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Clements, Ronald E. Old Testament Prophecy: From Oracles to Canon

2010-08-06T11:17:00.000-04:00

Clements, Ronald E. Old Testament Prophecy: From Oracles to Canon. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. 278 pp. $34.95.

Introduction

Old Testament Prophecy: From Oracles to Canon is authored by Ronald E. Clements. Clements is a well known Old Testament scholar who has written commentaries over Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield in 1961 and is one of the best known Baptist Old Testament scholars in Europe. He currently holds the position of the Davidson Professor of Old Testament at King's College in the University of London.

Summary

The primary function of this book is to discuss how historical oral prophetic messages were later taken and turned into literary works understood to be authoritative Scripture for both the Jewish and Christian tradition. Clement sets out with the understanding that the ascribed authors of these prophetic books were not the authors, or if they were, later editors came along and worked with the prophetic speeches. Therefore his aim is to show how oral messages went through a number of events before they were understood as canonical books.

The book’s structure is difficult because Clements did not write the chapters with any attempt at unity. In fact, this book is not a typical book were the author writes one chapter after the next, but rather this is a collection of essays written by Clements about this topic. However, the aim is to study the evolution of these written documents, trying to discern what was actually written by the prophet, and then to find what was later added to the original prophets by editors who sought to explain the circumstances, to bring about current cultural implications. In chapters one and two, he shows the method by which he is able to discover these things.

In Chapter three Clements discusses the issue of messianic hope in the Old Testament. Clements holds that the idea of a messianic savior is foreign to the Old Testament itself and that prophesies many consider messianic are actually not. He considers the modern approach to biblical exegesis, where the Old Testament is viewed through the lenses of the New Testament or Christ, to be a flawed method because it does not take into consideration how that text came to be. He argues that the way the New Testament uses the Old Testament is without direct regard to what the Old Testament author might have intended. He does however state that this was not a new approach to biblical interpretation, assuming that even Old Testament authors used the same method for their own purposes. To discuss how all of this plays out, he looks at the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah in chapter four.

The following six chapters deal with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. In these chapters, he focuses in on his main thesis of canonical development. Clement, from the very beginning, denies any possibility that these are the work of a single prophet. He even argues that when style, structure, and theology are the same, there is no reason to assume single authorship. He does argue against two theories of development: one being that many prophetic materials from many prophets were taken and made one or that there was some sort of disciples who took the prophet’s work and then added to it. Rather, he argues that the works were taken, and as time went along, redactors saw the authority of the prophetic messages for their time and edited and added to it to make it acceptable for their day.

The next five chapters deal with the rise of apocalyptic prophecy. He argues that any prophetic word in dealing with future events were always broad enough to fit any situation in the future, and where the picture is to limited, it is due to later editors adding to the original message to make it work.

The last three essays deal with the canonical form of the prophets. Critical scholarship has attacked the unity of the prophets, though many have argued for it, so Clements ask the question to why the New Testament sees the prophets as unified. He argues that the New Testament views the prophets as unified in the fact that they speak about a future salvation (192). How this happened is by the editorial work that came after the historical prophets. Clements states that there was an odd group of editors who came later adding to the prophetic messages, putting in their own theological implications, however never sought to damage the original message. As these later editors did their work, unity was formed within the prophets.

Critical Evaluation

Though Clements’s work is a fine addition and an aid in the continued study of canonical research, he is too quick to assert things that have little backing. Though many modern Bible critics agree with much of what Clements states about multiple Isaiahs, individuals collecting and arraigning a prophet’s messages, and later editorial work being done with a prophet’s works, the court is not in. He bases many of his findings on the assumption that the prophets were not the source of their own book. Because of this, he leaves the reader asking why we should assume this and what are the possible flaws that might be present if he is wrong.

Though Clements’s work is good for the academic community, it has little to no value for the typical church member or pastor. His writing is overly assumptive with no real value to the reader. He makes many arguments for his theory of canonization, but has little evidence to support his findings. Even when things seem to support a single prophetic author, style, structure, and theology, he still assumes that there had to be multiple authors. When dealing with future events prophesized that come about, he argues without cause that they must have been later editions (26-32). His only argument is that later editors are present and therefore it must have been something they did. Which again, is an assumption without foundation.

Interestingly, Clements finds that the ones making assumptions are those who hold the historical position of single authorship. He states, “The assumption concerning unity of authorship appeared to be a major factor in defending their inspiration and authenticity as prophetic writings” (217). He argues that those who hold to the historical position do so because of other theological reasons, not because of the information.

He states, “Admittedly there is no doubt that any attempt to analyze and locate the historical setting of a particular prophetic sayings must be fraught with some measure of uncertainty” (218). Though this statement is given to show support for his cause, it fails to do so. Though it is true that it is impossible to know scientifically what happened with each prophetic message, because uncertainty is present does not mean we should assume that the historical position is false. Therefore Clements’s position is that the person who holds to the single authorship is only because of external theological issues.

He does defend his argument from appearing completely liberal by saying, “This is not to deny that such prophet as Isaiah wrote down certain sayings, but to note that, as in the case of Jeremiah, these were messaged that had first been given orally” (218). He makes this statement so as to support some historical authorship, but at the same time leaves room for changes to come afterward. This is because “prophecy had originally been an oral literature which assumed a written form only after some interval of time had elapsed since its initial delivery” (220). Therefore, though the prophets were in some way apart of these prophesies, he argues that we should assume that they had changed over time before they were written down.

However critical Clements’s position is, his aim is not to destroy the authority of the text. Even though he argues for editorial work to have taken place, he states that it was done with the great care to keep the prophets’ words intact. He states,

Clearly there is a need for recognizing that the relationship which existed between the prophet and his editors, and which led to determine efforts to record a prophet’s actual words… At the same time there was evidently a need, as the complex literary structure of all the biblical prophetic collections reveals, to edit, record, and interpret those words with the help of some additional material and supplementation (224-25).

However, if such an assumption is taken, we have no reason to assume that the editors had the greatest purpose of keeping the messages intact. If there great aim was to interpret them and add to them to make them applicable for their current situation, why would we assume that they are at all equal to the original messages. Clement says the reason for such careful work of protecting the prophet’s work was “their profound respect for him made them eager and anxious interpreters of his words, spelling out in detail how they would be applied to the situation which his warnings and reproof had forewarned them of” (229). However, Clements’s arguments continue to be nothing more than loose assumptions without historical evidence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Old Testament Prophesies has it benefits and downfalls. These essays are a necessary discussion in the world of academia. Clement, though removed from the more conservative band, should not be seen as a liberal or heretic for his views. However, his works are not the best material for those not involved in canon development. His writing style is clear, but his material is uncommon to the most general church member. Thus, because of what appears to be a study based mostly on assumption, this book offers little value to the general church.

PHILOSOPHY OF EVANGELISM

2010-08-06T11:14:00.001-04:00

PHILOSOPHY OF EVANGELISM

There is no doubt that the Bible calls all men and women to be evangelist. Matthew 28 is clear that the Christian is to be a maker of disciples because Jesus has been give all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, we as Christians should take the work of evangelism very seriously because the work of the evangelist is to make disciples. One could argue that there is nothing more important than the work of evangelizing the lost and bringing them to repentance of sins and faith in Jesus Christ. That is the work of the Christian. Our work is to reap the fields that are ripe. We are to expand the borders of the kingdom by speaking forth the gospel of Jesus Christ that those who are captive to the devil might know the truth and be set free from his grasp.

For this task, we should think about some different areas that will help us in the area of evangelism. Evangelism, though it does not take a seminary trained scholar to do, is not something that should be taken lightly and done with half-halfheartedness or half-mindedness. Thus we will work though some simple principles that together will make a philosophy of evangelism.

Becoming an Evangelistic

When it comes to the area of evangelism we must acknowledge that there will be both motivations and hindrances in accomplishing the task. There will be forces for us to evangelize the lost and there will be forces against us evangelizing the lost. Therefore, we must be ready capture the positive motivations and grow off of them while embracing the negative and learning how to minimize there strengths against us.

Motivations

The primary motivation for us to evangelize should be for the glory of God in the man Jesus Christ. Everything we do should ultimately be for the glory of God in Jesus Christ. So it would be foolish for us to give any reason as being primary apart from the glory of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15 is clear that what ever we do, it must be done with the primary focus of bringing glory to God. But how does evangelism bring glory to God?

There is nothing in this world more beautiful than to see the life of a wretched sinner, one separated from the love of God and at his core an enemy of God, turned to God with peace and adoption by God as son. The greatness of God is so magnified by such an act because it demonstrates the true beauty of His nature, that a sinner would be willing to turn away from the sin that he loves and cling to a Savior who died for Him.

It also magnifies God in that the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ is expanding into the enemies territory as strong holds are being broken down. We should long to see more and more people become worshipers of Jesus Christ for He along is worthy of worship. We must take into account that there are over a billion Muslims who worship Allah, over a billion Chinese that worship the emperor, and over a billion Hindus who worship some three million gods, yet only Jesus is worthy of their praise. We should be like Paul in Acts 17, were when he saw the idols of the city he was provoked because only Jesus is worth of their praise. Only Jesus is in heaven seated at the Father's right hand and only He was worthy to open the scrolls mentioned in Revelation. Therefore we should hunger that men and women turn from their vain idols and worship the one and only true and living God.

The second motivation should be for the sake of the lost. The nature of things is that what we worship we will end up becoming like. This is seen quite clearly in the Exodus 32-34 narrative as the prophet of God, Moses, goes up the mountain of God to receive the Law of God. While he is gone the people force Aaron to make for them an idol that they may worship. The idol Aaron makes is that of a cow and he proclaims that this is the God who delivered the people out of bondage to Egypt. When Moses descends from the mountains and sees them he calls the people a stiff necked people. The imagery here is that because the people worshiped a cow which has a stiff neck, they to became stiff necked.

Jeremiah continues this thought when he said that the people became vain or worthless because the gods they worshiped were vain and worthless. Therefore, we should seek to be evangelist because we desire good and not harm for out fellow man. In a very generic sense all men are children of God, for all men come from His creation. But that is not enough to keep God from doing harm to those who reject Him. The Lord promises that those who do not give praise to God in the man Jesus Christ will be judged by the full fury of hell because of their great rebellion. However, God has provided for them an escape in His Son for all who would worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Therefore we should be motivated to evangelize because it saves people from themselves and from the wrath of God to come in the end.

Lastly, we should be motivated to evangelize because it is a command of God and we know that if we are faithful to keep His commands it will do us good. Ultimately, doing the work of an evangelist will bring sanctification into our lives. If we are faithful to do as God as commanded, He has promised to bless us abundantly in this life. Now that blessing is not material blessing like many assume, but it is the blessing of His presence and a growing relationship in love with Him. Though ultimately we should do what we do for the good of God and others, we can rejoice in the fact that we are blessed by it as well.

Hindrances

There are however hindrances to keep us from being men and women who preach the gospel. There are numerous hindrances that I could mention, but for the sake of time I will only mention one. That is that we fill it will in some way cause us harm, whether that be physical, emotional, or something else. We do not evangelize if we are Christians because we fill that it will cause us more harm than it is worth. Sadly, most of us (including myself) are not the evangelist we should be. The primary way to guard against this sort of hindrance is to understand that any sort of pain that we experience in this world will not compare to the glory we receive in the next. Our motivations should so far exceed the hindrance of self-preservation that it should never even effect us. But it does! Therefore we must always prepare ourselves for the attack of the evil one who will call our desire to evangelize into question and be ready to say, “No matter the cost, I will obey my Lord for His glory, the good of His elect, and for my own joy.”

Qualities in Evangelism

It should also be stated that the evangelist must be a man of high character. No one will ever listen to a man who preaches good news if he fails to live in accordance with it. The evangelist must be a man who is above reproach and is identified with a life like his Savior.

But the fact that he has a high moral character should extend past just keeping the moral code. The evangelist must also be a man of joy and compassion. When we look at the Savior, even when death was before Him, He was a man of joy and contentment. We to must be men of sovereign joy, knowing that out God holds the future in His hands. It is a sad thing to see a man try to tell someone about Jesus, all the while being negative about the circumstances of his life. If we are going to win men and women to Jesus Christ we have to show that He in fact brings us joy. Even if that joy is not placed in the things of this world, but in the things to come, being a Christian should bring about some since of happiness—especially since it means that we now have peace with God.

At the same time, we should be a people marked by compassion. Not only compassion for the sick, aged, widowed, orphaned, and oppressed, but for all sinners in general. To often we look at sinners with disgust because of their heinous acts of immorality, drunkenness, and murder, forgetting that if it were not for the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we do would be just like them. The fact that we are not all homosexuals, drunks, and murders is purely evidence to the grace of God. Therefore we should have a great deal of compassion on those who remain in sin and plead with them and with God that they might enter into the New Covenant, having their sins forgive and their minds changed. Because of the grace of God, we have been made new creatures, superior to the rest of the world by our union with Christ, but not superior in the sense that we are not better in and of ourselves, but superior in our responsibilities to share the gospel of God with all men. Therefore, we should have compassion on the sinner and extend to them the forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus that they might have fellowship with us.

Theology in Evangelism

For someone to be an effective evangelist he must in fact be a theologian. Now, I do not mean that he has to be able to explain the Trinity in concrete terms, nor does he have to be able to expound on the difficult union of divine and flesh in the man Jesus Christ. But he must be a theologian in the sense that He knows the gospel of God and why we call it good news. He must understand what we were before our conversion and what we are after it. He must understand that the law is what leads us to Christ and is not out means to salvation. To often, people seeking to please God by doing the work of evangelism do right in using the law of God to show people their need, but then, against the will of God, make it appear that if they were to keep the law they would find themselves justified before God by the law. We know from Scripture that the law was never given to save, but to condemn. Therefore, for a man to be an evangelist he must know the difference between law and gospel.

The law is what is required of man that he might be found blameless and secure his right to covenant blessings. However, we know that no man is able to keep the law and if you break the law in one area you have broken the whole law and therefore lose merit to obtain covenant blessings and therefore deserve the punishment due: eternal wrath. Thus, the law is a guide to proper living, but more than that, the law is a tutor teaching us of our need for the gospel.

The gospel is quite simply that which God has accomplished for us. The gospel is that God having seen our state of sin and rebellion, chose in divine wisdom to make His Son our substitute, and by placing Him on the judgment tree poured out His full measure of wrath meant for sin on Him so that those who come to Him would not find the wrath they are due, but the blessings merited by Christ's righteousness. Thus, the gospel is the peace of God made available to us by the death of His Son and now we are sons of God and co-inheritors with Christ of all things.

The gospel is not a changed life. The gospel is not a better family life. The gospel is not a community of people that love you. All of these things might be the consequence of the gospel being believed, but they in themselves are not the gospel. The evangelist must always remember that. The evangelist must remember that the gospel is what God has accomplished for us in His Son Jesus Christ.

Testimony in Evangelism

It is true though that our testimony can be a very powerful tool in evangelism. Our testimony is not the gospel, but it is the power of the gospel being manifested in real time. When a person once torn by sin is made whole by the power of the gospel, that speaks to the hearts of people who know what it is like to be torn. Our testimony is a starting point for the conversion of the gospel.

We must be careful however not to allow our testimony to become the center of our witnessing act. Our testimony is merely an introduction to what Jesus has done for us on the cross and by raising in power. It is by faith in this that a man is saved, not by desiring to be changed like the justified saint. Therefore, we should be ready to give an answer for the hope we have and we have the right to use our testimony to show the effectiveness of the gospel. Therefore, we should long to share our lives with people and by doing so open the door for sharing the good news of God in Christ Jesus.

Familial Evangelism

The last section of my paper will be focused on where evangelism takes place. There could be more divisions to these to make them more specific, but I feel that these three sections do the job well. The first is familial evangelism. What I mean by that is the evangelism that takes place inside one's own family.

Most of us I would say have a great deal of family members who are lost. Yet many times these tend to be the family members that we spend the least amount of effort in building relationships with. However, we should seek to build relationships with our lost family members that through those relationships we can share the good news of Jesus Christ.

What I have found in most family situations is that people genuinely want to be close to their families, whether immediate or distant. We as believers should seek to take advantage of peoples desires to be close to their families and make those connections for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. After we build a strong relationship with our family and show them that we really do love them and aren't just trying to use them, ofter times they will be very open to what we have to say (figuring that our lives are examples of what they should be). After these ties are built we can start to deal with the issue of sin in their lives and their need for a Savior. Something that usually isn't taken well by people who don't have a close relationship with you. Therefore we should take advantage of the opportunities God has given us by putting us in the families we are born into.

Relational Evangelism

The next area of evangelism is relational evangelism. This is much like familial, in that it starts with solid relationships of love and care, but differs in the fact that they are not family. In relational evangelism it starts by getting out into the world and meeting people and building friendships. These can start at jobs or social groups. The idea is to get out into the world and meet people and build relationships with them so that they can see that you care about them and can be trusted.

After having this sort of relationship for a while the person will begin to notice differences in you that he might not see in others. Because of this he will wonder about you and why you do what you do. It is at that time that out testimony must go beyond actions and into words. Because of our behavior before our friends, they will see us as experts on what we talk about. Not because we are scholars, but because we live it out. What we believe affects out lives. Therefore we should seek out ways to meet people and get into peoples lives that through those relationships we can share the goodness of Christ.

Confrontational Evangelism

The previous two forms of evangelism are probably the best and will most likely return the greatest amount of converts and therefore we need to be about the gospel with people we know well. However, the amount of people that we know is very limited. We don't have the time to build relationships with everyone. But in our day to day work we meet a tons of people. Therefore we should be about the work of doing evangelism with the people we meet every day.

A professor once told me a story about another professor who was traveling through the middle of nowhere when he came to a gas station. He stopped to get gas and went inside to pay. When he got in there to pay he felt a nudging of the Spirit to tell this young lady working at the counter about Jesus. He thought to himself how he did not know her and how she would not listen anyway. So he did not tell her about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As he was leaving another man walked into the gas station. He was a big man and sort of scary to look at. He walked right up to the counter and said to the lady, “You need Jesus!” The professor was shocked by this man's words and thought how he was doing it all wrong. He knew that was not the way to do evangelism. To the professors surprise the girl broke down in tears and said how she had been waiting all day for someone to tell her that. She had been waiting all day for someone to tell her of her need for a Savior and of a Savior who offers salvation.

The purpose of that story is not to set a standard for confrontational evangelism. Going up to someone and just telling them they need Jesus is not usually the best way. But it does show that the Spirit of God is working in ways we do not yet understand. God is at work preparing the harvest and as Jesus said, they are ready for the reaping. We must be men and women who are ready and willing to go out into the fields and gather, even if we do not have a good relationship with that person or if we do not have time to devote to hours of conversation. We must be ready to share the good news at any time. Therefore we must be devoted to confrontational evangelism.

Conclusion

This paper has set out a few of the guidelines for the work of evangelism. This should not be understood as a comprehensive work on evangelism though. Rather, it is a simply philosophy of evangelism. For a man to be an evangelist he must be motivated, while understanding the hindrances; have the qualities of an evangelist in his character; be theologically grounded and know that he is converting people to Christ and not to legalism or Christianity; how to use his testimony to open the door for the gospel; and lastly how important it is to evangelize family, friends, and strangers. With this simple philosophy one can be emboldened to do the work of evangelism and carry on the work of the Great Commission.

THE SHACK AND ITS FALSE VEIW OF THE TRINITY

2010-08-06T11:13:00.001-04:00

THE SHACK AND ITS FALSE VEIW OF THE TRINITY

In recent months there has been a book that has swept the nation as being the next great Christian work. Eugene Peterson who is Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., also famously known for the The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, says that, “When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!” Famous Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith said, “THE SHACK [sic] will leave you craving for the presence of God” and television co-host Kathy Lee Gifford says, “The Shack will change the way you think about God forever.”

So it is no wonder that this book is growing so fast in its popularity. People who once felt as though God was far off now feel like He is right next to them. However, the problem is that the god of The Shack, by William P. Young, is not the God of the Bible. He may appear to be the trinitarian God explained in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, but what we will see is that this god is far from the same; which is why Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church, says, “Regarding the Trinity, it's actually heretical.”

Therefore the purpose of this paper will be to discuss the trinity of The Shack and the Trinity of the Bible. To do so we will discuss the nature of the hierarchy within the three members of the God-head (and in doing so give a definition of the what the true nature of the Trinity is), to see the idolatry of Young's trinity, the distinction of the members in relation to the incarnation, and lastly our response to the Triune God and how we relate to Him. Thus this paper should not be understood as a comprehensive analysis of the Trinity, nor a solution to all the false teachings of The Shack, but rather it is a brief discussion of a few of the errors it makes in regard to the triune nature of God.

The Loss of Hierarchy Within the Trinity

The first endeavor we must take in this paper is to clearly define what the Trinity looks like. It should be understood that this portion of the paper is not meant to be a theological paper on the Trinity, but an introduction to the Trinity which will give the basis for which we can show the trinity of The Shack to be false. And there is probably no better place to start than the Nicene Creed. Even though it is not canonical or authoritative itself and therefore remains second order, it is the most trusted creed of the church's history.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

One area of trinitarian theology that The Shack gets right is that all the members of the Godhead are completely equal in being,

Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship, not a chain of command or 'great chain of being' as your ancestors termed it. What you're seeing here is relationship without any overlay of power. We don't need power over the other because we are always looking out for the best. Hierarchy would make no sense to us (122).

Thus Young does well to notice that there is no since of hierarchy of being among the members of the Trinity. The Father is equal to the Son and the Son is equal to the Spirit and the Spirit is equal to the Father in since of being. They are all God and of the same substance.

Where Young fails and leads to a false trinity is in his understanding of the roles within the Trinity. Later on in the paper the nature of the Godhead in the incarnation will be discussed, but for this portion we will discuss the fact that the Father is superior to the Son and the Father and Son are superior to the Spirit in an economical sense, but not in a ontological sense. There is no “circle of relationship” that does away with hierarchy and hierarchy does make sense to the Trinity.

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul sets out to show the proper authority structure of all things. By them there is a precedence for the order of how the world should be ordered. But notice what Paul says in verse 3, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” In biblical language it is clear that when one is referred as the head of another that implies authority. Now, one could argue that head does not mean authority in the relation between God and Christ. They might even like to make that argument between man and woman, holding that there is no hierarchy between the two. But almost no Christian would make the argument that Christ and man are equal. Therefore, it is clear that Christ is in authority to man, man to woman, and God to Jesus.

Even Jesus made such statements referring to the Father's authority when He said, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:28) and “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me” ( John 6:38). Therefore, the true Trinity has an economic hierarchy that does not interfere with the ontological nature of each member.

It should also be noted that the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son. This shows further hierarchy within the Trinity. For this reason He is called “Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:11), the “Spirit of His Son" (Gal 4:6), the “Spirit of Jesus" (Acts 16:7) and the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom 8:9). The fact that the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Jesus makes since because Jesus himself said that He would send Him (Jn 15:26). Therefore the Bible is clear that a hierarchy does exist between the members of the Trinity and to do away with it causes a false trinity, which is worthy of no worship or praise.

The Threat of Idolatry in a False Trinity

In The Shack, the image of God is falsified and limits the omnipresence of our Lord and Savior. From the first encounter that the main character, Mack, has with god, until his visit is complete, the author has God in an appearance and also changing appearances that are not found in Scripture and are indeed actually going against what Scripture says about the God of the Bible. There are many dangers in doing this type of action. By doing this, we are attempting to put our Creator in and as a part of His creation. We are also then, making a physical image of God which is forbidden by Scripture as well. We see Mack having open conversation, joking, laughing and even cursing in front of God without a mediator. This image that we see of god through the Author’s eyes, is not the same god as the God of the Bible.

In Mack’s first encounter, god (the Father) appears to him in flesh as a large beaming African-American woman. Later in the book, he then changes appearances into a gray haired man (incarnation issues to be discussed later in the paper). Yet, in Scripture it tells us that God must not be portrayed in an image, that be statue, flesh, etc. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." God is the Creator. Therefore, He Himself, can not be created into a creation (i.e. a fleshly image). Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Again this is making the distinction between the Potter (Creator) and the clay (creation).

In Exodus 20:4 we read, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” We are told repeatedly in Scripture not to think of God in any form or image and to simply worship Him in spirit and truth. Many times Mack describes the clothes, the size of the body and human mannerisms that the god of the book has.

We are told by the Apostle Paul what happens when humans try and do this. In Romans 1:22-25 Paul says,

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,who is blessed forever! Amen.”

We must be aware that this is what is taking place in this book and the dangerous implications it can have on our own walks with Christ if we are to compare and say that the god in this book is the God of the Bible.

Mack is seen in the book as having open, face to face communication with God. However, we know that this is also spoken against in Scripture. 1 Timothy 2:15 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” As children of God we are able to approach the throne of God with boldness, however we are able to come and do this through the blood of Christ Jesus who is our mediator. Jesus Christ has the authority to be the mediator due the fact that He is the One who by His death and resurrection, has been found worthy to fulfill this task. He is our only way to God. Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Sin separates us from God. God can not look upon our sin. Isaiah 59:2 says, “...but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that He does not hear.” We might be able to commune face to face with the god of The Shack, but to commune with God we must approach Him through the Mediator, Jesus Christ. Therefore we should be weary of the idol The Shack has made for us.

The Biblical Understanding of the Trinity in Relation the Incarnation

Another disturbing theological error found in Young’s book is the idea that God the Father and the Holy Spirit took on human flesh. While it is true that God the Son took on human flesh at the incarnation, Young’s presentation blurs the biblical distinction between the persons of the Trinity. In the book, Papa (a female representation of God) says concerning the Godhead, “When we three spoke ourselves into human existence as the son of God, we became fully human. We also chose to embrace all the limitations that this entailed…we now became flesh and blood” (emphasis added, 99). It is important to first understand that the persons of the trinity are of the same essence, as the Nicene Creed and the testimony of Scripture affirm (Jn 10:30). However, the Bible makes it very clear that each person of the Trinity has a separate and distinct role. This is especially true in the incarnation and the work of redemption.

All four Gospels record that before he began His public ministry, Jesus went to the Jordan River, where He was baptized by John the Baptist. The Gospels say that after Jesus came up from the water, the Spirit descended and remained on Him. After this, Matthew, Mark, and Luke write that God’s voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mat 3:17). While God was here declaring Christ’s messianic sonship, these texts also show a clear distinction between the persons of the Trinity. But according to Young, there was no distinction, as all three persons were made flesh at the incarnation. This is a clear distortion of the biblical presentation.

Further testimony from Jesus himself is also recorded in the Gospel of John, showing a clear distinction of roles within the Godhead. At the last supper, Jesus is explaining to his disciples what is about to take place in the days after he is betrayed, crucified, and raised. Here, he says to the disciples, “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16:28). Jesus makes it clear here that he came into the world from the Father. In fact, he says the same thing about the Helper who was to come after him, that is, the Holy Spirit who also, “…proceeds from the Father…” (Jn 15:26). While God is definitely omnipresent (Ps 139:7-10), Jesus makes it clear in these passages that there is still some sense in which the manifested presence of God resides elsewhere, that is, in heaven. So, while Jesus was on the earth to do the will of God, the manifestation of Father was in heaven simultaneously. Once again, this is not to diminish the omnipresence of God. However, it clarifies the separate roles and persons of the Trinity.

Furthermore, Jesus says to his disciples in John 16:7: “…it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Here, Jesus comforts his disciples in the face of His departure, promising that the Holy Spirit will be sent to them. A clear implication of this promise is that the Holy Spirit had not yet fully manifested Himself, even though Christ had. Otherwise, Jesus would not have said, “…if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you”, for, if the Helper was fully present with Christ, then he would have already been there because Christ was there. Thus, there was a sense in which the Helper was not yet fully present with the disciples. A different manifestation of the Holy Spirit was yet to come. The Holy Spirit had not been made into flesh with Jesus.

In regards to the Father, Young’s view of the incarnation is clearly in opposition to what Scripture says. For God told Moses, “…you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Ex 33:20). In light of this passage, one might say that the only way to make sense of Jesus’ coming is to conclude that Jesus was not fully God. However, this denies Christ’s divinity and thus, his sufficient atonement. Rather, in trying to understand the great mystery that is the Trinity, one must be willing to conclude that it is simply beyond our understanding, for Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). The only way to relate these passages is to conclude that while Jesus was fully divine, he himself was and is a distinct person from the Father, as is the Spirit. The only other alternatives are to deny the divinity of Christ or to go against Exodus 33:20 as Young does. Thus, Young distorts the biblical presentation by blending roles within the Trinity in the incarnation.

Our Relationship With the Trinity

In the first three sections of this paper we dealt with the nature of the Trinity, the danger of idolatry which The Shack creates in its false trinity, and lastly how the three members of the Trinity have different roles in the incarnation. This last section will be spent on how we are to relate to the Trinity and how it differs from the imagery of the shack. In The Shack, Mack goes into the shack and has a meeting with god. In the meeting, not only is god portrayed as a larger black woman, which we have already discussed to be idolatry, but Mack has no reverence before God. In all biblical accounts, when a man goes before God it is with great fear.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah pronounces a curse upon himself when he saw the Lord. After seeing the Seraphim crying out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), Isaiah says, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!” (6:5) The prophet was terrified because he, a sinner with “unclean lips” (6:5) was standing before a perfect and holy God.

Moses, in Exodus 33, prays to see the glory of God (18). God tells Moses that he will let him see His face, but he must hide himself in the cleft of the rock and only see his back side, because God said, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see Me and live!” (20). Then in Exodus 34 the Lord does pass by Moses as He said and when He did “Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship” (8). Even though Moses has asked for God to pass before him, he bowed before the majesty of a holy God.

The last one we will look at is John the Apostle's experience found in Revelation 1. In verses 12 through 16 we see Jesus come in and speak to John. John speaks of Him in such majestic terms that all John can do is fall down at His feet as though dead (17). Thus John is just like the other members mentioned in the Bible who have terrifying experiences before the Lord. Coming into the presence of a holy God is not something that the biblical members found to be all that enjoyable. It was horrible for them.

Now some would argue that such experiences were not the case during the life and ministry of Jesus. However, the incarnation is something completely different from what came before it and what has taken place since His ascension. During the incarnation Jesus emptied Himself (Philippians 2:7) of His divine glory. This is not to say that He emptied Himself of His god-ness, but that He did not appear as He did before the incarnation and as He does now (the nature of the incarnation has been discussed at length earlier in this paper so I will not deal with that discussion at this point). What we must understand is that no member of the Trinity is like Jesus during his life and ministry. All members of the Trinity are now full of glory and terrifying to all who come upon Them.

However, that is not the idea of God that we get from The Shack. The trinitarian god of The Shack is weak, overly emotional, without power, lacking all holiness, and without any since of self-righteousness (a trait that only God is worthy of). What we find in The Shack is Mack using foul language before god (140, 224), Mack getting angry at god (92, 96), which at one point causes god to weep (92). What we do not see is a man before a omnipotent and holy God, but a man among another mere man. So even though The Shack tries to portray the God of the Bible (and I think Young genuinely does), he fails miserably and in the end creates an idol to be worshiped.

It is also good for us to look at Young's false view of Scripture. Though it might be wrong to say that Young is making intentional statements to reduce the value of Scripture, in the end he does so by elevating the worth of other things. The Bible is clear that it is the primary source of revelation to God's people. It can be argued (and I think it would be correct to say) that God can speak (in a very generic and loose sense) to us through different means of His general revelation. However, that is not the same as God's special revelation to us. We are dependent on the revelation of God in the Scriptures for all areas of life and practice (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

However, in The Shack, Sarayu, who is suppose to be representing the Holy Spirit, says,

You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or though people, or in Creation, or in your joy and sorrow. My ability to communicate is limitless, living and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa's goodness and love. And you will hear and see me in the Bible in fresh ways. Just don't look for rules and principles, look for relationship—a way of coming to be with us (198).

This is a completely foreign thought to the Scriptures and should be understood as a form of idolatry. God has spoken definitively in His Word, both in the written word and in the incarnate Word. There no longer remains any need for revelation from God (see Hebrews 1:1-4).

Conclusion

Thus, what we have is a book that has spread widely and quickly because what it does is lower the kind of God we have down to a god who is on our level. Moderns hate the idea of a God who has authority structures within Himself because that would make authority structures in our current social structure valid. It is simple to see why people would want to make God into an idol they can better relate to, which in the end is no god at all, so that they do not feel so inferior to His infinite attributes. Having a god who is like us makes him more manageable, but what you end up with is not God.

As for the incarnation, it is no wonder that Young wants to do away with the fact that the Son became flesh and the others remained as they were. For him, the other members of the Trinity need to be tamed, brought down to our level. And with his portrayal of the Son, we see that Young does not hold to a Son who has been highly exulted and praised. Jesus remains a middle eastern man to hang out with, not a majestic Lord who is awe inspiring.

Ultimately, what we must see is that The Shack is a book on theology, in which Young gives us his portrayal of God. Sadly, millions of people are being influenced by it and the god they are getting is trinitarian, but not the Trinity. Therefore, the reader must be ware of the dangers of this false god and make sure that the Trinity they worship is the Trinity of the Bible and not of some novel. The Trinity of the Bible is One of great power and majesty and all who seek to come to Him should do so in reverence and fear.

Hoekema, Anthony A. The Bible and the Future

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Hoekema, Anthony A. The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979. 343 pp. $26.00.

Introduction

The Bible and the Future is authored by Anthony A. Hoekema. Hoekema, a native Dutchman, was born in 1913 and passed away in 1988. Around the age of ten he moved to the United States and eventually took up study at Calvin College. Upon completion at Calvin College he pursued graduate work at the University of Michigan and Calvin Theological Seminary, finishing with his doctorate in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1953. He pastored several reformed Christian Churches until he took the associate professorship of Bible at Calvin College in 1956. In 1958 Hoekema was named Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, which he held until retirement in 1979. Though Hoekema was used by God as pastor and professor, his greatest value has been found in his writings. He was the author of Holy Spirit Baptism in 1972, The Bible and the Future in 1979, Created in God's Image in 1986 and Saved by Grace was released after his death in 1989, which demonstrated his great grasp of Scripture and keen systematic understanding of important doctrines of the church.

Summary

The Bible and the Future is a book clearly understood by its title. Hoekema’s aim is to give a biblical and systematic understanding of what the Bible has to say about last things. To do so the book is broken down into two main sections with the first dealing with inaugurated eschatology and the second dealing with future eschatology. The bulk of this book is found in the

second section dealing with future eschatology, but Hoekema first explains the current state of the creation in the section discussing inaugurated eschatology.

Hoekema argues that the whole of redemptive history has the aim of achieving the end. The biblical authors, of both the New and Old Covenants, are always concerned with the end and it would be improper to assume that thinking about the end should be limited to selected Old Testament authors like Daniel and New Testament authors like John. Rather, all biblical authors have in their sight a day what would come when creation would be restored and the people of God would be blessed (10).

This great hope of the end is introduced or inaugurated with the arrival of one who would come to restore all things, Jesus Christ. With the first advent of Christ, creation moves into something different than before. With the coming of the person and work of Christ, new creation beckons and the process of renewal is begun, but the full aspect of the new creation is not yet here. This is where the term “already-not yet” comes into play. The new creation is already taking place, but it is not yet fully brought about. The rest of the first section deals with how this new phase, the last days, is working itself out in redemptive history.

The second section deals with the eschatological events still to come. Because of the nature of eschatology, differences always arise between competing opinions. Hoekema’s view of the future eschatological events find themselves organized in the traditional amillennial fashion. Though Hoekema had a strong desire to push his particular view of the end, the majority of the second section is undisputed by most evangelical Christians. In chapters seventeen through twenty he discusses the great events that will come at the end of the age: the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, eternal punishment, and the new earth; which act as encouragements to the believer, both for the joy that awaits them and the sorrow that awaits the unregenerate. Such truths should press the believer to greater faithfulness in devotion and witness.

Critical Evaluation

Page after page of Hoekema’s fine work is a gift from a mind devoted to the Word of God, but few parts of this book have the amount of refreshment that the chapter on the resurrection of the body have. A doctrine neglected by many, resulting in a Christian culture whose awareness of it is almost none. Most of the church has no hope for the resurrection of the body, merely looking to the future of state of heaven, only intended to be intermediate at best by God.

Now one could argue that this chapter on the resurrection, chapter seventeen, is meant more to show where premillennialism is wrong, rather than to demonstrate what the resurrection will be like, and he could be right. However, flowing out of his argument is some important features of hope.

Hoekema points out something that is absolutely necessary for the Christian to understand. We are not meant to be spiritual beings separated from our bodies (239). As stated earlier, most of the Christian community only looks forward to heaven. They do not understand the importance or necessity of having a body. They fail to have the hope that some day they will be like Jesus.

Hoekema argues that many have the idea that the body is evil, which stems out of Greek philosophy. It could also be argued that Paul’s comparison between the Spirit and the flesh has lead many to falsely understand his point and lead to a form of dualism. However, Hoekema points out the easy objection to this way of thought. First, we know that Jesus Christ came in his first advent as a man with a physical body. If the body were evil, it would have been impossible for the perfect Son of God to dwell in flesh.

Some think of death as salvation from the body. Now, it could be argued, and Hoekema does, that death is salvation from sin because sin is absent in the intermediate stage, but it is not salvation from the body. Because when Christ died He was not saved from the body, because when He rose His body remained. The biblical authors went through great lengths to show that He was not a spirit, but remained a man (239). Hoekema says, “Though those who have died in Christ now enjoy a provisional happiness during the intermediate state, their happiness will not be complete until their bodies have been raised from the dead” (239).

In addition to that, the very “resurrection of Christ is the pledge and guarantee of the future resurrection of believers” (246). When one looks to the resurrection of Christ, is should press that person to long for his own resurrection. That is why the biblical authors use the imagery of first fruits and first born when they speak about Christ’s resurrection (246). Their aim is to stress that what Christ was in His resurrection, so God will bring about in like manner when He raises believers in the resurrection. “At the time of the resurrection, therefore, we who are in Christ shall be completely like him, not only as regards our spirits, but even as regards our bodies…the resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of the resurrection of believers” (246-47).

Another aspect of the resurrection worth mentioning is that it is necessary for Christ to accomplish His redemptive work. “This resurrection of believers is, in fact, a necessary aspect of Christ’s mediatorial work, for ‘the last enemy to be destroyed is death’” (248). If the believer were to remain in the intermediate stage, absent of body, then Christ could not destroy death. Death would be victorious. However, by the resurrection of believers into incorruptible bodies[1] that will never die, so Christ accomplishes the full measure of His mediatorial work in killing death once and for all in the resurrection.

The last aspect to be discussed is the hope of eternal perfection. The question could be asked, “Will man again fall into sin?” The resounding answer to that question is, no. It will be impossible for man to enter into sin again. Why? Because we are promised spiritual bodies. Some have misunderstood this spiritual body to be something different from what we have now. Though the resurrected body will be different, it will still be physical and material. So the term spiritual does not mean that the body will no longer have a material value to it. Rather, it means that the future body of the resurrection will be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Hoekema says that “the spiritual body of the resurrection is one which will be totally, not just partially, dominated and directed by the Holy Spirit” (250). This is different from our current state in that we are now Spirit lead, but we still have the ability to reject the Spirit’s lead. However, in the resurrection, we will be Spirit ruled and we will remain always and forever submissive to the perfect will of God so that we will never again fall into sin. “Therefore the goal of God’s redemption is the resurrection of the physical body, and the creation of a new earth on which his redeemed people can live and serve God forever with glorified bodies” (250).

Conclusion

The church has a long way to go in restoring a correct view of eschatology and the hope it brings. Hoekema’s fine work is a gift to church in that journey. This book would be a good read for any pastor or layman who has an interest in the end times, but fails to see how creation is working towards renewal. Though this book is heavily amillennial and not very friendly towards dispensational views, it would be a good source for all in the evangelical church when it comes to understanding the hope that we have before us.

[1] “Our present bodies, so says Paul, are bodies of corruption (phthora); the seeds of disease and death are in them, so that it is only a question of time until these bodies die. But our bodies shall be raised in incorruption (aphtharsia). All liability to disease shall then be gone. No longer shall we then be on our way to certain death, as we are now, but we shall then enjoy an incorruptible kind of existence” (249).

Kutchins, Herb and Stuart A. Kirk. Making Us Crazy: DSM: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders

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Kutchins, Herb and Stuart A. Kirk. Making Us Crazy: DSM: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders. New York: Free Press, 1997. 305 pp. $21.95.

Much can be said about the modern movement of psychology in the history of the Western world. Psychological thought and language is pervasive in Europe and America, more so than most actually realize. We have been conditioned to think and speak in a specific way. Because of this, psychology has become a major field of study and work. More college students are graduating with psychology related degrees than any other field. There is big money in the world of psychology.

Because of the great growth of psychology and psychologist, there had to be a way developed to keep the whole system under check. There had to be a way to regulate mental disorder classifications and treatments. Out of such a need came the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). With its first publication in 1979, the DSM has gone through three additional additions, with slight revisions in between. In Making Us Crazy: DSM: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders, authors Herb Kutchins and Stuart A. Kirk discuss the many revisions, why they came, and the multiple problems caused by and with the DSM.

Kutchins is professor of social work at California State University in Sacramento with special interest in law, psychiatric diagnosis, and environmental justice. Kirk is a professor at University of California, Berkeley. He has focused his attention in the areas of interplay of science, social values and professional politics in the creation and use of the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He himself was a former psychiatric social worker

and served on the Task Panel on Deinstitutionalization, Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care of President Carter's Commission on Mental Health. He also served as Dean of the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York at Albany along with teaching at many other universities.

Summary

The DSM’s birth belongs to Robert L. Spitzer, “the godfather of modern psychiatric diagnoses” (4). Spitzer’s aim was to create a manual that was “scientifically sound” (5) to help with the development and treatments in the field of psychology. As the manual grew in popularity it became “a claim for professional jurisdiction by the American Psychiatric Association” (11). No longer could someone classify or treat a person without the DSM’s approval. This is important because money is involved.

The “DSM is the psychotherapist’s password for insurance reimbursement” (12). Secular counselors could not received payment from a patient’s insurance company for just talking with them. However, if a “psychotherapist” classifies someone as a mental patient according to the DSM, any treatment can be understood as equal to that of a medical physician and get paid for their services by insurance companies. This also became of great importance for drug companies wishing to profit from those with different issues (13).

Though the DSM has benefit to the psychiatric institution by giving them a fame work within to evaluate and treat patients, what has become very clear is that the DSM has more error than it would like to admit. This is why the DSM has gone through three complete revisions (46). That is why Kutchins and Kirk ask the question, “Is DSM reliable?” (49). They assert the “reliability using DSM is not particularly good. Mental health clinicians independently interviewing the same person in the community are as likely to agree as disagree that the person has a mental disorder and are as likely to agree as disagree on which of the over 300 DSM disorders is present...The unreliability of DSM is a chronic problem that the psychiatric establishment tried unsuccessfully to solve and would now rather ignore” (53-4).

To display the range of disagreement and change within the DSM, the authors first look at the issue of homosexuality (one time considered a mental disorder). The authors go to show that the change of homosexuality from bad to normal was not based on any sort of scientific research. The change was made because of militant acts of the homosexual community (61) and political pressure from within the APA (66). Because of these agents the DSM removed homosexuality from the DSM and replaced it with “sexual disorder not otherwise specified” (91) as a general diagnosis for those who might be homosexual, yet are not satisfied with it. Now, according to the principles of the DSM, if you are homosexual and happy, you are fine. This is completely different than was once stated by the DSM. Can the new diagnosis be trusted?

Other issues treated the same way by the author are war related mental disorders, masochistic personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder. These chapters focus and attempt to display how the DSM has went through many changes and why these changes are taking place. Most often, they do not change because of some new great scientific study that gives grand evidence and reason for the change, but because of pressures on the APA to change its findings.

Kutchins and Kirk also discuss the abuses of psychology against those of another race. In 1840 a census was taken of those who were in mental institutions. What was shocking was the difference in the ratio of African-American patients in the North and South. The number of African-American patients in the North far exceeded those in the South. In the South, “they believed that slavery made the difference!” (204). Based on this issue, as article was written in The Southern Literary Messenger which prescribed slavery for the sake of those enslaved (204). John C. Calhoun said, “Here is the proof of the necessity of slavery. The African is incapable of self-care and sinks into lunacy under the burden of freedom. It is a mercy to give him the guardianship and protection from mental health.” (205). Sadly, this sort of psychological thought was not limited only to those of African decent. Hitler used the same poor method against the Jews (214).

To end their work, Kutchins and Kirk argue that the DSM is not adequate to determine whether or not someone is mentally ill or has a “normal, nonpathological variance” (294); it is not specific enough to limit the diagnosis to a proper one, leaving researchers and clinicians “plenty of room to arrive at different diagnostic conclusions (unreliability) based on the same information” (255); and the “DSM’s definition of mental disorder is flawed, the claims of validity and reliability of the manual as a whole are shaky, and the causes of most mental disorders are unknown” (264). Thus they state with confidence, “Clearly, as we have shown in this book, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals benefit from DSM’s unrelenting expansion of domain, its attempts to sweep all manner of personal troubles under the medical umbrella and to rationalize those moves on the basis of research and science…Certainly, there are plenty of problems that we all have and a myriad of peculiar ways that we struggle…But could life be any different? Far too often, the psychiatric bible has been making us crazy—when we are just human” (264-5). Thus, they argue that the DSM is about power and money more than it is about helping people.

Critical Evaluation

Making Us Crazy is a fine work and should be read by anyone who is serious about the world of psychology or the counseling ministry in general. Its review of the history of the DSM is informative and useful in evaluating the how the psychiatric bible came into being and whether or not it is proving to be a helpful aid in helping people with their problems.

Positive Evaluations

One of the strengths of Making Us Crazy are its ability to show the history and backdrop of what caused to the multiple revisions the DSM has gone through. In chapter three, “The Fall and Rise of Homosexuality”, one of the most fascinating chapters of the book, the authors do a great job of showing how the DSM was challenged and eventually changed.

It should come as no surprise that the DSM would have changes along the way. It is only normal for scientific study to evolve as new information is gained and evaluated. What makes this book so powerful is the magnitude of research done by Kutchins and Kirk that shows that this change, and many changes, is accomplished no because of new research once hidden, but by a powerful movement that pressured for the changes in the DSM. They show that in 1971, the first major step was taken when “gays asked to meet with the APA’s Committee on Nomenclature to present a demand to delete homosexuality from DSM” (66). During this time, the number of gay psychiatrists was growing and they were beginning to put pressure on the committee to change. Finally, in December of 1973 “the board voted unanimously to delete Homosexuality from the diagnostic manual” (71).

Such findings go to show how unreliable DSM is. The diagnoses of the book are more governed by pressures than by science to often. Not to mention the other changes that happen at such a rapid rate, ones that might be more related to science, show the unstable nature of DSM. Kutchins and Kirk do a great job of showing the weakness of DSM and why it needs major work before it should be trusted as the primary means of diagnosing and treating patients.

Negative Evaluation

The primary weakness of Kutchins and Kirk’s work is that they fail to follow the road they start to the destination it leads. One of the primary flaws to the DSM that they point out is its rapid changing nature and its failed attempt at a definition (264). However, one could ask, on what ground can anyone declare that another person is mentally ill? By what standard can we rightfully make such a statement?

This is seen clearly in the issue of homosexuality. At one time, the majority of people saw homosexuality as a flaw in the makeup of some people’s minds. However, as time developed and homosexuality either grew or just became more socially acceptable, the APA was forced to change DSM’s claim that it was a mental disorder.

The question that has to be asked is how does a world governed by atheistic thought come to the conclusion of whether or not anything is right or wrong. In a world absent of God and supreme truth, we are left in a globe of atoms and molecules that are randomly bouncing back and forth without rhyme or reason. Take God out of the cosmos and you are left with moral and ethical suicide. No longer can someone make a claim that homosexuality is wrong because there is no external witness against it. What will be okay next?

The fact is, without moral absolutes brought on by a supreme being that is external to us, a DSM cannot exist. The DSM is dependent on the idea that people should act a certain way and think a certain way. But who is to say how that action should be? In the case of homosexuality, it was once seen as wrong and an illness, but now it is common and another healthy lifestyle for some. What other disorders will one day be wiped out of DSM because a large enough group of people have the so called disorder and live perfectly healthy lives? Could psychotherapist take the DSM and go to other lands and expect it to work, given the great differences between our culture and others? It does not seem likely.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Making Us Crazy should be an influential book and will hopefully stir many in the world of psychology to rethink the DSM. Kutchins and Kirk prove themselves to be experts in this area of study and will hopefully continue to press people to rethink how mental health is understood. Those who are serious about counseling should take their words seriously and think critically about the agenda of the APA. However, the reader should not fall short where the writers do and seek answers that Kutchins and Kirk fail to discuss.

ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN HISTORY READING SUMMARIES

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These were some summaries that I did for my Ancient Near Eastern History class. Some of it may be a bit boring, but for those interested in the date of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, it might prove enjoyable.

Israel in Egypt

Israel, as is seen in the biblical narrative spent much time in Egypt. Most of that time was spent in the land of Goshen, which is located in the eastern delta.

Pyramid Development

One of the most popular features of Egypt are the pyramids. The pyramids started as “flattop rectangular mud-brick tombs” (2). These were developed by Imhotep and built for Pharaoh Djoser. The building began to become more sloped with smooth sides. What came about was the Red Pyramid which is commonly known as the first true pyramid. Contrary to what many teach, the pyramids where not worked on by any Israelites, but instead were built by local professional builders from surrounding villages.

Pyramid of 12^th Dynasty

Pharaoh Sesostris II was possibly the pharaoh who ruled during the time of Joseph. He built a pyramid that was much smaller than the great pyramids of Giza, and his was made of a mud-brick core with limestone as its casing. Today, all that remains is the core as the outer shell was torn away for other buildings. Sesostris II also wore a uraeus when he was buried. The hat like clothing item had a snake on it to protect him from evil and was made of pure gold.

Abraham

Abraham came to Egypt at the end of the First Intermediate Period. At this time, the 11^th Dynasty was starting to gain its power in Thebes and would eventually take control of all of Egypt. While Abraham was in Egypt he would have most likely met a king from the north who took the title of Pharaoh and would have seen the great pyramids of Giza.

Joseph

After Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, it was most likely that he would have come into Egypt by the Horus Road. He was sold into slavery of Potiphar right at about the time slavery started in Egypt. When the 12^th Dynasty took over they built their capital city at itj-tawy which is west of the Nile Delta. During this time, the pyramid of Pharaoh Sesostris II was built and would have been the pharaoh under whom Joseph rose to the position of vizier in Egypt. As the most powerful man in Egypt, he would have had right to visit the construction of the pyramid and may have been over the pharaoh’s burying there. So when Sesostris III rose to power, this was when the time of famine came. Sesostris III built his pyramid in Dahshur and Joseph may have been in charge of that. After the famine, Joseph may have retired to the land of Goshen. There was also a tomb found in Tell el-Daba where the bones are missing. Though it was common to rob tombs, bodies were not commonly taken. This tomb may have been empty because of the bones of Joseph taken back to Canaan.

Hyksos

The Hyksos were people who came to Egypt from southern Canaan and took over the eastern part of the delta. They took for themselves the title of pharaoh and ruled in Egypt for 108 years. They have come to be known as Egypt’s 15^th Dynasty. The Pharaoh who did not know of Joseph was probably a Hyksos pharaoh and the one who places Israelites into slavery. Once Egyptians forced out the Hyksos under Amosis, ruler of the 18^th Dynasty, they would have taken over it capital city Avaris, renaming it Peru-nefer.

Moses

The Bible tells of Moses’ salvation in the Nile and his adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter, probably Hatshepsut. This makes it seem like the royal family would have had a presence in Goshen. It was in the former Hyksos capital. There appears to be a palace that is in the right area and right time to be the palace where Moses was raised and confronted Pharaoh.

Rameses

The Bible records that Jacob and his family settled in the land of Rameses, were slaves there, and left from Rameses. However, the name Rameses was not around during the time of Israel’s departure from Egypt. It did not come along until the Pharaoh by that name. Thus, the scribes of the Bible edited the Scriptures later on to help the readers understand the location.

Egypt during the period of the Kingdom of Judah

During the time of the Babylonian empire, many Israelites traveled to Egyptian cities in the north for refuge. Memphis is only mentioned as a city of God’s judgment. Heliopolis was an important city in the Old Kingdom and was also said to be under God’s judgment. Bubastls was located in the delta and said to be under God’s judgment. Zoan is the Hebrew name for Tanis and became the official residence of the 21^st Dynasty during the time of the Judean monarchy. Tahpanhes became a safe haven for Jews, including Jeremiah, during the time of Babylonian invasion and Jeremiah pronounced judgment on them. Pelusium was a fortress in Egypt’s northeast corner. Migdol is another place where Jews resided during the Babylonian invasion and a city God judged.

Conclusion

The key to understanding Egyptian history is to consider the invasion of the Hyksos and how, from that point, on Egypt was very concerned with attackers form the north. Living in Egypt was a good experience for Israel, but when the Hyksos people came in who did not know Joseph, it lead to their slavery. Even after the restoration of Egyptian rule throughout Egypt, the Israelites still had to serve under slavery. Then during the invasion of Babylonia, many Jew traveled to Egypt, and it became clear that they could run, but they could not hide.

Cultural Change and the Confusion of Language in Ancient Sumer

The Sumer people come from the “land between the two rivers” (the Tigris and Euphrates), located in Mesopotamia. However, there are some questions that are still troubling about this ancient people. How did this civilization come into this area and dominate its culture. To discuss this, researchers have looked at both artifacts and language source materials.

Archaeological Evidence

Archaeologist seek to discern the differences between cultures and understand that different civilizations of an area in its timeline. To do this, they look at the material objects, understanding that many times people will share objects from culture to culture. Thus, they can link a connection between two cultures if they share something, such as pottery. They other thing is that archaeologist will give names to different cultures, but those names are for our sake and do not have to represent a people rightly.

Hassuna Culture

Hassuna culture is the earliest major culture in northern Mesopotamia during the period of 5500-5000 BC. The Hassuna people were primarily agricultural people and makers of pottery. They had some tools that were made of bone and stone, but the most common tool they used was a wooden stick with flint teeth for harvesting grain. The Hassuna culture was not completely restricted to themselves, but they have been found to trade with nations miles away on the coast.

Halaf Culture

Around 5000 BC the Hassuna culture was replaced by the Halaf which lasted until 4100 BC. The Halaf people developed very beautiful pottery that is copied from metallic vessels which show that they were a metal working people by this time. This supports the assumption that they were of the first people to use metal in the world.

Halaf civilization was much more advanced than most people in the world. Their cities had paved streets and homes with more than one room. They also had a developed religious system. But strangely, their civilization disappeared. Some have thought that maybe the flood was the cause of this, but the flood would have come much earlier than this. Rather, invasion or natural disasters are the most probable explanations.

Ubaid Culture

The Ubaid culture existed in the southern part of Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf. This area is known as Sumer; and Shinar in the Bible. This region was not settled prior to 6000 BC. Its earliest cities came around 5600 BC. The Ubaid culture is best known for its increased use of metals and the invention of the wheel.

Uruk Culture

The Uruk culture lasted from 3750-3200 BC. This period is best known for its development in brick baking for monumental buildings. They discovered that if you bake the bricks, their strength is better and it is better to build monumental buildings. Thus, they were the first to create the first great temples. Another major advancement was their invention of the boat.

Proto-Literate Period

The proto-literate period was from 3200-3100 BC. The major advancement during this period was the invention of writing. This was so important because it allowed for records to be kept and then later discovered. Another advancement was irrigation which shows that by this time there was some degree of political organization and unification.

Literary Evidence

The writing developed during this period was cuneiform. What is strange about this early writings was that the language of these Sumerians was very distinct, but they had proper names that did not fit the language. This means there had to be an earlier people, though no artifacts are there to support it.

The “Sumerian Problem”

The Sumerian Problem has to do with the differences between the findings of archeologist and philologist. The archeologist, basing their argument on artifacts, argue that there have been one people living in the area. The philologist, basing their argument on language, argue that there have been different people living in the area because of the differences in languages.

A Biblical Answer

Though there does not seem to be a solution to this problem, the Bible has a very plausible answer. The answer that it gives is the judgment of God seen in the tower of Babel. We know that the ziggurats were starting to be built around this time and the tower of Babel appears to be a ziggurat. This answers the problem because archeologist tells us no one new came into the area during this time. It also makes since of the philologist’s arguments who claim that the languages changed. In fact, they did.

The Confusion of Language in Mesopotamia Tradition

This is further supported by different traditions such as “The Spell of Nudimmud” which speaks of a golden age when everyone spoke one language. It claims that a Babylonian god destroyed a temple and confused the speech of the builders. There is a strong connection between this tradition and the biblical account because of the word translated confounded. In conclusion, the biblical account answers the problems seen in the historical problem and should therefore be take seriously.

King Solomon in His Ancient Content

The Book of Kings tells the history of the kings of Israel. Dating this ancient book is difficult, but we can know it came at least before 200 BC when it was translated into Greek. The last recorded event is the elevation of Jehoiachin to the table of Awel-Marduk in 562 BC. However, the book tells of events happening in the time of Solomon dating back to 950 BC. Therefore, do the reports of Solomon come from accurate tradition or folklore? There is no doubt that the author was influenced by his theology, but that itself is not reason to assume his statements are factual.

The Cultural Context

The Solomon narrative tells in great detail about the sort of things Solomon’s craftsman made. Therefore, one thing to research first is to see if this sort of work was around in the tenth century.

The Use of Gold. It is clear that the building style of Solomon’s temple fits that of the tenth century with a porch, main hall, and sanctuary. Almost all of Solomon’s buildings and relationships fit this time period. However, most commentators reject the lavishness of the temple. They argue that even Ezekiel did not know of all the gold plating. Some argue that the removing of gold that comes later in Kings is evidence that the gold was never there. Others say that it might have been sprayed on, but not to the degree that Kings reports. There is tons of evidence that this was normal during this time. Mesopotamian resources claim to do the same thing over and over. Even the Egyptians are reported as doing this.

Even Solomon’s vessels and throne are reported as being made of gold. This appears to be a normal thing all through the near east. Golden vessels were expected in royal homes. Solomon’s throne does not have to be made of pure ivory, but it was a common phrase when a part of it was made with it. And this was a common practice of the time.

Amounts of Gold. Since we can understand Solomon using gold in this way, what can be said about the amount? Most would say it is impossible for it to be true. However, there is plenty of evidence of this much gold changing hands in ancient times. When kings would conquer people, it was customary for large amounts of gold to go from one to another. Egypt was rich with gold. So much so that some considered it to have gold like dust. This shows that it was customary to have exaggerated amounts of gold.

Sources of Gold. Another question then becomes could an Israelite king get that much gold. Egypt had her gold supply. Israel did not. The Bible reports that Solomon traded for gold from those who had access to it.

Palace Provisions. Another questioned account of the Solomon narrative are the provisions he required. However, this was not uncommon for the Babylonians and Egyptians. Sargon of Akkad boasted of 5,400 men eating at his table. Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria had a ten day feast for 69,574 people requiring a great deal of provisions.

The Archaeological Context

Another issue that arises is that there have been archaeological finds from that time, but they seem to be much more modest than what is reported. However, this should not be surprising given the number of times it has been burnt to the ground and rebuilt. When Herod did his renovations, it is possible that he wiped away all that remained of Solomon’s temple. We might be able to see the richness of Solomon by the way out lying cities lived. It would make since that as the kingdom grew, other cities would share in the richness.

Another question is why have no inscriptions of Solomon been found well, the fact that his palace was used by many kings makes since that his name would not be found in it. This should also not be too shocking since only sixteen out of one hundred-thirteen kings between 1000 and 600 BC have been discovered by inscriptions. And sadly, Israel did most of her writing on papyrus and not stone like others around them.

The Historical Context

The fact that Solomon does not appear in any of the written text of other kingdoms also cause problems for some. However, this problem is wide spread because we have very little documents from that time. There are no Assyrian or Babylonian records from that time. The Arameans did not start keeping records until the middle of the ninth century. Solomon’s ally, Tyre, have no records until the eighth century. Egypt only has a handful of inscriptions during this time. In reality, what we see with Solomon is normal for this time with many other kings.

The Nature of the Hebrew History Book

There is nothing else like the Hebrew history book in the entire ancient Near East. It tells both of the success and failure of Israel and her kings. Like other nations, it ascribes victory and defeat at the will of God. The Assyrians and Babylonians were also record keepers and we can assume that the writer of Kings used such works of Israel’s past to complete his work. Though it is filled with talk of God, this does not mean that it is not reliable. When checked against other sources, it has been found to be very accurate. Others argue that it is weak because of its lack of information about other nations. However, this is a weak argument because the author did not feel that it was necessary for the readers to understand. Others see differences between the Hebrew and Septuagint and claim that Kings was not a book by this time. Though it is possible that the writing might still be a little fluid, most study seems to show that it was a set book.

Conclusion

The Solomon Narrative can be a trusted source for the history of Israel based on what we know about the ancient Near East. Solomon acted like kings around him. Though his wealth and power are reason for some to skepticism, there are no obstacles in reading the Hebrew text the way it is written. From the side of scholarship, we have no reason to doubt the Bible’s claims about Solomon’s reign.

Moses and Hatshepsut

A major question that has perplexed man is, “Who was pharaoh during the Exodus”. Out of all the study of this, there are two time periods where scholars seem to come down on. Either it happened in the 15^th century or 13^th century B.C. Where someone comes down on this has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. Many on both sides come down on either. However, the late date is the one most accepted by scholars, the early date is the one most supported by a clear reading of the Bible. Late daters arguer that there is no evidence of Israel in Canaan this early. But LoMusio argued that Moses lived in the 18^th Dynasty and this paper will discuss and strengthen his thoughts.

The 18^th Dynasty

Taking the date from the Bible, Moses would have been born during the reign of Thutmosis I and would have chartered the Exodus during the reign of Amenhotep. Thutmosis I did not have a son by his legitimate wife, but did have a daughter, Hatshepsut. Thus, Thutmosis II had to marry his half sister for religious rights to the throne. Hatshepsut was probably around 6 when Moses would have been born. When Thutmosis II died, Hatshepsut took the throne and held it till her death.

Moses, Hatshepsut and Dynasty 18

We are told from the Bible that Pharaoh’s daughter was the one who saved him from the river. We know that she had slaves and attendants and must have been a powerful woman to command people to do her bidding. Hatshepsut could very well be the daughter that the Bible speaks about. This also corresponds with the 18^th century tradition of identifying royal daughters as “pharaoh’s daughter”. Of all of Hatshepsut’s siblings, she was the only one alive and could be the only one to carry such a title.

When the pharaoh’s daughter found the boy, she had him returned to his mother, unknowingly, and Moses could have been with his family for years. This may be why he was empathetic towards the Hebrew who was being beaten. If this was the case, Moses would have been raised in the harem and taught like an Egyptian which makes since of Acts 7:22. When Hatshepsut died, her memory was erased from Egypt. This would make since if her son, Thutmosis III had to wait so long to become pharaoh.

A Chronology of Moses and Dynasty 18

The Bible says that Moses left Egypt when he was forty and that would mean right before Thutmosis took over. It could be that Thutmosis was afraid of Moses and it was good reason for Moses to get out of Egypt. We can also know that Thutmosis III was a builder and that would fit neatly with the biblical narrative.

Moses and the Pharaoh

Moses returned to Egypt to speak with Pharaoh after Thutmosis III had died and his son Amenhotep II has become king. This would have been about three or four years into his reign. The question is how could have Moses gained access to the Pharaoh, but being that he was his uncle-in-law, it makes since. Exodus says that Moses was even received well by Egyptians officials (11:3). So we see how Moses fits well into this dynasty.

Dynasty 18 and Dynasty 19 Compared

We can see why many people think the 19^th Dynasty is the dynasty of the Exodus because of the name Ramses, but the problem is that there is no strong woman like Hatshepsut. Another problem is that if Ramses II was Pharaoh, which most who hold to the late date do, this would mean that Moses was born in the previous dynasty and it is unlikely that a royal member of the previous dynasty would be aloud in the 19^th Dynasty. To fix this they must try to put Moses’ departure under Ramses’ reign but that does not fit the biblical account because God told him the one who threatened him was dead. Even the date of when Ramses’ son invaded Palestine and faced Israel does not make since with the biblical account.

Summary

Even though this cannot be proved 100%, it is very interesting how the events line up with the early date. The fact that “pharaoh’s daughter” caries that she should be a woman of power does not match up with the late date, but fits the early date very well. It may never be certain when the Exodus took place, but the data seems to match the early date more so than the late.

The Historical Study of Scripture: The Date of the Exodus

The dating of the Exodus has proven to be a difficult study in biblical scholarship with two main views. These difficulties really came to the forefront with the rise of modern historical research in the 19^th century. These methods changed the way people looked at the Bible. Historians ask the question, “What really happened”, but know that they will never really know. No longer is Scripture seen as the authoritative truth, but the artifacts tell the truth. Sometimes these artifacts supported the Bible, other times went against it. In regard to the Exodus, some find the facts pointing towards a later date while the Bible itself points to an early date.

The Early Date

Biblical Support for a 15^th Century Date (1440 BC). For some the Bible is the primary source of information on the matter. But this does not come without difficulties. First, is the Bible more concerned with data or myth? Second, we can tell that the Bible is more concerned about Israel’s relationship with God than it is with just telling history. Can it be trusted then? Third, another problem is that the Bible seems to contradict itself at places; so if you just take the Bible for what it says, what do you do when it disagrees? Therefore Dennis Bratcher thinks the Bible offers very little aid.

1 Kings 6:1 is the primary passage where the early date gets its credit. Early date people take the Bible’s claim of 480 years literally, but that is because of a misunderstood way of ancient dating. Such scientific methods of dating are relatively new. So many scholars think that this is meant to be an estimate and not a literal number. They say it is better to understand it as twelve generation at twenty-five years each equaling 300 years placing the date at 1260 BC, the late date.

Judges 11:26 also supports an early date. Jephthah in a dispute with the Ammomites said that Israel had been in the land for 300 years which shows for the early date. But some argue that Jephthah was not meaning to give an exact date, but is bulking up his argument. They also make him out to be an idiot who has no clue to history. They argue that there is no reason to assume this is accurate. Plus, they argue that the whole period of the Judges has bad dating so we cannot take it as accurate.

Historical Support for a 15^th Century Date (1440 BC). Since there is no literature from this period to support an exodus, artifacts give the only information we have. Jericho was thought to have been destroyed in 1400 BC which supported an early date. However, later findings support otherwise. Another city is Hazor which has destruction found in 1400 BC, but scholars say there is no reason to assume it was caused by Israelites.

Logical Support for a 15^th Century Date (1440 BC). Late daters argue that we should not think of Moses’ life divisions as actual. When three numbers are the same in the Bible, we should not assume they are real. Another argument for the early date is that a stele from Egypt says that there was a battle with them. The argument goes that they would have had to been in the land by this time. This does not work with the late date. But some think they could have been in the land long enough even with the late date. Another argument for the early date is the length of the day of the judges. However, late daters argue that this is not good enough because the lengths of each cannot be trusted and it is not known if they overlap. Thus, there is no logical reason to assume an early date.

The Late Date

Biblical Support for a 13^th Century Date (1290 BC). There is really no Scriptural support for a late date. The reason so much attention has been paid to the information above is to show that the Bible does not need to be trusted.

Historical Support for a 13^th Century Date (1290 BC). A historical argument for the late date is that there is little evidence of people living in the region of Moab and Edom during the time of the conquest. There has been a city found from that time, but late daters says there is no reason to assume that it was involved during the conquest.

Logical Support for a 13^th Century Date (1290 BC). Late daters argue that there is no way that Egyptians could have allowed Joseph to rise to the power that he did. Therefore they argue that he would have had to become powerful during the Hyksos rule in eastern Egypt. They also make many assumptions based on the name Rameses. Israel built a store city under that name and late daters argue that they would not have been able to do that before Pharaoh Rameses. We also see that Egypt invaded the land during the late 14^th to mid 13^th century. The Bible speaks nothing of this, and therefore logically it can be assumed that it could not have been with Israel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we see that neither position is overly strong. The early date places to much weight on the Scriptures and late daters place to much weight on artifacts. In the end, we cannot know which is right. Therefore, we should think of the Exodus from a more theological perspective and see what it meant for the early readers more so than thinking it was just for us.

SEEING AND SAVORING JESUS CHRIST IN JOHN 17:1-5, 24-26

2010-08-05T14:13:00.001-04:00

1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

What do you learn about Jesus in this passage?

1. The ultimate aim of Jesus is to glorify His Father. His request to be glorified is only that He may in turn glorify His Father. This shows the selfless nature of Jesus. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. His aim was always to bring glory to God.
2. God has given all authority to Jesus. He is the ruler of the world. All flesh is under His domain. So even when we look out at the world, we should know that Jesus is in charge. Nothing is out of His absolute sway.
3. Jesus alone has the power to give eternal life. Yet, even though He has the power, He is submissive to the Father who gives to Jesus the ones who are to have eternal life. Here we see the submissive nature of Jesus to His Father. There is no weakness in His submission. His submission is a beautiful thing.
4. Jesus is given the power to give eternal life and He does that through letting people know the one true God. Jesus’ aim is again the Father’s glory. As He makes His Father known, people are saved and glorify God. This is absolutely remarkable. Life doesn’t come from some sort of odd magical power or gift, but it comes from knowing the source of life – the LORD.
5. Jesus is the Accomplisher. He does what He is commanded to do. Again, showing His submission. But at the same time it demonstrates His great power to do all that He sets out to do. There is nothing that can thwart His plans. He will accomplish all that the Father has given Him.
6. Jesus is the Preexistent One. He was with God in the beginning. There was never a time when He wasn’t. He has always been. He will always be. He knows no beginning and no end. He is the LORD.
7. Jesus is the example of humility. He took on flesh becoming like man that He might save man, abandoning for a time the glory that was His before He took on flesh. His request is to be made like He already was. He isn’t asking to be made glorious. He already is. He is asking that His former state be made obvious as His second state is removed.
8. Jesus cares about those He loves. He wants them to be with Him and He wants them to see His glory. This isn’t meant to be an arrogance issue, but rather it is through His glory that this beloved will find their most joy. When they behold Him in true array. That is when they see Him full of power and spender, then they will be truly happy and delightful. He wants them to see His glory because He loves them and He wants for them to find the greatest amount of joy that they can have and it is only in Him. He wants them to be with Him and to behold Him so that they might experience true joy million-fold to anything they have ever experienced before.
9. Only the Son knows the Father. No one has ever seen the Father. No one has ever beheld the glory of the Father. But there are some who know the Son and the Son is the image of the Father’s glory. Jesus is the way to God and to happiness.

10. It is through knowing the name of God that one can find true love. The name of God represents who God is, His character and His attitude. His name represents His person. Jesus has made that known to us because through knowing it we can experience true love. Not love that is self-serving and self-motivating, but a love that is full and boundless. The love that shared between the Father and the Son is so boundless that has a nature of itself, the Holy Spirit. That love, which is so powerful and so dynamic, is the love that overflowed into the creation of the world. That is the Lord that the Son desires to give to His people. A love so amazing, so divine that nothing in earthly terms can explain its width, and depth, and height, and length – for it is infinitely great.

What qualities or attributes of Jesus are prominent?

1. Humility. If there were ever a humble man to live on the face of the earth, it was Jesus. From this passage, it is clear that Jesus is more concerned with His Father’s glory and His disciples’ joy than He is with His own welfare. In fact, in light of what he is about to experience on the cross, it seems unbelievable that He would consider anyone other than Himself with what awaits Him.
2. Sovereign: Jesus is absolutely in control here. Not only is He in control of the heavens and earth, He shows a control of Himself. Here is the man who is about to suffer the wrath of God meant for millions and millions of sinners. No man will ever suffer like Jesus suffered on the cross. Men only suffer for the sins they have committed. Here, Jesus us getting ready to suffer for the sins of countless people who have trusted in God. If any person ever had a time when they should loose control of themselves out of fear, Jesus is that person. Yet, He in sovereignly controlling His emotions so that they do not have sway over Him. He is the example of self-control that the Bible encourages us to.
3. Submissive: Jesus thinks very little about what lies before Him when compared to the will of His Father. No leader or ruler has ever asked His servant to suffer like the Father ask Jesus, and Jesus demonstrates perfect submission to the Father’s will. Jesus, though divine and an equal member of the Trinity in essence does not turn from His Father’s will and hold up the equality card. With joy He does as the Father wishes.
4. Faith: Typically, we think of faith as something man does only. But here, we see the faith of Jesus in His Father. Jesus is again our great example. He places all of His hope and trust in the reality that God will do as He said He would do. Jesus lives by faith that through His death He would be glorified, brining glory to God and salvation to man. This even had never been accomplished. Jesus the first and only to attempt the salvation of man. Yet, there is no hesitation with Jesus. He is not slow to trust the words of God. He is not anxious that God might not deliver. Jesus, the God-man, shows perfect faith in His Father to do all that He said He would do. Jesus’ actions make it seem like His Father’s promises are as good as done. Jesus is the example of perfect faith!
5. Strong: Jesus is strong enough to stand against the temptation to bail out. He goes through real temptation and the offer to jump ship is real. He could have secured global dominion another way. No, it wouldn’t have gained Him an inheritance like the Father offers. But Jesus could have gotten a kingdom for Himself through using His divine/messianic power. Yet, Jesus is strong in the midst of temptation and does not fall to the devil’s power.
6. Divinity: Jesus is God. There is no doubt about that. Is He the Father? No. He is not the Father. He is the Son, the second member of the Trinity. His task is to show the glory of God the Father to God’s elect. The only way He could have done this was by knowing the Father in a way that only God could know Himself. Thus, Jesus is God and is uniquely able to show the Father to the elect because He alone has known Him.

What is emphasized about who He is or what He’s done or why He is worthy to be savored?

1. Jesus performs the most necessary, most difficult, more important, and most powerful task ever attempted. Jesus reunites God and man. Jesus, by this glorification, which is accomplished through His humiliation, demonstrates the true glory of God the Father for all mankind to see. It in turn, opens the eyes of the elect and makes union with God once again achievable. Though union with God, man is no longer left to his own misery, pain, and death, but is given life, love, and joy through seeing and experiencing God. As we have union with Jesus, all that God is is available for us as we take the time to see and savor His manifold excellencies.

Hammett, John S. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology

2009-09-04T22:50:00.002-04:00

Hammett, John S. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2005. 368pp. $19.99

Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches has proved to be a very enjoyable and informative read. Hammett does a good job of surveying many issues surrounding the Baptist church culture and showing where it is positive and negative. The main focus of this book is to discuss Baptist ecclesiology, which is branch of theology that is concerned with the nature, constitution, and functions of a church; but through out this book he hits on other issues that stem out of these discussions. Hammett lays out a solid foundation for those interested in the Baptist tradition and the scriptural and theological reasons for such tradition.

Summary

Hammett divides his book up into five main sections aimed at answering five main questions. The first question that Hammett asked is “What Is the Church”. In this section of the book, Hammett discusses the nature, marks, and essence of the church. He defines the church by the Greek word ekklesia (26). From the use of that word, which means “the called-out ones” (26), Hammett argues that there are two primary churches: the church universal and the church local (28). From this he argues that there is only one church. “There is one and only one people of God” (32). We should not think that each local church constitutes a different people of God. However, he notes that no local church is dependent on another local church, or the universal church, in order to carry out its function. Each local church is fully able to carry out the task of God as a body of Christ (37).

Because of this, any true church will have certain marks about it, which include true believers who descend from the apostolic teaching. This does not imply that a church has to come from apostolic succession, which is never implied in the New Testament, but that they follow in what was taught by the apostles (60). For a church to be a church it must have the gospel of Jesus Christ (63). Thus Hammett argues that the essence of the church is not just a group of people, but an assembly of people elected by God for a divine purpose (68).

The second section discusses those who make up the church, which gives Hammett grounds for discussing in section three how it should be governed. Stemming right out of his discussion about the nature of the church comes regenerate church membership. This chapter, chapter four, will in many ways be foundational too much of the rest of the book. Hammett argues from both Scripture and tradition demonstrate that regenerate church membership is the only way to have a true church that is effective in its mission (102). Because Hammett holds to a fully regenerate church by only allowing believers to be baptized and practicing church discipline, he asserts that the proper church government is congregationalism. Because the whole church are true believers and all believers and priest before God, He affirms that all members of the church should hold equal right in governing itself (149); though he does argue for eldership leadership and the special role of deacons.

The forth section asks the question, “What does the church do?” Hammett says that the church’s functions can be discussed in five areas: the ministry of teaching, fellowship, worship, service, and evangelism (221). The church also partakes in the sacraments instituted by the Lord: limited only to baptism and the Lord’s supper (259). Hammett does a great job of discussing the proper role of the two sacraments and their sacramental value, which must be understood as means of grace, though not salvific (281).

Lastly, after Hammett has discussed many of the modern flaws of Baptist churches, he ask the question “Where is the church going?” This final section is interesting and challenging as some of the modern features of Baptist churches are discussed. Hammett discusses the positives and negatives of the “seeker sensitive movement” asserting that even though they are doing good things, dangers could come from a lack of gospel proclamation (309).

He also discusses the new wave of postmodernism and how the “emergent” movement is seeking to be relative to it (328). Near the end of his assessment on the churches seeking to reach the postmodern community, he says this about their changes in church life compared to that of the Reformers, “this movement did not begin with a call to change to be faithful to Scripture, but a call to change to responsive to culture” (329). Hammett argues that some of the motives are good and even some of the changes; however, we cannot depart from our orthodox heritage (331), which leads to the discussion about the shift of Baptist back to their roots in a desire to return to biblical faithfulness and mission (331-347).

Critical Evaluation

One of Hammett’s most helpful areas of discussion is the issue of regenerate church membership. This, above any other issue, has been the staple of the Baptist faith since the beginning. If it were not for the Baptist’s firm conviction of a regenerate church, the issue of credobaptism would have never come about. Baptists from the beginning have seen the New Testament’s demand for a pure church.

The description of local churches in the New Testament assumes that these local, visible congregations are composed of believers only. The church of God in Corinth is called “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:2). The letter to the Ephesians is addressed to “the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1) (84).

The challenge for this position comes from the long standing tradition of infant baptism. Even some of the Protestant persuasion would argue that believer’s only baptism (credobaptism) is a new concept, and not apart of the historical and apostolic tradition passed down to us by the early church fathers through the centuries. However, Hammett argues that

The early church did not move to the adoption of infant baptism and a corresponding adoption of infant membership in local churches as soon as their founding members had children. Most scholars agree that the practice of infant baptism did not appear until the latter half of the second century and did not become widespread or standard until the late third of even forth century. The issue was being debated as late as Augustine, but his support and rational for it became decisive. Infant baptism and acceptance of the church as a mixed body composed of saved and unsaved became standard for the next thousand years (85-86).

Hammett has weakness in stating this. He makes a bold statement, “Most scholars agree that the practice of infant baptism did not appear until the latter half of the second century”, but gives no evidence of worthy scholarship that states this or primary sources to back it up. Those of differing opinions would say that their equal scholarship agues against this.

However, the fact that the issue was even being discussed in the latter part of the second century does show that this is not something that paedobaptist can argue has firm foundation in the apostolic tradition. Those that the evangelical church holds to as orthodox and apostolic held to credobaptism and paedobaptism. Thus, the issue of church membership and its importance lays in its biblical warrant.

It is helpful to see why this major shift took place in the church’s make up. It is assumed by most that the Christian community was made up primarily of believers and their children.

Before Constantine, persecution tended to keep membership in the church limited to those who were genuinely believers, and the line between the church and state was clear. After Constantine, the church became the recipient of imperial funds and favor rather than persecution. As a result, membership in the church became a mark of social acceptability, and there was a virtual stampede of candidates for the priesthood. This growing friendliness between church and state led to the eventual union of the two (88).

Thus, with the removal of persecution came the great expanse of the Christian kingdom, though not always the Christian faith. What resulted from this was centuries of false churches made up not of Christians who trusted in the grace of God, but sinful men who paraded under the Christian banner to their own destruction.

Stemming out of this was the Protestant Reformation under the leadership of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, who all agreed that the church was not for the ungodly who sought to merit their own righteousness under the rule of Rome, but for those who trusted in the grace of God found in Christ Jesus. There was a push to move churches back to a regenerate and gospel oriented position.

England had a push towards the Reformation, but more for political reasons than for religious. However, there were two groups that rose up in protest of the church’s false doctrine: the Puritans and the Separatist.

Purity had been the motive for the Puritans; the Separatist and Baptist took the search for purity further. For Baptist, a pure church had to be composed of believers alone. True believers would obviously want to obey Christ’s command and rightly observe the ordinances, and Baptist saw believer’s baptism as the only proper way to practice baptism. Further, baptism was the event in which one gave requisite to church membership, then regenerate membership would be preserved. Believer’s baptism protected regenerate church membership. We see this principle consistently reflected in Baptist thinking about the church (93).

The Puritans desire for purity was just as vibrant as the Separatist, and called for the salvation of the lost and the discipline of the ungodly. However, they seemed to not want to take the logical steps of their desire. They desired purity, but did not desire to keep out unbelieving children.

From this point on, Baptist were distinct and diffidently different from the rest of the universal church. Only a small group of other sects would practice exclusive credobaptism.

On the issue of proper subjects for church membership, it [Orthodox Creed of the early English General Baptist] preserves the Baptist perspective: “none ought to be admitted into the visible church of Christ, without being first baptized; and those which do really profess repentance toward God, and faith in, and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance, according to our Lord’s holy institution, and primitive practice” (95).

These early Baptist compelled by Scripture believed that they had to do whatever they could do to protect what was clear in Scripture and what was clear was that, “Regenerate church membership is clearly taught in Scripture. That point needs emphasis because this teaching was absent from church doctrine and practice from more than a thousand years” (98). Therefore “regenerate church membership was the root issue behind the origin of Baptists and has been a historic distinctive of Baptists” (98).

So where does that put the church at today? The issue is not whether or not the church should be regenerate. Most in the Baptist tradition agree that the church is meant to be pure; it is meant to be regenerate. The thing that is facing the church today in Baptist circles is what to do with the pews that are full of unregenerate people. It is clear that most Baptist churches do not fit the mold of what historic Baptist churches longed for, especially in the Southern Baptist Convention.

What is clearly taught in Scripture is the need for church discipline. Church discipline is an issue that expands beyond the borders of Baptist churches. Even the conservative Presbyterian denominations who practice paedobaptism practice church discipline on adult members who do not live as regenerate men should. So even some of the Presbyterian denominations believe that Scripture is clear that a church should be composed of regenerate adults (and only children are excluded from this demand).

However, many in the Baptist tradition refuse to practice church discipline. They are fearful that it will cause members to feel “law” bound, which separates them from the grace of God. But it is usually the fear that church discipline that will cause people to leave that makes most Baptist not want to practice church discipline. For them, church discipline is the thing that destroys churches. They are afraid that if church discipline is practiced, people will not want to come into such a judgmental group where obedience to Christ is expected, and members who are removed from membership will never want anything to do with the church again.

Now, it could very well be true that practicing church discipline could destroy churches. Why? Because it is probably likely that many of the church in the Baptist tradition are completely dead churches, with very few or no regenerate members. The process of clearing the roles of fall converts could destroy such a church. However, if one holds to the Baptist tradition, such a “church” is not really a church at all and should be destroyed.

There is through some legitimate concern that church discipline would damage the church of God. People do not want to be pressured to live perfect lives. When church discipline is practiced, it should always be done with the hope that a person sees their sin and desire to be restored. That is not the case often times through, and so church numbers could decline when such an action is taken. What is troubling though is that when churches practice church discipline, the churches do not usually rupture as feared.

Rather than driving people away, meaningful membership could be the most attractive witness a church could offer. Greg Wills notes that from 1790 to 1860, when Baptist churches maintained high rates of discipline, they also maintained high rates of growth, growing at a rate twice that of the population, while in later years, as their discipline fell, so did their growth (115).

Hammett argues that “meaningful membership has ‘the potential for awaking literally millions of lost church members’” (115). It is true that some might leave the churches because they do not obey Christ, but it could be that many might see the depth of their own sins when confronted and result in their humility before Christ and salvation by God’s grace. What is scary is that even though this is true, millions of Baptist will not practice church discipline because it will damage the church, which is not even a true church. What they are doing by their selfishness is securing the damnation of millions who will never be informed of their weary state before a just and holy God.

Therefore, as Hammett argues, we as Baptist much repent of the sin of not practicing church disciple and fight the good fight of keeping the church pure and regenerate. It will be a long and hard endeavor, but one that we must do if we are to be faithful to the One who has called us. We much be a people who long to see Christ honored above all things and

Christ is honored when his bride is holy, but that cannot be as long as many of the members are making up that bride live like lost people. The Charleston Summary of Church Discipline says that when churches allow unconverted people to crowd into them, they “make the church of Christ a harlot.” Christ is honored when churches are composed of people whose church membership means first of all a genuine, vital commitment to Christ, and second, a commitment to the people of that local body, Christ is honored when church membership is meaningful.

Therefore, let us as regenerate men and women fight for meaningful and regenerate church membership that Christ might be honored and His body grow.

Conclusion

Hammett has written a fine work for those of the Baptist faith. He writes as a man with great insight and zeal for the church of God. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches would prove to be a helpful resource for any pastor, but more exegetical and primary source work would be necessary. What Hammett’s work might be most helpful for is use in Sunday school classes, which would provide great opportunity for discussion of the distinctions between the Baptist tradition and others. What could stem out of that are churches compelled to live according to the Word of God and fall in love with the One it is written about as they come to understand what Christ has accomplished for His church, the saints of God and regenerated.

Scott, Stuart. The Exemplary Husband: A Biblical Perspective

2009-09-04T22:42:00.002-04:00

Scott, Stuart. The Exemplary Husband: A Biblical Perspective. Bemidji, MN: Focus Publishing, 2002. 372pp. $13.95.

The Exemplary Husband is a book written from the heart of a pastor. Its aim is to teach men the foundations of biblical Christianity and manhood, and then in light of them show how a man is supposed to be an exemplary husband. The books author, Stuart Scott, is currently an Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. However, Scott’s experience in biblical counseling has not come from the academic side only, as he was formally an Associate Pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. With all of these credentials, maybe none is more impressive than Scott’s thirty plus year marriage to his wife Zondra, which demonstrates that what he teaches he also practices.

Summary

The Exemplary Husband is broken down into four main parts. The first section is entitled “A Husband’s Recognitions” and is basically Scott’s setting the stage by laying a rock solid foundation on the Word of God. In chapter one he shows what man is in his own mind and how very often, when man thinks he is doing well, he is actually not and is therefore in need of the example of Christ in order to be all that he is suppose to be as husband. In chapters two Scott gives us a proper understanding of who God actually is and out of that comes chapter three where we see the sorry state of man apart from Christ. Because of the entrance of sin into the world, Scott shows how man’s many relationships have been corrupted in chapter four and in chapter five focuses in on the relationship of marriage. Lastly, in the first section, Scott defines the role of a husband is the union of marriage.

After establishing a firm foundation on the biblical and theological truths of God, man’s state and the consequence of sin, Scott moves into the second section “A Husband’s Responsibilities”. In this section he deals with what he considers to be “faithful” commitments. These commitments are commitments a husband must make to his wife, but they are done under the husband’s submission to God. They involve worshiping Christ alone, love, being a leader, physical intimacy, and proper stewardship. It is difficult to see without reading the book through the chapters, but Scott’s aim is to build one chapter on top of another, constantly laying layer upon layer, remaining firmly grounded on the biblical foundation of the first section. Moving into the third section, he reaches the most practical contributions.

The third section is entitled, “A Husband’s Resolve”. Here Scott demonstrates the sort of tangible characteristics a husband must “resolve” to have in order to be the exemplary husband, a husband who is in the likeness of Christ. For those who have read much on the issues of theology and/or biblical manhood, the earlier chapters, through strong and necessary in their function, are much of what has already been stated by many other authors. However, section three moves beyond the abstract into the much more day to day livelihood of husbands and secures for this book a rightful place on the book shelf of any Christian husband who desires to better serve his wife in Christ-like love.

The final section, through strong, necessary, and beneficial, seems like an odd way of ending such an excellent work. Through it finds itself in the right place in the building system Scott started out from the beginning; it is kind of a downer way to end the book after such a climatic third section. The forth and final section is “A Husband’s Regret”. In this chapter, Scott deals with a few of the main regrets that a husband might have, and most likely will have, from some points in his marriage: anger, anxiety and fear, and lust. Thankful, he does not just leave us to morn over our own failures, past, present, and future, but encourages us by the grace of God in Christ that we can endure and change for the better (303-4).

Critical Evaluation

Now that a basic synopsis has been given we can deal with the critical evaluation, however, the danger would be to think that the word critical inherently means negative. In order to remain balanced, two topics will be discussed with the first being negative and the second positive. The negative aspect of this book is that even though it is extremely biblical, it fails to be expositional in its dealing with the Scripture. The positive, which is left for last because the book is over all positive, deals with how the husband should deal with the wife’s sin as a leader. This section of the books is worth the price of the whole book for the man who struggles in how to love his wife as one who wishes to correct her and help her become more Christ-like.

The Lack of Expositional

Analysis of Scripture

Before this discussion is started, it is necessary that some time be taken to look at what is not being stated here. In no way does Scott deal falsely with his quoted Scripture. It is obvious that Scott is a man of the Book and desires to show that it is the final authority of men who desire to be Christ-like husbands. It would be very sad is someone read this review and came out thinking that Scott dealt with the quoted Scripture poorly. Rather, Scott deals with the Scripture very well and such a lifestyle of biblical framework should be the desire for every Christian husband.

Now that the negative criticism is prefaced, the failure, through small, of this book is that Scott fails to exposit the biblical passages that he mentions. What Scott does is comparable to most evangelical preaching in that he comes up with a through, however true it may be, and then as he moves through his thought inserts Scripture into places to support his argument. The benefit of this is that it makes for a good reference edition for those who might wish to memorize certain passages that help in a certain area of weakness. However, there is a negative result.

What we are left with seems to be Scott’s idea of an exemplary husband instead of what the Bible thinks. Though Scott’s method is not completely invaluable, at times it would have been better to spend a lengthy time dealing with one passage of Scripture, dealing with that passage in its historical context, and then fleshing out how that applies to being a biblical and Christ-like husband. John Piper, author of This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence, does this and does a better job of showing what the biblical authors meant about marriage and being a godly husband.

In Piper’s approach, what is called the expository method, the modern author deals with a passage that is large enough to carry its context and then pushes the reader to submit to the overwhelming clarity that Scripture has spoken on the subject and must be obeyed. Scott’s method, typically known as the topical method, assumes that the reader will agree with what is said and if not assumes that the reader will be overwhelmed by the substantial amount of text quoted. However, this effect may not occur, as is true of the expository method, because the reader may question the author’s use of such quotes.

Thus, Scott’s book would have been better if he had dealt more carefully with certian biblical passages and let his thoughts flow from them as he walks through it instead of having his thoughts all lined up and then finding Scripture to support. Thankfully, Scott proves to be a man who is faithful to the Scripture and does deal rightly with the Word of God, even if he doesn’t prove it in his writing. Therefore, it should be respected as a fine work and enjoyed as sound and wise teaching, especially in the area correcting a wife’s sin.

Helping a Wife Deal With Sin

Without Being a Nagger or a Jerk

Scott has a strong desire to see men of God become husbands who are Christ-like and God glorifying. That is clear from the beginning all the way through the book. What else is clear is that he understands the weaknesses of men and the difficulty of becoming what is desired. Few areas can be more challenging to a husband who desires to be like Christ than the area of helping a wife deal with sin. Many struggles arise with this important task of the godly husband, with the most difficult being that men themselves are sinners (206-7).

However, even with this difficulty, it is absolutely necessary for the husband to deal with his wife’s sin in love (205). And Scott demonstrates that for us to act as we should as husbands we must be ready at all times to confront our wife’s sin. One of the ways he says to accomplish this is to be sure to know if there is “any glaring sin in my own life that my wife may see or have against me (Matthew 7:1-5)” (208).

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus is teaching during the famous Sermon on the Mount and says,

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Something Scott demonstrates here is that a man should be careful to watch over his own sin for the sake of his wife. Often times, we are challenged to think that our sin is our sin and the only one it effects is us. As some would say, “It is between God and me!” However, Scott shows that our sin is not something that we alone have to deal with, but it effects how well we serve as husbands to our wives.

Why is this so important? Because we as followers of Christ Jesus should desire to see all things accomplished for His glory because, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). There is nothing that has not been created for His glory. Everything is for His glory. Part of that creation is the institution of marriage and therefore we as His disciples should aim to see Him magnified in all things. We should have the same desire and hope that Paul had when he penned, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (1:28-29). This is the apostolic hope and should be our hope as well.

Therefore, correcting our sin first and then preparing to correct out wife’s sin has implications that go beyond just our marriage; fighting sin and helping a spouse in sin has gospel implications. The way we love our wife in this area may be more significant than any other area because our desire is not just to have a good marriage, but to see God glorified and Christ exulted in the way we as a one-flesh union act.

Since it is now evident that sin is far reaching and more important that just something between two people, it is clear why the husband should take sin seriously. This sin that he must take seriously is not just major sins such as adultery, drunkenness, or apostasy, but all sin. At this time it is appropriate to quote Scott at length because of his wise counsel on this.

I also used to teach that unless someone sins a “big” sin, or unless a sin becomes a regular pattern, we should not address it. The idea was to wait until a person has formed a habit of sin before doing something about it. Otherwise, we are being to picky, judgmental, or playing the role of the Holy Spirit. In addition to finding no Scripture for this view, I also came to realize that this perspective seems to be very unloving and detrimental to others. I say this because it is actually far easier for a person to deal with and avoid sin before it becomes a habit. We should not sit around and watch our wives become entangled in sin before we attempt to help them. (211)

Scott’s insight into this issue is full of wisdom and truth. There is no doubt that many, if not most, people assume that the way to deal with sin is just over look it. Scott calls this the “cover” method (211). To deal with sin in this way is not only the passive method, which does not correspond with being a biblical husband, but it is the selfish and lazy way. What one is doing here, whether they realize it or not, is not taking on the rightful duties of being a husband. He is not practicing male headship over the wife and is not acting as a good steward of the gift that God has given to him for a time. He is being lazy in not doing what is demanded of him and is being selfish because he does not want to deal with the possible conflict that might arise. Such a husband is failing in his most important calling.

Conclusion

There is much more that could be drawn from Scott’s excellent work on the subject of dealing with a wife’s sin, and any husband who senses a struggle in how to do this well should pick up The Exemplary Husband. This book has proven to be a deep well of wisdom and insight and would be a helpful read for Christian husbands and pastors who counsel both married and soon to be married men. The Christian community that sees the biblical demand on men to be the heads of their homes are greatly indebted to Scott for this work. May Christ who created the institution of marriage for His glory be magnified by the men who read and glean from this book.

Youth Pastor in Frankfort

2009-06-03T11:08:00.003-04:00

As many of you already know, I am now a youth pastor in Frankfort, Ky. The church's name is Bellepoint Baptist Church. I have been here now for about three weeks and have enjoyed getting to know the people and the teaching opportunities I have had. The reason for this post is to inform you of the recent blog I have started for the church, and it can be found at Bellepointbaptist.blogspot.com. That will serve as the entrance into the rest of the blog, which is still under a lot of work. What I'm excited about is the youth section. That is where I will be putting up my weekly teachings. If you have a chance, go and check it out and tell me what you think.

grace and peace,
naak

Tim Keller Speaks on Idolatry

2009-05-21T18:52:00.001-04:00

By Garrett E. Wishall Tim Keller serves as senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, N.Y.

Originally found on Towers Online

Question: What do pastors need to be doing to lead their flock out of idolatry and into Christlikeness?

Tim Keller: The subject of idolatry is a lot more nuanced and complex than I could possibly get across in my talk at the Gospel Coalition conference. I made an allusion to the fact that idolatry sometimes is talked about in the Bible under the heading of spiritual adultery. It is also sometimes talked about under the heading of spiritual mastery and slavery. When Paul talks about those who are slaves to sin: all of those categories are actually talking about idolatry.

Most preachers feel like "If I'm going to preach about idols, I have to tell people what an idol is." What they don't have in mind is: idolatry is at the root of all of our psychological problems, moral problems, cultural issues, our political problems. It is such a pervasive category in the bible. For example, at the end of 1 John 5, even though idols have not been listed -- he has been saying, "Walk in holiness," "Walk in the light," "Walk in love," "Walk in truth," -- at the very end he says, "Keep yourself from idols." The word idolatry isn't anywhere in there before the last verse. What that means is, we don't think deeply enough. We just look at the behavioral level and say "Stop doing this, start doing this," and we don't realize that there is an idolatrous reason behind each behavioral issue. For example, behind the belief that women should be ordained is the need for power and a love for feeling in charge.

To get a grasp on the pervasiveness of idolatry, I would say the first thing you would need to do is that you need to get a better grip on the subject. Most of the Christian Counseling Education Foundation (CCEF) stuff on changing, talks about idolatry, particularly about psychological idols. You could read a politically liberal Christian or a political conservative to understand what's going on in culture. There are a whole lot of other books that are now being produced on the idea of idolatry in the church...and I think what a minister needs to do is get that into their bloodstream so they are always preaching with idolatry in mind. I think you have to understand the concept pretty deeply and then it will influence the way in which you preach and the way in which you pastor.

Q: What safeguards should 20-something pastors have in place to avoid the idolatry of ministry fame and the attitude of big numbers equals success?

TK: If you know it is a danger, that is a very important start. Additionally, when you find yourself unusually discouraged because things aren't growing or people aren't listening to you -- you have to catch yourself. You have to realize "This is an inordinate amount of discouragement, which reveals the idolatry of justification by ministry." Meaning, you say you believe in justification by grace, but you feel like and are acting like you believe in justification by ministry. You have to recognize you are making something of an idol out of ministry. When you do experience inordinate discouragement because things aren't going well, you need to say, "It's okay to be discouraged but not to be this discouraged. This is discouragement that leads to idolatry," and you repent.

Additionally, idols create a fantasy world. You may think that you are just thinking about ministry strategy, but it could be you're fantasizing about success. So be careful about doing too much daydreaming about success, what you would like to see happen. Because it's really a kind of pornography. You're actually thinking about a beautiful church and people acclaiming you: be careful about fantasizing too much about ministry success and dreaming about it and thinking about what it's going to look like.

On Adoption and Orphan Care: A Proposed Resolution

2009-05-21T18:45:00.001-04:00

from Moore to the Point by Russell D. Moore

Yesterday I submitted a resolution to the Resolutions Committee of the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention. The Resolutions Committee has full power to decline or rewrite any resolution so just because this is submitted doesn’t mean it will be voted on by the SBC. That’s entirely at the discretion of the committee. Nonetheless, below is the resolution I submitted for their consideration.

“On Adoption and Orphan Care”

WHEREAS, in the gospel we have received the “Spirit of adoption” whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ
(John 14:18; Rom. 8:12-25; Gal. 3:27-4:9; Eph. 1:5); and

WHEREAS, the God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a “father of the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deut. 10:18; Hos. 14:3); and

WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Ps. 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to “the least of these my brethren” (Matt. 25:40); and

WHEREAS, the Scripture defines “pure and undefiled religion” as “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (Jas. 1:27); and

WHEREAS, the satanic powers have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Moloch to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, a denomination of churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment as a denomination of churches to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we ask our International Mission Board and North American Mission Board to prioritize the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in recognizing November 8, 2009, as “Orphan Sunday,” focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hope what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is defined not by “the flesh” racial, economic, or cultural sameness but by the Spirit unity and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches increasingly will announce and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama on Abortion

2009-05-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

John Piper’s Personal Tribute to the Late Ralph Winter

2009-05-21T18:25:00.001-04:00

(Author: John Piper from Desiring God blog)

At 9:05 PM, May 20, 2009 Ralph Winter, the founder of the U. S. Center for World Missions died.

Nobody in the area of missions had a greater impact on me. Others had a greater impact on me in the area of missions, like Jonathan Edwards, but no one actually in missions affected me more than Ralph Winter.

First, he was a professor of mine at Fuller Seminary and introduced me to the stunning works of God in missions in the last two hundred years. His vision of the advance of the gospel was breathtaking.

He wore a bow tie in those days, iconoclast that he was, and was fined by the seminary for not returning our papers on time. None of us begrudged him his scattered approach to life. It was thrilling in those days.

Second, in 1974 at the Lausanne Missions Congress Winter reached up and pulled the unseen rope called "unreached peoples" that rang a bell that reverberates to this day.

This concept, and the subsequent emphasis on unreached peoples (as opposed to unreached "fields") has been globally seismic in the transformation of missions. It gripped me and shaped all we have done in missions at Bethlehem ever since the mid 1980s.

Third, in the 1980s he bought a 15 million dollar college campus with virtually nothing in his hand to start the U. S. Center for World Missions; and he paid for it by persuading enough of us (thousands) to give "the last thousand." Brilliant! I think I sent $2,000. Couldn't resist the vision.

The point of the U. S. Center was to trumpet the vision that there are unreached peoples in the world, and then equip the church to reach them.

Fourth, Ralph Winter was probably the most creative thinker I have ever known. I mean, on any topic that you brought up, he would come at it in a way you have never dreamed of. He saw all things in relationship to other things that you would never think of relating them to.

This meant that stalemates often became fresh starting points. If you were struggling with a tension in your church, he might say: "Well, think about the Navy." Or if you were having a marriage problem, he might say, "Did you notice how that bridge was built?"

Fifth, Ralph Winter befriended me. He encouraged me. In my most restless early days, he would tell me to stay at Bethlehem because I could do more by sending than by going.

Finally, he did not waste his life, not even the last hours of it. He was busy dictating into the last days. He taught me long ago that the concept of "retirement" was not in the Bible.

What a gift he was to the church. To the world. Thank you, Father, for the legacy of this visionary, risk-taking, creative, encouraging lover of unreached peoples who lived unstoppably for the glory of God.

* * *

Watch Ralph Winter talk for four minutes about unreached peoples and what comes next:

The Baptist Catechism: Who is the first and best of beings?

2009-05-20T22:53:00.004-04:00

The Baptist Catechism: A Study of Baptist Doctrine

Question 1: Who is the first and best of beings?

Answer: God is the first and best of beings.

Scripture: Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 96:4; 97:9, 1 Samuel 2:2

1. Isaiah 44:6 - Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

2. Psalm 8:1 - O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

3. Psalm 96:4 - For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

4. Psalm 97:9 - For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

5. 1 Samuel 2:2 - There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Isaiah 44:6-20

⁶Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. ⁷ Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. ⁸Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."

⁹ All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. ¹⁰ Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? ¹¹ Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

¹² The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. ¹³The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. ¹⁴ He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. ¹⁵Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. ¹⁶Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!" ¹⁷And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"

¹⁸They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. ¹⁹No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

THERE IS NONE LIKE THE LORD AND THERE IS GREAT FOLLY IN idolatry

I. Who is like the Lord? No one (6-8)

a. He is the first and the last, there is no other god beside Him.

b. He is the King and Redeemer of Israel.

i. Who is Israel?

1. Israel is the historic people of God. The people God called out of Egypt.

2. Israel is the people of God who by faith have been grafted in and called sons of God (Romans 9-11).

c. He is a Rock, He does not change (Malachi 3:6).

d. This section is a call to faith in the one true and living God.

II. Idolatry is great folly [stupid] (9-20)

a. Those who make idols are nothing. This would include those who worship them as well. (9-11)

i. The idols they make to not profit.

1. In fact, they cause loss, because our worship is supposed to be for God only (Exodus 20:3).

2. Also, we become like what we worship (Jeremiah 2:5-11).

a. When we worship God we reflect His glory (Genesis 1:26).

b. When we worship worthless things we become worthless (Jeremiah 2:5)

ii. Those who commit idolatry will be put to shame (Jeremiah 10:14).

1. Who were the first people to feel shame? Adam and Eve

a. When were they not ashamed? Before the fall (Genesis 2:25)

b. But after the fall they hid themselves out of shame (Genesis 3:10).

c. When should we feel shame? When we sin

iii. In idolatry, it is a man who makes god. Should not a god making man?

iv. Those who worship idols should be terrified (Exodus 20:4).

b. Worshipping idols is hard work (12)

i. The ironsmith uses a strong arm. This implies that he uses all his strength.

ii. He becomes hungry and weak, but drinks no water and becomes faint.

1. The labor of worshiping idols is hard – it is not easy!

a. What are some examples of idol worshiping that we do that is hard?

i. _________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. But the Lord calls all to him who are weary for His burden is light (Matthew 11:25-30).

c. Why is worshiping idols hard and worshiping God easy?

i. Idols do not have any power to give (Jeremiah 51:17).

ii. Christ gives strength to those who trust in Him (Philippians 4:13).

c. Worshipping idols does not make since (13-17)

i. Half of the wood he uses for fire and half for an idol.

1. The fire satisfies him

a. When we use God’s creation properly it makes us happy

b. When we use God’s creation improperly is makes us fools

2. The other half he makes his god

a. He ask the piece of wood to deliver him

i. God is the one who delivers us from calamity (Psalm 51:14).

ii. But to idolaters he delivers them to calamity (Leviticus 26:25).

d. We should be a people who discern what is right (18-20)

i. Who is the he in verse 18? God (Romans 1:28)

1. Why did God close their eyes and hearts? Because they chose to worship idols

ii. Who realizes that half of the wood is used for fire and half for an idol? No one

iii. Who cannot deliver him? He cannot deliver himself for God alone is Deliver.

1. That is why we need the Gospel – it alone is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).

The Bible Metanarrative: Understanding the Bible as a Story of God's Kingdom Process

2009-05-19T10:08:00.003-04:00

The Bible Metanarrative: Understanding the Bible as a Story of God's Kingdom Process

God's Big Picture: Vaughn Roberts

1) Why did God create the world? For His Glory

a) How was God to bring this about? He decreed that His Son should be made Savior & Ruler of a chosen people.

i) What are the decrees of God? (Baptist Catechism)

(1) The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for his own glory, he has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass (Ephesians 1:11; Romans 11:36; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 46:10; Psalm 115:3).

ii) What does it mean that He is Savior?

(1) It means that man, having sinned against God, is now a rebel against the kingdom of God and in need of a saving from the wrath of God (Ephesians 2:11-16).

(a) Who is in need of saving because of sin? alll (Romans 3:23)

iii) What does it mean that He is a Ruler?

(1) It means that God has made Him king over all creation and there is nothing that is not subjected to Him (Hebrews 1:2-3; Psalm 8:5-6).

2) Understanding the Metanarrative of History: Part 1

a) Creation – The Pattern of the Kingdom: Genesis 1-2

b) Fall – The Perished Kingdom: Genesis 3

c) Abrahamic Covenant – The Promised Kingdom: Genesis 12

d) Exodus, Conquest, and Monarchy – The Partial Kingdom: Genesis 12 - 2 Chronicles

e) Division of the Kingdom, Exile, and the 2^nd Temple – The Prophesied Kingdom: Ezra - Malachi

f) Incarnation & Redemption – The Present Kingdom: Matthew – John

g) Last Days – The Proclaimed Kingdom: Acts – Revelation 18

h) New Creation – The Perfected Kingdom: Revelation 19-22

3) Understanding the Metanarrative of History: Part 2 – The Cycle of History

a) Creation – God creates man as rulers over the world to procreate and subdue it

b) Fall – Man rejects God's demands and seeks to elevate Himself above God

c) Redemption – God provides a way for man to have acceptance with God again

d) Recreation – God gives to man a kingdom in His presence where He can live happily

4) Understanding Sovereignty and Sufferings

a) God created a world in which there is suffering, but He did not sin Himself and is not responsible

b) Man suffers because of the cataclysmic effect of sin on creation:

i) Death was caused by man's sin: his own and animals (Genesis 2:17, 3:21)

c) God decreed for sin to happen because it would eventually bring about a greater creation

d) All suffering is for our good, even if we do not understand, and thus we should wait on God to reveal to us why it is good (Romans 8:28).

e) God is still active with His creation and desires its good which is seen in His revealing Himself to it, His redeeming it from despair, and eventually creating it anew in the end (better than it was before).

Picture above is found in Vaughan Roberts' God's Big Picture on page 157.

Pipers Prayer Request and What I'm Wanting to Work On

2009-03-10T21:24:00.004-04:00

John Piper, pastor and well known writer, has recently take some time off from his church responsibilities to do a little writing. His son interviewed him about how thing have been coming and what were some of his prayer request. Hers is Piper's response;

That I see the truth clearly, feel it dearly, and tell it with compelling power. That I not spin my wheels or waste time. That I not neglect prayer and a moment-by-moment sense of dependence on God's grace. That I love Noël and Talitha the way I should. That the church flourish in my absence. That God's name be hallowed and Christ be exalted in all of this.

That is a pretty awesome prayer. I'm sort of convicted that I don't say that sort of thing when people ask me if I have any request.

Something else I hope to do a little thinking on and writing about is an issue that has caused some conflict and concern in my circle of friends and that is the issue of A Woman's Role: Wife, Mother, Worker and How the Bible Addresses the Three. I don't have a ton of time to do a lot of research, so most of it will be my own thoughts as I think on the issue through (what I hope to be) a biblically trained mind. Anyone with thoughts of their own are welcomed to post and give me directions and topics that should be considered and evaluated.

However, keep in mind, that I know that there are a TON of great books out there on the issue already. So I'm not really looking to add to their abundance, as if I had anything worth saying compared to them, but rather to give a concise and clear expression of what I think and why.

grace and peace

John Piper's Heart in the 2008 Election

2008-11-02T22:23:00.000-05:00

Wise Words from Mark Driscoll for Anyone Who Desires to Preach the Gospel to All People

2008-10-05T02:07:00.002-04:00

I was terribly moved by the words of Mark Driscoll as he preaches to preachers about our full role of the proclamation of God's Word. Anyone who desires to preach to all people for the glory of God should listen and pay close attention.

Mark Driscoll's Sermon

grace and peace,
naak

(These are notes taken during the session and provided by Desiring God, not a manuscript.)

I was asked to speak on “Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words.” The big idea is that some go too far, and some don’t go far enough. We’re going to spend some time reading Scripture, including Scriptures that some may not be comfortable with.

1. Christians are to feed the sheep.

We deal with different people differently, and we have to discern who goes into what category. When we’re dealing with Christians, the effort should be to love, encourage, grow them. I love my people with all my heart, and I’ve given them my life. I’ve told them I’m preaching my own funeral. That’s how I intend to go out. I love and adore my people.

We see this in the ministry of Jesus. He speaks to the woman at the well in a loving way. Jesus speaks like this to Zaccheus. Romans 14 shows us this as well. Paul says “It doesn’t matter what you eat or don’t eat. Love your brother.”

Ephesians 4:32 - “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” This is speaking of sheep. We’re not supposed to be kind to wolves or false teachers. We’re not to be kind to those speaking false doctrine. Some Christians, when you begin to critique others, quote Eph. 4:32. We are supposed to be kind, but to one another. We are not to be kind to wolves.

2. Rebuke the swine.

These are people who are habitually unrepentant in their sin. Their not acting like sheep, though they claim to be. Paul tells Timothy to rebuke with all authority.

Isaiah 3:16-24 - “The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; the signet rings and nose rings; the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils. Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.”

We read that and say, “That’s fine,” unless you are that woman, unless that’s your daughter or wife. All of a sudden, you are offended because the God of the universe has opinions about accessories. Here God rebukes women for their sin.

Whole books of the Bible are devoted to rebuke in a satirical way. The whole book of Amos is a satirical rebuke.

Amos 4:1 - “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’”

You laugh because you don’t think he’s talking about you. I’ve never seen a culture where a woman likes being called a cow.

These women live in very nice homes up on the mountains. They are very rich. God shows up to these women and says, “The clothes you are wearing were made in a sweatshop and your nanny is an illegal immigrant. I know your gal pals are part of the local Rotary Club. I’ve decided to call you the cows of Bashan.” It’s funny, and you can laugh, even though it’s a nervous laughter. Some would say, “I would never say that.” God said that.

Amos 6:4-6 - “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”

Woe to you who roll around in Escalades and wear lots of bling and lay around on couches hoping you can get onto MTV Cribs. This is God’s way of rebuking the sheep who are acting like swine. Their consciences are so broken that apart from a storng rebuke, they will not be changed.

Again, we don’t think God is talking about us. How many of us are in debt with buying things to impress people. The Bible is okay when it’s talking about them. But it’s painfully read when it’s talking about us.

Ezekiel 16:26-28 - “You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied.”

I was listening to Christian radio recently, and it said “We are safe for the whole family.” The DJ read the verse of the day, and I knew it wouldn’t be this one.

Ezek 23:18-21 “When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.”

Some translations translate “semen.” God is rebuking his people for idolatry, sin, and sexual perversion.

Today we use euphemisms like “Having an affair.” I can’t handle it. A pastor having sex with someone not his wife is not an affair. It’s adultery. We use good words for good things and bad words for bad things, and we confuse people when we use good words for bad things.

More money is spent on pornography than on foreign aid. A porn film is made in this country every forty minutes. When you’re in the middle of a war you sometimes have to bring out the big guns.

Proverbs rebukes the sluggard. He’s talking about you 20 year old bloggers who live with your mom and sleep in Star Wars sheets.

Prov. 22:13 - “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’”

Prov. 19:24 - “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.”

Proverbs also rebukes women, calling them dripping faucets. It’s better to live on the corner of a roof than on a house with a quarrelsome woman.

Rebuke the swine. You don’t rebuke the sheep. If a guy comes in and says, “I was reading my Bible and didn’t understand it,” you don’t rebuke him.

3. Shoot the wolves.

These are false teachers. Martin Luther says, “With the wolves you cannot be too severe. With the weak sheep you cannot be too gentle.” People only see me on the stage losing my mind but not praying with rape victims afterwards.

My point is that many of us have become worldly, thinking that you only say certain words. Wordliness is not having courage or speaking truthfully. We worship a guy who got murdered. The cross is an offense, and if we don’t speak of it in an offensive way at times, we may be false teachers.

Each of us to varying degrees is a hypocrite. We worship what we do or do not do instead of what Jesus did for us. The Pharisees were the devoted Biblicists. You love it when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, but you don’t think you are on their team. When you read this, put yourself, your church, your denomination in this passage.

Matthew 23:13 - “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

You are so worried talking about what you should be against that you don’t win people to Jesus.

Matthew 23:16-21 - “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.”

These are people that have memorized the entire Pentateuch. Didn’t Jesus tell us not to call people fools? He did. We should call fools fools. That takes discernment.

“You can’t call me blind. I went to seminary!”

Matthew 23:23-24 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

You tithe out of your spice rack. You’re that legalistic.

Matthew 23:25-26 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

You look nice, you put your makeup on, ladies, you comb your hair, gentleman. You look wonderful to everyone but God who sees the heart.

Matthew 23:27-28 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

“He’s amazing! He’s memorized verses! He’s read books and paid attention to the footnotes!”

Matthew 23:29-33 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”

There is a propensity for those who are Pharisees to read the Bible and think things would have been different if you were there. You would have done worse, and so would I.

These are church-going folks, they teach Sunday school, they have memorized books of the Bible, they have given their lives to teaching Scriptures, they have masters degrees in theology, and he says “How can you possibly escape being sent to hell?”

Matthew 23:34-35 - “Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.”

Jesus shoots the wolves. Some of you get very frustrated because you want to be treated like sheep, but the problem is you are acting like wolves. We are supposed to love the sheep and shoot the wolves because we love the sheep.

Consider the following examples from the New Testament:

Philippians 3:2 - “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”

Colossians 2:8 - “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Colossians 2:18 - “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.”

1 Timothy 1:3-7 - “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”

1 Timothy 1:19 - “…holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 - “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

1 Timothy 4:7 - “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness.”

1 Timothy 6:3-5 - “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

2 Timothy 2:14-18 - “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.”

2 Timothy 2:23 - “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.”

Titus 1:10-14 - “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.”

2 Peter 2:1-3 - “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

2 Peter 3:16 - “as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”

1 John 2:18 - “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”
We feed the sheep, we rebuke the swine, we shoot the wolves. Paul does it. Look at Galatians 5.

You cannot allow Victorian nicety to define what is love and then judge the God of the Bible by Victorian niceness.

Galatians 5:11-12 - “But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!”

The Judaizers are saying “Jesus plus circumcision.” Jesus plus anything for justification ruins everything. This is a very serious issue. The gun needs to be loaded and wolves need to be shot when they are hurting the sheep.

I once had a guy who wanted to talk about paedocommunion. I told him you have more important things to do than argue about paedocommunion. He said “I’m willing to fight over this issue.” I said, “I’m not.” Some people won’t fight for anything. Some fight for everything. Paul here is fighting for the sake of the gospel and the welfare and his church.

The cross is offensive by itself. We will offend people by preaching it. What we believe is so offensive that half the pastors don’t want to talk about it. Seminaries are saying “Don’t say that; you might get hurt.” The guy who first preached it got murdered. I don’t expect anything better.

Every seminary graduate should get a Bible and a cup, and that will set them for their future.

These people in Galatians 5 are saying a little circumcision makes you closer to God. Paul is saying, “Go varsity.” Some of you wouldn’t say that to your people. You don’t say that to sheep. You say that to wolves.

Paul goes on to say, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14).

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is destroy someone before they go to hell and are ultimately destroyed suffering forever.

People love to prooftext verses, and they don’t read the context. The guy who said “love one another” prefaced it by saying “cut your thing off.”

Paul even names people sometimes who are false teachers. He is saying,”Don’t read their books, go to their conferences, etc.”

1 Timothy 1:19-20 - “…holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

2 Timothy 2:17 - “and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus.”

2 Timothy 4:14 - “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.”

You shoot the wolves, and occasionally you have to name them.

We’ll talk about Martin Luther, the man who, outside of Scripture, elevated this into an art form. Some of you would judge Luther and say he was too hotheaded. Well, we got the Reformation out of it.

Luther said that he has “not been hesitant to bite my adversaries….What good does salt do if it does not bite? What good does the sword do if it will not cut?”

We are told that our speech is to be seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). You know what salt is? Salty.

The Papists would never quote verses. Luther called on them to quote Scripture, calling them “coarse asses.”

Luther often debated Erasmus of Rotterdam. “Erasmus of Rotterdam is the vilest miscreant that ever disgraced the earth. Shame upon thee, accursed wretch! Whenever I pray, I pray for a curse upon Erasmus.” Some of you will say, “I think he has anger issues. I don’t think he’s stable. If we gave him meds and concert tickets to John Tesh, I think he’d do better.”

Here’s what he says of his anger: “I have no better remedy than anger. If I want to write, pray, preach well, I must be angry. My entire blood supply refreshes me….My mind is made keen and all temptations depart.”

Feed the sheep, rebuke the swine, shoot the wolves.

4. Bark at the dogs.

These are religious people. Barking at them is mocking them, making fun of them.

The Bible uses humor often in a prophetic way to show the hypocrisy and vanity of people who are religious, who seek to appropriate their own righteousness apart from what Jesus has done. It either leads to despair or pride. Those who despair tend to leave the church. Those who are proud tend to be elevated to the leadership.

Some of you will say, “Should we use satire?” The Bible does. Psalm 1 doesn’t say, “Don’t be a mocker.” It says, “Don’t mock God.” Throughout the rest of the Psalms, God mocks people.

Religion is ridiculous. Jesus is wonderful. The two are totally different.

Most pastors call sinners to repentance and not religious people. The sinners think you are calling them to religion, and the religious think they are better than everyone else. God commands all men everywhere to repent, including religious people. You are not a faithful teacher if you don’t call religious people to repent. By satire, the Bible shows that people take themselves way too seriously and God way too lightly. This is love for those who are confused about the gospel.

Exodus 32:24 - “So I [Aaron] said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) - “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

He’s talking about religious righteousness, imputing my own righteousness to myself. “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Those are bloody tampons. It’s supposed to be disgusting. Standing before God saying “Here’s my righteousness” and it’s other than the person and work of Jesus, it’s a bloody tampon. Do you know that our religion is that disgusting to God?

1 Kings 18:26-27 - “And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”

There’s a cage fight up on the mountain. Elijah’s determined. Coming as well are the prophets of Baal, and they want their god to show up and make his magnificence known, and he doesn’t show up at all. Elijah mocked them.

Isaiah 44:15-17 - “Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, ‘Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!’ And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’”

Isaiah mocks a guy who makes his own god out of a piece of wood. It takes amazing skill to know which end of the log is for worship and which is for burning wood. That’s hilarious. This is like a lumberjack out in the woods saying “Alright, boys. I know you’re new. This end of the log is for worship. And this end of the log is for firewood.”

Some people say that Jesus wasn’t funny. Jesus was funny. Elton Trueblood wrote “The Humor of Christ” saying that once we realize Christ was not always engaged in pious talk, we are on the road to understanding.

There are some things Jesus said that, unless you understand his humor, you won’t understand.

Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven ( Matthew 19:24 ). I love to hear commentators deal with this verse, because they don’t get the humor.

How about the plank and the sawdust story ( Matthew 7:1-5 )?

Jesus mocked religious people. He mocked the way they prayed. He mocked the way they tithed and fasted.

The disciples came to him in Matthew 15:12 and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” You can picture Jesus saying, “Really? It bothered them? I had no idea that would happen.”

Matthew 11:6 : “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

The only way not to be offended by Jesus is to repent. Religious people preach repentance but don’t practice it. Martin Luther began the 95 theses with “All of a Chrsitian’s life is one of repentance.” If you want to be a heretic, just stop repenting. If you want to miss the grace of God, be offended by Jesus instead of laughing with him at your silly self.

Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”

The Philippians passage is where the dynamite is buried. Philippians 3. Paul has talked about his qualifications. He talks about his religion this way: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” ( Philippians 3:7-8 ).

The debate is over what Paul means by “rubbish” or “dung”. How far do you go in barking at the dogs, in making fun of religious people?

Daniel Wallace has a PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has taught Greek at the graduate level since 1979. He has a Greek grammar and is the senior New Testament editor of the NET Bible. If you’re a blogger, he’s smarter than you. I know he’s smarter than me.

Here’s what he says: “In Hellenistic Greek, it [the word for “rubbish”] seems to stand somewhere between “crap” and “s**t”. I quoted a PhD who said a naughty word.

Some of you say, “That’s not right.” It is, because religion is like a steaming pile that a dog leaves on the lawn. Mormonism is that. Oprah is that. Vague, general spirituality, anything that dishonors the God of the Bible. Paul says you can be very devoted to the wrong cause. You can be zealous in worshiping a false god. Sometimes we need to speak strongly so people understand what we are saying.

Should we say this word all the time? No. It’s not a word we should use on sheep. Paul used the word once in the New Testament. On occasion, strong language can awaken people.

Feed the sheep, rebuke the swine, feed the wolves, bark at the dogs.

5. Pray for the shepherds.

Pastors have a very difficult job, because we have to decide who is a sheep, a swine, a wolf, and a dog. We don’t know peoples’ heart, and sometimes we get it wrong. It can become so paralyzing that we treat everyone like a sheep and wolves take over the church.

Before you pray for the shepherds, consider their context. Some of the prophetic passages in the Old Testament are to guard people from Baal worship. Paul is contending against Judaizers, Luther is contending against Papists. Judge them by their context, not by your context.

Maybe your church doesn’t have the situation they did, but if it does, pray for a Paul who can come in and do battle, who can come in and kill the wolves. God determines the times and places in which we live. He puts certain people in certain times and places to do certain things.

What are the shepherds dealing with? That may explain their tactics. This is one of the most personally painful aspects of my ministry. People wearing Christian clothes and driving Christian cars wonder why I’m so intense. It’s because I’m dealing with unbelievers.

Do I feed the sheep? Yes. I want lots of people to become sheep. In my context, where I preach at the Ballard campus, if you take a right, there is a huge statue of Vladimir Lenin. It’s in front of a Taco Del Mar. You eat a burrito and sit under Lenin.

The biggest even of the year is a parade where they worship the sun.

We got picketed last Saturday. Four protesters showed up because we had a parenting conference. The speaker said that spanking is an appropriate form of discipline.

The big issue I’m dealing with now is the Hump Fest coming up next month. It’s the amateur porn festival. Everyone gets together in a theater and votes on which porn is the best. To make it in the festival, you need to have something in the film that shows that the film was made for this festival. This year, that’s me. People are trying to have sex around our church and in the bathrooms. I know that Christians are going to freak out. That’s my world. I preach with bodyguards in front of the stage because I’ve had people get up and try to kill me.

I have sinned a lot and said things I totally regret. I got saved at 19. My dad was a union drywaller. Isaiah said, “Woe to me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.” I’m the son of a union drywaller. I have crossed the line, gone too far and been deeply convicted over the sin in my past. What I have said will live with me forever, and this message is particularly painful for me. But I don’t want to be that cowardly guy who gets up every Sunday and feeds the sheep, the wolves, the dogs, everybody.

Pray for the shepherds. Pray for them more than you criticize, e-mail, gossip, or blog about them. Pray that they would have a discerning mind to know who is a sheep.

Pray that they would have a thick skin. Pray that they would have a humorous outlook. That they would laugh at themselves, that they would have a tender heart toward Jesus and the sheep. That they wouldn’t be hammered, that they would keep a tender heart, that they would have a humble disposition, that when criticisms are true, they would repent. That they would look at a criticism for a kernel of truth to be sanctified by.

Pray that shepherds would have encouraging families, that their wife would endure all the criticism, backbiting, people who would use her to get influence, that she would remain close to Jesus and be a place of refreshment for her husband, that her job is to keep her husband from despair, by not always agreeing with him but agreeing that she will always be for him.

Pray for his children as people take shots at his family. That his children would not go astray because critics love that.

Pray that one of the elders in the church is a good sniper. That he could spot people who are trying to take down the pastor. If the pastor tries to do it, it’s a lose-lose situation. Some of you elders here need to get in the middle.

That the shepherds would have evangelistic devotion, that they would not just feed the sheep, but that they would love the lost. That they would not waste their time checking their ratings and overlook Paul’s admonition to do the work of an evangelist. That they wouldn’t be so buried in firefights that they can’t see more people become sheep.

Pray for the shepherds, that they would learn selective hearing, that they would listen to their elders, that they would invite into their lives good counsel. Not everything that is said is worth a hearing. Shepherds can become so hard-hearted that their ears are closed and they spend time justifying themselves when they shouldn’t. They need to know who to listen to, who to heed, and who to not to.

There is a short list of people that I will listen to: the elders, my wife, John Piper, C.J Mahaney, Gary Breshears. I’ll listen to them because they have love and hope for me. They will criticize me, but it’s so that I can be more like Jesus, and not so that they can glory in their victory.

Some of you who are critics and snipers will see someone who is not where they should be. A good shepherd comes to help them, and you shoot the shepherd who is trying to help them. Paul said there are not many people who are good shepherds like that.

Pray for the young shepherds, that older shepherds would not shoot them like wolves and wouldn’t criticize them like dogs, but would encourage them like dads.

Job the Book: Poetry by John Piper

2008-10-05T00:08:00.001-04:00

Finding Joy in Jesus

2008-09-29T00:32:00.000-04:00

Death, Holiness, and Mercy: The Message of God in Calamities

2008-09-09T11:06:00.000-04:00

Here is a sermon I preached at Kenwood Baptist Church. The main theme of the message is God's absolute holiness. This sermon's attempt was to make one fearful of the awesomeness of God's holiness and cling more closely to the cross of Christ because of what it accomplished.

Below is a manuscript for the sermon. It is not meant to be exactly like the sermon I preached and does not have the closing comments from Romans 5.

DEATH, HOLINESS, AND MERCY: THE MESSAGE OF GOD IN CALAMITIES

September 11, 2001 – a plane crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Moments later a second plane crashes into the south tower. Commotion surrounds the world. What has just happened? Moments later, the unthinkable happens: the towers collapse – 2823 people dead!
August 29, 2005 – hurricane Katrina hits the shores of Louisiana and Mississippi. The levies of New Orleans fail allowing the city to be flooded. Many people stuck to go through the storm unable to leave because of poverty and old age, some just deciding to wait it out – 1836 people dead!

September 12, 2001, August 30, 2005 – people arise and ask the question: “Where was God in all of this?” Ministers, pastors, and other religious officials attempt to give their best answers. Some rise up and say that they don’t know where God was in these. Others say God just allows these because He can’t stop freewill. Some even dare to say that God was unable to stop these. Today we will look the God’s Word to see what it says about such events.

Turn in your Bibles to Luke 13:15 and the title of my sermon is DEATH, HOLINESS, AND MERCY: THE MESSAGE OF GOD IN CALAMITIES. By looking at Jesus’ response to calamities in His time we will see 1. The Nature of Calamities, 2. The Response of Jesus, and 3. The Proper Response of Man.

Jesus, the great man of wisdom to the people, had been teaching His listeners on various topics. Then some arose and told the great teacher of some Galileans who where offering sacrifices and the Roman governor, Pilate, killed these men and mixed their blood with the blood of the sacrifices. These who spoke us wanted an answer for why this happen? They wanted an account of the Almighty in this atrocity. How is it that a good and loving God could allow something like this to happen to innocent men? Is it because they were Galileans from the north and not of Judea? Where they wicked sinners deserving of death?

Jesus resounds, “Do you suppose that these Galileans where greater sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

These men were killed by the evil deeds of another. Like those who perished in the World Trade Center, the evil deeds of men caused it to happen. But why did God allow these calamities to happen. First, we will discuss the nature of calamities.

1. We must not allow our own feeling effect our understanding of the truth of God’s Word. Jesus gives no defense of God in this. There is no defense needed.
2. Many times people ask the question, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” These men were good guys. They were offering up their sacrifices. The men and women who worked in the World Trade Center were just ordinary people working in ordinary jobs. They were just regular people living their lives like everyone else. Why in the world would God allow such a things to happen?
3. God allows calamities to demonstrate His wrath towards sinners. In the men who were slain and the deaths of the falling towers, God reminds us that He is angry towards sinners and they are all destined to suffer their just end.

The response of Jesus must have shaken the hearts of the listeners. It could not have been what they were looking for.

1. Jesus assures them that the fate of these men was not because they were more wicked than all the others. The men and women of 9/11 did not die because they were worse sinners than all of the rest of the country.
2. Jesus demands that they repent or they will likewise parish under the wrath of God.

Before I continue to speak of God’s wrath, I must first explain what His wrath is.

God is a Holy God. When we think of God the first word that comes to mind should be Holy. Many in the world today when asked what they think of when they thing of God they give the answer of love, grace, mercy, goodness, kindness – and all of those are true. God is love. He is gracious, merciful, good, and kind. But the Scriptures are clear that above all else – He is holy.

Isaiah 6:3 says, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of host, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

When ever the Bible repeats itself, it does so to show importance and strengthen the statement. When Jesus spoke in the New Testament, many times he would say, “Truly, Truly” which means “Amen, Amen, I say unto you.” His listeners would have understood that what ever He was about to say was important and they should listen up. The only time word ever taken to the third degree is holy. God is never said to be love, love, love, or mercy, mercy, mercy, but “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of host.”

So what does it mean that God is holy? First, it speaks to His transcendence. That is that God is above all things. That He is supreme. If there is power – He is the source and completion of power. If there is wisdom – He is the source and completion of wisdom. He is dependent on nothing and everything is dependent on Him. The Lord God Almighty is awesome!

Secondly, it speaks to His complete devotion to Himself. By the nature of His holiness, He seeks to keep Himself pure from all defilement. He is completely righteous. There is no moral wickedness found in Him. Not only that, but no wickedness can come before him.

Two examples of this are found in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 10, the Word of the Lord says this,

1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.
2 And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying,
‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’ ”
So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
4 Moses called also to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come forward, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp.”
5 So they came forward and carried them still in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had said.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the LORD has brought about.
7 “You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you will die; for the LORD’S anointing oil is upon you.” So they did according to the word of Moses.

The Lord was not about to let His holiness be defiled by the sinfulness of these sons of Aaron. The Lord gave specific instructions on how He was to be ministered to and there was no room for error. He is a holy God.

A second example of God’s holiness and complete devotion to Himself by keeping Himself pure from the defiled flesh of man is seen in 1 Chronicles 13

5 So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called.
7 They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.
8 David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it.
10 The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.
11 Then David became angry because of the LORD’S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day.
12 David was afraid of God that day

Here are to Old Testament references to God’s absolute demand for His holiness. When His holiness is attacked by the foolish sin of men He is angered against them. For many in the modern church the holiness of God is swept under the mat. No one wants to speak to the holiness of God. People are afraid if you call them to serve a God who is holy and wrathful towards sinners you will loose them.

Unfortunately the opposite is happening. Instead of people being scared away by the absolute power of the holy God, they leave the church out of boredom. They fail to see the excitement in serving a God who is betrayed as a baby in a manger instead of the Holy Mountain King who strikes fear into the hearts of those who sin against Him. Remember the words of Isaiah 6, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of host.” The word host means army and in this case is referring to the angelic army at God’s disposal. When one sins they are merely breaking a little command of God like we do if we run a red light. When we sin against God we are making an overt and aggressive attack on God. We are acting in rebellion to the creator of heaven and earth in an attempt to set up our own glory and take away from His. God’s wrath towards sinners is not the anger of a judge towards someone who gets a traffic violation, but the fury of a king towards someone who tries to setup his own throne.

God will not be mocked and do not be confused to think that this is the God of the Old Testament while the God of the New Testament is different. Remember Jesus’ calming the storm in Mark 4:

35 On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.
37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.
40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Or those who lied to God about what they had given in Acts 5:

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
4 “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”
10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

So don’t be confused. God is holy and He will keep His name holy. Next time you debate whether or not you should sin – the fear of a holy and awesome God should remind you of what is demanded of you.

So what is the proper response of man to calamities? Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Repentance should not be confused penitence, which is simply sorrow for one’s wrongdoing. Nor should it be confused with penance where one imposes punishment on himself for sin. Rather, true repentance is seeing sin for what it is and turning away from it.

Now this seems like a good place to stop. The Lord has spoken well to the calamity that has happened and has answered the questions with divine fullness. But the Lord brings up another calamity, the tower of Siloam that fell on eighteen men. Here were truly innocent bystanders when all of a sudden the tower fell on them. Unlike the slaughter of Pilate or the attack of terrorist on 9/11, this event had no cause by evil men. Like hurricane Katrina it was an event completely removed from the hands of evil men. No other explanation can be given to this event outside the sovereign hand of God. Why in the world did God let this happen?

Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Jesus’ response is exact in every way, but with it comes new insight. The question we are asking is the wrong question. The question should not be, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?”, but rather, “Why didn’t the tower of Siloam fall on me? Why didn’t hurricane Katrina kill me? Why didn’t I die in a car accident on the way here? With all the men and women who have died in Iraq, why didn’t I die? Why wasn’t I in the World Trade Center the day if fell and killed thousands of people? WHY?!”

Do you understand how merciful God is in letting you have life today? Some attest and say hell isn’t a real place because God is to merciful to make people suffer. WRONG! God is so merciful to allow them the pleasures of this life and for them to take it and then stick it in His face and mock Him…my God, the God of this Bible is a HOLY GOD and He will not be mocked by sinners. Jesus resounds again, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

But what is repentance? We have already defined it as a turning away from sin…but oh hear me now, repentance is more than just turning away from sin – it is turning towards God by faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not just a being saved from the wrath of God towards sinners, but a saving to God in Christ Jesus.

Look at Romans 5:6-11. Paul, the great apostle, knew the holiness of God. A Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees. He knew the Law and the righteous demand of God’s holiness. For Paul the great struggle was not why does God let bad things happen to good people, but how does a holy God allow sinners into His fellowship. Read the book of Romans and just feel the agony that Paul goes through as He struggles with this great mystery. I say it again, “How does a holy God allow sinners into His fellowship?”

In Romans 5, starting in verse 6 the word of the Lord says,

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Why Christians Need the Church and the Church Needs Christians

2008-09-08T00:38:00.000-04:00

Why Christians Need the Church and the Church Needs Christians
Michael Naaktgeboren
Kenwood Baptist Church: Louisville, KY

Sacrificing All for the Savior Out of Joy

2008-06-24T11:48:00.001-04:00

10/40 Window

"The Last Frontier of Christian Missions"

Here is my latest sermon. I preached it at Kenwood Baptist Church on June 22, 2008. In it is my hearts cry for sacrifice in the American church as we embrace suffering for the sake of Christ among the nations - starting in our own home towns and stretching out across the globe; and specifically to the most unreached parts of the world - the 10/40 Window.

In this sermon I discuss some major differences between what Paul thought and then what most in the American church think. For us, it is those who desire to go out as missionaries making tremendous sacrifices that are considered unusual. On the other hand, Paul found that those who expected to live normal comfortably lives without sacrifice or suffering for the sake of the gospel to be odd and contrary to the call of Christ. It is striking how different we as the American church are from what Paul expected. Thus, this sermon is a call to consider our lifestyles to see if we have truly heeded the call to being disciples of Christ.

Being Salt and Light in the World

2008-06-17T00:12:00.002-04:00

John Piper at Resolved

You're All I Want

2008-05-30T16:50:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of Christian drama, but I thought they did a great job with this one.

How Not To Waste Your Life - Make Christ Look Great

2008-04-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 13:1-25

2008-04-10T17:39:00.002-04:00

1 Let love of the brethren continue.

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

6 so that we confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me?”

7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.

19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,

21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

23 Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.

24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

25 Grace be with you all.

“Let love of the brethren continue.” Do not fail to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus died for the church and we should love the church second only to Christ. Continue to suffer for the church – do not go weary in doing good for the body. Continue to care for the prisoners and for the weak. Love them as you would want to be loved and love them as Christ loved us – sacrificing His own life for His bride.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Be a person who is hospitable to strangers. Anyone can love and be giving to a friend, but Christ has called us to show kindness to the stranger. By this you are giving a testimony to the world that Christ is no respecters of persons, but that the offer of grace is for all. So be like Christ and be kind to everyone, even those who persecute you and hate you. For by being kind to strangers, some will entertain angels whom God has sent for His purposes. You never know who that stranger might be – so show kindness and hospitality to all.

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” Care for the prisoners. Help them in their needs and think of them as if you were right beside them. Think of the loneliness you would feel. Think of the pains of the beating. Think of the sorrows of missing your family. Think of them always and the stress and pain that you would endure so that you care for them more. Love them and care for them. And remember that they are apart of your body. When a member of a body is hurt the whole body is weakened. So care for them and also for those who are mistreated that they might be strengthened and thus the whole body strengthened.

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Marriage is good and a gift of God. However, keep the marriage bed undefiled. Guard yourselves and know the weaknesses of the flesh and the temptation of the devil. Keep yourself from all wickedness. Help the single remain strong and pure and pray for the married that the devil might not allow them to grow weak. Remember that marriage is to be a picture of Christ and His church – guard it with everything you have.

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” The Lord is good and kind and gives us all we need. Therefore do not be bitter when you see the wicked man who has much. Do not long for money and make it your God that you might have abundance and security. But give thanks to God for what He has given you. Remain content with what you have, even if little. Remember that this world is but a vapor, the end is quickly approaching and all of this will be wiped away. Treasure that which can never be taken from you – which is Christ your God. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26). Christ has given us the greatest gift we could ever imagine. He has given us Himself. In Matthews 28 He commissions His people to go and gives us this promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (20). He is with you. Why would you desire anything else in this world? So don’t strive and work for riches, but strive and long for Christ. Glorify God by showing that all in this world is vain, but Christ is glorious. Live in such a way that people will see that your heart is not set on the things of this world, but your heart is set on the things in heaven. Glorify God by not striving for money and working for a better life, but by giving thanks for what you have and being willing to turn from this world and live a life of suffering and afflictions for the sake of the name – that the name of Christ might be glorified in all the earth.

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Give thanks to God for those whom He placed over you. Remember them and pray for them who led you in this live that you might find Him and live for His glory. Praise God for those who spoke the word of God to you. If they are still alive give praise and thanks to them. Remember the life they lived. Remember how it was honorable and good and glorifying to Christ. Imitate them that you might be worthy as they were. And imitate their faith, a faith that trusted in Christ above all things and endured to the end.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.” Jesus is the same today as He was a hundred years ago. He will never change. So do not be carried away by ever new and strange teaching. Keep your heart steadfast on the things that have been taught to you. And it is good for your heart to be strengthened by grace, but do not think of foods as a means to gain strength. No food can give courage to your heart when it is weak. No food can help you live better today than it did yesterday. But seek grace – approach the throne of grace that you might find help in time of need. It is by grace that you are saved, so long for God and for His grace and do not try to use anything of this world to strengthen you.

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” And to not consider yourself apart of the Old Covenant community, because we have a better alter and a better sacrifice to eat from. They bring goats and calves, but we have the Son of the Living God. And just as the animals were taken outside the camp to be offered, so was Christ. He did not suffer His reproach from within, but was forced out.

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Let us go outside the camp where we are left vulnerable. Go with Him to where there is shame and reproach. Do not seek for yourself a place of comfort and ease, but see the lasting city which is to come. Do not try to make this world a paradise, but live in the hardest parts of this world that those who have never heard of Christ might know Him and find grace in His sight and that He might be seen as glorious among the nations. Do not make this world look like heaven, but show that you are longing for heaven by giving praise to God and doing good for all men, even – especially when it makes life hard on you.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” Obey your elders and submit to their authority. They will one day stand before the God of this world and will give an account for the words they have spoken and the actions they have made. So honor them as men of a high position. And let them serve as your leader with joy and not grief. Don’t make life on them hard, but give them many reasons for praise to God because of you. There is no good in you making life hard on your elders, so live in such a way that you make them happy and they are encouraged by you.

“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.” Pray for those who are about the Lord’s work. Ask God to increase their ministry and for Him to guide their footsteps.

”Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Oh, how might we long that God would work in us to do what is pleasing in His sight. How blessed we are that He gave His only Son to die for us that we might be brought into the New and Eternal Covenant. Might He bless us to make up apt for every good work He has prepared for us that we might living for Him and that be would receive glory forever and ever.

“But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.”

“Grace be with you all.”

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 12:18-29

2008-04-10T17:39:00.001-04:00

18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”

27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

29 for our God is a consuming fire.

“For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.” The preacher points to the wilderness generations experience at Mount Sinai. When the Lord spoke to the people from the mountain they trembled with fear. Listen to the words from Exodus 19, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, `Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live. When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.’ So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.’” This was no little thing for the people to endure. This was a terrifying thing. God is an awesome God and one to be feared.

“For they could not bear the command, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.’ And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, ‘I am full of fear and trembling.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” But we are the New Covenant people and we do not live in constant fear of God and His mighty judgment. Rather, we have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, which is the heavenly Jerusalem. Not the Jerusalem where the priest offered the sacrifices and the people are making pilgrimages, but to the one in heaven which is to come down in the end. We come to the place were the angles dwell and worship God. And we come to God, we enter into His throne room and stand before the great and mighty Judge without fear for He is our Father. And we enter into the general assembly and to the church of the first born, Jesus Christ, who are in heaven along with the Old Covenant righteous who have been made perfect by the blood of the Lamb, and into the presence of Jesus, our mediator before the Father in the New Covenant where the blood has been sprinkled to bring reconciliation between sinful men and God. Oh, how much better this blood is than the blood of Able.

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” The God who speaks is speaking. He spoke through the prophets and now in His Son. Listen up! “And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.’ This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” By the power of His word He will shake the earth and the heavens. All that will be left what He has established as unshakeable. He is going to in completely do away with the physical and establish the enternal. “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe”. Worship should be the response to such a great gift. God has prepared for us a place of eternal dwelling that will never be damaged by sin. There is never to be anything wrong in this unshakeable kingdom and this should lead to praise and adoration. But for those who are not apart of this kingdom, “our God is a consuming fire” and should be greatly feared.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebews 12:1-17

2008-04-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;

6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

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

16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” that is those who are named in chapter 11, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us”. The preacher seems to have two different things in mind here: encumbrances and sin. How do these differ? There are many things in this world which are enjoyable and yet not sin. Pastor John Piper says that TV is the great American time waster. Thousands of Americans waist their entire evening staring at a screen for nothing. Another thing that so many waist their lives on is sports. Children are taught that competing well in sports is the ultimate good in their lives. Families choose to skip church on Wednesday nights for baseball practice. Players take weekend trips to play basketball instead of being in fellowship with God’s people on Sunday. None of these things are bad, but when we look at what is before us we have to ask ourselves if these things are worth the cost. When people are going to hell every day, should TV and sports be what consumes most of our time? And there are many things that hinder us like these things. The other thing we must lay aside is sin. No believer can live for God as he should with sin in his life. The preacher has been clear that the means to beating sin is by paying close attention to Christ in His Word and by coming before His throne. We must defeat sin in our lives if we are going to accomplish anything.

“And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Christian life is not a life of ease, but of pain and struggle. It is like running a marathon and there is nothing but painful grueling agony to the end through much of it. But what keeps us going is an eyes on Christ – setting Him as the end of our race and the joy of our heart. We run to Him like a great treasure. We desire nothing more than Him in this life and we will struggle and suffer through everything in this world to get to Him. And to endure it we think about what He endured and suffered and consider how much He suffered and how little our suffering is in comparison. That way we continue in strength and not grow weary and lose heart in this long race.

“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;” you have not suffered death like Christ because of living righteously “and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’” It is because the Lord loves you that you endure such hardship and afflictions. He is doing this to make you more discipline. Do not lose heart because the Father reproves you, because He does it out of love and care. “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Here the preacher makes a strong argument for why these Christians should rejoice in their afflictions, because they are being disciplined by the Father because He loves them. If their life was easy and painless, we would need to question if they are loved as children. How many in the church today are mocked and scorned because of the suffering they endure. Might it be that those who are faithful suffer, while the ones who seem to have everything going well are the ones who are disobedient, but God does not reprove them because He has no love for them? The ones who are loved will be discipline and transformed into the image of the Son.

“Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” Our earthly fathers disciplined us because they loved us and wanted to do what was best for us, but they only did what they thought was right. However, our heavenly father disciplines us according to wisdom and we are for certain that His discipline is for good in making us holy. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” We are one body and if one is weak the whole body is weak. Therefore we should “pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” Here again the preacher commands that we look for one another; that we constantly encourage one another that there not be any who fall into sin, especially so that none be like Esau who could find no repentance though he sought it with tears.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 11:1-40

2008-04-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”

19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Here the preacher gives the greatest definition for what faith is. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is placing absolute trust in what we cannot see and the things we look forward to. We all remember the story of doubting Thomas who would not believe unless he touched the wounds of Christ. Jesus said blessed would be those who believed without being able to touch and see. The preaching is writing to a congration just like us – we never saw Christ, we never saw His micacles, and we never saw Him after the resurrection. We just have a conviction that what the Bible tells us is true. We have faith in it. And we are like the Apostles who look forward with hope. This isn’t a hope like a wish, but a hope that is certain and one by which we can ground our lives in. We live in that hope. That is the sort of faith that is needed in order to endure the life of pain and suffering that comes with being a Christian.

“For by it the men of old gained approval.” As we will see in a minute, there are many who had faith. Faith is not a New Covenant phenomenon, but something that has made men apart of the community of God from the beginning. And “by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” We understand this world to have been created by God from nothing. We cannot prove this by science, there is no way to argue this from reason alone, but we have to have faith that it is true.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Here is another defining mark about faith – it is necessary to please God. Without faith it is impossible for God to be satisfied in what we do. And the faith that is necessary has to believe that God is God, and that He exist and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him. There are many in the world today who teach that all you need is faith, but do not define what your faith must be in. Faith in false gods is as good as faith in God. Your faith can be in a tree, it really doesn’t matter as long as you have faith. But that is not what the preacher says here. He demands that we believe in God, the God who has revealed Himself in the Bible and most clearly in His Son. Ultimately you have to believe in Jesus and see after Him and trust that He will reward you if you do – other wise your faith is in vain.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Here is another mark of faith – its hope is not in the things of this world, but in the heavens, which is the dwelling place of God. Our faith shouldn’t be in having a good future. We shouldn’t hope for a good life with no suffering or pain. Rather, our hope and faith should be in Christ and long for nothing more than Him. He should be all we long for and therefore we look forward to the heavenly city where we will dwell with Him for eternity.

“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” A true faith will believe that the one who promised is faithful. God is not like a man that He should lie. God is not like a man that He might not be able to keep what He has said. But God is faithful and that faithful is sustained by His infinite wisdom and power. Our faith should have such great confidence that even when a woman is 90, if God says she will have a son we will believe it. Our faith should be so confident that if God calls us to minister in the projects, or in foreign lands, or among our family who might reject us, we should go forth in great confidence because He is able to do what He wills and no matter what happens to us it doesn’t matter because this life isn’t what we are longing for.

“Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” By faith the patriarchs lived as sojourners on this land by looking to the great city God had prepared for them. If the promise land had just been a few square miles of land in Palestine they could have went there, but they longed for a city with God and they had faith that God would bring them to it.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” Abraham could have rejected God’s command here, but instead he was obedient though faith. He knew that his son was the promised child and necessary for the promise of the covenant and so he had faith that God could and would raise him from the dead. And this was done as a sign, as a type of what was to come, that is Christ who was raised from the grace in ensure the promises of bringing God’s people to the heavenly city.

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” Moses dwelled in the luxury of Egypt and gave it all up in order to suffer the reproach of Christ because he considered it to be greater riches than the pleasures of Egypt. He would rather suffer for Christ sake than to enjoy a good life in Egypt because he was looking forward to the reward in faith.

“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

It is by faith that men both gained great victories and endured great trails. Faith is the fiber that keeps the believer secured to God. And faith is what makes it possible for the believer to please God in any way. And faith has been made possible by Christ. “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” It was not until the New Covenant people came that the fullness of the promises could be obtained. In order for the faith of the saints of old to mean anything they were dependent on the work of Jesus on the cross. They placed their faith in what was to come and we must place our faith in what is to come – a heavenly city made possible by the work and blood of Jesus Christ our Savior.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:26-39

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26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,

33 partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

37 For yet in a very little while,

He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

38 But My righteous one shall live by faith;

And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” The offer of the sacrifice is there for all who will come. However, the sacrifice is only good for those who will come to it in faith. And the faith that is needed to come to it always produces fruit, not sin. This verse is not saying that one can fall away from the sacrifice. We have dealt with that in previous passage in other warning passages and so I will not deal with that here. Rather, what is being said is that if you go outside of Christ sacrifice there is no other sacrifice that can forgive sins. If you continue in sin that shows that the sacrifice of Christ has not been applied to you, other wise you would have continued in it. So if you continue in sin you have no hope of salvation because there is no sacrifice to cleanse you from your sins.

“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Here the author again makes a lesser to greater argument. In the Old Covenant a man could be condemned by the testimony of two or three witnesses. There was no mercy for the one who broke the Law. If you did wrong according to the Law you were condemned – no questions asked. How much greater punishment do you think the person who tramples under food the Son of God will receive? He has regarded the blood of Jesus, the blood of the covenant, as unclean and has insulted the very Spirit of God that offers grace. He is worse than the Old Covenant sinner who was disobedient because this person has made Christ look like nothing. The great end of man is to make Christ look great. Man is to glorify God by making Him look supreme to all things. But the man who turns away from Christ makes Him look like dirt. If a great suffering came from disobedience in the Old Covenant, I would not dare consider how great the punishment would be for the one that made Christ look like nothing. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.” Here the preacher brings to remembrance the good things the members of the congregation have done. They have not done wickedness. Rather, they have suffered for the sake of Christ and made Him look great by sticking to the faith even in the midst of trials. They suffered public humiliation for Christ name and endured it with joy. They took care of their own who were in prison for the faith and because of that they suffered loss of their possessions. And they did this with joy because they new that their hope was not in this world. He gives them a strong warning that if they fall away there is no hope for them, but he encourages them by reminding them of the faithfulness they have shown.

“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” He pleads with them to not give us. Remain faithful because we have a great promise waiting on us. Have endurance and encourage those who are weak. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” We have the greatest hope, the one who died for us will come to gather us up. All we must do is continue in faith and not shrink back, and this is the sort of faith we have – a faith to the preserving of the soul.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:19-25

2008-04-10T17:34:00.000-04:00

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus”. By the blood of Jesus Christ we have free entrance to enter into the holy place of God. There no longer remains a separation between God and us because the sin that divided has been dealt with in His Son. The blood of Christ has cleansed us and so we can have full confidence to go before God. We are completely different from the Old Covenant people who had tremendous fear of God and would not even dare go before Him. When they heard His voice they sent Moses to the mountain to listen to God out of fear of Him. And they had good reason to be fearful for God is an awesome God and will have no dealings with sin. So how much greater is the New Covenant under Christ so that we no longer have this fear of God, but confidence that He will accept us and hear us.

This confidence has come “by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,” which has been destroyed for us. The veil of the Old Covenant stood as the great separation between God and His people. Only one man once and year could go into the Holy of Holies to make the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. But the veil was only a sign or a shadow of what was truly to come. What the veil pointed to was the very flesh of Christ and when the flesh of Christ was torn so was the veil. The New Testament tells of the death of Christ and the veil being torn from top to bottom when the death of Christ came. Thus, when the true veil had been broken, God tore the veil of the Temple/Tabernacle because there is no longer separation between God and His people because sin has been dealt with.

“And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Because we have a mediator with God who intercedes for us we can have full assurance and joy in drawing near to God through Christ. We don’t have a God who looks at us as an angry judge who hates us for our sin, but as a father who loves us and has forgiven us. We have been sprinkled clean and washed pure, both our conscience and our flesh is undefiled in His sight. Thus, we can draw near to God and we should long to draw near to Him because He has provided the means to make it possible.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”. This is such a great promise in the Bible, that the one who makes promises is faithful. God will not go back on His word. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has promised to bless us and care for us and we can have complete confidence in this because He is faithful. When friends might fail us, when spouses might fail us, jobs fail us, and our own bodies fail us, He will never fail us. He is faithful to the end. How could we lose grip on the confession or our hope with such a great promise behind it?

So “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Yet, though we have such a great promise, we still reside in this fallen world and battle against a fall flesh and suffer the attacks of a fallen being. It is not in our nature to constantly trust in God. We many times have to fight for that. So often we begin to fail because our flesh is weak. That is why the preacher commands us not to forsake the assembling together of God’s people and tells us to find ways to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. He understands that it is hard to keep the faith. It is hard to stand strong in the midst of pain and persecution. Therefore we are go gather with believer to be encouraged and also to encourage. It is our God given responsibility to carry believers along the path of faith with us. God has given us the responsibility of being our brother’s keeper.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:1-18

2008-04-10T17:33:00.000-04:00

1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,

But a body You have prepared for Me;

6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.

7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come

(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)

To do Your will, O God.’ ”

8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law),

9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,

13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.

14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them

After those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws upon their heart,

And on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds

I will remember no more.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things,” The Law was never given to take away sin, but it was a sign of the great thing to come that we might understand the significance of the great sacrifice. The Law “can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?” Again we see the weakness of the Old Covenant sacrifice, it was never able to make perfect the worshiper and thus the worshiper could never draw near to God. God was always feared. No one ever wanted to go to the Mountain of God because of the great fear they had of Him because He was holy and they were sinful – thus they had to offer sacrifices year after year. “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The sacrifices they had to offer did not bring them peace between God and themselves, but a reminder of their separation because those sacrifices could bring no forgiveness.

“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. ‘Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Here the author pulls the Messianic meaning from an Old Testament psalm. David is pleading for God to rescue him and speaks of his new learning, that is that God is not pleased with sacrifices and offering, but rather He desires obedience – for one to do His will. And so where David said, here Christ says, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” By this Christ is replacing the Old Covenant sacrifice with Himself by being offered up once and for all.

“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices” because the work of satisfying God’s wrath is never complete. There offerings never accomplish the task of forgiveness. These sacrifices “can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God”. Christ, unlike any other priest of God sat down. They would go before the alter over and over with their work never being finished, but Christ sat down. His work is finished. He completed the task. Salvation is secured in Him. So now He sits “waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.” All things are completely under His subjection and He rules from the right hand, but because of His providence and mercy He allows life to continue as it is for His purposes until God makes His enemies a footstool for His feet.

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.” This one offering of Christ has perfected, made complete and without sin before God those who are set apart by the New Covenant. And so the preacher closes the doctrinal heart of this book by bringing to fulfillment in our minds the blessing and hope of the New Covenant inaugurated by the blood of Christ. There is no longer sin hanging over the head of the believer because Christ has dealt with that sin and so there no longer remains any sacrifices. The New Covenant is far superior to the Old and Jesus is its high priest.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 9:11-28

2008-04-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”

21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come,” that is the New Covenant priesthood, “He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation”. Rather, Jesus entered into the heavens, the throne room of God and made the eternal offering in the true Holy of Holies. And He entered “not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Jesus as the great high priest went into the very presence of God and offered up the perfect sacrifice that is able to take away the sins of men, that is His own blood. The blood of goats and calves could not do what had to be done. Therefore God designed for His Son to pay the death penalty for His chosen people. And so Christ sacrificed Himself before the Father.

“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” In the Old Covenant the offering were made for the people’s sins and it cleansed their flesh, that is to say that it worked as a remover of sins before God as He looked on them in light of what Christ would do for them. However, year after year they would have to offer these sacrifices to God to be cleansed and the constant sacrifices served as reminders of their sin. So even if their flesh was cleansed, they were left with guilty consciences. Thus, moving from the lesser to greater, Christ’s sacrifice is far superior because it insures eternal peace with God, because one sacrifice has secured it. There is therefore no longer a reminder of sins, but a free and gracious conscience before God. Thus, we can serve Him in joy and hope and not in fear.

“For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must be the death of one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’” For a covenant to be set in action there has to be a dying. We see in the Abrahamic covenant a dying of animals and the death of the party if it is broken. The Mosaic covenant was enacted by the blood of animals. Therefore, Christ had to die for this New Covenant to be instituted and not only do the New Covenant members enjoy its inheritance, but all of the Old Covenant members who trusted in its promise. “And in the same way [Moses] sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with blood. And according to the Law, almost all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

“Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” This does not mean that the heavenly place was at all defiled, for God cannot dwell in a defiled place. Rather, this is making reference to the New Covenant people’s need of a sacrifice in order to enter the holy place of God. Until the blood was sprinkled on the holy place the sins could not be forgiven. “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Thus, the New Covenant priesthood and sacrifice is much better, because in one act it does what the Old Covenant could never do. It has been away sins for an eternity – all of those from the past, every sin in our present, and including all sins to come in the future. Christ now acts as our high priest in heaven as a mediator and no longer as a sacrifice.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” And here is the great hope of the New Covenant, a longing and eager waiting on Christ return, who will not come to deal with sin for who trust in Him because that sin has already dealt with. Thus, though a judgment awaits us, it is not one to be feared or to be anxious over – but joyful over.

PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 9:1-10

2008-04-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

“Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.” This is where the priest would enter constantly to offer sacrifices and gifts to the Lord for their sins. “Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat”. This is also referred to as the Most Holy Place, where the Spirit of God dwelt. This was a place reserved only for God and His high priest and the high priest could only enter in once a year on the day of Atonement to make an offering for his sins and the sins of the people. “But of these things we cannot now speak in detail.” Rather, the preacher wants to focus his attention on the greater issue at hand—Christ.

“Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship”. This was something that had to be done over and over and over, and the preacher wants us to understand that. The “priest are continually entering”. Their work is never finished. Now many priest did the work of offerings in the outer tabernacle, “but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance”. The Law prescribed offerings that had to be had for sin, but they like all men have many sins they didn’t even know about which they would not have made offerings for. Thus, God provided for them a way to deal with those sin done in ignorance. Once a year, the high priest of the people would enter into the Holy of Holies to make an offering for sins. He would go in with blood, for there is no forgiveness without blood, and offer it as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. But not only for the people, but also for himself, thus he is a weak mediator between God and man because he is as sinful and needs a sacrifice as much as the rest of us.

“The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing”. While the outer tabernacle still stands there is a blockade between us and God. There remains a separation between us because He cannot allow sinfulness to be in His presence. Thus, while the outer tabernacle still stands we cannot be in the presence of God. This the outer tabernacle ““is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” Everything that the priest does, even with in being in accordance with God’s Word and will, cannot make the worshiper clear in conscience. There still remains a separation between God and the individual. The outer tabernacle must be torn down.

Because we know the end of the story, we can begin to see where the preacher is taking us. We know that that Holy of Holies is really just a type of the true tabernacle which is in heaven where the Father dwells. Thus, the outer tabernacle had to be removed and the veil torn down. All praise be to God that through Jesus’ death the veil was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) because the thing the veil foreshadowed was torn for our transgressions. “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Christ flesh was the veil and by it being destroyed in death, so now we enterance into the Holy of Holies in heaven before the throne of God, thus “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (10:22).