tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155481586625865312024-03-13T21:06:30.061-04:00Sojourning with ChristBrother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-2680178526503569932024-02-05T10:35:00.005-05:002024-02-05T10:35:53.552-05:00God's Perfect Timing<p> "Timing is everything." It's an old adage, and certainly guilty of overstatement. Yet, the Bible affirms the benefit of timing things well. For instance, Solomon reminds us that "<b>A person finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word!," (Proverbs 15:23).</b> Think of how good, "Will you marry me?" fits when it is spoken to the right person at the right time.<br /></p><p>As good as humans can be at saying or doing the right thing at the right time, God is infinitely better. While God is not limited by time or space, He is by no means unfamiliar with the concept of time. He invented time, and the progression of moments serves Him and His purposes.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>One way we God's timeliness in Scripture is when things happen at just the right time. I was reminded of this in a simple story of God's grace to a woman and her son. In 2 Kings 4:8-37, Elisha the prophet is repeatedly blessed by a wealthy woman. She leads her husband to extend hospitality to the prophet when traveling through their region of Shunem, even giving him use of a small apartment. Elisha wants to do something for her as a "thank you," but she is well-to-do and doesn't appear to have needs. However, Elisha's servant, Gehazi, comes up with something truly helpful. The woman's husband is old and she has no son to inherit her husband's estate when he passes away.</p><p>"<b>About this time next year," Elisha said, "you will hold a son in your arms." "No, my lord!" she objected. "Please, man of God, don't mislead your servant!" (2 Kings 4:15-16, NLT).</b></p><p>The gift sounded too good to be true. The woman likely did not want to get her hopes up only to be dashed. Perhaps this had happened repeatedly and she didn't want to open herself up to more pain. And yet, God kindly provided for her a son. However, when the boy was still young, tragedy struck. One day he experienced a terrible head-ache and within a few hours, the boy died.</p><p>The woman, rather than giving into despair, saddled a donkey and headed out to find Elisha. When she finally found him, her bitterness drips from her words: "<b>Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?" (2 Kings 4:28).</b> Elisha understood her pain and his role. He quickly sent his servant to seek to help the boy, but Gehazi was unable to heal him. So, Elisha went and prayed fervently and eventually, the boy resuscitated. Elisha gave the boy, alive, back to his mother.</p><p>This story is incredible as it stands, but it's what happens in 2 Kings 8 that shows God's timeliness. Years later, perhaps after the woman's older husband had passed away, a famine came to Israel. Elisha warned the woman, and she took her son and lived for seven years in Philistia. When the famine ended, she returned to her home, but had to seek a royal audience in order to secure the rights to her property that had been abandoned for seven years. </p><p>No doubt, as a woman, and as a foreigner, she faced an uphill battle. The king of Israel could have quickly dismissed her and refused to grant her back her property. He was not a godly king interested in a foreign widows' rights. Yet, here we see God's timeliness. For on the same day, at the same moment, that she came to visit the king and ask for her property rights to be restored, Gehazi was also visiting with the king. Whatever business Elisha's servant came for, the king had just asked for stories of the prophet Elisha's adventures. Gehazi chose to tell the king about a woman from Shunem who miraculously conceived a son when her husband was old, and how Elisha had prayed and God had raised the boy from the dead.</p><p>"<b>Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, 'This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.' The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, 'Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now,'" (2 Kings 8:5-6, NLT).</b></p><p>Because of God's timeliness to have the woman arrive when Gehazi had just told the king about the woman, the king excitedly granted her request and restored her land. Then, the king went further. He also ordered that she be paid for the use of the land for seven years. God's timeliness provided land, home, and financial support for this widow and her son.</p><p>Sometimes, waiting feels boring. Other times, waiting feels dreadful. I hate waiting. Yet, God appears to prefer timeliness to haste, ordering events to they occur at just the right time. So Queen Esther came to the royal palace at just the right time to help thwart Haman's plan to eradicate God's people. So David arrived at just the right time to hear Goliath's challenge and offered to face the giant from Philistia. And, so Jesus was sent to be born at just the right time.</p><p>Paul told the Galatians, "<b>But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship," (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT).</b> Praise God for His timeliness, and for sending Jesus at just the right time.</p><p>The next time you are waiting or going through a period of wondering if God will ever answer your prayers, please remember how God set up a day for the woman to arrive before an Israelite king at just the right time. Remember also how God sent Jesus at just the right time, even when Israel had waited centuries for God's promised Messiah. God may not be limited by time, but He sure is timely.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-29447552277444094412023-11-03T12:21:00.002-04:002023-11-03T12:21:29.959-04:00What is the Fear of the Lord?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincE6Q7dedgIQJPhQ8ggDg76U5gnv5xVGhg8-9L3XfrULniiwEEc88Ze-ctmavpJ5b1gEW80IbymUpWfLMV4mkkKtYv6VUcri-f8lIAd8ru7YoXXWfelnabqxyF-3HCubKYqLYrc9gc7yiVTn-Eh4bznbFR5XzXAdYbqPPi0wsDtZkWoYz_K7QLeXAZjM/s3264/20230624_111255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincE6Q7dedgIQJPhQ8ggDg76U5gnv5xVGhg8-9L3XfrULniiwEEc88Ze-ctmavpJ5b1gEW80IbymUpWfLMV4mkkKtYv6VUcri-f8lIAd8ru7YoXXWfelnabqxyF-3HCubKYqLYrc9gc7yiVTn-Eh4bznbFR5XzXAdYbqPPi0wsDtZkWoYz_K7QLeXAZjM/s320/20230624_111255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>If I were to simply ask, “What is fear?” most of us would
not have an issue answering that question. Fear is that emotion I feel when I’m
scared of danger, or a problem bearing down on me. It could be a real danger: perhaps
a snake has slithered across my foot; or it could be a perceived danger:
perhaps the snake is a harmless black racer and is very unlikely to even bite
me. So, a swamp filled with mosquitoes biting me is a fear of real danger. A sign telling me there are a lot of mosquitoes who may bite me is a perceived danger (thanks Congaree National Forest for the warning!).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Further, if I were to ask who is the Lord, few Christians
would stumble to find the answer. The Lord is God, the One and Only. The Lord
is the Almighty Creator, the incarnate Savior, the Comforting Spirit: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit in One Godhead. He is the Lord.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, if we put both fear and the Lord into a phrase and ask
its definition, many do stumble. What is the fear of the Lord? As I have
briefly researched, the modern consensus seems to be a brief or prolonged
journey that arrives at similar conclusions. Fear of the Lord is not fear, but
something like awe, respect, worship, and love. Now, because of Jesus, praise
the Lord, I do think we worship God with reverence and awe, and I do think we
love God because He first loved us in Jesus Christ. But, if “the fear of the
Lord” should be translated “the awe of the Lord” or “the love of the Lord,”
then Bible translators have done a consistently lousy job translating the words
into fear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the basis of linguistics, biblical theology, and logic,
I’m going to argue that the fear of the Lord means fearing the Lord as in a
settled emotional trembling at His Person and Presence. This fear, because of
Jesus, need not remain the only emotion we habitually experience. Instead, when
we come to God by faith in Jesus, and are adopted into God’s family, we combine
fear and love. We fear-love God. It’s what Augustine will call a filial fear.
We do not graduate from or leave fear behind, discarding any fear we experience
in God’s holy presence, but we couple that fear with hope and love in Jesus.
The by-product of this fear-love is habitual right-walking with God,
right-worship of God, and enduring happiness.<o:p></o:p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal">Let’s start with linguistics. The Hebrew words yira and
yare, and the Greek words phobos and phobeo mean fear. As Eugene Merrill
elucidates, “The fundamental and original idea expressed by these terms (yira /
phobos) covers a semantic range from mild easiness to stark terror, depending
on the object of the fear and the circumstances surrounding the experience.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></a>
But, one might ask, do the words take on a different meaning when attached to
God? To this Merrill responds, “There is no separate Hebrew or Greek lexeme
describing the fear of God so presumably such fear was from earliest times, the
same kind of reaction as could be elicited from any encounter with a
surprising, unusual, or threatening entity.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span></span></a>
Fear means fear. Merrill goes on to argue that the overall tone of fearing God
or the fear of the Lord is one of reverential awe, but I will argue that
reverential awe is a by-product of the fear of the Lord when one is brought
into God’s covenantal love. More on that later. For now, linguistically fear
means fear.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One example is sufficient to make the linguistic point.
After God drowned Pharaoh and Egypt’s army in the Red Sea, the Israelites were
afraid of God. Understandably so, the God of all might had just demonstrated
that power and the disposition to use His power against those who sought to
oppose Him. And God was successful in His swift justice, bringing walls of
water cascading down on thousands of people, killing them all. The emotion the
Israelites rightly experienced towards this God was fear:<b> “Israel saw the
great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the
LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses,” (Exodus 14:31).<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a></b>
Again, linguistically fear means fear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s move on to biblical theology. Again, Eugene Merrill is
helpful as he cites the importance of fearing God as foundational to knowing
God as He is: “Fear as a response to God and his deeds is so important an
aspect of biblical faith and life that Fear actually occurs as an epithet of
God himself.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Merrill points to <b>Genesis 31:42</b> in which Jacob describes God as <b>“the
God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac.”</b> His argument is that the patriarchs
rightly understood that God is so powerful, so big, so awesome, so other than
us, that He could rightly be called Fear. Now, stick with me because I know
some of this flies in the face of modern depictions of God. God is still
merciful. God is still good. God is still loving. But, let there be a balance
to those truths about God. God is also holy. God punishes sin. God created and
sustains the world and will bring it to an end. God controls our every breath.
God gives and takes life. Was it wrong for Isaac and by connection Jacob to
refer to God as Fear? No. It was wise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact, Solomon next shows us that to know God rightly is
to fear Him, and to fear Him is to begin to know God rightly. He simply states,
<b>“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the
Holy One is insight,” (Proverbs 9:10).</b> If wisdom is navigating life well,
then to so navigate life begins by knowing God as He is, and this begins with
fear. To come to even the brink of the Person and Majesty and Power and
Eternality of the Holy God requires a trembling, and evokes fear. To come into
the Presence of the Almighty, even as we learn about Him in Scripture, without
fear would only show that we have not truly contemplated His enormity and
power. But, lest we think that fearing God is only the first step to navigating
life well, perhaps that we should graduate some day from fearing God, Solomon
continues in the next chapter to show that wise living means we continue in the
fear of the LORD: <b>“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the
wicked will be short,” (Proverbs 10:27)</b>. If a lifetime is not long enough,
we can go to David where he states that we will continue to fear God forever: <b>“the
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever,” (Psalm 19:9).</b> So, God is to
be feared if we meet Him as He is in all His truly amazing qualities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, before we get to Jesus, let’s first ask: how does
fearing God because of His power and His disposition to punish evil produce
fear in us? Because, naturally we are evil. The Bible reveals that everyone is
unrighteous naturally. We have all sinned. Because God is holy, He pursues His
own righteousness, and punishes evil, to the utmost. This rightly causes fear
in those who are evil. To be in God’s presence and sense danger is to sense
rightly for anyone who has sinned, which is everyone. Take a moment and listen
to David teach us about the fear of the LORD:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><b>“Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.<br />
What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?<br />
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. <br />
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.<br />
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.<br />
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of
them from the earth.” (Psalm 34:11-16)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">David invites us into a journey that is both terrifying and
good. See God in his power. Know His disposition against sin. Let that fear
motivate a desire to be right with this God. Let that fear steer you away from
that which God says is wrong and which provokes His anger and wrath. According
to David, the most important need in our life is to be right with this God who
is against those who are not right with Him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, this drives us into even scarier territory. As I said
earlier, none of us is righteous. But there is much that can be said here. None
of us is inclined to seek God, but instead to seek our own will, essentially to
worship ourselves is God. All of us, by thought, word, and deed, have turned
away from God in sin. Though by creation and conscience we on some level know
there is a God, we do not fear enough to faithfully follow Him. Instead, we
live in sin. Moreover, this holy God is rightly provoked to anger against sin
and against those who commit sin. He will punish those who deserve punishment
for sinning against Him with eternal punishment. The only thing keeping any of
us from eternal fire is God’s common grace to extend our breaths another day.
To be in God’s hand is the predicament of mankind. The only thing keeping
natural man from being plunged into hell is the hand of God who is rightly
angry with us for our many sins against Him. This is the terrifying and true
conclusion of Jonathan Edwards in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God.” Take a moment and let these words sink in.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“Thus it is that natural men are
held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery
pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger
is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions
of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least
to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any
promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is
gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay
hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is
struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are
no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no
refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the
mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed
God.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ok, I know this is a lot, but let’s take a breath and see
where we’ve come. So far, we have seen that fear means fear in the Bible. Thus,
fearing God, linguistically and theologically, means fearing God. We should
rightly fear God because of who He is: holy, wrathful against sin, powerful,
holding our very breath in His hand. We should rightly fear God because of who
we are: sinful, deserving His wrath, infinitely less powerful than He is,
destined for eternal punishment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, we are ready for Jesus, and the good news of the
gospel. This will take us into what the reformer Zacharias Ursinus called
“filial fear,” and out of “servile fear”: fear of God as sons, not fear of God
as slaves to sin.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
But first, the gospel. The same God who made all things, owns all things, and
stands in judgment over all things, including His creatures who have rebelled
against Him, for reasons spectacular and unknown, purposed to save some of mankind
from the eternal punishment we all deserved. Out of His goodness, and His
delight, God sent His Son Jesus, who is mysteriously both fully God and fully
man, into the world. Jesus came filled with the LORD’s Spirit, and thus filled
with fear for the LORD, as Isaiah prophesied:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><b>“There shall come forth a shoot
from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might, and the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of
the LORD,” (Isaiah 11:1-2).<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact, Jesus not only had the fear of the LORD in perfect
fullness, but He delighted in fearing God. That settled afraidness of the Lord
was the joy of His life: <b>“And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD,”
(Isaiah 11:3).</b> This Jesus, therefore, lived the perfect life we never
could. He was without sin (not even a sinful thought). All of his fears found
their proper place beneath fearing God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thus, Jesus achieved in His own righteousness what David
sang about: right standing with God. He deserved God’s undying, covenantal
affection and love. David sang, <b>“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all,” (Psalm 34:19).</b> So, Jesus was
kept and held by God, His heavenly Father, and deserved to be kept forever in
heaven. Jesus deserved eternal life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then, Jesus did the beautiful and unthinkable. He suffered
God’s punishment against the sins of those God purposed to save, even though He
deserved only God’s loving affection. The heart of the gospel is the
substitutionary atonement of Jesus paying the penalty for our sin. As Paul put
it, <b>“For our sake he [God the Father] made him [God the Son] to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,” (2
Corinthians 5:21). </b>Jesus’s sacrifice was unthinkable because the Son
experienced agony for the first time at the hand of the Father, treated not as
Son but as sinner. Thus, he cried out with words of anguish from the cross, <b>“My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).</b> This Son had
revealed earlier his fear of God at experiencing God’s wrath against sin. In
the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus <b>“began to be greatly distressed and
troubled. And he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.’ …
And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup
from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will,’” (Mark 14:33-36). </b>Luke
fills in the picture showing Jesus’s fear resulted in a physical symptom: <b>“And
being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops
of blood falling to the ground,” (Luke 22:44).</b> Jesus feared God to the end
and died on the cross for sinners. Then, three days later, Jesus rose
victoriously from the grave. Death had no claim on the One who never sinned. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Succinctly, the good news is the story of the death and
resurrection of Jesus, and the implications for us. Here’s Paul’s version: <b>“Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1
Corinthians 15:3-4).</b> Now, because of Jesus, we have the only Way to
forgiveness: by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in Him. This is
what Paul meant by<b> “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe,” (Romans 3:22)</b>. Paul elaborated, <b>“for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a
gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a
propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith,” (Romans 3:23-25).</b> The
gospel is the good news that God saves sinners from God’s wrath by punishing
His Son in their place if they place their faith in Jesus. The great church
leader, Augustine, described his fear that led him to faith: “I trembled with
fear, and at the same time I was on fire with hope and with exaltation in your
mercy, O Father.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Fearing God, in his holiness and just wrath against sin, makes us desperate for
Jesus, and overjoyed when we are received and pardoned for our sin as we put
our faith in Jesus Christ. Amen, and amen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This brings us not only to worship, but to a big question.
When we become Christians, should we exchange fearing God for loving God? I
mean, there’s no more wrath from God for us if Jesus was punished in our place,
right? If that’s true, should we still fear Him, or is fearing Him only a
pre-Christian experience? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The short answer is no, becoming a Christian does not and
should not remove fearing God from our lives. Instead, we combine fearing God
with loving God, and the result is worship overflowing into obedience and joy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, let’s consider passages of Scripture that show
Christians fearing God. Paul, shortly before he shared the heart of the Gospel
with the Corinthians said this, <b>“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we
persuade others,” (2 Corinthians 5:11). </b>Fearing the Lord motivated Paul to
share the gospel with others because he knew the fate that awaited all who did
not believe in Jesus. The church grew and spread by the power of God and the
fear of God: <b>“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had
peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the
comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied,” (Acts 9:31). </b>Here again, we see
Christians fearing God, and this is a good thing. In fact, Luke holds out
growth in the fear of God as fertile ground for spiritual blessing and church
growth. Paul will urge the Corinthians to walk in the fear of God, knowing the
promise of salvation they have in Jesus, <b>“Since we have these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit,
bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God,” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Peter</b>
is more blunt and to the point when he commands Christians: <b>“Fear God,” (1
Peter 2:17).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s recap so far. Christians should fear God because Jesus
feared God, and Paul told Christians to fear God, and the joy and prosperity
(spiritually speaking) of the early church was directly tied to fearing God.
Any claim that fearing God (and by that I mean fearing God, being afraid of
God, responding with fear to His presence and power), is a pre-Christian only
experience does not hold up to Scripture on linguistic, theological, or logical
grounds.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let us round out this discussion by speaking to what fear is
combined with, and what this combination produces. Because of Jesus, Christians
combine fearing God with loving God. It’s the beautiful combination of fear and
joy Augustine experienced in light of God’s mercy towards him (a sinner)
because of Jesus (the Substitute): “I trembled with fear, and at the same time
I was on fire with hope and with exaltation in your mercy, O Father.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we come to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we experience
acceptance, forgiveness, and adoption as sons. So, transforming is the
combination of fear and love, that there are passages that seem to speak as if
we no longer fear. What we find is by combining these passages with the above
passages, we come to a complete understanding: we no longer fear as rebels, we
now fear as sons, and it’s a much better fear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, Paul taught: “<b>For all who are led by the Spirit of
God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we
cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:14-15).</b> When we become Christians, we are
adopted as God’s sons and daughters, and we receive the Holy Spirit, who
changes our fear of God from fear of wrath, to a fear-love that continues to
fear God’s power, but also loves God as Father. Because of God’s love for us in
Jesus, we no longer fear as rebels expecting wrath, but as sons for whom there
is no more wrath.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the great change with regards to our fear that John
taught: love for God by God’s love for us in Jesus drives out fear of God’s
wrath.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><b>“Whoever confesses that Jesus is
the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and
to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in
love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us,
so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so
also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out
fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been
perfected in love,” (1 John 4:15-18).<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John says that when we are loved by God in Jesus, and
receive that love by faith in Jesus, we no longer fear God’s wrath to come on
the day of judgment. Praise God, we no longer fear as rebels, but we fear as
sons.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, what does fearing God as sons and daughters look like?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fearing God as sons looks like having sufficient gratitude
for our salvation, sober understanding of what our forgiveness cost Jesus, and
a healthy fear of God’s holiness that we do not persist in sin. Paul taught
Timothy, <b>“God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and
self-control,” (2 Timothy 1:7)</b> because we no longer fear God’s wrath. But,
Paul also taught Timothy, <b>“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in
the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear,” (1 Timothy 5:20).</b>
Certainly, they were not to fear Paul, but to fear God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fearing God as sons looks like pursuing diligence in our
earthly vocations no matter whether our employers deserve our hard work and
respect. So, Paul taught even slaves to fear God, and to let this fear motivate
hard work: <b>“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly
masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of
heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and
not for men,” (Colossians 3:22-23).</b> Fear God as sons, and let this motivate
a God-honoring work ethic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fearing God as sons looks like pursuing Christlikeness,
putting sin to death, and sanctification by the power of God’s Spirit in us,
what Paul calls working out your salvation<b>: “Therefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure,” (Philippians
2:12-13).</b> Fear God as sons, and let this motivate putting sin to death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fearing God as sons looks like worshipping God, and
treasuring God above all else that was, is, or will be. So, an angel proclaimed
the gospel as a call to fear and to worship God: <b>“Then I saw another angel
flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell
on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a
loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of
water,” (Revelation 14:6-7).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The author of Hebrews tells followers of Jesus one powerful
reason we continue to fear God, even as sons: God disciplines those He loves.
As he said, <b>“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor
be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,”
(Hebrews 12:5-6). </b>As we persist in sin, we invite not the Lord’s wrath
(that was finished in Jesus’s substitutionary atonement), but the Lord’s
discipline. That discipline may be God’s convicting presence rather than
comforting presence, as we live convicted of sin, rather than comforted. That
discipline may come in the form of hardships, such as God allowing difficulties
to wake us up and drive us back to Him. That discipline may be as hard as our
physical deaths, as Ananias and Sapphira experienced when they lied in church
about their offerings (Acts 5:1-10). Even then, their deaths motivated the
church to fear God (Acts 5:11). So, we do not fear God’s wrath as rebels, but
we do fear God’s discipline as sons, a discipline that is loving and designed
to motivate us to pursue Christlikeness and weighty worship.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pastorally, I think many Christians today do love God. They
love His mercy in Jesus. They are grateful for forgiveness of sins. They cling
to His gentleness and His compassion on sinners. To all of this I say praise
the Lord. And, I think many Christians need a healthy pairing of fearing God
with loving God. We should not lose that sense of trembling and being afraid in
the presence of the Almighty, the utterly Holy, the eternally Other, Triune
God. When we lose all sense of fearing God, reverence is thin, worship grows
stale, obedience becomes haphazard, and evangelism devolves into something we
plan to do someday but never get around to. However, when by God’s grace, as
His beloved children, we pursue a rich fear of the Lord, we revere the
Almighty; we worship the One who was, and is, and always will be; we hate sin
and repent quickly by confession and by action; we share the gospel
passionately as we are fully aware of the predicament of man without Christ.
Christian, fear the God who loves you in Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Merrill, Eugene H. “Fear.” In <i>Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology</i>,
Electronic ed., 248–49. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1996.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Ibid.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <i>The
Holy Bible: English Standard Version</i>. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.
For all Bible verses cited.<b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Merrill, Eugene H. “Fear.” In <i>Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology</i>,
Electronic ed., 248–49. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1996.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> “Sinners
in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards, Preached at Enfield on July 8<sup>th</sup>,
1741, accessed on 11/3/2023 at https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/edwards_jonathan/Sermons/Sinners.cfm.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Zacharias
Ursinus, The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism,
trans. G. W. Williard (Cincinnati, OH: Elm Street Printing Company, 1888), 514.
Accessed on 11/3/23 at https://heidelblog.net/2015/11/another-helpful-distinction-filial-versus-servile-fear/.
I do not completely agree with Ursinus who states that servile fear arises from
conviction of sin as juxtaposed with confidence in God’s love. I think sons of
God continue to experience fear arising from conviction of sin, but it is
coupled with a love for God in Jesus by whom our sins are forgiven. I agree
that filial fear hates sin and loves God whereas servile fear hates punishment
only and flees God.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Augustine of Hippo. <i>Augustine of Hippo: Selected Writings, Confessions 9.4</i>.
Edited by John Farina. Translated by Mary T. Clark. The Classics of Western
Spirituality. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1984.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/What%20is%20the%20Fear%20of%20the%20Lord%20and%20How%20Do%20I%20Grow%20In%20It.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Augustine. <i>Confessions 9.4</i>. Farina, 1984.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-61496485155207750502023-11-01T08:28:00.005-04:002023-11-01T08:28:33.023-04:00Fear of the LORD<p> <b>Fear of the LORD, a Study on
Fear from Genesis 42</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNsajMB8iTHV_cvdAyker-lSF6r8N-0aZr8MeL1R_BZY5Y1lu3i82njgZJDPV5WQYl2NWIJR4i2lm8_Sj9bUJolmQb5CYKqJg_pVjKpq1a3XUtnE7dM_XhvfzL88dJtRJmv-LfBWrZUlVJ2MhPzLd9LOm02x3aBRzIipPoR0DmtsVmiPhK-vl39OGm0g/s2048/sam-close-up-1239138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNsajMB8iTHV_cvdAyker-lSF6r8N-0aZr8MeL1R_BZY5Y1lu3i82njgZJDPV5WQYl2NWIJR4i2lm8_Sj9bUJolmQb5CYKqJg_pVjKpq1a3XUtnE7dM_XhvfzL88dJtRJmv-LfBWrZUlVJ2MhPzLd9LOm02x3aBRzIipPoR0DmtsVmiPhK-vl39OGm0g/s320/sam-close-up-1239138.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">There are many things that scare
us. Human beings have all varieties of fears. Some are quite silly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">As a kid, I watched Arachnophobia,
the movie about the fear of spiders. Still makes me jump thinking about them
sneaking onto me when I am sleeping or dropping onto my hand when I turn out
the light.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Maybe you have acrophobia, the
fear of heights. Someone might say they don’t mind the heights, it’s the
falling and hitting the ground that scares them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Others it’s aerophobia,
aquaphobia, or astraphobia, but flying, water, and storms don’t sum up
everyone’s fears.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WERE AFRAID
OF AS A KID?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">In Genesis 42, we dive into the
middle of the epic of Joseph. So far, Joseph has been sold into slavery by his
jealous brothers, and his father Jacob believes him dead because his sons
deceived him. While Judah shipwrecked his life, Joseph was purchased by a
wealthy Egyptian, the captain of the guards. He endured slavery and then
wrongful accusation and imprisonment. Then, Joseph was brought out of prison
into the very presence of Pharaoh, where he interpreted dreams and planned how
to save Egypt from disaster. Pharaoh promoted Joseph to second-in-command, and
Joseph helped Egypt prepare for the famine by storing up grain during the years
of great harvests. Now, the famine has come, and today the brothers will come
to Joseph. We will see the family’s many fears.<o:p></o:p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>Take a few minutes and read
Genesis 42</u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">“<b>But Jacob did not send
Benjamin, Joseph’s brothers, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might
happen to him,” (Genesis 42:4)</b>.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Numerous times in Genesis 42, we
can detect a variety of fears being surfaced in the minds of Jacob, Reuben, and
Joseph’s other brothers.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">From Jacob’s perspective, he sends
his sons in desperation to purchase grain, but he is too afraid to trust them
with Benjamin. When they return, his fear increases and he believes Simeon is
as good as dead and that he might end his life in despair if something were to
happen to Benjamin, too.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">From the brothers’ perspectives,
they go to Egypt at their father’s request to purchase grain, but they are
treated roughly by the governor, accused of being spies, incarcerated for three
days, questioned at length, and then nine of them are released while Simeon
remains in custody. As they made their way back to Jacob, one discovers that
the money they brought found its way back into his sack and their fear reaches
a fever pitch. The Egyptians may think the men cheated them and stole the
grain. Reuben finally begs Jacob to allow him to return to Egypt with Benjamin,
thereby freeing Simeon, but Jacob refuses. Both men show they were terribly
afraid.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">From the family’s perspective,
fear dominates their motives. In fact, we can discern seven different fears in
this chapter. We will consider each fear.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--><u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR OF DYING</u>: “<b>Behold,
I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for
us there, that we may live and not die,” (Genesis 42:2).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Jacob shows us the fear of dying.
The famine has Jacob scared that if they don’t find food, they will starve. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Are you afraid to die? Do you
worry how or when death will come? Maybe disease, maybe a car accident, maybe
something completely unforeseen? Do you fear death?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR FOR LOVED ONES</u>: “<b>But
Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he <u>feared</u>
that harm might happen to him,” (Genesis 42:4).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Jacob’s reluctance to send
Benjamin shows that he is more afraid of unique harm coming to Benjamin that he
is of starving. So, he sends all but Benjamin on the mission to find food.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Do the thoughts of some harm
befalling a loved one keep you up at night? Do you think of numerous ways they
could get hurt, and the thoughts paralyze you?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR OF EXPOSURE</u>: “<b>Then
they said to one another, ‘In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in
that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen.
That is why this distress has come upon us.’ And Reuben answered them, ‘Did I
not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there
comes a reckoning for his blood,’” (Genesis 42:21-22).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">While in custody for three days,
the brothers spoke about their old sins: selling Joseph into slavery. Was their
current plight similar to what Joseph had experienced? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">While in prison, they came to
think their past sins were catching up to them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Their distress, and their
connecting current problems to previous sins, shows that these brothers lived
with guilt and the fear that their past sins would be found out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Is there some secret you keep that
you fear will come to light? Do you feel like a phony and worry that everyone
will soon know? Do you fear being found out?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR OF CALAMITY</u>: “<b>He
said to his brothers, ‘My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of
my sack!’ At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one
another, saying, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’” (Genesis 42:28).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">When the brothers found their
money in their grain sacks, their fears erupted. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Perhaps they would become hunted
men. Perhaps the Egyptians would believe they had cheated them and stolen the
grain. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Not once did they think God, or
God through Joseph, had shown them a kindness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Are you afraid of circumstances?
Is everything about to fall apart? Are you terrified by things that occur
because you know they spell catastrophe for you?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR OF DESPAIR</u>: “<b>And
when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. …
Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. … If
harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring
down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol,” (Genesis 42:35-38).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">When Jacob learns of the bizarre
turn of events in Egypt he is afraid, but not of general calamity, and not of
his previous sins being found out. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">He is afraid that if harm comes to
Benjamin his years left will be filled with despair.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Does tomorrow seem bleak? Do you
believe the best days are long gone? Do you fear living out your days in misery
and hopelessness?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>FEAR OF FAILURE</u>: “<b>Then
Reuben said to his father, ‘Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you.
Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you,’” (Genesis 42:37).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Reuben had made a terrible mistake
years ago. He had sinned against God and against Jacob, his father, by sleeping
with his father’s concubine, Bilhah.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Then, Reuben had failed to save
Joseph. Rather than courageously standing up to his brothers to defend Joseph,
he compromised and encouraged them to cast Joseph into a pit. He agreed to lie
to Jacob, implying that Joseph had been killed by an animal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Now, Reuben has returned with
grain, but failed to bring back Simeon. Faced with another failure, he makes
the rash offer to let Jacob kill Reuben’s sons if he failed again. Such a rash
vow shows what Reuben fears most: failure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Are you afraid of letting others
down? Do you feel like a failure? Are you scared that others see you as never
measuring up?<u><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">EVERYONE’S AFRAID. WE MUST IN
FAITH CHOOSE WHAT (AND WHO) TO FEAR MOST.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">We have identified 6/7 fears in
Genesis 42: (1) fear of dying, (2) fear for loved ones, (3) fear of exposure,
(4) fear of calamity, (5) fear of despair, and (6) fear of failure.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Every one of us can likely relate
to one or two of these fears.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Here’s the seventh fear in Genesis
42, and it hints at how we, by God’s grace, can overcome these lesser fears: “<b>On
the third day Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you will live, for I fear
God,’” (Genesis 42:18).</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Joseph’s bringing the brothers out
of custody on the third day and sending all but one back to their home speaks
to his fear of God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Here is the great cure to lesser
fears – the greatest fear: fear of God Himself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">This reverence is what leads to
other fears finding their right place in our lives.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Solomon taught his son, “<b>The <u>Fear
of the LORD</u> is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One
is insight,” (Proverbs 9:10)</b> because to fear God first, and centrally, is
the first step in the right direction for life. Revering God most begins to put
other fears in their proper place, of far less importance than God and what He
says.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Fear is an emotional response to
danger, the “yikes” or “woah” that makes us want to fight or take flight. By
itself, fear is neither praiseworthy or blameworthy. It is how we respond to
fear and what we allow ourselves to most fear that determines whether ours is
godly or ungodly fear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">For fear to be godly, we must
first centrally FEAR GOD.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Moses Himself learned this when he
interacted with God in the wilderness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Afraid of how Egypt and Israel
would respond to Moses telling Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave, Moses
begged God for help. God commanded Moses to throw his staff on the ground. When
Moses did, the staff became a snake, and Moses ran from it (Exodus 4:3). The
LORD told him to “<b>reach out your hand and take it by the tail,” (Exodus
4:4).</b> Moses did so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Having the fear of God central to
our hearts doesn’t mean we never experience fear of things like snakes, but we
have a more central fear and faith that helps us overcome the lesser fears.
Most was still scared of the snake, but he both loved and feared God more, so
he obeyed and picked up the snake.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Let’s put this claim to the test:
If we fear God most will that help us overcome other fears?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR OF DYING: Solomon said, “<b><u>The
fear of the LORD</u> prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short,”
(Proverbs 10:27).</b> To live by fearing death most is to rob the days of
sweetness, whereas to live each day grateful and reverent and trusting God is
to fill our days with joy and significance. Every day is a gift from the God we
fear and love. Fearing God most lessens fear of dying.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR FOR LOVED ONES: Solomon
added, “<b><u>The fear of the LORD</u> is a fountain of life, that one may turn
away from the snares of death,” (Proverbs 14:27)</b> because when we trust
Jesus and our hope is heaven, not even death can conquer us. In Jesus alone we
have hope beyond death both for ourselves and for those we love. Trust God with
them. Fearing God most lessens fear for loved ones.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR OF CALAMITY: “<b>Better is a
little with <u>the fear of the LORD</u> than great treasure and trouble with
it,” (Proverbs 15:16)</b> because fearing calamity and fearing we will lose
everything happens when we treasure the things of this world most. However,
fearing and trusting God is far better for He owns it all and knows what we
need. Moreover when our hope is in heaven, we see the things of this world as
not too important. Fearing God most lessens fear of calamity.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR OF FAILURE: “<b><u>The fear
of the LORD</u> is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor,”
(Proverbs 15:33).</b> When we fear men and failure most, we crave honor like a god,
and we fear shame. Yet, when we fear God most, trust Jesus, and find our
identity in Christ, we can freely admit we fall short and instead find strength
in Jesus. Fearing God most lessens fear of failure.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR OF DESPAIR: Solomon said, “<b><u>The
fear of the LORD</u> leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied,”
(Proverbs 19:23). </b>When we revere God at the center of our life, trusting
His Son Jesus, we begin to learn of the incredible life we have now and
forever, and our reasons to despair vanish under the light of the gospel.
Fearing God most lessens fear of despair.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">FEAR OF EXPOSURE: Solomon taught,
“<b>By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by <u>the
fear of the LORD</u> one turns away from evil,” (Proverbs 16:6).</b> When we
fear men and our deeds being exposed, we ultimately fear that our sins will be
dragged into the light. But, why not fear God most, confess those sins, and
find forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ? That is freedom from fear of
exposure. Fearing God most lessens fear of exposure.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Jesus Himself taught, “<b>Do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can
destroy both soul and body in hell,” (Matthew 10:28).</b> The biggest fear is
facing the Holy God in our sins when we die. Praise God, though, that fear
leads us to faith in the One who can save us from that day. You see, true fear
of the LORD becomes coupled with love for God by trusting in Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Savior, and finding in Jesus sweet forgiveness of sins, and freedom.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Joseph freed his brothers on the
third day from prison. Moses made sure we knew it was on the third day they
came back out of the pit. I think this was because the Holy Spirit was
preparing for the great third day when Jesus rose from the dead, as Paul pointed
out: “<b>For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
<br />
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Paul taught that the Old Testament
Scriptures pointed forward to a Messiah who would die, and who would rise from
the dead on the third day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">One way God foreshadowed His Son
rising from the dead was by inspiring the biblical authors to make sure we knew
what happened on the third day. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Here in Genesis 42, it’s the third
day when the prisoners are freed from the pit, foreshadowing when the Son would
emerge from the grave on the third day.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">AND, because Jesus died in our place for our sins, was
buried, and rose victoriously on the third day, we can be forgiven of our sins,
have eternal hope, and rightly put all of our fears underneath our reverence
and faith in Jesus. Trust Jesus. Endure by trust in Jesus. Allow Jesus to make
your other fears smaller and smaller. He is that good. Don’t give up.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -.25in;">The Bible invites us to encounter
God in Jesus, and find Him worth both fearing and loving, and therefore
trusting forever to forgive our sins as Savior, and committing to follow Him
forever as Lord. If your life is filled with fears, do you need to see God (again)
in Jesus?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><u>Today, we have seen numerous
people very afraid of things like (1) dying, (2) for loved ones, (3) despair, (4)
calamity, (5) failure, and (6) exposure</u>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">We learned that fear is an
emotional response to fight or flee from danger, the initial “yikes” emotion. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Fear in and of itself, therefore,
is neither praiseworthy or blameworthy, neither good or bad. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">It’s how we respond to that fear,
what we do with that emotion, how big a place we give to that fear, that
determines whether we are acting wisely or foolishly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">The Bible claims that there is a
right ordering of our fears, and that the most important, biggest, and central
fear of our lives should be the fear of the LORD. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Joseph demonstrated the fear of
the LORD when he released his brothers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Moses showed the fear of the LORD
when he picked up a snake by its tail because God told him to. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">In order to rightly order our
fears, we must pursue Christ, and genuinely encountering the Holy and Awesome
God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">As we habitually encounter Jesus,
we add to fear of the LORD a love for God by faith in Christ Jesus. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">When this fear-love is combined,
it has the power to free our hearts from the crippling grip of lesser fears. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Things like being afraid to die or
afraid for our loved ones will still be emotions we experience, but they will
not cripple us. They will find their place bowing underneath our fear and love
for God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Here are three things I want you
to do if you live with crippling fear. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">First, confess it to God and ask
His forgiveness for fearing things more than Him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Second, ask for God’s help as you
pursue fearing God most. If you have never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior,
ask God to help you there first. True fear of the LORD is a fear-love, a
combination of both fearing and loving God by faith in Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">Third, dive into two books of the
Bible to fix your eyes on Jesus and grow in the fear of the LORD: Psalms and
the Gospel of Matthew. As you read (I suggest a chapter from each every day for
a month), ask God to show you what it looks like to rightly fear God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">These three things will launch you
into: (1) deeper obedience, (2) a deeper admiration of God, and (3) a deeper
care for other people. And, as you grow in this fear-love, (4) your other fears
will get smaller and smaller, by His grace. This is a journey, not a one-day
exercise. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and God promises to be with you every
step of the way from your initial time of professing faith in Jesus all the way
until the day you die.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">I want to conclude by praying for
each of you. If you want to speak more about specific fears you have, please
let me know or drop by my office. Your UMT is here to help connect you with
God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p> </o:p></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-62918990278185902052023-02-22T09:17:00.003-05:002023-02-22T09:17:42.893-05:00Redeeming the Food Pantry<p>At <a href="http://redemptionjax.church" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Redemption Church</a> in Jacksonville, FL, where I currently serve as pastor, for several years we had a partnership with a local food pantry that supplied groceries to those in need. This organization excelled at efficiently providing quality food. At least 100 families would monthly receive a lot of quality, fresh produce. However, from an eternal perspective, there was little produced. People receiving food stayed in their cars. They were often warmly greeted, but there was very little interaction. The goal was to put groceries into a trunk, not to get to know people or point them to Jesus. When I came on as pastor, one of the things I wanted to do was to redeem the food pantry. I had two goals: evangelism & discipleship.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>On evangelism, I desired more human interaction. Initially, I began walking down the line of cars, greeting people and inviting them to our church. In a sad and amusing anecdote, several people didn't even know that they were driving through a church parking lot until I told them. It didn't take long before this brief 10s interaction became an opportunity to pray with those who wanted it, and to hand out invite cards. I did this for several months. Many began to seek me out for prayer, or to share praise reports, "Pastor, thank you for praying for my uncle. God healed him." This was wonderful. However, very few people transitioned from receiving groceries to attending church and hearing the gospel. Moreover, few Redemption Church members participated because the schedule placed the distribution during a weekday, when our partner organization could drop off the fresh food. Then, a crisis occurred. The organization's leadership changed, and the new leadership took issue with a pastor praying with people coming to receive food. I was dumbfounded. After trying to come to a compromise, the organization abruptly ended the partnership, concluding that a pastor offering to pray with people at a church was unhelpful for their organization. What shocked and disappointed me, though, did not shock or disappoint God.</p><p>At Redemption Church the elders met and we concluded that meeting the physical needs of people in our area via providing free groceries was still an excellent way to create an opportunity to verbally share the love of Jesus. However, we aimed to redeem how it was done so that more evangelism and more discipleship occurred. We moved the day to a Saturday, so that more volunteers from the church could participate. We did away with the car line and setup a permanent food pantry inside our church. We began serving a simple pancake & sausage breakfast. We trained volunteers to engage people one-on-one. We recruited local partners to help us supply food. We aggressively trained our volunteers to ask, "How can I pray for you?" and then to meticulously record the prayer requests and post them in a prayer room.</p><p>What effects have these changes had on our food pantry? Rather than 30s interactions, we now get about 30 minute interactions. Rather than only me or staff participating, a dozen church members participate. Rather than only giving food, we now give prayer and the gospel. Rather than feeling pressured by an organization not to pray, prayer has become the chief focus. The food pantry is quickly becoming the central outreach ministry of our church, and many have their first interaction with Redemption Church sitting down with pancakes and sausage and having a friendly conversation with a caring Christian. We have seen those who began coming to food pantry join us for Bible study and service, hear the gospel, and begin integrating into Redemption Church.</p><p>We still have a lot to learn about running a food pantry. This year, we made the decision to hire a staff member to focus on increasing this ministry, gaining new partners, and using the ministry to do evangelism & discipleship. However, I am so grateful, now, to God for bringing the former partnership to an end so the food pantry could be redeemed. If you would like to donate to the food pantry, you can give <a href="https://redemptionjax.church/give/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">online</a> or do a canned food drive and drop off donations at the church, located at 2000 Lane Ave S, Jacksonville, FL 32210. Please pray for us as we continue to make much of Jesus through our redeemed food pantry. For more information, please use this <a href="mailto:info@redemptionjax.church" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link </a>to contact the church.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-26098280100991635572023-02-18T09:07:00.002-05:002023-02-18T09:12:20.678-05:00Striving for a Legacy: Farewell Sermon from Thomas Brooks<p>Thomas Brooks as a puritan preacher and a Navy chaplain in the 1600s, serving in London, England for many years. Many of his works are available online for free or very inexpensive. An excellent collection is available here: <a href="https://www.apuritansmind.com/puritan-favorites/thomas-brooks-1608-1680/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thomas Brooks</a>.</p><p>In his farewell sermon, he purposed to leave his congregation with a charge to pursue lasting, godly legacies. That is, individually and corporately, what commitments will leave a lasting impact. Interestingly, a legacy can also be defined as an amount of money or property left to someone in a will (Oxford Languages, "Legacy"). This Puritan Pastor left spiritual property to help his congregation make a lasting impact before they departed from this world.</p><p>What follows are the 27 legacies from Thomas Brooks, preached in 1662. They can be found the "The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks." The italicized words are my own brief commentary.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>1. Secure your interest in Christ; make it your great business, your work, your heaven, to secure your interest in Christ. This is not an age, an hour, for a man to be between fears and hopes, between doubting and believing. <i>How true! Don't go through life unsure of your eternal life. Put forth mental, spiritual, and physical effort to understand salvation, and to ensure you have trusted fully and savingly in Jesus.</i></p><p><i>2. </i>Make Christ and Scripture the only foundation for your souls and faith to build on. <i>Amen. Everyone needs a bedrock or set of core life principles. By default, most of us sort of stumble into them by a combination of relationships, common sense, and TV commercials. Make Scripture the foundation for how you see yourself and the world.</i></p><p>3. In all places and company, be sure to carry your soul preservative with you: go into no place or company, except you carry your soul preservations with you, that is, a holy care and wisdom. <i>Recently, NARCAN (R) nasal spray became an over-the-counter drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. For many, carrying the little spray is a difference between life and death. Christians must treat godly wisdom as vital as carrying NARCAN in all of our choices.</i></p><p>4. Look that all within you rises higher and higher, by oppositions, threatenings and sufferings, that is, that your faith, your love, your courage, your zeal, your resolutions, and magnanimity rises higher by opposition and a spirit of prayer. <i>Difficulty need not defeat the Christian. If it drives us closer to Jesus, He will strengthen us through the trials.</i></p><p>5. Take more pains, and make more conscience of keeping yourselves from sin than suffering; from pollutions and defilements of the day, than from the sufferings of the day. <i>Sometimes at the dinner table we play the silly game "Would You Rather?" and they will be two good or bad choices: Would you rather lose an arm or lose a leg? Would you rather have a house full of marshmellows or potato chips? Here, Brooks asks the Christian to weigh, Would you rather suffer and avoid sin, or sin and avoid suffering? Answer, take the pain and avoid sin!</i></p><p>6. Be still doing or receiving good. This will make your lives comfortable, your deaths happy, and your account glorious, in the great day of our Lord. <i>Serving patiently at church, helping a family member, living generously, caring for your children or your aging parents, walking patiently with someone away from addiction and into faith in Jesus. These things may not feel very important when you are doing them, but they are the kinds of things that will stand out when we stand before Jesus.</i></p><p>7. Set the highest examples and patterns before your face of grace and godliness for your imitation. In the business of faith, set an Abraham before your eyes; in the business of courage, set a Joshua; in the business of uprightness, set a Job; of meekness, a Moses. <i>We need to learn from others who have pursued the same kind of legacy we want to leave, and the Bible shows us both the Perfect Savior, and imperfect men and women who were nonetheless used by God to leave legacies.</i></p><p>8. Hold fast your integrity, and rather let all go that let that go. A man had better let liberty, estate, relations, and life go, than let his integrity go. <i>God, make this true of me! May I be a man, by Your Grace, who does what he says, even if it's not to my immediate advantage.</i></p><p>9. Let not a day pass over your head without calling the whole man to an exact account. <i>Banking app's have made it easy to see where we stand financially. But, where do we stand spiritually? Have we made choices, spoken words, done things that please God? If not, then let us be quick to ask God's forgiveness and grace to repent. If so, then let us be quick to give God the praise for working through us.</i></p><p>10. Labour mightily for a healing spirit. <i>How many families and neighborhoods and communities and cities and countries would be thoroughly blessed if more people worked hard at being the kind of people who lifted others up, who left people better off for their interactions, in short who loved their fellow men and women?</i></p><p>11. Be most in the spiritual exercises of religion. <i>If you listed out every hour of a typical day, what gets your most time? What gets your best time, when you are most awake and focused? For many of us, it's our daily jobs. Yet, what if we structured our schedules in order to give our best times to reading the Bible, to praying, to going expectantly to church, to those public and private exercises of religion? These are the endeavors of those who have experienced forgiveness in Jesus by God's grace, and are thoroughly convinced that God's Word points us to God, Himself, in whom is the greatest joy.</i></p><p>12. Take no truths upon trust, but all upon trial. <i>We try truths first in Scripture and only with Scripture by experience. For without scripture, our experience will be both limited and insufficient to judge whether a truth is eternally true or conveniently true.</i></p><p>13. The lesser and fewer opportunities and advantages you have in public to better and enrich your souls, the more abundantly address your souls to God in private. <i>We all need a closet, a tree, a walking path, a chair, a special place to get alone with God. Jesus had the hills of Galilee and the grove of olive trees. Where's your place to get alone with God?</i></p><p>14. Walk in those ways that are directly cross and contrary to the vain, sinful, and superstitious ways that men of a formal, carnal, lukewarm spirit walk in. <i>Pursuing Christ and the abundant life in Him means tenaciously turning away from many habits both accepted and lauded in common culture. Expect to be thought weird while heartily pursuing the ways of God.</i></p><p>15. Look upon all the things of this world as you will look upon them when you come to die. <i>I wonder what I will want most in my final hours of life on this earth? I highly doubt emails, or blogposts, or text messages, or cars, or houses, or 401k's, or a million other things will be what I ask for. I imagine I will want my wife's hand, my Bible, and someone to pray and sing with me. Maybe I should reevaluate the value I attach to things now.</i></p><p>16. Never put off your conscience with any plea or with any argument that you dare not stand by in the great day of your account. <i>Brooks takes us again to the great day when we stand before Jesus for final judgment. Would we dare try to excuse our sin before Jesus? Of course not! Then, let us not try to excuse our sin today, or logic our way into making our sin excusable. I'm stressed. I'm lonely. It's been a hard week. No one's perfect. We will never say those things to Holy King Jesus, so let's not say them now, even to ourselves, as excuses for our sins.</i></p><p>17. Eye more, mind more, and lay to heart more, the spiritual and eternal workings of God in your souls, than the external providences of God in the world. <i>Many of us want to know if grand world events signal the impending return of Christ. Or at least to try to discern what God is up to. But, far more important is to seek out His will and working inside of me, than outside in the wide world. </i></p><p>18. Look as well on the bright side as on the dark side of the cloud; on the bright side of providence as well as on the dark side of providence. <i>It's almost natural (since humanity's fall into sin) to assume the worst, even of God's ordering of things. That's just the way things are. God is punishing me. Maybe it's time for that church to close. These things may be true. But, to focus ONLY on these things is to focus only on the dark side of God's sovereign work. Guide your heart by intentionally seeing God's good works. Heaven will be different from the way things are. God is growing in me the character of Jesus. Maybe God is about to do something radical in our church, or use us to start a new one with new leadership.</i></p><p>19. Keep up precious thoughts of God under the sourest, sharpest, and severest dispensations of God to you. <i>For many Christians, singing praise and worship music to God has been voicing their faith in the midst of very hard circumstances. Because you love God, when things get very painful, sing.</i></p><p>20. Hold on and hold out in the ways of welldoing, in the want of all outward encouragements, and in the face of all outward discouragements. <i>Sometimes, when Christians are struggling with depression or just feeling blue, I encourage them to come and serve at our church's food pantry. Flipping pancakes, pouring coffee, loading up groceries, meeting new people, praying for those in need, talking about the great sacrifice of Jesus for us - depressed Christians NEED this kind of welldoing for their own sakes.</i></p><p>21. In all your natural, civil, and religious actions, let divine glory still rest on your souls. <i>For whose glory am I working? Ask this question often.</i></p><p>22. Record all special favours, mercies, providences, and experiences. <i>Keeping a journal may be cumbersome, but keeping a record of God's kindnesses shouldn't be tedious. One of the best things my dad left me when he passed away was his devotion book filled with his prayers and praises. I get to hear the ways God carried my father through his life. That's a legacy worth leaving and treasuring.</i></p><p>23. Never enter upon the trial of your estate, but when your hearts are at the best, and in the fittest temper. <i>It's both easy and stupid to suddenly stumble into a trial. We prepare by private and public spiritual disciplines, by keeping away from sins, and by keeping close to Jesus. May God strengthen me with spiritual fitness for the trials that tomorrow may bring.</i></p><p>24. Always make the Scripture, and not yourselves, nor your carnal reason, nor your bare opinion, the judges of your spiritual state and condition. <i>I'm a pretty good person. I have heard that line many times. The problem is when I am my own judge and my own reasoning is the criteria for assessing goodness, all men and women will frequently assess themselves pretty good. We need an unbiased perspective, able to discern our thoughts, and lay open our hearts - that's God's gift to us in Scripture. Let the Bible read you.</i></p><p>25. Make much conscience of making good the terms on which you closed with Christ. <i>When you became a Christian, you committed to follow Jesus as your Lord in addition to believing in Him as your Savior. These aren't two separate commitments. He IS Lord and Savior. I trust Him as Lord and Savior. So, make good on your commitment and keep following Jesus.</i></p><p>26. Walk by no rule but such as you dare die by and stand by in the great day of Jesus Christ. <i>For a third time, the preacher takes us to the final day when we stand individually before Jesus at his second coming. May the principles that govern our lives be the kind of gold that will stand out on that day. May we be rid now of the principles that would be seen as straw and hay on that day.</i></p><p>27. And lastly, sit down and rejoice with fear. <i>For some of us, we need to hear "sit down." Rest in Jesus. Draw near to your Savior, and like Mary, sit at his feet. For some, we especially need to hear "rejoice." Find your happiness centrally in Jesus. Let Him and make Him the central joy of your life. Finally, some of us need the reminder "with fear." May our resting and our rejoicing still be with reverent fear of the Great King.</i></p><p>Download a printable copy here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ODBLRonWnQqKMrInY91h2S73qpl0aKyj/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Print This Post</a></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-16179611176510936542022-12-13T21:54:00.007-05:002022-12-13T21:56:57.823-05:007 Questions About the Birth of Jesus<p style="text-align: left;">Imagine for a moment that you were present the
night that Jesus was born. Perhaps you were a shepherd or a resident of
Bethlehem who heard the baby crying in the night. What do you think you
would’ve thought about the significance of that night? Why was Jesus born?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of the most unique aspects of Christmas is
that Jesus came and was uniquely born to save the world. The uniqueness of His
birth is both mysterious and necessary for our salvation. Tonight, we dive
deeper to understand why Jesus had to be born just the way He was.<o:p></o:p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->How was Jesus uniquely born?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->“conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Our own statement of faith continues vastly
unchanged: “In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy
Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->It is the testimony from the early church to our
modern church that Jesus was conceived supernaturally as the Holy Spirit
implanted God inside Mary’s womb. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Thus Jesus was born of a woman who had not had
any sexual intercourse. He was virgin-born, which apart from God’s supernatural
activity sounds like an oxymoron.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Do the Gospels claim Jesus was virgin born?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->In <b><u>Matthew 1:18</u></b>, the virgin
conception of Jesus in Mary is expressly taught: “<b>Now the birth of Jesus Christ
took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,
before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Notice first the subject: the birth of Jesus. If
this was merely a normal childbirth, why would the gospel writer devote time
and space to this account?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Matthew labors also to show that before they
came together. That is, not only before their wedding day but before they
consummated their marriage. The text is written to take away the argument (that
no doubt circulated) that Mary and Joseph had premarital sex.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The supernatural nature of Jesus’s conception
and birth is made more explicit by the final phrase, “<b>from the Holy Spirit,”</b>
(19). This would not be a “slam dunk” by itself as it could be argued that all
children are a gift from God. But taken with the fact that Matthew is
emphasizing the unique birth of Jesus prior to Mary having sexual intercourse
with Joseph.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Finally, the rest of the account in Matthew only
makes sense if Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary. He aimed to
divorce her quietly. Under Jewish law they were already considered married.
Joseph would only therefore want to “divorce” her if he knew he was NOT the
father.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->In <b><u>Luke 1:34-35</u></b>, Mary herself
shows us that the birth of Jesus was unique because she was a virgin when Jesus
was within her womb: “<b>And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I
am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Mary has already been told by the angel Gabriel
that she will have a son.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Her response only makes sense in light of the
uniqueness of Jesus’s birth. How can this be? Makes no sense as a question if Mary
interpreted the angel’s words to mean: “You will have a son once you are
married to Joseph and you both have children.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The literal Greek behind Mary’s question is, “<b>since
I do not know a man,”</b> (Luke 1:34). This leaves little doubt that Mary knows
where babies come from and that she cannot morally have sexual intercourse yet.
Hence the question, How?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Finally, the angel’s response could have merely
been, “You will marry a godly man named Joseph and with him you will raise the
Messiah.” But it wasn’t. It was, “The Holy Spirit will miraculously cause this
conception without you having any sexual intercourse.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Are there any hints in the Old Testament that
Jesus would be born of a virgin?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u>Genesis 3:15</u>, “I will put enmity
between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he
shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I discussed this in a recent sermon. Genesis
3:15 occurs in the context of Almighty God judging and pronouncing a curse
against Satan for his part in tempting Adam and Eve to sin against God in the
Garden of Eden.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Within the curse against Satan is a promise that
one day the curse will end with (as it says in the KJV) a special child called “<b>her
seed.”</b> This alludes to the unique birth of Jesus because as is clear in
Genesis 5 and subsequent genealogy lists, in a patriarchal society it would
have been expected to say the man’s seed or the man’s offspring. To refer to
the Seed of the Woman subtly hints that this special child would be uniquely
born of a virgin.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u>Micah 5:2-3</u>, “But you, O Bethlehem
Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from
of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when
she who is in labor has given birth.”</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Micah 5:2 clearly refers to the Messiah, as
Matthew attests showing where the Messiah would be born – in Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Therefore, the next verse, making specific
mention of the birth of the Messiah from a woman is another subtle hint that
the Messiah would be virgin-born. If the Messiah was to be born naturally, then
saying, “<b>When she who is in labor has given birth,” </b>would be superfluous
and unnecessary.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u>Isaiah 7:14</u>, “Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.”</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->This is the clearest Old Testament prophecy that
the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Therefore, it is hotly contested by
those who don’t believe the Bible contains miracles performed by the One True
God.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Some argue that the word “virgin” in Hebrew
(Alma) does not necessarily mean “virgin” but just “young woman.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->However, in the Old Testament, the prevalent use
is clearly of a young, unmarried woman (a virgin) such as in Genesis 24:43 and
Abraham’s servant looking for a virgin for his master’s son, Isaac (God led him
to Rebekah).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Some say this must point to Isaiah’s son,
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, and the time when Assyria attacked. This may have been
an initial fulfillment, but the prophecy stretched beyond this initial
fulfillment (as we have seen in the Psalms when the words require one greater
than David to bear their weight).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>v.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Isaiah 7:14 mentions the son will be called
Immanuel, God with us. This is something Isaiah’s son couldn’t fulfill, but
waited for Jesus, born of a virgin.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>vi.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Finally, Matthew confirms that Isaiah 7:14
pointed forward to the virgin born Son of God: “<b>All this took place to
fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’” (<u>Matthew
1:22-23</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>vii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Matthew under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration,
interpreted the greater fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 apply to Jesus who was
miraculously born of the virgin Mary.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Are there any other references to the virgin
birth in the New Testament?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Paul referenced the virgin birth of Jesus in his
letter to the Galatians: “<b>But when the fullness of time had come, God sent
forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under
the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons,” (<u>Galatians 4:4-5</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->When Paul says this long-awaited Son was “<b>born
of woman”</b> he is tying together the expectation of Genesis 3:15 (Seed of the
woman) with the arrival of Jesus. Paul is not wasting space (everyone is “born
of woman”), but showing Jesus is the unique, virgin-born Son of God.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Why does the virgin birth matter, theologically?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->FIRST, the virgin birth is one of the most
contested miracles standing at the front of the New Testament’s first book.
Those who do not believe the Bible contains accurate, historical information on
miracles performed by God fight hard against this incredible and miraculous
event. So, establishing clearly that Jesus was born of a virgin shows not only
that there are miracles, but that there is a miracle-working God.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->SECOND, Jesus being born of a virgin shows that
He is uniquely both fully human and fully divine. The name the prophet and the
angel foretold reveal this: “’<b>They shall call his name Immanuel,’ which
means, God with us,” (<u>Matthew 1:23</u>).</b> How is Jesus “God with us?”
because He is the One born of both God and man, the God-man. He had to be
conceived not of two humans, but by the power of God in a human woman.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The angel Gabriel makes the connection between
Jesus’s being conceived within the virgin Mary and Jesus being the unique
God-Man as God’s Son on earth: “<b>The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will
be called holy – <u>the Son of God</u>,” (<u>Luke 1:35</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Thus, as God’s Son, Jesus is not merely one
treasured by God, but truly the Son of God who is both human (born of Mary) and
divine (conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by Joseph).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->THIRD, Jesus had to be uniquely born NOT in the
lineage of Adam (biologically) so that Adam’s sin was not credited to him, as
Paul made clear in Romans 5:17, “<b>For if, because of one man’s trespass,
death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the
abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the
one man Jesus Christ,” (<u>Romans 5:17</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Jesus had to be born of a virgin so that from
birth, He was holy and completely sinless. He did not have the original sin of
Adam imputed to him because Adam was not his biological great (x a lot)
grandfather.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Instead, Jesus had God for His unmediated
Father, born of a virgin, sinless.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->FOURTH, As the God man, born of a virgin, Jesus was
uniquely able to stand as the mediator between God and man: “<b>Therefore he
had to be made like his brothers in every respect [He was already fully divine,
so He only added humanity to His divinity], so that he might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the
sins of the people,” (<u>Hebrews 2:17</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->e.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Thus, the virgin birth is not small miracle. It
carries the weight of fulfilling the great expectation and hope of the Old
Testament and is the foundation for us and our salvation, when the God-man died
in our place on the cross for our sin as our sinless Savior.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->How do we answer the challenge that Jesus’s
virgin birth was only a myth, like those of Hercules or Alexander the Great?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->In Greek mythology, Hercules was the son of Zeus
(the highest of the gods) and the human woman Alcmene, making him half-god and
half-man or a demigod.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Second, Alexander the Great had numerous myths
around his birth, one of which established him as born from the combination of
the god Ammon and his mother Olympias.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->First, seriously, I would challenge whether
someone has carefully read the accounts of Hercules or Alexander before making
this charge. Like many things, once you read them you go, “wow, these are
nothing like the Bible!”.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Second, Luke especially does NOT write like a
comic-book author, but a historian, laboring hard to give us accurate
historical details such as: <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->WHEN: <b>“In the sixth month” (<u>Luke 1:26</u>)</b>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->WHERE: “<b>a city of Galilee named Nazareth” (<u>Luke
1:26</u>)</b> = an otherwise obscure city.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->WHO: “<b>a virgin betrothed to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary,” (<u>Luke
1:27</u>).</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->WHAT: “<b>How will this be, since I am a
virgin?” (<u>Luke 1:34</u>)</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>v.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->HOW: “<b>The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” (<u>Luke
1:35</u>)</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->e.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Third, the myths about Hercules and about
Alexander the Great were produced after the New Testament gospels. If there is
any resemblance to Alexander’s conception, it was the Greek myth that emulated
the New Testament, not the other way around.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->How can we celebrate Christmas and make much of
the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->First, study the Scriptures so that you
understand and appreciate the unique birth of Jesus. I will publish this to a
blogpost for your reference.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Second, pray and thank God for this incredible
miracle, privately. As we celebrate Christmas well individually in prayer, it will
spill over into the gladness of sharing renewed discovery with those we love.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Third, prioritize coming to our Christmas Eve
Eve service on Fri Dec 23<sup>rd</sup>, and to the special Christmas Day
service on Sun, Dec 25<sup>th</sup> at 10:30a. These will be times to gather and
together celebrate the Lord come to earth to save us from our sins.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Fourth, consider a time set aside on Christmas
Day or on Christmas Eve, to discuss the “WHY” of Christmas with children (your
kids or grandkids).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Maybe it’s as simple as reading the Christmas
story together before you open presents.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Maybe it’s creative, such as having the kids
tell the Nativity story or making a live nativity as a family.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Maybe you go somewhere at night and have an
impromptu worship service like when the angels lit up the sky with their
glorious praise to the Incarnate Son.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Whatever God shows you, take this opportunity to
celebrate the Virgin-Born God-Man, Immanuel.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">What does God want you to adjust this year about
how you celebrate Christmas in order to celebrate Christ?<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Resources:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J. Beitzel. “Virgin Birth of Jesus.” In <i>Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible</i>, 2:2124–26. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Geisler, Norman L. “Virgin Birth of Christ.” In <i>Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics</i>, 759–64. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.</p><p>
</p><div><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The
Apostles’ Creed, written around 300 A.D., https://www.rca.org/about/theology/creeds-and-confessions/the-apostles-creed/.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Baptist Faith and Message 2000, II.B, ‘God the Son,’ https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#ii.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn3">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> https://www.worldhistory.org/article/733/the-life-of-hercules-in-myth--legend/<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/c20e480c3ce6eda2/Documents/7%20Questions%20About%20the%20Birth%20of%20Jesus%20for%20a%20Merry%20Christmas.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://www.pothos.org/content/index322f.html?page=legends-birth<o:p></o:p></p>
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</div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
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</div>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-18939862514052939882022-11-28T19:00:00.008-05:002022-11-28T19:00:48.937-05:00Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices<p>In 1652, Puritan Pastor Thomas Brooks published a wonderful help to Christians striving by God's grace to put sin to death. His work was called <i><a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Precious_Remedies_Against_Satan_s_Device/2pYVAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices</a></i>. It has been treasured by sin-fighting Christians for centuries. In it, he candidly and pastorally helps Christians see the strategies Satan often uses to tempt or lure us into sin. Paul warned the Ephesian Christians, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against <u>the schemes</u> of the devil," (Ephesians 6:11, ESV). The schemes are the devices Satan uses against Christians. Brooks' work aimed to expose those devices and provide remedies or helpful combat strategies against them. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>One of the most consistent strategies of Satan is to show us the bait (or apparent benefits) of sin, and hide the hook (or negative consequences). Like a fish being lured to bite onto a fatal hook, so we are lured to partake of destructive sin. May God empower us, by His grace, by His indwelling Holy Spirit, in Jesus Christ, to NOT bite the hook. We do this by, like Jesus, focusing on God's Word, rather than on the bait or lure to sin.</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" src="https://books.google.com/books?id=2pYVAAAAYAAJ&newbks=0&pg=PA1&output=embed" style="border: 0px;" width="500"></iframe></p><p>Brooks concludes his excellent work with principles to continue to fight sin.</p><p><u>Walk by Rule</u>: “When men throw off the Word, then God throws off them, and then Satan takes them by the hand, and leads them into snares at his pleasure,” (243). Eve added to God's command with her own rule "neither shall you touch it" (Genesis 3:3). We must beware our modern tendency to view "living by God's rules" as restrictive. Obeying Jesus from faith and forgiveness is not only wise, it's the way to a happy life.</p><p><u>Labor for More Heavenly Vision</u>: “It is not the most knowing Christian, but the most wise Christian, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan’s snares,” (244). Too often, we fall into sin when the temporary becomes the center of our focus. When things that fade practically take up more of our time, effort, and desire, sin surely follows.</p><p><u>Make Present Resistance Against Satan’s First Motions</u>: “It is safe to resist, it is dangerous to dispute. Eve disputes, and falls in paradise (Gen. 3); Job resists, and conquers upon the dunghill,” (245). Personally, this has been an immense blessing in putting off the old man. To slowly deliberate is surely to fail because eventually the mind gives what the sinful heart wants. Instead of waiting to resist after reasoning, it is far wiser to resist at the earliest signs of temptation.</p><p><u>Labor to be Filled with the Holy Spirit</u>: “It is not enough that you have the Spirit, but you must be filled with the Spirit, or else Satan, that evil spirit, will be too hard for you,” (245). May we often and urgently ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with power and desire to seek God and to turn away from sin.</p><p><u>Keep Humble</u>: “Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan’s casting, and snares of his spreading; as the low shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of wind, which shake and rend the taller trees,” (246). How wise it is to recognize my own inadequacy. How foolish it is to think that once saved I know longer need God. Few would say this, but practically pride keeps us from leaning on the Lord. Trusting in our own understanding is a sure way to walk into sin.</p><p><u>Keep a Strong, Close, and Constant Watch</u>: “A secure soul is already an ensnared soul. That soul will not watch against temptations, will certainly fall before the power of temptations,” (246). May we always be like sentinels guarding against overt and covert attacks. It's foolish to think that we've "arrived" this side of heaven.</p><p><u>Keep Up Your Communion with God</u>: “A soul high in communion with God may be tempted, but will not easily be conquered. Such a soul will fight it out to the death,” (248). What a joy this is, and at the same time, what a defense against temptation and sin. Our hearts were made to worship. When we are much taken up with worshipping God, we have little appetite left for sin.</p><p><u>Engage Not Satan in Your Strength, But Be Every Day Drawing New Strength from the Lord Jesus</u>: “When the snare is spread, look up to Jesus Christ, who is lifted up in the gospel, as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness, and say to him, Dear Lord! Here is a new snare laid to catch my soul, … Oh! Give me new strength,” (249). Ask any honest, older Christian and they will tell you - temptation doesn't stop. It may come in new flavors. The bait may change, but it doesn't end in this life. For this reason, we daily need Christ and His renewing strength.</p><p><u>Be Much in Prayer</u>: “Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to the devil,” (249-250). It was Paul who described prayer as the always armor: "Praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication," (Ephesians 6:18, ESV). I give this one a hearty amen. Ask God to drive you into frequent and fervent prayer. From there, with God, find the strength to put sin to death.</p><div>I highly recommend <i>Precious Remedies</i> for Christians who want to abide in Jesus, put sin to death, and live happily. A print copy may be purchased here: <a href="https://a.co/d/8kwuKIO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/8kwuKIO</a></div>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-85355685624122010662022-08-04T17:17:00.005-04:002022-08-06T11:41:33.760-04:00What is the Abomination of Desolation?<p> Jesus said some pretty interesting things. He did not mind shocking his audience. After meeting a wealthy, respected, religious seeker, Jesus said, "<b>Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God," (Matthew 19:24).</b> The disciples were so perplexed at this statement they asked in astonishment, "<b>Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:25). </b>Earlier, when some kind friends brought a crippled man to Jesus, Jesus looked at the man and declared, "<b>Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven," (Matthew 9:2). </b>The religious leaders murmured, "<b>This man is blaspheming," (Matthew 9:3).</b> Suffice to say that Jesus does not mind saying some things that are at least interesting and sometimes perplexing.</p><p>So, what does Jesus mean when He says, "<b>When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains," (Matthew 24:15-16)</b>?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>First, let's look to the context of Matthew 24. Jesus is leaving the temple for the last time. He will not return until His second coming to judge the living and the dead and to establish the new heavens and new earth. By then, the temple will be destroyed. As Jesus is leaving, the disciples point out the beautiful architecture. Jesus responds, "<b>You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down," (Matthew 24:2).</b> That's like someone touring Washington, D.C. with a renowned teacher who looks at the white house and says, "Soon, not one brick will be left unbroken." What, Jesus? It's little wonder the disciples quickly asked, "<b>Tell us, when will these things be?" (Matthew 9:3).</b> So, the context for Jesus's curious statement about the abomination of desolation is answering His disciples' question about when the temple would be destroyed.</p><p>Now, it's time for some history. Nero was adopted by the Emperor, Claudius, when Claudius married his mother, Agrippina after Nero's father died. When Nero came to power, his mother used her influence to reign through her son, but Nero soon had her executed. He would also later kill his wife, Octavia. As emperor, Nero left much of the ruling of the Roman empire to prefects of the Praetorian Guard, like Afranius Burrus and to capable senators like Seneca. However, after Burrus' death, Nero ruled more directly and proclaimed himself the savior of the world. In 64 A.D., a fire burned much of Rome, and Nero needed someone to blame, so he chose to blame the fire on Christians. It is likely that both Peter and Paul were executed in the widespread persecution that followed Nero's false claims of Christian arson. Elsewhere in 66 A.D., a revolt erupted in Caesarea (which included Judea). Nero sent general Vespasian to end the revolt. Before the revolt could be fully dealt with, however, Emperor Nero's ego was badly bruised by opposition from district governors. In 68 A.D., Emperor Nero committed suicide. Meanwhile, Vespasian was successfully leading the Roman army against the revolutionaries. Vespasian left the army in the hands of his capable son, Titus, and returned to Rome to seize control. He was appointed emperor in 69 A.D. and ruled for 10 years. With the army under his control, Titus led the Roman army to completely subdue the revolt in Palestine. On September 26, 70 A.D., Rome invaded Jerusalem, killed thousands of Jews, and burned the Temple of Jerusalem so that it was completely destroyed. Later in Rome, the Arch of Titus was built to show off the victory (<i>Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible</i>, 1:392-397). The awful and terrifying destruction of Jerusalem was painted by Francesco Hayez in 1867.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVnAsqqdfgHtGSg6O_ZRL2YfhY5VLcukbSj03Jb_P6dOzNTbwCZEa-uDPtAQj-XwCODD2yZ0x28cXC6O85-v8aKbbH2M8KJIXKHsOPyO5bAcrviBrG8S7ejFKOkJj29tWNJtVAVGGIzQ3PaQdtSrveG9GsPEqQlNpE1tzYSsm-rle6l2MA0cD9w7v0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="461" data-original-width="624" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVnAsqqdfgHtGSg6O_ZRL2YfhY5VLcukbSj03Jb_P6dOzNTbwCZEa-uDPtAQj-XwCODD2yZ0x28cXC6O85-v8aKbbH2M8KJIXKHsOPyO5bAcrviBrG8S7ejFKOkJj29tWNJtVAVGGIzQ3PaQdtSrveG9GsPEqQlNpE1tzYSsm-rle6l2MA0cD9w7v0=w640-h472" title="Francesco Hayez, "The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem," 1867." width="640" /></a></div><br />So, let's review. We know at this point that in the context Jesus is teaching the disciples about when the temple would be destroyed. We also now know that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome in 70 A.D. Jesus was in part warning the disciples (and later Christians) to be ready to flee to the mountains when Rome invaded Palestine. In fact, that's exactly the way the passage reads in the Gospel of Luke, tailored to a more Gentile audience: "<b>When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains," (Luke 21:20-21). </b>Jesus was helping Christians know when to run for their lives!<p></p><p>But there's more to Jesus's phrase, "<b>the abomination of desolation" </b>in Matthew 24:15. Jesus next mentioned that this idea was "<b>spoken of by the prophet Daniel."</b> The Old Testament prophet, Daniel, was a Jewish exile who lived through an incredible time in Jewish history. He was taken captive by the Babylonians when they invaded Jerusalem. The Babylonians eventually destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Daniel was appointed as an advisor to the king and rose through the ranks to be one of Nebuchadnezzar's most trusted advisors and wise men. Daniel was used by God to prophesy three times about future terribly pagan things that would happen to the temple in Jerusalem. Now, before these things could occur, the temple would have to be rebuilt by those exiles who returned to Jerusalem (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). In Daniel 9:27, he revealed that "<b>on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate,"</b> and then in Daniel 11:31, "<b>Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate," </b>and finally in Daniel 12:11 he speaks again of the end of the burnt offering and the abomination that makes desolate. These are likely the verses to which Jesus referred. But, I get it, at this point you're like, "But what in the world is Daniel talking about?" Stay with me! </p><p>Daniel was used by God to prophesy about kingdoms to come. After Babylon would come Persia. After Persia would come Greece. After Greece would come Rome. So precise were Daniel's prophesies that many have claimed he had to have lived as late at shortly before Rome's arrival in 63 A.D. Why? Because (they think) no prophesy is that good! But, a prophet is only as good as the God for whom He speaks, and Daniel spoke for the Lord Almighty. So this prophet was that good!</p><p>We know that after Alexander the Great conquered a vast territory to establish the Greek empire, the young conqueror suddenly died and his territories were divided amongst his generals: Seleucus in the east, Ptolemy to the south in Egypt and Antigonus, Cassander and Lysimachus in the north. For our purposes Ptolemy and Seleucus matter most. Jerusalem oscillated from being controlled by the Ptolemies to being controlled by the Selucids. By 167 B.C., the Seleucids controlled Jerusalem, and the fourth ruler, Antiochus IV (nicknamed Ephiphanes) came to power. Antiochus was hated by the Jews because he pushed Greek culture on them heavily. Tensions reached a head when Antiochus set up a pagan image to Zeus in the temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar. Shortly afterwards, the Jews revolted, led by an old priest (Mattathias) and his sons. One of those sons, Judas was given the nickname "the hammer" or Maccabee. Thus, the Maccabean revolt succeeded in retaking the temple in Jerusalem in 164 B.C. and the temple had to be thoroughly cleansed (<i>ESV Study Bible</i>, Notes on Daniel, 1604-1618).</p><p>Is a little daylight starting to creep in? The phrases in Daniel initially point to a wicked and ungodly ruler, like Antiochus IV who so profaned God's holy place (the temple with a pig sacrificed on the altar) that God's holy people had to vacate and could not use the temple to worship. Jesus co-opts the phrase to point to another time when God's holy place would be profaned such that God and His people could not worship Him from Jerusalem.</p><p>So what profaning of the temple occurred shortly before the Roman armies arrived that signaled to the Christians in Jerusalem it was time to flee? This is actually rather difficult to say for sure. It may be that this specific fulfillment happened when zealots profaned the temple in A.D. 67-68, shortly before the fall of Jerusalem, but this is uncertain. However, it is clear that Jesus was compassionately warning Christians to be ready to flee when the temple was again profaned shortly before the Roman armies arrived. Thus, <b>"the abomination of desolation"</b> is a phrase that means a terrible pagan defiling of God's holy place shortly before God's people are attacked. One writer helpfully put it like this, "the enigmatic phrase symbolized an appalling and complete devastation of the sanctity of the temple," (<i>Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, </i>1:10-11).</p><p>Why does this matter? Well let's go back to the disciples' initial question and read the whole verse: "<b>Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" (Matthew 24:3). </b>They thought they asked one question: When will the temple be destroyed / you return / the end be? We know that the end did not occur in 70 A.D., so not all of Jesus's words in Matthew 24 have been fulfilled. We await His return when "<b>as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man," (Matthew 4:27).</b> Understanding tough phrases like "<b>the abomination of desolation"</b> matters because we want to be ready for His return, and one way we are ready is to learn from Jesus. What happened in 70 A.D. was not the total fulfillment of Jesus's words. Christians should expect an extremely heightened time of pagan, blasphemous activity before the imminent return of Jesus. </p><p>So, Christian study on, pray on, and prepare yourself for when many will mock God.</p><p><br /></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-7859190405506075582022-04-22T09:36:00.004-04:002022-04-22T09:36:35.457-04:00Psalms and Prayers - A Family-Equipping Wednesday Night Model<p>What does your church do to draw closer to God as a family on Wednesday nights? I grew up in Baptist churches, and for as long as I can remember, Wednesday nights have gone something like this:</p><p>- Maybe a dinner for those who can get to church early enough</p><p>- A kids program, like AWANA (or going way back, RA's or GA's)</p><p>- Adult Bible studies or a prayer meeting</p><p>- Youth group activities.</p><p>I am not criticizing the wonderful work done through programs like these. Praise God for corporate prayer and focused Bible studies. Praise God for good children's and youth programs in which children and youth are helped to understand that God loves them from the Bible. AND, for us at Redemption Church, we came to realize that the programs were dividing us a little too much.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>By God's grace and kindness, I serve as the lead pastor of a wonderful church family called "Redemption Church" in Jacksonville, FL (<a href="http://redemptionjax.church">redemptionjax.church</a>). Wednesday nights used to be exactly as I described: about 3 hours of time including dinners and programs. After the pandemic, the dinner time was dropped. We are a smaller church (but not small), with on average about 30 people (including kids and youth) coming on Wednesday nights. This meant there would be a volunteer over nursery with 2-4 toddlers, a kids volunteer with 6-8 elementary-aged kids, a youth volunteer with 1-3 teenagers, and a pastor leading a prayer time or Bible study with the adults (typically 8-12 adults). Many Wednesday nights, the nursery, kids, and youth volunteers barely saw the rest of the church family. They did their programs in a separate building. This meant that these volunteers felt isolated from the church family. Moreover, these were often the same volunteers who worked in children's Sunday school on Sunday mornings. Families, too, felt divided. The kids went one way, the youth another, while the parents had another separated time (our church already separates during the Bible study hour on Sunday mornings).</p><p>So, we decided to try a different model (if that's the right word) for Wednesday nights. I'm pretty lousy with names, but we call it "Psalms and Prayer." The evening runs from 6:00 - 7:00p and we have been doing it for approximately 20 Wednesday nights now. Here's the basic schedule:</p><p>- 6:00-6:30p = Together Time. During this time, we meet all together in our Fellowship Hall. We learn to sing songs that are classics of the Christian faith. We do questions and answers from basic catechism questions. We focus on 1-3 verses of a song and try to learn one key point. The main difference is we are all together, from nursery to senior adults. We often include an activity (but not full on youth game). Soon, I will post the lesson plans for anyone who would like to see more.</p><p>- 6:30-7:00p = Focused Time. After together time, we split up into our separate groups: nursery, kids, youth, and adults. This 30-minute focus time allows for some focused, age-appropriate application. The adults take a closer look at the Psalm being studied and use the words to guide our prayer time. </p><p>Because each time segment is only 30 minutes, it moves quickly. Volunteers have not burned out.</p><p>Having 30 minutes of together time allows us to feel like a church family, and the children get to see and to hear adults learning the Christian faith.</p><p>We are using the <a href="https://graceandtruthbooks.com/product/truth-and-grace-memory-book-set-all-3-volumes/" target="_blank">Truth and Grace</a> memory books for the children, and John Piper's adaptation of the <a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism" target="_blank">1689 Baptist Catechism</a> for the adults.</p><p>This is by no means a "perfect" model, but for our church, it is working to rejuvenate Wednesday nights. Parents don't merely "drop-off" their kids and duck out. They are included because we are all together for the first 30 minutes. The adults, especially the senior adults, enjoy having the children and the energy during that first half hour. The volunteers are only committing to 30 minutes instead of about an hour and a half. We are learning to read our Bibles, to apply Christian theology, and to pray as a church family. While the model is far from perfect, it is helping us as a church family grow closer to God. Please feel free to ask questions. I would be quick to say we have not got everything figured out. And, God's word and Christian fellowship is what makes the time special, not the model. </p><p>May God use these words to provide good midweek discipleship in His church.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-42390779752381357022022-02-01T12:39:00.004-05:002022-02-01T12:48:48.604-05:0040 Best Books<p>Recently, a friend challenged me with a question - what are the 30 best books you would recommend for a pastor? I started thinking about those resources that God has used to particularly bless my life, marriage, walk with Jesus, preaching and teaching, compassion for others, and personal holiness. </p><p>Here are the 40 books I came up with, and may they bless you: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XoYtOVnkp2_9fvoNnqbFtN2NSnvkNtga6xCBP2JsKFg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">40 Best Books</a>.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-8715396953984308242021-07-11T21:00:00.000-04:002021-07-11T21:00:01.883-04:00Teaching the Kids to Navigate Life God's Way<p> Life presents many challenging situations. Like a fork on a hiking trail, a difficult choice can be navigated one of two ways - God's way or some other way. Learning how to navigate life God's way is so vital, God gave us an entire book of the Bible to reveal such wisdom. The book is Proverbs. Solomon was the main contributor, as God's Holy Spirit inspired him.</p><p>If you would like to teach your children how to navigate tough choices in the areas of love, childhood, money, words, work, and the heart, then use this family devotion series to have important Bible studies with your kids. Each study should take about 10-15 minutes. Each night, we sang "Proverbs 3:5-6" by the Rizers (see video below), and listened to half of an <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/65-Expect-Unexpected-Adventures-Odyssey/dp/B07GXDT35N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=adventures+in+odyssey+expect+the+unexpected&qid=1626051368&s=dmusic&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Adventures in Odyssey episode</a>.</p><p>Link for Devotional Guide: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mOeBOlaHIWhBGS5aQCr_YM4SxXeSCcZs/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Navigating Life God's Way" - A Family Devotion Series from Proverbs<span></span></a></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FUR1ufexry0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Each lesson included a few proverbs and some brief discussion on what that proverb means for making difficult choices God's way. Some nights, we probably went a bit too long. The nights when things were brief and practical went best for our family of five.</div><div><br /></div><div>May God bless you and your family as you explore Proverbs together. </div><div><br /></div><div>Link for Devotional Guide: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mOeBOlaHIWhBGS5aQCr_YM4SxXeSCcZs/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Navigating Life God's Way" - A Family Devotion Series from Proverbs</a></div>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-13666435732476295982021-07-03T08:11:00.005-04:002021-07-03T08:11:43.330-04:00A Question of Authority<p>How should Christians respond to evil generally and specifically? Jesus encountered evil men intent on publicly shaming him. What did He do? How did Jesus navigate that conversation? Today, Christians can learn a lot from Christ how to deal with real evil. And this is a necessary subject because evil persists until Christ returns. Whether considering the happenings in the United States or from countries around the world, Christians must first acknowledge Jesus as the second Person of the Trinity; and second, Christians must learn from Jesus how to navigate conversations with evil people.</p><p>For the full sermon, "A Question on Authority" from Mark 11:27-33, click <a href="https://pilgrimsnsojourners.blogspot.com/p/videos.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-40791327792276244282021-05-24T21:15:00.004-04:002021-05-24T21:18:07.421-04:00Pilgrim Songs: A Family Devotion on Worship from the Psalms of Ascent<p>The Psalms of Ascent (120-134) contain rich imagery and powerful notes as we are led to praise God through a variety of life situations. What does it look like to trust God with our anger? How can a life be truly blessed and built to last? When is a family happy? Where does God treasure most of all places on this earth? How can we worship as we go through life's journey?</p><p>These songs explore these questions and many more. Like the pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem, this devotion series helps parents take their children through what it means to worship God in various aspects of life. The series can be accessed <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vdyak2_4zlnY_Fg5PZ6cQ9YAYy9Q9Fna/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>There are 15 family devotions that cover numerous rich topics. Each devotion is designed to last about 15 minutes. Our family used the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07TSCRDBC/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r" target="_blank">Pilgrim's Progress</a> movie. We also used the Seeds Family Worship song on Psalm 62 (see below):</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RvUQSFLUFRY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>The main idea of this devotion series is this: Just as travelers to Jerusalem worshiped God along the way, we can learn to worship God as we journey.</p><p>Here's a brief summary of the 15 devotions:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>120 = God saves us from the City of Destruction</li><li>121 = God watches over us</li><li>122 = God grants us true peace in Jesus Christ</li><li>123 = We should watch (wait) for God</li><li>124 = God helps us like rescuing a trapped bird</li><li>125 = God removes wicked rulers</li><li>126 = God restores us, so take 1 day @ a time</li><li>127 = God gives children as gifts, like arrows to fly</li><li>128 = God gives those who fear Him happy work, homes, cities, and futures</li><li>129 = God gives perfect vengeance, so trust Him with our anger</li><li>130 = God wants us to trust Him to forgive and redeem us, so we should wait for him like a night guard waits for sunrise.</li><li>131 = God calms us if we will trust Him and not be proud</li><li>132 = God promised to make David a dynasty when David offered to make God a house and one day we will sing joyfully to God forever</li><li>133 = God gives us the gift of family, so we should show kindness to one another</li><li>134 = May God make us truly happy from Jerusalem</li></ol><div>The Pilgrim Songs devotion series can be accessed <a href="The series can be accessed HERE." target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div><p></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-44040348710193801972021-04-21T20:47:00.003-04:002021-04-21T20:47:27.203-04:00Psalm 125, a Reed Family Devotion<p>Have you ever tried to lead your family in a meaningful, spiritual, not-pull-your-hair-out, devotion time? Megan and I both have tried many times, and had numerous mishaps, with a few epic fails. And, we have had some successes (still mixed with some funny not-so-amazing moments). </p><p>Here is a family devotion we had on Wednesday, April 21st. <a href="https://youtu.be/gd5ej39Lv4g">https://youtu.be/gd5ej39Lv4g</a>. </p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gd5ej39Lv4g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>From Psalm 125, How Does a Christian Endure Wicked Government? This family devotion included singing, talking about good rulers versus bad rulers, learning to trust God and not be afraid, and a unique game of UNO.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-56433801967068247782021-04-11T15:34:00.005-04:002021-04-11T15:41:26.138-04:00Resurrection for Real - A Devotion from 1 Corinthians 15<p>There are many incredible stories that capture our imagination: a young boy discovers he is a wizard, a simple man learns the ring his uncle gave him has terrifying magical powers, a boy gets bitten by a spider and becomes a superhero, and a girl gets on a spaceship only to find out that she will become a Jedi. Can you name these stories?</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>In reverse order, they were: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.<p></p><p>But, while these stories capture our minds and hearts, they lack something powerful - they lack historical reality. They did not happen. Sure, Disney and Universal Studios have made a lot of money giving people the illusion that they are in the story, but after you leave Disney world, you must face the reality that Star Wars isn't real. Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mOV9jA7JBQV9Gzqrcsp9MH8W5KnEXu2f/view?usp=sharing">HERE </a>for a devotion on something that REALLY happened.</p><p>What if there was an incredible, impossible even, story that turned out to be true? That's the great secret of Christianity. The most incredible story imaginable IS true. God lived as a man, and then died, and then actually rose from the dead!</p><p>The resurrection of Jesus is THE central fact of Christianity. While the cross could be the great symbol of Christianity, the historical fact that makes Christianity real is that Jesus left a tomb on a Sunday morning about 2,000 years ago. This fact is so important, Paul says all of Christianity either lives or dies with this great truth.</p><p>Take a week and slowly look at 1 Corinthians 15 to explore <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mOV9jA7JBQV9Gzqrcsp9MH8W5KnEXu2f/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Resurrection for Real"</a>, a devotion series. This is designed to be done with a family, but can be done in any group. Our kids really enjoyed both the "Fact or Fiction" game each night, and the song "Jesus is Alive" by Yancy (see below).</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N29pfecIiYE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-31235493691552437042021-04-02T08:13:00.002-04:002021-04-02T08:13:17.685-04:00"Be Not Far From Me" - A Devotion from Psalm 22<p>"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Do you know who said that? If you said, "Jesus" you would be right. If you said, "David" you would also be correct. If you said, "me" then God bless you and keep you through your dark days.</p><p>One of the best things about the Bible is that it presents life as raw and real. The Bible does not ignore pain, suffering or evil. In fact, Jesus Himself experiences pain, suffering, and agony to the utmost - and it is not pointless! Today is called 'Good Friday' because today is when Christians particularly celebrate the Friday about 2,000 years ago when Jesus died an excruciatingly painful death on a Roman cross. He did this to forgive our sins. It was not a good day for Jesus (in one sense), but it is a wonderful day for anyone who believes in Jesus. Click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aNScqHC4R09Vo3Cm6y4B_rTXTwmkKHGn/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a> for a devotion.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>As Jesus hung on the cross, he cried out with words to express pain and abandonment to God, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). These were words penned by King David, probably before he was king, and maybe when he was on the run from Saul (see Psalm 22:1). Jesus adopted David's song & prayer to express his own agony of faith. It was agony ("forsaken") of faith ("My God"). Christians are not immune to pain and suffering, and Jesus was not immune to pain and suffering. Jesus suffered the physical and emotional torture of the cross and of feeling abandoned, AND of experiencing God's wrath against sin - all for us! Praise be to God. Today, Christians should worship Jesus and learn from Him. We too need a language to express our pain and suffering in faith to God. </p><p>So, Jesus the Savior was still Jesus the Teacher as He showed us how to deal with pain and suffering in faith. We take that pain to God. For many of us, the hardest step in dealing with suffering is to turn from looking only at the pain, or only at ourselves, towards God in prayer. We do not know how long David suffered before he prayed these words. We know that Jesus hung on the cross for approximately 6 hours (from around 9a to 3p), and that around noon he cried these words as an agonized prayer to God. Christian, the beginning of change occurs when you turn from only looking at the painful circumstance to talking about the pain with God.</p><p>On this Good Friday, I encourage you to take your pain to God. He knows more than you can imagine what pain and suffering feels like (look at Jesus on the cross). And, Christian parent, teach your children to take their hard feelings to God in faith. Help them understand that God does not punish the honest and hurting believer. One way to teach your children about expressing pain and suffering to God is by studying the Psalm Jesus quoted. Psalm 22 is a treasure of Christian theology, and Christian practice. David's song teaches us that the Messiah will be insulted and pierced, hands and feet; but that God will be praised for His salvation among all the nations. As you read through Psalm 22 with your children, help them see the wonder of the cross. </p><p>In our family, we sang Chris Tomlin's Wonderful Cross each night:</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/oaO3XOI8P6w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p>Our family devotion time through Psalm 22 was called <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aNScqHC4R09Vo3Cm6y4B_rTXTwmkKHGn/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Be Not Far From Me"</a> from Psalm 22:11. May God help you admire Jesus, and turn to Him with your hardest feelings. May your genuine turning model for your children the kind of raw faith that David was blessed with. And, may God raise up a generation of Christians who wrestle out their hardest days with God.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-55668079829032461962021-03-26T07:35:00.005-04:002021-03-26T07:35:54.097-04:00Why the Gospel?<p>Why does God proclaim the gospel to mankind? What is the goal of the gospel?</p><p>In God's kindness, He reveals His plans and works to us in 66 books that we call the Bible. This compilation has a central, unified story: God rescuing a people for Himself forever. How God rescues His people (and from what) is the climax or good news of the story. In a word, God's rescue plan is the gospel.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>In Greg Gilbert's very helpful book, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1433515008/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GB8ZVM9VEXHV524WFMHV" target="_blank">"What is the Gospel?"</a>, the gospel is summarized helpfully with four words: God, Man, Christ, Response. Here's a brief glance at the gospel's overall content.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>God</i> - In the beginning, God created everything for His glory. God owns all things, including all people. He determines not only what exists but why it exists. He determined that humanity should exist to worship Him and to glorify Him forever. As humans worship God, God is glorified and humans are happy. In the beginning, this was so and it was very good.<br /><br /></li><li><i>Man</i> - God made mankind (male and female) in His image. This means He made us to image His good character to the world, to fill the world with other image bearers and to have dominion as managers over His creation. As mankind worships God, fills the world, and exercises godly reign, everyone and everything is blessed. However, no one followed God's plan perfectly. We all turned away, rebelled, sinned, and worshiped something less than God. As the supreme King, God would punish such rebellion soundly and justly forever.<br /><br /></li><li><i>Christ </i>- God is not only the just King, but the gracious God. He will punish evil fully, and He loves mankind that rebelled against Him. So, God decided to send His Son, Jesus (who is fully God and fully man), to live the perfect life every human before and after Him failed to live. Jesus never sinned in any way, and perfectly worshiped God in all ways. Then, Jesus took the punishment for our sins on Himself. Such punishment was portrayed by a brutal death on a Roman cross, a horrible method of execution. On a Friday many years ago, Jesus died. Then, on the following Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead, fully alive again. After appearing to hundreds of people to confirm His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven where He now rules next to His Father until one day He comes back to fully establish God's rule on earth. <br /><br /></li><li><i>Response </i>- That's good news, but now it must become my good news and your good news. For the gospel to be good news to an individual, one must respond. The Bible tells us to receive this good news by admitting that we have indeed sinned and rebelled against God. Next, we believe or trust in Jesus alone to forgive us of our sins as our Savior. Finally, we commit to follow Jesus alone as the Lord of our lives.</li></ul><div>The gospel is the good news that God rescues rebellious humans, like you and me, by sending Jesus to die for us. By faith in Jesus I can be forgiven and live with God forever. Praise God for such good news.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, all of that is necessary back-story for the question of this post: Why the Gospel?</div><div><br /></div><div>Paul wrote the letter to the church(es) in Rome to share the gospel he had received, as he states clearly:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Paul claimed to have been set apart for "the gospel of God - the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord," (Romans 1:1-4).</li><li>Paul concludes this letter in much the same way, referring to the gospel he received, "Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ," (Romans 16:25).</li></ul><div>Romans might be one of the clearest and most thorough explanations of the gospel in the Bible, because Paul had not yet been to Rome in person to explain the good news. He therefore wrote this letter to explain God's rescue plan to Rome. Suppose we were to ask Paul, "What's the goal of the gospel as you understand it?" How would Paul reply? Let's look at the beginning and end of Romans for a phrase that explains why the Gospel.</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Through him [Jesus] we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles <i>to the obedience that comes from faith</i> for his name's sake," (Romans 1:5, emphasis added).</li><li>The message about Jesus "now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to <i>the obedience that comes from faith</i> - to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!" (Romans 16:26-27, emphasis added).</li></ul><div>You may have thought, "the purpose of the Gospel is the same as God's purpose in creation - to get glory for His Name from everyone, everywhere, forever." And, A+ for you, that's correct. However, suppose I pressed with the question, "What change does Paul expect the gospel to produce so that God is forever glorified by His people?" how would you respond? That is the purpose I think many of us miss.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>You see, the gospel is good news to sinners because it is NOT a list of things we must do to get back into God's good graces. Instead, it is a story of what God has done to rescue us from our impossible situation. That is good news. Because the gospel is a story of grace and not of works (as many could rightly point out in Romans 1-4), I have heard many pitting any kind of human effort against the gospel.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, Paul's purpose statements show us that the gospel is good news to forgive AND to transform sinners. Paul said the purpose was to bring about "the obedience that comes from faith" (Romans 1:5, 16:26). This means "the obedience which springs from faith" (see Leon Morris, Pillar Commentary on Romans). The purpose of this good news is that all people (even Gentiles like me who are not born part of the Jewish people), might come to trust God and from that faith be transformed to obey God by God's power for God's glory. Kevin DeYoung has called this transformation faith-fueled obedience.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a very broad sketch of Romans in reverse to help us see how Paul fleshes out this purpose of the gospel:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The goal of the Gospel is that we be transformed by renewed minds and hearts to actually worship God from the heart and obey Him in all areas of life (Romans 12-16).</li><li>God has not forgotten His promise to the Jews, but has chosen people from among all nations to hear and to receive the good news and live out a life submitted to Christ's lordship (Romans 9-11).</li><li>God sent His Holy Spirit to indwell His people to empower us to actually follow God's ways, living a life of worship and obedience (Romans 8).</li><li>God's Holy Spirit is necessary in us because apart from Him, we all live as if we are still slaves to sin, doing the wrong things we don't even really want to do because we are so accustomed to disobeying God (Romans 6-7).</li><li>God sent Jesus to achieve a perfect righteousness for us by His death and resurrection so that we can be declared right and so that God's Spirit can come to live in us (Romans 3-5).</li><li>We all needed God to send Jesus because none of us were righteous, having chosen to worship creation rather than Creator, and falling short of the laws God gave (Romans 1-3).</li></ul><div>Christian, you were saved to depend on God (Father, Son, and Spirit), to follow Jesus as Lord, obeying Him from faith. Think of it the way Max Lucado has often said, "God loves you just the way you are. And God loves you too much to leave you that way." When you become a Christian you are being forgiven by God's grace AND you are signing up for a life of being transformed by God's grace. That transforming grace is most directly expressed by God sending His Holy Spirit to indwell His people so that they may obey God. The gospel is NOT against effort; the gospel is against effort independent of God for one's own glory. Paul preached the gospel so that Gentiles came to believe Jesus, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to begin the journey of obeying God by trusting God.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Truly the old song is helpful, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."</div><p></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-25436617780248516542021-03-24T21:09:00.002-04:002021-03-24T21:09:59.325-04:00Talking About God - A Family Devotion Series from Psalm 105<p>How do we talk to people about God? Why is it important? Psalm 105 helps us sing to remember the many ways God made promises and kept promises to Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. Specifically, God did amazing things to give the Israelites the land He promised.</p><p>To access the "Talking About God" family devotion series on Psalm 105, click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19s0AaR_BIqFSHWWbIgwNN6HTp-dwhvDm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>In this family devotion series, you will work a little each day through Psalm 105, recalling God's miraculous works in the lives of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. The whole family will learn:</p><p>- To trust God because He always keeps His promises</p><p>- To be patient with God's timing when we do not feel He is working quickly</p><p>- To speak regularly about the amazing things God has done</p><p>In learning Psalm 105, your family will get a survey of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Parents should review the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses to be ready to summarize God's dealings with them. </p><p>Each night, families are encouraged to watch and sing along to the YouTube video from the Rizers, helping kids memorize <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUR1ufexry0" target="_blank">Proverbs 3:5-6</a>.</p><p><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FUR1ufexry0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>To access the "Talking About God" family devotion series on Psalm 105, click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19s0AaR_BIqFSHWWbIgwNN6HTp-dwhvDm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p><p>Please feel free to use this series to bless your family. Merely cite the blog.</p><p><br /></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-32654760151714648692021-03-12T18:49:00.001-05:002021-03-12T18:49:26.627-05:00The God of Wow - A Family Devotion Series from Psalm 104<p>It can be exciting and frightening as a parent to try to lead your family in a devotion time. Despite the apprehension, it is thoroughly worthwhile to forge this habit into your family life.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKURfvI5amaE8fTXOTzv_R6SAsiBDCODJYf-KD-RZebsJvoAQR4JTc3nfSZVIWkb_D3Z2SgDmpRL56s80-Fy0artRORBGdcB6vNFmlkgaMACFjZxMf7vUICPQFzSz0Vzhf0InxxK0VQfs/s6000/IMG_0756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKURfvI5amaE8fTXOTzv_R6SAsiBDCODJYf-KD-RZebsJvoAQR4JTc3nfSZVIWkb_D3Z2SgDmpRL56s80-Fy0artRORBGdcB6vNFmlkgaMACFjZxMf7vUICPQFzSz0Vzhf0InxxK0VQfs/s320/IMG_0756.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>To that end, here is a link to a family devotion series I led my family through. <p></p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/18OQu4uLdp14KLABeLr5tgE9cziKJ8BhPrrXWgXl15n8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"The Gift of Natural Worship" (Psalm 104)</a></p><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>"The Gift of Natural Worship" does not mean learning to worship nature. However, it does mean learning to enjoy and worship the One, True God by being amazed at His creation. This study allowed us as a family to worship God together by exploring exciting subjects our kids already enjoy. </p><p>We spent about 10 minutes each night for a week working through Psalm 104. It worked well to have a laptop so that the youtube videos could be played as part of the devotion time. Each night we sang "Bless the Lord, O My Soul" or "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman. Psalm 104 begins and ends with "bless the Lord, O My Soul," so it was a fitting song to help us remember what we learned in the psalm.</p><p>This study covers themes like:</p><p>- What is a soul? Learning to praise God with all of me.</p><p>- What is God's glory? Being amazed at God's glorious light.</p><p>- Why did God make the night? Learning about nocturnal creatures.</p><p>- What are some amazing aspects of God maintaining Creation? Looking closely at storms and volcanoes.</p><p>- What are some incredible creatures God sustains? Looking at krill, sperm whales, and Leviathan.</p><p>- Who decides when someone or something dies? Looking at death and previewing heaven and hell.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-33111708594432447092021-02-06T09:39:00.005-05:002021-02-06T09:39:47.295-05:00"Happiness" by Randy Alcorn Book Review<p> "I spent far ore time seeking happiness and longing for it than experiencing it," (4).</p><p>Can you relate? If you are a Christian, your next internal thoughts might go something like this: "But, in this life I am not promised happiness. To pursue happiness is worldly and wrong. Instead, I should pursue joy in Christ." After that self-rebuke, perhaps you roll up your sleeves to make it through another day. You likely are not sure what joy is, but you are determined to pursue it instead of fleeting happiness that is based on circumstances. However, part of you longs, still, to be happy. Secretly, in dark thoughts, you may wonder if becoming a Christian means you forfeit happiness, at least for this life.</p><p>Enter the very helpful study on <a href="https://store.epm.org/happiness/" target="_blank">"Happiness" by Randy Alcorn</a>. This is a substantial volume in which Alcorn marshals Christian writers throughout history, especially Puritans, original language word studies, as well as modern research to support his main idea: Christians can and should be happy because God is happy and wants us to be happy. </p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Personally, let me say that I was skeptical when I started reading the book. I worried that Alcorn was going to stray into the health-wealth gospel heresy or something like it (something he expressly deals with in Chapter 35). But the book's strength lies is Alcorn's ample research and biblical exposition. After laying out that biblical happiness means allowing secondary joys to point us to the Primary Source of happiness (God), Alcorn spends much of his time looking at the happiness of God. What a joy to consider the heart of Almighty God, and find that He is the Happy God.<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>God takes joy in the animals He creates.</li><li>God rejoices with gladness over His people He redeems.</li><li>God is happy when someone repents from sin, like the father who welcomes home the prodigal son.</li><li>God is so happy He can provide happiness to all He chooses (from Psalm 36:7-8).</li><li>God spreads the gospel because He is the happy God (from 1 Timothy 1:11).</li><li>God is Father loving Son loving Spirit. The triune nature of God shows He is forever happy.</li><li>Jesus is portrayed as having superior gladness or happiness (see Hebrews 1:8-9 quoting Psalm 45:6-7).</li><li>Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him of accomplishing the Father's will and returning to the Father's side (see Hebrews 12:2).</li><li>Jesus must have seemed happy enough for children to run to him, because children are drawn to happy adults (see Matthew 19:13-15).</li><li>Many of Jesus' statements reveal He had enormous wit and a keen sense of humor (like a camel through the eye of a needle, or a plank in one's eye).</li></ul><p></p><p>Further, the pursuit of happiness is entirely natural. We do what we most want to do. That is an axiom of human existence. The question is not will we seek happiness but where and where can happiness be truly found. Alcorn summarized, "God made us to be happy because he himself truly wants us to be happy," (34). If we seek happiness in the creation as ends in themselves, we turn secondary blessings into primary ones, and they cannot sustain our happiness. We make good things into gods, and they make lousy gods. Thus, idolatry holds no promise for lasting happiness, but God does. </p><p>Hebrews words like <i>samach</i> and <i>asher</i>, as well as Greek words like <i>makarios</i> and <i>chara</i> have semantic ranges that include both happiness and joy. So to introduce a sharp division between joy and happiness is to go beyond the biblical text. In many contexts, happiness fits as well as joy, because the Bible implies a happy emotion.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Happy [<i>asher</i>] is he whose helps is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God" (Psalm 146:5, RSV, 197).</li><li>"Thomas, because you have seen Me, you believe. Those are <i>happy</i> [<i>makarios</i>] who have never seen Me and yet believe!" (John 20:29, NLV, 203).</li></ul><div>Alcorn's point is that joy and happiness are more likely closer to synonyms than antonyms. When we hear the word "blessed" we should think "how happy is that person," because that captures well how startling and good was the news Jesus preached.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what is Alcorn's advice for us in pursuing happiness?</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Happiness is a choice. We must pursue happiness in God, God's way. So, read your Bibles, go to church, serve others, give generously, love well, enjoy as praise. </li><li>Pursue wise choices, not sinful ones, and you will be pursuing happiness God's way.</li><li>"The straight path to happiness is devoting ourselves to the happiness of others," (291).</li><li>"Giving is a great source of happiness," (293).</li><li>Celebrate well things God says are worth celebrating. By this he means throw great parties around great things like when a child gets baptized or a college student returns from her first foreign mission trip.</li><li>Meditate deeply on God's Word and find in Scripture a lasting happiness.</li><li>Confess sins, repent, and experience the happiness of God's forgiveness in Christ.</li><li>Focus on God and on others and experience the happiness of self-forgetfulness.</li><li>"Gratitude unleashes the freedom to live content in the moment, rather than being anxious about the future or regretting the past," (quote from Ellen Vaughn, 365).</li><li>Lower expectations of this fallen world and be surprised pleasantly by the happiness available now.</li><li>Spend ample time looking forward to the future happiness of eternity with God.</li></ul><div>On the final point, Alcorn summarized well, "When we hang on, white-knuckled, to this life, it proves our disbelief in an afterlife that is physical (with real health), material (with real wealth), social (with real culture and relationships), and personal (with real happiness and continuance of our identity)," (390).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Christian, God wants you to be happy because He is happy and made you to find happiness primarily in Him. He has detailed the ways to the happy life in His Word and modeled the happy life when He came in the flesh. He promises us eternal happiness with Him. We live in a fallen world and the truly happy life will be hard and risky, but full and rewarding. I highly recommend "Happiness" by Randy Alcorn.</div><p></p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-5472608211570553272021-01-26T12:03:00.002-05:002021-01-26T12:10:42.812-05:00Happy Trails<p>"Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalm 34:8, HCSB)</p><p>A few weeks ago, my brother and I took our families on a hike through woods near our homes in northeast Florida. The day was overcast, but no rain was expected. We had our wives and all of our children (seven between both families). The trail zigzagged through oak and pine trees, palmetto bushes and ferns. It was a wonderful trail.</p><p>However, in places, the trail was wet. I don't mean damp like a little squishy rather than hard-packed. I mean inches of standing water spanning from one side of the trail to the other. It soon became apparent that to continue, we would get wet, muddy, dirty. This would not be a clean hike.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Interestingly, the sloshing and mudslinging simultaneously thrilled and discouraged my kids. Some of then relished the opportunity to pounce in big puddles, run through muddy spots, or leap over pools of water. Others complained of muddy tennis shoes or begged to return to the safe, dry van we had left in the parking lot. <p></p><p>We pressed on and something remarkable happened. The happiness of the happy mud splashers caught on. Soon, we were all having fun, squishy socks and all. </p><p>Now, the trail did not get any drier. It remained fairly muddy in places. What changed was our collective perspective. We pressed on, and enjoyed our circumstances for what they were, an opportunity to play! </p><p>For many of us, 2021 probably feels like a muddy trail. We thought, "New Year, Better Year." But, thus far each new bend has just presented us with one obstacle after another. How can we push through when everything is so hard? </p><p>David sang, "<b>Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalm 34:8, HCSB).</b> The title on this Psalm informs us that David wrote it reflecting on how God rescued him from the Philistines. This was a particularly troublesome time in David's life. Hunted by Saul, David fled to enemy territory in Philistia. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire! David even brought with him Goliath's sword! To escape imprisonment and death, David pretended to be insane. The king publicly declared that he did not need more crazy people living close to him and let David go. David knew God had rescued him.</p><p>So, David's invitation to "<b>taste and see that the LORD is good"</b> is quite a provocative statement. It's a dare to step out into dangerous territory and find that God is better than we imagined! It's a call for the courageous to advance and find that our Commander is better than the enemy by a long shot. To taste is to risk for the LORD while trusting in the LORD, contemplating the LORD, and giving glory to the LORD. David calls us to really live by abiding in God and we will find something amazing - happiness in God even through the most difficult and bizarre situations.</p><p>Imagine night after night David surviving as Saul hunted him. From cave to forest to the open stars, David survived. Each day he got a deeper taste of the goodness of God. He learned to see obstacles as a new opportunity to trust and to find the power and goodness of the LORD more than sufficient. He could testify, "<b>Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing," (Psalm 34:10).</b> </p><p>How liberating it is to believe that enough to act. So here's the invitation this year, run straight into the mud. Get your shoes and socks soaked. It may even hurt dearly at times, but trust the Lord, and through the difficulty you will taste and see that the LORD is indeed good.</p><p>Please do not misunderstand this as an invitation to disobey God or to act foolishly. Use wisdom and always pursue holiness. But, this is an invitation to trust that obeying God, even when His path looks like a mud bog, is always the best path and the happiest path. You will find that the LORD is good.</p><p>For some of us who are seeking to follow CDC guidelines to promote health safety (which I would encourage you to do wholeheartedly), we have at the same time become hyper risk averse for the Kingdom. I am not encouraging you to take off your mask, disobey the mandates, or lick the pavement. What I am challenging is the baseline no-risk mentality. Choose the right risk and then step out in faith and find that God is bigger than you knew. This may mean you mask up and meet a friend in a park and have an intentional conversation about Jesus. This may mean that you purchase extra groceries, make a big meal, and drop it off on a friend's porch with a letter explaining how much God loves them. This may mean you purchase some stationary and write long, meaningful letters to family speaking with them about eternity and the return of Christ. This may mean you reorient your schedule (or lack thereof) to spend ample time praying, reading Scripture, and then obeying God's Word and the Spirit's prompting that same day. Run straight into the mud and you'll find out God is still amazing.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-78508340212777635052021-01-06T11:03:00.002-05:002021-01-06T11:03:10.107-05:00Happy are the Blessed<p> When Matthew records the words of Jesus in Matthew 5-7, he captures the essence of the good news Jesus proclaimed. Earlier, Matthew summarized the preaching ministry of Jesus in a single sentence, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," (Matthew 4:17). Now, Matthew summarizes Jesus in a whole sermon. The famous Sermon on the Mount begins memorably:</p><p>"<i>Blessed </i>are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</p><p><i>Blessed</i> are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</p><p><i>Blessed </i>are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:3-12, ESV, emphasis mine)</p><p>Much could be said about these wonderful words from Jesus. This post focuses on the word translated "blessed" Before getting to the nuts and bolts of this discussion, slow down and consider that word, "blessed." What comes to mind when someone says, "She is blessed," or "His is a blessed life." </p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>For some of us, maybe a great deal of good things swirl through our mind. We might think:<p></p><p>- She is graced by God.</p><p>- She is divinely favored.</p><p>- She is set apart to God.</p><p>- She is being made holy by God.</p><p>- She is the recipient of God's special activity for her life.</p><p>No Christian would argue that any of the above descriptions are bad, but are these what Jesus was saying? Randy Alcorn in his book, "Happiness" argues that while there are many good things that God does for His children, the meaning behind the word Jesus used here is "happy" not "blessed." Alcorn states, "When Jesus looked at the crowds and said that poor, discredited, and persecuted people who honor God are not just holy but actually <i>happy</i>, his words were (and are) absolutely startling. Yet in English, because the word <i>happy</i> usually isn't used, we fail to recognize the surprise - and appeal - of his words," (Alcorn, <i>Happiness</i>, 218). So, Alcorn argues that Jesus meant the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the persecuted are and should be happy. Does that sound different to you than blessed? Read it again the way one renowned German scholar translated this passage:</p><p> “<i>Happy </i>are the poor in spirit,</p><p> for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are those who mourn,</p><p> for they will be comforted.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are those who are kind,</p><p> for they will inherit the earth.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,</p><p> for they will be satisfied.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are those who are merciful,</p><p> for they will obtain mercy.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are the pure in heart,</p><p> for they will see God.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are the peacemakers,</p><p> for they will be called sons of God.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,</p><p> for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.</p><p> <i>Happy </i>are you when they insult you and persecute you</p><p> and say all kinds of evil things against you untruthfully for my sake.</p><p> Rejoice and be glad,</p><p> for your reward is great in heaven.</p><p> Just so did they persecute the prophets before you.” (Ulrich Luz, <i>Hermenia</i>, 185)</p><p>This has a slightly different emphasis. In the first translation, the emphasis is on God's activity. In the second translation, the emphasis is on the effect of God's activity on a human life. The evidence will show that Jesus appears to have made the dramatic statement that humans can and should be truly happy because of the activity of God - that is happy are the blessed. In other words, Jesus does detail the blessings of God, but begins the Sermon on the Mount with proclamations on true human happiness.</p><p>Now, let's consider the evidence. First, what word did Jesus use? The Greek word was "Makarios" which is defined a few ways:</p><p>- "being fortunate or happy because of circumstances, fortunate, happy; favored, blessed, fortunate, happy, privileged" (BDAG, "Makarios")</p><p>- "pertaining to being happy, with the implication of enjoying favorable circumstances - 'happy'" (Louw-Nida, "Makarios")</p><p>So, the lexicons lean towards "happy" as the best way to capture the sense of Makarios.</p><p>Next, let's listen to some scholars as they comment on the passage:</p><p>- "'Blessed' is a misleading translation of <i>makarios</i>, which does not denote one whom God blesses (which would be <i>eulogetos, </i>reflecting Heb. <i>baruk</i>), but represents the Hebrew <i>'asre</i>, 'fortunate', and is used, like <i>asre</i>, almost entirely in the formal setting of a beatitude. It introduces someone who is to be congratulated, someone whose place in life is an enviable one. 'Happy' is better than 'blessed', but only if used not of a mental state but of a condition of life," (France, TNTC).</p><p>- "For <i>blessed</i> many translations use expressions of a somewhat secular nature, such as 'fortunate' (AB) or 'happy' (JB). These bring out the joy that is conveyed by Jesus' word, but not its full religious content. There is more to blessedness than happiness," (Morris, PNTC).</p><p>Without going too much into the weeds, it appears that great commentators differ on whether it should be "blessed" or "happy." It is interesting that much of the argument against "happy" focuses on a bias against the word as "secular" and not spiritual enough (Morris). </p><p>But is happiness a secular concept? Certainly the Christian life is more than smiling a lot, but is it less? I mean, as Christians does God want us to be holy but not happy? Or, does Jesus die for both? </p><p>I would like to argue that Randy Alcorn is correct. Christian, Jesus died to make you right with God AND that should and does make us happy! In fact, so great is our experience of the grace of God when embraced, cherished, and enjoyed that Christians can and should be the happiest people ever.</p><p>That sounds pretty good, right? It should! Jesus shocked his audience by telling poor, downcast, mourning humans that He was there to make them happy. Thus, he commanded persecuted people to "Rejoice and be glad," not merely do "Do right and be holy," (Matthew 5:12). There is a crucial difference between the Christian who pursues holiness and sacrifices happiness and the Christian who pursues holiness because she wants to be truly happy. That's what Jesus holds out to us, "Do you want to know how to be truly, profoundly, and enduringly happy? Listen up! That's what the kingdom of heaven is all about."</p><p>Christian, may you explore the words of Jesus, and indeed the whole Bible, to find how you can be truly happy both now and forever in Christ.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-53943112508119992282021-01-03T10:53:00.002-05:002021-01-03T10:53:23.095-05:00The Pastor's Justification Book Review<p>Pastors, may God bless you this year! More than ever you may feel the pressure to lead your church well through a very difficult time. Attendance is likely lower than it has been in years at your church. The budget may have stepped considerably backwards from previous years. You may be tempted towards frustration, discouragement, or even despair. </p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>May the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God lift you up. Know that Jesus intercedes for you at the Father's right hand.<p></p><p>And, consider reading a very helpful book by Jared Wilson called "The Pastor's Justification". This book reminds us pastors that the church belongs to Jesus, and that our justification is based on His shed blood, not the local church's visible success or failure. Rightly, Wilson warns, "Pastor, do not let your vision for the church you want get in the way of God's vision for the church you actually have! Let's not be our church's accuser," (Kindle Loc 359).</p><p>For a full book review, click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F5J0LqPtKqiC_kdzUDgUISf0Sv4p4ZlG/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-49520983251590562252021-01-01T14:17:00.003-05:002021-01-01T15:32:26.272-05:00Lessons from a Hard Life: God Guides Joseph<p>It's January 1st, 2021. A new year has arrived. Christians finished celebrating Christmas a week ago. As I prepare for a new year, 2021 does not immediately appear as though it will be any easier than 2020, which was perhaps the most difficult year of my life.</p><p>For my wife, Megan, and I, in 2020 we faced her mother's death, my father's terminal cancer diagnosis, having to resign from a church we loved, a cross-country move, and a career change. One important truth that has helped us immensely through a difficult year is this: there is a big difference between right and easy. In fact, many times to live in the center of God's will is just a different kind of hard. For much of life, one must choose which hard to face. </p><p>This truth is seen clearly in the life of Joseph, the man chosen by God to serve as the earthly father for Jesus. Four times Joseph is guided personally by God in dreams. Four times Joseph fulfills prophecy from God with his obedience. Four times of subjective guidance and four times of objective guidance come to Joseph. Here was a man who lived obedient to God's objective and subjective will. He followed God, even when the guidance was odd or difficult.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H6zXjQSlp5lFJO_TPdKgQ3HmKvHemcQasGTZ7tr4kQG4Ki339OLiN04nqFkzaAKAI8W52ZKOynQ6VuMNKPBImA71MdPrbwC-EmCmS56tFkjuT-YcVrastf12WjEuF70UkJCGFySDRSM/s640/nativity-scene-mary-joseph-1316850-640x480.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H6zXjQSlp5lFJO_TPdKgQ3HmKvHemcQasGTZ7tr4kQG4Ki339OLiN04nqFkzaAKAI8W52ZKOynQ6VuMNKPBImA71MdPrbwC-EmCmS56tFkjuT-YcVrastf12WjEuF70UkJCGFySDRSM/s320/nativity-scene-mary-joseph-1316850-640x480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>First, an angel told Joseph to marry Mary, though Mary was pregnant by someone not Joseph. And, the angel explained this miraculous pregnancy fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-25).<p></p><p>Second, an angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt and so avoid Herod's wrath. Jesus living in Egypt fulfilled Hosea's prophecy (Matthew 2:13-15).</p><p>Third, Herod's wrath was vent against the children of Bethlehem, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy of Rachel weeping for her children. Meanwhile, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel after Herod's death (Matthew 2:16-20).</p><p>Fourth, when Joseph returned to Israel, Herod's son was ruling over Judea. An angel warned him to go to Galilee, and Joseph settled his family in Nazareth, fulfilling a prophecy about Jesus being a Nazarene (Matthew 2:21-23).</p><p>The mixture of Joseph obeying God's will revealed in dreams and fulfilling prophecy tells me that Joseph was a man of trust and obedience. He followed God. It also tells me that when seeking guidance from the Lord, I should never pit my sense of God's subjective guidance (Joseph's dreams) against God's objective guidance (Scripture).</p><p>But, what I want to focus on is that while Joseph obeyed God meticulously, his life was far from easy. Think about it. First, he obeys the angel and marries Mary. But, how do you think people in Nazareth responded when Joseph married a woman who was already pregnant? It was shameful. The shame followed Jesus the rest of his life, as is evident by the crowd's mockery after Jesus' preaching ("Isn't this Joseph's son?", Luke 4:22). So, Joseph's life was made harder, not easier by obeying the angel's words and God's guidance.</p><p>God was kind and sent his angel to warn Joseph to flee to Egypt, saving Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from Herod's wrath. But, no sooner had Joseph got his small family settled in Bethlehem when God moved them again to Egypt, a foreign country. Imagine the stress and difficulty of another move, another time of hunting for work. Obeying God no doubt impacted the family's bottom line, and added difficulty. What was right was not easy.</p><p>Just about the time Joseph likely was settling into Egypt, an angel again told him to return to Israel. Another move, another difficulty. Would they ever be settled? Would life ever be easy?</p><p>Finally, an angel warned Joseph away from living in Bethlehem, and told him to go to Galilee. The only place Joseph knew to go in the region of Galilee was back to Nazareth. While Joseph may have had property in Nazareth, this hometown was also the place where Joseph and Mary's scandal (so it was thought) was known and so likely the shame followed them home. Again, it would seem that obeying God's will was both right and hard for Joseph.</p><p>And that's the point. God never promises us that obeying him will make everything easy. In fact, just the opposite. Jesus told his disciples clearly, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world," (John 16:33).</p><p>So, I do take heart. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand, having been given all authority over the whole world. And, the man chosen to be Jesus's earthly father obeyed God and it made for a hard, but right and good life. As you face difficulty this year, even difficulties that linger from 2020, take heart. Life is hard. But by faith we can choose the right kind of hard. Let us choose the kind of hard that is obeying our Lord and Savior. Let us walk on earth while looking towards heaven. Choose your hard!</p><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515548158662586531.post-90010147576683794832020-11-06T10:16:00.003-05:002020-11-06T10:19:25.284-05:00A Time for Reading, Trusting, Obeying, and Camping?<p>What trouble lurks behind the active thoughts in your mind? What worry jumps at you in your sleep and yells "Got you!"? For each of us, we could likely quickly call to mind two or three issues in our lives that snatch from us peace or a sense of settled purpose or contentment or all of the above. What do you do to combat the worries, the fears, the doubts, the difficulties that want first place in your life?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ9ANqdQ-nOFAih8jtzO-H4C8bEF6XCCFYIvCgENDvNBwUDW8WfhDDFuRS7c8RUIg4ePzy_x0Rh6Tl4-Ijz8mgN4lEPPj4-3fTeb9QlHxTHGHxQmtDns05AhRcbX43ur5RuLz9Yyed78/s1278/tent-in-forest-1578117-1278x951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="1278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ9ANqdQ-nOFAih8jtzO-H4C8bEF6XCCFYIvCgENDvNBwUDW8WfhDDFuRS7c8RUIg4ePzy_x0Rh6Tl4-Ijz8mgN4lEPPj4-3fTeb9QlHxTHGHxQmtDns05AhRcbX43ur5RuLz9Yyed78/s320/tent-in-forest-1578117-1278x951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Some of us work harder, run farther, out-perform others, and turn to the promise of success in diligence. It is not wrong to work diligently. But, when Paul says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," (Colossians 3:23), that's not the same thing as saying, "If you work hard, your life will be complete, and you'll be happy because you will find the success and satisfaction you are looking for." No, there is a divide between God's version of success and American can-do-ism.<p></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Some of us turn to pleasures and escapes - some healthy and some unhealthy. Maybe you make it through the day thinking about the delicious food you will have for dinner, or the new restaurant you'll try. Maybe you can eek past another few hours without losing it by looking forward to a vacation or a day at the beach. Maybe you have turned to darker escapes like losing yourself in alcohol or pornography. God has made this a beautiful world filled with delights that can be enjoyed according to His design. But as Psalm 1 warns us, materialism and the way of the world only yields an empty life and eternal misery. <p></p><p>So, what does the Bible say about finding happiness and peace and purpose?</p><p>Well, I want to look at a time when happiness was rare. In the book of Nehemiah, we read of God's people trying to rebuild a broken city during the Persian empire. By the grace of God they finished rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem in only 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). But, this victory did not end the toil. Here's the description of the city of Jerusalem with its rebuilt wall, "The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt," (Nehemiah 7:4). So, the people were living in difficult to dilapidated conditions. The wall was rebuilt, yes, but the city still looked like a wrecking ball had swung through the streets. Imagine returning to a city after an earthquake or after a hurricane. The National Guard may have secured the streets from looters, but that doesn't mean the work is done. </p><p>What would your priorities be during such a time? How would you lead your family to find joy and rest when everything was upended?</p><p>Nehemiah and the people turn to Ezra and ask to hear from God, a lot! "And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel," (Nehemiah 8:1). The returned exiles turned to God by gathering to listen to, and to obey the Bible. Ezra and others read for several hours, maybe from around seven in the morning until noon (Nehemiah 8:3). There were preachers who helped translate and explain passages in small groups, who "gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading," (Nehemiah 8:8). And, the people heard what God said. They gave their "Amen" and worshiped the God who inspired the words (Nehemiah 8:6).</p><p>Then, they ate, and drank, and celebrated the day as set apart to the Lord (Nehemiah 8:9-12). And, they noticed something. God's law told them among other things that they should celebrate the harvest and the time God brought them into the Promised Land with the Feast of Booths (Nehemiah 8:13-15). So, that's exactly what they did.</p><p>"So the people went out and brought them [tree branches] and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim," (Nehemiah 8:16). They made tents or huts and camped out on roofs or out in the open square. They obeyed God. They celebrated. And listen to the result, "And there was very great rejoicing," (Nehemiah 8:17).</p><p>Now, can't you imagine some from a pragmatic stance objecting, "We lack infrustructure and we're supposed to take a week off to camp and to feast and to read the Bible? That's not a very practical plan." Some may have even tried to use God to reason away from obeying God, "Would God really want us focused on obeying that small detail before we're safely settled here in Jerusalem? There's too much to do right now. We can celebrate the Feast next year."</p><p>But, praise the Lord, the people heard God's word and obeyed God's word, and camped in tents to remember that they had been once wanderers in the wilderness, and God had cared for them then. And, obeying God led to very great rejoicing. They found that elusive happiness. </p><p>Bringing it back to us today, the message is not merely - go camping and forget about COVID-19. No, it's simpler and better than that. The message is go back to God's word. Read the Bible, a lot. And do what God says. First, you'll be reminded of His steadfast love. Ever doubt His love? Look to the cross where God died for you. Second, you'll read that even Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," (John 14:15). Trust God, experience the grace of forgiveness in Jesus, and by His strength obey Him. What you'll find is the immense pleasure of following God. I'm not saying all of the problems vanish. Jerusalem still had massive infrustructure problems after the Feast of Booths. But, you will experience the joy of living close to God and find there that elusive happiness. You will learn to enjoy food and the beach not as ends in themselves, but as additional avenues to praise the gracious God. Further down in the gospel of John, Jesus said, "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing," (John 15:5).</p><p>May we turn to God to live near Him and by His Spirit in us do what He says. There is meaning. There is happiness. There is strength to endure. Happy reading, trusting, obeying, and maybe even camping.</p>Brother Jarrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14102988792401462847noreply@blogger.com0