outcast, not whole, a burden to society, a receiver of charity. He is at the entrance at the mercy of others.

The Encounter changes his life! His future, his acceptance by God and getting used to a new way of living.  Clinging to Peter and John shows his fear of the leaders.

The Boldness of Peter is astonishing in that just a few days previously he was in hiding from the Jews, also wondering if Jesus would still accept him. His restoration complete, he gives what he is now sure of in his faith. And he uses the name of Jesus – why? Because he does not have the authority, not the power, nor the piety, to do such things on his own! He clarifies where the authority comes from! He demonstrates the power in a relationship with Jesus mixed with honest humility.  No power struggle, just doing what he sees the Father doing.

The reality of this event is to elevate the church, and the head of the church, Jesus. And in this case Jesus restores the broken-hearted, revels his heart of love, and restores his human dignity.  Only Jesus has the authority to do so.  That is the central question: who has what authority?  The issue was addressed clearly in Luke 5: “who has authority to forgive sins?  Just so you know who has the authority to do that, he heals the lame man.  For him, healing is as easy as forgiveness, though forgiveness is much more valuable considering eternity as compared to temporal healings.  In this event, the challenge to the Jewish leaders who thought the had gotten rid of Jesus is renewed. It’s like he had been multiplied! His fame was spreading, and his activity was increasing!  What the 70 and the disciples had experienced was spreading faster than before.

What do we glean from this? 

1. The name and the authority of Jesus is not committed to a select few, but to all disciples
2. The use of his authority is dependent upon his direction and timing
3. The authority of Jesus is powerful, and he gives us the right to even forgive sins! (John 20:22,23)
4. Authority is linked to our faith: knowing the character and life of Jesus, and responding to him
5. This authority is not linked to our piety, character, deeds, but to Jesus and must point to Jesus!
6. There is a challenge to us, who will we be like? Those who resist what God is doing, or those who are Co-workers with Christ? What changes need to take place in your thinking and life for you to be one who Carrie’s the authority of the name of Jesus?

It was a short encouragement sent by a former Swiss missionary to Brazil that made me start to think of all that the Bible has to say regarding light:

If one candle burns, it can light hundreds of other candles without ever loosing  any of it luster and glow.

Light travels at 186000 miles/sec, over 6 trillion miles in a year.  The whirlpool galaxy is over 23 million light years away from us. Light is hot, fast, bright, needed for vitamin D, helps attitude, relaxes, 

“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” Genesis 1:3 

“The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.” Isaiah 9:2 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5 

“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” John 1:9-10 

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”” John 8:12 

“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”” John 9:5 

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” John 12:46 

““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;” Matthew 5:14 

“For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ ”” Acts 13:47 

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9 

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

”Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 

“but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

“for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light” Ephesians 5:8 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 

“The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:9-11 

“And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”Revelation 21:23 

“And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5 

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“While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.” John 12:36 

“(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),” Ephesians 5:9 

“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 

“The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” 1 John 2:10 

1. God’s motivation
2. God’s generosity
3. God’s method
4. God’s purpose
5. Verse 17 shows the importance of both a sender and a sent one in order for salvation to occur.
6. As a church we need to identify with the nature and character of God:  see John 15: 10,11

We have the same spirit, the same nature as Jesus. How is that developed and grown in us?

1. First the natural then the spiritual
2. Giving is critical, not the amount, but the heart attitude! 
3. We need to grow in this. See the Philippians church!
4. We need to grow, both as individuals as well as a church. Giving a tenth is just the beginning of moving into spiritual blessing, both individually and as a church

This is what we are doing as a church this year to reach our tithe, or beyond:

Get some food on the tables in the back – help yourselves and leave nothing!

Need to give a tithe from the church, and an increase in our income: 

The church gave to all who were in need. 

1. Sent funds to help with toys for needy children from the Network
2. Sent funds to help with Mathew 25 house – helping in a time of need
3. We will give food to our community on the 18th
4. We will also double whatever you give to Lottie Moon today! If you have no money, then write on the back of the envelope what you would like to give to support the IMB. Goal is double from last year of 700 to 1500 this year.  

No purpose built buildings, but the first church nursed public areas and homes for their gatherings. Compare what the first church looked like in relation to what we tend to think church looks like. People tend to do what Jesus leads them to do rather than follow a fixed set of expectations. The birth of church life was not organized by administrators, but was directed by the Holy Spirit as individuals responded to his guidance.

Who and what makes up a church?  The church is a group of those who are called out from sin, the flesh and the world. There are specific things they did do:

1. The birth of the church is the response to the activity of the Holy Spirit 
2. Different cultures worship differently, pray differently, preach differently, but it is the same Lord! We belong to the same family, have the same salvation, same destination, same core value of obedience to Jesus!
3. The Awe inspiring presence of Jesus lays a foundation:
4. The teaching of the apostles
5. Fellowship
6. Prayer
7. Breaking of bread
8. This devotion leads to:
9. Signs and wonders,
10. Caring for one another
11. Worship and fellowship
12. Witness to all, leading to constant growth

A road of discovery that uses both the local customs and manners that are not sinful in their work and worship of God.  They sold things to care for those who were downtrodden. Widows who had no access to income. Helping those who were in need. They were not forced but responded to God’s direction. Their giving was generous but not taxed. 

The natural way the church grew and developed. 

1. Peter addresses their mistaken notion of being ecstatic as being equivalent with drunkenness. He draws their attention to the prophetic and the “last days”.  (Not the last day!) this is something the Jewish leaders had been debating since they were about 490 years after Daniel. 

““I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”

Daniel 7:9, 13-14

““Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

Daniel 9:24-25 NASB1995

1. Peter picks up on the discussion Jesus had with the scribes in Luke 20:41-44 and speaks of David and the Messiah making the case for Jesus being not only the Messiah, but the Lord over all. 29,30
2. He uses the knowledge 22 and experience of those listening both past (you killed him23,36) and present (what you see and hear 33) to authenticate Jesus role as the Messiah.
3. He speaks of the eyewitness account of the apostles. 32
4. And of the scripture 17-21 and cause 25-35

Truth builds faith - the scripture brings faith: Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing the Word of God

Truth reveals God’s perspective: man crucified AND killed Jesus, God raised him and gave him power which you see and hear

Truth convicts of sin: you are guilty, you are broken, you are deceived by all that is in the world.

Truth reveals God’s love: this promise is for you, do not remain in your sin. Repent

Truth leads to Jesus: you too can experience this outpouring of God’s love and power

JESUS IS THE TRUTH: the truth is, you need Jesus for there is salvation in none else.  Repent and be baptized and receive all that God has for you!

Start with the end result of this event: Peter is speaking to a gathered crowd, and the first thing he does is quote Scripture. The impact of this encounter with the Holy Spirit causes an understanding of Scripture to help them identify and understand that this event is of God and not just an ecstatic hallucination. The connection to OT Scripture is important: it gives us both context and insight into the events that happened.

Pentecost is the 50th day after Passover. It comes from the word 50. It is also the feast of the “first fruits” that comes after the first rain. It is also the celebration of the coming of Moses from Sinai with the 10 commandments. Exodus 19 there is fire that comes down and God called Moses up and gives him the 10 Commandments (Ex 20, ff) including three feasts they are to celebrate with God: Passover, first fruits, and harvest. Exodus 23:14 ff

The day of Pentecost had come, they were together (in prayer) - first fruits, and giving of the law.now in the hearts of individuals and not just written in stone! ““For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33

The wind is the Spirit (Hebrew: Ruah) and it separated the waters of the Red Sea, and God moves like the wind – Jesus: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”” John 3:8

The fire on Sinai, the burning bush in Exodus, the prophecy of John, and the individuality of the experience where God’s presence is on each one.

The languages of praise: Tower of Babel to separate, and now to unify- also to show the extent by which God’s grace extended beyond just the Jews. Notice, however, the gift was not to preach, but to worship.

Also the goal of this experience is not to exalt the greatness of man, but the greatness of God! 

God grows the church doing two things: inward transformation and outward proclamation. 

Let us all seek God more, and experience him by receiving his gifts.

1. Obedience
2. Prayer
3. The unity of the 120 including the women from Galilee and other followers from the 70. Mary the mother is present for the second encounter after her pregnancy announcement. She experiences the Power and activity of the Holy Spirit twice.
4. Practical matters to be seen to:
   Some kind of structure for decision making
   Biblical prophecy and fulfillment per Jesus example
   Fulfilling the initial leadership group of 12 - Judas is gone and that brings an element of fear that this is a critical and serious event - not just a party.

Psalm 109:8, Psalm 69:25, (55:23)

The vision is greater than 12 - or even the 120. Imagine the scope of responsibility Jesus places on them. - God’s purpose, plan, vision is to be filled through them - where is the organization, the finance, the strategy, the focus of unity in purpose? Impossible for sure! - the vision is God’s from the beginning. 

Upward: I saw the Lord

Inward: Woe is me I see my sin and my inadequacies

Outward: Here I am, send me

In order to be fulfilled, the vision, once accepted, needs means and method, so the preparation must come first, like in Isaiah’s encounter: before here am I send me, there is a process of preparation - and it begins with repentance and cleansing and open hearts to God. 

The encounter is both equipping and commissioning. But the encounter requires the preparation and agreement to allow Jesus his lordship in your life.

The ongoing Acts of Jesus

The next big event is going to be the graduation from training to empowerment! 

Get the foundation right. Start again at baptism! Remember what happened? Luke 3:15-17;21,22

It is more than repentance, it is new life – the prophecy of John will be fulfilled

They must wait upon the Lord expectantly – they have seen, heard, and now something new is about to happen

The Activity of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of Jesus

This is not a political program, or program at all, it is life to be shared, power to overcome, joy to be experienced and peace in the midst of chaos. The real nature of God is about to permeate those who believe. What are they to expect? They don’t know because it has never happened before! But when it does, it will transcend present experience and will launch a change in the world.

Our Inclusion in the ongoing Acts of Jesus

Makes this book more than a history book. It includes us, and what we learn from those who go before us is helpful for us to know how God moves with his people. The ends of the earth is not just geographical, ethnical, or time sensitive, but it continues to each generation through the church.  We are all called to be witnesses of Jesus!

Are you repentant? 

Are you living a new life?

Do you wait expectantly for Jesus to do his work both in you, and through you?  

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah55:6-7NASB

The first account has to do with all that Jesus began to do and teach. That means he is about to write concerning all the Jesus continued and continues to do and teach!  His work continues in his disciples! The anticipation is, it will continue along the same lines as they experienced while he was present in Judaea. 

The second mention here is the orders Jesus gave to his apostles: by appearing to them and speaking of the Kingdom of God.  We have a brief window into some of these events:  The other Resurrection appearances:   1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 20:30,31; John 21:1-25

Thomas sees Jesus 8 days later John 20:26-29 and other events

Peter in 21 and his encounter with Jesus

Gathering them together he tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father.

He has given them peace. He has given them acceptance. He has given them forgiveness of sin. He has given them salvation. He has given eternal life: 1 John 2:25; John 14:13-21. All of this ties together with the promises of the Father to Abraham and his descendants beginning with Genesis 12!

The result is that we receive gifts that bow permit the Kingdom to expand! God is the greatest giver of all, and he knows what to give and when so that it will have the most beneficial effect on his ultimate plan of grace.

The Gift Giver

The gift of Forgiveness

The gift of Salvation

The gift of the Promise

Giving multiplied 

1. The reaction of the disciples is even more dramatic. Jesus even rebukes them for their lack of faith.
2. The commission is simple and clear
3. The addition in Mark of the activity of the Holy Spirit points to the continuity of the ministry of Jesus
4. The obedience to the call and the activity of Jesus 

The focus begins with the words of testimony shared that focus on the reality of an encounter with Jesus.  They are powerful because Jesus uses the testimonies of salvation to demonstrate his life in the present. See Romans 10.

The commission is to go and preach the good news. Jesus alive from the dead and conquering fear, death, the devil, and sin! It is worth it to give your life to Jesus!

Now comes a difficult matter for the church over centuries. Do the gifts of the Spirit still function today?

The problem with signs, they are not to be worshipped. Salvation means wholeness, and that is what God does. He works with us, doing both signs and wonders. This is not a theological discussion point, this is what Jesus does. We will look into this more in the future, but it is not something to be fearful of, after all we do pray for the sick!  But it is a matter of faith and expecting God to move when we are faithful. 

My mother and prayer for Ruthie with pneumonia even though she believed the gifts ceased with the apostles.

Do these things happen all the time? Are they a part of God’s work? Yes! Look at Jesus, how he heals in various ways. The blind man in Luke 18:42 was spoken to. In Mark 18:22 Jesus spit on him. In John 9:6 Jesus made mud, put it on his eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. 

So the method is to be in touch with Jesus and do what he says.  You see walking is something we can do. But God has to intervene if the ground we walk on is liquid. 

Do we negate the power or do we seek it? Do we yearn for Jesus to do his work, and when he does it, do we honor him and glorify him? Do we deflect the credit away from ourselves and point to Jesus? How do we deal with pride in the midst of great events?

Give the glory to God!

Who does Jesus choose to send?

The important question in not who is perfect, but who is forgiven.  He who is forgiven much, loves much! Jesus can handle any kind of sin and set people free without coaching!  The issue here is a matter of growth in faith! Prayers change and so Sous our faith in experiencing Jesus! See how kids grow and they are congratulated for little things! But when they are grown, you don’t congratulate them for their first accomplishments, but enjoy the memories of them!

What do the sent do?

They make disciples by: going, baptizing, and teaching. Why these three things? Encounter the lost, we pray till they get saved, and then we help instruct them in righteousness!

What do the sent teach?

They teach what Jesus taught! Why is that so critical? Because we live in a society and culture that has eliminated truth from life.  This is what all cultures have done in the past and will do in the future when left without God and hope in the world.  When you remove truth from a society, then that leads to lies, deception and the consequences of the actions that result from such behavior.  A law cannot be changed, if it changes, then it is not a law, it is a theory. But the original lawgiver cannot deny himself, nor his laws. They are always true: 

Romans 3:4 says: “Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.””

There is a God and he determines what is true and all human opinions cannot change him.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Luke 21:33

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17 NASB2020

Truth is a person: “Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 NASB2020

Why can the sent ones be confident?

Because Jesus is with us!

The power is with Jesus! In this sandwich of verses, we do things, and so does Jesus!

This is the critical aspect of the Gospel! Jesus does not abandon us, nor forsake us! Our faith in not in our ability, but in him! It is not in our prayers, but in his words and actions. Our obedience to him leads to his activity in the lost. We lift him up and he draws the people in! That is what he said! “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”” John12:32NIV. Do we believe? 

The commission in Luke 24 focused on the finished and the unfinished work of Christ.

In John the commission focuses on the methodology of our commission: if we want to know how Jesus sends us to a lost and dying world, then we need to know how the Father sent Jesus. That is why the focus in Luke is on remembering what Jesus said and how to interpret the scriptures!

“Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,”

Luke 24:44-45 NASB2020

““Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

Matthew 5:17   

The framework for our mission is contained in the Word of God.

The need to imitate Jesus: Going in power, Praying, Healing, Proclaiming, and Training

Supporting verses:

“for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word during great affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7 NASB2020

“And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

Luke 10:2, 8-9 NASB2020

“And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and prayed there for a time.”

Mark 1:35 NASB2020

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

John 3:17 NASB2020

The Unfinished work of Christ or the second part of the covenant is: through those blessed to bring blessing to others, or reconciliation to God through us. This Gods intentional purpose and the story of his mission in the world. It is oft repeated in various forms throughout the Bible (395 times).

A covenant is God making a promise and asking his partners to make a commitment in order for this partnership to reach others. The end of the story is clear: Rev. 7: 9,10

Now why is this important? Because Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God!

There are two main themes of the covenant, the finished work and the unfinished work; the redemption or salvation of people and the restoration of relationships with God (reconciliation) are summarized in this passage! This is God’s strategy, God’s purpose, vision, plan, method, and ways!

1. Jesus opens  the minds of his disciples  to understand that the main purpose of the history of Israel, was for God to reach the world! This is how we must interpret scripture! 
2. The finished work
3. The unfinished work

Conclusion:

Now he gives them a promise and the clothes! He looks for a commitment from us to fulfill the unfinished task!

His work finished, Jesus departs to work in partnership with his people to reach all ethnic groups – everywhere.

Food is an interesting unifying factor in community life.  Baptists are well known for it! Here are some interesting insights into different cultural interactions with food that we have enjoyed over the years!

1. Germans and their breakfasts – meals in a home are a special event: The eye eats along with it.
2. France, reserve a table and it is yours for the evening!!! (Many courses of small amounts, and restaurants are required by law to have a full meal available at a reasonable price so all can afford to eat.)
3. In Spain you ate late because you had to sleep after lunch 9 PM was a usual time to eat out.
4. In China, all eat with chop sticks from a center turntable
5. In Uganda, we ate with fingers - not just smell good, taste good, but it must feel good as well!)
6. In the middle east we ate with bread from a central dish - or even from your own plate. Show how it was done.
7. Eating is more than nourishment, it is a community, or family event.

Step 1: Trying to understand.  The two of them belong to the “rest of them” from verse 9.

Step 2: Jesus joins them and is very pastoral in both listening to their struggle and explaining the purpose of the scriptures to them.

• Separation of the us and them who crucified Jesus. Luke lays the blame at the feet of the chief priests and elders
• They were still hoping for the redemption of Israel (vs. 21) but bewildered by the report of the resurrection
• Others, not just Peter, went to the tomb and found it empty. This is critical to the narrative as it is repeated several times which is significant.  We are not just dealing with a philosopher, or a good man, or a great teacher, but one who is powerful and eternal and possessing all authority in heaven and earth!

Step 3: Jesus begins to explain from the scriptures who he is!  All scripture is prophetic concerning him and his suffering and death and resurrection.  The OT cannot be properly understood apart from it being prophetic in nature, pointing to Jesus.

Step 4: Knowledge is not enough for salvation.  Look what these disciples had:

• Reports from the tomb by the women and others,
• The angels report
• The scriptures 
• The teachings of Jesus
• The acts of Jesus

Step 5: Fellowship with Jesus when he takes control. The event that opens eyes to see him, alive and full of grace and truth. Eyes that go beyond just enjoying what is set before us, but to see the eternal impact of knowing Jesus. It is an encounter that transforms from the inside out. It wants to move away from sin to being filled with the love of God. From being right to being compassionate. From anger to being forgiving. From being a slave to evil to seeing God at work in all things to bring about his goodness in and through us.

The change begins with repentance, but it grows with trust, and obedience, and right choices. It begins to move out of our own self-centeredness and moves us to being available to those who need us.  The burning heart was not enough, it was the revelation of Jesus that reignited them and their passion for things greater than themselves.

Step 6: Look at the results:  It happens in community, not in being alone. It must be shared to enjoy! And the way in which it is reproduced leads to multiplication.  It does not happen all at once, but with the patience of Jesus it will expand.  Jerusalem first and then beyond. The change is here in our hearts, and then it will reach the ends of the earth.

The centurion

The people beating their breasts

The council member

The women from Galilee: and here are some of their names: “and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” Luke 8:2-3 NIV

The key issue here is the fact that the women are present from the beginning, at the crucifixion, the burial, at the resurrection, at the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, and ministering in the early church!

They fulfill the requirements of Luke 1: “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4 NIV

They are the only ones who have been eyewitnesses to all events and become ministers, or servants of the Word!  We read their accounts here! It is consistent with God’s purposes to choose the “foolish” things of the world to confound the wise: He goes to a defeated people, to a borrowed manger attended by angels and of all things shepherds, escapes to Egypt and returns to Nazareth from whence no good thing comes, picks uneducated followers, walks to hills of Judaea and Samaria, feeds the hungry, heals the sick, delivers the oppressed, but does nothing that we would claim to make him special. He is condemned as a rebellious blasphemer and is executed though innocent, laid in a borrowed grave and changes the whole world over Centuries! Most of all, the ones who were eyewitnesses to this account are those who were considered non persons, just owned by men and abused by the rich and famous.  These are the ones upon whom we rely for our faithful reading of the word! They were catapulted from nobodies to those who are highly esteemed by God!

They looked for rewards, not on this world, they endured much suffering, and still they are respected from on high! But they get 

What really counts? 

Who gets into the best record book? Those who are full of faith and faithful.  Those who believe and trust in Jesus!  It is the ordinary, the unimportant and those who are loved by Jesus. It includes you and all who become witnesses to the resurrection by knowing the forgiveness of sin.

Finally, the women rested on the Sabbath. After the finished work on the cross, we all need to rest from our labors.  Faith is critical to receiving the forgiveness and grace. 

1. Crucifixion: the evil of it and how one dies: fulfilling Psalm 22:7,8; 14-18 (a Psalm of David)
2. Keys to the Lord’s Prayer, the Key to Christian living: forgiveness and Kingdom coming 
3. Two more who declare the innocence of Jesus, who are sinners 
4. The response of the multitude there, witnesses to the type of death Jesus died.
5. The veil torn in two with access to God and the priesthood of all believers

Let us look at the dual meaning of the words “save” and “King”

The big idea and the focus of this passage has to do with salvation. The Angel to Mary: call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins – he will sit on the throne of David and rule over the house of Jacob, and his Kingdom shall have no end – today is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord – JB: Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (At the time of the offering in the temple!). There are three references to salvation:

1. The rulers who sneered: He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Messiah (vs. 35) (see Luke 4:23 physician heal yourself)
2. The soldiers mocked him: if you are a king, save yourself (vs. 37)
3. The criminal: Are you the Christ? Save yourself and us

The the light of this the other criminal responds with wisdom and and a plea for Mercy – Look at how he addresses the prophet and the healer: “Jesus”! The Lord saves! Remember me.  He confesses his guilt to all, and appeals to the One who saves! He takes a step of faith, just as Jesus does in his faith in God who will raise the dead!  Salvation or Judgement?

1. The others judge Jesus by mocking, criticizing, making their own way seem right
2. But Jesus judges the one who has faith as accepted
3. God judges Jesus with our sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! Rom 6:23
4. The Judgement of God bypasses the one who puts their faith in Jesus! Jesus pays the penalty and the judgement for our sins.

Judging texts:

“Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.” John 6:37 NASB2020

““Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NASB2020

“for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” Romans 10:13 NASB2020

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him.” John 3:14-15 NASB2020

“All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:6 NASB2020

Pilate to Herod to Pilate

Lies and deceptions, pressure and rioting of the mob prevail over justice

Herod finds no fault, Pilate declare Jesus innocent 3 times:

            Innocent of charges brought against him of insurrection against Rome

            Innocent of leading people astray

            Innocent of anything deserving death

The rioting mob

Look at the people involved: Barabbas and what he experiences

Simon and the cross

The weeping women

Those not involved, both multitude of people and secret leaders

The evil doers are not named!

The two criminals who observed what was happening

All in the space of ca. 8 hours – not even 24 hours have passed from the Passover meal they had shared.

In this time Jesus responds to Pilate once to say what others say, not what he is saying about himself. He is not denying it but also leaves it up to each individual to make that decision!  He still does!

He then speaks to the Women and the multitudes differently: he is back in prophet mode, and the women are a type of Jerusalem and what will happen, fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea 10:8.

What are the effects on the people involved?

1. We cannot shift the blame to the Jews or Rome, averting the consequences of an innocent one dying for our sins.  The blame falls squarely on sinners, as Jesus becomes sin for us!
2. Pilate is making a judgement call that is expedient due to the circumstances, not based on fact or truth
3. The leaders know that they are lying and hiding from facts, outright sin with consequences
4. The mob is bloodthirsty, (followers of Barabbas?) and caught up in the emotion of the hour
5. The soldiers are doing duty and want to keep crowd control
6. Herod wants to see miracles that he had heard about, but find no fault, is just disappointed
7. Multitude is impotent to do anything, fear and grief stricken
8. Simon is honored as a proselyte to carry the cross – not the disciples who said they would and could. The blood of Jesus soaking him
9. The women who are grief stricken, but also powerless
10. The two thief’s who observe all that is going on
11. Barabbas who is set free who knows his sins are worthy of death.
12. The reader who is brought into the scene who cannot escape their own compliance with their own sin.

How do we react when our sin is so clearly before us? Do we hide it, shift the blame, get depressed, or do we face it with brokenness and repentance? What do we do with the sin which separates us from God?

Peter’s Denial

What went on in his mind? How could he so easily have turned away from the one he was so eager to defend? And what happened when Jesus saw him? What remorse, what a failure. From arguing as to who was the greatest to being the most broken. In the end, his loyalty was only to himself.  For all his wild ideals, his great revelations, his encounters with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, his special times with Jesus being taught, encouraged, from the boat encounter on Galilee, to this moment of greatest failure. Now, of all times, when Jesus needed a friend, he left him alone with his enemies. The tears are of a depth of remorse that all his values and strengths could not restore. His hope was gone. The loss was becoming clearer as he remembered the last 3 years of following Jesus and now he had failed the only one who had the words of eternal life!  Had he not David, where shall we go? We won’t leave you? The eyes of Jesus looking at him are burned into his memory, and leave him broken, lost depressed and unable to do anything. See his coward ness from the sleep of sorrow and the results of not praying about entering into temptation.

The persecution of Jesus

The beatings begin, the mockery, the cruel jokes and humiliation of Jesus.  His reaction is silence and allowance of these events. They blindfold him yet they are the ones who are blind. It is his willing participation in identification with us all in all our troubles and sorrows.  Peter is not left out.  His loving eyes are about to show him just how much he is committed to Peter in spite of his denial.  

The first trial of Jesus: the Sanhedrin 

The chief priests and scribes made up the Sanhedrin. There were 71 members. These will include all those who have been interacting with Jesus who have been exposed by him, and who have been platting his death as their authority among the people has been diminished. Here is a difference in that Luke wants us to see first who is to blame for the death of Jesus and second, the lack of a proper trial which demonstrates Jesus willingness to die for the sins of the world.  A good lawyer could get him off easily, and the house was filled with lawyers on whom this was painfully obvious. 

The importance of prophecies fulfilled

The key here is two-fold:  First Jesus is not just any prophet, he is the prophet who ushers in the very presence of God, and infuses life with truth, removing darkness and making all things new. 

Second his words are true and eternal as in 21:33: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Let us know that he keeps his word. The situation appears to be hopeless at the moment, but it will not remain that way.  Victory is coming!

Peter: “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” Luke 22:24 

“But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”” Luke 22:33 

Beatings and trial: 7:29-30 - “When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”

His condemnation of the leaders: “And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake” Luke 20:45, 47 

“Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,” Luke 18:31-32

Again, we have the perspective of hind sight, even as Luke did in telling us this critical section of the story. We know the outcome. The disciples at that time did not know what was going to happen, but are still caught up in wondering about it. As they head out, without Judas being present, it surely curious as to where he is and what was he doing?

Pray before temptation or testing. 2 x 

The Prayer of Jesus: sweat like drops of blood.

The agony of the weight of what is about to transpire: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians5:21ESV

Definition

Nevertheless is a bridge between two opposing ideas or sets of facts, the first of which cannot invalidate or even dilute the latter, cannot ever make it less true.

Jesus sees the agony of the cross, the pain, the death and the grave.  His human side says I prefer life, nevertheless – on the other side: Thy will be done!

We stand on the sidelines, crying out, Jesus don’t back out now, don’t desert us.

The sorrow of the disciples: that word implies fear, anxiety, cowardice.

They did not pray as in the Prayer Jesus taught them: in the good times prepare yourselves for the spiritual battles that lie ahead. Twice he warns them. Do we sleep, ie, take things for granted when all is well? Do we begin our prayers in earnest when all falls apart? Or do we prepare beforehand by praying earnestly for those who are lost or misguided?

Do we listen to the arguments that call sin ok? We have a weapon against that which we need to use. We may not know the answers, we may not be smarter than the professors or leaders, but we do have a powerful weapon against all the forces of evil and against all the demons of hell: it is one word: Nevertheless.

The difference between Jesus who prayed and was strengthened by the Angel is different from the disciples reaction when the mob comes: it is so clear:

Jesus continues his healing ministry, loving his enemies, proclaiming the Will of God and standing with confidence, compassion, authority, and perhaps a slight bit of humor? I was with you daily, but you come in the night with armed guard to arrest a teacher? Your fear and your lies and deception are so apparent in the light of day. But this is your hour, because the Will of God will be done.  I am committed to it in my life. For this cause, for this purpose I have come. Nevertheless is a strong word when backed by the Will of God.  

Invitation: consider what the will of God is for your life: 2 Thess. 1:11,12:

“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NASB1995

Hebrews 5:7-9

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

Hebrews 5:7-9 NASB1995

How do you move from wondering who is going to betray Jesus to who is the greatest?

Look at the context these disciples are living in and the key moment they have with Jesus. Think about their reactions based on the teachings and the life example that Jesus brings to that moment in time:

See it in the context of Moses, or David at the end of their lives and their final instructions.

See how Jesus repeats himself from other teachings he has taught them.

Focus on the end, “you still don’t get it”

He is not concerned that the teaching didn’t sink in when he taught it.  He knows a secret, he knows that there is a time coming when the Holy Spirit will be their teacher. He is keenly aware that knowledge and wisdom are part of our growing in our experiences with God. It is not like just filling our brain with facts, but living life in relationship with a loving God. Our faith and out trust in God grow through our mutual experiences, which result in the changing of our hearts and minds. This is much more than just inputting data into our cerebral computers! 

So what does he give them? Keys for living in a difficult and complex world full of pain, disappointments, dissensions, arguments, and confusion.  Here are the key lessons:

The greatest is the persevering servant – Don Richardson

The trials (restored) of a Christian – the response that Jesus has: he does not criticize Peter, but is compassionate, and coming through results in effective service: 

Non excessive provision for ministry.

Foot washing at seminary; people who got saved while taking communion, those who have been healed, those who take it daily, those who take it weekly, all revel actions of God in the process of communion: conviction of sin, worship, thanksgiving, understanding of truth, and many other events. It has been a rich and varied experience throughout my life with both deep and worshipful insights.

Look at the text:  why two cups? Same cup twice? Are they 4 cups for a ritual that Jesus performed? I also heard of a special spot reserved for the Messiah? Did Jesus take that cup?  Ask him when we get to Heaven. But there is meaning in Luke’s presentation: 

1. See this as an act of a servant, who is serving his closest friends, and drawing them into his greatest confidence and trust. In this act he is preparing them for not just the days ahead but also for their eternal future and gave the historical event of the Exodus new meaning.  Review the meal sequence
2. He states he will suffer
3. He ate a meal with them 
4. He takes a cup and tell them to share it among themselves
5. He breaks bread and gives it to them
6. He takes the cup and inaugurates the new covenant
7. He reveals the betrayal.

Meaning to each event, but the focus is on the covenant in his blood, once and for all.

Paul’s admonition to do this often

The churches early practice was that it was a regular event and one of the pillars of the church

Admonition was to not abuse the meal, but to consider others as more important than yourself. We serve each other in the meal.  Welcome to our meal where we will break bread together!

The Passover is one of 3 pilgrimage feasts along with Weeks and booths. Josephus says about 2 ½ million attended and that during Pilate’s term there were riots and unrest throughout Jerusalem. This is about the Exodus and the emergence of a nation from the bondage of slavery.  It is central to the growth from a man to an ethnic group that will have a unique place in history.  Miracles remembered, traditions established, and a hope for brighter future.

For Luke and the Gospel writers, this is critical for the future of the church: the question is, how can Jesus be the Messiah if he suffers and dies on a cross, when according to the Torah (law) his death was cursed? So each of the gospels take pains to explain how Jesus is the Passover lamb, the messiah who was crucified for our sins, once and for all! (1 Cor. 5:7) The meal is alluded to six times in this passage.

The imagery is important. The timing is important because it allows the keen observer to see God’s will, intention and fulfillment of prophecy and all of the preparations for this climatic event. The meal is to be celebrated on the first day of the feast. The death of Jesus is to coincide with the slaughter of the lamb in the temple. So the importance of the prophet issuing his clear directions concerning the upcoming events, proving there is no mistake in any of it.

This is the event of Good versus evil. It is the great victory over sin and it’s result, which is death.  The key is not just greed which is idolatry, but it is the fact that Satan is the prime mover against Jesus.  This is what he sees as his opportune time since the temptations in the wilderness. The devil does not control the events.  If he had known, he would not have crucified the son of God.

Invitation:  the suffering of this world cannot be compared to the events that are to come. We join with Jesus in his mission to bring redemption and reconciliation to those around us. What we experience when we come to Jesus is growth in our own character development and faith.  But there is a purpose to our being on mission with him in this world. We are saved from and we are saved to the purpose God has for us. We are not put on the shelf, we continue to be fruitful for the Kingdom of God!

A threefold message here:

1. The Son of Man will return
2. Lift up your heads
3. Guard your hearts

The conditions surrounding the return of the Christ – Repetition of things learned!

1. The devil’s plot to steal, kill and destroy
2. The power of Christ
3. The overwhelming glory of Christ dispels the darkness
4. The preparation for what is to come since they didn’t understand when he said he would die and rise again.
5. The importance of the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy and the long term fulfillment of this prophecy yet to take place

The importance of hope in our lives!

1. Hope inspires confidence
2. Hope builds courage to conquers our fears
3. Hope strengthens our faith in God’s ability and God’s presence in our lives – stand up!

The result:

The necessity of protecting our hearts from the attacks of the enemy – note: there is no time-table and the focus is on moral exhortation 

1. Protect yourself from falling in the deceitful traps of the devil – cares of the world, lust, abandonment of clarity in obeying God.
2. Be alert in prayer – listen to what Father says, grow in your communication with him, your worship of him, and your waiting on him.
3. Escape, run from what is a trap.  

3 areas of prophetic importance, only focusing on two this morning: the destruction of the temple and city, persecution of Christians, and the coming of the Son of Man.

The uniqueness of Luke’s perspective is that he is writing a two part book, unlike both Mark and Matthew, he has the benefit of recording the fulfillment of the persecution part of the prophecy. Historically, we know about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which gives us confidence that the third part of the prophecy will also come to pass.

Notice how Jesus has already clearly prophesied about his own persecution and death as well as his resurrection.  In this context, even if the disciples are having a hard time understanding this, Jesus wants them to know that the same treatment is coming their way, and they need to prepare their hearts for it.

Notice how everything seems to be going very well so the disciples don’t see what is going on behind the scenes.

Jesus begins by focusing on the destruction of the temple, and the events that will take place in the world.

Then he focuses on preparedness that prevents deception: vs 8.

Fearful events, destruction of Jerusalem, famines, wars and plagues – see Agabus and his warning of a great famine – Acts 11:28

Vs. 12 these things must happen first, before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem: suffering of the disciples. Prophecy and fulfillment:

            Hand you over Acts 8:3 ( also same as Jesus: 9:44, 18:32)

            Lay hands on you Acts 4:3, 5:18

            Persecuting Acts9:4, 22:4

            Synagogues Acts 9:2, 26:11

            Prisons: Acts: 5:19, 8:3, 12:4, 16:23

            Kings: Acts 12:1, 25:13

            Governors: Acts 23:24,26; 26:30

            Account of my name: Acts 4:7; 5:28 

Persecution comes from those we love the most, in the form of betrayal. Vs. 16, the murder of James in Acts 12:1-2

Vs. 17, hated by all, reflects the beatitude: when people hate you. Lives are spared. Endurance and patience is critical.

These things are not just historically fulfilled, but are warnings to disciples today.  Our focus and trust needs to be centered on the one who is the judge of our souls and not on the false promises of those who cannot fulfill them.

1. The spies and their craftiness to catch Jesus with an impossible situati
     Jesus response is astonishing, creating a direct confrontation with
     Their hypocrisy in using money while wanting the removal of a god
     Their misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God
     The Kingdom of God: Psalm 24: The earth is the Lord’s and all it contained, the world and all who dwell in it.
2. The bigger issue here is the understanding of what the Kingdom of God is about and why Jesus is about to fulfill all the prophecies. But the expectations of the religious leaders is vastly different.
3. For them the Kingdom of God is linked with political aspirations
   The king is to bring secure borders, prosperity to all the Jewish people
   It is like the Kingdom of David, and thus bringing freedom from the political oppression of a bloodthirsty nation that suppresses them.
4. To this end, the encounter with the Sadducee is critical.  Their belief in no eternity, and no angels was from the time of Zadok the priest, who was an advisor to King David, was the more orthodox position in the philosophical gatherings of messianic understandings.  Yet their concepts blinded them to the reality of who Jesus really was and still is:
   The focus on the resurrection and eternal life is critical to knowing the real purposes of God! So Jesus confronts them while all the people are listening, and not only uses Exodus 3 and the burning bush with their tendency for exact interpretation of words, but also focuses on the prophecy of the son of David being greater than earthly kings!
5. The final bit is, Jesus lifting his eyes and showing that the one who gives all for others has greater understanding of the Kingdom and more faith in the activity of the King than others do. 

Application: what happens when we stumble over Jesus and his words? Do we believe in what he says about us? Are we willing to repent of our transgressions? Or does his life and words become a source of destruction to us?

The truth is, there is only one Victor in the world.  To set ourselves against him is both folly and futile. To turn to him and receive him is more that we could ever hope for. Here is the temple, the place where God ruled before the people rebelled against him, here is the place where the final showdown occurs. This is the place where sin will be judged. Either to the destruction of those who set themselves against Jesus or for salvation for those who place their trust in him.  

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?””

John 11:25-26 

The Prophet calls for the initiation of events

First he returns to the place of beginning to initiate the end: Bethany is the place where Jesus was baptized. The announcement by John of the Messiah coming. See John 1:28

Prophecy is not just the speaking forth of God’s Word as in preaching, though it does include that. There is also the element of proclaiming ahead of time what God will do, and in the process share what will happen before it happens.  The Bible is a prophetic book, showing God’s involvement in the world.  From Noah to Jesus, there are amazing accounts of prophetic utterances that have been fulfilled.  And there are many more yet to be fulfilled.  In the process, God continues to speak and prepare and show his care, provision and protection by letting God’s people know in advance what they ought to do.  

It is a matter of strategic importance concerning the nature of the Messiah, that this journey begins with just such a prophetic event.  This shows the activity of God in all that is to follow.  It builds confidence in the followers, it is more than just a trick, but this humble act of prophecy is ushering in the momentous events that were also prophetically spoken of throughout the Old Testament, but had been hidden from the eyes of the readers.  This small prophetic announcement is different from all others which were concerning others, or the revelation of who God was.  Other prophecies pointed to God, but affirmed Jesus as being a prophet. This prophetic statement deals directly with the arrival of the Messiah and point directly to Jesus.  

Part 2. 36-40

The Procession of the King

Normally such a triumphant entry into the capitol happens when a King is crowned. In this case, the announcement is different that in the past:  “Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him.

But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’ ””

2 Samuel 15:1, 10 

But this is a messianic announcement: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

Psalms 118:26 NASB1995. Four verses earlier he cites the Stone which the builders rejected which comes in the next chapter.

In Context, this is a kingship statement! And Messianic proclamation!  Thus the attempt to silence the disciples!

Part 3.  41-44

The Intercessor for the People

Such a mixture of emotions – from joyful exuberance to weeping over the city. This is a pictures of the priest in action.  First of all, he is an intercessor!  He still is! 

His intercession also is prophetic in nature pointing out what will come.  But the key aspect is the recognition of the time of Visitation. There are Kairos moments in God, which we do not want to miss!

All three together create the Messiah proclamation. 

Application:

1. I want to know the times of God’s visitation
2. I yearn to both be obedient and help others discover the rule of God in their lives

I yearn for us to recognize the needs around us and pray this we can meet those needs

The historical placement of this parable of the Minas in Luke, as well as how the parable is told, is very different, and ought not be confused. The differences relate to: 

            The time factor

            The amount given to the slaves

            The number of slaves entrusted

            Those who are punished

Noting these differences is important because it affects both the meaning and the interpretation of these two similar parables. 

Look at the parable:

Though it uses money as a means of showing faithfulness, it is not primarily a parables about money, but about the nobleman becoming a king.

It is also about the judgement of those who know the nobleman not wanting him to rule over them, though they actually have no say in the matter.

The events do not take a long time, but when they transpire, those who are faithful are rewarded, and even the one who is not faithful is doing all that his lord asked on him, is not removed or punished, he is not made a ruler over cities.  The punishment is reserved for those who do not want the rule of the King in their lives!

This is about the events that are about to take place in Jerusalem when they get there: Jesus will be crowned King as in Philippians 2:8-11:

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Those who do not want Jesus to be King in their lives will get what they want – including the consequences of their sin! Others will have various levels of rewards as the King chooses bestows upon them. The promotion from nobleman to King is not just important for the new King, but it has results for the King’s servants as well! Those who know Jesus will all be better of in the new Kingdom that comes with the King.

Application

1. Jews thought riches are a sign of the blessing of God: referring back to Abraham who received the covenant from God: Gen. 12:1-3 and in 13 he is described as “very rich”. Issac inherits his father’s riches, is described in 26:12,13: “Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And the LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy;”. Wealth was interpreted as the blessing of God missing entirely the true purpose of God being redemption and reconciliation which are the true blessings of His Kingdom. The riches of this world cannot be compared to the riches of eternity.
2. If we misunderstand the purpose of God, and the power of God and the love of God, then we will attempt to find a way to rationalize what Jesus says in order to make things more acceptable to our way of thinking. So here is this strange saying of Jesus about rich people entering the Kingdom of God: in the fifth century, some scribe changed the word camel to rope to make the task easier.  In the 15th century, an idea began to be shared about a camels gate in Jerusalem where the burdens had to be laid down in order for the camel to enter.  Great way to make money off of tourists! Issues of war, issues of camels, issues of misinterpretation of the scriptures are all ignored with this idea.

Contextual considerations:

1. The constant back and forth between Pharisees, lawyers, scribes and rulers to disciples and Kingdom principles.  Jesus is constantly comparing Kingdom values to the misrepresentations of the ruling leaders: in chapter 11 Jesus points out the flaws in the leaders approach showing they like what is going on on the outside but their inside is totally corrupt. In 16 he points out that the Pharisees were lovers of money, and in 18 he has just nailed their prayer life as being based on pride and arrogance. His dialogue here with the ruler varies from Matthew’s account as he is not young, nor is he specifically pointed out as being “loved” by Jesus. Rather his stumbling block to recognizing the Kingdom of God and it’s value is made strikingly clear.  He has a heart conflict with loving the things of this world as opposed to loving God.
2. The immediate context is the comparison between infants and their total dependency on their parents and the ruler who is proud of his self sufficiency.
3. The primary focus here is on the word “impossible”. Salvation is not possible with any person. It is only possible with God!  Notice Jesus is not concerned about the wealth issue, especially since in the next chapter he goes to eat with a rich man who repents, and uses hie wealth for righteous purposes. The question has to do with eternal life! The same as the lawyer in Chapter 10 asks about salvation and hear to keep the commandments and Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan and instructs him to Go and do likewise!  The greatness of his wealth is reflected in the greatness of his sorrow as he leaves.
4. The comparison between the dependent child and the independent ruler cannot be more crass.
5. The comparison then moves to a new dimension of instruction to the disciples: the instruction concerning giving and receiving more is not comprehended by them.  Look at all they have given up, and wonder what the future holds.  Jesus uses this opportunity to explain the passion to them more fully, and is asking them to follow him in what he does:  look at what Jesus gives up for others…. This is the core of the Gospel and not understood until after the resurrection. We get so caught up in our own thoughts that we miss the focus of what Jesus is saying, even as we look at babies and camels we miss the key information about all of the riches Jesus surrenders for our benefit.

What do we do with our riches? How do we invest in God’s kingdom? Where do we need to repent of which sins? Or do we have sorrow as a result of our abuse of what has been entrusted to us?  Have we misinterpreted the purposes and the focus of God’s love for us? Don’t go away sad, come to Jesus and get it right.

Notice, that the context of the question is asked in terms of two stories concerning prayer! One story is told to the disciples while the other is addresses to the Pharisees who are also a part of the crowd around Jesus.  The closer they get to Jerusalem the clearer Jesus speaks to the two knowing what is about to happen. And addressing his disciples Jesus links prayer to growth in faith! 

Observing Jesus in prayer:

Beginning of his ministry is bathed in prayer in the wilderness

Knowing his purpose and direction

Selecting the disciples to invest in

Praying alone and the revelation of who he is in 9:18

In 11 Jesus teaches them to pray when that is the only thing the disciples want to be taught

After Jesus prays, people are healed, delivered, and set free from every type of disease and hurt

Now Jesus is teaching his disciples about the importance of prayer in all that they are to do and will be doing: Indeed his instruction will be after the resurrection for them to stay in prayer until the are filled with the Holy Spirit! So these parables are a critical addition to both the observations of the disciples and the previous teachings by Jesus on prayer:

Three critical observations on prayer from these parables: 

1. Prayer is to be persistent
2. Prayer is to be patient
3. Prayer needs to be filled with power, not pride

Concerning 1: Don’t give up! George Mueller was a man of faith and prayer: all were answered

Concerning 2: My mother never saw the answers to her prayers for me, but she persisted in them

Concerning 3: Who is the object of your prayers? Is it God or is it you?  If it is God, then we need to be about the things that God is interested in, which is the redemption and reconciliation of the lost! Pride comes before a fall - “When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.”

Proverbs 11:2 

Conclusion: Grow in your prayer life – pray at all times. Let that become your lifestyle.

They have been with him along this journey to Jerusalem and have continually grown in fear of the people and despair at their loss of respect, power, and authority. Fast forward 5 days, after Judas agrees to betray Jesus and the leaders see their opportunity arise:

Now Jesus has been condemned by the religious leaders due to false testimony and brought before Pilate – who sends him to Herod who also finds no fault in him.  He returns and passes judgement 3 times: Jesus is innocent at every turn, except in the minds of the Jewish leaders: Each declaration becomes more general:  First he is declared innocent of the charges brought by the Jews.  Second, he is innocent of leading people astray.  Third, he is innocent of any wrongdoing worthy of death.  The final question is: Why, what evil has he done?  There is no answer to that question, because he has done no evil and they all know it. The only way to deal with this is to incite a riot. In the midst of this, a man who is guilty of inciting a riot and murder, is released and Jesus is handed over to their will!!! Barabbas, the guilty one, goes free – while the innocent one is not punished for his sins, but is a sacrifice for the sins of others.

I propose that we often think of God as a God of judgement, who is just looking for an opportunity to cast us into the fires of hell.  I for one do not believe that, but I do believe and if God did not spare his own son, how will he not with him freely give us all things!  A God of Love is not nit picking on our sins but wants above all to save us.  Save us from what?  Here is the answer: Our own Will!

The worst thing God can do to us, is to let us have our own way and do our own thing.  We see that as freedom, but God sees that as real bondage.  And here is the condemnation of Jesus we can see it clearly. 

First let us look at the leaders who are the protagonists of this dastardly deed:

Their pride is hurt.

Their authority is diminished.

Their purpose is questioned.

The only way they can see to regain their place of prominence among the people is to rid themselves of the one who is undermining them.  Their very existence is in their religion.  They don’t care about Rome, or Herod or Egypt, they are the inheritors of the greatest religion.  They are to safeguard their traditions and their understanding of the forefathers experiences and they see themselves as the gatekeepers of God’s Kingdom, and Jesus is threatening them and all that they stand for.  History is repeating itself since they have always killed the prophets and have done so in Jerusalem.  And now with the short window of time they have to get it done before sunset so as not to blemish their high feast of Passover.

Look what happens in their judgement:  When they get their will:

They look to get their pride, traditions, authority and power back, but the result is very different:

When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. Job 8:4

13The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Acts. 3:13-15:  Ignorance listed in 17 as their cause.  They very thing they accused Jesus of, they were guilty of!!!!  Why because they wanted their will and not God’s will in their lives.  They were blind to the will of God and paid for it.

See Romans 11:8

as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

The same is true when they came out of Egypt - Psalm 81:11-14

11“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. 13“If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, 14how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

When we place our trust in God and in his will, what might look like servanthood, is actually the greatest freedom available.  His will is for none of us to perish! His will is for us to prosper and be in health.  His will is for us to overcome all of our enemies – through his strength, his presence and his power in our lives.  When we harden our hearts against God and want to do our own thing, we are in the greatest danger, that God will actually let us do it.  And the results could be that we actually get what we ask for.

Luke carefully points out, it was not really his personal greed, but other forces are at work here. And his plan is being controlled by the devil.  Others are in play here, and the guilt is not on the Jews, but their leaders who organize the events coming up. Rising hatred for the one who is more popular than they are, and who is a threat to their way of life as well as their religion!

The disciples are preparing a meal.  Experiencing the work of a prophet again. Caught up in the moment, but unable to see the big picture that is unfolding. They do not suspect that one of their own is involved in this great moment in history. They simply set the stage: thinking it is just another Passover, they do not see the implications of what they are doing.  Would they have been involved if they had?  Did they not flee when Jesus was arrested, fading away because they feared for their own lives?  

Jesus is preparing for the greatest victory and moves towards both great suffering and great faith. The preparation at this Passover meal is about the events that will unfold in prophetic form at the coming meal. He wants to prepare the disciples for their future task that lies ahead of them, knowing he has to do this one thing alone. But he does see the whole picture and knows he is committed to it.  He lays out the plan and sets the stage for what goes down.

Do we trust Jesus with the preparations for our lives? Do we believe he sees the big picture and loves us in the midst of all we are going through? Put your trust in God!  If he carefully planned this out to the smallest detail, then he knows the smallest detail of your life as well!

Part 1

The road to Jerusalem is not straight. Related to the places his disciples had gone to prepare his arrival.

Leper colony where strangers are forced upon one another.

Had a measure of faith when they raised their voices to be heard – desperation.

All had faith for healing, only one was made whole: two aspects to faith, obedience and gratitude (worship). Jesus expects both.

Part 2

The challenge to Jesus’ authority from a theological position. “Who do you think you are?”

            Rejecting the evidence in front of them. A simple end times approach to the Messiah

            Unable to examine their own perspective and cultural heritage

The response by Jesus is that the kingdom is not just some internal ideas, but there is real power in it’s existence to heal, deliver, and to transform lives.  It is all around you for those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.

Part 3

Using the worldview and mindset of the Jewish leaders, Jesus instructs his disciples concerning the Kingdom.

Notice, this part of Jesus as King of the Kingdom is now coming into focus. He will be proclaimed, mocked and labeled: King of the Jews

His resurrection will be his enthronement on high where he is placed on a throne.

He will judge the living and the dead. He is the King above all kings, supreme ruler in heaven and earth. It is not a question of when, or where as most would have it.  The end will come quickly, but what is important is your response to the King now. This is not about chronology (timing), it is about conversion!

Hold lightly to pleasures, relationships, and possessions, but commit to the King and the eternal is secured regardless of what happens in this world.

And it is for all who are called and visited by the King.

There are four matters which Jesus addresses: 

1. The presence of scandal
2. The demands of forgiveness
3. The power of faith
4. The attitude of service

These are not matters of comfort,  rather they show the difference between living a kingdom of God kind of life and using religion as a means of disguising sin.  

The first two are very radical statements:

• Scandals are necessary 
• They show the need for repentance and forgiveness
• Forgiveness is necessary 
• This demonstrates the power and presence of God’s character in a life

The response of the shocked disciples is, how can we do that?

• Jesus reply is twofold:
• to focus on the importance of faith in a believers life
• to fulfill the purpose of God in service and obedience
• This is in direct opposition to the self-justifying attitudes of the Pharisees 

This reply begs the question, how do I get this kind of faith?

            The righteous shall live by faith

            The empowerment of the Holy Spirit enables us to have mustard seed faith

            The confrontation in Jerusalem, and the start of a new era is coming into focus

Your response to sin and scandals, will determine how your spiritual walk is governed. The objective here is not perfection, but humility and love motivating your actions. 

Jesus is not being unkind, but his love for them all does not allow him to be dishonest in confronting the dominant sins in their lives. And his knowledge of God does not allow them to hide their sins behind their assumed religious façade, which permits them to secretly hide their sins: see 1 John 2:16

So what Jesus is helping them do, is to peel back the onion skins of their lives:

You know what happens when you do this? It eventually brings out the tears! (Peel onion 🧅)

This background is key to understanding this passage:

1. The Pharisees feel threatened so now their hostility reaches a new level of openly mocking Jesus
2. Seeing the heart is an allusion to 11:39-41 where greed and alms giving is exposed inside and outside does not fool God!
3. Law and Prophets till John, now we see the Kingdom of God which is the rule of God from the heart!  All are urged to enter in.  Entrance is not by the impossible work of trying to keep the law without the right heart attitude, it is by repentance and forgiveness, which opens it for all who would believe! This is what all people yearn for and are wanting to get to in life!
4. In this process God does not change! His Word and ways are set and he doesn’t change!
5. Mal 3:6
6. Example is with divorce:  God hates divorce: Mal 2:16
7. But God does forgive and accept sinners!
8. He redeems, heals and delivers! He sets free the oppressed
9. But the Pharisees have different schools of thought concerning this and a major debate amongst themselves to cover up their fornication. School of Shammai allows divorce based on fornication, and Hillel allows it if the man finds another woman more attractive. But Jesus is radical enough to see the emotional and social damage divorce brings, that he can forgive and heal when it happens under any circumstance.  But that comes with repentance! A change of mind to agree with God, not use forgiveness as a means to hide your impurities!
10. Now he focuses on the wealth of the Pharisees which covers all three areas of their pride, the love of power, lust, and money, three main idols that will destroy any person. Those who were destroyed by it, want healing, those who benefit from it, want to maintain it
11. So this story, whether a parable or real is debated, but it clearly peals the onion of the Pharisees, pride, culture and religious standing before God. 
12. Lazarus is Greek for Eliezer which means My God Helps
13. The rich man is unrepentant in his torment and sees Lazarus as a servant
14. The reply of Jesus is twofold, to show the hardness of heart and lack of understanding about both God and the Scriptures as well as to foretell about his own upcoming experience that these very people would still deny!

The horror of this story is the fact that God’s offer is so inclusive and so marvelous, but still rejected by those who only see the temporal as meaningful in this life.  They exclude the life to come.  We should not make the same mistake, nor ought we find ourselves caught up in the pride of life and destroyed by our own insensitive justifications for our sins and prejudices. The way of deliverance is in repentance and forgiveness.  Entrance into the Kingdom happens as we come humbly and not by maintaining our own innocence of God’s revelation of Jesus and his gift of eternal life. What silliness is it for us to gain the whole world and yet forfeit our own life.  

Where do you need to repent in your life? Where do you need forgiveness or to give forgiveness? What do you need to be freed from?

First let us examine the cultural background of the text, then the revelation concerning the Kingdom of God, and lastly the application to the lives of any disciple of Jesus.

1.  The rich landowner is a righteous man. The amount of riches a person has does not determine either the extent of the blessing of God in a persons life, the righteousness of their walk with God, or their faithfulness and submission to the will of God.  You can be righteous before God, waking in holiness and be rich or poor in the world’s eyes.  It is not possessions that make you rich, it is your submission to both God’s will and character in your life that makes you rich in both spirit and truth.  The rich man is not righteous because of his wealth, but because of his character!  Some dangerously and falsely assume that wealth - as a sign of God’s blessing - determines righteousness. Righteousness is determined by our faithfulness to God, regardless of our circumstances. 
2. The manager is a person who is unrighteous not because of his possessions or lack of them, but because of his love for money, and his corruption in his dealings with money. He assumes that he can abuse his relationship with the landowner and that he has a right to his employers wealth!  This leads to his being fired! 
3. The manager sees the doom of his impending future, so he acts in such a way as to ingratiate himself with the tenants, and procure a future for himself in a legal way.  The righteous employer sees how shrewd the manager has changed his perspective (repented) from seeing wealth as more important than relationships, and complements him on his life’s change of direction!
4. Now Jesus turns to discuss how his disciples treat their stewardship of what belongs to God, and how faithfulness is determined by their handling of little things. Compare with 12:30-34. 

The focus of all parables has to do with the revelation of the Kingdom of God, how life in the Kingdom functions and grows and impacts the world about them.  

Here are some major themes in understanding the nature of the Kingdom:  

1. Jesus is King, and requires submission to his rule.
2. His rule is for others at great cost to himself!  He loves all of his subjects, and does not abuse that relationship as other leaders do.  His righteousness is not in question!
3. He demands repentance from his subjects to begin to think and act like he does, considering others as more important than himself
4. He looks for those who will learn the life of faith and holiness, who depend on him to transform their lives from the inside out! Not placing their own needs and desires above the others!  This is radical and the Pharisees see it, that they are in essence being compared to the unrighteous managers who need to repent of their ways and attitudes! They were just compared to the older lost son in the previous parable.  Now Jesus is showing his disciples the core issue that they are dealing with, it has to do with their relationship to riches and money. That is the bottom line.  It has little to do with kingdom relationships, primarily to the King.
5. Even the smallest sign of repentance is enough to begin with in transforming our thinking and our dependence upon the mercy of the master.  He can work with that.
6. The difference in this parable to the last one, is that there is no resolution for the older son, but here, there is an opening for grace that can be built upon for the one who sees their relationship to God being in jeopardy. 

Finally, the key interpretation of this parable is evident in verses 9-13. 

1. How do you use your money?  Not, how do others use their money for my benefit? Are the things I am a steward of, properly cared for?
2. Faithfulness in little things leads to faithfulness in real valuables!  This is the spiritual impact of dealing with monetary issues.  There are heart issues here that require us to examine ourselves.  First comes the natural and then the spiritual. 
3. True riches are based upon being righteous with little things, and the things of others!
4. If I cannot manage the things that belong to others correctly, how will God entrust me/us with our own possessions?
5. Compare verse 13 with 12:34
6. The tell tale sign of worldly versus spiritual is seen in verse 14!
7. What do you and I need to repent of?

Powerful message about reconciliation and the process we go through to arrive at a place of repentance (the peeling of an onion to get at the heart of the matter)

The joy and the honor that comes with being a child of God! The importance of the clothes, the ring and  sandals! Again, a feast with dancing! Joy in community! 

This time through, I read it in it’s context of the criticism by the Pharisees, and how Jesus responded to them with these parables:  I can imagine just how thrilled the crowds were with his answer, and how much more upset the elites were with his response.  

And that leads us to the heart of all three of these parables!

1. The position that the Pharisees held was that they were the ones to hold the truth and enjoy the benefits of those who were righteous – reading, explaining, and leading the people in how to be righteous. Jesus is challenging their authority and the people are responding to Jesus! 
2. The real focus of these parables is not about the sheep, the coin, or the lost sons!  It is about the shepherd, the woman and the Father.  The focus on the third parable is the highlight of understanding who the Father is and how he yearns for a relationship with all who will come to him!  It is about the heart of the Father, and his coming out to both sons, making the same offer!  All that I have is yours!
3. The older boy responds as a slave would respond, not as a son.  In the same way as his younger brother who had no interest in the Father, only in what the Father could provide!  Both missed the yearning desire of the Father to to love and be loved.  He was only there to be used and abused.
4. In this last portion about the older son Jesus exposes the very hypocrisy of the Pharisees – who are also just as blind to the heart of the Father and live slavishly under rules that they impose on others. The judgement is as clear as the invitation to experience the Fathers great love.

How do you see your relationship with the Heavenly Father?  Living in Forgiveness, restoration and rejoicing? Or is it a burden you bear, rather than casting all your burdens on to Jesus.

1. What is the context of their grumbling -  last chapter about hospitality into hostile surveillance and rejection, so the parable addressed their rejection - they do not remember their God given calling and purpose. Their interests are very self centered
2. Jesus bringing honor to sinners by hosting and eating with them
3. How does Jesus respond to their grumbling? Telling a parable about joy!
4. Focusing on his accusers and wanting them to be drawn into the Kingdom and the purposes of God

The cultural aspects and the understanding of the day

1. 100 sheep would be a rich man. In this instance probably a community or relatives with designated shepherds, not hirelings. Question about the rest left in the wilderness
2. The risks and burden of the shepherd
3. A story all would identify with

The theological aspects of the parable

1. A sheep goes astray and the shepherd leaves all to find it. Isa 53:6
2. Responsibility of the shepherd – Ezekiel 34:11, 14-16
3. Joy at finding it
4. Willingness to carry the burden, a picture of the cross which would later be understood
5. Return home to all who rejoice with him. Joy in community
6. Repentance equals Jesus finding us. Which is great grace

Conclusion

How do we respond when confronted with our being lost? Especially if we think we are fine?  

Understand that repentance is not a means of bringing the Kingdom into our lives. Rather repentance is a response to being found by the King.   

The Cost of being a disciple: forsake all, pick up a cross and follow Jesus

1. Why?  Are we not supposed to honor Father and Mother?
2. Jesus knows the priority: if we want to be able to love others, or even ourselves, we have to first love God
3. In loving God above all else, we do not fall into the temptation of making idols out of others
4. See ancestor worship, 
5. Kings and rulers as gods
6. For fathers whose legends are greater than they were

The value of the Kingdom of God must be weighed to the cost:

1. Eternal life
2. Eternal virtues
3. Eternal relationships beyond what we know here

Jesus tells three parables about the value of the Kingdom, and what we get in exchange for paying the “cost”

1. The parable of the tower: count the cost first
2. Relate relativizing relationships and possessions from banquet 
3. Vs 26 with verse 20 and 33 with verses 18-19
4. The parable of the warriors: who are you fighting against?
5. Willingness to bear ones own cross – or be defeated
6. The parable of the salt:  who are we?
7. You cannot mix the contents of discipleship, that is possessions and the call of Jesus on your life

Conclusion

Both the parable of the banquet and these parables show us the demands of discipleship. The entanglement with persons and things can in effect be a refusal of the invitation.

We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  It only comes with a commitment to Jesus to love him first and above all, whatever the cost in this life.  It will be worth it!

Mealtime is the best time for sharing, and for building each other up. It is also a time when families can share with each other building strong bonds. It ought to be a place of honesty, commitment, love and understanding. We guarded our mealtimes with our children as they grew up.  

Dr. Luke Johnson points out, in his commentary on Luke, another purpose for meals within both Hellenistic and Jewish society in the times of Jesus:  such gatherings were called a symposium, or a gathering of academics, leaders, philosophers to discuss important ideas. Again, we see the Pharisees inviting Jesus to such a gathering around a meal on the sabbath – and each time this has happened, Jesus heals someone to the dismay of the hosts. From Luke chapter 6, we see the Pharisees and lawyers plotting to discredit Jesus, indeed,: “they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”  Luke 6:11

The question arises in my mind: does doing good merit evil responses? What does that mean for us as Christians when we share Jesus with this world?

Read text

Obviously Jesus knows the intentions of the Pharisees when the chief Pharisee invites him, so why does he go?  He obviously is not afraid of their power, authority, anger or threats.  He is confident and sure of himself. Is he looking for confrontation or to win a fight and thereby gain even more followers?  No, but his objective is to fulfill his purpose as in Luke 4:18: ““THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,” This is his great Love for all people, not just to bring deliverance to those who are literally blind, but also to those who are so caught up in themselves that they are deceived about who God is and His purposes in life. It is for love that Jesus goes onto these events to expose sin and God’s forgiveness and deliverance for all who will repent. As Luke’s mentor, Paul stated in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

Occasion is the sabbath, a time of deliverance. Sabbath is to be a time of rest and in the 7th year a time of liberation and deliverance as well! But the rabbinic testimony claims nothing resembling healing to be done on the sabbath!  So the silence of the leaders is interesting, possibly leading to increased anger against him not abiding by their rules and showing them up as hypocrites.  

This healing is a test for Jesus who heals the swelling anyway, and sends the man away with a rebuke to the lawyers who need to know God’s love as much as the Pharisees do. The result is he is left with the leaders and he addresses them with parables. 

1. Parable about shame and honor is part of their culture. 
2. Need for humility – concern for the healed man
3. Also concern honor for Jesus
4. Jesus addresses the leader about caring for outcasts, exposing his pride and position
5. This is their slavery to sin Jesus wants to liberate them from
6. He also points to the eternal rewards
7. Response by Pharisee about Jews being the select ones to enter God’s Kingdom
8. Jesus’ reply is now aimed at their hidden sins that could actually keep them from the Kingdom unless they repent and come to a knowledge of the truth. The parable of the banquet and those who choose not to come. 
9. Three calls to come to react to the three excuses.
10. Excuses are for personal possessions – greed -  and personal relationships over a relationship to Jesus and his Father, rejecting the call to repent from sin
11. First is to the righteous
12. Second to the outcasts of Israel
13. The third is to the ends of the earth – cf 13:28-30
14. Parable of rejection told to leaders and intended for leaders who came to disgrace Jesus only to have their sins exposed

What does that mean for us today?

1. Examine ourselves to see if our primary focus is Jesus and his Kingdom
2. Repent of our own greed and self centered ness
3. Recommit ourselves to trusting God for all things in our lives, with gratitude
4. See opportunities to be the church to outcasts as well as righteous and even open to those beyond our cultural and linguistic barriers to bring others to the cross of Christ for their deliverance and freedom
5. To face such challenges with the confidence and love of Jesus, even in the face of opposition
6. Give our fears and our insecurities to Jesus and be set free to serve others in love

The modern situation is that we need to be self reliant. Sin is overrated. Sin is old fashioned. 

“But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.””

Matthew 1:20-21 NASB1995

“They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,”

Psalms 106:21 NASB1995

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.””

Acts 5:29-32 NASB1995

1. What are we saved from?
2. What are we saved to?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 NASB1995

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”

Titus 3:3-6 NASB1995

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NASB2020

“But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Ephesians 5:3-5 NASB2020

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Galatians 5:19-21 NASB

“Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Ephesians 5:11 CSB

Saved to:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Titus 2:11-14 NASB1995

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Jude 1:24-25 NASB1995

1. How are we saved? Is it a one off? Continuous? Is it progressive?

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:9-10 NASB1995

“for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.””

Romans 10:13 NASB1995

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

James 5:16 NASB1995

“but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 7:24-25 NASB1995

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”

Philippians 2:12 NASB1995

Different reactions from Scripture:

Abraham and Lot – invited them to eat and stay

Gideon – had a discussion of his doubts

Zechariah was troubled and then fear fell on him

Mary was troubled but curious

The shepherds are filled with great fear!

So why are the first words the angel speaks in the NT:  Fear Not?  Some have said it occurs in the NT 365 times, but not in this form. Perhaps if you add all the different words like terrified etc. then ca 300 occurrences – but only once is necessary for it to be valid all time.  In the NASB in this form:  Fear not, do not fear, do not be afraid 127 times. Jesus even says in Matthew 10: 28,31:  Do not fear. In John 14:27:  Let not your heart be fearful; Luke 12:7 do not fear you are more valuable than sparrows; Luke 5:10: do not fear, from now on you will be fishers of men; so many accounts of do not fear!

Fear is a slave driver and master.  In Romans 8 where fear is discussed, it states:  “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!””

Romans 8:15 NASB2020 - song: no longer slaves to fear we are children of God!

The importance of fear in your life?  What are you afraid of?  How does fear rule you? There are all kinds of fears that we face on a day to day basis that can overpower us.  Health, death, relationships, children, finances, Covid 19, politics, future in the church, the needs at home, comfort, peace. Things we prefer to keep and we know them out of the scope of fear. We retreat in what we know because we are afraid of what we do not know.

The answer to fear is our ability to trust God.  Our faith is the difference!

We have no reason to fear when we are in the hands of Jesus!  

Why no rear?  Because He promises to be with us all the time!  He will not fail us, he will help us, he will give us the kingdom, he will heal us, he cares for you, delivers us from evil, fills us with his Spirit, fills us with words when we need them.  He loves us more than we can imagine!

I John 4:11, 18: “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:17-19 NASB2020

The opposite of fear is faith.  That is how we conquer our fears.  Knowing that God loves us and has called us to be his children is the security we need to move forward, through this life into the next.  The way to do that is to repent of our fears as we encounter them.  Ask God to fill you with his love and Spirit in each instance, and leave the worry to him.  The echo throughout the centuries comes from the Angel to us:  Do not Fear!

1. Pilate is mentioned here for the first time, as the direct confrontation lies in the direct future of this band of travelers on their way to Jerusalem.  Rome had a policy of ruling with direct power and punishment.  They infiltrated other religious groups and cultures with a desire to intermingle and destroy the mindset of the conquered people groups.  They did that with direct force.
2. The second group is represented by the synagogue leader who wants to keep his understanding of religious control. (As opposed to Rome?) He appears to be compromising by allowing healing, but please keep our religion and culture intact.
3. Both groups seek to use their abilities to control the freedoms of people and subject them to a particular mindset.

Jesus, in his declaration of the purpose of his ministry has come to set the captives free! (Luke 4:18: ““THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,”)

1. His approach is very different and is clearly expressed in these verses:
2. Repentance, not hiding in shame or fear (those who died)
3. Grace and patience rather than punishment (the fig tree)
4. Matters of love and caring above rules and regulations (woman who was healed)
5. His approach leaves us in a position of decision making.
6. Pilate will be confronted soon.
7. The synagogue leader either repents or is brought to shame
   The people rejoice at the freedom from bondage and the offer of hope for all
   See bondage, sin, sickness, family relationships, position of women in society
8. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free Gal. 5:1
9. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3:17
10. No longer slaves to fear (Rom. 8:15)
11. Walking in love Ep.5:2 and 2 John 1:6
12. He compares the two types of Kingdoms very clearly here: Kindness and love start small but infiltrate through the whole of society beginning at home and growing through personal relationships.  Overcoming prejudice and rejoicing with those who have been freed, not coerced