Why sticky notes?
Well, why not?
Its a good tool for youngsters, ages 7 through 14
it’s a first step
anyone can take, even your little one
We encourage all
of our littles
in grades 1 through 5
to practice this assignment
Some artwork is too informative and reinformative
to be overused
I will be clear,
This video is not one of them
The desgretion of mature believers are at a correct position to identify truth
which on healthy grounds should be fluent
on rocky, unhealthy grounds, fostered by false doctrine,
theres no way to foster the seed
its a dry, rocky ground
with no life
yet exerts plenty of rules and regulations clearly centered around finance
finance is not capable of anything
In a perfect world, individuals gather information
and extract truth
Not everyone is equipped with a compass that
correctly discerns truth
Visual Aids such as Art and Music
are Helpful in rendering the Word of God,
but should
NEVER be used as an authoritative Source
of equal value to Scripture
The assumption and in
my opinion target
is that truth from a wide variety
of knowledge
is retracted and refined in the goal of applying it to Gods Truth
in a way it can
most effectively reach and launch the lost
In these incredibly polarizing, unstable, and devastating times,
Christian’s given truth can not hide from the world,
we correctly handle it
Everyone is exposed to the World
If you best Address it Correctly
to effectively
benefit the highest percentage of audience
Theres a fair chance the largest percentage
of audience will
be reached in accordance to Truth
Mature and Secure Faith
is a requirement for progressive work,
Theres many levels
and responsibilities in accordance to the assignment
The Scope of biblical understanding and
application is large,
and bridging the landscape with correctly
applied tools
with help germinate the message
because of the inclusive and effective approach
that remains
in bounds and prospectively applicable
Unnecessary obstacles
(let’s say in doctrinal understanding)
Will inevitable block growth,
for hopefully clear reasoning
Sarah wasn’t bought, redeemed,
and married to Christ
The Cross was a high Cost
She was not committed to Christ
and didn't
have his Word to lead her
Sarah probably wasn’t in a position of continual
mis management,
bullshit, and non biblical care,
A place of NO growth, but continual suffering
There’s no accountability, reasoning, or message
to instruct otherwise,
Just a growing fb page of 700 ex members who are mad
and seeking truth
Christians
TRULY bought by the blood are
committed to CHRIST
If you Truly know the Truth,
and are committed, being on an island
will pail in
comparison to his riches in joy
If you were bought at such a high price, your
Faith will be likely as high
in order to be confident in knowing
he’s in control when you first seek righteousness
and live by faith
as a result of experiencing true grace
Prophets were set apart, on an island,
a job they
Certainly didn’t sign up for, but was
assigned to them
They understood the Assignment
that wasn’t Well Perceived
In Luke 14, Jesus lays out the terms of discipleship. There were great crowds following Him. Everyone loved the miracles, healing, and free food. Jesus was cool, the talk of the town, and the latest fad. But He knew their hearts. He knew they desired the benefits of what He did rather than an understanding of who He was. They loved His gifts, not the life He was calling them to. So He explained what it takes to be one of His followers:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-33).
Jesus said a lot in those simple illustrations. He quickly put an end to the idea that He offered some kind of welfare program. Although the gift of eternal life is free to anyone who asks (John 3:16), the asking requires a transfer of ownership (Luke 9:23; Galatians 5:24). “Counting the cost” means recognizing and agreeing to some terms first. In following Christ, we cannot simply follow our own inclinations. We cannot follow Him and the world’s way at the same time (Matthew 7:13-14). Following Him may mean we lose relationships, dreams, material things, or even our lives.
Those who are following Jesus simply for what they can get won’t stick around when the going gets tough. When God’s way conflicts with our way, we will feel betrayed by the shallow, me-first faith we have bought into. If we have not counted the cost of being His child, we will turn away at the threat of sacrifice and find something else to gratify our selfish desires (cf. Mark 4:5, 16-17). In Jesus’ earthly ministry, there came a time when the free food stopped and public opinion turned ugly. The cheering crowds became jeering crowds. And Jesus knew ahead of time that would happen.
Jesus ended His description of the cost of discipleship with a breathtaking statement: "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). “Renouncing” may mean we give up something physically, but more often it means we let go emotionally so that what we possess no longer possesses us. When we become one of His, we cannot continue to belong to this world (1 John 2:15-17). We must make a choice, for we cannot serve both God and Mammon (Matthew 6:24). The rich young ruler, when confronted with that choice, turned his back on Jesus (Luke 18:18-25).
Suppose you learned that you had been given an all-expense-paid condo on a beach in Tahiti, complete with airfare, a car, food, and a maid. You could brag about your new lifestyle, plan for it, and dream about it. But until you pack up and leave your current home, the new life is never really yours. You cannot live in Tahiti and your current hometown at the same time. Many people approach Christianity the same way. They love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell, and having Jesus at their beck and call. But they are not willing to leave the life they now live. Their desires, lifestyle, and sinful habits are too precious to them. Their lives may exhibit a token change—starting to attend church or giving up a major sin—but they want to retain ownership of everything else. Jesus is speaking in Luke 14 to those with that mindset.
We cannot earn salvation by lifestyle change or any other good deed (Ephesians 2:8-9). But when we choose to follow Christ, we are releasing control of our lives. When Jesus is in control, pure living results (1 John 3:4-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17). In Jesus’ parable of the sower, it was only the soil that allowed the seed to put down roots and bear fruit that was called “good.” If we are going to be disciples of Christ, we must first count the cost of following Him.
Jesus at a Pharisee’s House
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
The Cost of Being a Disciple25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Effective
Ministers of the Gospel of Christ
to a
world of lost and hurting people
need a variety of things
including scriptural knowledge, but in order to implement that,
a clear
knowledge of redemption and grace
In this week’s Torah portion the Abraham narrative comes to a close. From his call in Ur of the Chaldees, to his trip down to Egypt and his interactions with Melchizedek, Lot, Abimelech, and others, it’s been quite a ride. Along the way, God has made promises to Abraham and his descendants that include the land, being a special people, and being a blessing to the whole world. Now, at the end of Abraham’s life, the stage is set for a transition, as God is preparing the next generation to receive the promises. There are two main events in this week’s portion.
First, we read of Sarah’s death at the age of 127 years. (It is interesting to note that this is the only time in all of scripture that a woman’s age is mentioned at all.) Sarah was a special person. Although she once laughed at God’s plan, she was nevertheless used by God in important ways. Thankfully, God likes to work with less than perfect individuals. Sarah became the matriarch of the Jewish people, and Abraham wanted to honor her with a proper and fitting burial. They were in Kiriath-arba which, as the text says, was also known as Hebron. Here, Abraham searched for a burial site for Sarah.
Abraham went to the inhabitants of the land, the Hittites, and asked to buy some ground for the burial. The Hittites readily agreed and even offered to give him a grave free of charge. Abraham then asked if he could meet with Ephron the son of Zohar, who had a particular cave that Abraham wanted. Upon meeting, Ephron also offered the land for free. But Abraham preferred to pay full price and gave him four hundred shekels worth of silver. We read in Genesis 23:19-20, “After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.”
The second main event in this week’s portion is the famous story of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham instructed his servant to find a wife for Isaac, but not among the Canaanites. So the servant went back to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, and – by the Lord’s providence – found Rebekah. She returned with the servant to meet Isaac, and he took her to be his wife.
The life of Abraham is now coming to an end. Sarah has been buried, and Isaac is ready to start the next generation and continue the line that will carry God’s promises. Abraham’s burial is recorded in Genesis 25:9-11a, “Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son.”
The original purchase of this cave was itself an act of faith on the part of Abraham, as it was a piece of the very land that God had promised for him and his descendants. In Genesis 50:13 we see that Isaac and Rebekah, along with Jacob and Leah are buried there as well. This means that all of the patriarchs and their wives (with the exception of Rachel) were laid to rest in this very place. Years later, the children of Israel would enter the land more completely, just as God had promised. Abraham’s faith in the future promises of God enabled him to live obediently even while the fulfillment was a long ways away.
This should be a lesson for us all. Through Yeshua – the ultimate descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – we can rejoice in the future promises God has given us. Hebrew 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
“And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life,
from under heaven;
everything that is in the earth shall perish.”
(Genesis 6:17)
In this Parasha, God instructs Noah to build a huge
ark
(called a teivah תֵּבָה in Hebrew)
capable of holding
at least a
pair
of every kind of animal.
A terrible deluge of water is about to come, which would wipe out
every living thing on earth except
for those
saved on the ark.
God’s grief over the
corruption of mankind is so intense
that He has decided to
wipe the slate clean
and establish
His covenant with Noah:
“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall
come into the ark,
you, and your sons, and your wife, your sons’ wives with you.
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort
shall you bring into the ark,
to keep them alive with you;
they shall be male and female.” (Genesis 6:18–19)
Noah is not a boat builder by trade and the job is no small undertaking.
He is to seal it inside and out with pitch (tar) in order that it
will float
on the water and keep everything
dry within.
the boat requires a high standard of craftsmanship. It is seems likely that
God gave him a supernatural gifting and impartation of wisdom.
Not only is the boat to carry an astonishing array of animals and a massive quantity of provision, it also
has to withstand rain for 40 days and 40 nights.
And even after the rain stops, another 150 days will pass before the waters recede.
The ark finally comes to rest on Mount Ararat.
Noah devises a method for determining when it is safe to leave the ark by observing the behavior of birds.
He sends out a raven that comes back when it finds no place to rest. A week passes and he sends out a dove. It comes back as the raven did.
Later, Noah again sends out a dove, and when it returns with an olive branch, he knows the waters have dried up sufficiently to allow vegetation to begin growing again. Another week passes before Noah sends the dove again. When it doesn’t return at all, he understands it is safe to emerge from the ark.
In a scene reminiscent of Creation, God commands Noah and his family to go out and replenish the earth — to be fruitful and multiply. God again instructs the eating of green herbs and now allows humankind to eat the flesh of animals; nevertheless, God forbids the eating of blood.
God also institutes the death penalty for murder, reminding them that man has been created in God’s image and therefore, the life of every human being is very precious. This passage is a reminder to us that when we look at others, we must see them as having been created in the image and likeness of the Almighty God.
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6)
And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.’” (Genesis 8:21)
God sets a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant
(ot brit / אוֹת בְּרִית)
Yeshua said that the great hallmark of faith in Him — of having the Torah
written inside our hearts and minds
in the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant)
— is love:
“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13:35)
The Bible can be trusted about a past judgment and a future one.Agreed! Although she uses the word story (which often refers to something fictitious, especially to children), Noah, the Flood, and Ark are all part of a true account from history. The Bible can be trusted about a past judgment and a future one.
“Evil Threats to Christianity”The second theme focuses on comparing the perceived safety of the Ark to the evil of the world outside the Ark. Bloomfield states,
The AE identifies many enemies to Christianity: those who distort the Bible, those who doubt the Bible, and those who commit sins. The AE offers that only through Christianity, as represented on the AE, can visitors protect themselves from the figurative, but imminent, flood waters.
In reality, everyone (whether inside or outside the Ark) is a sinner, and, when they sin, they behave as an enemy of Christianity. Genesis 6:9 says that Noah was righteous man, but we also know from Genesis 9:21 that he was still a sinner. The Christianity represented on the Ark is the gospel found in the Bible. Noah and his family and the animals entered through one door on the Ark to be spared from the physical consequences of the Flood. Similarly, there is only one way to Godthe Father and that is through the “door” of his Son Jesus Christ
(John 10:9)
Christians often talk about the need to “speak the truth in love,” a command found in Ephesians 4:15. Many times what they mean is the need to share difficult truths in a gentle, kind, inoffensive manner. From a practical standpoint, we know that difficult things are best heard when our defenses are not up. In a loving, non-threatening environment, hard truths are more readily received. So it is biblical to share hard truths with others “in love,” in the manner that the phrase is commonly used. Looking at the context of Ephesians 4:15, however, gives us deeper insight on what it means to “speak the truth in love.”
In the verses prior to the command to speak the truth in love, Paul writes about unity in the body of Christ. He urges the Ephesians, and all Christians by extension, to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He describes this life as one in which we are humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, and making efforts toward unity. Paul reminds his readers that we all serve the same Lord and are part of the same body. He talks about Christ giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Having reached maturity, we will not be spiritual infants, easily deceived, and tossed to and fro “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
In this context—of church unity and spiritual maturity—Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than be spiritually immature and easily deceived, we are to speak the truth to one another, with love, so that we can all grow in maturity. We are to train one another in truth—the foundational gospel truths, truths about who God is and what He has called us to do, hard truths of correction, etc.—and our motivation to do so is love.
The “love” referred to in this verse is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. We speak truth in order to build up. Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our words should be beneficial to the hearers of those words. We should speak truth in love.
Paul also counsels “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25). As members of the same body, we should not deceive one another. We cannot defraud each other through lies. Nor should we attempt to hide things about ourselves out of shame or in an effort to manage our images. Rather, as those who are part of the same body intended for the same purpose and united by the same love, we should be characterized by honesty. Those who love must speak the truth: “Love . . . rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Dishonesty is unloving and abusive.
Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth. Because we know the truth, we must be people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). As His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also be characterized by grace and truth.
Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote, “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We share the gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).
In the verses prior to the command to speak the truth in love, Paul writes about unity in the body of Christ. He urges the Ephesians, and all Christians by extension, to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He describes this life as one in which we are humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, and making efforts toward unity. Paul reminds his readers that we all serve the same Lord and are part of the same body. He talks about Christ giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Having reached maturity, we will not be spiritual infants, easily deceived, and tossed to and fro “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
In this context—of church unity and spiritual maturity—Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than be spiritually immature and easily deceived, we are to speak the truth to one another, with love, so that we can all grow in maturity. We are to train one another in truth—the foundational gospel truths, truths about who God is and what He has called us to do, hard truths of correction, etc.—and our motivation to do so is love.
The “love” referred to in this verse is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. We speak truth in order to build up. Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our words should be beneficial to the hearers of those words. We should speak truth in love.
Paul also counsels “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25). As members of the same body, we should not deceive one another. We cannot defraud each other through lies. Nor should we attempt to hide things about ourselves out of shame or in an effort to manage our images. Rather, as those who are part of the same body intended for the same purpose and united by the same love, we should be characterized by honesty. Those who love must speak the truth: “Love . . . rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Dishonesty is unloving and abusive.
Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth. Because we know the truth, we must be people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). As His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also be characterized by grace and truth.
Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote, “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We share the gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).
The disciple John is recognized fondly among Bible readers as the apostle of love. He dedicated vast portions of his writing to the theme of Christlike love. John asserts that believers can understand genuine love by observing Christ’s example: “By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16–18, ESV).
To love in deed and in truth means to demonstrate the authentic quality of our love with our actions, just as Jesus did. Paul communicated a similar message: “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (Ephesians 5:2, NLT).
It is not enough merely to say with our words that we love one another; we must show or prove the truth of our love by our deeds. Jesus said, “I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34, NLT; see also John 15:12; 1 John 4:11). Paul emphasized the need for us to be genuine: “Love must be sincere” (Romans 12:9).
How did Jesus love us? Jesus loved us in deed and in truth. Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) as “a sacrifice to take away our sin” (1 John 4:10, NLT). Jesus loved us like no other—with everything He had—giving up His own life so that we might live.
James provides an excellent illustration of insincere, unproven love: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15–16). We love “in word” or “in talk” when we only offer empty phrases and well wishes. We may say to someone in need, “I will pray for you,” when what he needs to hear is, “How can I help you?” Real love involves taking steps to meet the needs of others.
True Christian love demands more than words—it calls for action. Loving in deed and in truth will often cost us something and may even hurt us. Jesus explained to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it” (Matthew 16:24–25, HCSB). Following Jesus means pursuing a life of self-sacrifice and servanthood (Mark 10:45; see also Matthew 20:28; Luke 22:27; Philippians 2:6–7).
Jesus said that the highest form of love is sacrifice: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NLT). Rarely as Christians will we be called upon to lay down our lives literally. But if we are to love in deed and in truth, we will have to get up and do something, and that will require our time, money, or other resources. Sincere love flows from our hearts and not just from our mouths; it springs from our hands and feet and not just from our lips. “It is a love that gives without counting the cost, without any thought of return, without first weighing up whether or not such love is deserved—a love that is entirely without self-interest” (Jackman, D., The Message of John’s Letters: Living in the Love of God, InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 100).
The nature of God’s love is sacrificial (1 Corinthians 13:4–8). In His Word, God gives us the finest definition of what it means to love in deed and in truth: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16–17, NLT). God didn’t just say that He loves us; He demonstrated it by sending Jesus to live a life of service and die as a sacrifice for our salvation.
We cannot fully love in deed and in truth without the love of Christ dwelling within us: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (1 John 4:16–17, NLT). God’s love enables us, like the Good Samaritan, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (see Luke 10:25–37). When the pure love of Jesus resides in our hearts, we are equipped to love not with empty words or meaningless talk but with genuine acts of kindness and compassion.
Besides being part of a city’s protection against invaders, city gates were places of central activity in biblical times. It was at the city gates that important business transactions were made, court was convened, and public announcements were heralded. Accordingly, it is natural that the Bible frequently speaks of “sitting in the gate” or of the activities that took place at the gate. In Proverbs 1, wisdom is personified: “At the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech” (verse 21). To spread her words to the maximum number of people, Wisdom took to the gates.
The first mention of a city gate is found in Genesis 19:1. It was at the gate of Sodom that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, greeted the angelic visitors to his city. Lot was there with other leading men of the city, either discussing the day’s issues or engaging in important civic business.
In the Law of Moses, parents of a rebellious son were told to bring him to the city gate, where the elders would examine the evidence and pass judgment (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). This affirms that the city gate was central to community action.
Another important example is found in the book of Ruth. In Ruth 4:1-11, Boaz officially claimed the position of kinsman-redeemer by meeting with the city elders at the gate of Bethlehem. There, the legal matters related to his marriage to Ruth were settled.
As Israel
combatted the Philistines,
the priest Eli waited
at the city gate for news regarding
the ark
and to hear how his sons fared
in the battle
(1 Samuel 4:18)
When King David ruled Israel, he stood before his troops to give instructions from the city gate (2 Samuel 18:1-5). After his son Absalom died, David mourned but eventually returned to the city gate along with his people (2 Samuel 19:1-8).
The king’s appearance at the gate
signaled that the mourning was over,
and the king was once again
attending to the business of governing.
The city gate was important in other ancient cultures, as well. Esther 2:5-8 records that some of the king’s servants plotted at the king’s gate to murder him. Mordecai, a leading Jew in Persia, heard the plot and reported it to Esther, who gave the news to the king (Esther 2:19-23). The Persian court officials were identified as being “at the king’s gate” (3:3).
To control the gates of one’s enemies was to conquer their city. Part of Abraham’s blessing from the Lord was the promise that “your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies” (Genesis 22:17).
When Jesus promised to build His Church, He said, “The gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). An understanding of the biblical implications of “gates” helps us interpret Jesus’ words. Since a gate was a place where rulers met and counsel was given, Jesus was saying that all the evil plans of Satan himself would never defeat the Church.
Central to God’s plan of redemption is the call to repentance and faith. Repentance involves an acknowledgement of our sinfulness and turning away from it (Acts 3:19; cf. Psalm 51:17). This is a crucial step in salvation because it places sinners into the hands of a merciful, gracious, and loving God who would never reject anyone who earnestly seeks Him (John 6:37; Hebrews 11:6).
Saving faith is confident reliance and
trust in Christ alone to obtain salvation:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV).
Both repentance and faith
are part of God’s plan
of redemption and are necessary
for humanity to be
rescued from the bondage of sin.
As the pages of redemptive history unfold,
the ultimate purpose for creation
is revealed—total restoration of all things.
This is not merely a return to a pre-fall state;
it is a cosmic renewal whereby all things are
reconciled to God through Christ:
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross”
(Colossians 1:19–20, ESV).
This renewal encompasses
the physical and spiritual realms,
culminating in a new heavens and new earth
(Revelation 21:1).
The elect are not only recipients of eternal salvation but
also co-heirs and participants in the restoration process.
In the consummation of redemptive history,
God’s love, sovereignty, and righteousness
will be on full display
(Revelation 22:3–4)
And the redeemed, now perfected,
will stand in
His presence with fulness of joy
(Psalm 16:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).
“My kingdom”
refers to a spiritual kingdom of truth where Jesus reigns as Lord over the lives of His people. Jesus told Pilate, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37). Jesus did not come to earth to rule over a mortal empire. He came to bear witness to the truth of who He is—the Messiah, Savior of the world. Everyone who loves and recognizes this truth is a citizen of Christ’s kingdom.
As His followers, Christians are members of His kingdom, which is “not of this world.” We know that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). As a result, we “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). We wage spiritual battle, but “the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world” (2 Corinthians 10:4). We “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And we rest in the knowledge that our King gives us eternal life: “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
We are on earth for now, but our earthly lives are nothing but a vapor in comparison to eternity (James 4:14). “This world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). The sufferings and trials of this world are part of life. But, in remembering that we are “not of this world,” we know that such things are just for a little while (1 Peter 5:10). The knowledge that we are not of this world gives Christians hope even in the darkest times (1 Peter 1:6 –9). This broken place is not where we ultimately belong, and it is not where we will stay (Hebrews 13:14). “We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28).
Christians, as part of Jesus’ kingdom, are not of this world. We have been adopted as heirs of heaven by God Himself, and that is where our citizenship is (Titus 3:7). Until our King returns, we wait (Titus 2:13), and we hope (Romans 5:5), and we do what we can to bring others into the “not of this world” relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus offers the truth of intimate fellowship with the only true God. He was born into this world for this purpose: “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3, NLT). His kingdom presents the opportunity to know the truth that sets us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2; John 8:32). Only those who are born again can see Christ’s kingdom (John 3:3). And only those who are born of water and spirit can enter His kingdom (John 3:5).
Once, Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). To His disciples, the Lord explained that the world and the “prince of this world” held no power over Him (John 14:22–30). The world hates Christ and His followers, “for they are not of the world” (John 17:14, 16).
The statement, “My kingdom is not of this world,” relates to the origin and nature of Christ’s kingdom, not the location. The authority and power of Christ’s kingdom are drawn from a source outside of this world—from God, our heavenly Father. Christ’s headship is not of human origin but divine.
Christ’s kingdom is unlike any on this earth: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Other kingdoms are rooted in the realm of this world, but Christ’s is unique. His kingship is spiritual. It comes down to us from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:33).
While not of this world, the Lord’s kingdom is most certainly in this world, exercising authority over this world and impacting this world. Jesus Christ and all of His disciples take orders from above, not from below. We are to set our minds “on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). When it comes to obeying the law, the apostle Peter said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29, NLT).
As believers in Jesus, we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom. This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14; Philippians 3:20; 1 John 2:15–17). We are citizens of heaven, and we owe our highest allegiance to our ultimate authority—King Jesus. Just as He declared, we, too, can say, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
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Finding Christ after Judaism is HUGE
(They will never “covert” the word formulated in their mind:
Though we all know truth)
I grew up with
Catholic and Jewish heritage,
The decade(S) long journey
to find Truth
was/is multifaceted and
A continual Journey
That never subsides, it just keeps giving:)
If my best friend accidentally wrapped a gift in “”Christmas” paper,
(Don't say Christ!)
It was an immediate in position to be rewrapped
So many times Christ was bad,
That was my clear understanding growing up,
finding him was beyond miraculous;
(Story for another time)
I got in trouble for buying Christian art on their vacation
I was completely shunned
for buying a Haitian hand crafted wooden cross
I found it spiritual, hereditiry, and artistic
That was a clearly unwelcome thing to do
In a Jewish household
Although I was allowed to go to temple,
And she was allowed to have a stocking at our home,
That’s so sweet
Watching Schindler's list was a clear requirement each year
Momma immediately declared
offense and needed to rewrap the gift in
“hunikauh paper”
Much more than that, being family survivors of the holocaust,
My Christmas cards were never welcomed
It took decades for me to figure out why the hell there’s a division
There’s not a division
They rejected their best friends Christmas cards because of Christ
I couldn’t send her Christmas cards
I started making holiday cards..
And did that for all of my liberal community,
that don’t accept Christ
Until I wanted to make Christmas cards,
and did
Catholics view Mary
and the saints
as “intercessors” before God.
They believe that a saint, who
is glorified in heaven,
has been perfected in love
(including love for us)
and has
more “direct access” to God
than
do earthbound sinners
In Revelation 3:14–21, the Lord is describing the “lukewarm” heart attitude of those in the Laodicean church, an attitude manifested by their deeds. The Laodiceans were neither cold nor hot in relation to God, just lukewarm. Hot water can cleanse and purify; cold water can refresh and enliven. But lukewarm water carries no similar value. The Laodiceans understood the Lord’s analogy because their city drinking water came over an aqueduct from a spring six miles to the south, and it arrived disgustingly lukewarm. Laodicean water was not hot like the nearby hot springs that people bathed in, nor was it refreshingly cold for drinking. It was lukewarm, good for nothing. In fact, it was nauseating, and that was the Lord’s response to the Laodiceans—they sickened Him, and He said, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (verse 16).
The letter to the church at Laodicea is the harshest of the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor. By His indictment of their “deeds” (Revelation 3:15), Jesus makes it clear that this is a dead church. The members of this church see themselves as “rich” and self-sufficient, but the Lord sees them as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (verse 17). Their lukewarm faith was hypocritical; their church was full of unconverted, pretend Christians.
Jesus frequently equates deeds with a person’s true spiritual state: “By their fruit you will recognize them,” and “Every good tree bears good fruit” (Matthew 7:16–17). Clearly, the lukewarm deeds of the Laodiceans were not in keeping with true salvation. The deeds of the true believer will be “hot” or “cold”—that is, they will benefit the world in some way and reflect the spiritual passion of a life transformed. Lukewarm deeds, however—those done without joy, without love, and without the fire of the Spirit—do harm to the watching world. The lukewarm are those who claim to know God but live as though He doesn’t exist. They may go to church and practice a form of religion, but their inner state is one of self-righteous complacency. They claim to be Christians, but their hearts are unchanged, and their hypocrisy is sickening to God.
The fact that the lukewarm individuals to whom Christ speaks are not saved is seen in the picture of Jesus standing outside of the church (Revelation 3:20). He has not yet been welcomed into their midst. In love, the Lord rebukes and disciplines them, commanding them to repent (verse 19). He sees their lukewarm attitudes as “shameful nakedness” that needs to be clothed in the white garments of true righteousness (verse 18). He urges them to be earnest, or zealous, and commit themselves totally to Him. Our Lord is gracious and long-suffering and gives the lukewarm time to repent.
The Laodiceans enjoyed material prosperity that, coupled with a semblance of true religion, led them to a false sense of security and independence (see Mark 10:23). The expression “I am rich; I have acquired wealth” (Revelation 3:17) stresses that the wealth attained came though self-exertion. Spiritually, they had great needs. A self-sufficient attitude and lukewarm faith are constant dangers when people live lives of ease and prosperity.
The scene in Revelation 5 is John’s vision of heaven’s throne room. When the Lamb had taken the scroll of God’s judgment into His own hand, “the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people” (verse 8). Revelation is the most symbolic book in the Bible, and in this passage the “prayers of the saints” are symbolized as golden bowls of incense, held by twenty-four elders. Of course, the more symbolic something is, the more its interpretations can vary, but it’s important to understand what these prayers of the saints are—and what they are not.
God established incense as a part of the sacerdotal system (and therefore as symbolism) in Exodus 30:1–10when Moses was told to build the altar of incense. The prayers of the saints in Revelation 5:8, especially as represented by incense in the context of temple imagery, should be understood to take the role of incense in the temple, which was to offer up a sweet aroma to God and to symbolize prayer. The prayers of the righteous are pleasing to Him. Psalm 141:2 describes this aspect of prayer perfectly: “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).
Prayer is linked to the incense in the temple in other passages, as well. When Gabriel appears to Zechariah in the temple and tells him that his prayers have been answered, Gabriel is “standing at the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:11). This happened when “the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense” (verse 10).
There are certainly different types of prayers. Prayers of supplication are the type most people are familiar with, because that’s the type where we ask God for help! But there are other types, too, like the prayers of imprecation (Psalm 55:1:15) and prayers of intercession (Luke 23:34). The fact that the “prayers of the saints” in Revelation 5:8 are not identified by type or in detail—and that they are together in an incense bowl—indicates that we should consider them collectively. God considers prayer-at-large as incense—a sweet aroma to Him.
The fact that these are prayers “of the saints” in Revelation 5:8 indicates that God hears the prayers of His people. Psalm 65:2 addresses God as “You who answer prayer.” Our Lord “hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29), which is another way of saying that He listens to the prayers of the saints. The “saints” in Revelation 5:8 are not an elite class of people who are more holy than the rest; they are not mediators of our prayers (see 1 Timothy 2:5), and they do not ask us to pray to them. The term saint in Scripture implies parity, not hierarchy. We are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). The saints are all believers in Jesus, living or dead, saved by grace through faith. The church is “loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7, ESV), and, when we pray, it’s as if a golden bowl of incense is being carried to the very throne of God in heaven.
Whom are these prayers of the saints for in Revelation 5:8? Since these prayers are the aggregate of all believers’ prayers through all time, they are about everybody and about everything that is consistent with God’s will. If you pray for somebody’s salvation, that prayer is in the bowl. If you pray for the safety and relief of people after a natural disaster, that prayer is in the bowl. If you pray that God would conform you into the image of Jesus Christ, that prayer is in the bowl. Such prayers are well-pleasing to Him.
Does Revelation 5:8
lend credence to the tradition of
praying for the dead?
Not at all. The dead have already sealed their fate, for good or for evil (see Luke 16:19–31). There is no post-mortem plan of salvation. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). After death, a person faces judgment, not further opportunity (Hebrews 9:27). So, if you pray that God would save or relieve someone who has already died, that prayer would not be in the bowl. Such prayers are futile.
In Revelation 5, God’s plan is near to being accomplished. The judgment of the wicked world is about to commence, and the ultimate redemption of God’s people is about to be realized. The living creatures and elders sing a hymn of praise to the Lamb: “With your blood you purchased for God / persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. / You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, / and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).
The golden vessels full of incense are proffered to God, whose word will stand, whose will is accomplished, and who will pronounce the final “Amen!” to the prayers of the saints.
Joseph was the earthly father
of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. Joseph
was a descendant of King David,
he lived in Nazareth in Galilee,
and he was pledged to be married
to Mary
(Luke 1:27),
the virgin who gave birth to Jesus.
The Bible tells us
that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 1:18)
and not through Joseph.
Therefore, Joseph can be understood as
Jesus’ earthly, adoptive father
but not as His biological father.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Joseph. But, given the glimpses into his character we do have, we conclude that he was a humble man who cared deeply about obeying God. For example, the book of Matthew tells us that Joseph was “faithful to the law” (Matthew 1:19). After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and encouraged him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 1:24–25). Later in the book of Matthew, an angel again appears to Joseph and commands him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Again, Joseph immediately obeys the angel’s command and takes his family to Egypt, saving Jesus’ life (Matthew 2:14–15). After Herod died, an angel once again appears to Joseph and commands him to return to Israel, which he does (Matthew 2:19). Joseph presents a pattern of obedience.
The Bible also indicates that Joseph was a kind, self-sacrificing man. Though he had a legal right to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant, he intended to do so quietly (Matthew 1:19) because he did not want to bring any public shame or disgrace on Mary or her family. Also, after their marriage, Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25); in this way, Joseph safeguarded the validity of the virgin birth. Following Caesar’s edict, Joseph took Mary to be counted in the census in Bethlehem where his ancestors were from (Luke 2:4–5). Forty days after Jesus was born, Joseph (along with Mary) took Jesus to Jerusalem to have Him dedicated at the temple, as required by the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22–24).
Another incident further shows Joseph’s commitment to keeping the law: “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). On one such trip, when Jesus was a young boy, Jesus stayed behind at the temple in Jerusalem while His parents began making their way home. When Mary and Joseph realized Jesus wasn’t with their caravan to Galilee, they searched “anxiously” for three days before finding Him sitting among some teachers of the law (Luke 2:48).
When Jesus was an adult, people often referred to Him as the “son of Joseph” (Luke 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42), although the gospel writers were careful to maintain that Jesus’ true Father was God, with Joseph being more of a foster father or stepfather (see Luke 3:23). People also referred to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), suggesting that Joseph worked as a carpenter or some other type of handyman (the Greek word for “carpenter” could also be translated as “stonemason” or “metallurgist”). Whatever Joseph’s particular vocation was, it is evident that he worked hard to provide for his family, doing what he could to help Jesus grow in “wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52).
Joseph isn’t mentioned in any of the stories of Jesus’ adult ministry, while Mary His mother occasionally is (Mark 3:31; John 2:1; 19:25). The absence of Joseph in the stories of Jesus’ ministry has led many to believe that Joseph died sometime between when Jesus was a young boy (Luke 2:42) and when He launched His public ministry as an adult (Luke 3:23). The fact that Jesus, as He was dying, committed the care of His mother to John gives strong indication that Joseph had indeed passed away by that time (John 19:26–27).
Although the Bible does not give many specifics about who Joseph was as a person—and the Bible records noactual words that Joseph spoke—we know enough to see that he was a humble man who faithfully obeyed God, honored others, took responsibility, and worked hard to provide for his family. These are all godly characteristics that we should seek to replicate.
Rocky GroundRocky ground is depicted in this parable as a thin layer of soil upon a stony substrate. The conditions are sufficient to get the seed started; it germinates and develops but there is nowhere for the root to go. The root is unable to spread down towards damper soil. When the sun’s warmth intensifies it begins to dry the surface soil, and the plant dies from a lack of moisture.
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
Matthew 13:5,6As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
Matthew 13:20,21The Spiritual ParallelThe spiritual parallel to this parable is describing someone who hears the word of God, receives it with enthusiasm but that is as far as it goes. They do not become established in the faith. There is beginning growth, but below the surface nothing develops. They are joyful in the discovery of God’s truth, they are excited, and it influences their life, but friction occurs; and they are rejected due to their new-found faith. The fervor they had abruptly ends because of difficulties or persecution. The passage says they “fall away.”
Paul makes the guarantee in 2 Timothy 3:12
…all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…
2 Timothy 3:12 Rejection For the Word of GodSocial rejection is a huge concern in our world today; whether it is perceived or literal: it can come in forms of criticism, bullying, or teasing. This is where a distinction needs to be made between personal rejection and being rejected for the Word of God.
A Christian, well rooted in their faith, will not take the persecution that comes with living for the Lord Jesus, personally. Jesus forewarned His disciples to be aware of the challenges that were to come and what the source of the troubles would be.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they would also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
John 15:18-21
And He continues to tell them the reason why in John 16:1-3,
I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
John 16:1-3 The Christian Life is Not EasierWe should never tell a new believer in Christ that their life will be easier, or more comfortable; on the contrary we should lead them to this part of scripture and make sure they understand that being a follower of Christ will mean times of tension and upset when witnessing and sharing the Word of God.
Our world does not want to hear about sin. They see God’s Word as an offence. It does not want to hear the name of Jesus other than as a swear word.
Sharing God’s Plan of SalvationWhen someone becomes aware of God’s plan of salvation, and enlightened in the truth that the scriptures hold, that is an exciting and astounding experience. It’s an awesome thing! I know for myself, aside from it being a command of the Lord Jesus to share the gospel, I just wanted to share my experience and newfound understanding. In my naivety and zeal, I boldly shared it with my friends, family and to a world that is opposed to such “fanatical thoughts.”
Immediately I faced rejection and opposition. I was hurt. I struggled, but I didn’t fall away. Why? Because I read how the Lord Jesus said it would be this way. I grounded my faith in what the scriptures said. I knew the gospel was true; I was a sinner, condemned and separated from God, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin, I placed my trust in His sacrifice and now shared in His rising from the dead, entering eternal life; Born Again. In believing that, I then trusted everything else the Bible had to say, especially the guarantee of coming conflict. The rejection I experienced was a confirmation to me and strengthened my faith.
The Cost of Following JesusJesus was teaching a large crowd of people in the Gospel of Luke chapter 14, and He taught them about the fact that there is a cost to follow Him. He illustrates this by telling a parable of a man who set out to build a tower, he laid the foundation, but he ran out of money and could not continue to build. The point Jesus was trying to make was, why would someone do this and not make sure they had enough money at the beginning? Likewise, if you are going to follow me you need to consider if you are going to be able to follow through.
Parallels With Rocky GroundThis parallels well with the seed on stony ground. The excitement of spiritual enlightenment can cloud over practical thinking of what the next steps are in following through with the belief. Are you all in? Are you sold out? Are you ready to be rejected? Are you ready to be called crazy? Can you handle being rejected by those you love dearly? Are you ready to receive any level of persecution? Are you prepared to face the cost?
If the cost is not considered in faith, not rooted in the truth of God’s Word, the trial of tribulation will not be worth it, and belief will be abandoned. As quickly as it was received, quickly it will fall away.
… continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…
Colossians 1:23
EnthusiasmThe word “enthusiasm” means “God within.” An enthusiastic person is excited, determined and motivated, taking joy in what they do; sounds a lot like the life lived through the indwelling Holy Spirit, doesn’t it? If we are honest, enthusiasm is hard to maintain. There are times when we can get discouraged and trials can shake us up.
We might not “fall away” but in unfavorable circumstances, we might feel we are lacking the proper attitude of a believer in Christ. This is when we must reflect upon what type of ground we have built our house upon, sand or a rock? It won’t take much recollection to reaffirm our faith in the God that promises to “never leave us nor forsake us.”
Allowing God to Define UsWe must allow God to define us and not our surrounding circumstances. The Apostle James describes the Word of God being like a mirror; those who hear it have an honest view of what they really look like, given clarity and insight. That reflection can be taken to heart or ignored. As much as we hate trials, they are an essential part of life. We should rest on the words in James’s epistle about the positive aspect of troubling times; he says, “…the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
And take comfort among some of the last words that Jesus spoke to His disciples; “In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
A pastor must be a jack-of-all-trades—-spiritual leader, preacher, counselor, evangelist, Bible scholar, theologian, cultural critic, CEO, social worker, family man, and all-round good guy.
No wonder we can feel overwhelmed with advice thrust at us from all sides designed to help us perform those many roles more skillfully. But what is that one thing that you must be good at if you are to be a good pastor? What is most worth your time in developing? What is the core from which everything else flows?
I have concluded that when it comes right down to it, there is really only one thing I as a pastor have to offer my congregation—-and only one thing that the church has to offer the world. In my role as a pastor people come to me with all sorts of problems, but I confess: I am a physician with but one medicine to prescribe, and that is the gospel of Christ. It may need to be applied in various ways, various aspects of it may need to receive the right emphasis, and it may need to be administered in the right form.
But only the gospel of Jesus Christ can heal the deepest wounds of the human heart and enable us to prosper according to God’s design, bringing glory to our Lord.
What does this look like for a pastor? First, we must let the gospel shape our own lives before we minister to others. We must remember that pastoring is, first of all, not about our “ministry skills” but who we are as men “in Christ,” called as God’s servants to shepherd his flock. This means growing in our reverence for God’s holiness, which the cross of Christ so clearly reveals. God hates sin, and so must we. This means humbly acknowledging the need of our own hearts to be cleansed by Christ’s precious blood and then seeking the sanctifying power of the Spirit. It means engaging in those “means of grace” that keep pointing us to God’s gracious gospel and spur us on to love and good deeds. It means reading the Word with a view to a change in our own hearts—-relying on the Spirit to give life through it. It means forgiving as the Lord has forgiven us. It means praying as a way of abiding in Christ, for only then can we bear real fruit.
Our love for Christ needs the reinforcement of others who also share that love. That’s why we need “spiritual friendships” with like-minded brothers who can provide encouragement and accountability. In guarding our lives, we need to say no to the first sign of temptation, whether it be to click on an inappropriate website and indulge in lust or to reflect on the success (or failure) of another’s ministry and indulge in envy, pride, or self-pity. We must strive to share the heart of our Savior in his love and in his humility—-seeking to develop a soft heart and a thick skin in all our relationships with people.
We are to be models of Christian living, not just Christian working, for the gospel calls us to make Christ Lord of all. So how the gospel affects our marriages and family life is just as much a part of our ministry as our public preaching. The gospel is lived out at home through the self-giving love for our wives and raising our children with grace and truth. All this is included in a gospel-centered life.
We are to watch our lives, and we are to watch our teaching—-making sure the gospel informs all that we say. We must keep taking our hearers to the cross, for that’s where the Bible points us, whatever the text of our sermon. We must beware of moralism and continue preaching grace. That grace becomes all the more amazing as we expound the majesty and holiness of God from the whole of Scripture!
If ministry means serving, and if all Christians are to serve, why train in the first place? What is the point to it, and can’t you just do ministry (serving the local church) without training? Here are three reasons that help us understand the importance of training for gospel ministry.
1. Training is the pattern of the Christian life
In 2 Timothy Paul explains to Timothy that Scripture is ‘God-breathed’ and that it is useful for believers in ‘teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul urges Timothy to continue in the things he has learned and that have been passed down to him (2 Timothy 3:14) including his knowledge of Scripture. And one of the things Scripture does for him, and for all believers, is to train us in righteousness so that we are equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Training is part of the Christian life.
And that is because the Christian life is about growing. In Peter’s second letter he writes; ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18). The Christian life is one of growing. As the Holy Spirit convicts’ believers more and more of their sin, he also grows their vision of the grace given to them in the Lord Jesus. And so they grow in their understanding of what his grace has done in their lives. Paul writes in Colossians ‘So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.’ (Colossians 2:6-7) We are to continue to live in Christ, being ‘built up in him’. This is an ongoing process as we are ‘strengthened in the faith’. The Christian life is marked by growth.
All this growth has a purpose and direction, to make us more like our Saviour, the Lord Jesus. Romans 8:29 says ‘those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son’. True believers, people God has chosen from before the beginning of creation, are being shaped into the likeness of their Saviour. Jesus who is the image of the invisible God, shapes us, by his Spirit, to be made more like images of him to reflect the glory of the Lord. Paul puts it like this is his second letter to the Corinthians, ‘And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
So, the pattern of the Christian life is training so that we all grow into better likenesses of the Lord Jesus, as we all grow in grace and knowledge of him. Training is for every Christian!
2. Important tasks require important training
The importance of training for gospel ministry can be summed up in one very powerful illustration. Imagine you had a particular medical problem with your heart, and it was decided you needed an emergency operation. You do not want the surgeon just to be someone who is excited to help and has an interest in surgery, but who has never trained. No! You want the best surgeon you can find, someone who has spent years studying the human body and how all the organs and tissue go together to allow your body to function as it does. We want them to be well trained because we know the consequences are serious.
Now if this is the case for our physical condition, how much more so should it be for those responsible for helping us in our spiritual and eternal condition? If we understand the importance of our spiritual position before God - that it is of eternal significance - how much more would we want those caring for us to be as well trained, if not more so?
In Pauls’ second letter to Timothy he tells him; ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). Paul is concerned that Timothy works hard and can correctly handle the word of truth. It is not enough for him to be keen to serve and help out. He needs to be trained to do so correctly. And this is because the consequences for mishandling the word are more serious than a surgeon mishandling his knife.
It’s not just Paul who says how important handling the Word of God is. Peter writes this; ‘His [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.’ (2 Peter 3:15-18). Here Peter describes what Paul writes as Scripture. He also explains how some of what he writes is hard to understand - which you might find encouraging as I did! – and that there are some who distort his words and this leads to destruction! Ignorance and mishandling of the Word are serious and dangerous. We really do want those teaching us from the Scripture to be those that do not lead us into this danger.
3. Good for growth
A third reason for being trained, and for training people for gospel ministry is that it is good for growth of both the individual and the church.
The benefit for growth on the individual is seen in 1 Timothy 4:15 where Paul writes; ‘Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.’ What are those matters? Well, he has been told to continue to give himself to the ‘public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching’ (1 Timothy 4:13). And the purpose, at least in part, is that people might see his growth. As Timothy puts these gifts into practice, in the context of the local church, he grows in such a way that people can see it happening.
The good growth of the church is shown in Ephesians 4. The purpose of pastors and teachers is to equip the church for works of service ‘so that, the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:12-13). Pastors and teachers teach the Church so that the church grows together.
Remember, growth is the pattern of the Christian life, and one way this is encouraged is through the work of pastors and teachers given as gifts to the church. Because of this, training more pastors and teachers benefits the growth of the church. As more workers are trained and sent out by churches all around the country and the world, other churches get to benefit, from that training. One church trains a minister, another church gets to receive the benefit, as they are equipped to grow by that minister. In the same way, we as a church receive from those sent out by other churches who have trained them.
So, training benefits the growth of the individual training for gospel ministry, as well as the church.
Training is so important! I hope that these truths give you an understanding of the reason for my decision to be training at Church by the Bay, but also that they might encourage you to commit to being trained and to train others in the Christian life. I also pray that these truths may serve to encourage you in your role, if you are part of the church family, in helping train me in my time here: please know that this work helps serve the church both now and in the future.
I have eagerly waited to go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 3 for our continuing study in the first six verses of this chapter. We have had one message already; we’ll have another one this morning, and one more, I believe, next Lord’s Day in connection with our Communion service. Second Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1 to 6 presents for us, I believe, a picture of the competent minister.
Without sounding self-serving, let me say that more than any profession in the world the ministry demands the best men, more than medicine, more than science, more than education. The ministry of the Word of God calls for the very highest standards the most qualified, the most skilled, and the most careful men. Why? Because the spiritual dimension is more important than the physical dimension, because serving God is more demanding than serving anybody else, because the kingdom and the will and the glory of God are more important than anything else, because only God’s Word is absolutely and always true and transforming, and because only that which is spiritual is eternal. So many reasons to say that more than any other profession, the ministry of Jesus Christ demands the best, the most qualified, and the most skilled men.
I remember years ago riding on a train from northern California down to the south; and I purposely took the train because I wanted to read; and it takes a long time to get anywhere on the train, and I wanted the time to read. And one of the books I wanted to read is a book by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who’s now with the Lord, called Preaching and Preachers. That book has a chapter in it in which Martyn Lloyd-Jones set forth what he believed to be the required qualities for a competent minister. If – and he would agree with what I just said to you – the ministry requires the most skilled, the most careful, the most well-trained men of any profession; if that is true, then what qualifications are necessary? How do we break that down?
Well, he wrote, in his sixth chapter in that book, that a church, when looking for its leader or pastor, should look for a man with, number one, an unusual degree of spirituality: that is a sensitive man, a man who can feel with his heart, a man for whom the spiritual was the important part of life. Secondly, they should look for a man with a deep knowledge of the truth and an obedient relationship to it. Thirdly, they should look for a man with character: that is his life would be characterized by wisdom, and patience, and forbearance, and virtue.
He then said they should look for a man who understands people and human nature. And then, fifthly, they should look for a man with an unusual ability mentally, with intellectual and mental capacity that is above normal. Sixthly, that they should look for someone with an ability to speak effectively, powerfully, persuasively, and clearly. Seventh, Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggested someone who was trained in mental discipline, someone who had learned how to think and reason systematically and logically, someone who had a general knowledge of many things as well as the Bible, someone who had a grasp of the original languages in order to promote accuracy; someone who was well versed in theology, church history, and heresies past and present. He closed the chapter by saying the chief thing is the love of God, the love of the soul – a love of souls, love of the truth, and the Holy Spirit within you.
Now the apostle Paul here in this text offers us his own list of the qualities of a competent minister. He does it in a self-defending kind of text, because his own competency has been called into question. Paul’s teachers have arrived in Corinth, as you know. They have begun their relentless assault on Paul’s credibility, and they have denied that he is a competent minister. They have denied that he is sufficient as a teacher, that he misrepresents his credentials and his teaching as if he were from God and spoke the truth, when in fact he is not. His adequacy, his competency are at issue in Corinth. They shouldn’t be. People should have known better, but they believed the lying false apostles.
So in this text, Paul is dealing with the issue of competency. What triggers this discussion is back in verse 16 of chapter 2. “And who is adequate for these things?” The word is hikanos in the Greek, it means competent, sufficient, capable, or able.
“Who is an able minister? They claim I’m not, these false apostles; they claim they are. Who is competent? Who has the competency to take the task of ministry on, to take on such a monumental and eternally significant duty as being the human instrument through which the gospel is preached? Who is capable and able to become the container for the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ to be manifest in every place? Who has the capability to sincerely, with divine power, speak on behalf of Jesus Christ in such a manner that people’s lives are literally brought to the brink, as it were, of life or death? Who has the ability to be used as such a divine instrument under the careful eyes of Almighty God, fulfilling His eternal purpose, and survive the scrutiny?
“Indeed, who is competent? Who is capable? Who is adequate? Who is sufficient?” And again Paul’s sufficiency and competency was being called into question, and he was turning the tables and calling in to question the others who had claimed to be sufficient: “Who is capable for that? Who is capable to march in the victory and the triumph parade? Who in himself can receive accolades from Almighty God for service rendered to Him on behalf of Jesus Christ? Who in the world is capable for that?” Verse 17 of chapter 2 indicates that the false teachers weren’t. They were peddlers who lacked sincerity. But who is competent?
Down in verse 6 of chapter 3 we really have the straightforward answer. The end of verse 5 we notice the word “God.” “God,” – then verse 6 – “who also made us adequate.” Only those are adequate who’ve been made adequate by God. That’s the answer. Colossians chapter 1, Paul says, in verse 23, “I was made a minister.” Verse 25, “I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed upon me.”
The only person who is competent is one whom God has made a minister. Self-made ministers are incompetent. It wasn’t that God selected Paul because there was something in his human life that made him desirable. In fact, in 1 Timothy 1:12, he said, “Christ Jesus our Lord strengthened me, considered me faithful, put me into the ministry, even though I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor. And He did it just to show His mercy,” – Paul says – “and just to show His grace. Against everything that I was, He chose me, so that all the glory would go to Him.”
Paul says, “God made me a minister. I was a blasphemer. I was a violent aggressor against Christianity. I was demonstrating hatred toward Christ and hatred toward God. He said I am the chief of sinners. Against everything I was in order to display His grace, God chose me, and made me a minister.”
The term “adequate” there in verse 6 is from the same root word as the term “adequate” back in chapter 2, verse 16. Who is adequate? Only those God makes adequate.
Now all through this letter, just as a footnote, Paul defends himself. And you get the feeling that he’s a bit embarrassed to do this. He doesn’t want it to be misunderstood, and yet it’s necessary, not because he was trying to preserve his own reputation for the sake of his own mental health, not because he wanted to feel good about himself – and self-esteem is important for everybody. Paul was not defending himself for any other reason than the fact that it was imperative that the Corinthians believed in him, because he was the pipeline of divine truth; and if they lost their confidence in him, then they would lose out on the Word of God. It was imperative that the Corinthians continued to trust him as Christ’s apostle and as the inspired writer of Scripture for their own sakes, so that they would hear the Word of God.
And so for the sake of the churches that he loved, he defends his apostleship. In so defending, he deals with this issue of competency, sufficiency, ability, capability in ministry; and as he does that, in these opening six verses of chapter 3, he gives us a profile of a competent minister. And as I said to you a few weeks ago, next time you look for a pastor or minister in this church, here are the things you should look for. We covered two of them last time, let me review them.
First of all, a competent minister of Jesus Christ is known because he has established a reputation for godliness. He has established a reputation for godliness.
Look at verse 1. Paul, feeling almost shocked by the rejection of the Corinthians, says, “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?”
What is he saying by this? Well, as I told you, he is simply saying, “Do I have to start all over again with you to let you know what kind of a man I am? Do we have to begin this thing all over again? Do you need secondhand letters when you have had a firsthand relationship with me?
“Does nearly two years count for nothing: two years in your presence, nearly two years in your presence? You know me. You know my life. You know my character. You know my godliness. You know my personal habits. My life among you was an open book. You know the priorities of my life.
“Do we have to begin that all over again like you didn’t know anything? Do I have to go back and start anew to commend myself to you? That is ludicrous. You already have established in your minds my reputation for godliness. You know the kind of man I am.”
Then he adds a second question: “Do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?” These false teachers were saying Paul didn’t have the proper letters of commendation. They were into bringing letters of commendation to validate themselves, and then taking with them when they left a certain area to accumulate more commendation. They were dependent on secondhand letters.
Paul is saying, “Do you need secondhand letters when you’ve had a firsthand experience with my life? You know me. You don’t need secondhand testimony. And we don’t need to begin this relationship all over again.”
A competent minister is one whose virtue is well-known. A competent minister is one whose godliness is obvious. When you look for a pastor, look for someone who doesn’t need letters, whose virtue and godliness is well-known.
And then, secondly – still reviewing – a competent minister is known because he has been used in a transforming ministry. He has been used in a transforming ministry.
Verses 2 and 3 say, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter from Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
Paul again alluding to these supposed necessary letters, says, “Why in the world are you asking me for a letter? You’re the only letter that matters. If somebody wants to know about my life, let them read you.” And here he introduces this whole idea of impact. God had used him in the salvation and the sanctification of these people, and their lives were the most articulate and eloquent letter of commendation possible.
It amazes me how through the years when churches look for a pastor, they send for the pastor that they want to come, and they talk to him, when what might be a better strategy is to send a whole bunch of people from the church to go to talk to the people that his life has influenced. You’re the letter, let them read you.
“And this letter, this living letter, isn’t carried around in my pocket like those letters are in the pockets of the false apostles, but in my heart. And it isn’t read only by the few who can read and can see what needs to be read, but it can be read by everybody who touches your life. And it wasn’t written by some earthly friends, it was written by Christ; and it wasn’t written with ink that fades, but by the eternal Spirit. And it wasn’t written on stone, but it was written on the heart.”
So Paul is saying, “You want to know about my competency, don’t look for letters, look at your lives.” On the basis of personal reputation for virtue and godliness, on the basis of usefulness to God in a transforming ministry, the competent minister is demonstrated.
Now that takes us to a third point and a new beginning. Thirdly, the competent minister – this is so important – has confidence in his gift and calling. The competent minister has confidence in his gift and calling.
Notice verse 4: “And such confidence we have through Christ toward God.” Paul is saying, “I have confidence in my ministry. I don’t need to come out defending myself for my own sake. I’m not trying to prove anything to me. I’m not trying to convince myself.”
Paul never vacillated about his calling from God. He never vacillated about his giftedness by the Holy Spirit. This, beloved, is a great and necessary strength in the ministry: to be confident of your giftedness, to be confident of your calling, so that nothing however hard can make you question your life work. It’s that kind of resoluteness, it’s that kind of courage, it’s that kind boldness, it’s that kind of narrowness that makes for an effective ministry.
People often ask me, I mean often, “If you weren’t in the ministry, what would you do? What would you be?” And I can never answer that question, because I cannot conceive of myself as being anything other than I am.
Some people think, “Well, you should be a lawyer, because you like an argument.” Some people say, “Well, you should run a company, because you have a standard of excellence, and you know how to work with people.” And other people have told me through the years, “You should be a coach, because maybe you could motivate people with the enthusiasm that you have.”
I never thought about any of those things for a millisecond in my life. I have no concept of myself other than what I am. There are no alternatives for me. This is it. This is the groove God has me in, and that’s it. I cannot imagine myself doing something else, because this was never the best of a group of options.
I understand what Paul meant when he said, “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.” This is what I’ve been made for, designed for, and called to. And when a man has that kind of conviction that there are no alternatives, there’s a certain boldness, there’s a certain forthrightness that characterizes his ministry.
Look at chapter 4 and verse 7. Paul casts himself as an earthen vessel, sort of depicts himself as if he were a homely clay pot. And he says, “In these clay pots, called preachers, is the treasure of divine truth, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves. We’re a bunch of homely clay pots; but in us is this tremendous power, and all the credit for it goes to God.”
And he sees himself as a clay pot with nothing to do in life but to carry about the truth and power of God. And so he says in verse 8, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.”
What is he saying? He’s saying, “Look, we’re afflicted, we’re perplexed, we’re persecuted, we’re struck down, we stand on the brink of death all the time. But that’s all right.” Verse 13: “That’s all right. I believed, therefore I spoke. We also believe, therefore also we speak. We just keep doing what we know we have to do, whether we’re standing on the brink of death or not. I have the same spirit of faith as was demonstrated by the psalmist who said, ‘I believed, therefore I spoke.’”
Paul was a one-track person. There weren’t any options. There weren’t any alternatives in his life. He never vacillated about his calling or his giftedness. It must be hard for people in the ministry who do that, because every time things get difficult they question the validity of what they do. “Should I be here, shouldn’t I be here? Should I get out?” When you have the confidence that you are called and gifted for ministry, nothing becomes a threat to that; everything just becomes an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power.
So in verse 4, what does Paul say? “Such confidence we have.” The word “confidence,” peithō, can even mean “to win.” Confidence is that resoluteness that keeps moving toward the goal, the triumph, the victory. I never met a man who was successful in anything in life who wasn’t competitive, who didn’t want desperately to win. And that’s certainly true in ministry.
The apostle had an unwavering confidence in his divinely-given and empowered ministry. He believed in the call of God, he believed in the gift that God had given him, and he believed in the power of God in his life. And even though he was nothing more than a clay pot, he was committed to the fact that God had set him apart to serve.
And I think he wasn’t alone. Going back to the early church, go back to chapter 4 of Acts. It struck me, as I was going over the book of Acts in the last few weeks, that the early apostles ministered with the same kind of confidence that Paul had, chapter 4. And you remember that they brought in the apostles before the ruling leaders of Jerusalem. And they wanted an explanation, so they had them in jail, and they brought them to trial. And verse 13 says, “As they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling.”
What really made them wonder was this incredible confidence; and it didn’t come from erudition, it didn’t come from education, it didn’t come from scholarship, it didn’t come from training in the finest Judaistic schools. They believed what they were saying. They believed and therefore they spoke. And they had a raging confidence. And whether they faced death or not, it didn’t change their confidence.
By the way, in the same chapter, I might even point out, again in Acts 4, verse 29, because Peter here demonstrates the same kind of confidence that they saw when they were on trial. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Thy bondservants may speak Thy word with all confidence.” This, of course, is Peter leading the early church in prayer. When they’d been told not to preach, they’d pray and say, “Lord, give us more confidence; give us greater confidence.”
That was part of the strength of the early church. Their confidence didn’t rest on their personal talent or their personal ability. It wasn’t self-confidence. Self-confidence is arrogance. It was a strong and unwavering belief in the reality that they were called and gifted.
And you’ll notice that in verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 3: “And such confidence we have through Christ toward God.” Their confidence went right back through Christ toward God. They knew that the only reason they had power and calling and giftedness was because of Christ and because of God. Romans 15:18, Paul says, “I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed. I’ll never say anything about my own ability, my own talent; I will speak only of what Christ has wrought through me, or accomplished through me.”
The false teachers came along with self-confidence, they came along with arrogance. They thought they were adequate; they weren’t, verse 17. They were peddlers of the Word of God, corrupters, hucksters, insincere. Paul says, “On the other hand, we affirm God, and we speak in the power of Christ in the sight of God.” He’s saying, “From God through Christ, back to God, our service is rendered.” And that’s exactly what he’s saying in verse 4: “Through Christ to us, and then back toward God.” He ministered not in his own ability and not to satisfy himself, but in the ability God gave him through Christ, and with a goal and motive of going right back and pleasing the God who gifted him in the first place.
God was not only the ultimate source of his gift and calling, God was the ultimate goal of his service. God called him with a high and a holy calling, and God was the one he desired to please in that service which he rendered. Yes, verse 7 of chapter 4 says, “The power is of God.” Verse 18 of chapter 5 says, “It was God who reconciled Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Chapter 6, verse 4: “In everything we commend ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, afflictions, hardships, distress, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleeplessness, hunger. We go through all of that,” – why? – because God called us, God gifted us through Christ, and we render our service back to Him.” Paul’s confidence was in God’s calling, not his own abilities.
“I am what I am” – he said to the Corinthians in chapter 15 and verse 10 of the first letter – “by the grace of God.” And so he could minister on the brink of death with all the stuff that he endured and never waver, because he was so confident in his calling, his gifting and the power of God operating in his life. A competent minister should be known as one who has a bold confidence in his calling that never wavers. It gives courage. It allows him to take whatever comes, even to stand on the edge of death, in unwavering faith.
Who is the able minister? Who is the authentic minister? The one who has a reputation for holiness untarnished, the one who has a living commendation, a letter written in the lives of those whom God has used him to transform, and the one who has a bold confidence in his calling that doesn’t waver no matter how severe the opposition.
Fourthly – and this progresses right along with the last one: The competent minister is known is because he has humble dependence on the power of God. He has humble dependence on the power of God.
Immediately Paul says in verse 5, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves. Please,” – he says – “don’t misunderstand me, though confident in my calling, and confident in my gifting, and bold and courageous and indefatigable in my service, because I am confident in the power of God that works in me. I am not adequate in myself; and if left to myself, can accomplish absolutely nothing.”
In fact, in chapter 12 of this same epistle, he says, “The more I get out of the way, the greater my usefulness.” He says, verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 12, “I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. When I come to the end of my own human resources, and I am depleted and weak and without strength, then the unmitigated, unadulterated, unmixed power of God flows through my life.” We are not adequate in ourselves.
People are not in the ministry because they have the gift of gab, because they’re talented communicators, because they have a flair for the dramatic. That stuff tends to corrupt more than help. The apostle Paul does not want to be misunderstood. He had a great mind, but he didn’t depend on it. It was a trained mind, and he used it, and God used it mightily. But left to itself, it would be purely an instrument of human wisdom. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, he said, “God will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever he will set aside.” Paul said, “I preach the word of the cross, which is foolishness to most people.”
In chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians, he said, “I determine to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I didn’t come with superiority of speech or wisdom; I was with you in weakness and fear and trembling. And my preaching and my message were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
He had some ability, both in terms of speech and in terms of intellect. But left to himself, it was useless.” I don’t trust myself. When I’m weak, and when I’m persecuted and insulted and distressed, and when I’m at the end of my rope and have nothing left, then I am most powerful, because then I’m out of the way.”
Look what he says, verse 5: “Not that we are adequate” – follow this – “in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves.” Again, the editorial plural is used here. It’s a mode of expressing something humbly. And the word here that I want you to notice is the word “consider,” logizomai, from which we get “logic.” And it means “to reason.”
He said, “I am not even able to reason in my own mind and determine anything. I’m not adequate to reason anything from myself out.” He’s disdaining the ability to reason anything or to think anything on his own in such a way as to judge or assess truth, reality. “Left to myself,” – he says – “I’m useless; I am absolutely powerless.”
“Take the Word of God away from me, take the Spirit of God away from me, I have nothing to say. The truth is not in me, no matter how intelligent I might be, no matter how brilliant, no matter how skilled oratorically, apart from divine revelation and the impartation of the Spirit of God in my life, I know nothing, I have nothing definitive to say about the spiritual dimension, about reality, about God, about ultimate and eternal truth. I’m not here because I’m a clever speaker. I’m not here because am a learned individual. I’m here because God has placed me here. And God has humbled me before His truth and the power of His Spirit, and the truth and the Spirit bring to you what God wants you to hear.”
Paul is saying, “There isn’t even anything in my life that I can reason properly. I don’t have the ability. You take the Bible away from someone like me, take the Holy Spirit away from me, and I’m the world’s biggest ignoramus. I’m just like everybody else poking around out there trying to figure out what’s going on. I don’t have any answers.” Paul says, “I wouldn’t even reason anything out of myself about anything.”
People say to me, “What are your long-range plans, John?” And I always say, “I don’t have any long-range plans.” And they will ask, “What are your short-range plans?” “I don’t have any short-range plans.”
“Well, how can you plan your life?” “I don’t have any plan for my life. I don’t have a life. I am not my own. I am bought with a price, and someone else has a plan for my life, and He never seems to reveal it very far in advance. I don’t have any long-range plans, and I don’t have any short-range plans. Well, I do. My long-range plan on Monday is to prepare a sermon for Sunday. On Friday it becomes a short-range plan. That is it.”
Somebody said, “You know, in what you said a few weeks about, ‘The next time you choose a pastor, follow these principles,’ people think maybe you’re going to leave Grace Church.” If God wants me to leave this church, I suppose I will; but I don’t have that word yet. I don’t have any information from the Lord. I don’t know what His plan is for my life, any longer than the day I live it and to prepare for the next privileged ministry. I wouldn’t even trust my own judgment. How in the world would I know that I could be right if I decided to concoct my own plan?
Paul says, “I wouldn’t even consider anything as coming from myself worthy of anything. I just want to recognize God’s plan when He lays it out. And I’ll wait till God reveals His plan, and then I’ll follow His plan.”
Paul learned that. You remember back in Acts 16 he had some plans. He was trekking along, and says he passed through Phrygia and Galatia, Acts 16:6, and he was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. He went to Asia and he thought, “We’re going to Asia, guys, I’m going to preach.” He got to Asia, the Lord said, “No, I don’t want you to preach.” So much for that long-range plan. And then he came to Mysia, and said, “Guys, we’re going to Bithynia.” And the Spirit of Jesus said, “No, you’re not.” So much for that long-range plan.
“No,” – Paul said – “I don’t make my plans. I just live my life a day at a time as God unfolds His purpose. I have confidence that the Lord knows my life, and that He’s called me and gifted me and He set me on a course, and He knows what the course is. And in His own due time He’ll reveal it. I’m not adequate for anything. So please,” – and this again is that self- effacing, almost embarrassed demeanor of Paul as he defends himself and says, “Please, don’t think that in myself I’m adequate for anything; I’m not. Our adequacy” – end of verse 5 – “is from God.”
In the Old Testament, the great name of the Almighty, El Shaddai, is six times in the Septuagint, ha hikanos, the sufficient One, the competent One. “My adequacy” – says Paul – “is from ha hikanos. I’m not competent, I’m not adequate, but He is. And I will do what He tells me to do.”
Verse 6: “He’s the one who made us adequate. He’s the one who made me what I am.” And you can go back to Acts chapter 9, and you see the apostle Paul, he’s got in his little, hot hand the papers from the officials in Jerusalem that give him authority to go to Damascus, and round up Christians, and throw them in prison and kill them. And he’s on his way to Damascus. And what happens? A light comes out of heaven, he’s struck blind, he falls in the dirt. The Lord Jesus is revealed to him in that moment. He is marvelously converted. In his blindness, he’s taken away.
A vision comes to a man named Ananias; he’s a Christian in the church there in Damascus. And the Lord says to Ananias, “I want you to go this house. There’s a guy there named Saul, and I want you to go meet him, because I have a message for him.” And Ananias’ response is, “I know the guy; he kills Christians. Why would I want to go there? He’ll kill me.”
And what is the Lord’s answer? The Lord’s answer is absolutely sovereign, absolutely mighty. The Lord simply says, “He’s a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. I chose him, and I’m making him a minister.”
When Paul gave his testimony in the twenty-sixth chapter of the book of Acts, he reiterated what the Lord said. “The Lord said, ‘Arise, stand on your feet. For this purpose I have appeared to you to appoint you a minister. I’m making you a minister, and a witness.’” And that’s how it is. No wonder Paul said, “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.”
So Paul defends himself, but it’s certainly with humility, isn’t it? And the competent minister is not anxious to impress you with his credentials. You would be amazed to see some of the applications that I get for people who would like to serve at the church, or teach at the college, or teach at the seminary, or minister at Grace To You. Some people can really pile up the stuff trying to impress you.
But a most impressive application would run something like this: “I have a hunger for godliness. God has in His mercy and grace used me for the salvation and the sanctification of many. I am unwaveringly confident in my calling, and willing to stand on the edge of death on behalf of Christ. And I am humbled that He ever would give me the privilege of ministry; and whatever has happened in my life has happened through His power.” That’s the kind of stuff that reveals the competent minister.
The able minister, able because of personal virtue, able because he is imbued with the power of God by which he has become an instrument in the divine miracle of salvation and sanctification, able because of his calling and giftedness giving him a great boldness, able because of his humble recognition that everything that ever happens in his life that has eternal consequence comes by the power of God. That’s competency.
There’s one last point. I don’t have time to give it to you, I’m going to cover it next time. But let me just suggest it so you’ll have your list complete, in case the rapture should occur this week. Fifth, a competent minister is known because he has a new covenant message. He has a new covenant, or a New Testament message.
Verse 6 also says, “We are servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” This gives us an insight into the kind of thing the false teachers were propagating. They were propagating legalism. They were propagating the Judaizing heresy that you had to have circumcision and keep the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. They had deceived the Corinthian church like the Galatians were being deceived, that you were perfected in the flesh. And the apostle is saying, “A competent minister preaches new covenant truth in Christ: the Spirit that gives life, not the letter that kills.” Now there’s much more to say about that, and Lord willing, we’ll say it next Sunday. Let’s bow together in prayer.
Father, again, we are so reprimanded in our own hearts, we who serve, we who minister, that we fall short of the highest standard for the noblest work in the world. And we are then awed by Your grace that You would consider us faithful enough to put us into the ministry who are indeed the foremost of all sinners. We’re not worthy to even be called Your servants. We’re not worthy to even be called Your ministers. And yet to demonstrate Your grace and to show Your mercy, You have picked the worst of us to become Your agents, Your tools. You have made us those containers, those earthen vessels that hold the treasure, those perfumed bottles from which the aroma of life unto life and death unto death exudes. You’ve made us preachers, teachers, to display Your grace toward sinners; and we give You glory and thanks.
We know what a high calling it is, what a holy calling it is. We know that it calls for virtue that only You can give, and transforming power that only You can give, and confidence and courage and boldness that only You can give, and humility that only You can give, and truth, new covenant truth, that You have revealed. At best we are nothing but slaves and servants who, when we’ve done all, have only done what we ought to have done.
Father, we pray that You’ll raise up many men who are competent by Your standards, that they would fill Your church around the world, that they would replace those who are peddling the Word of God: those hucksters and charlatans and frauds, those who lack holiness, those who lack real transforming power, those who lack a holy boldness and confidence, those who lack humility, and those who preach a warped message. We pray, Father, that You would replace those people with those who are competent by Your standard. We thank You for the young men in The Master’s Seminary and the college who are training and preparing to be what You would want them to be. We pray that You’ll raise up many more.
And then, Lord, for all of us in this congregation, we too are to be godly. We too are to have our lives be instruments in transforming the lives of others. We too are to be courageous in our Christian testimony, and humble in our lives; and we too are to speak the truth, so that our preachers and pastors and leaders are really modeling for us what, in our small frame of influence, we are to be as well. Mold and shape our leadership, and then mold and shape our people into what the leaders are to be. As we follow Christ, may they follow us, and may You be pleased.
We thank You for this wonderful time of worship, for the proclamation of Your truth. May we worship You even as we leave here in what we are, what we say, what we do. We give You praise in Christ’s name. Amen.
Christians are called to be like Jesus. In Christ, we are new creations and can be considered without blemish before God (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Ephesians 1:4–8). In Christ, we also have the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We are also to strive to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13). It is by God’s power that we become increasingly people of integrity. We are called to obey God and, in so doing, to be people of uncompromised morality and integrity. Christians should be those who adhere to the truth and who do good works.
“Integrity” in our world today implies moral incorruptibility. Christians should be those who cannot be bribed or compromised because we serve God rather than men (Colossians 3:17, 23; Acts 5:29). We are to be people who keep our word (Matthew 5:37; James 5:12). We are to love those around us in both word and deed (1 John 3:17–18; James 2:17–18; Ephesians 4:29). We are called upon to believe in God and therefore to follow Him in all our ways (John 6:19; 15:1–17). Our lives should line up with our belief in God and evince a trust that His ways are best (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Living with integrity in a world where the corrupt seem favored, not to mention our battle with our own sin nature, is challenging. First Peter 3:13–18 gives this encouragement: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” To live with integrity is to follow the example of Christ. And we can only live with true integrity by His power, which He graciously and freely gives to all who are His (John 16:33; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13–14).
Before we start enumerating the things that fall under the authority of the believer, we must acknowledge that, first and foremost, the believer is under authority. “God [is] the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). And our Lord Jesus reminds us, “You also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10).
The believer’s life is one of total dependence on God, as modeled by the Son of Man
(see Luke 22:42 and John 5:30).
God has appointed lesser authorities in this world to rule under Him.
Parents have authority over their children
(Ephesians 6:1).
Husbands have authority over their wives (Ephesians 5:22–24).
Kings have authority over their subjects (Romans 13:1–7).
The apostles had authority over the church (Acts 4:34–35; Philemon 1:3).
Some people use the Great Commission to teach the authority of the believer: “Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’” (Matthew 28:18–20). But the authority in the passage clearly belongs to Jesus. He claims “all authority” and then tells those who fall under His authority what to do. Based on the Great Commission, the only “authority” believers possess is the authority to go into all the world, the authority to make disciples, the authority to baptize in the name of the Triune God, and the authority to teach Jesus’ commands. In the exercise of this authority, the believer is simply obeying orders.
Some Christians get mixed up about the authority of the believer because they take verses out of context. Matthew 10:1, for example, says, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Some people claim authority over demons and sickness based on this verse, overlooking the fact that Jesus was speaking to a particular group of people (“his twelve disciples”) for a particular time of ministry. Others assert they possess apostolic gifts, claiming for themselves the same authority as Peter or Paul. Some people claim authority for the believer based on Old Testament promises to Joshua (Joshua 1:3), Gideon (Judges 6:23), or Israel (Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:10)—again, taking verses out of context. Other believers claim authority based on Mark 16:17–18, even though that portion of Mark’s gospel is a late addition and not original.
Paul exhorted Titus to teach the Scripture boldly, with authority (Titus 2:15). As believers serve each other and the Lord, they should do so with confidence and the authority that comes with knowing they are doing God’s work: “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).
The authority of the believer comes from God and from God’s Word. As we are God’s ambassadors, we can speak with His authority as we share His Word, appealing to the world on behalf of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We wield the sword of the Spirit, a mighty weapon forged by God for our use (Ephesians 6:17).
Paul the Pharisee would have immediately recognized the statement Stephen made right before his death: “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Stephen’s words repeat the claim Christ made at His trial before the high priest (Mark 14:62). Just as Jesus’ claim resulted in Him being accused of blasphemy, so also these words would bring a murderous response from Saul the Pharisee toward Stephen.
In addition, the term “Son of Man” is filled with significance. It is the last time the term is used in the New Testament and it is the only time in the Gospels and Acts when it is not spoken by Jesus. It shows that Jesus is the Messiah, and it speaks of Christ’s position in the end times as the coming King. It also combines two great Messianic passages: Daniel 7:13-14 and Psalm 110:1. Daniel 7:13-14 emphasizes the universal aspect of Jesus’ rule; that He is not simply a Jewish ruler, but also the Savior of the world. Psalm 110:1 presents the Messiah as being at God’s right hand. Besides stressing power and position, it also shows acceptance.
The book of Acts and Paul’s letters testify to a tenderness that had come over the apostle for both the unbelieving world and those inside the Church. As to the latter, in his farewell address to the Ephesian believers in Acts 20, he tells them that “night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:31). He tells the Galatian believers they are his “little children” (Galatians 4:19). He reminds the Corinthians that whenever they experience pain, he is wounded as well (2 Corinthians 11:29). He speaks of believers in Philippi as “having them in his heart” (Philippians 1:7). He tells the Thessalonian church that he “abounds” in love for them (1 Thessalonians 3:12) and demonstrated that fact by living among them and helping build up a Christian community (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1–2). Repeatedly throughout his writings, Paul reminds his believing readers of his care and love for them.
Paul’s attitude toward unbelievers is one of caring and deep concern as well, with perhaps the clearest example of this being his articulation in the letter to the Romans of the sorrow he felt for his fellow Israelites who had not come to faith in Christ: "I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1-3).
This type of angst exhibited by Paul for unbelievers was also not restricted to his own nationality, but extended to non-Jews as well. As just one example, when he entered Athens, the text in Acts 17:16 makes clear that Paul was both repulsed and “greatly distressed” over the idolatrous situation the city was in. Yet he deeply cared about God’s rightful place as well as the people who were involved in false worship, and he immediately went about trying to engage the pagan unbelievers in discourse about the gospel which had been entrusted to him (Acts 17:17-34).
And at the heart of his message was Jesus.
EPHESIANS 41
I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to andbeg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another andmaking allowances because you love one another.
3 Be eager andstrive earnestly to guard andkeep the harmony andoneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.
4 [There is] one body and one Spirit–just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received–
5 [There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.
7 Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift.
8 Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [Ps. 68:18.]
9 [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth?
10 He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).
11 And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
12 His intention was the perfecting andthe full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),
13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ andthe completeness found in Him.
14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching andwavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning andcleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
15 Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way andin all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
16 For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints andligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.
17 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds.
18 Their moral understanding is darkened andtheir reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].
19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous andpast feeling andreckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager andgreedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].
20 But you did not so learn Christ!
21 Assuming that you have really heard Him andbeen taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts anddesires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, rejecting all falsity andbeing done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body andmembers one of another. [Zech. 8:16.]
26 When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
27 Leave no [such] room orfoothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
28 Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
29 Let no foul orpolluting language, norevil word norunwholesome orworthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good andbeneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need andthe occasion, that it may be a blessing andgive grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).
31 Let all bitterness and indignation andwrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).
32 And become useful andhelpful andkind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.
False apostles are people who masquerade as Christian leaders, get other people to follow them, and then lead them astray.
A true apostle is one who is “sent” by God as an ambassador of Jesus Christ with a divine message.
A false apostle is a pretender who does not truly represent Christ and whose message is false.
In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul addresses the problem of false apostles invading the Corinthian church.
He describes the false apostles as “those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” (verse 12).
The book of 2 Corinthians is one of Paul’s more “sarcastic” letters, as he contends with the church to recognize the error that had crept into their midst.
He contrasts his selfless service with that of the “super-apostles” (verse 5) who were seducing the church with their smooth speech and apparent wisdom.
These impostors were pretending to be true servants of Christ, but they did not know the Lord.
They were deceivers, preying on gullible Christians in Corinth to profit themselves and boost their ego.
Paul chides the church that they “even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face” (verse 20).
He even compares these impostors to Satan himself, who also “masquerades as an angel of light” (verse 14).
Paul warned the Ephesian elders about false apostles as well: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”
(Acts 20:29).
They must have heeded his words, because in Revelation 2:2, Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for spotting the false apostles in their midst and rejecting them.
False teachers and false apostles have been plentiful throughout the history of the church. They still infiltrate unsuspecting churches and have even led whole denominations into heresy and apostasy (see 1 Timothy 4:1–4).
Scripture gives us clear warning if we will pay attention.
First John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The following are some ways we can identify false apostles:
1. False apostles deny any or all truths about the identity and deity of Jesus Christ. In 1 John 4:3–4, John warns his readers against Gnostic teaching; the test, he says, is Christological: “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” There are many ways a spirit may deny that Jesus is the Christ. From demonic cults to denominations that have veered away from the gospel, evil spirits are always behind the slander of Jesus. Any teacher who attempts to take away from or add to Jesus’ finished work on the cross for our salvation is a false prophet (John 19:30; Acts 4:12).
2. False apostles are motivated by their greed, lust, or power. Second Timothy 3:1–8 describes such teachers in more detail: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
“They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.” Jesus said that an identifying mark of a false apostle/prophet is sinful behavior: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16, 20; cf. Jude 1:4).
3. False apostles distort or deny the Bible as God’s infallible, inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16). In Galatians 1:8–9Paul counters legalism with these strong words: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (KJV).
The inspired writings of the apostles are part of the Word of God, and no one has a right to change their message.
4. False apostles refuse to make themselves subject to spiritual authorities, but consider themselves the final authority
(Hebrews 13:7; 2 Corinthians 10:12).
They will often adopt lofty-sounding titles for themselves
This does not mean that every person carrying such titles is a false prophet,
only that evil impostors love lofty titles and will self-title to gain a hearing.
False apostles can arise anywhere the Word of God
does not reign supreme.
From organized churches to home Bible studies,
we must always be on guard against
“new teachings” or “revelations” that are not subject to
the “whole counsel of God”
(Acts 20:27).
אֲדָמָה
Jesus’ taught of how
the “good soil”
a receptive heart
receives the “seed”
(the Word of God)
In the Parable of the Sower (Lk 8:5-15),
Jesus teaches that
both seed and soil are necessary for growth.
Both seed and soil need proper
interaction to produce satisfying crop.
The seed is likened to the word of God.
The soil is the life and heart of each human being.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and
breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life;
and man became a living soul”
Genesis 2:7
In the Parable of the Growing Seed, Jesus tells of a man
who scatters seed on the ground
and then allows nature to take its course.
As the man who sowed the seed goes about his business day by day, the seed begins to have an effect. First, the seed sprouts; then it produces a stalk and leaves, then a head of grain, and, finally, fully developed kernels in the head. Jesus emphasizes that all of this happens without the man’s help. The man who scattered the seed cannot even fully understand how it happens—it is simply the work of nature. “All by itself the soil produces” (verse 28).
The parable ends with a harvest. As soon as the grain is ripe, the sickle is employed, and the seed is harvested.
This happens at just the right time.
Jesus did not explain this parable, as He did some others. Instead, He left it to us to understand its meaning.
Taking the seed to be the Word of God, as in Mark 4:14, we can interpret the growth of the plants as the working of God’s Word in individual hearts. The fact that the crop grows without the farmer’s intervention means that God can accomplish His purposes even when we are absent or unaware of what He’s doing. The goal is the ripened grain. At the proper time, the Word will bring forth its fruit, and the Lord of the harvest
(Luke 10:2) will be glorified.
The truth of this parable is well illustrated in the growth of the early church: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Just like a farmer cannot force a crop to grow, an evangelist cannot force spiritual life or growth on others.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Growing Seed: “The way God uses His Word in the heart of an individual is mysterious and completely independent of human effort.” May we be faithful in “sowing the seed,” praying for a harvest, and leaving the results to the Lord!
The idea of “circumcision of the heart” is found in Romans 2:29. It refers to having a pure heart, separated unto God. Paul writes, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” These words conclude a sometimes confusing passage of Scripture regarding circumcision and the Christian. Verses 25-29 provide context:
“For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
Paul is discussing the role of the Old Testament Law as it relates to Christianity. He argues that Jewish circumcision is only an outward sign of being set apart to God. However, if the heart is sinful, then physical circumcision is of no avail. A circumcised body and a sinful heart are at odds with each other. Rather than focus on external rites, Paul focuses on the condition of the heart. Using circumcision as a metaphor, he says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart to God. Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough. A person’s heart must change. Paul calls this change “circumcision of the heart.”
This concept was not original with the apostle Paul. As a Jew trained in the Law of Moses, he was certainly aware of this discussion from Deuteronomy 30. There, the Lord used the same metaphor to communicate His desire for a holy people: “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Physical circumcision was a sign of Israel’s covenant with God; circumcision of the heart, therefore, would indicate Israel’s being set apart to love God fully, inside and out.
John the Baptist warned the Pharisees against taking pride in their physical heritage and boasting in their circumcision: “Do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).
True “children of Abraham” are those who follow Abraham’s example of believing God (Genesis 15:6). Physical circumcision does not make one a child of God; faith does. Believers in Jesus Christ can truly say they are children of “Father Abraham.” “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
God has always wanted more from His people than just external conformity to a set of rules. He has always wanted them to possess a heart to love, know, and follow Him. That’s why God is not concerned with a circumcision of the flesh. Even in the Old Testament, God’s priority was a spiritual circumcision of the heart: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done” (Jeremiah 4:4).
Both Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God. In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). Through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). As Paul said, true circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God.
Purification is the process of becoming clean or pure in a physical, moral, or spiritual sense. In Scripture, God calls us to be pure, casting off anything that is unlike Him. Thus, purification is essential for those who draw near to God; it is important in worship, daily living, and becoming more Christlike.
In the Old Testament, purification was associated with ceremonial cleanliness. The Law of Moses included numerous rituals and sacrifices to achieve purification from physical and spiritual impurities. For example, Leviticus 14 describes the purification process for people healed of leprosy. This ritual involved a priest, two live clean birds, cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. One bird was sacrificed, while the other was set free, symbolizing both the cleansing and liberation from impurity. The idea is that, after a time of corruption, purification is necessary to restore fellowship with God and the religious community.
Purification was also prominent in the context of the tabernacle and the temple. Priests underwent rigorous purification rituals before performing their duties, as noted in Exodus 30:17–21, where God instructed Moses to make a bronze basin for washing. Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before approaching the altar, ensuring their ceremonial cleanliness. This act of purification signified respect for the holiness of God and the sanctity of their service to Him.
The New Testament transitions from an emphasis on ceremonial cleanliness to spiritual cleanliness. The ministry of John the Baptist, for example, included a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, signifying purification of the heart. In Matthew 3:11, John says, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (ESV). Here, purification by water is not merely an outward sign but a reflection of a cleansed heart.
Jesus also taught the importance of purification. In Mark 7:18–23, Jesus explains that it is not what goes into a person that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart. Jesus lists things like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, and others sins as impurities that corrupt from within. Purification, according to Jesus, involves a radical transformation of mind, heart, and spirit (see John 3:3, 5).
Purification is also significant in the writings of the apostles. In 1 John 1:7, the apostle John declares, “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” (ESV). Faith in the sacrificial death of Christ is how sinners are purified from all impurity, enabling them to stand justified before a holy God.
In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul urges believers to “cleanse [themselves] from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (ESV). To bring “holiness to completion,” believers must actively put away sin in cooperation with the Holy Spirit: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (ESV).
The book of Revelation shows that entrance to the New Jerusalem requires purification: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). Earlier, John had seen “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes” (Revelation 7:9). One of the elders tells John how their robes came to be so white: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
Purification before a holy God is an important theme in the Bible. From the rituals of the Old Testament to the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, purification is essential for salvation from sin and fellowship with God. Believers are called to live in holiness, experiencing God’s cleansing (1 John 1:9), and striving to reflect the character of Christ.
Psalm 96 may hold the key to understanding why worship has continuously evolved throughout history, and new songs have ever been written and sung to the Lord. The psalmist declared, “O sing unto the LORD a new song: Sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name” (Psalm 96:1–2, KJV).
Many other psalms unite in the refrain: “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” (Psalm 98:1). David intoned, “I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you” (Psalm 144:9). “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy,” insists Psalm 33:3. Again and again, God’s people are encouraged to “Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people” (Psalm 149:1).
In each of these passages, new means “original,” “fresh,” “one of a kind,” and “never seen before,” or, in this case, “never heard before.” God is a creative God. He’s always doing something new—like saving, intervening, answering prayers, and working miracles. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18–19). Right before this, the Lord declared, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth” (Isaiah 42:9–10, ESV).
When we are born into the family of God, He makes us new creatures in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul explained, “The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17; see also Galatians 6:15). To the Corinthians, Paul said, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
One thing our inventive God loves is for His newly created people to express innovative, spontaneous, and unrehearsed praise and thanks to Him. Singing unto the Lord a new song is the natural reaction of an individual who is newly saved and transformed by the Lord: “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:3, ESV).
The “new song” we sing does not have to be a newly composed worship number. The new song is merely a fresh response of praise and thanks—one that matches the freshness of God’s goodness and mercy, which are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). A new song springs forth unrehearsed from the heart of a worshiper who has been struck anew with wonder at the greatness of God and the salvation He has provided. When we see the mighty hand of God working in a way we’ve never observed before, we can’t help but burst forth with a song we’ve never sung before.
A new song has been heard from people of every generation—sung by a choir of born-again believers who have tasted and seen the goodness and salvation of the Lord. From days of old and for all eternity, followers from every tribe, language, people, and nation sing unto the Lord a new song (Revelation 5:9). Throughout the earth and before the throne of God in heaven, we can hear the redeemed singing a new song to the Lord (Revelation 14:3).
One of the many benefits of water
is its cleansing ability—not only on our bodies but in them
as well.
We read of this in Paul's first-century letter to his friends in Ephesus.
In Ephesians 5:25–26, he reminded them
of how
deeply Christ is committed to the church,
the body of believers:
"Christ also loved the church and gave Himself
up for her, so that
He might sanctify her, having cleansed
her by the
washing of water with the word."
Just as clear, fresh water cleanses our bodies, God's written Word washes us clean deep down inside our souls. It purifies our thoughts, scrubs our motives, and cleans our conscience as we absorb it and obey its truths.
Stop and read the first 10 verses of Psalm 51.
Notice how many times
David asked the Lord to cleanse him within.
God’s Word purifies our thoughts and motives
as we absorb and obey its truths.
Then the whole congregation of the
sons of Israel
assembled themselves at Shiloh,
and set up the tent of meeting there;
and the land was subdued before them"
(Josh 18:1)
It's difficult to imagine how much theological weight a single verse from the Bible is able to carry, but the entire storyline from the first verse of Genesis until Joshua 17 has been building up to this verse in Joshua 18:1. The primary inspiration for this verse comes from the Creation Narrative (Gen 1:1-2:3) as well as the Garden of Eden Narrative (Gen 2:4-3:24).
The word "subdued" in Joshua 18:1 has been very strategically chosen. It's the same word used in God's creation mandate to Adam and his wife: "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and SUBDUE it'" (Gen 1:28). Joshua's extraordinary military success has resulted in a very short-lived and partial fulfillment of the creation mandate. The land has now been subdued.
Now let's consider another highly charged word in Joshua 18:1. The verb "to set up" (i.e., the tent of meeting) comes from the Hebrew root which means "to dwell/to tabernacle." This is the same root for the well-known term for "shekinah," which refers to the special manifestation of God's presence with his people on earth. And the particular stem used for verb in Joshua 18:1 (the causative stem) rarely occurs in the Hebrew Bible. It cannot be a coincidence, therefore, that it's only other occurrence since the Bible story began is in Genesis 3:24. Immediately after Adam sinned, God banished Adam from his garden-like temple and blocked its eastern entrance by causing cherubim "to dwell" there with flaming swords. But now that Joshua has subdued the land, a model of the garden of Eden (the tabernacle) is set up so that God can once again "walk among" (Gen 3:8; Lev 26:12; Deut 23:15; see also Josh 18:4, and tabernacle with his people (Exod 25:8).
Upon this single verse rests the net sum of all of the Bible's eschatology. This verse offers us a glimpse of what the prophets dreamed about and longed for, and it's where the story in the biblical canon finally ends. In the final chapters of Revelation, the New Testament Joshua comes to subdue the land (Rev 19:15), the New Eden (Jerusalem) descends from heaven (Rev 21:2), and "the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them" (Rev 22:3).
The garden of Eden is not just a thing of the past. It's also the trajectory for the future. And God longs for us to walk together with him in the new Eden. So let's not be like Adam who traded it all for a piece of fruit (Gen 3:6), or like Achan who traded it for the sake of a robe along with some gold and silver (Josh 7:21).
Oh God, help us make
enjoying your "shekinah"
in the new Eden
our most coveted treasure.
"The Spirit and the bride
say, 'Come.'
And let the one who hears
say, 'Come.'
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who wishes take the
water of life without cost"
(Rev 22:17).
“You will make known to me
the path of life;
in Your presence is fullness
of joy;
in Your right hand
there are pleasures forever"
(Psa 16:11).
GO and make Disciples
Gospel
Funding the Great Comission
Billboards and Banners are
Visible
The whole point of a banner is to be seen, unmistakable and un-ignorable.
Banners are for those who raise them. They are an act of celebration, remembrance, or announcement.
Banners are for those who see them. They are an invitation and a gathering place.
They summon and call. They attract passers by.
As you consider all this, you may see how God is the banner--Jehovah Nissi—of all who believe, all who are His followers, all who trust Him with the same faith Moses, Aaron, Hur, and Joshua trusted.
God is our banner because we live to celebrate and honor His faithfulness to us, shown in myriad ways, from the rising sun to the risen Christ. God is our banner because we remember all His deeds and His words graciously given to us in scripture. God is our banner because He gives us identity, and our label is “God’s children,” because of the saving work of Jesus. God is our banner because we are his representatives to the world, making Him visible and showing the beauty of His transforming work.
God is our banner because all of this is an invitation, a gravitational pull, a summons, a tug to any who would believe but do not yet know what that means or how to do so.
Seek and Save the lost
Baptizing
And Teaching
All
I have taught You
John the Baptist came preaching repentance and baptizing in the wilderness of Judea, and he was sent as a herald to announce the arrival of Jesus, the Son of God (Matthew 3:1-12). He announced, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
After Jesus had risen from the dead, He instructed His apostles to “…wait for the Promise of the Father which you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5). This promise was first fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and the baptism of the Spirit joins every believer to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). But what about the baptism with fire?
Some interpret the baptism of fire as referring to the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent from heaven. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:2-3). It is important to note that these were tongues as of fire, not literal fire.
Some believe that the baptism with fire refers to the Holy Spirit’s office as the energizer of the believer’s service, and the purifier of evil within, because of the exhortation “Do not quench the Spirit” found in 1Thessalonians 5:19. The command to the believer is to not put out the Spirit’s fire by suppressing His ministry.
A third and more likely interpretation is that the baptism of fire refers to judgment. In all four Gospel passages mentioned above, Mark and John speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but only Matthew and Luke mention the baptism with fire. The immediate context of Matthew and Luke is judgment (Matthew 3:7-12; Luke 3:7-17). The context of Mark and John is not (Mark 1:1-8; John 1:29-34). We know that the Lord Jesus is coming in flaming fire to judge those who do not know God (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; John 5:21-23; Revelation 20:11-15), but praise be to God that He will save all that will come and put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!
In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.
John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).
The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.
John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.
In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).
In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “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” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.
At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already withthe disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).
Before the disciples began their ministry, Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4–5, ESV). Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).
Believers should be thankful that the Spirit of truth is with us, in us, and upon us. For, without His guidance and light, we could not distinguish truth from error.
In Galatians 5:1–15, the apostle Paul discusses the nature of Christian freedom, beginning with an admonition to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1, NKJV). Paul contends that Jesus Christ came to set believers free from a burdensome, legalistic existence as slaves to the law. Therefore, Christians must ensure that they stay free and not get bound up again under a yoke of bondage to the law.
A yoke is a curved bar made from wood or metal that harnesses together two or more draft animals so they can more effectively work as a team. Yokes were also placed around the necks of people like shackles to secure prisoners in place. Thus, wearing a yoke often speaks of slavery and hardship in the Bible (Deuteronomy 28:48; 1 Kings 12:4; Jeremiah 27:8; 1 Timothy 6:1), and removing or breaking a yoke represents freedom (Leviticus 26:13; Isaiah 58:6). The references to being “entangled again” (NKJV) or “burdened again” (NIV) suggest being weighed down again under a heavy load.
An “unequally yoked” team has one stronger ox and one weaker, or one taller and one shorter. The weaker or shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles. When oxen are unequally yoked, they cannot perform the task set before them. Instead of working together, they are at odds with one another.
The “unequal yoke” is often applied to business relationships. For a Christian to enter into a partnership with an unbeliever is to court disaster. Unbelievers have opposite worldviews and morals, and business decisions made daily will reflect the worldview of one partner or the other. For the relationship to work, one or the other must abandon his moral center and move toward that of the other. More often than not, it is the believer who finds himself pressured to leave his Christian principles behind for the sake of profit and the growth of the business.
Of course, the closest alliance one person can have with another is found in marriage, and this is how the passage is usually interpreted. God’s plan is for a man and a woman to become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), a relationship so intimate that one literally and figuratively becomes part of the other. Uniting a believer with an unbeliever is essentially uniting opposites, which makes for a very difficult marriage relationship.
When Paul said, “Do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (NKJV) or “Do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (NIV), he was rebuking Christians for their tendency to turn back to legalism, which is the opposite of Christian freedom. One commentator elaborates, “The Christian freedom he [Paul] describes is freedom of conscience, freedom from the tyranny of the law, the dreadful struggle to keep the law, with a view to winning the favour of God. It is the freedom of acceptance with God and of access to God through Christ. . . . In other words, we are to enjoy the glorious freedom of conscience which Christ has brought us by His forgiveness. We must not lapse into the idea that we have to win our acceptance with God by our own obedience” (Stott, J., The Message of Galatians: Only One Way, InterVarsity Press, 1986, p. 132).
Paul depicts our former way of life before salvation as slavery to the law. Wearing a yoke of bondage is a fitting metaphor for this slavery because an animal (or person) bound by a yoke must obey its master. Under the Old Testament covenant, the Jews labored under the law in an attempt to be justified or made right before God (Romans 2:13). But under the New Covenant, God’s grace confirmed by the blood of Jesus gives us freedom from slavery to the law and release from sin and death (Galatians 4:24–31).
Jewish false teachers had infiltrated the Galatian churches, demanding that Gentiles be circumcised (Galatians 2:3–5). The same thing had happened in Antioch of Syria, where Judiazers taught, “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1, NLT). These legalistic Jews were trying to make Christians return to a yoke of bondage by requiring them to observe the Old Testament rules, laws, and ceremonies, especially circumcision.
Paul stood unyielding against these false teachers because the truth of the gospel of grace was at stake: “Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:2–6, NLT).
Paul contended that under the New Covenant both Jews and Gentiles are accepted into God’s family by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21–22; Ephesians 2:8). Before salvation, we lived under a yoke of bondage to the law (Galatians 4:3), burdened by a guilty conscience (Titus 1:15), imprisoned by demands we could not keep (Acts 15:10), and held captive by the fear of punishment because of our disobedience (1 John 4:18).
Paul said in Galatians 3:24, “The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith” (NLT). When Christ came, He set us free from the yoke of bondage by meeting the demands of the law for us: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14, NLT).
There is no longer condemnation for those of us who belong to Jesus (Romans 8:1–2) because He took the guilty sentence in our place: “God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us” (Romans 8:3–4, NLT).
The Christian life is characterized by a joyous freedom to follow Christ out of love and not a dreadful life of slavery to following rules. Jesus Christ has lifted the yoke of bondage from our shoulders and placed on them His own yoke, one that describes obedience and discipleship: “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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29–30).
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt. 6:24)
I like Dave Ramsey’s program. I also get that the title “Financial Peace” is a lot catchier than “Financial Responsibility”—which is what the program is really about. Financial responsibility is fine (1 Thess. 4:11-12).
But finances will never bring you peace.
That’s not their job. That’s not what they were designed to do. But if you’ve given up on the Kingdom, if you don’t want Jesus’ program for rolling back the curse, what other options do you have? You’ll just have to try and buy your way out of the brokenness of this world.
Based on most of our political discourse, that is exactly what we’re trying to do. Amazingly, in our ultra-polarized political atmosphere, we all seem to agree on this basic assumption: Money is our hope for wiping away the Old Age and ushering in the New. The only question left is who would do better managing the money. In this, our true national religion, should we have a hierarchical priesthood dispensing out the green paper sacrament, or should we have a priesthood of all citizens? How can Mammon best be served?
In Matthew 6:24, the term “Mammon” plays off of the Hebrew word for that which is trustworthy, stable, and reliable. Luke makes it clear that Jesus is talking about money (16:1-13). Jesus personifies money as a rival deity to God. It’s something else that we can turn to. Something different that we hope will deliver the paradise we want.
“Jesus personifies money as a rival deity to God.”
But the New Testament repeatedly warns that Money (in Greek, it’s usually “riches” or the word for “silver”) is a terrible master. For instance, money constantly shows up motivating very unsavory behavior: religious leaders letting the temple turn into a marketplace (Mt. 21:12-13); Ananias and Sapphira lying about their donation (Acts 5:1-10); Greeks opposing the gospel because it hurts their bottom line (Acts 16:16-21; 19:23-29). Not to mention Judas. As much as we could speculate all day about why he betrayed Jesus, let’s not forget—Judas didn’t volunteer his services. Judas got paid (Matt. 26:14-16).
Money does things to people. It can foster arrogance (1 Tim. 6:17). Jesus warns that it can choke the word out entirely so it can’t bear any fruit (Matt. 13:22). True, the Old Testament puts a lot of stress on God wanting to bless his people in tangible ways. But in the next breath, it pivots and says, “But then you’ll get comfortable. And then you’ll forget” (Deut. 8:11-20). There are different ways to interpret Paul in 1 Timothy 6:10, but the basic point is clear. Money is the root. Evil is the fruit. You may say, “But that’s just the love of money!” Jesus responds, “Good luck threading that needle” (cf. Matt. 19:23-24).
“Money is the root. Evil is the fruit.”
The New Testament also talks about the “deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4:19). Money doesn’t deliver on its promises. The Greek word for “greed” is literally “have-more-ness” (cf. Luke 12:15). Greed is the feeling that your happiness depends on having more in general. Coveting is the feeling that your happiness depends on having something specific. You have the thing in your sights, and your inner voice says, “I would be happy if only I had that.”
But you wouldn’t.
Nowadays, the “hedonic treadmill” is a staple in happiness studies. When it comes to material possessions, first you want something. Getting it can be kind of a thrill, but that doesn’t last long at all. As for having it? You adapt to that. In other words, you get used to it and you get bored with it. So you go looking for the next one. Treadmill.
Lastly, there’s the obvious fact that money doesn’t last. Either it goes, or we go, and money is powerless to stop that. “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” (Luke 12:20). James is even less subtle:
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” (James 5:1-3)
“There’s the obvious fact that money doesn’t last. Either it goes, or we go, and money is powerless to stop that.”
Money has its limits. So Jesus works hard to shake us free from that particular idol. After Jesus fed the five thousand, they tracked him down on the far side of the lake because he gave them bread (hardly a luxury item!). But he tells them, “You don’t understand. I’m the bread. Forget that bread. It doesn’t give you life. I do” (John 6:26-35). Jesus puts riches in their place, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
Once you re-orient your perspective, money just isn’t that big of a deal. For instance: should the sons of the Kingdom have to pay taxes? No. But who cares? Just pay it (Matt. 17:24-27; 22:15-21). If you serve the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10), stuff just isn’t a problem (Matt. 14:15-21; 15:32-38; Luke 5:1-11). Don’t worry about it. That’s what the rest of Matthew 6 is all about.
So the heroes in the New Testament are people who either have nothing (like John the Baptist [Mt. 3:4] or Jesus himself [Matt. 8:20]) or who give up what they have to follow Jesus (like Peter and Andrew [Matt. 4:19-20] or Matthew [Matt. 9:9; cf. Matt. 13:44-46]). As Jesus tells the rich young ruler, “Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matt. 19:21). Just to make it clear—this wasn’t just a personal issue for this particular guy. Jesus says the same thing in an open comment to anyone who wants to follow him: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail” (Luke 12:33).
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail.”
So, as a Christ-follower, what’s the right posture to take toward money? Basically, be deeply suspicious of it. View money (and possessions in general) like it’s radioactive. If you handle it VERYcarefully, you might be able to do some good with it. But if you let your guard down and get sloppy, it will kill you.
Maybe a good practice would be to try to make do with less. According to John the Baptist, if you have two shirts, then you have one you can give away (Luke 3:11). As the author of Hebrews says, be content (13:5). In concrete terms, work at living below your means.
I stumbled into this out of necessity, but I found it to be a fantastic discipline for developing the right attitude towards money. Instead of asking, “How much can I spend?” you get into the habit of asking, “How much can I not spend?” You realize how little you actually need. (Spoiler: It’s less than you think.) This is the opposite of the “hedonic treadmill.”
And as you start to appreciate all the things that money can’t buy, a lot of the things it can buy start to seem kind of pointless.
Then, if you get a windfall or your savings really accumulate, the money isn’t already spent in your head. Instead, you can ask God, “Whoa. Wait. What am I supposed to do with all this?” Odds are, he has a few ideas.
“As you start to appreciate
all the things that money can’t buy,
a lot of the things it can buy
start to seem kind of pointless.”
Because money, at the end of the day, is just a tool, a “little thing” (Luke 16:10). Nothing more. It is something we can use wisely or foolishly (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 16:1-9). And if money is radioactive, then the only way to detoxify it is to give it away (cf. Eph. 4:28). Thus, every single time a rich person is mentioned positively in the New Testament, they are giving (cf. Matt. 27:57; Luke 7:5; 19:1-10; Acts 10:2; 16:14-15; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; Heb. 7:1-2)
Giving isn’t losing; it’s being set free.
What Is the Biblical Goal of Education?
The Future of Christianity and Truth?
Educating Children on Biblical
Truth
Donating family income and investing finances into Overseers,
your child’s education; and Discipling and teaching
what
Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount
Why We Should Read the Sermon with David
in Mind?
The name David never appears in the sermon, and only once does
the proper noun “king” occur
Matthew 5:35
it would be a mistake to overlook Jesus as king here. At least three reasons present themselves for
viewing the sermon through the lens of royalty.
First, the very occurrence of the term “kingdom,” both throughout the sermon and in the narrative leading
up to the sermon, give warrant for viewing each discourse as a kingship discourse. As just noted,
Matthew-speaks of Jesus “proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom” in two summary statements
Matthew 4:23, 9:35
Matthew 4:23, Matthew 9:35
), which is meant to act like an abbreviated canopy thrown over the entire narrative.
The beatitudes are framed with “Kingdom of heaven” statements
(Matthew 5:3, 5:10
Matthew 5:3, Matthew 5:10
and the term “kingdom” occurs eight times in the discourse.
The Sermon on the Mount
is thus
the speech of the King.
Second, it would be odd for Matthew to begin with the Davidic theme so clearly in the genealogy and birth narrative then drop it once Jesus enters his ministry. Matthew begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus as the Son of David, and in the birth narrative, he says he is born in Bethlehem, the city of David
Matthew 2:1
he is the king of the Jews Matthew 2:2
and that a new ruler would come from Judah who will shepherd Israel
Matthew 2:6
It would be odd if Matthew began by comparing Jesus to David and then suddenly stopped. The
sermon isn’t hermetically sealed off from the rest of the narrative but part and parcel of it.
Third, kings in ancient times were to give the law and “embody the law internally and produce good legislation that transforms the people and leads them in obedience to the law” (Joshua W. Jipp). Evidence exists both in the Ancient Near Eastern culture
and the
Biblical text that kings were to be living embodiments of the law
who instructed through both
teaching and example what it meant to follow the law.
As the king goes, the nation goes. Jesus is the Davidic King who becomes the living law.
Jesus, the One Who Embodies the Law
If we look at the sermon through the lens of David, a few passages that
might seem confusing at first come into more clarity. In Matthew 5:17-18
Jesus’ statement about fulfilling the law has been the subject of much debate.
In what way does he fulfill the law?
By extending it? By showing its true intention?
By bringing it to its end?
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Matthew 5:17–18
Clarity emerges here if we see Jesus not just as the prophet but as the King who fulfills the law by “living it” as the ideal king. As the king, he embodies the law, he meets its demands and thereby fulfills it. While Leon Morris is right that “we must bear in mind that ‘fulfil’ does not mean the same as ‘keep’; Jesus is speaking of more than obedience to regulations,” it is also true that it does not mean “less.” To understand what “fulfill the law” means from a monarchial perspective, one must put themselves into the first century context and the common notion about kings. Both Hellenistic and Old Testament kingship discourse assert virtuous kings submit to the law and thereby internalize them. In the Neo-Pythagorean essays “On Kingship,” Archytas presents the good king as the animate law.
Law are of two kinds, the animate law, which is the king, and the inanimate, the written law. So law is primary; for with reference to it the king is lawful, the rulership is fitting, the ruled are free, the whole community happy . . . . So it is proper for the better to rule, for the worse to be ruled . . . . The best ruler would be the one who is closest to the law.
According to this text, the wise king is the one who embodies the law, who rules in accordance with the law. He is the animate law to be imitated by his subjects. In a similar way, Plutarch says the king shapes his character by the laws so that his subjects fit his pattern. The just king obeys the law and becomes a wise copy of these things the law commands. While the Old Testament does not use the language of “living law” to describe Israel’s ideal king, it does speak of the task of Israel’s ruler; he is to write out, read, and obey the Torah.
And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers,
and that he may not turn aside from the commandment,
either to the right hand or to the left,
so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”
Deuteronomy 17:18–20
Jesus is thus not only the new Moses going up on the mountain
to give the law;
he is the new King fulfilling the demands of the law
by instructing the people how
to imitate him in living in harmony to the law.
Living the Law in the Rest of the Gospel
The rest of the Gospel supports
the idea that Christ fulfills the law by embodying it.
Matthew goes to great lengths to show
that Jesus not only teaches on the law but internalizes
Jesus did not come to set aside or nullify the law; rather, he affirmed it, accomplished it, and brought it to reality.
He was a teacher and an embodiment of fulfilling truth
Jesus embodies and lives the law he delivers in the sermon and in the rest of the Gospel.
The standard responsibility of ancient kings was the task of enacting justice for his people. Matthew’s dramatization
of the law throughout his Gospel cannot be separated from Jesus’ kingship because
Matthew’s programmatic statement
about Jesus’ ministry is: he “went throughout all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues
and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom
and healing
every disease and every affliction among the people”
Matthew 4:23
The Sermon on the Mount
is part of the King’s message about the Kingdom of heaven.
He teaches on the Kingdom
Matthew 5–7
and then he heals every disease in anticipation of the Kingdom
and enacts the double love command.
David and the chiefs of the service
also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman,
and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals...
And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.
King David, as head of state,
set up a worship music arts teaching program for temple worship.
Note that David was not doing the teaching,
nor were any of his governmental officials leading the department
Education should found its foundation
in the worship
and reverence of the Lord:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction
—Proverbs 1:7
What Is the Biblical Goal of Education?
And Where is Your Money Going?
Ultimately, the goal is that the student would own his own learning and be able to test doctrines and studies himself, to discern truth from error. For example, the author of Hebrews admonishes the Hebrew Christians for their inability to have achieved maturity, calling them children in need of “milk” (Heb. 5:12).
The Berean Jews, on the other hand, took ownership of their own education and searched the Scriptures as soon as they heard the new teaching of the Gospel; Luke (the author of Acts) calls them “noble” (Acts 17:11).
Good instruction is life-giving (Prov. 4:13); as parents we ought to seek to educate our children in such a way that, when they are older, we will be happy if they stick with it (as they most likely will according to Proverbs 22:6). We want our children to become the kind of learners who intertwine their righteousness with their learning and become wiser still (Prov. 9:9).
Ultimately our goal is to ensure that our children are provided with the tools to become mature and complete through their studies, studies which are rooted in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17) but which branch out into every area of God’s world, and studies which are supplemented by rigorous testing, which produces maturity (cf. James 1:4).
There are many more passages we could have cited and dissected, but this should at least provide parents with a framework for thinking robustly, from a biblical worldview, about these three pertinent questions as they seek to pursue their children’s education in a way that honors the Lord.
Jesus gave Peter a three-fold command to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus. The setting was one of the last of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them,
and then commissioned Peter
with the task of feeding His sheep and tending His lambs
The three commands, although often translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture. “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). Jesus is both our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Door of the sheepfold (John 10:9). By describing His people as lambs, He is emphasizing their nature as immature and vulnerable and in need of tending and care.
The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first pastoral letter to the elders of the churches of Asia Minor: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers”
(1 Peter 5:2).
The third time, the literal translation is “pasture (tend) the sheep” (v. 17). Here Jesus combines the different Greek words to make clear the job of the shepherd of the flock of God. They are to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to the full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. The totality of the task set before Peter, and all shepherds, is made clear by Jesus’ three-fold command and the words He chooses.
What is this food with which shepherds are to feed the flock of God? It can be no other than the Word of God. Peter declares that Christians are to desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it, we can mature in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). As early as the book of Deuteronomy, we see the Lord describing His Word as food for His people who live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus reiterates this thought in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4).
The importance of
the Word of God as food for our souls
cannot be over-emphasized.
Clearly, the job of
the shepherds of God’s people is to provide them
with the pure milk of the Word of God
so they can move on to the meat and solid food of
the spiritually mature
(Hebrews 5:12-14)
Pastoral ministry
should be primarily one of pastors
feeding their people the Word of God.
Only then can pastors declare, as Peter did,
their love for the Lord Jesus.
In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays to His Father,
saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”
(John 17:17).
In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.
In the same prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples and all who will believe in Him through the gospel (John 17:20). Believers accept God’s words (John 17:6) and accept Jesus as God’s Word (John 17:8). God is truth, and His truth brings salvation to all who accept it (Titus 2:11). Further, God’s written and living Word will sustain believers as they are in the world (John 17:14).
In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus confirms that He brought the message of salvation to the world: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus’ mission of bringing the truth has been accomplished (John 17:4), and He turns the focus of His prayer to God working through the disciples and other believers. He confirms that believers will be rejected by the world for believing “Your word is truth,” but believers are also assured joy, God’s protection from the evil one, and sanctification by God’s Word (John 17:13–19).
The Old and New Testaments both affirm that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. Since God cannot lie, His Word is truth: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless” (Psalm 18:30). Since God is eternal and unchanging, His Word is always the same: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35; cf. Isaiah 40:8). Jesus uses the Word as He rebukes the devil who was tempting Him: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
If we want to know truth, we will look in God’s written Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and look to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3). John refers to Jesus Christ in John 1:1–2, saying, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word is God’s total message, and Jesus embodied that full message, which is why He is called the “Logos,” or “Word,” of God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). God is truth. His Word is truth. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus and agreeing that “Your word is truth.”
Jesus said, “Your word is truth.” When we look at the Bible, we see truth. The Bible does not merely contain the truth; it is the truth. Every word is truth, in every part of the Bible. “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). This is the doctrine of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture.
How we respond to God’s written Word
and the
Word made flesh has an eternal impact on us.
Since God’s Word is truth,
rejecting the Bible and
rejecting Jesus is rejecting
God Himself.
Believing, cherishing, studying, and obeying God’s Word is the key to salvation, understanding God, and living abundantly (John 10:10). No matter what we may face in this world, we are sustained by the truth prayed over us in Jesus’ prayer: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”
(John 17:17)
Rooting in the Living Word
brings
Spiritual Life
Be cautious about
Raising up children in a church
that portrays the
wrong image of God
Our
Children and Future
Need
The Truth
About A Church
because
Sound doctrine is literally
Life and Death
Because our faith is based on
a specific message
Sound doctrine is important
because the gospel is a sacred trust, and
we dare not tamper with
God’s communication to the world
Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3; see also Philippians 1:27). To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards.
In one of the Bible’s lists of sins,
things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned.
The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine”
(1 Timothy 1:9-10).
In other words,
true teaching promotes righteousness;
sin flourishes where
“the sound doctrine” is opposed
Sound doctrine is important because
we must ascertain truth in a
world of falsehood.
“Many false prophets have gone out into the world”
(1 John 4:1).
There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock
(Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29).
The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is
to know what the truth is.
Sound doctrine is important
because the end
of sound doctrine is
LIFE
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).
Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
The word of wisdom is “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”
It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).
In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.
Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).
“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis,
which means
“belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.”
It is key to the book of Romans and is used
40 times in the book--
three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10.
The verb form of the word is also used
21 times
within the book and most often
translated as “believe.”
If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).
The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.
The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.
One of Jesus Christ’s most instructive miracles takes place when the apostle Peter jumps out of a boat and walks on turbulent water to meet the Lord on the sea. The account, which follows on the heels of another illuminating miracle, the feeding of the 5,000, is recorded in Matthew 14:22–36. Not only does Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee here, but Peter walks on the water as well.
Several valuable lessons—some obvious and some not so apparent—are introduced in the account of when Peter walks on water. Jesus has just finished feeding a crowd of thousands with two fish and a few loaves of bread. The disciples are beginning to see who Jesus is, but their faith in Him still has room for growth. Directly following this miracle, Jesus launches into His next lesson. By now it’s evening, and Jesus has not yet had time to get alone with His Father—the very reason He had come to this isolated place near the sea. So Jesus sends His disciples on ahead in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus makes room for time alone with God. This is the first important lesson we can take from the account to help us weather the storms of life. Jesus sends the disciples away so He can be alone on the mountain to pray. Even with the needs of so many people pressing in on Him, the Lord makes solitary time with God His priority.
As the disciples are crossing the sea, a fierce and frightening storm kicks up. Very early in the morning, Jesus comes walking toward them on the water. Thinking He is a ghost, the disciples are terrified. Even though they have been with Christ for a long time, they don’t recognize Jesus as He approaches in the storm. Sometimes we fail to recognize the Lord when He comes alongside us during our own personal storms. But Jesus understands the immaturity of our faith. To His disciples, the Lord speaks these words of comfort: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).
Peter, ever enthusiastic and impulsive, replies, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). The Lord invites Peter to come, and the disciple steps out of the boat. Peter walks on water toward Jesus. His baby steps of faith last only a moment, though, and then he takes his eyes off of the Lord. With his physical sight, Peter sees the wind and waves surrounding him, and “he was afraid” (verse 30) and begins to sink.
Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30), and Jesus instantly reaches out His hand to catch Peter. “You of little faith,” Jesus says, “Why did you doubt?” (verse 31). For believers, the lesson here is unmistakable. If we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on our circumstances, we will fall under the weight of our problems. If we call to Jesus in faith, he will catch us and lift us above our seemingly impossible situation. Peter let doubt displace his faith. In all the time he had been with Jesus, even Peter, one of Christ’s closest friends, was still learning to trust the Lord completely.
As Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the storm ceases. The disciples respond to everything they’ve witnessed with awe, adoration, and worship of the Lord. To Jesus they say, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Beginning to grasp that Jesus is all-powerful, even over the forces of nature, the disciples take another step closer to possessing mature faith. Jesus uses this stormy experience to bring His followers into a fuller understanding of who He is as their God and King. He is the Almighty Lord of the winds and the waves, and when He is present with us in our lifeboat, we can trust Him to either calm the storm or calm us.
A crucial lesson remains to be explored. When Peter jumps out of the boat, his heart is full of good intentions. Sometimes we take a leap of faith with similarly good intentions, but, like Peter’s, our faith soon falters. Peter’s exercise of faith does not end in failure. Although he is sinking in fear, he calls out to the Lord, “Save me!” God loves to hear our cry for help. It means we know we can’t save ourselves. Peter helplessly cries out to the only one who can help him. The disciple’s experience reminds us that a lapse of faith is merely a stumble. The Lord is near to raise us back safely to our feet when we call to Him for help.
The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV). Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–5). At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6). The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him.
The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . . This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31–33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people. The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV).
The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20).
The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant. After the resurrection of Christ, God in His grace brought the Gentiles into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14). The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth during the Millennial Kingdom, and in heaven for all eternity.
We are no longer under the Law but under grace
(Romans 6:14–15).
The Old Covenant has served its purpose,
and it has been
replaced by “a better covenant”
(Hebrews 7:22)
“In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises”
(Hebrews 8:6).
Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).
Paul was a highly educated, brilliantly qualified teacher of the law, yet he did not depend on his own competence in his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ: “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:4–6, NKJV). Genuine ministers of Christ can have rock-solid confidence, but only as they depend wholly on the Lord and His grace.
In 2 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul confronts the ideas and practices of legalistic false teachers who brag about their “letters of commendation” (2 Corinthians 3:1). These powerful, self-reliant men were challenging Paul’s authority and apostleship. They thought Paul lacked the necessary credentials and resources to be a competent minister. Paul asserts that we (he and all genuine Christian ministers) don’t need to depend on human-supplied credentials because our sufficiency comes from God. In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the Greek noun translated
“sufficiency”
means
“the quality of being able
to meet
a need satisfactorily,
or
being fit enough, capable,
competent, or adequate
for the job.”
In a similar warning to the Philippians about false teachers, Paul explains that, perhaps more than anyone, he has good reason to trust in his own competency: “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault” (Philippians 3:4–6, NLT).
Humanly speaking, Paul was overqualified for the job. Nevertheless, he puts “no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). He does not rely on his rich heritage, religious zeal, theological training, or natural ability. Everything that defined and qualified Paul as an apostle was credited to God and His grace: “For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (1 Corinthians 15:9–10, NLT). Paul claims no credit and takes no glory for himself but gives it all to God and the power of His marvelous grace.
“Our sufficiency is of God” is not a declaration of false humility. Instead, it is a pronouncement of confidence in God’s competence, acknowledging that there is only one source to draw from as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the unlimited supply of grace poured into us through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, the apostles recognized that their “great power” to “testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” came from “God’s grace,” which was “powerfully at work in them all” (Acts 4:33). God’s grace is the only letter of recommendation we need (Acts 14:26; Romans 15:15–16). Paul admits that in all his dealings he “depended on God’s grace” and not on his own “human wisdom” (2 Corinthians 1:12, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 2:1–5).
Our sufficiency is of God means that none of us are fit, capable, or satisfactorily qualified by our human efforts or aptitudes to minister to the hearts of lost people. Only God can enable us or make “us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6, ESV). Our success in ministry comes from God alone, as Paul eloquently illustrates throughout his letter: “We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. . . . Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. . . . We live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. . . . All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory” (2 Corinthians 4:7–15, NLT; see also 2 Corinthians 5:18). Our sufficiency is of God, and His grace is all we need (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
Second Corinthians 3:6 says,
“He has made us competent as ministers
of a new covenant--
not of the letter but of the Spirit;
for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
With these words, Paul summarizes the key difference between the Old and New Testaments: the first covenant was based on obedience to the written law (the “letter”), but the second covenant is based on the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
The written law—“the letter”—was chiseled in stone by the finger of God and is the unchanging standard by which all are judged. The law cannot give us righteousness or eternal life in heaven (Galatians 2:16). It can only condemn us as sinners, and the sentence is death.
Heaven is where perfection is required
(Matthew 5:20, 48; 19:16–21),
and
“the law made nothing perfect”
(Hebrews 7:19).
Jesus said,
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”
(John 3:6), and,
later, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you--they are Spirit and they are life”
(John 6:63).
The Holy Spirit was active in the Incarnation of our Savior
(Luke 1:35)
It was through the Holy Spirit that
Jesus offered Himself
as a sacrifice to God for our sins
(Hebrews 9:14)
The Spirit is the cause of the new birth
(John 3:3–8).
It is the Spirit who lives in believers
(John 14:17),
seals them (Ephesians 1:13),
and sanctifies them (Romans 15:16).
The Spirit gives life
in that He enables us to reach God’s
ultimate goal for us,
to be transformed into
the glorious image of God’s own Son
(2 Corinthians 3:18; also see Romans 8:28–30).
“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life”
(2 Corinthians 3:6)
What Is the Biblical Goal of Education?
The Future of Christianity and Truth?
Educating Children on Biblical
Truth
Donating family income and investing finances into Overseers,
your child’s education; and Discipling and teaching
what
Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount
Why We Should Read the Sermon with David
in Mind?
The name David never appears in the sermon, and only once does
the proper noun “king” occur
Matthew 5:35
it would be a mistake to overlook Jesus as king here. At least three reasons present themselves for
viewing the sermon through the lens of royalty.
First, the very occurrence of the term “kingdom,” both throughout the sermon and in the narrative leading
up to the sermon, give warrant for viewing each discourse as a kingship discourse. As just noted,
Matthew-speaks of Jesus “proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom” in two summary statements
Matthew 4:23, 9:35
Matthew 4:23, Matthew 9:35
), which is meant to act like an abbreviated canopy thrown over the entire narrative.
The beatitudes are framed with “Kingdom of heaven” statements
(Matthew 5:3, 5:10
Matthew 5:3, Matthew 5:10
and the term “kingdom” occurs eight times in the discourse.
The Sermon on the Mount
is thus
the speech of the King.
Second, it would be odd for Matthew to begin with the Davidic theme so clearly in the genealogy and birth narrative then drop it once Jesus enters his ministry. Matthew begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus as the Son of David, and in the birth narrative, he says he is born in Bethlehem, the city of David
Matthew 2:1
he is the king of the Jews Matthew 2:2
and that a new ruler would come from Judah who will shepherd Israel
Matthew 2:6
It would be odd if Matthew began by comparing Jesus to David and then suddenly stopped. The
sermon isn’t hermetically sealed off from the rest of the narrative but part and parcel of it.
Third, kings in ancient times were to give the law and “embody the law internally and produce good legislation that transforms the people and leads them in obedience to the law” (Joshua W. Jipp). Evidence exists both in the Ancient Near Eastern culture
and the
Biblical text that kings were to be living embodiments of the law
who instructed through both
teaching and example what it meant to follow the law.
As the king goes, the nation goes. Jesus is the Davidic King who becomes the living law.
Jesus, the One Who Embodies the Law
If we look at the sermon through the lens of David, a few passages that
might seem confusing at first come into more clarity. In Matthew 5:17-18
Jesus’ statement about fulfilling the law has been the subject of much debate.
In what way does he fulfill the law?
By extending it? By showing its true intention?
By bringing it to its end?
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Matthew 5:17–18
Clarity emerges here if we see Jesus not just as the prophet but as the King who fulfills the law by “living it” as the ideal king. As the king, he embodies the law, he meets its demands and thereby fulfills it. While Leon Morris is right that “we must bear in mind that ‘fulfil’ does not mean the same as ‘keep’; Jesus is speaking of more than obedience to regulations,” it is also true that it does not mean “less.” To understand what “fulfill the law” means from a monarchial perspective, one must put themselves into the first century context and the common notion about kings. Both Hellenistic and Old Testament kingship discourse assert virtuous kings submit to the law and thereby internalize them. In the Neo-Pythagorean essays “On Kingship,” Archytas presents the good king as the animate law.
Law are of two kinds, the animate law, which is the king, and the inanimate, the written law. So law is primary; for with reference to it the king is lawful, the rulership is fitting, the ruled are free, the whole community happy . . . . So it is proper for the better to rule, for the worse to be ruled . . . . The best ruler would be the one who is closest to the law.
According to this text, the wise king is the one who embodies the law, who rules in accordance with the law. He is the animate law to be imitated by his subjects. In a similar way, Plutarch says the king shapes his character by the laws so that his subjects fit his pattern. The just king obeys the law and becomes a wise copy of these things the law commands. While the Old Testament does not use the language of “living law” to describe Israel’s ideal king, it does speak of the task of Israel’s ruler; he is to write out, read, and obey the Torah.
And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers,
and that he may not turn aside from the commandment,
either to the right hand or to the left,
so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”
Deuteronomy 17:18–20
Jesus is thus not only the new Moses going up on the mountain
to give the law;
he is the new King fulfilling the demands of the law
by instructing the people how
to imitate him in living in harmony to the law.
Living the Law in the Rest of the Gospel
The rest of the Gospel supports
the idea that Christ fulfills the law by embodying it.
Matthew goes to great lengths to show
that Jesus not only teaches on the law but internalizes
Jesus did not come to set aside or nullify the law; rather, he affirmed it, accomplished it, and brought it to reality.
He was a teacher and an embodiment of fulfilling truth
Jesus embodies and lives the law he delivers in the sermon and in the rest of the Gospel.
The standard responsibility of ancient kings was the task of enacting justice for his people. Matthew’s dramatization
of the law throughout his Gospel cannot be separated from Jesus’ kingship because
Matthew’s programmatic statement
about Jesus’ ministry is: he “went throughout all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues
and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom
and healing
every disease and every affliction among the people”
Matthew 4:23
The Sermon on the Mount
is part of the King’s message about the Kingdom of heaven.
He teaches on the Kingdom
Matthew 5–7
and then he heals every disease in anticipation of the Kingdom
and enacts the double love command.
David and the chiefs of the service
also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman,
and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals...
And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.
King David, as head of state,
set up a worship music arts teaching program for temple worship.
Note that David was not doing the teaching,
nor were any of his governmental officials leading the department
Education should found its foundation
in the worship
and reverence of the Lord:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction
—Proverbs 1:7
- Natural sciences. Adam’s first job was to classify the animals. Proverbs 6:6-8 encourages entomology as a source wisdom.
- Biblical Hermeneutics. Jesus says one who has mastered the Old Testament and is also trained in the New Testament is like a man who “brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:52).
- Philosophy and poetry. The Apostle Paul quotes from pagan poets and philosophers when he needs to demonstrate a point, indicating the value in this study (cf. Ti. 1:12, Acts 17:28).
- Literature. Jude (1:14) quotes from the Book of Enoch, even citing the passage he quotes as an authority. Paul asked Timothy to bring him his books (2 Tim. 4:13).
- Cosmology and Astrophysics. Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare the glory of God. The study of the heavens ought to aim to find out what the heavens are saying.
- History. Scripture is itself a historical text and is filled with commands for God’s people to “remember.”
- Christology and Theology. Jesus tells his followers to teach disciples “All that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20), just as Paul tells Timothy to pass on “What you have heard from me” (2 Tim. 2:2) and to “follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 1:13) .
What Is the Biblical Goal of Education?
And Where is Your Money Going?
Ultimately, the goal is that the student would own his own learning and be able to test doctrines and studies himself, to discern truth from error. For example, the author of Hebrews admonishes the Hebrew Christians for their inability to have achieved maturity, calling them children in need of “milk” (Heb. 5:12).
The Berean Jews, on the other hand, took ownership of their own education and searched the Scriptures as soon as they heard the new teaching of the Gospel; Luke (the author of Acts) calls them “noble” (Acts 17:11).
Good instruction is life-giving (Prov. 4:13); as parents we ought to seek to educate our children in such a way that, when they are older, we will be happy if they stick with it (as they most likely will according to Proverbs 22:6). We want our children to become the kind of learners who intertwine their righteousness with their learning and become wiser still (Prov. 9:9).
Ultimately our goal is to ensure that our children are provided with the tools to become mature and complete through their studies, studies which are rooted in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17) but which branch out into every area of God’s world, and studies which are supplemented by rigorous testing, which produces maturity (cf. James 1:4).
There are many more passages we could have cited and dissected, but this should at least provide parents with a framework for thinking robustly, from a biblical worldview, about these three pertinent questions as they seek to pursue their children’s education in a way that honors the Lord.
Jesus gave Peter a three-fold command to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus. The setting was one of the last of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them,
and then commissioned Peter
with the task of feeding His sheep and tending His lambs
The three commands, although often translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture. “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). Jesus is both our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Door of the sheepfold (John 10:9). By describing His people as lambs, He is emphasizing their nature as immature and vulnerable and in need of tending and care.
The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first pastoral letter to the elders of the churches of Asia Minor: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers”
(1 Peter 5:2).
The third time, the literal translation is “pasture (tend) the sheep” (v. 17). Here Jesus combines the different Greek words to make clear the job of the shepherd of the flock of God. They are to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to the full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. The totality of the task set before Peter, and all shepherds, is made clear by Jesus’ three-fold command and the words He chooses.
What is this food with which shepherds are to feed the flock of God? It can be no other than the Word of God. Peter declares that Christians are to desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it, we can mature in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). As early as the book of Deuteronomy, we see the Lord describing His Word as food for His people who live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus reiterates this thought in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4).
The importance of
the Word of God as food for our souls
cannot be over-emphasized.
Clearly, the job of
the shepherds of God’s people is to provide them
with the pure milk of the Word of God
so they can move on to the meat and solid food of
the spiritually mature
(Hebrews 5:12-14)
Pastoral ministry
should be primarily one of pastors
feeding their people the Word of God.
Only then can pastors declare, as Peter did,
their love for the Lord Jesus.
In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays to His Father,
saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”
(John 17:17).
In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.
In the same prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples and all who will believe in Him through the gospel (John 17:20). Believers accept God’s words (John 17:6) and accept Jesus as God’s Word (John 17:8). God is truth, and His truth brings salvation to all who accept it (Titus 2:11). Further, God’s written and living Word will sustain believers as they are in the world (John 17:14).
In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus confirms that He brought the message of salvation to the world: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus’ mission of bringing the truth has been accomplished (John 17:4), and He turns the focus of His prayer to God working through the disciples and other believers. He confirms that believers will be rejected by the world for believing “Your word is truth,” but believers are also assured joy, God’s protection from the evil one, and sanctification by God’s Word (John 17:13–19).
The Old and New Testaments both affirm that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. Since God cannot lie, His Word is truth: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless” (Psalm 18:30). Since God is eternal and unchanging, His Word is always the same: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35; cf. Isaiah 40:8). Jesus uses the Word as He rebukes the devil who was tempting Him: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
If we want to know truth, we will look in God’s written Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and look to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3). John refers to Jesus Christ in John 1:1–2, saying, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word is God’s total message, and Jesus embodied that full message, which is why He is called the “Logos,” or “Word,” of God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). God is truth. His Word is truth. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus and agreeing that “Your word is truth.”
Jesus said, “Your word is truth.” When we look at the Bible, we see truth. The Bible does not merely contain the truth; it is the truth. Every word is truth, in every part of the Bible. “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). This is the doctrine of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture.
How we respond to God’s written Word
and the
Word made flesh has an eternal impact on us.
Since God’s Word is truth,
rejecting the Bible and
rejecting Jesus is rejecting
God Himself.
Believing, cherishing, studying, and obeying God’s Word is the key to salvation, understanding God, and living abundantly (John 10:10). No matter what we may face in this world, we are sustained by the truth prayed over us in Jesus’ prayer: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”
(John 17:17)
Rooting in the Living Word
brings
Spiritual Life
Be cautious about
Raising up children in a church
that portrays the
wrong image of God
Our
Children and Future
Need
The Truth
About A Church
because
Sound doctrine is literally
Life and Death
Because our faith is based on
a specific message
Sound doctrine is important
because the gospel is a sacred trust, and
we dare not tamper with
God’s communication to the world
Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3; see also Philippians 1:27). To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards.
In one of the Bible’s lists of sins,
things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned.
The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine”
(1 Timothy 1:9-10).
In other words,
true teaching promotes righteousness;
sin flourishes where
“the sound doctrine” is opposed
Sound doctrine is important because
we must ascertain truth in a
world of falsehood.
“Many false prophets have gone out into the world”
(1 John 4:1).
There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock
(Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29).
The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is
to know what the truth is.
Sound doctrine is important
because the end
of sound doctrine is
LIFE
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).
Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
The word of wisdom is “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”
It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).
In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.
Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).
“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis,
which means
“belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.”
It is key to the book of Romans and is used
40 times in the book--
three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10.
The verb form of the word is also used
21 times
within the book and most often
translated as “believe.”
If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).
The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.
The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.
One of Jesus Christ’s most instructive miracles takes place when the apostle Peter jumps out of a boat and walks on turbulent water to meet the Lord on the sea. The account, which follows on the heels of another illuminating miracle, the feeding of the 5,000, is recorded in Matthew 14:22–36. Not only does Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee here, but Peter walks on the water as well.
Several valuable lessons—some obvious and some not so apparent—are introduced in the account of when Peter walks on water. Jesus has just finished feeding a crowd of thousands with two fish and a few loaves of bread. The disciples are beginning to see who Jesus is, but their faith in Him still has room for growth. Directly following this miracle, Jesus launches into His next lesson. By now it’s evening, and Jesus has not yet had time to get alone with His Father—the very reason He had come to this isolated place near the sea. So Jesus sends His disciples on ahead in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus makes room for time alone with God. This is the first important lesson we can take from the account to help us weather the storms of life. Jesus sends the disciples away so He can be alone on the mountain to pray. Even with the needs of so many people pressing in on Him, the Lord makes solitary time with God His priority.
As the disciples are crossing the sea, a fierce and frightening storm kicks up. Very early in the morning, Jesus comes walking toward them on the water. Thinking He is a ghost, the disciples are terrified. Even though they have been with Christ for a long time, they don’t recognize Jesus as He approaches in the storm. Sometimes we fail to recognize the Lord when He comes alongside us during our own personal storms. But Jesus understands the immaturity of our faith. To His disciples, the Lord speaks these words of comfort: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).
Peter, ever enthusiastic and impulsive, replies, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). The Lord invites Peter to come, and the disciple steps out of the boat. Peter walks on water toward Jesus. His baby steps of faith last only a moment, though, and then he takes his eyes off of the Lord. With his physical sight, Peter sees the wind and waves surrounding him, and “he was afraid” (verse 30) and begins to sink.
Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30), and Jesus instantly reaches out His hand to catch Peter. “You of little faith,” Jesus says, “Why did you doubt?” (verse 31). For believers, the lesson here is unmistakable. If we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on our circumstances, we will fall under the weight of our problems. If we call to Jesus in faith, he will catch us and lift us above our seemingly impossible situation. Peter let doubt displace his faith. In all the time he had been with Jesus, even Peter, one of Christ’s closest friends, was still learning to trust the Lord completely.
As Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the storm ceases. The disciples respond to everything they’ve witnessed with awe, adoration, and worship of the Lord. To Jesus they say, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Beginning to grasp that Jesus is all-powerful, even over the forces of nature, the disciples take another step closer to possessing mature faith. Jesus uses this stormy experience to bring His followers into a fuller understanding of who He is as their God and King. He is the Almighty Lord of the winds and the waves, and when He is present with us in our lifeboat, we can trust Him to either calm the storm or calm us.
A crucial lesson remains to be explored. When Peter jumps out of the boat, his heart is full of good intentions. Sometimes we take a leap of faith with similarly good intentions, but, like Peter’s, our faith soon falters. Peter’s exercise of faith does not end in failure. Although he is sinking in fear, he calls out to the Lord, “Save me!” God loves to hear our cry for help. It means we know we can’t save ourselves. Peter helplessly cries out to the only one who can help him. The disciple’s experience reminds us that a lapse of faith is merely a stumble. The Lord is near to raise us back safely to our feet when we call to Him for help.
The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV). Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–5). At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6). The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him.
The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . . This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31–33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people. The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV).
The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20).
The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant. After the resurrection of Christ, God in His grace brought the Gentiles into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14). The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth during the Millennial Kingdom, and in heaven for all eternity.
We are no longer under the Law but under grace
(Romans 6:14–15).
The Old Covenant has served its purpose,
and it has been
replaced by “a better covenant”
(Hebrews 7:22)
“In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises”
(Hebrews 8:6).
Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).
Paul was a highly educated, brilliantly qualified teacher of the law, yet he did not depend on his own competence in his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ: “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:4–6, NKJV). Genuine ministers of Christ can have rock-solid confidence, but only as they depend wholly on the Lord and His grace.
In 2 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul confronts the ideas and practices of legalistic false teachers who brag about their “letters of commendation” (2 Corinthians 3:1). These powerful, self-reliant men were challenging Paul’s authority and apostleship. They thought Paul lacked the necessary credentials and resources to be a competent minister. Paul asserts that we (he and all genuine Christian ministers) don’t need to depend on human-supplied credentials because our sufficiency comes from God. In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the Greek noun translated
“sufficiency”
means
“the quality of being able
to meet
a need satisfactorily,
or
being fit enough, capable,
competent, or adequate
for the job.”
In a similar warning to the Philippians about false teachers, Paul explains that, perhaps more than anyone, he has good reason to trust in his own competency: “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault” (Philippians 3:4–6, NLT).
Humanly speaking, Paul was overqualified for the job. Nevertheless, he puts “no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). He does not rely on his rich heritage, religious zeal, theological training, or natural ability. Everything that defined and qualified Paul as an apostle was credited to God and His grace: “For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (1 Corinthians 15:9–10, NLT). Paul claims no credit and takes no glory for himself but gives it all to God and the power of His marvelous grace.
“Our sufficiency is of God” is not a declaration of false humility. Instead, it is a pronouncement of confidence in God’s competence, acknowledging that there is only one source to draw from as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the unlimited supply of grace poured into us through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, the apostles recognized that their “great power” to “testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” came from “God’s grace,” which was “powerfully at work in them all” (Acts 4:33). God’s grace is the only letter of recommendation we need (Acts 14:26; Romans 15:15–16). Paul admits that in all his dealings he “depended on God’s grace” and not on his own “human wisdom” (2 Corinthians 1:12, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 2:1–5).
Our sufficiency is of God means that none of us are fit, capable, or satisfactorily qualified by our human efforts or aptitudes to minister to the hearts of lost people. Only God can enable us or make “us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6, ESV). Our success in ministry comes from God alone, as Paul eloquently illustrates throughout his letter: “We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. . . . Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. . . . We live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. . . . All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory” (2 Corinthians 4:7–15, NLT; see also 2 Corinthians 5:18). Our sufficiency is of God, and His grace is all we need (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
Second Corinthians 3:6 says,
“He has made us competent as ministers
of a new covenant--
not of the letter but of the Spirit;
for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
With these words, Paul summarizes the key difference between the Old and New Testaments: the first covenant was based on obedience to the written law (the “letter”), but the second covenant is based on the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
The written law—“the letter”—was chiseled in stone by the finger of God and is the unchanging standard by which all are judged. The law cannot give us righteousness or eternal life in heaven (Galatians 2:16). It can only condemn us as sinners, and the sentence is death.
Heaven is where perfection is required
(Matthew 5:20, 48; 19:16–21),
and
“the law made nothing perfect”
(Hebrews 7:19).
Jesus said,
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”
(John 3:6), and,
later, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you--they are Spirit and they are life”
(John 6:63).
The Holy Spirit was active in the Incarnation of our Savior
(Luke 1:35)
It was through the Holy Spirit that
Jesus offered Himself
as a sacrifice to God for our sins
(Hebrews 9:14)
The Spirit is the cause of the new birth
(John 3:3–8).
It is the Spirit who lives in believers
(John 14:17),
seals them (Ephesians 1:13),
and sanctifies them (Romans 15:16).
The Spirit gives life
in that He enables us to reach God’s
ultimate goal for us,
to be transformed into
the glorious image of God’s own Son
(2 Corinthians 3:18; also see Romans 8:28–30).
“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life”
(2 Corinthians 3:6)
נוׄלַד מֵחָדָשׁ
If you looks at expressions and phrases with the word ‘cha•dash,’ new (such as in the name: ‘Ha•brit Ha•cha•da•sha,’ (the New Testament), you’ve probably noticed that it is also being used in the phrase ‘born again.’ In Hebrew it is ‘born anew.’ The phrase which reflect the heart of the New Testament for it requires a deep transformation of the human spirit into the realm of the Holy Spirit. Because this transformation is not earthy by nature but rather divine, you won’t be surprised to learn that it is mentioned in the Bible exactly…
THREE TIMES!
An interesting coincidence, right?
Depending on the Bible version you are using, you may find different terms for the phrase, such as the direct translation of the Hebrew phrase: ‘born anew.’ But all in all, both in English and Hebrew, the number is three!
Now, pay special attention to the chapter number and the verse number of the first mentioning of ‘born again’ below:
1. ‘Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ John, 3:3.
2. ‘Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.’ John, 3:7.
3. ‘Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.’ 1 Peter 1:23.
The Hebrew of the New Testament is using a very different term for ‘born again’ than the one we uses on the header of this subject. It says: ‘born from a Superior Source.’
Being born again requires anew heart.
anagennaó: To beget again, to regenerate, to be born again
Original Word: ἀναγεννάω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: anagennaó
Pronunciation: an-ag-en-nah'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (an-ag-en-nah'-o)
Definition: To beget again, to regenerate, to be born again
Meaning: I beget again, beget into a new life.
Word Origin: From the Greek prefix ἀνά (ana, meaning "again" or "anew") and γεννάω (gennaó, meaning "to beget" or "to give birth")
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent to ἀναγεννάω, the concept of spiritual renewal can be related to terms like חָדַשׁ (chadash, Strong's H2318), meaning "to renew" or "to restore."
Usage: The term ἀναγεννάω is used in the New Testament to describe the spiritual rebirth or regeneration of a believer. It signifies a transformative process initiated by God, where an individual is spiritually renewed and becomes a new creation in Christ. This concept is central to Christian theology, emphasizing the necessity of a spiritual rebirth to enter the Kingdom of God.
Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the idea of rebirth or regeneration was not entirely foreign, as various philosophical and religious traditions spoke of renewal or transformation. However, the Christian concept of being "born again" was distinct in its emphasis on a personal, spiritual transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. This new birth was seen as a work of the Holy Spirit, marking a departure from the old life of sin and a beginning of a new life in righteousness.
When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, spontaneous worship breaks out in heaven. Loud voices proclaim the good news that the kingdom of the world is now the kingdom of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Although Jesus does not return to earth at this time or establish His kingdom on earth at this time, both events are anticipated and will take place at the end of the tribulation when Jesus comes to earth in glory, defeats His enemies, and casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:11–21).
Christians anticipate the rapture but also Christ's earthly kingdom. When He rules the world, there will be no more crime, warfare, corruption, poverty, injustice, or blasphemy. Nor will despots be in the kingdom. Jesus will be king over all the earth, and He will reign during the millennium, and forever and ever after it, with peace, justice, and righteousness (Isaiah 9:7). While the millennial kingdom will have some level of dissent (Revelation 20:7–10), the new heaven and new earth will be entirely redeemed (Revelation 21:22–27
2 Peter 3:1–13 includes Peter’s dismantling of the arguments of the false teachers. They will scoff because Christ’s promised return has not yet happened, and the world continues on as if nothing will ever change. Peter reminds Christians that God made the world and Noah’s flood is evidence that He is willing to alter it in order to bring judgment on the sins of humanity. In the coming judgment, everything will be destroyed and laid bare with fire. Christians look forward to the new heavens and earth which will come after.
2 PETER 3In the Last Days
1-2My dear friends, this is now the second time I’ve written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention. Keep in mind what the holy prophets said, and the command of our Master and Savior that was passed on by your apostles.
3-4First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their petty feelings, they’ll mock, “So what’s happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything’s going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing’s changed.”
5-7They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God’s word. Then God’s word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.
The Day the Sky Will Collapse
8-9Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
10But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a raging inferno, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
11-13Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.
* * *
14-16So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don’t know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.
17-18But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!
It is with honor, then, that we often refer to Our Blessed Mother as the Tower of David. Like the formidable tower of old Jerusalem, Our Lady stands strong for us, always watching for threats from her great heights in heaven, the new Jerusalem, the city of David's divine Heir—Christ.
It is important to understand that God has been working with mankind, all through human history, according to a definite and developing plan, in order to test whether under any circumstances we will willingly obey Him, or not. This is the reason for the seven different ages, or dispensations, during which He has dealt with mankind under somewhat different conditions. In every dispensation God has given mankind a responsibility, a test of obedience, and has answered its failure to obey Him with a judgment which has then led to the introduction of a new dispensation. Scripture predicts and records the total failure of mankind under all seven dispensations, and then introduces us to a totally new heaven and earth, in which there can never be failure. The differences between the successive dispensations explain various passages of Scripture which, otherwise, are perhaps difficult to reconcile in the light of other parts of Scripture. God’s character never changes, but His methods have varied throughout the different ages of mankind’s probation. In the end, He will be seen to have given man every opportunity to obey Him and to enjoy His fellowship, but He will also prove the incorrigibility of our present fallen human nature. Hence the need for a new creation without sin. This way of viewing the Scripture record is very illuminating, and seems to be the only way to make total and coherent sense of every part of God’s revelation to us in the Bible. Any other method fails to explain certain parts of the Bible satisfactorily.
1. The Age of Innocence after CreationAdam was given the responsibility of tending the Garden of Eden, and acting as God’s viceroy over the rest of the earth, with the one proviso that he must not eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, through deceiving Eve, Satan persuaded him to disobey this command, and so Adam fell into sin. His judgment was the entrance of death into the world and a curse on creation, and our first parents were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Because Adam was the head of the human race, we all inherit his original sin.
2. The Age of Conscience after the FallDuring this age, which lasted around 1,600 years, God made mankind responsible to live according to his knowledge of good and evil, his conscience, which he had wrongly acquired in Eden. The result was disastrous. Mankind quickly became completely corrupt, and violence filled the earth, so that God regretted that He had ever made man. In judgment, He sent the worldwide Flood to destroy all mankind, with the earth, apart from Noah and his family whom He protected in a divinely-designed ark in order that the human race might be preserved. Man still retains his conscience as a guide to his moral behaviour.
3. The Age of Human Government after the FloodDuring this age, which lasted almost 500 years, mankind was partially restrained from gross acts of immoral behaviour and violence by God’s institution of human government, which could exact the death penalty for murder. By His covenant with Noah, God promised never to send another worldwide flood, but told man to scatter over the earth and to multiply its population. In disobedience they stayed in the Middle East, with the aim of making a name for themselves, rather than God, and began to build a city and idolatrous tower at Babel, with the object of reaching Heaven in their own way. God therefore confused the universal language of the builders, so that they had to abandon the project and begin to travel to other regions. However, the institution of human government has remained ever since.
4. The Age of Promise to the Patriarchs after BabelDuring this age which, again, lasted about 500 years, God chose one man, Abraham, and his family, as the nucleus of a chosen earthly people, Israel. Through that nation He would accomplish His purposes of grace, and bring in the Messiah, Christ. To Abraham, and the other patriarchs, He made a number of unconditional promises concerning a Promised Land in Canaan, and both personal and spiritual blessings, dependent on his initial exercise of faith. Permanent occupation of the Land would depend on their obedience in dwelling within it. However, several times, under pressure, they strayed from the Land into Egypt, and their rejection of Joseph led to his whole family going down into Egypt and suffering there under bondage imposed by the Pharaohs. Nevertheless, the unconditional covenant promises made to Abraham still stand, and will be fulfilled in a future day.
5. The Age of Law after Israel’s Exodus from EgyptThis age lasted from the time of Israel’s redemption from Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb, and by power at the Red Sea, until the first coming of Christ, and His death and resurrection; a period of about 1,500 years. It began at Mount Sinai, when the Lord, through Moses, gave Israel His commandments to keep, as His redeemed earthly people with special privileges. Although they foolishly agreed to obey them, they broke them immediately, and then repeatedly throughout their chequered history in the Promised Land. The Lord chastised them in the two exiles to Assyria and Babylon, but restored a remnant of Judah, who rejected and crucified their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. They were then eventually dispersed throughout the world. The conditional covenant of Law was never meant to save, but was a temporary measure, preparing mankind for the coming of Christ and the Gospel, by revealing the seriousness of sin and the inability of man to keep God’s commandments, apart from divine help.
6. The Age of Grace, and the Church, after Christ’s Passion and PentecostThis divine help has been granted to believers in Christ today, because they are indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit formed God’s heavenly people, the Church, on the Day of Pentecost, bringing together both Jews and Gentiles on an equal basis. We are empowered to fulfil the righteous requirements of the Law, without being under it, by following the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us. We also fulfil our Lord’s ‘Great Commission’ to preach the Gospel of grace to every creature. However, apostasy and false doctrine have marred the professing Church’s testimony, and mankind has largely rejected God’s overtures of grace in the Gospel; only a minority of men will ever believe it. After Christ has removed the Church to Heaven at the Rapture, apostasy will come to a head, led by the Man of Sin, who will challenge God directly. God will then prepare to impose His authority at the second coming of Christ to earth by sending cataclysmic judgments on this world to quell its rebellion. Thus Church believers today are distinct from earthly Israel, and are more connected with Heaven than earth. Our task is not to try to reform the world but, by preaching and living the Gospel in godliness, to rescue lost men from suffering eternal punishment in Hell.
7. The Age of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom after the Tribulation JudgmentsChrist’s direct rule over this world for a literal 1,000 years of peace, perfect government, and spiritual blessing, with the curse on creation removed, will be God’s last test for those who have survived the horrors of the Tribulation, to see if they will obey and worship Him alone. After its end, Satan’s brief release from the abyss will try mankind’s true allegiance, and it will reveal many who are ready to rebel directly against Christ and all His saints. This will finally prove the incurability of man’s sinful heart, and God will purge this present world, defiled by sin, judge all unbelievers at the Great White Throne through Christ, and create a new heaven and earth in which righteousness not only reigns, but dwells permanently.
לְהִתְמַזֵּג
Beginning with Revelation 21:9, John records his final vision picturing the city of God, the New Jerusalem where believers in Christ will spend their eternal lives. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all of God’s promises. It exemplifies the total goodness of God, its infinite brilliance “like that of a very precious jewel, like as jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). It is here that Scripture gives us a description so magnificent that we are able to get a glimpse of the glories of eternal heaven. In this passage, an angel of God has taken John to the top of a great and high mountain. From there John looks down upon this Holy City and tries to describe the indescribable. The city is like a massive, crystal-clear diamond with the glory of God shining from its center over all the new heavens and the new earth. All of eternity is bathed in its splendor.
Then in verse 12, John moves from describing its general appearance to its exterior design beginning with the walls. Human words are incapable of describing what John is trying to convey, which is why he continually uses similes, saying often “it is like” something else. But he gives us just enough to excite our hearts and stir our souls. God, through John, gets us as close to the understanding of this place as our finite minds can comprehend.
The walls of the city, described as “great and high,” are an obvious symbol of exclusion of all that are unworthy to enter the city. Though innumerable believers will enjoy its glory, there is the chilling reminder that only the redeemed may enter. In the wall itself are twelve gates guarded by twelve angels and inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. In keeping with the square shape of the city, the gates are located on each of the four sides as specified in verse 13. It is noteworthy, however, that not only are the twelve tribes of Israel represented but also the twelve apostles. This should settle beyond any question the matter of the inclusion of Old Testament saints. It apparently is the divine intent to represent that the New Jerusalem will have among its citizens not only believers of the present age, but also Israel and the saints of other ages.
But a final question remains: if those within the walls of the New Jerusalem are the saved, who then are those outside its walls? The last three verses of chapter 21 gives us the answer: “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:25-27). The city’s gates in the wall will never be shut. It is not that outside of the New Jerusalem, unsaved people are still roaming around, but this pictures a city with open gates on a new earth where believers will dwell throughout eternity. Ancient cities shut their gates at night for security purposes. However, since there will be no night there, and since all evil will have been eradicated, these gates will stay open constantly. Revelation seems to picture a great amount of activity coming and going from the city, but all who go in and out are those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The unredeemed are a long way outside the city’s walls—in the “outer darkness” of hell (Matthew 8:12), consigned to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15)—and can never come near the Holy City.
Jesus Himself, as well as John, specifies the “impure” as those who will not enter the city: “Outside are the dogs who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” as well as the “cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, and all liars” (Revelation 22:15). By contrast, those people whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life are free to enter the Holy City; they possess life eternal and belong to their faithful Savior Jesus Christ. The Lamb, who bought them with His blood (Rev. 5:9), will never blot out their names from His book (Revelation 3:5) and will grant them the right to the tree of life and entrance into the city (Revelation 22:14).
Though the description of the city does not answer all our questions concerning the eternal state, the revelation given to John describes a beautiful and glorious future for all who put their trust in the living God. Conversely, it reveals to us that when the end does come, no opportunity will remain for one’s repentance and acceptance into heaven. The truth is this: spiritual renewal takes place in this present life, not in the afterlife.
The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22–24; and 13:14), but it is most fully described in Revelation 21.
In Revelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All of the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The Tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). The battle of Armageddon has been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) The Great White Throne Judgment has taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).
In Revelation 21:1 God does a complete make-over of heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:12–13). The new heaven and new earth are what some call the “eternal state” and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
The New Jerusalem will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—the New Jerusalem being in equal in length, width, and depth (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).
The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are the tree of life “for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.
Who are the residents of the New Jerusalem? The Father and the Lamb are there (Revelation 21:22). Angels are at the gates (verse 12). But the city will be filled with God’s redeemed children. The New Jerusalem is the righteous counter to the evil Babylon (Revelation 17), destroyed by God’s judgment (Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His. To which city do you belong? Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem? If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace, then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. “God raise [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).
You have
“an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade”
(1 Peter 1:4).
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’
And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’
Let the one who is thirsty come;
and let the one
who wishes take the free gift of
the water of life”
(Revelation 22:17).
