1. Watch the video
2. Read the following passage http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2010:25-37&version=NIV1984 (Luke 10:25-37)
3. Who did the little girl in the wagon represent?
4. Who did Davey's friends represent in the parable? Why didn't they stop?
5. Who did Davey represent?
6. What did he miss out on by helping? What did he gain?
7. What did the balloon popping at the end symbolize?
8. What can you do this week to love your neighbor?
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Kid's Devotion - Learning Compassion
1. Watch the video
2. Doug trivia - What school did Doug go to?
3. Why was Patty so bothered that Doug knocked down the house?
4. Read the following passages http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor%201:3-7&version=NIV1984 and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%204:14%20-%205:3&version=NIV1984
5. What is the best way to understand the trial or trouble someone else is going thru?
6. How does Jesus understand what we are going thru?
7. How did Doug finally understand what Patty was going thru?
8. What did Doug do to make Patty feel better?
note to parents; Kids are self centered and concerned about their own lives only. That's why they frequently say or do things that hurt other's feelings. In this episode Doug learns the importance of putting himself in other people's shoes and when he does he learns compassion. Point out that this is what Jesus did to become an effective High Priest for us, so that He can identify with everything we are going thru.
2. Doug trivia - What school did Doug go to?
3. Why was Patty so bothered that Doug knocked down the house?
4. Read the following passages http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor%201:3-7&version=NIV1984 and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%204:14%20-%205:3&version=NIV1984
5. What is the best way to understand the trial or trouble someone else is going thru?
6. How does Jesus understand what we are going thru?
7. How did Doug finally understand what Patty was going thru?
8. What did Doug do to make Patty feel better?
note to parents; Kids are self centered and concerned about their own lives only. That's why they frequently say or do things that hurt other's feelings. In this episode Doug learns the importance of putting himself in other people's shoes and when he does he learns compassion. Point out that this is what Jesus did to become an effective High Priest for us, so that He can identify with everything we are going thru.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
My Problem With and Solution To Reformed Theology
This is probably going to be more like a treatise than a blog so unless you are interested in this kind of thing, go to the next blog or I will summarize it in my last paragraph as succinctly as possible.
Most Christians never even give this subject a thought which actually is probably a good thing. There is something to be said for naivity when it comes to the world and I think the same could be said in the area of theology - especially where finite minds of theologians grapple with and peg-hole the deeper mysteries of God and the way he works with mankind. Specifically this is going to deal with Salvation.
I, for some reason am a reluctant participant in this discussion. Has your attention ever been drawn to something by someone and from that time on all you can see when you see that object is that "something"? Let me illustrate. I enjoyed listening to a preacher in my early 20's who would occasionally fill the pulpit as a substitute for Stuart Briscoe. Once my dad said, "I can't stand the way he jingles the coins in his pants pocket when he preaches; it is so distracting." From then on, everytime he preached all I could hear was the jingling of coins. Reformed theology was pointed out to me when I was a member of a PCA church for 15 years. I was an elder, Sunday School teacher, delegate to the assembly, high school youth leader, and even preached, rarely. Because of my position of leadership in the church, training sessions and retreats would occasionally focus on what we believe as Presbyterians vs. what the rest of Evangelicals believe. Reformed theology has become another "jingling of coins" to me. I go to Church services and hear hymns sung like "To God Be the Glory Great Things He Hath Done" and hear one word changed and I know we are in a Reformed Church ..."and opened the lifegates that we may go in" instead of that "all may go in". I go to a David Platt Secret Church simulcast where everyone is raving how good it was and I'm saying, "we just had 6 hours of Reformed Theology. You don't have to believe all that." I go to an elders meeting and see the General Assembly has just removed 2 elders from such and such church for being 4 point Calvinists. I would say to my fellow elders, "Do you believe in limited Atonement (I address this in a blog on Oct. 6,2010) ?" and they would say, "What is that?" It didn't and doesn't seem to bother other people. Let me explain to you what bothers me about it, and if you don't want to be bothered please don't read on.
Let me take you down the pathway of Reformed theology (as I understand it).
1. Adam and Eve were created sinless and enjoyed fellowship with God and eternal life.
2. Adam and Eve sinned and experienced immediate spiritual death and immenent physical death
3. Because of their (Adam and Eve's) sin, all mankind are born sinners and spiritually dead.
4. God is Holy and can't be in the presence of sin, thus we are separated from God. Not only that but God hates sin and since we can't separate sin from who we are God hates sinners and his wrath is on us
5. Jesus, who is God, came from Heaven, born 100% human and 100% God at the same time and lived a sinless life and became the perfect sacrifice for sin. He took God's wrath on Him on the cross.
6. If we, by faith, repent of our sins and claim our absolute dependency on Christ's blood shed on the cross for us ,we become recociled to God and adopted as Children of God and Citizens of the Kingdom of God, receiving the very life of God in the person of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a life pleasing to God and victory over death.
Now I'm not seriously opposed to any of this and on a given day I can even swallow "God hates the sin and the sinner" but the problems all seem to stem from one word in there - dead. The illustration I've heard ad nauseum is, "If you go to a graveyard and preach to a bunch of coffins, how many conversions will you get?" "What good is 'whosover will may come' when 'whosoever won't'"? "God walked across the graveyard of time and said 'I choose you and you and you and you and not you nor you nor you, etc and brought them back to life and all we can see is 'thank you God for your unmerited favor towards me'." This all sounds palatable once again until you start to ask, "well, what about the billions He chose not to raise from the dead in the graveyard of time? Did they really ever have a chance?" The answer, according to Reformed theology, has to be an unequivocal "NO". So my issue is when they stand before God (or lie flat on their faces writhing in agony as my reformed friends would say) on the day of judgement when they are sentenced to an eternal lake of fire (which my reformed friends are very strong on) they can legitimately claim, "But we never had a chance. If we were born in sin due to no fault of our own and were dead spiritually and acted sinfully because that was our nature and You never chose to give us life, how can You sentence us to eternal torment?You created us for the express purpose of sending us to Hell. That isn't fair." And to that I would have to agree. My reformed friends would say things like "Who says God has to be fair?" or "How can the clay say to the potter why have you made me thus" Or, "no man will even be able to speak in God's presence, much less argue."
Here are the "family secrets" of Reformed theology sort of like the sacred underpants that Mormons wear that no one talks about until you become one.
1. God creates 2 groups of people - Children of God and Children of Wrath those Jesus died for and those He didn't
2. The Children of God will be saved, in fact they can't even choose not to. Of course they can't choose "to" either because they are dead.
3. Salvation comes to the Children of God when God puts a new heart in them, puts the Holy Spirit in them and instills Faith in them.
4.Thus, regeneration or being born again, actually happens before they "pray the prayer"/ repent / choose to follow Christ because without already being saved it is impossible for them to call out to God for salvation because they are spiritually dead.
5. The Children of Wrath were created for eternal punishment to the glory of God. They can't be saved. Christ's blood on the cross was not shed for them.
To these tenets or family secrets the reformers would say, "And your point is..." I guess I would say that is not how I see the God of the Bible. Sure there are their pet passages like Eph. 1 and Rom 9-11 that hint at such things but what about the rest of the Bible? Did you come to a God like that? Don't get me wrong; if that's the way it is so be it and I will join with the throngs saying, "Why me?" for all eternity praising Him for choosing me (and my family). Why is it that this is something we have to learn after we are saved? Why is it that white intellectuals embrace this doctrine while there are few Reformed Churches in poor third world countries? Why is it that Reformers say they are right and if everyone studied their Bible they would come to see the truth?
Rather than play a tennis match with Reformed Theology where they quote a verse and I counter with a different verse I would rather address that one word dead which seems to be the seed from which this theology had to sprout. Reformed preachers love to quote verses like Eph. 2:1 where Paul says, ...you are dead in your transgressions and sins..." and say, "That greek word for dead is Nekros which means dead. (obligatory laugh inserted here). Now we non-reformed do the same thing when we quote 1Timothy 2:6 where Paul says "...and gave Himself as a ransom for all men..." and say,"That word all comes from the Greek word which means all." (obligatory Amen inserted here).to which the Reformers would answer, "But which all?" In the same way I want to answer the dead means dead argument with but what does the Bible mean by dead? Let's explore the scripture and I think you will early on see where I am heading.
but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. Gen. 47:30
So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.1Kings 2:10
And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, 1 Kings11:21
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father 1Kings 11:43
And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead 1Kings 14:20
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. 1Kings 14:30
And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David 1Kings 15:8
And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 1Kings 15:24
So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah 1Kings 16:6
So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria 1Kings 16:28
So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead 1Kings 22:40
And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 1Kings 22:50
And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 8:24
And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria 2Kings10:35
And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria 2Kings 13:9
And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne 2Kings 13:13
And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel 2Kings 14:16
He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers 2Kings 14:22
And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel 2Kings 14:29
So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 15:7
And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 15:22
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 2Kings 15:38
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 16:20
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 20:21
And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried 2Kings 21:18
So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 24:6
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father 2Chron. 9:31
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David 2Chron 12:16
So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David 2Chron 14:1
And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign 2Chron 16:13
Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried 2Chron 21:1
He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers 2Chron 26:2
So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 26:23
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 27:9
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 28:27
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 32:33
So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 33:20
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest Job 3:13
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose Matt 27:52
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1Cor 15:20
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers Deut 31:16
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers 2Sam 7:12
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers 1Kings 1:21
for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be Job 7:21
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest with kings and rulers of the earth, Job 3:13,14
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep Job 14:12
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Ps. 7:5
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death Ps 13:3
As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. Ps 17:15
The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep Ps 76:5
You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning— Ps 90:5
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Dan 12:2
for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth Matt 9:24
the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth Mark 5:39
he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth Luke 8:52
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. John 11:11-13
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59,60
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers Acts 13:36
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep 1Cor 11:30
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 1Cor. 15:18
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 1Cor 15:51
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light Eph 5:14
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1Thes 4:13,14
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 1Thes 5:10
There are probably more but here are 67 verses that equate death with sleep. I am aware of the dangers of equating these two and whole theologies have been made on "soul sleep" and where the soul goes after death. This is not at all where I am going with this. Stepping into eternity is another subject for another day.
Imagine what it means to be spiritually asleep instead of spiritually dead. Picture this; your alarm clock/radio goes off and you are asleep. You have 3 options. 1) Incorporate it into your dream. I distinctly remember dreaming of running in a race. My alarm clock started playing a song and somehow this song became a soundtrack to my running to enable me to run faster. 2) Turn it off or hit the snooze and go back to sleep. You may be sleeping so soundly you don't even remember doing it. 3) Get up out of bed and respond to the alarm. Now relate this to the spiritual realm; the Holy Spirit at some point in everyone's life (so they can be without excuse) rings the alarm clock. With some, i.e. Saul/Paul He rings a gong. Others He appears to once and it may even be a very quiet short alarm, yet when they stand before Him, they look back to a time when they incorporated "religion" into their life or they turned off or even smashed the alarm clock.
This "sleep theory", to me seems to satisfy the theological demands of salvation. Mankind is dead/asleep and oblivious to God and spiritual things. God rings the alarm clock since we know no man can come to God unless he is drawn(John 6:44) and enabled(John 6:65) because we are asleep and unable and unwilling to rouse ourselves . God appears to everyone at least once (John 12:32) to satisfy His justice and the fact that God desires all men to be saved. We choose to respond to the alarm or go on in our sleep which satisfies the fact that mankind has freewill to choose. Is that important to God? Free will is so important that in the beginning he gave Adam and Eve a choice knowing that it would cause Him the life of His beloved Son. Is this far-fetched? Sixty seven verses in the Bible tell me it isn't.
Most Christians never even give this subject a thought which actually is probably a good thing. There is something to be said for naivity when it comes to the world and I think the same could be said in the area of theology - especially where finite minds of theologians grapple with and peg-hole the deeper mysteries of God and the way he works with mankind. Specifically this is going to deal with Salvation.
I, for some reason am a reluctant participant in this discussion. Has your attention ever been drawn to something by someone and from that time on all you can see when you see that object is that "something"? Let me illustrate. I enjoyed listening to a preacher in my early 20's who would occasionally fill the pulpit as a substitute for Stuart Briscoe. Once my dad said, "I can't stand the way he jingles the coins in his pants pocket when he preaches; it is so distracting." From then on, everytime he preached all I could hear was the jingling of coins. Reformed theology was pointed out to me when I was a member of a PCA church for 15 years. I was an elder, Sunday School teacher, delegate to the assembly, high school youth leader, and even preached, rarely. Because of my position of leadership in the church, training sessions and retreats would occasionally focus on what we believe as Presbyterians vs. what the rest of Evangelicals believe. Reformed theology has become another "jingling of coins" to me. I go to Church services and hear hymns sung like "To God Be the Glory Great Things He Hath Done" and hear one word changed and I know we are in a Reformed Church ..."and opened the lifegates that we may go in" instead of that "all may go in". I go to a David Platt Secret Church simulcast where everyone is raving how good it was and I'm saying, "we just had 6 hours of Reformed Theology. You don't have to believe all that." I go to an elders meeting and see the General Assembly has just removed 2 elders from such and such church for being 4 point Calvinists. I would say to my fellow elders, "Do you believe in limited Atonement (I address this in a blog on Oct. 6,2010) ?" and they would say, "What is that?" It didn't and doesn't seem to bother other people. Let me explain to you what bothers me about it, and if you don't want to be bothered please don't read on.
Let me take you down the pathway of Reformed theology (as I understand it).
1. Adam and Eve were created sinless and enjoyed fellowship with God and eternal life.
2. Adam and Eve sinned and experienced immediate spiritual death and immenent physical death
3. Because of their (Adam and Eve's) sin, all mankind are born sinners and spiritually dead.
4. God is Holy and can't be in the presence of sin, thus we are separated from God. Not only that but God hates sin and since we can't separate sin from who we are God hates sinners and his wrath is on us
5. Jesus, who is God, came from Heaven, born 100% human and 100% God at the same time and lived a sinless life and became the perfect sacrifice for sin. He took God's wrath on Him on the cross.
6. If we, by faith, repent of our sins and claim our absolute dependency on Christ's blood shed on the cross for us ,we become recociled to God and adopted as Children of God and Citizens of the Kingdom of God, receiving the very life of God in the person of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a life pleasing to God and victory over death.
Now I'm not seriously opposed to any of this and on a given day I can even swallow "God hates the sin and the sinner" but the problems all seem to stem from one word in there - dead. The illustration I've heard ad nauseum is, "If you go to a graveyard and preach to a bunch of coffins, how many conversions will you get?" "What good is 'whosover will may come' when 'whosoever won't'"? "God walked across the graveyard of time and said 'I choose you and you and you and you and not you nor you nor you, etc and brought them back to life and all we can see is 'thank you God for your unmerited favor towards me'." This all sounds palatable once again until you start to ask, "well, what about the billions He chose not to raise from the dead in the graveyard of time? Did they really ever have a chance?" The answer, according to Reformed theology, has to be an unequivocal "NO". So my issue is when they stand before God (or lie flat on their faces writhing in agony as my reformed friends would say) on the day of judgement when they are sentenced to an eternal lake of fire (which my reformed friends are very strong on) they can legitimately claim, "But we never had a chance. If we were born in sin due to no fault of our own and were dead spiritually and acted sinfully because that was our nature and You never chose to give us life, how can You sentence us to eternal torment?You created us for the express purpose of sending us to Hell. That isn't fair." And to that I would have to agree. My reformed friends would say things like "Who says God has to be fair?" or "How can the clay say to the potter why have you made me thus" Or, "no man will even be able to speak in God's presence, much less argue."
Here are the "family secrets" of Reformed theology sort of like the sacred underpants that Mormons wear that no one talks about until you become one.
1. God creates 2 groups of people - Children of God and Children of Wrath those Jesus died for and those He didn't
2. The Children of God will be saved, in fact they can't even choose not to. Of course they can't choose "to" either because they are dead.
3. Salvation comes to the Children of God when God puts a new heart in them, puts the Holy Spirit in them and instills Faith in them.
4.Thus, regeneration or being born again, actually happens before they "pray the prayer"/ repent / choose to follow Christ because without already being saved it is impossible for them to call out to God for salvation because they are spiritually dead.
5. The Children of Wrath were created for eternal punishment to the glory of God. They can't be saved. Christ's blood on the cross was not shed for them.
To these tenets or family secrets the reformers would say, "And your point is..." I guess I would say that is not how I see the God of the Bible. Sure there are their pet passages like Eph. 1 and Rom 9-11 that hint at such things but what about the rest of the Bible? Did you come to a God like that? Don't get me wrong; if that's the way it is so be it and I will join with the throngs saying, "Why me?" for all eternity praising Him for choosing me (and my family). Why is it that this is something we have to learn after we are saved? Why is it that white intellectuals embrace this doctrine while there are few Reformed Churches in poor third world countries? Why is it that Reformers say they are right and if everyone studied their Bible they would come to see the truth?
Rather than play a tennis match with Reformed Theology where they quote a verse and I counter with a different verse I would rather address that one word dead which seems to be the seed from which this theology had to sprout. Reformed preachers love to quote verses like Eph. 2:1 where Paul says, ...you are dead in your transgressions and sins..." and say, "That greek word for dead is Nekros which means dead. (obligatory laugh inserted here). Now we non-reformed do the same thing when we quote 1Timothy 2:6 where Paul says "...and gave Himself as a ransom for all men..." and say,"That word all comes from the Greek word which means all." (obligatory Amen inserted here).to which the Reformers would answer, "But which all?" In the same way I want to answer the dead means dead argument with but what does the Bible mean by dead? Let's explore the scripture and I think you will early on see where I am heading.
but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. Gen. 47:30
So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.1Kings 2:10
And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, 1 Kings11:21
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father 1Kings 11:43
And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead 1Kings 14:20
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. 1Kings 14:30
And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David 1Kings 15:8
And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 1Kings 15:24
So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah 1Kings 16:6
So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria 1Kings 16:28
So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead 1Kings 22:40
And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 1Kings 22:50
And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 8:24
And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria 2Kings10:35
And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria 2Kings 13:9
And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne 2Kings 13:13
And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel 2Kings 14:16
He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers 2Kings 14:22
And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel 2Kings 14:29
So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 15:7
And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 15:22
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father 2Kings 15:38
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David 2Kings 16:20
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 20:21
And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried 2Kings 21:18
So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead 2Kings 24:6
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father 2Chron. 9:31
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David 2Chron 12:16
So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David 2Chron 14:1
And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign 2Chron 16:13
Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried 2Chron 21:1
He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers 2Chron 26:2
So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 26:23
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 27:9
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 28:27
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 32:33
So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him 2Chron 33:20
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest Job 3:13
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose Matt 27:52
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1Cor 15:20
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers Deut 31:16
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers 2Sam 7:12
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers 1Kings 1:21
for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be Job 7:21
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest with kings and rulers of the earth, Job 3:13,14
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep Job 14:12
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Ps. 7:5
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death Ps 13:3
As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. Ps 17:15
The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep Ps 76:5
You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning— Ps 90:5
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Dan 12:2
for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth Matt 9:24
the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth Mark 5:39
he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth Luke 8:52
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. John 11:11-13
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59,60
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers Acts 13:36
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep 1Cor 11:30
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 1Cor. 15:18
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 1Cor 15:51
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light Eph 5:14
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1Thes 4:13,14
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 1Thes 5:10
There are probably more but here are 67 verses that equate death with sleep. I am aware of the dangers of equating these two and whole theologies have been made on "soul sleep" and where the soul goes after death. This is not at all where I am going with this. Stepping into eternity is another subject for another day.
Imagine what it means to be spiritually asleep instead of spiritually dead. Picture this; your alarm clock/radio goes off and you are asleep. You have 3 options. 1) Incorporate it into your dream. I distinctly remember dreaming of running in a race. My alarm clock started playing a song and somehow this song became a soundtrack to my running to enable me to run faster. 2) Turn it off or hit the snooze and go back to sleep. You may be sleeping so soundly you don't even remember doing it. 3) Get up out of bed and respond to the alarm. Now relate this to the spiritual realm; the Holy Spirit at some point in everyone's life (so they can be without excuse) rings the alarm clock. With some, i.e. Saul/Paul He rings a gong. Others He appears to once and it may even be a very quiet short alarm, yet when they stand before Him, they look back to a time when they incorporated "religion" into their life or they turned off or even smashed the alarm clock.
This "sleep theory", to me seems to satisfy the theological demands of salvation. Mankind is dead/asleep and oblivious to God and spiritual things. God rings the alarm clock since we know no man can come to God unless he is drawn(John 6:44) and enabled(John 6:65) because we are asleep and unable and unwilling to rouse ourselves . God appears to everyone at least once (John 12:32) to satisfy His justice and the fact that God desires all men to be saved. We choose to respond to the alarm or go on in our sleep which satisfies the fact that mankind has freewill to choose. Is that important to God? Free will is so important that in the beginning he gave Adam and Eve a choice knowing that it would cause Him the life of His beloved Son. Is this far-fetched? Sixty seven verses in the Bible tell me it isn't.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Kids Devotion - Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
1. Watch the Doug episode.
2. Doug trivia - What is Doug's sister's name?
3. Read the following passage ; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Dan%204:24-32&version=NIV1984. (Dan 4:24-32)
4. What was the sin Nebuchudnezzer was committing in this passage?
5. What was the sin Doug would have been committing if he continued to take credit for "his" painting?
6. What was the punishment that king Nebuchudnezzer received? Read http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%204:33,34&version=NIV1984 (Dan 4:33,34)
Why do you think God punished him in this way? How did he get relief from his punishment?
7. What punishment would Doug have received if he continued to take credit?
8. What did Doug give up by saying he didn't do the painting?
Note to parents; Kids need to be careful about taking credit where credit is not due. Everything they have is from the Lord and if they take the credit God will have to bring them to a point of humility where they give the glory to Him. Also another point to bring out is the importance of honesty even if it is not easy to do and even if they can somehow rationalize the half-truths. Any intent to deceive is a lie and kids need to stay honest at all times because this pleases the Lord.
2. Doug trivia - What is Doug's sister's name?
3. Read the following passage ; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Dan%204:24-32&version=NIV1984. (Dan 4:24-32)
4. What was the sin Nebuchudnezzer was committing in this passage?
5. What was the sin Doug would have been committing if he continued to take credit for "his" painting?
6. What was the punishment that king Nebuchudnezzer received? Read http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%204:33,34&version=NIV1984 (Dan 4:33,34)
Why do you think God punished him in this way? How did he get relief from his punishment?
7. What punishment would Doug have received if he continued to take credit?
8. What did Doug give up by saying he didn't do the painting?
Note to parents; Kids need to be careful about taking credit where credit is not due. Everything they have is from the Lord and if they take the credit God will have to bring them to a point of humility where they give the glory to Him. Also another point to bring out is the importance of honesty even if it is not easy to do and even if they can somehow rationalize the half-truths. Any intent to deceive is a lie and kids need to stay honest at all times because this pleases the Lord.
Monday, April 25, 2011
I'm Going to Predict the Day of the Rapture
I got these ideas from studying Messianic writers, so as usual, this is not an original thought - sigh. I've had one original thought in my life and it was wrong. To understand when the Lord is meeting us in the air, you have to go back to Leviticus and study the seven feasts. Now from how I understand it, and it makes great sense to me, the feasts were based on the harvest and to commemorate times where God moved on behalf of the Israelites. The first 3 we actually celebrated this past week.
I. Passover - The Passover feast celebrated the deliverance of the nation of Israel from Egypt by means of the last plague of the Death Angel killing all the first born sons who were not protected by the blood of the Passover lamb placed on the doorposts of their home. Fulfillment - Good Friday (crucifixion). Jesus was/is the Passover lamb.He was crucified literally on the day of Passover! From being killed in the prime of life to being spotless without defect to not a bone being broken to the willful application of its blood to save ones life,etc., the foreshadowing was so clear Paul wrote,"...For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1Cor 5:7."
II. Unleavened Bread - During the multi-day Passover Feast they would take three unleavened breads ,remove the middle one, break it and take the broken piece (afikomen), wrap it in a napkin and hide it. Three days later the kids would go find it and the winner received a prize.
If you study Matzah bread, you see it has stripes, holes (piercings), and is flat (without yeast). Fulfillment - Burial of Christ. It doesn't take a huge stretch to see that Jesus fulfilled this feast of Unleavened Bread on those exact days. He received stripes, was pierced,without sin, broken, wrapped in cloths, hidden for three days, and is the second part (middle) of the trinity. Not only that but He referred to Himself as the Bread of Life, the Kernal of wheat that must fall to the ground, and as he instigated communion, while breaking the middle matzah, said "This is my body broken for you."
III. First Fruits - The Sunday after the feast of Unleavened Bread was the feast of First Fruits. This commemorated the beginning of the harvest season which represented life and God's faithfulness to them. If you have ever picked wild blackberries there is always one big ripe dark one on the vine while the rest are puny and red. This is the first fruit. It tells you more are coming. Fulfillment - Easter/Resurrection Day. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. "1Cor 15:22,23.
Jesus rose from the dead on this exact day and became the first of many (all who belong to Him) to experience life after death.
IV. Pentecost - Fifty days later the maximum harvest was seen. The Jews then had this feast to glorify God for His abundant provision for them. Fulfillment - The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came down from Heaven and indwelt believers on that very day. Why did Jesus not go to Heaven immediately after the Resurrection? Why did He tell the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait? Because God fulfills these Feasts. He had to wait 50 days. Then a mass harvest of souls occured. Thousands at a time.
V. Trumpets - When the harvest was over it was time to come in and celebrate. Fulfillment - The Rapture. The trumpet - "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." 1Cor. 15:52
The end of the harvest - "Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in" Rom. 11:25VI. Day of Atonement VII. Booths - Both of these have not been fulfilled yet and since they aren't crucial to the theme of this blog I will let you study those on your own as this is getting lenghty.
So this is how I know He is not returning on May 21st, that is not Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) Here are the dates He could come back; http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/671869/jewish/When-is-Rosh-Hashanah-in-2011-2012-2013-2014-and-2015.htm etc. I don't know the hour or the day but we are reprimanded for not knowing the season or the signs ; “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Matt. 16:2,3
God is anything but random so I truly believe He will meet us in the air on The Feast of Trumpets. Lets live like it is 2011!
Monday, March 28, 2011
A Christian's Response to the Poor
I. God's response to the rich and poor
A. Not biased - Q.Whose side are you on, God, the rich or the poor? A. Neither (Josh 5:13,14)
“‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Lev. 19:15
" and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. " Ex.23:3
"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deut. 10:17
B. Not Neutral - ( will get involved in the plight of the poor)
1.God casts down the rich
a. When they become wealthy at the expense of the poor
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you." James 5:1-6
they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this? Jer. 5:27-29
13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.” Jer. 22:13-19
He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the LORD will take up their case
and will exact life for life. Prov. 22:16,22,23
i) This is what happened to the Northern Kingdom and they were taken away to Assyria
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed. Amos 2:6,7
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end. Amos 6:4-7
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’”
17 “Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
and you yourself will die in a pagan country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’” Amos 7:11,17
ii) This is what happened to the Southern Kingdom as they were taken off to Babylon
13 The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.
14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle. Isa 3:13-15,25
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain. Isa. 10:1-4
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.
3 Therefore, the LORD says:
“I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.Micah 2:2-3
iii) This is why God caused Nebuchudnezzer to go crazy
24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven.27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Dan 7:24,25,27
iv) Etc.
22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. Ex. 22:22-24
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous. Ps. 37:14-17
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.Ps. 72:4,12-14
11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He catches the wise in their craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime;
at noon they grope as in the night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth;
he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth. Job 5:11-16
b. When they neglect the poor
i) Rich man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. Luke 16:19-25
ii) Sodom and Gomorrah
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen." Ezek. 16:49,50
iii) Sheep and goats
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment." Matt 25:41-46
iv) Etc.
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered. Prov. 21:13
7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Deut 15:7-9
“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Deut. 27:19
v) The Pharisees
But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Luke 11:41,42
c. When they show contempt for the poor
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. Prov. 17:5
They slay the widow and the alien;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
8 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Ps 94:6-10
II. Why does God defend the poor?
A. His Character - when God revealed Himself, how did He do it?
1. The Exodus - to Moses and the nation of Israel
“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Ex.3:6-8
“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God. Ex. 6:6-8
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Deut 10:14-18
2. The incarnation - how did Jesus introduce Himself?
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matt. 11:4-6
B. He identifies with them - when Jesus came to Earth
1. Lived in insignificant place - "can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
2. Born to poor parents - offered pigeons at the temple, the offering reserved for those who couldn't afford a lamb.
3. First visitors were shepherds
4. Was homeless in birth and through ministry
5. Not much money - paid taxes with money a fish had swallowed
6. Was rich in Heaven and became poor (2 Cor 8:9)
7. He was an innocent with no power before Pilate and received distortion of justice because of it
8. Etc.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward them for what they have done. Prov. 19:17
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Prov. 14:31
C. He chooses them as special instruments
1. The disciples
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
2. The early church
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 1Cor. 1:26-29
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5
III. God Commands us to do the same - Luke 6:40
A. Equal justice in court
“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. Ex 23:6-9
Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor. Ps. 72:1-4
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. Prov. 31:8,9
B. Protection for the powerless
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow Isa. 1:16,17
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Ps. 82:3,4
C. Meet their needs
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”Luke 14:12-14
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Heb. 13:2-3
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” Matt. 14:16
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail. Isa. 58:5-11
“And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deut. 15:10,11
20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Prov 14:20,21
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness. Ps. 41:1-3
9 A generous man will himself be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor. Prov. 22:9
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Gal.2:10
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sites/sermons2.redeemer.com/files/sermons/RPC-Blessed_are_the_Poor.mp3 A great message about the poor from Tim Keller
A. Not biased - Q.Whose side are you on, God, the rich or the poor? A. Neither (Josh 5:13,14)
“‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Lev. 19:15
" and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. " Ex.23:3
"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deut. 10:17
B. Not Neutral - ( will get involved in the plight of the poor)
1.God casts down the rich
a. When they become wealthy at the expense of the poor
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you." James 5:1-6
they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this? Jer. 5:27-29
13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.
15 “Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”
18 Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.” Jer. 22:13-19
He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the LORD will take up their case
and will exact life for life. Prov. 22:16,22,23
i) This is what happened to the Northern Kingdom and they were taken away to Assyria
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed. Amos 2:6,7
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end. Amos 6:4-7
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’”
17 “Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
and you yourself will die in a pagan country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’” Amos 7:11,17
ii) This is what happened to the Southern Kingdom as they were taken off to Babylon
13 The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.
14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle. Isa 3:13-15,25
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain. Isa. 10:1-4
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.
3 Therefore, the LORD says:
“I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.Micah 2:2-3
iii) This is why God caused Nebuchudnezzer to go crazy
24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven.27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Dan 7:24,25,27
iv) Etc.
22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. Ex. 22:22-24
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous. Ps. 37:14-17
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.Ps. 72:4,12-14
11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He catches the wise in their craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime;
at noon they grope as in the night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth;
he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth. Job 5:11-16
b. When they neglect the poor
i) Rich man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. Luke 16:19-25
ii) Sodom and Gomorrah
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen." Ezek. 16:49,50
iii) Sheep and goats
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment." Matt 25:41-46
iv) Etc.
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered. Prov. 21:13
7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Deut 15:7-9
“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Deut. 27:19
v) The Pharisees
But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Luke 11:41,42
c. When they show contempt for the poor
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. Prov. 17:5
They slay the widow and the alien;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
8 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Ps 94:6-10
II. Why does God defend the poor?
A. His Character - when God revealed Himself, how did He do it?
1. The Exodus - to Moses and the nation of Israel
“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Ex.3:6-8
“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God. Ex. 6:6-8
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Deut 10:14-18
2. The incarnation - how did Jesus introduce Himself?
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matt. 11:4-6
B. He identifies with them - when Jesus came to Earth
1. Lived in insignificant place - "can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
2. Born to poor parents - offered pigeons at the temple, the offering reserved for those who couldn't afford a lamb.
3. First visitors were shepherds
4. Was homeless in birth and through ministry
5. Not much money - paid taxes with money a fish had swallowed
6. Was rich in Heaven and became poor (2 Cor 8:9)
7. He was an innocent with no power before Pilate and received distortion of justice because of it
8. Etc.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward them for what they have done. Prov. 19:17
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Prov. 14:31
C. He chooses them as special instruments
1. The disciples
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
2. The early church
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 1Cor. 1:26-29
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5
III. God Commands us to do the same - Luke 6:40
A. Equal justice in court
“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. Ex 23:6-9
Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor. Ps. 72:1-4
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. Prov. 31:8,9
B. Protection for the powerless
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow Isa. 1:16,17
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Ps. 82:3,4
C. Meet their needs
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”Luke 14:12-14
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Heb. 13:2-3
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” Matt. 14:16
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail. Isa. 58:5-11
“And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deut. 15:10,11
20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Prov 14:20,21
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness. Ps. 41:1-3
9 A generous man will himself be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor. Prov. 22:9
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Gal.2:10
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sites/sermons2.redeemer.com/files/sermons/RPC-Blessed_are_the_Poor.mp3 A great message about the poor from Tim Keller
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Church - A Hospital for Sinners?
As far as I can tell by "googling", this quote is attributed to the great theologian Abigail Van Buren of "Dear Abby" fame. I was first introduced to it 10 - 15 years ago when our church was looking for a pastor and a candidate used this quote as the theme of his message. He wasn't hired but everyone loved the concept (except me) and today that church uses it as their advertising slogan. On a personal note, my 82 year old mother-in-law, who attends that church, hates the slogan and doesn't even want to go back, mainly I believe because at some level she puts hospitals in the same category as nursing homes, a place where healthy 82 year olds don't want to go. Since I am a doctor and actually like going to the hospital I object to it too but for different reasons.
I understand the concept and what it is trying to say, which is good. How many of us have answered skeptic's objections that the church is full of sinners or hypocrites by saying, "where else would you want them?" And as we are witnessing we have answered those who say, "I need to clean up my act before I come to church" by saying something to the effect of "that is where we learn how to clean up our acts" or something pithy like "everyone here is a beggar just looking for bread" or "if you are perfect you don't need to come here because you will ruin us." But somehow all this has led to the concept that the church is a "hospital for sinners". The picture I get with this is "Come to our church and we give grace. No matter how much you mess-up (because "sin" is narrow minded) during the week come here and get forgiven, restored, built back up in a non judgmental atmosphere to face the temptations of the world on Monday morning. You can list the Bible characters on one hand who didn't make mistakes (sins) and Jesus is a faithful high priest and went through the same temptations as you and I and understands. If we were perfect it wouldn't be called grace."
The problem with those truths (and I agree that is all true) is that the picture I get of the church in the Bible is something less defeated. I see a church that the gates of hell can't stand against(Matt. 16:18). I see a church where liars were struck dead(Acts 5:5,10). I see a church which was instructed to kick sinners out of it(1 Cor.5). I see a church where people were afraid to join(Acts 5:13). I see a church that served as a "hospital" for people that got beat down(Acts 28:15) and up(Acts 4 & 5) from boldly taking the gospel to a hostile unbelieving world. This is the church I see in the Bible.
So what are some better analogies?
How about The Church - A MASH unit for Saints. This would obviously incorporate the idea that we are in a war and as we are on the front lines we will get attacked. We will lose friends, be mocked, excluded, discouraged, lose jobs, (wow, we Western Christians have it rough) but when we come to church we are surrounded by others who have had the same things happen to them and we don't, like Elijah, feel like we are the only ones and get discouraged. We get prayed over, ministered to by the Holy Spirit, patched up and sent back into battle again.
How about The Church - A Boot Camp for Saints. Well, where does the idea of attracting sinners and grace fit in, you might ask. How about here. First of all, when we are born again we no longer have the identity of "sinners" - we are now "saints", so the whole "hospital for sinners" implies the church's identity is found in unbelievers which is flawed. But yet the fact remains we are sinful and need sanctification. Isn't that what an army boot camp does; it takes the raw "newbie" and turns him (her) into a soldier ready to fight the battle. Rather than coddling to his(her) weaknesses and saying, "that's Ok, we are all weak" they receive intensive training exposing and removing of weaknesses so that the recruit becomes ready to stand against the foe.
Using the whole "coddling" and military theme reminds me of a commercial;
Addendum: I saw this video and it kind of speaks to what I am saying:
I understand the concept and what it is trying to say, which is good. How many of us have answered skeptic's objections that the church is full of sinners or hypocrites by saying, "where else would you want them?" And as we are witnessing we have answered those who say, "I need to clean up my act before I come to church" by saying something to the effect of "that is where we learn how to clean up our acts" or something pithy like "everyone here is a beggar just looking for bread" or "if you are perfect you don't need to come here because you will ruin us." But somehow all this has led to the concept that the church is a "hospital for sinners". The picture I get with this is "Come to our church and we give grace. No matter how much you mess-up (because "sin" is narrow minded) during the week come here and get forgiven, restored, built back up in a non judgmental atmosphere to face the temptations of the world on Monday morning. You can list the Bible characters on one hand who didn't make mistakes (sins) and Jesus is a faithful high priest and went through the same temptations as you and I and understands. If we were perfect it wouldn't be called grace."
The problem with those truths (and I agree that is all true) is that the picture I get of the church in the Bible is something less defeated. I see a church that the gates of hell can't stand against(Matt. 16:18). I see a church where liars were struck dead(Acts 5:5,10). I see a church which was instructed to kick sinners out of it(1 Cor.5). I see a church where people were afraid to join(Acts 5:13). I see a church that served as a "hospital" for people that got beat down(Acts 28:15) and up(Acts 4 & 5) from boldly taking the gospel to a hostile unbelieving world. This is the church I see in the Bible.
So what are some better analogies?
How about The Church - A MASH unit for Saints. This would obviously incorporate the idea that we are in a war and as we are on the front lines we will get attacked. We will lose friends, be mocked, excluded, discouraged, lose jobs, (wow, we Western Christians have it rough) but when we come to church we are surrounded by others who have had the same things happen to them and we don't, like Elijah, feel like we are the only ones and get discouraged. We get prayed over, ministered to by the Holy Spirit, patched up and sent back into battle again.
How about The Church - A Boot Camp for Saints. Well, where does the idea of attracting sinners and grace fit in, you might ask. How about here. First of all, when we are born again we no longer have the identity of "sinners" - we are now "saints", so the whole "hospital for sinners" implies the church's identity is found in unbelievers which is flawed. But yet the fact remains we are sinful and need sanctification. Isn't that what an army boot camp does; it takes the raw "newbie" and turns him (her) into a soldier ready to fight the battle. Rather than coddling to his(her) weaknesses and saying, "that's Ok, we are all weak" they receive intensive training exposing and removing of weaknesses so that the recruit becomes ready to stand against the foe.
Using the whole "coddling" and military theme reminds me of a commercial;
At this point I would be remiss in this day and age of atrocities to mankind done in the name of faith, not to quote Paul who says that our foe is not our fellow man. In fact they are POWs to the real foe, the Devil.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:12
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 2Cor.10:3,4
And John talked about overcoming our foe, Satan, with the blood of Christ and our testimony(Rev 12:10,11) even if it means going as sheep before wolves and being killed, not killing, as we take a stand for Christ.
So take your choice playground or battlefield but I think the Biblical model is battlefield and like this video clip, you have to choose one or the other because the two don't mix. (if you have any better analogies feel free to post them in comments) Addendum: I saw this video and it kind of speaks to what I am saying:
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