The King James Version and New King James use the word sorrows in Isaiah 53:3 in identifying the Messiah as “a man of sorrows.” The NIV translates the word as “suffering,” as does the ESV, which also notes an alternate translation could be “pains.” Isaiah 52:13—53:12 is the climactic fourth of the Servant Songs and is often referred to as the “Song of the Suffering Servant.” If you simply read these verses carefully, you will note how much pain, suffering, and sorrow that Jesus, the Suffering Servant, actually endures (italics added for emphasis):
“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness-- so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus is called “a man of sorrows” because of how much suffering He had to endure. He suffered first by leaving the glories of heaven and entering the human race as a man. Then He suffered all the things that humanity suffers, and then finally He suffered the wrath of God as the sin-bearer. Such suffering must have been all the more acute for Him, given His perfect nature. Who of us could ever understand the depths of what His righteous spirit suffered as He lived among fallen humanity? Although He is called “a man of sorrows,” Jesus was not a morose, doleful person. He did endure times of sadness, but He could rejoice in His sufferings as He focused on the final outcome. Jesus is “the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus endured many pains, hardships, sufferings, and sorrows, but He kept His eyes on the final joy of completing God’s purpose and redeeming His lost sheep. The old hymn by Philip Bliss is appropriate to quote here: “Man of Sorrows,” what a name For the Son of God, who came Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! what a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood-- Sealed my pardon with His blood: Hallelujah! what a Savior! Guilty, vile and helpless, we, Spotless Lamb of God was He; Full atonement! can it be? Hallelujah! what a Savior! Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished,” was His cry; Now in heav’n exalted high: Hallelujah! what a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew this song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! what a Savior! It was Jesus’ willingness to endure suffering and sorrow in a world of suffering and sorrow that ultimately rescues all who trust in Him from the very presence of any suffering and sorrow. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). God is a God of miracles:
"You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples” (Psalm 77:14). Who can study the universe and doubt His power in creation? Who can study the history of Israel and fail to see His providential arrangement of events? In contrast to the handiwork of the God of miracles, the work of man is puny and trifling. God does marvelous things, and He does them all with His own power, with no help from others. The Bible uses three main words to refer to a miracle: sign, wonder, and power. These three words help us better understand what the phrase God of miracles means. Basically, a miracle is an act of God beyond human understanding that displays God’s power, inspires wonder in humans, and acts as a sign that God is at work in the world. From a human perspective, a miracle of God is an extraordinary or unnatural event (a wonder) that reveals or confirms a specific message (a sign) through a mighty work (power). From the God of miracle’s vantage point, a miracle is nothing extraordinary or unnatural. It is simply a divine display of His might (power) that attracts the attention of humans (a wonder) to His Word or His purposes (a sign). The God of miracles uses supernatural power to reveal Himself to people on earth. The Greek word translated “miracle” is dunamis(the root of our word dynamite) and means “power.” God’s miracles often defy or overpower the laws of nature, but not always. God can also work within nature to perform a miracle. When God parted the Red Sea, He used a powerful wind: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). God does not use miracles merely as a means of authenticating Himself to people, but to reveal Himself to people who have eyes of faith to see. The God of miracles works extraordinary wonders to capture people’s attention. The unusual, unnatural dimension of God’s miracles commands our attention. When the Lord caused a bush to burn but not be consumed, Moses took notice: "The angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.’ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am’” (Exodus 3:2–4). The wonder of it all piqued Moses’ interest and moved him to the place where he was ready to receive God’s message. The God of miracles uses signs to convey a message or reveal truth. People who seek signs often want to be entertained like Herod in Luke 23:8. But God never uses miracles to amuse us; they always serve a purpose. Their overall objective is to glorify God. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He confirmed this purpose: “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me’” (John 11:40–42). Then Jesus called Lazarus back from the dead to life. Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw this astounding miracle. As a result, they put their faith in Christ and believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus showed the disciples, and the world, that He has power over death (verses 43–45). The power reveals the source of the miracle: God. The wonder reveals the nature of the miracle: wonderful, awe-inspiring, worthy of attention. The sign reveals the purpose of the miracle: to confirm a message or convey a truth. The Bible portrays God as a God of miracles, a God who has revealed His power to us and is worthy of praise: “Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds” (Psalm 72:18). His miracles declare His absolute control over nature, events, people, and powers. His miracles reveal who God is and awaken humans to His presence and the presence of His Kingdom. God works through miracles to reveal His glory, confirm His message, and convey His purposes and truths to those who see Him with eyes of faith. His greatest miracle is that He gave His one and only Son to become a man who, through His sacrificial death on the cross, overcame the power of death through resurrection. Jesus paid the ultimate price, the penalty for our sin, and accomplished the miracle of salvation. Believers are not on their own as they search for truth. Rather, they will be “guided into all truth” by the Spirit of God. And this is a wonderful comfort as we walk through the world, knowing that Jesus says: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) and prays for those who follow Him: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Through his power, “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Blaise Pascal said: “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” It can feel like the truth is impossible to access since we only have our limited experiences and there are so many conflicting ideas in the world. Yet we are not alone in our search for truth. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth, and one of his roles is to guide believers into all truth. After Jesus announced to His disciples that He would be leaving them soon, He gave them a statement of great encouragement: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16–17). The Greek word translated “Comforter” or “Counselor” (as found in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; and 16:7) is parakletos. This form of the word is unquestionably passive and properly means “one called to the side of another”; the word carries a secondary notion concerning the purpose of the calling alongside: to counsel or support the one who needs it. This Counselor, or Paraclete, is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who has been “called to our side.” He is a personal being, and He indwells every believer. During His earthly ministry, Jesus had guided, guarded, and taught His disciples; but now, in John 14—16, He is preparing to leave them. He promises that the Spirit of God would come to the disciples and dwell in them, taking the place of their Master’s physical presence. Jesus called the Spirit “another Comforter”—another of the same kind. The Spirit of God is not different from the Son of God in essence, for both are God. During the Old Testament age, the Spirit of God would come on people and then leave them. God’s Spirit departed from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:12). David, when confessing his sin, asked that the Spirit not be taken from him (Psalm 51:11). But when the Spirit was given at Pentecost, He came to God’s people to remain with them forever. We may grieve the Holy Spirit, but He will not leave us. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” How is He with us when He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father? He is with us by His Spirit (the Helper—the Parakletos). To have the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete is to have God Himself indwelling us as believers. The Spirit teaches us the Word and guides us into truth. He reminds us of what Jesus has taught so that we can depend on His Word in the difficult times of life. The Spirit works in us to give us His peace (John 14:27), His love (John 15:9–10), and His joy (John 15:11). He comforts our hearts and minds in a troubled world. The power of the indwelling Paraclete gives us the ability to live by the Spirit and “not gratify the desires of the sinful flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit can then produce His fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23) to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as our Paraclete—our Comforter, our Encourager, our Counselor, and our Advocate! An important verse in understanding the filling of the Holy Spirit is John 14:16, where Jesus promised the Spirit would indwell believers and that the indwelling would be permanent. It is important to distinguish the indwelling from the filling of the Spirit. The permanent indwelling of the Spirit is not for a select few believers, but for all believers. There are a number of references in Scripture that support this conclusion. First, the Holy Spirit is a gift given to all believers in Jesus without exception, and no conditions are placed upon this gift except faith in Christ (John 7:37-39). Second, the Holy Spirit is given at the moment of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). Galatians 3:2 emphasizes this same truth, saying that the sealing and indwelling of the Spirit took place at the time of believing. Third, the Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently. The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a down payment, or verification of their future glorification in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30). This is in contrast to the filling of the Spirit referred to in Ephesians 5:18. We should be so completely yielded to the Holy Spirit that He can possess us fully and, in that sense, fill us. Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 1:13-14 states that He dwells within every believer, but He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and His activity within us can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). When we allow this to happen, we do not experience the fullness of the Spirit’s working and His power in and through us. To be filled with the Spirit implies freedom for Him to occupy every part of our lives, guiding and controlling us. Then His power can be exerted through us so that what we do is fruitful to God. The filling of the Spirit does not apply to outward acts alone; it also applies to the innermost thoughts and motives of our actions. Psalm 19:14 says, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Sin is what hinders the filling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God is how the filling of the Spirit is maintained. Ephesians 5:18commands that we be filled with the Spirit; however, it is not praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the filling. Only our obedience to God’s commands allows the Spirit freedom to work within us. Because we are still infected with sin, it is impossible to be filled with the Spirit all of the time. When we sin, we should immediately confess it to God and renew our commitment to being Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. 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). "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." - John 16:13 https://youtu.be/ksqH6OHrkYs
In the midst of one of the most beautiful and hope-giving Messianic passages is the universally condemning statement that “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6, ESV). Like sheep we have all turned to our own path rather than faithfully following our Shepherd. Because of that great deficiency, we have need of a Savior, and in God’s grace Christ pays the penalty for our sin—“The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all / To fall on Him” (Isaiah 53:6, NASB 1995). In theological terms, the idea that “all we like sheep have gone astray” is sometimes called original sin. Isaiah explains that “all of us have become like one who is unclean, / And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6, NASB). None are exempt from the universal curse of guilt. As Paul reiterates, “There is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10, BLB) and “There is no one who does what is good, not even one” (Romans 3:12, CSB). All are guilty, and all are without excuse (Romans 1:20). Even though Adam and Eve were created in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26–27, 5:1–2), when they had children, those children were also in the likeness and image of Adam (Genesis 5:3), and they carried the stain and curse of Adam’s sin. Sin and death entered the world through Adam and spread to all (Romans 5:12), and because of his sin all of humanity is dead in sin (Romans 5:15). Not only are we all positionally dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1–3), but also “all we like sheep have gone astray.” We have actively all gone the wrong way. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). But because of His love for His world (John 3:16), while we were all still dead in sin (Ephesians 2:4–5), Christ died on our behalf (1 Corinthians 15:3) to pay the penalty and endure the judgment for our sin so that we would not have to. We can receive that gift of His grace by faith (belief, or trust) in Him (Ephesians 2:8–9), and when we believe we are “born again” (John 3:5–7)—we are made alive (Ephesians 2:5), we are made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we created as new people for good works that He prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). While “all we like sheep have gone astray,” we don’t have to continue on that path of walking in deadness, sin, and shame. God has provided a new path for us (2 Corinthians 5:17), and He has given us the tools and the strength to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). All we like sheep have gone astray, yet we have been forgiven so much. For this cause, we should rejoice in God’s grace, thankful for His provision of forgiveness and righteousness (Colossians 3:15–17). Like a good shepherd, our Savior has loved us and given Himself for us so that we might live (John 10:11). Now that we have new life, we can recognize that our lives are not our own (Galatians 2:20), but we now belong to Him—we are now in Him and have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Many have wondered why the king mentioned in Zechariah 9:9-10 would ride a donkey into Jerusalem rather than a warhorse. It seems an odd choice for royalty. Kings ride chargers, don’t they? In the ancient Middle Eastern world, leaders rode horses if they rode to war, but donkeys if they came in peace. First Kings 1:33 mentions Solomon riding a donkey on the day he was recognized as the new king of Israel. Other instances of leaders riding donkeys are Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; and 2 Samuel 16:2. The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10 fits the description of a king who would be “righteous and having salvation, gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace. Zechariah 9:10 highlights this peace: “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Note the many details symbolic of peace: - “Take away the chariots”: an end to the main vehicle of war. - “Take away . . . the war-horses”: no need for horses used in war. - “The battle bow will be broken”: no need for bows or arrows for fighting. - “He will proclaim peace to the nations”: His message will be one of reconciliation. - “His rule shall be from sea to sea”: the King will control extended territory with no enemies of concern. Jesus fulfills this prophecy of Zechariah. The worldwide peace proclaimed by this humble King will be a fulfillment of the angels’ song in Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (NKJV). Significantly, Jacob’s blessing on his son Judah includes a reference to a donkey and a donkey’s foal (Genesis 49:11). Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled by the triumphal entry as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19). Verses 10 and following refer to a future time when the Messiah will reign after defeating His enemies at the second coming.B Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey’s colt, one that had never been ridden before. The disciples spread their cloaks on the donkey for Jesus to sit on, and the multitudes came out to welcome Him, laying before Him their cloaks and the branches of palm trees. The people hailed and praised Him as the “King who comes in the name of the Lord” as He rode to the temple, where He taught the people, healed them, and drove out the money-changers and merchants who had made His Father’s house a “den of robbers” (Mark 11:17). Jesus’ purpose in riding into Jerusalem was to make public His claim to be their Messiah and King of Israel in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew says that the King coming on the foal of a donkey was an exact fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus rides into His capital city as a conquering King and is hailed by the people as such, in the manner of the day. The streets of Jerusalem, the royal city, are open to Him, and like a king He ascends to His palace, not a temporal palace but the spiritual palace that is the temple, because His is a spiritual kingdom. He receives the worship and praise of the people because only He deserves it. No longer does He tell His disciples to be quiet about Him (Matthew 12:16, 16:20) but to shout His praises and worship Him openly. The spreading of cloaks was an act of homage for royalty (see 2 Kings 9:13). Jesus was openly declaring to the people that He was their King and the Messiah they had been waiting for. Unfortunately, the praise the people lavished on Jesus was not because they recognized Him as their Savior from sin. They welcomed Him out of their desire for a messianic deliverer, someone who would lead them in a revolt against Rome. There were many who, though they did not believe in Christ as Savior, nevertheless hoped that perhaps He would be to them a great temporal deliverer. These are the ones who hailed Him as King with their many hosannas, recognizing Him as the Son of David who came in the name of the Lord. But when He failed in their expectations, when He refused to lead them in a massive revolt against the Roman occupiers, the crowds quickly turned on Him. Within just a few days, their hosannas would change to cries of “Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:20-21). Those who hailed Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him. The story of the triumphal entry is one of contrasts, and those contrasts contain applications to believers. It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal robes, but on the clothes of the poor and humble. Jesus Christ comes not to conquer by force as earthly kings but by love, grace, mercy, and His own sacrifice for His people. His is not a kingdom of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood. He conquers not nations but hearts and minds. His message is one of peace with God, not of temporal peace. If Jesus has made a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and love. As His followers, we exhibit those same qualities, and the world sees the true King living and reigning in triumph in us. Psalm 8:5 is a messianic prophesy fulfilled by Jesus. It says, "Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5). The writer of Hebrews refers to Psalm 8:4–6 in talking about Jesus. Hebrews 2:5–9 says, "For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 'What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.' Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." These Psalms and Hebrews verses refer to Jesus as incarnate, as man. Jesus, existent since before creation, came to earth as a man, lower than the heavenly beings for a time. Philippians 2:7 says that Jesus "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." Paul goes on to summarize Jesus's mission and eventual place in heaven, above all. ''And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:8–11). Jesus being made a little lower than the angels and taking on a physical body eternally does not diminish His divinity. He is fully God, yet chose to humbly take on human flesh so that He could make a way of salvation for us (Luke 19:10; John 3:16–18; 14:6). Jesus is now in heaven interceding for those who believe in Him (Romans 8:34) as He prepares a place for those who believe (John 14:1–3). Then he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 Sharing the good news of the gospel isn’t simply a suggestion. It’s a command that Jesus set out for us: to be the catalyst for eternal heart change in our neighbors and throughout the world as we share God’s Word with others. Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” This passage goes on in verse 17, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” We most clearly hear the message about Christ in Scripture, and so we know that discipleship does not occur apart from the Word. What a charge to be faithful in sharing God’s Word and the story that he has fulfilled through Jesus, of bringing those far from him into fellowship with him! For all who have experienced God’s saving grace, may God’s Word bubble out of you like a hot spring! After all, God’s Word is meant to be shared. I love that God gives us a promise, that when we obey and share, his Spirit will do the rest. We can rest in knowing that God’s Word will not return empty, but it will accomplish what God pleases (Isaiah 55:11). God could have found many conduits to deliver his message, but he chooses to allow us to join him in the work. It is an honor to be able to share the story of God’s grace and mercy that has been revealed to us in the Bible. May we love God’s Word so much that we cannot keep the good news to ourselves: this is one message we can share that never grows stale! “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isaiah 40:8). For some time now, American Christians have conceived of their witness in terms of “sharing the gospel.” Read any book or listen to any talk on personal evangelism, and you’ll inevitably encounter the phrase. On one level, the terminology is positive, conveying the gracious act of giving others a treasure we possess. However, if by “sharing” we imply a kind of charity where we only give the gospel to willing recipients, then our Christian vernacular has become a problem. I first awakened to this reality while doing language study in Central Asia. As I took a course in spiritual terminology, a missionary teacher bemoaned the fact that many Westerners had imported the idea of sharing the gospel into the vocabulary of the local church. He asserted that such a concept was completely foreign—to their context and the Bible. Scripture, instead, spoke primarily of preaching the gospel, declaring and proclaiming a message. But what, you might ask, could be wrong with sharing the gospel? Isn’t the greater problem that people aren’t sharing it at all? However, I’ve come to wonder if these dual realities aren’t somehow related, with the way we speak about evangelism imperceptibly affecting the way we do evangelism. More Than Semantics Throughout the Book of Acts, we find repeated examples of authoritative witness even in the face of suffering from the apostles and early church. We find them proclaiming the gospel and speaking boldly. We read of them persuading others. We see them reasoning from Scripture, both expounding and applying it. We observe them testifying before rulers and governors, bearing witness before civil crowds and angry mobs. What we don’t find them doing is “sharing” the gospel. So it’s more than a bit curious that the dominant way American Christians describe the act of evangelism is in terms of sharing. And I believe this lack of clarity is more than an issue of semantics. What if a baseball coach instructed his pitchers simply to toss the ball? Not to throw strikes. Or work the corners. Or change speeds. Or pound it inside. Just toss the ball. Would the pitchers have an accurate understanding of their responsibility? Our conception of evangelism is similarly lacking in precision and nuance. When simply sharing the gospel becomes our default instruction, we fail to convey the attitude, approach, and authority necessary for the act itself. What begins as a subtle change in terminology results in a massive shift in our whole ethos of evangelism. That’s because “sharing” typically involves giving something to someone who desires it. Children share (or don’t share) Legos with other kids who want them. Friends share a great cookie recipe with another friend who asks for it. In each case, we share with others because they’re asking for what we possess. But the reality is, few people are ever begging us to share the gospel with them. We must ask ourselves, then, whether casual Christianese has influenced the way we view the gospel mandate. Why are we only willing to speak the gospel when we perceive openness on the part of the hearers? Do we even have a category for proclaiming a message that other people actively oppose? To evangelize is to preach good news. Far more than just sharing, evangelism involves testifying to Christ —warning, persuading, defending, pleading, and calling. Such authoritative witness need not be in opposition to gentleness and respect. But sadly we often value certain relationships more than a clear statement of the truth. Rarely do we engage people with a sense of authority or urgency. Sensing the Urgency Last year I had the privilege of teaching 2 Timothy to church leaders in a South Asian country. Our focus was Paul’s exhortation to faithfully preach the good news. Throughout the week, I reminded them of Paul’s farewell to his young apprentice, encouraging Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord but rather to embrace suffering and persecution —like Paul and Christ—for the sake of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:8–9). "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 What Is a Sound Mind? When used as an adjective, sound has the meaning of "sensible, or something that you can rely on and that will probably give good results." Therefore, a "sound mind" is a proper faculty of reason and rationality for humans. Having a sound mind is synonymous with being sane, lucid, and logical. Furthermore, a sound mind in the biblical sense pertains to the understanding of right and wrong. It is the ability to discern what is good for our soul and what is harmful (sin). Along with discerning moral behavior, a sound mind has the self-control (as translated in ESV) and self-discipline (NIV) to behave morally, not being a slave to passions of ego and pride. This is the freedom Christ bestows us, liberating our free will from sin. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) A Gift of God Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. (2 Timothy 1:6-11) The gift of God is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to Timothy at his ordination, the "laying on of [Paul's] hands". This grace fills up what is lacking and gives authenticity to the priesthood. But it is not automatic, and we must "stir up" and rekindle it through continual repentance. 2 Timothy 1. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them. As is usual with Paul, when he mentions Christ and his redemption, he enlarges upon them; so full was he of that which is all our salvation, and ought to be all our desire. The call of the gospel is a holy call, making holy. Salvation is of free grace. This is said to be given us before the world began, that is, in the purpose of God from all eternity; in Christ Jesus, for all the gifts that come from God to sinful man, come in and through Christ Jesus alone. And as there is so clear a prospect of eternal happiness by faith in Him, who is the Resurrection and the Life, let us give more diligence in making his salvation sure to our souls. Those who cleave to the gospel, need not be ashamed, the cause will bear them out; but those who oppose it, shall be ashamed. The apostle had trusted his life, his soul, and eternal interests, to the Lord Jesus. No one else could deliver and secure his soul through the trials of life and death. There is a day coming when our souls will be inquired after. Thou hadst a soul committed to thee; how was it employed? in the service of sin, or in the service of Christ? The hope of the lowest real Christian rests on the same foundation as that of the great apostle. He also has learned the value and the danger of his soul; he also has believed in Christ, and the change wrought in his soul convinces the believer that the Lord Jesus will keep him to his heavenly kingdom. Paul exhorts Timothy to hold fast the Holy Scriptures, the substance of solid gospel truth in them. It is not enough to assent to the sound words, but we must love them. The Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us; it is of unspeakable value in itself and will be of unspeakable advantage to us. It is committed to us, to be preserved pure and entire, yet we must not think to keep it by our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; and it will not be gained by those who trust in their own hearts, and lean to their own understandings.. For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:2 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ~ 1 John 4:18 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Peter 1:13 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:16 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. ~ Isaiah 26:3 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ~ Philippians 4:8 Truth Taught-
God will cause Jew and Gentile alike to one day bear fruit by grace through faith in Jesus Christ As I scroll through and thumb through various commentaries on the Book of Romans I discovered something very peculiar. Some of them were going strong until they came to Chapter 8. It seems that at chapter 8 some commentators and some preachers skipped from chapter 7 to chapter 12 leaving out 8-11. Now I’m convinced the reasons are basically two. These are the chapters that deal very strongly with election and God’s foreknowledge and these commentators rather than dealing with those doctrines would rather pretend they weren’t there than to have to teach them because if they taught them their people could easily see what the Bible says and their theology would be shaken. So, they skip them. The next reason is that 8-11 involves some very difficult material. Rather than spend time dissecting and studying the passages it’s easier to just skip them and get back to the easier material than to delve into the hard things of God’s Word. And it is this second reason we’ll be skipping over the rest of Chapter 11…Just kidding, sort of. What we see in this passage is the amazing wisdom and grace of God. He has been extremely long suffering with the Jews and He could have simply cut them off and left it there. Instead, He fills the olive tree with Gentile branches, which is wonderful news for us. God has taken those who were strangers and made us family. Ephesians 2:11–20 (ESV) 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, While we should be excited to be God’s children we must not get puffed up and forget what took place to allow us to be grafted into the olive tree, namely, God broke off the natural branches, His covenant people were torn away. So we praise God in humility and we pray to God for the Jewish people that He would move and cause them to believe the gospel of their Messiah. So, lets launch out to the deep and see what God has for us today… To help us understand this passage before us we need to understand a little about pruning and grafting trees. All over Palestine there are olive groves or orchards. The olive tree is the accepted symbol of Israel. It’s on most of their coins and has appeared as an emblem for Israel in other places. It was a symbol for Israel even in Paul’s day. In our text today the Apostle uses this image of the olive tree to explain the relationship between Jew and Gentile within the church and the relationship between Christian Gentile and the unbelieving Jew. It’s important for us to understand this dynamic and symbolism before we look at the passage… Cultivated Olive Tree- People of God Roots- The Patriarchs and Prophets OT Broken Off Branches- Unbelieving Jews Wild Olive Shoots/Grafted in Branches- Believing Gentiles We will see the issue of the unbelieving Jews broken off and in contrast the believing Gentiles grafted in. Another important part of this passage is some ancient practices of grafting in branches into an olive tree. Some theologians have made fun of Paul, calling him a city boy because, according to them, he didn’t understand how grafting works. They say that normal horticulture procedure calls for cultivated branches to be grafted into a wild tree not the way Paul’s allegory is set up with its wild branches grafted into a cultivated tree. However, there was another ancient practice that, I believe, Paul is referring to and which sheds light on what Paul is telling us here. There was the ancient practice of causing a cultivated tree that wasn’t bearing fruit to bear fruit by grafting in a wild olive branch. What this did was cause the olive tree to begin to bear fruit when before it was fruitless. So, the purpose is to graft wild branches into the tree which causes the entire tree to bear fruit which was previously not fruit bearing. This purpose would fit very nicely with things Paul tells us. Romans 11:11–12 (ESV) 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Romans 11:14 (ESV) 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. Romans 11:26 (ESV) 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; So, the grafting in of Gentiles will invigorate the Jews and the tree will one day bear the fruit it was intended to bear all along. In the mean time the wild branches grafted in will enjoy the blessings from the roots of the tree. The wild branches will receive spiritual nourishment through the root system of Judaism, which is the Patriarchs and the Prophets. Paul addresses two issues to Gentiles: First is that we could become proud while God works out His sovereign plan and Second, realize that this hardening is just for a time, one day the Jews will discover who their Messiah truly is. Romans 11:11–24 (ESV) 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
Here Paul is showing us that the firstfruit as stated in 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. If the original lump of dough is holy as the yeast permeates the other lump be The charge Paul gives us, as Gentile believers, to not become arrogant and think we are better than those Jews who were taken away or broken off from the root. We may become arrogant as we consider things like…I cant believe the Jews crucified Jesus. I can’t believe that after all their Scriptures, when Jesus came they still missed Him. I can’t believe that they have no faith and are still trying to work their way to God. I can’t believe they think they’re children of Abraham when we Gentiles who believe are the real Israel. So how does Paul warn us to not become arrogant? He does this by three warnings…
Just like grafted in branches receive the sap and nourishment from the root system in the olive tree, now Gentiles will receive nourishment from the root of Israel, which is the Patriarchs and the Prophets. Beloved we are currently discovering the riches of Christ through the Psalms. King David in this case is the root that we receive nourishment from. The entire Old Testament is a wealth of nourishment for the Gentile believer. We can read about the Patriarchs and see what they did and learn from them. We can be warned through the Prophets of the very things we too may be guilty of. We can learn what God expects from His people. We can be those who delight in God’s Law and are nourished for eternal life through the pages of the OT. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV) 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 1 Corinthians 10:1–12 (ESV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. God’s Word contains words of life for the Gentile believer. Much like being connected to the roots give nourishment to the branches so too being connected to God’s Word gives life to the believer. Even though people of Jewish descent wrote the entire OT, it is nourishment for the Gentile believer.
We cannot be arrogant because our being grafted in and our stability remain by faith alone. The Jewish branches were broken off because of unbelief and Gentile branches grafted in by belief alone. Knowing this should cause us to remain humble and meek when considering that this is God’s work alone and not my works at all. We are saved by grace through faith not of works. When we consider that it is grace that grafted us and grace that keeps us all boasting must be put aside.
We cannot forget what happened to the Jews who were hardened and cut off by God. If we are not careful the same could happen to us. The Jew thought he was in because of his ancestry. We must be careful to be superficial with our status in Christ. We are His provided we stand fast till the end. Matthew 24:13 (ESV) 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Hebrews 3:6 (ESV) 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. In humility we stand fast.
So far we’ve seen that the exclusion of the Jews meant inclusion of the Gentiles. God is not finished with His covenant OT people. Here I think we can sense Paul’s spirits being uplifted as he considers the future hope Israel has. At first he was encouraged that while his kinsmen were not being saved, at least God was using him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and they were being saved. Still there’s this underlying disappointment that his kinsmen were dying lost and without Christ. He even said Romans 9:3 (ESV) 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. As he considers the grace of God, Paul begins to realize something amazing. God’s grace will one day be poured out on the Jews and they will respond to the Gospel as well. When that day comes everything changes. Notice his reasoning… If the Jews believe they will be grafted in. God has the ability to regraft cultivated branches back into the cultivated olive tree. His language is that it will be much easier to graft natural branches back into their own tree than it was to graft wild branches into a cultivated tree. Paul’s language is that of anticipation. Beloved Israel will be included again into God’s covenant. They will return to God through their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Also notice God is not offering the Jews plan B as some of our dispensational friends would try to teach us. No, they will come in the exact same way Gentiles do by grace through faith. if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in. What is the condition of their being grafted in? It’s not works is it? The condition is faith just like us. All of this is designed by God to demonstrate, first, that he can and will save all Israel without being bound to save anyone in Israel who demands to be saved because he is part of Israel; and to demonstrate, secondly, that God can and will save Gentiles who are not in Israel if they trust Christ and do not boast over the broken off branches. In other words, all of redemptive history is designed from beginning to end to put a stop to human boasting in Jewishness or over Jewishness, or in Gentile ethnicity or over Gentile ethnicity. Free and sovereign grace stops boasting, and leads to humble, brokenhearted gratitude and worship: “From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11:36). [1] Application Here’s our command by God…be humble! Ephesians 4:2 (ESV) 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, Philippians 2:3 (ESV) 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Be humble pray for the Jews that God would also grant them faith in Jesus Christ. Not a day goes by that we're not in need of God's huge grace and peace. Every morning we need his Spirit to fill us again, to strengthen us for what's ahead. Every day we need a fresh word that he speaks to our hearts, to keep our focus on what's most important. Trying to run this race of life without him will do nothing but drain us dry. In the book of Exodus, we read the story of how God’s people had endured years of bondage under the Egyptians. They were oppressed, abused, mistreated people. They needed rescue, they needed a way of escape. God saw their need, he didn’t miss a thing, and in his perfect timing, he acted on their behalf. Miracle after miracle God performed, leading them straight out of slavery, away from the cruel hand of the Egyptians. He set them free. Free from oppression. Free from captivity. Free from bondage. And the adventure was just getting started. The people of Israel spent 40 years in the desert. 40 years of wandering. 40 years of journeying towards the promised land that God had given them. That’s a very long time. The days must have been intense, hot, dry, I'm sure they got weary. But God met them where they were, he made sure they had what they needed. They learned through every hard and grueling step, how much they had to rely on Him. When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road that made the most sense. The Bible tells us in Exodus 13, that though the path was shorter right through the Philistine country, God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” Exodus 13:17 So He led them around the desert road over towards the Red Sea. Hot, dry, barren wasteland, the sea looming off in the distance. We can almost hear the grumblings starting then. Feel the fear rising. And that was just the beginning of their journey. God had promised his people land that would be full of blessing, it was worth fighting for, it was worth going the distance. But the way there would stretch their faith and lead them through journeys where they’d have to depend on God like nothing before. We too often face these journeys as God leads us into our own “promised land.” Maybe you feel like the blessing is too long in coming, maybe you feel like giving up. Be assured again today that God is faithful and he will use all things to strengthen our faith and bring goodness to his people. Stay strong, keep pressing through. As the Israelites got closer that sea must have looked bigger and deeper. An obstacle that seemed too difficult to overcome. Their eyes focused on the problem. They forgot about the bigness of their God. But God didn’t forget about them. He split the sea in two so that his people walked through on the dry ground. The enemy in hot pursuit had no idea what they were up against. They lost the battle that day and were swallowed up in the waves. God had rescued his people and led them straight through the biggest obstacle they’d ever encountered, and that was just the beginning of his miracles. Even if the way He’s leading doesn’t seem to make much sense and His timing seems off, or the wait feels long, and wandering in desert places is the last thing we want to do, we can trust Him. Always. He knows our way. He sees the big picture. He has good in store. And though it may not have been what we would have chosen, or how we would accomplish things, we can thank Him for His Sovereignty, His care over us, and His powerful leadership. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to given them light…” Exodus 13:21 God never left his people alone in their journey. His presence was always there, a reminder to them that they hadn’t been left on their own in the wilderness. As a pillar of cloud in the day and fire by night, He guided them, giving them shade from the fierceness of the desert sun, and a light in the darkest of nights. God will not leave us to fend for ourselves, struggling to find our way. He will lead us. He promises to be faithful. We may not see him in a pillar of cloud or fire these days, but we have his Word, and the Holy Spirit to give guidance to our days. He is with us, he gives wisdom, he provides direction, so we never have to fear being left on our own to figure things out. He goes ahead of us, he walks with us, and he guards our way against behind. His Word gives truth and life, it shows us the way to walk in this world. “Then the angel of God…withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them…” Exodus 14:19 Even when the Israelites faced cruel attacks from the enemies surrounding them, God was faithful to deliver them. He works in miraculous ways and the toughest of battles are never too hard for God to work through. He gives us victory and power even when it doesn’t make sense. After a battle against the fierce Amalekites, when God gave his people a great victory, the Bible says, “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord…” Exodus 17:15-16 Still today, God will send his angels to fight for us and guard us. He Himself will fight for us and guard us. That’s how much He loves us and desires to set His protection over us. He will hem us in from all sides and keep us under His care. It doesn’t mean we won’t ever face the battle, but we can know that He is sure with us right in the midst of it all. He reminds us from the very start of this desert journey, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 We’re never left to wrestle through on our own in hard places. He doesn’t send us out to fight the enemy in our own strength. He just tells us to be still, to stand strong, and to know he’s fighting on our behalf. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you…” Exodus 16:4 “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Exodus 17:6 They were hungry. God sent manna. They were thirsty. God sent water gushing from a rock. Every day a miracle was right before their eyes. They just had to pick up the manna, drink the water, accept the blessing. Another time he made the bitter waters sweet again, so they could drink. Over and over, God provided for their needs. And just like the people of Israel had to look to God to meet their needs, to be refreshed by what he offered, and gather the manna every morning in the wilderness, so it is with us. They couldn't store it up, they had to look for it daily. And God always provided, each morning it was there, waiting for them. Every day he made sure it met their needs, they were satisfied, they were nourished, they were cared for. And they never lacked, for God's resources never run dry. Sometimes we miss the miracles of his provision, out of busyness or stress. We try to get things going too fast all on our own, spinning around, trying to get it all done. Or other times we might start to forget what matters most. But even for those days, there's His grace. He waits for us. His provision and blessing, they never run dry. Every day, his miracles lie right before our eyes. We just have to choose to look for them and stay close in his presence. “I have seen these people, ‘the Lord said to Moses, ‘and they are a stiff-necked people…” Exodus 32:9 Grumbling, complaining, sin, hearts far away from God – these things were far too common for the Israelites in these desert wandering years. And often like us, they lost sight of how far sin could carry them down the road we never wished to go. God had great mercy over them for all those years, they tested him even after he graciously provided for all their needs and offered them protection and strength. In Exodus 32 we read the story of how the people turned away from God when Moses seemed too long in coming back down from the mountain. The very people that just had watched God perform miracle after miracle on their behalf, and guide them through desert days, were now bowing down to a golden calf they’d set up in the place of God himself. How easily we often forget. What starts as complaining, grumbling, hearts going astray, leads us deeper into pathways we wished we’d never entered. Sin gets ahold of our minds and hearts. It’s like a disease we can’t shake off on our own strength. ONLY the POWER of CHRIST Can cure Diseases. He can do what the human can not possibly do. Without him we are powerless. No amount of earthly effort, will, hope, work, or sincere desire can possibly heal all inequities. The power of Christ is the only thing that is great enough to conquer, resurrect, cure, redeem, and renew. He overcomes with earth-shattering Victory, and when that encounter is experienced, one will be forever changed, forever aware of his presence and capabilities. He's proven to be true with all glories majesty. Such an earth-shattering majesty causes unworldly joy and devotion, the kind that will make you want to SING ANEW SONG! That's the point- that's how he displays his power and sovereignty, that's the Gospel Story! But God, in His MERCY forgives and sets FREE. He breaks the chains of our forefathers. He redeems us from the pit that far too many of us have wandered into and been stuck in. He lifts us out and places our feet on solid ground. He gives us fresh purpose and hope. Even after all these things the Israelites had done, and how they’d wandered away from God, he said these words just a few verses later, “The Lord replied, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 God’s presence is powerful and strong. It is never dependent on how good we are, he is faithful even in our hardest struggles. Only in him can true rest and peace be found. The years of desert wanderings must have been difficult to endure. 40 years is a very long time. But God doesn’t always work on our timetable. And he saw them through to the end. He never abandoned his people. They kept pressing through and God continued to be with them, and he is with us as well. “The hardest struggles we face have the greatest potential to teach us patience and endurance.”We often face battles and problems that press hard. We feel forgotten, all alone. And yet the hardest struggles we face have the greatest potential to teach us patience and endurance like nothing else can. The years of our own “desert wanderings” may prove to be our most power-packed, strengthening, faith-building time of life, but we may not fully recognize it until after we’ve passed through. And sometimes when we find ourselves there, we just need that reminder from the whispers of God down deep in our soul, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest…” In whatever you’re facing, be assured, God is with you, he’s providing for your needs, he has a plan, and nothing is too difficult for him. The God of miracles fights for you today, and he will never let you go. https://biblehub.com/hosea/11-1.htm Out of Egypt I Called My Son (Matthew 2:13–15) 1When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.a 2But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me.b They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images. 3It was I who taught Ephraimc to walk, taking them in My arms, but they never realized that it was I who healed them. 4I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them. 5Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent? 6A sword will flash through their cities; it will destroy the bars of their gates and consume them in their own plans. 7My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them. God’s Love for Israel 8How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! 9I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man-- the Holy One among you-- and I will not come in wrath. 10They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. 11They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD. 12Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.d The Promises of God (Exodus 23:20–33) 12If you listen to these ordinances and keep them carefully, then the LORD your God will keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your fathers. 13He will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and oil, the young of your herds and the lambs of your flocks—in the land that He swore to your fathers to give you. 14You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock. 15And the LORD will remove from you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you. 16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 17You may say in your heart, “These nations are greater than we are; how can we drive them out?” 18But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: 19the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, and the mighty hand and outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them until even the survivors hiding from you have perished. 21Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. 22The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would multiply around you. 23But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them. 25You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God. 26And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction. Prophetic statements sometimes apply to more than one fulfillment, a principle we could call "duality." A prime example of duality is Christ's first coming to atone for our sins and His second coming to rule as King of Kings. Such dual themes are common in Bible prophecy. Jesus specifically alluded to the dual application of some prophecies in Matthew 17:11-12. Asked about the prophecy of "Elijah," who would precede the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5), Jesus responded: "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already …" (Matthew 17:11-12). The disciples understood that the "Elijah" who had come already was John the Baptist (verse 13). Jesus Himself explained that John, already dead when Christ uttered these words, was a first fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy. But Christ's clear implication is that another Elijah will precede His second coming, announcing His return just as John the Baptist preceded Christ's first coming. John no longer could do anything in the future. But as a forerunner, John had fulfilled, at least in part, Malachi's prophecy. Another prophecy with dual application is Jesus' Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), so named because He gave it on the Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet, overlooking Jerusalem. Many conditions described in this prophecy existed in the days leading up to the Romans' siege and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. But Christ makes it clear that similar conditions would prevail shortly before His return. Another example of dual fulfillment is in references to the "Day of the Lord" such as in Isaiah 13:6: "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty." Verse 1 of that chapter identifies the time setting as when the Babylonian Empire threatened the kingdom of Judah (Babylon invaded Judah and captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.), and it is in this setting that Isaiah wrote that "the day of the LORD is at hand!" However, he again mentioned the Day of the LORD in Isaiah 13:9: "Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it." His subsequent inspired words, though, show that he is writing about the time of the end: "For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. "I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger" (Isaiah 13:10-13). We must carefully examine the context of prophecies to understand their meaning and discern whether the prophecy seems incomplete after its first fulfillment. It is equally important to avoid reading duality into passages that do not support such interpretation. We should take great care to properly discern whether duality is a factor in any particular prophecy. Often we may recognize a prophecy's fulfillment only after it is well under way or already has taken place. What are parables? Parables were short, relevant stories that Jesus told to communicate spiritual truths. Jesus used "well-known" aspects of first-century life to help illustrate and communicate the message of the kingdom. The parables showcase the wisdom of Jesus as the master teacher. But the parables served a unique function in Jesus’ ministry in polarizing the crowds between those who hear him and those who truly understand him. It is to that function of the parables I want to look at together today as we begin this series. Jesus teaches this parable of the sower in verses 1–8 and then explains this parable to his disciples in verses 18–23. Between its teaching and explanation, Jesus speaks to the purpose of his teaching parables. In many ways, the parable of the sower is a parable about the parables. Thus, it makes it a fitting place to start as we begin this series on the parables. Traditionally called “The Parable of the Sower,” the sower really isn’t the main point of the parable. I think a better name for it might be “The Parable of the Four Soils.” The point of the parable explains the various "reactions" to the gospel. We will see that the good seed of the gospel can fall upon various soils of the human heart. In other words, the parable is trying to answer the question, “Why do so many people respond so differently to the Gospel?” In sum, the secrets of the kingdom can only be understood by God’s gracious aid. We will first consider the purpose of the parables, focusing on verses 10–17, before then explaining and applying the parable of the four soils. The Purpose of the Parables (Matthew 13:10–17) Jesus tells the parable to the crowd. A sower goes out to sow. Some seed fell on the path; birds ate it. Some seed fell on rocky ground; the sun scorched it. Some seed fell among the thorns; the thorns choked it. Some seed fell on good soil and produced fruit. Then Jesus wraps up the parable with, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Amazingly, Jesus doesn’t seek to explain the parable to the crowd or interpret it for them. That’s not the way the parable works. Parables forced the hearer to think about the message, wrestle with its meaning, and thus examine their own hearts. Jesus intends the parable to force people to contemplate and respond to his teaching. Parables were culturally relevant illustrations that functioned like a "puzzle box" enclosing the nature and purpose of the kingdom of heaven. Yet, only those who have ears to hear the truth can hear it. As Jesus taught by the sea, all audibly heard the teaching of the parable; not all will comprehend its message. This leads to verses 10-17 of the passage, in which Jesus explains the purpose of the parables. While Jesus taught the parable to the crowd, he explains his purpose in the parables to his disciples. He pulls them in and discloses to them the secret of the kingdom. The word “secret” comes from the Greek word mysterion. The word is used similarly by Paul when he talks in Ephesians of how God made known “the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ” (Eph. 1:9). The secrets of the kingdom refer to the hidden purposes of God’s kingdom that must be spiritually understood. The secret isn’t obscure, possessed only by a few entrusted folks. Rather, the kingdom of God is proclaimed publicly through Jesus’ teaching in parables. Yet, few understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom. They see but do not perceive. They hear but do not understand. In Matthew 13:12-13, Jesus speaks of the polarizing reaction to his teaching in parables. Those who wrestle, engage, and ponder over Jesus’ teaching will discover increasing truth. More understanding will be given. They will know the secrets of the kingdom. Yet, for the one who ignores, discards, and casts aside Jesus’ teaching will have what little truth received taken away. He says, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 13:12, ESV) Jesus taught in parables because the parables create and expose these spiritual realities—the parables spiritually harden or spiritually enlighten. Look at verse 13, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Jesus roots his teaching in Isaiah 6 and quotes this prophecy in verses 14 and 15. In many ways, Jesus intends the parables to polarize the crowd. He’s separating the wheat from the chaff. He is separating true spiritual seekers of Christ’s kingdom from phony impostors. Notice what Jesus says in verse 11, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” You see, understanding of Christ’s kingdom must be given. Some receive this understanding, and others do not. We must pause here for a moment and consider how do we gain spiritual truth? How does anyone understand the kingdom of God? How can anyone believe in the gospel? Jesus points to God’s sovereignty as the reason any one of us understands the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. As he explains to the disciples, they see and hear, not because of their brilliance but because they are blessed. Blessed by who? Blessed by God. He tells them in verses 16–17, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Just as Jesus will say a few chapters on in Matthew, in Matthew 16:17, when Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Lord responds, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has -not revealed- this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” It is God who reveals to anyone the secrets of the kingdom. We can’t comprehend the identity of Jesus without God’s help and aid. Our sin causes such blindness and such deafness to the truth that it requires the supernatural aid of God to regenerate our hearts and enable us to behold the glory and salvation of Christ. Just as Paul taught the Corinthians, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). So, the parables then identify those who are supernaturally enabled to understand the teaching of Christ and behold the glory of Christ. Yet, there is a lesson as well here in terms of how the Spirit works in bringing us into the knowledge of the secrets of Christ’s kingdom. The parables provoke spiritual interest and spur the pursuit of more understanding to meaning. It says in verse 12, “For the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance.” There is a lesson for those of us who know the Spirit of God as our teacher. Our ability to understand spiritual truth is spiritually given. But once we have the Holy Spirit, knowing the truth is like a muscle. If you train and exercise your muscles, they will grow stronger, and you will be able to lift a heavier and heavier weight. However, if you don’t use it, it atrophies. It gets weak and shrivels away. Similarly, if we understand the truth that’s been revealed, we will have a greater ability to comprehend more truth. The disciples, who have already latched on to Jesus’ teaching, have demonstrated that they are true hearers, and Jesus gives them greater insight into his message and kingdom. Truth gives way to greater truth. The more truth we respond too, the more truth we can understand. Those who reject the truth, cannot understand Jesus’ parables. There is also a warning here if you are not a Christian. It is vital that you respond to the truth of God. When we fail to respond to the truth of the gospel, whether it is from a friend or from a sermon, our hearts begin to harden against the truth. Though we hear it, we do truly hear it in our hearts. Before long, truth ricochets off of us, and the result is hard-hearted resistance. The Parable of the Four Soils (Matthew 13:1–9; 18–23) In many ways, Jesus gives us a detailed interpretation of this parable because it’s so essential in understanding all the other parables. It is the key to understanding all the parables. This is the parable about parables. Now before we get into the specifics of the parable, we must note that in first-century Palestine, plowing came after sowing. So as the sower scatters his seed, he is not being careless as he’s throwing the seed, thus accidentally throwing some on the path. The purpose of the parable isn’t to urge us to be discriminatory in sharing the gospel, “Well that guy looks to be like the soil on the path, so I’m not going to share Jesus with him.” Or, “Oh well she looks like the superficial seed on the rocky ground, best not share the Gospel with her!” No, that’s not the point of the parable. If anything, the parable encourages us to be as widespread as possible with the sowing, but the parable helps give us a framework for understanding the various responses that come after the sowing. The sower sows the good seed of the Word upon the various soils. This good word is the gospel itself, of how Jesus has come to die on the cross to save us from our sins. It’s the message of his kingdom. Jesus came to fulfill the demands of God’s Law, and as the messiah, he will lay down his life for sinners so that anyone who would repent and believe in Christ would not perish but have everlasting life. The seed sown is the message of the gospel, the announcement of the kingship of Christ, the heralding of the way of salvation through God’s Son. The gospel is a good seed, a good word! It is news—the best of news! However, not everyone receives the gospel with joy. As the seed is sown, the four soils represent different types of human hearts. The parable asks us both to examine our own hearts while at the same time giving God’s church a framework for understanding the variety of reactions to our evangelism. So as we walk through Jesus’ interpretation of this parable, the question that should be in our minds is this: what type of soil is my heart? Keep that question in the back of your mind as we discuss these four types of soils. 1. The Unreceptive Path: The Hard Heart As the sower sows the seed, some of it falls upon the path. The seed has no time to grow on the hard, compacted soil and a bird quickly snatches it up. Our hearts can become so hard that the gospel bounces off of our hearts, and Satan quickly snatches it away. The image of the path brings to mind the idea of travel, commerce, and busyness. There is so much traffic and activity upon the heart that the word of God cannot take root in their heart. They hear the gospel, but they have no understanding. This person keeps themselves so busy with activity that they do not have time to contemplate spiritual things. They run to and fro at a frantic pace. When they do slow down, they keep their minds busy by the bombardment of media, news, and entertainment options available. No room, no time, no opportunity exists for the gospel to take root. If they hear the gospel, their heart is so trampled down by frantic activity they have no time to consider it. The evil one snatches it away with speed. This is a frightening reality because you can hear the gospel so frequently taught and preached and yet not understand it. A hard-heartedness can easily seep into active churchgoers. You get into the habit of going to church because that is how your mom raised you, or you want to look moral and important somehow. You sit week after week under the teaching of the gospel, and your heart is so hard that the word just bounces off of you. You leave unchanged, unmoved, and unresponsive to the word of God. If you are unresponsive to the gospel, then your heart may have been hardened against the gospel. And I pray that somehow God would get your attention before it is too late. Often, what this type of heart needs is a good plowing up to soften up the soil. Your heart needs good breaking with the cutting of the plow. It is a mercy for God to bring tragedy and suffering into your life in order to soften your heart and unclog your ears. With a heart tiled by suffering and softened by pain, you are ready to truly hear the gospel message. 2. The Superficial Gravel: The Shallow Heart The seed was also sown upon rocky ground. The terrain of Palestine is a rocky one. Much of the land is covered with 2-3 inches of soil over limestone bedrock. As a result, seeds scattered in such areas would begin to take root, but the roots couldn’t grow deep into the soil. When the heat of the sun beamed down upon the young plant, it dried out and died. The shallow roots couldn’t take the heat. Such hearts hear the gospel and initially find great joy in it. Filled with zeal, they become quite impassioned about Jesus, but as soon as tragedy or persecution hits, they abandon Jesus. More often than not, these people become the greatest antagonist against Christianity. When they hear about Jesus, they superficially attach themselves to the church, but their excitement does not last. It withers once life becomes difficult and dies out. Here we must caution against the dangers of emotionalism. Experiencing great feelings doesn’t necessarily mean that you know Christ. It’s common for people to chase experiences—whether it’s a conference, a youth camp, or a worship service. You can chase an experience all you want, but you might not have necessarily gained Christ. Such experience chasers are often like this soil. It’s all frothy emotions and crocodile tears, but there are no roots. They never develop a deep faith and trust in Jesus. Thus, as soon as the heat of the sun bears down upon them, they reveal themselves as the imposters they truly are. As soon as life gets hard, persecution occurs, or suffering strikes, they go from praising Jesus to blaming Jesus. For the true Christian, deeply rooted in the gospel, the heat of the sun strengthens us grow by forcing our roots to go deeper. Sufferings and trials grow and mature the Christian, yet for those who have only superficially attached themselves to Jesus, the heat shrivels them up. Emotions are by no means a bad thing for the Christian. Indeed, we should have great feelings and love for Jesus, but true faith in Jesus is a deep trust and confidence in God’s Word that goes beyond how we feel in any given moment. Only the true Christian can praise Jesus through sorrow and cling to Christ in tragedy. 3. The Worldly Weeds: The Divided Heart The third type of soil is that of the worldly weeds. This is the divided heart. It’s the type of heart that refuses repentance. It’s a divided heart because it attempts to add a love of Jesus along with love for the world. But, no matter how hard you may try, you cannot sustain split loves like that. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.” Or, as James puts it, “Friendship with the world is hatred towards God” (Jam. 4:4). Or, as John puts it, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 1:15). You see, true faith, saving faith is a complete and total devotion to Jesus. Those who have divided allegiance to Jesus end up rejecting Jesus in the end. It’s not as if they were Christians and then they lost their salvation. They were never Christian at all. They never truly repented of their former way of life. The roots of the world lie beneath the surface of their hearts. As the good seed of the gospel comes to them, it begins to grow, but the thorns and thistles of the world quickly choke out the seed. For each of these three soils so far, we must state firmly that none of them were truly Christian, though they may initially seem to be Christian. The first soil obviously rejects the seed, and Satan swallows it up. The second soil, the shallow heart, never truly becomes a Christian as the seed of the gospel doesn’t last. The third soil, the divided heart, also never truly becomes a Christian, as the gospel is choked out. Though to us looking at the outside, there may be initial signs of spiritual life; it doesn’t last. Time reveals their so-called faith as phony. The roots are too shallow to endure hardship or worldly desires choke out the gospel plant. These three soils help us understand the various responses to the Gospel message. However, there is a fourth soil Jesus gives us. 4. The Good Soil: The Fruitful Heart This fourth soil is the good soil of the fruitful heart. The message of the gospel comes into their life and begins to take root and grow. Their heart is ready, supernaturally prepared, for accepting the Gospel seed. The soil is soft, ready to receive the word, not hardened like the path. The soil is deep, ready to put down roots deeply, not like rocky like the gravel. The soil is pure, not contaminated by worldly weeds that choke out the gospel from their hearts. The Holy Spirit had gone before and prepared the heart in regeneration for true faith in Christ to take root. Jesus tells us that this soil represents the one who hears, accepts, and bears fruits. This person hears the gospel and accepts it as true. They hear of what Jesus has done for them, how he is the son of God who came down from heaven, became flesh, and dwelt among us. They hear of his death for the sins of humanity. They hear of his victorious resurrection, conquering sin and death. They hear it and accept it—they truly believe in him, that Christ is the king! It is only by the power of God that any of us can truly hear this gospel! So the message of the gospel is received, but what is the evidence of authentic hearing of the gospel? Well, Jesus is pretty clear: it is a life lived in fruitfulness. The seed of the gospel produces fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold! What sort of fruit does this look like in the Christian life? Well, it means the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life, and not just evident by continually increasing. Paul tells us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22–24, ESV) Fruit in the Christian life is also displayed through evangelism. A tree produces fruit for reproduction. In the same way, we, through our witness, must proclaim the gospel to others. We speak of what Christ has done for us and invite others to put their faith in Jesus! The mark of the true Christian is Spirit-empowered, persevering fruitfulness. Final Thoughts The four soils indicate four types of hearing, with only one soil representing the true hearing and acceptance of the Gospel message. Examine yourself and ask which type of soil reflects my heart?
I pray that today the Spirit would show you the depths of your heart and help you to truly hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ this morning. He has come to deliver you from your sin and save your soul. Through this sermon (and every sermon), I’m throwing out the seed of the gospel. If you’ve been coming to Redemption a while and hearing the gospel, I pray that the Lord has brought great fruit into your life as you accepted and received Christ. As you believe the truth, may the Lord give you greater understanding and enjoyment of Christ. May truth beget an increasing knowledge of the truth in your life, manifested by the fruitfulness that comes from Christian maturity! However, if you’ve been coming here a while and there is no fruit in your life, the problem isn’t with the good seed of the gospel but your heart. Receive Christ. Grow deep roots into Christ. Uproot the worldly weeds that choke out Christ from your life. For some of you, you may have never truly, authentically heard the gospel. The message has hit your ears but never your heart. I pray today you would respond for the first time in saving faith. May the Lord give you to know of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. May he bless your eyes, for they see. May he bless your ears, for they hear. He who has ears, let him hear. Why did Jesus often tell those he healed to remain silent? It is interesting that on a number of occasions after Jesus performed a mighty deed, he commanded those who benefited to not tell anyone. This is especially the case in Mark’s gospel. Why did Jesus do this? The messianic secret is a feature of the Gospel. Another major part of the answer to my initial question has to do with the nature of miracles and their main purpose. It seems they were mostly about confirming the man and his message. They were not ends in themselves. They pointed to the nature of salvation and the long-awaited messiah. The connection between miracles and salvation can be seen in many places. For example, the story of the healing of the paralytic in Matthew. 9:1-8 shows the inseparable link between forgiveness of sins and the man’s healing. “Although Jesus’ miracles teach about his power to heal physically, these signs are especially meant to turn attention to the kingdom of God (6:33; 9:12). Similarly, in the Book of Acts signs and wonders constitute the primary method of drawing attention to the claims of the gospel, but it is the gospel itself that is paramount (e.g., Acts 14:3).” The same can be said about Mark’s gospel. Miracles are primarily pointers, and they point to a person. As James Edwards comments: “For Mark the significance of Jesus cannot be fully conveyed by what he does, but only by who he is. One can be amazed by a miracle, but one can only trust and believe a person.” Moreover, Jesus did not want to be sidetracked from the main purpose of the incarnation: the cross. Jewish expectations at the time of what the messiah would be like were quite different from his. They were looking for a military conqueror, a political liberator. Although this was a proper expectation based on much Old Testament teaching, it was not the whole package. That the coming messiah should first suffer, then rule, was not part of most Jewish expectations. But the idea of a suffering messiah was there nonetheless (as in the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 52:13-53:12). What the Jews were eagerly looking forward to from the day of the Lord was God’s vindication: God’s salvation of his people and judgement on their enemies. The coming messiah was looked on as a great deliverer or judge, in the tradition of Moses, Samson or Gideon. Jesus knew these skewed expectations would become an obstacle to his appointed task of his substitutionary death. He could not allow those who wanted to make him a political revolutionary to deter him from his true mission. Thus he had to urge quiet, so that he might follow his father’s will, not the misguided will of the crowd. Here's an interesting thought experiment -- if you knew you had a finite amount of time to teach people everything they needed to know about abundant life now and eternal life to come ... how would you do it? If we're honest, I'll bet most of us would choose as straightforward a method as possible. Maybe contract law, or exhaustive doctrine? Among several kinds of teaching, one of Jesus' favorites was story. Moreover, his stories were sometimes strange or enigmatic, and he did not always try to explain them. What was he up to? Jesus knew that human beings are "story-formed people." We perceive and process our lives in the form of characters, plot, conflict, and resolution. So he used stories as a primary way of engaging our imaginations and inviting us to explore the deep truths he wanted us to know. One such story is the parable of the vineyard, in Matthew 20:1-16. (Click the scripture reference to read it online!) When reading parables, remember the principles we've outlined so far in this series, "Lost in Translation." Be aware of your own cultural lens; give priority to the historical context in which it was written; beware of creative normative commands from narratives meant to illustrate truth. In this parable, the vineyard would conjure in the first-century Jewish mind the important metaphor of the vineyard for God's people (see Isaiah 5:7). This isn't a story about how to do business, or about a free capitalist market, or about employing day laborers. It's a story about God's people...especially who's in and who's out. Jesus often designed his parables to begin with a setup, then offer an unexpected ending. It was a skillful way of exposing us, especially when we have hard hearts. This parable is a classic reversal of expectations: not only does the landowner pay the last workers first, he pays them a full day's wage! So what is Jesus trying to get across, if it's not about fair wages or being a generous employer? Parables aren't allegories (stories in which every element symbolizes something else -- think Orwell's "Animal Farm"). So we can't pick them apart piece by piece -- if we pull the petals off a rose, we'll lose the beauty of the whole! Instead, the parables are illustrating truth about "the kingdom of heaven." Jesus even starts this parable that way! In this case, Jesus is challenging people who feel that they somehow deserve privilege in God's kingdom. These might be people who have lived faithfully, tithed generously, even made personal sacrifices for God's glory. In these cases, it can be all too easy to mistakenly believe we "deserve" something from God, or that there are degrees of belonging in God's kingdom. But the simple fact is that everything we have is the result of God's grace -- a gift from our generous Landowner. Philip Yancey brilliantly put it this way: "God give gifts, not wages." When we accept the fact that we are recipients of God's grace rather than earners of God's favor, we will discover the kind of gratitude that permeates the hearts of so many people we read about in the Gospels and Acts. And oh, how we need this gratitude today! How we live in a cultural grace-drought! The Church has been called and equipped with the Holy Spirit to lead the way within our divisive, petty and backbiting culture to let God's rivers of living water flow through us into this dry and thirsty land. But it starts with remembering that we are all latecomers to the vineyard. We are all recipients of God's scandalous grace. We are all given more than we deserve from the One who wants us to have abundant lives. For reflection: 1) Which characters do you primarily relate to in this parable? 2) Do you feel like a "latecomer" to God's kingdom? How does it make you feel to consider that you are a latecomer, rather than one of the faithful all-day laborers? 3) Do you know anyone that you would find difficult sharing an equal share of the Church? (If you don't think of anyone, consider people who have wronged you, or wronged someone else. Think of people who do things you don't approve of. This is how many 1st century Jews thought of Gentiles and others they considered "unclean.") 4) What can you do to change your attitude toward the person(s) you thought of in #3? How can you bring all of this to God honestly in prayer? In Grace! |
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