Hi fellow readers, I have just come back from an excellent christian conference called SPRTE and mission in Nowra. When I get a chance, I will write a review. However, I preached on mission at Nowra Baptist, Greenwell Point and Culburra Baptist on Sin and God's Solution. So I'll thought I'll share it with you.
Point 1 – Our Human Problem
We have all heard the saying, “If you want to get it done right... you have to do it yourself.”
Or perhaps you have heard the saying “If you want something good in your life... you must get it yourself.”
Now, these sayings, which are focused on us and our abilities to make things right and good, are actually a reflection on the way our world thinks and acts.
Sadly, this kind of thinking, has also distorted people’s understanding of how we get right with God.
So instead of getting right with God through faith, people have actually added works, where good works is required to be in the right with God.
Now a few months ago back home on my university campus, I went around asking people that if they were to die and come before God, and God was to say “Why should I let you into heaven”, what would their response be?
And you know almost all of them said to me, Yeah, God should let me in because I’m a good person, I mean, I haven’t murdered anyone, I haven’t really stolen anything, there is a couple of times when I have lied, but really, lying isn’t that bad, doesn’t everyone do it?
Now, how might you respond to someone who thinks this way?
Would you agree with them?
Should they be allowed to enter heaven and be in the right with God?
Well, the book of Romans actually highlights a major problem with this type of thinking. The problem is that people, people like you and I, have rejected God and because of our rejection, we run away from God, not living his way but living for our own desires.
We see this in chapter 3 where it says that no one is righteous, no one is good, doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, doesn’t matter if you’re from Sydney or from Nowra, no, not even one, there is no one who understands God, no one who seeks God for all have turned away.
If God was to put the entire human race into his court room right now, would there be anyone who would be good enough to be right with God?
Would there be anyone who is not wicked?
Anyone who is not evil?
Have you ever lied?
Have you ever been greedy?
Have you ever been full of envy, or slanderous, or arrogant and boastful?
Well let me tell you that God’s sentence for rejecting him and not living his way is facing his judgment and his wrath and eternal condemnation.
Therefore our only response should be one of silence because we have nothing to say to our defence.
In the beginning of our passage that we read earlier in verse 20, we see this exact problem,
we see that when we compare our lives to the law, to God’s commands,
it shows us that we don’t actually deserve to be in the right with God because we don’t actually live for him, we have a problem with our hearts, a problem called sin.
Now, if this is the case, if indeed we are sinful, then how can we be right with God?
Well God has actually provided a solution for us and it’s a solution which is done completely at his own expense.
Point 2 – God’s Solution to our Problem
This brings us to our passage today/tonight,
now before we begin; let’s turn our attention to God in prayer asking that he will help us to understand the passage as we look at it together.
So let’s prayer,
Heavenly father, we give you thanks for making yourself know to us through your word and we ask you now to clear our minds of any distractions and we ask you to change us by your spirit to live for you. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Now I hope you have your bibles open and let’s pick it up from verse 21. This is God’s solution to our problem,
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace”
Now last week, I want down at a conference in Canberra.
And one thing I noticed was that there were some blokes who actually wore the same shirt every day.
And by the end of the conference, these blokes actually had a number of interesting stains on their shirt,
they had pasta stains on one side, they had tomato source on the other and they had pen marks as far as the eye could see.
In a similar way, our sin is like a filthy shirt that just never wants to get cleaned.
Even when we try to wash it with good works, it just doesn’t want to become spotless.
But you know God has actually provided a solution,
he has justified us which means that he has declared us right before him and he does this by removing our filthy shirt and replacing it with a spotless one.
Now if God’s a holy God who is angry at sin,
how is it even fair or just that he could forgive a sinner like you and I and declare us right before him?
Wouldn’t that make God immoral?
Wouldn’t it make sin seem like it’s not that bad?
Well if we read verse 24 again, it says that,
God has “justified us freely by his grace, as a free gift, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.”
God did through Jesus what we could not do,
because of God’s mercy he wills to forgive sinful people, to forgive you and me and to declare us right before him,
but to do this, God had to deal with our human problem,
he had to deal with our sin,
and he dealt with it through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Now the word redemption is actually a commercial term borrowed from the slave marketplace.
It was used when talking about slaves who were purchased at a price in order to be set free.
So how does God rescue you and redeem you?
Well it’s because God has payed a price,
the price was his son who came to give his life as a random for many.
And he did this in order to set you free from your bondage to sin so that you may be free to live for God.
How did God do this,
well, God presented Jesus on the cross as a sacrifice of atonement for our sins.
Now, in the Old Testament God introduced a sacrificial system where God’s people needed to make sacrifices regularly so that their sins would be atoned for,
however the sacrifice could never really atone for the sins of those people,
rather God introduced the sacrificial system to teach the seriousness of sins and that a payment had to be made.
However, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has fully payed the penalty for our sins because Jesus took the full anger of God that we deserved for our rebellion against him.
The NIV footnote for v25 also had more dept into what this means, that Jesus has turned away God’s wrath,
that he has pleased God’s wrath,
taking away sins so that we may be forgiven.
Now we have just talked about three big ideas, these being,
that we are justified, that we redeemed and that Jesus atoned for our sins.
But to make it easier for us to understand these ideas and particularly if you’re a person like me who likes pictures,
I want you to imagine three different locations. These being a law court room, a slave master place and a temple.
So, in a law court, we have a man who is declared guilty and a man named Jesus steps up.
He shouts out “I will pay his punishment for him”.
Jesus then takes his place and the person is let out justified, he is let out innocent and is reconcilled.
Secondly, in a slave market place, there is a man who is chained and is taken off to serve bondage to slavery.
Then a man named Jesus steps up again, he shouts out “I will pay his debt for him” The person is then ransomed, he debt is payed for and his is blessed by Jesus.
And thirdly, at a temple, where they make sacrifices, there is a man who is offering a sacrifice to God, he says “God, here is a cow; I know I don’t deserve it but here it is anyways.”
Jesus then steps up and say “You know, the cow doesn’t really cut it with God, the sacrifice isn't sufficent for your sins, but I can.”
So Jesus takes the punishment the man deserves and the man is filled with assurance that Jesus’ sacrifice fully pay for his sins.
So how do we get right with God?
Well it’s because God at the cross justifies us, he declares us right,
this is possible because God has redeemed us,
he has paid the price and the penalty for our sins by atoning for us by the shedding of his blood.
Now why did God do this, verse 25, “he did it to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
God in his forbearance left the sins of formal generation unpunished to show the seriousness of sin and in God’s own timing he sent Jesus to finally pay the penalty of sin,
the sins of the past, of the present and of the future,
why?,
well God did it to show his justice. That God is just when he forgives a sinner because he paid the penalty himself.
Point 3 – The call for faith in Jesus
So how do we receive this righteousness from God?
Do we receive it by being a good person?
The people on university campus that I spoke to certainly thought this way.
But you know, three times in our passage, we see that this righteousness from God is made available through faith in Jesus.
Verse 22, “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”, Verse 25, “through faith in his blood” and verse 26, “God justifies those who have faith in Jesus”.
It is only by faith in Jesus, faith in his death and resurrection,
Faith that his death was sufficient enough to take the penalty for our sins, that we can be declared right with God.
Faith is the eye that looks to Jesus, it is the hand that receives this free gift of righteousness and the heart that receives his word and follows it.
So let me ask you.
How do you stand before God?
What is your plea?
Because if you do not have faith in Jesus, if you have not received this righteousness from God through faith,
then you’re actually much worse of then you probably think you are,
because there is no one who is good, there is no one who is right with God for we all have rejected God.
But as we have heard, God has provided a solution for us and he does offer this solution to you if you receive it by faith.
Now God is patient and he continues to wait patiently for you to trust in Jesus, for you to put your faith in him.
But be warned that there will be a day when Jesus will return to judge the world separating the wicked from the good and on that day it will be too late to turn to him in faith.
So how will you respond?
Do you have faith in Jesus Christ?
If not, why not? Why don’t you put your faith in him today...
If you do have faith in Jesus Christ, that’s great, because you’re actually much better off then you probably think you are since you stand before God declared right,
you stand before God as being good where no wrath can come near you, where no guilt can endanger you and you look forward to the day when Jesus will return to judge the world and to show his final justice.
Friends, it’s great that we are right with God,
so let’s not be ashamed of this great news,
but lets us go out to the world and tell others God’s solution to our problem and let’s remember that the Gospel, this great news,
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
Let’s pray,
Heavenly father, we give you thanks that while we were sinners, you sent your son to die for us so that we can be in the right with you, so that we can be redeemed. And that the penalty for our sins was paid by Jesus’ blood on the cross. Lord, we ask you that if we have not put our faith in Jesus, help us to do so and help us to do so knowing that when we put our faith in Jesus, we can be in the right with you because of what Christ did on the cross. Lord, we also pray that you might spur us to pass to message on to others. And we ask this through Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Love of the Body
1 Corinthians 13 - Love
Today, we come to one of the most well known passage in the whole entire bible. Even people who only attend church for weddings and funerals have probably had it read to them. However 1 Corinthians 13 has got nothing to do with wedding or funerals.
When you think about, the only mention of weddings in the whole letter of 1 Corinthians is some six chapters earlier, where Paul says very ‘romantic things’ such as “those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this”. And the only mention of funeral occurs several chapters later and it’s the funeral that never really happened, because Jesus rose to life again.
So If 1 Corinthians 13 is not about weddings and funerals, then what is it about?
Well, as we have been reading through 1 Corinthians, we have come to see that the Corinth church was a much divided church with a whole bunch of issues.
The Corinthian’s were a proud church, they thought they had arrived spiritually, back in chapter 4, and they were very big in spiritual gifts. Now in Chapters 12-14, Paul is teaching them what it means to be spiritual.
As we heard last week, anyone who is in Christ is already spiritual and they are to be exercising there gifts that is from the same spirit for the common good.
And at the end of chapter 12 we were left with Paul telling the Corinthians that he will show them a more excellent way, something that is even better then gifts, that is, the way of love.
Now to help us to understand what Paul means by this more excellent way, the way of love, we are firstly going to look at the fruitlessness of gifts without love.
Then we are going to look at the characteristics of love, what love is.
And then finally, we are going to look at the lasting nature of love.
But before we do that, let’s bow our heads in prayer asking God to help us to understand his word.
Heavenly father, we thank you that we can know you through your word and we ask you now to clear our minds of any distraction and to teach us through your word so that we may be equipped to serve you, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Fruitlessness of Gifts without Love
13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Now, there are four amazing actions here, of which the Corinthians thought highly of.
Would you be impressed of any of these things?
Would you say that these are truly spiritual moments, where God is at work?
Now, if you ever go or have been to the Orchestra, one thing you notice is how well all the different type of instruments go together.
Even if one of the instruments, like a triangle, only has one note in the entire piece, it still sounds really good, because it is accompanied by other instruments. However if you can imagine everyone just playing cymbals, could you image how noisy and unintelligent it would be!
In the same way, I may use impressive words, they may be very loud or intelligent or very passionate, but unless they are accompanied by love, It doesn’t do any good to neither the speaker nor the listener.
God may have enabled me to speak in different languages, to preach with great power, even to pray in angelic tongues, but if I have I’ve not loved you enough to bring you the truth, and to do it in a manner which you can comprehend, then I’ve really said nothing.
Again, in verse 2, If I can fathom the deep things of God, if I’m a prophet or if I’m a bible college graduate, or if I have a faith that enable me to do the miraculous, then surely I’d be something!, but again if it is done without love, then I am nothing!
Likewise, if I give my all, if I even give my body to the flames but do so in a selfish, reckless, suicidal way, then I have gain nothing.
Now, Is Paul saying that spiritual gifts aren’t important? Well In none of these instances does Paul depreciate spiritual gifts.
We have just spent a whole chapter last week looking at the importance of spiritual gifts, but what Paul is saying is that spiritual gifts need to be accompanied by love.
So, while we have seen that a loving attitude is the key to unlocking “the most excellent way”, what is the love that is mentioned here? Is it more then a feeling?
Well friends, while real love may begin with an attitude, it’s never really complete without the accompanying actions.
Characteristics of Love
So verse 4, love in patient, love is kind. What does it mean to be patient and kind? It means its willing to endure sufferings, injuries, without retaliation.
It is a kind love which is concerned to help those who are in need.
Perhaps you yourself have stuck by someone who has been in a bad place or they have been unable to give back, that’s an example of patient, kind love.
Love does not envy, it’s not jealous, it’s happy to see others do well.
Love does not boast, it’s humble,
Love is not proud; it is not self-asserting but is self giving.
Love is not rude; it’s not indecent or unseemly,
Love is not self-seeking, it always seeks the good of other,
Love is not easily angered, it’s not looking to take offence or to point the finger.
Love keeps no record of wrongs, I’ve always appreciated the fact that my parents haven’t use past sins against me
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, when honesty is treasured and the truth of the gospel is declared, then love celebrates.
Love always protects, it seeks to safe guard others, not harm them,
Love always trusts, Love is eager to see the best in others. An example would be when someone might say something hurtful, I should ask for clarification rather then assuming the worst, love gives others the benefit of the doubt.
Love always hopes, It refuses to accept failure as final,
Love preservers, it’s active and not given to resignation.
No wonder in verse 8 it tells us that Love never fails!
Now, when you relate these descriptions of Love to our lives, to your life, to my life, does it have a humbling effect?
Well, if you were to imagine your name in this passage, for example Tom is patient, Tom is kind, Tom does not boast, Tom is not proud, Tom is not rude, Tom rejoices in the truth … Now if your name is Tom or whatever it is, at the point you would say no, that can’t possible be me. There is a humbling effect.
However if you were to put the name of Jesus Christ in there, it fits perfectly, and it helps us to see that in Christ we have a great hope and a great saviour.
In our second reading that we read tonight, we see this great Love which comes from God, In verse 10 of 1 John 4, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
God’s love is not an airy-fairy love, friends, but its real love, it’s a love that while we were his enemies, even though we didn’t love God, he loved us so much that he sent his Son to die, to take our punishment, so that we could be reconciled back to him by his resurrection.
And it is for this reason, this love, that we as Christians are commanded in verse 11 of 1 John 4 to “love one another”
So we have seen that real love is accompanied by action, and it is an action which is motivated by the love God has demonstrated to us and is motivated by who you are, part of the body, in Christ. This love which has been demonstrated is a complete other person centeredness.
In fact, the more and more you look at God’s character, you notice that God’s other-person-centeredness is complete within himself. The Holy Spirit does not seek his own glory but the son glory, just as the son does not seek his glory but the fathers glory.
It is this other-person-centeredness, which enables us to know him as we saw in 1 John 4 and is the basis of our love too.
The Permanence of Love
Well, Pick it up with me from Verse 8, Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
Now the Corinthians thought they had already arrived and the proof was their spiritual gifts.
But Paul says no, you have not arrived yet, the gifts don’t prove that you have arrived but rather that you haven’t arrived, because notice the gifts are for this world.
For example our little knowledge will be replaced by something far, far greater. And the words we use, which are so limited, will be replaced by a language that perfectly expresses praise to God.
There will be some things on earth, like gifts, which will be put away and have no need for once we get to heaven.
It’s like a child, says Paul in verse 11, who puts away childish thoughts and childish ways and takes up the more mature ways of adulthood.
Even faith, hope will have used up their value for God’s promises as they will be completely fulfilled and all our hopes will have been met.
On the other hand, Love will last forever; love will be right at home in heaven. This is why in verse 13; love is the greatest, as it is the perfect expression of faith and hope.
Application
So, what things can we conclude from this passage?
Firstly I want you to see that the love that is being taught in God’s word is the love that God has already demonstrated for us.
The father has given his son up and of course has given us all good gifts.
The Lord Jesus has given his life up to the cross which the greatest sacrifice every made, the creator dieing for the creatures, telling us to be like him to love people.
The Holy Spirit too, has given us all its fruits and gifts and graces, genuinely spreading out what we need for the Christian life and telling us through the inspired scripture how to be like Jesus.
We can be confident in this love of God.
Secondly, Paul too, also practiced this love. Even though the Corinthians had so many problems, he loved them.
He gave up his rights for them, his freedom for them and his time for them to proclaim the word of God to them because he loved them.
It is because love is central to Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians; it is the centre to his relationship with them.
Therefore we need to ask ourselves, is love central to our relationship?
Is love central to our serving at church? Do we serve to build the other person up?
Is it complete other-person-centeredness?
Or is it something that only appears now and then?
Well let me encourage you, that the central motivating fuel for the way we live our lives, the way we treat each other, the way we serve each other is Love.
In some ways it’s a great taste of heaven as love transforms us here and now but also will be made perfect in all its glory in heaven.
So friends, let us remember who we are in Christ, and let us love one another and follow the example of love God has demonstrated to us while we were his enemies to save us from our lovelessness, from our sins, Amen.
Today, we come to one of the most well known passage in the whole entire bible. Even people who only attend church for weddings and funerals have probably had it read to them. However 1 Corinthians 13 has got nothing to do with wedding or funerals.
When you think about, the only mention of weddings in the whole letter of 1 Corinthians is some six chapters earlier, where Paul says very ‘romantic things’ such as “those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this”. And the only mention of funeral occurs several chapters later and it’s the funeral that never really happened, because Jesus rose to life again.
So If 1 Corinthians 13 is not about weddings and funerals, then what is it about?
Well, as we have been reading through 1 Corinthians, we have come to see that the Corinth church was a much divided church with a whole bunch of issues.
The Corinthian’s were a proud church, they thought they had arrived spiritually, back in chapter 4, and they were very big in spiritual gifts. Now in Chapters 12-14, Paul is teaching them what it means to be spiritual.
As we heard last week, anyone who is in Christ is already spiritual and they are to be exercising there gifts that is from the same spirit for the common good.
And at the end of chapter 12 we were left with Paul telling the Corinthians that he will show them a more excellent way, something that is even better then gifts, that is, the way of love.
Now to help us to understand what Paul means by this more excellent way, the way of love, we are firstly going to look at the fruitlessness of gifts without love.
Then we are going to look at the characteristics of love, what love is.
And then finally, we are going to look at the lasting nature of love.
But before we do that, let’s bow our heads in prayer asking God to help us to understand his word.
Heavenly father, we thank you that we can know you through your word and we ask you now to clear our minds of any distraction and to teach us through your word so that we may be equipped to serve you, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Fruitlessness of Gifts without Love
13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Now, there are four amazing actions here, of which the Corinthians thought highly of.
Would you be impressed of any of these things?
Would you say that these are truly spiritual moments, where God is at work?
Now, if you ever go or have been to the Orchestra, one thing you notice is how well all the different type of instruments go together.
Even if one of the instruments, like a triangle, only has one note in the entire piece, it still sounds really good, because it is accompanied by other instruments. However if you can imagine everyone just playing cymbals, could you image how noisy and unintelligent it would be!
In the same way, I may use impressive words, they may be very loud or intelligent or very passionate, but unless they are accompanied by love, It doesn’t do any good to neither the speaker nor the listener.
God may have enabled me to speak in different languages, to preach with great power, even to pray in angelic tongues, but if I have I’ve not loved you enough to bring you the truth, and to do it in a manner which you can comprehend, then I’ve really said nothing.
Again, in verse 2, If I can fathom the deep things of God, if I’m a prophet or if I’m a bible college graduate, or if I have a faith that enable me to do the miraculous, then surely I’d be something!, but again if it is done without love, then I am nothing!
Likewise, if I give my all, if I even give my body to the flames but do so in a selfish, reckless, suicidal way, then I have gain nothing.
Now, Is Paul saying that spiritual gifts aren’t important? Well In none of these instances does Paul depreciate spiritual gifts.
We have just spent a whole chapter last week looking at the importance of spiritual gifts, but what Paul is saying is that spiritual gifts need to be accompanied by love.
So, while we have seen that a loving attitude is the key to unlocking “the most excellent way”, what is the love that is mentioned here? Is it more then a feeling?
Well friends, while real love may begin with an attitude, it’s never really complete without the accompanying actions.
Characteristics of Love
So verse 4, love in patient, love is kind. What does it mean to be patient and kind? It means its willing to endure sufferings, injuries, without retaliation.
It is a kind love which is concerned to help those who are in need.
Perhaps you yourself have stuck by someone who has been in a bad place or they have been unable to give back, that’s an example of patient, kind love.
Love does not envy, it’s not jealous, it’s happy to see others do well.
Love does not boast, it’s humble,
Love is not proud; it is not self-asserting but is self giving.
Love is not rude; it’s not indecent or unseemly,
Love is not self-seeking, it always seeks the good of other,
Love is not easily angered, it’s not looking to take offence or to point the finger.
Love keeps no record of wrongs, I’ve always appreciated the fact that my parents haven’t use past sins against me
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, when honesty is treasured and the truth of the gospel is declared, then love celebrates.
Love always protects, it seeks to safe guard others, not harm them,
Love always trusts, Love is eager to see the best in others. An example would be when someone might say something hurtful, I should ask for clarification rather then assuming the worst, love gives others the benefit of the doubt.
Love always hopes, It refuses to accept failure as final,
Love preservers, it’s active and not given to resignation.
No wonder in verse 8 it tells us that Love never fails!
Now, when you relate these descriptions of Love to our lives, to your life, to my life, does it have a humbling effect?
Well, if you were to imagine your name in this passage, for example Tom is patient, Tom is kind, Tom does not boast, Tom is not proud, Tom is not rude, Tom rejoices in the truth … Now if your name is Tom or whatever it is, at the point you would say no, that can’t possible be me. There is a humbling effect.
However if you were to put the name of Jesus Christ in there, it fits perfectly, and it helps us to see that in Christ we have a great hope and a great saviour.
In our second reading that we read tonight, we see this great Love which comes from God, In verse 10 of 1 John 4, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
God’s love is not an airy-fairy love, friends, but its real love, it’s a love that while we were his enemies, even though we didn’t love God, he loved us so much that he sent his Son to die, to take our punishment, so that we could be reconciled back to him by his resurrection.
And it is for this reason, this love, that we as Christians are commanded in verse 11 of 1 John 4 to “love one another”
So we have seen that real love is accompanied by action, and it is an action which is motivated by the love God has demonstrated to us and is motivated by who you are, part of the body, in Christ. This love which has been demonstrated is a complete other person centeredness.
In fact, the more and more you look at God’s character, you notice that God’s other-person-centeredness is complete within himself. The Holy Spirit does not seek his own glory but the son glory, just as the son does not seek his glory but the fathers glory.
It is this other-person-centeredness, which enables us to know him as we saw in 1 John 4 and is the basis of our love too.
The Permanence of Love
Well, Pick it up with me from Verse 8, Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
Now the Corinthians thought they had already arrived and the proof was their spiritual gifts.
But Paul says no, you have not arrived yet, the gifts don’t prove that you have arrived but rather that you haven’t arrived, because notice the gifts are for this world.
For example our little knowledge will be replaced by something far, far greater. And the words we use, which are so limited, will be replaced by a language that perfectly expresses praise to God.
There will be some things on earth, like gifts, which will be put away and have no need for once we get to heaven.
It’s like a child, says Paul in verse 11, who puts away childish thoughts and childish ways and takes up the more mature ways of adulthood.
Even faith, hope will have used up their value for God’s promises as they will be completely fulfilled and all our hopes will have been met.
On the other hand, Love will last forever; love will be right at home in heaven. This is why in verse 13; love is the greatest, as it is the perfect expression of faith and hope.
Application
So, what things can we conclude from this passage?
Firstly I want you to see that the love that is being taught in God’s word is the love that God has already demonstrated for us.
The father has given his son up and of course has given us all good gifts.
The Lord Jesus has given his life up to the cross which the greatest sacrifice every made, the creator dieing for the creatures, telling us to be like him to love people.
The Holy Spirit too, has given us all its fruits and gifts and graces, genuinely spreading out what we need for the Christian life and telling us through the inspired scripture how to be like Jesus.
We can be confident in this love of God.
Secondly, Paul too, also practiced this love. Even though the Corinthians had so many problems, he loved them.
He gave up his rights for them, his freedom for them and his time for them to proclaim the word of God to them because he loved them.
It is because love is central to Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians; it is the centre to his relationship with them.
Therefore we need to ask ourselves, is love central to our relationship?
Is love central to our serving at church? Do we serve to build the other person up?
Is it complete other-person-centeredness?
Or is it something that only appears now and then?
Well let me encourage you, that the central motivating fuel for the way we live our lives, the way we treat each other, the way we serve each other is Love.
In some ways it’s a great taste of heaven as love transforms us here and now but also will be made perfect in all its glory in heaven.
So friends, let us remember who we are in Christ, and let us love one another and follow the example of love God has demonstrated to us while we were his enemies to save us from our lovelessness, from our sins, Amen.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Resurrection Age
This is the start of my article/essay on the resurrection which covers the things that were taught during mid year conference 2 weeks ago. I have just started my Phd so time is limited in writing this but i will complete it eventually. Please look back to this post as I will update it over time. Hope this post gives you a better understanding of the resurrection and that God continues to sanctify you more into christlikeness through a true knowledge of God. :)
Resurrection
The importance of Jesus’ resurrection and its implications for living in the resurrection age
It is all too easy to focus and over emphasis our thinking and proclamation of the gospel to the death of Christ. It is true that death of Christ is essential to understanding God and our salvation because in the cross we see God fully satisfying his character, by dying and taking the full punishment of our sins so that we can enter into his presence, into his holiness.
However the death of Christ is not the whole story, for if Jesus died and did not rise, then our preaching and faith would be in vain, 1 Corinthians 15:14. It is through the resurrection that we see the perfect son of man, Daniel 7:13-14, Jesus, being crowned with all glory and honour, Psalm 8:6, Hebrews 2:7. He is seated at the right hand of God and is anointed by God to be king over all. And as a result of his rulership, he is the perfect advocate who is interceding for us, Hebrews 7:14-25.
When reading through the book of acts, we see again and again the message of the apostles was the resurrection of Christ from the dead, Acts 1:22, 2:31, 4:2, 4:33, 17:18, etc.
Christ’s resurrection also has implications for us, for we have been raised with Christ, seating with him in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 2:6, and through him, as Christians, we share in his reign, 2 Timothy 2:12. Indeed the resurrection of Christ is just as important as the death of Christ and it is helpful to think of the resurrection/ascension of Christ and the death of Christ as one package which cannot be separated.
Therefore since we have been raised with Christ in the heavenly realms, we now live in a clash of two ages. We have been spiritually liberated through Christ now through his resurrection, yet we wait for his return when our physical bodies will be liberated as well. This age we live in now is called the resurrection age.
So as Christians, how do we live in this resurrection age as await Jesus’ return? To answer this we need to look at five aspects of living in the resurrection age. These are, living as lords over time, living as lords over creation, living as lords over sin, living as lords of the nations and preaching the resurrection gospel.
Firstly, how do we live as Lords over time? To come to understanding of how to live as lords over time we first need to develop a biblical understanding of time. And to help us understand time we need to come to an understanding of Lordship.
At which point does Christ receive his Lordship? His rule and reign over God’s kingdom? In Acts 2:36 we read that Jesus was made both Lord and Christ. The context to his Lordship in this passage is his resurrection, Acts 2:32, this Jesus God raised up. Therefore Jesus in his resurrection is exalted in a new profound way, he is the Lord who is reigning and who has established the Kingdom of God. However his Lordship also extends to the sons of God. 1 Corinthians 15 states that all in Christ shall be made alive and Ephesians 2 tells us that Christians have been raised up through Jesus’ resurrection, We have already been raised up with Christ spiritually in the heavenly realms now, spiritually liberated from the now. And, because we have been raised up in Christ, It is for this reason that Jesus Lordship means our Lordship as well. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:1 that the saints, Christians, those who are in Christ, will share in the judgment of the world. Therefore, we are to be Lord’s as God intended us to be under his authority as we see in Genesis 1, created in the image of God to have dominion and to subdue the earth.
How do we then define time and how is the concept of time and Lordship linked? A worldly view of time in the context of death is meaningless because it is limited and futile as we see in the book of ecclesiastics. However biblically as we see in ecclesiastics 3, there is a time for everything and the context to time is meaningfulness. Meaningfulness is found in the timing. God has placed in humans a sense of timing, verses 10-11 of ecclesiastics 3, but we do not have a full concept of it. We are the only creatures in creation who have a sense of time in us yet we do not understand its full meaning because it is God who gives its meaning.
Therefore how does God give time meaning? We find meaningfulness in the Lordship of Christ, in creation and in judgment. This is how the concept of time and Lordship is connected.
So firstly, creation…..
To be continued......
Resurrection
The importance of Jesus’ resurrection and its implications for living in the resurrection age
It is all too easy to focus and over emphasis our thinking and proclamation of the gospel to the death of Christ. It is true that death of Christ is essential to understanding God and our salvation because in the cross we see God fully satisfying his character, by dying and taking the full punishment of our sins so that we can enter into his presence, into his holiness.
However the death of Christ is not the whole story, for if Jesus died and did not rise, then our preaching and faith would be in vain, 1 Corinthians 15:14. It is through the resurrection that we see the perfect son of man, Daniel 7:13-14, Jesus, being crowned with all glory and honour, Psalm 8:6, Hebrews 2:7. He is seated at the right hand of God and is anointed by God to be king over all. And as a result of his rulership, he is the perfect advocate who is interceding for us, Hebrews 7:14-25.
When reading through the book of acts, we see again and again the message of the apostles was the resurrection of Christ from the dead, Acts 1:22, 2:31, 4:2, 4:33, 17:18, etc.
Christ’s resurrection also has implications for us, for we have been raised with Christ, seating with him in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 2:6, and through him, as Christians, we share in his reign, 2 Timothy 2:12. Indeed the resurrection of Christ is just as important as the death of Christ and it is helpful to think of the resurrection/ascension of Christ and the death of Christ as one package which cannot be separated.
Therefore since we have been raised with Christ in the heavenly realms, we now live in a clash of two ages. We have been spiritually liberated through Christ now through his resurrection, yet we wait for his return when our physical bodies will be liberated as well. This age we live in now is called the resurrection age.
So as Christians, how do we live in this resurrection age as await Jesus’ return? To answer this we need to look at five aspects of living in the resurrection age. These are, living as lords over time, living as lords over creation, living as lords over sin, living as lords of the nations and preaching the resurrection gospel.
Firstly, how do we live as Lords over time? To come to understanding of how to live as lords over time we first need to develop a biblical understanding of time. And to help us understand time we need to come to an understanding of Lordship.
At which point does Christ receive his Lordship? His rule and reign over God’s kingdom? In Acts 2:36 we read that Jesus was made both Lord and Christ. The context to his Lordship in this passage is his resurrection, Acts 2:32, this Jesus God raised up. Therefore Jesus in his resurrection is exalted in a new profound way, he is the Lord who is reigning and who has established the Kingdom of God. However his Lordship also extends to the sons of God. 1 Corinthians 15 states that all in Christ shall be made alive and Ephesians 2 tells us that Christians have been raised up through Jesus’ resurrection, We have already been raised up with Christ spiritually in the heavenly realms now, spiritually liberated from the now. And, because we have been raised up in Christ, It is for this reason that Jesus Lordship means our Lordship as well. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:1 that the saints, Christians, those who are in Christ, will share in the judgment of the world. Therefore, we are to be Lord’s as God intended us to be under his authority as we see in Genesis 1, created in the image of God to have dominion and to subdue the earth.
How do we then define time and how is the concept of time and Lordship linked? A worldly view of time in the context of death is meaningless because it is limited and futile as we see in the book of ecclesiastics. However biblically as we see in ecclesiastics 3, there is a time for everything and the context to time is meaningfulness. Meaningfulness is found in the timing. God has placed in humans a sense of timing, verses 10-11 of ecclesiastics 3, but we do not have a full concept of it. We are the only creatures in creation who have a sense of time in us yet we do not understand its full meaning because it is God who gives its meaning.
Therefore how does God give time meaning? We find meaningfulness in the Lordship of Christ, in creation and in judgment. This is how the concept of time and Lordship is connected.
So firstly, creation…..
To be continued......
Sunday, June 08, 2008
A God you can depend upon
Joel 2:18-27
What are the things that you depend upon?
Well for starters I know that when I catch the train, I depend on the train driver to get me to the destination, I also rely on the engineers who built the train and that they knew what they were doing so that the train would stay on track.
Well, what are some other things do we depend upon? How about our water or our electricity? Or what about the truthfulness of what products claim?
And are these things dependable? How did you survive the last time when the power went out? Or when was the last time you bought a product and it didn’t work?
Well, tonight we come to the second halve of chapter 2 in the book of Joel. And if you remember last week, we saw that God was faithful to his promises to bring judgment upon his people for their disobedience in the form of the locust invasion.
Now just as God was faithful to his promises of judgment, we will see that tonight, he is also faithful in his promise to restore and to save; he is a God who you can depend upon.
And will we also see how we too, can benefit from that faithfulness, from that promise keeping.
So before we being looking at the second half of Joel 2, let’s begin by praying.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for making yourself know to us and showing us the way of salvation through faith in your son. We ask yow now to clear our minds of any distractions and to teach us through your word, so that we can be ready to serve you, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Point 1 - God’s faithful character which leads to his abundant restoration
Well, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like silence, I get agitated and feel really awkward.
For example, in the midst of a group of friends, after a long meaningful conversation, the conversation suddenly goes quiet and at its moments like these where my body just wants to scream out with noise.
Or what about waiting for that job interview, you have just sent off the application and the silence you hear before they get back to you is so loud that you can almost hear it.
Well it’s kind of like this for God’s people here in Joel. The priests, the spiritual leaders of the community, the nation cry out to God to spare his people from the locust army, to save them from the judgment that coming from God’s own hand, we can see this in v17, they cry out to God “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations’.Here is a nation that is eagerly waiting for a response from God.
Well God remains true this character and does hears their call of repentance, and we start to see the turning point of the book Joel, from judgment to restoration.
So read with me from verse 18, “then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people” We see that Gods great reversal of the previous chapters is underway
Now does it surprise you that LORD became jealous? We generally tend to associate jealousy with something bad, don’t we? Like feeling resentment or being envious of others.
But God’s jealousy describes God’s passionate concern, his zeal, for his land, for his people and for his name. It is a precise attribute in God’s character which leads the priest, the nation in verse 17, urged by Joel to appeal in prayer and through their repentance, God’s love is stirred and he has pity on them, his people.
Now, the Israelites knew that God was a jealous God and that he was concerned about his land, his people and his name.
And this is why they cry out in verse 17 because the special relationship between God and his people was under threat, God name was being mocked among the nations and God’s honour and faithfulness was being questioned.
Well, we finally see the answer that God’s people were waiting for, in verse 19. God says “Behold. I am sending to you grain, new wine, and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations”God is reversing the sorry state of these three traditional products of the land.
In chapter 1 verse 10, we read that “the ground had dried up, the grain had been destroyed, the new wine had also dried up and the oil failed.”
But now, the Israelite nation will once again be able to enjoy the blessings of their covenantal relationship as God will restore, pay back what the locust army had taken away.
However, this isn’t just a simple restoration and reversal, but notice what God says in verse 19, he says that “you will be satisfied” and again in verse 26, “you will have plenty to eat, until you are full.”
Now, I don’t know if you ever been to a European family get-together, but I remember when I was growing up; there would always be an enormous amount of food to eat from, I was never left un-satisfied.
In the same way here we see that God’s restoration is abundant, the Israelites will have all that they need, and they will be satisfied fully.
Now, back all the way in Deuteronomy 11, we read that God promised his people, that if they faithfully obey his commands, by loving God and serving him with all their hearts and soul, he would send rain on the land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that they may gather in grain, new wine and oil. God will provide grass in the fields for the cattle, and God’s people will eat and be satisfied.
Indeed it is what we see here, God’s faithfulness to his promises and the nation’s repentance leads to God’s abundant restoration.
God does send the rain, in verse 23; he sends the abundant showers, both the autumn and spring rains, so that they may have new grain, wine and oil.
He does provide open pastures that are green for the wild animals of the field in verse 22, and once again the Israelite nation will be able to eat and be satisfied.
However, what good are new grain, wine and oil, if the locust, the Lord’s devastating army, who took these things away from them, is still around?
Well, read with me from verse 20, God says “I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea, And its stench will go up; its smell will rise. Surely he has done great things.”
The same commander who gave the locust army their orders to bring destruction upon the land is now issuing orders for their destruction.
The invaders which have caused such devastating destruction are removed far from them, they are exiled; they are then split apart defeated, and are finally drowned in the eastern and western sea to their destruction.
These three curses of exile, defeat and destruction, which were promised if Israel was disobedient in Deuteronomy 28 will now be reversed and turned upon their enemy, the locust army.
All that will remain of the army, that had ravished the land, is rotting flesh and his people will be saved because God is faithful.
Point 2 – The response to God’s faithfulness and its implications
How then should they respond? How then are they to react to this God, who is doing all these things for them?
Well, the Locust army had done great things, but this is certainly not a reason for further fear because as it says in verse 21, “the Lord had done great things”, indeed, we only need to turn to the first few pages of the bible, in creation, to see know this, and what about God continuing faithfulness to save his people in Israel’s history, it certainly a time to be glad and rejoice.
So firstly, the land is to respond as we read in Verse 21, “Be not afraid, O Land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.”
The animals of the land should not fear when such a God is at work to restore the land, they are to fix their eyes on the Lord’s activity, of his faithfulness and restoration as the open pastures are becoming green, as trees are bearing their fruits and as the fig tree and vine yield their riches.
Secondly, what about God’s people, how are they to respond?
Well verse 23, “Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Verse 24, “the threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.”
Just like the land, we see that the people too, are to be glad and rejoice.
Why? Because by sending the rain God is demonstrating his righteousness, that he can be trusted to keep his promise of restoration to his people.
Now, living in Sydney, I don’t think we count every rain drop that falls from the sky as say a farmer would out west.
We don’t wonder if the rain is going to be enough, or if it’s going to come at the right time. But unlike us, the Israelite nation was a nation that was totally dependent on rain for not only their finances but also the very food they ate.
So you can imagine what a promise of abundant shower was like for them.
However Israel is to respond because of what God has done for them, they are to be glad and rejoice because the Lord is a jealous God who took pity on his people to save them.
Well, so far we have seen that God was a God who Israel could depend on because he was a faithful God who kept his promises to bring restoration and to save them from his judgment.
In verses 25-27, we see that God now makes three promises to his people, the Israelites.
So pick it up with me from verse 25, God says “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you.”
What does God promise them? Well we see that the truth about the locust army is finally made apparent to the Israelites that God sent the locust army. And they are assured that the devastation brought by the army over such a lengthy period of time will be repaid to them, will be restored.
Secondly, God promises in verse 26, that “they shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD their God, who has dealt wondrously with them. And God’s people shall never again be put to shame.”
No longer will Israel be put to shame. No longer will God’s name be mocked among the nations as it was in verse 17.
And finally, in verse 27, God says “You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.”
The Israelites will once again know God and never be put to shame because God will be in the midst of his people.
Now, one of the blessings of the covenantal relationship between God and his people if they lived under his rule was that God’s presence would be amongst his people and God’s promise here is that they will once again be able to enjoy the blessing of God’s presence amongst his people.
Now, next week, we will see that there is also a greater promise in the next few verses, one that involves God pouring out his spirit upon his people, but we will leave that to next week.
Point 3 - The Implications for us in light of the coming day of the Lord
Well we have just looked at Joel chapter 2, and we have seen that God was faithful in his promises to bring restoration, but what about Joel today, Is God still a God who is faithful and is he still a God who we can depend upon.
Well, the big theme that we seen being developed in the book of Joel is the day of the Lord.
We saw in the last two weeks that that the day of the Lord was a day of judgment, a day of condemnation, of punishment, of destruction and devastation.
However we can also see as we saw tonight, that the day of the Lord is also a day of salvation, a day of rescue, as God’s wrath and judgment of Israel was turned upon the locust army. It is also a day of replenishment and a day of abundant restoration.
Now the day of the Lord wasn’t just an event which occurred during the time Joel was written but as Joel 2 verse 31 also hints, there will also be a final day of the Lord where “the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood”.
The New Testament describes this day as when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.
Now, even after God’s demonstrated his faithfulness in Joel, Israel continued to rebel against God.
In fact by nature all of man-kind has rebelled, even you and I have rebelled against God, trying to live our lives our own way.
However, the punishment of Israel’s continued rebellion and our rebellion has been dealt with in one man, Jesus Christ, who took the full judgment and wrath of God to save us from our rebellion, from our sin.
The wonderful thing for Christians, those who have trust in Jesus as Lord, is that we are able to stand bold today.
It is because of Jesus we are able to stand fully absolved of the guilt and judgment we deserve for our sins.
And it is because of God’s faithfulness to restore us, to save us, which the whole Old Testament promises pointed to and which find their yes in Jesus as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Now, God hasn’t just saved us from his judgment but he has also abundantly restored us into a relationship with him.
Therefore, we read in Romans 5 that he has reconciled us by the blood of his son and in Ephesians 1 that he has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Also, as Christians we have a great hope, we read in Revelations 21, that there will be a new heaven and new earth where God’s dwelling place will be with man, he will dwell with them, and they will be his people.
We read that he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former thing will have passed away.
However we are not there yet, Jesus hasn’t returned yet and we still live in a fallen world, a world which is effected by sin and suffering.
So, as Christians who have a great hope but currently live in this fallen age, let me ask you
Do you trust that God will continue to be faithful, that he will save you on the last day in the same way he was faithful to his promises in Joel? Do you depend entirely on God for your salvation? What about when you are faced with hard ship and trials, do you still depend entirely on God?
Well, turn with me to our second reading Romans chapter 8 and let’s pick it up from verse 31
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
If God is for us, who can be against us when we have such a great God, a God who has done great things as we read in Joel 2, a God who was faithful in his promises to abundantly restore and to save his people from the locust invasion, a God who has saved us and justified us through his son who died for us, who was raised to life and who is interceding for us.
Our God indeed is a God who you can depend upon because he is a faithful God who has done great things, so let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord.
So let me ask you again, do you depend entirely on God? If you do, then let me ask you, do you listen to his voice in his word? Do you thank him for all things through pray, do you rejoice and be glad in the Lord and are you concerned about the salvation of your non-Christian friends from the coming judgment?
Well, let me encourage you to depend on God, because as we have seen tonight, God is a faithful God who has kept his promises. And he will continue to keep his promises.
So let me finish with this great assurance that we have in Christ Jesus as we wait for his return in Romans 8:38-40.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Amen.
What are the things that you depend upon?
Well for starters I know that when I catch the train, I depend on the train driver to get me to the destination, I also rely on the engineers who built the train and that they knew what they were doing so that the train would stay on track.
Well, what are some other things do we depend upon? How about our water or our electricity? Or what about the truthfulness of what products claim?
And are these things dependable? How did you survive the last time when the power went out? Or when was the last time you bought a product and it didn’t work?
Well, tonight we come to the second halve of chapter 2 in the book of Joel. And if you remember last week, we saw that God was faithful to his promises to bring judgment upon his people for their disobedience in the form of the locust invasion.
Now just as God was faithful to his promises of judgment, we will see that tonight, he is also faithful in his promise to restore and to save; he is a God who you can depend upon.
And will we also see how we too, can benefit from that faithfulness, from that promise keeping.
So before we being looking at the second half of Joel 2, let’s begin by praying.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for making yourself know to us and showing us the way of salvation through faith in your son. We ask yow now to clear our minds of any distractions and to teach us through your word, so that we can be ready to serve you, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Point 1 - God’s faithful character which leads to his abundant restoration
Well, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like silence, I get agitated and feel really awkward.
For example, in the midst of a group of friends, after a long meaningful conversation, the conversation suddenly goes quiet and at its moments like these where my body just wants to scream out with noise.
Or what about waiting for that job interview, you have just sent off the application and the silence you hear before they get back to you is so loud that you can almost hear it.
Well it’s kind of like this for God’s people here in Joel. The priests, the spiritual leaders of the community, the nation cry out to God to spare his people from the locust army, to save them from the judgment that coming from God’s own hand, we can see this in v17, they cry out to God “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations’.Here is a nation that is eagerly waiting for a response from God.
Well God remains true this character and does hears their call of repentance, and we start to see the turning point of the book Joel, from judgment to restoration.
So read with me from verse 18, “then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people” We see that Gods great reversal of the previous chapters is underway
Now does it surprise you that LORD became jealous? We generally tend to associate jealousy with something bad, don’t we? Like feeling resentment or being envious of others.
But God’s jealousy describes God’s passionate concern, his zeal, for his land, for his people and for his name. It is a precise attribute in God’s character which leads the priest, the nation in verse 17, urged by Joel to appeal in prayer and through their repentance, God’s love is stirred and he has pity on them, his people.
Now, the Israelites knew that God was a jealous God and that he was concerned about his land, his people and his name.
And this is why they cry out in verse 17 because the special relationship between God and his people was under threat, God name was being mocked among the nations and God’s honour and faithfulness was being questioned.
Well, we finally see the answer that God’s people were waiting for, in verse 19. God says “Behold. I am sending to you grain, new wine, and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations”God is reversing the sorry state of these three traditional products of the land.
In chapter 1 verse 10, we read that “the ground had dried up, the grain had been destroyed, the new wine had also dried up and the oil failed.”
But now, the Israelite nation will once again be able to enjoy the blessings of their covenantal relationship as God will restore, pay back what the locust army had taken away.
However, this isn’t just a simple restoration and reversal, but notice what God says in verse 19, he says that “you will be satisfied” and again in verse 26, “you will have plenty to eat, until you are full.”
Now, I don’t know if you ever been to a European family get-together, but I remember when I was growing up; there would always be an enormous amount of food to eat from, I was never left un-satisfied.
In the same way here we see that God’s restoration is abundant, the Israelites will have all that they need, and they will be satisfied fully.
Now, back all the way in Deuteronomy 11, we read that God promised his people, that if they faithfully obey his commands, by loving God and serving him with all their hearts and soul, he would send rain on the land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that they may gather in grain, new wine and oil. God will provide grass in the fields for the cattle, and God’s people will eat and be satisfied.
Indeed it is what we see here, God’s faithfulness to his promises and the nation’s repentance leads to God’s abundant restoration.
God does send the rain, in verse 23; he sends the abundant showers, both the autumn and spring rains, so that they may have new grain, wine and oil.
He does provide open pastures that are green for the wild animals of the field in verse 22, and once again the Israelite nation will be able to eat and be satisfied.
However, what good are new grain, wine and oil, if the locust, the Lord’s devastating army, who took these things away from them, is still around?
Well, read with me from verse 20, God says “I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea, And its stench will go up; its smell will rise. Surely he has done great things.”
The same commander who gave the locust army their orders to bring destruction upon the land is now issuing orders for their destruction.
The invaders which have caused such devastating destruction are removed far from them, they are exiled; they are then split apart defeated, and are finally drowned in the eastern and western sea to their destruction.
These three curses of exile, defeat and destruction, which were promised if Israel was disobedient in Deuteronomy 28 will now be reversed and turned upon their enemy, the locust army.
All that will remain of the army, that had ravished the land, is rotting flesh and his people will be saved because God is faithful.
Point 2 – The response to God’s faithfulness and its implications
How then should they respond? How then are they to react to this God, who is doing all these things for them?
Well, the Locust army had done great things, but this is certainly not a reason for further fear because as it says in verse 21, “the Lord had done great things”, indeed, we only need to turn to the first few pages of the bible, in creation, to see know this, and what about God continuing faithfulness to save his people in Israel’s history, it certainly a time to be glad and rejoice.
So firstly, the land is to respond as we read in Verse 21, “Be not afraid, O Land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.”
The animals of the land should not fear when such a God is at work to restore the land, they are to fix their eyes on the Lord’s activity, of his faithfulness and restoration as the open pastures are becoming green, as trees are bearing their fruits and as the fig tree and vine yield their riches.
Secondly, what about God’s people, how are they to respond?
Well verse 23, “Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Verse 24, “the threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.”
Just like the land, we see that the people too, are to be glad and rejoice.
Why? Because by sending the rain God is demonstrating his righteousness, that he can be trusted to keep his promise of restoration to his people.
Now, living in Sydney, I don’t think we count every rain drop that falls from the sky as say a farmer would out west.
We don’t wonder if the rain is going to be enough, or if it’s going to come at the right time. But unlike us, the Israelite nation was a nation that was totally dependent on rain for not only their finances but also the very food they ate.
So you can imagine what a promise of abundant shower was like for them.
However Israel is to respond because of what God has done for them, they are to be glad and rejoice because the Lord is a jealous God who took pity on his people to save them.
Well, so far we have seen that God was a God who Israel could depend on because he was a faithful God who kept his promises to bring restoration and to save them from his judgment.
In verses 25-27, we see that God now makes three promises to his people, the Israelites.
So pick it up with me from verse 25, God says “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you.”
What does God promise them? Well we see that the truth about the locust army is finally made apparent to the Israelites that God sent the locust army. And they are assured that the devastation brought by the army over such a lengthy period of time will be repaid to them, will be restored.
Secondly, God promises in verse 26, that “they shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD their God, who has dealt wondrously with them. And God’s people shall never again be put to shame.”
No longer will Israel be put to shame. No longer will God’s name be mocked among the nations as it was in verse 17.
And finally, in verse 27, God says “You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.”
The Israelites will once again know God and never be put to shame because God will be in the midst of his people.
Now, one of the blessings of the covenantal relationship between God and his people if they lived under his rule was that God’s presence would be amongst his people and God’s promise here is that they will once again be able to enjoy the blessing of God’s presence amongst his people.
Now, next week, we will see that there is also a greater promise in the next few verses, one that involves God pouring out his spirit upon his people, but we will leave that to next week.
Point 3 - The Implications for us in light of the coming day of the Lord
Well we have just looked at Joel chapter 2, and we have seen that God was faithful in his promises to bring restoration, but what about Joel today, Is God still a God who is faithful and is he still a God who we can depend upon.
Well, the big theme that we seen being developed in the book of Joel is the day of the Lord.
We saw in the last two weeks that that the day of the Lord was a day of judgment, a day of condemnation, of punishment, of destruction and devastation.
However we can also see as we saw tonight, that the day of the Lord is also a day of salvation, a day of rescue, as God’s wrath and judgment of Israel was turned upon the locust army. It is also a day of replenishment and a day of abundant restoration.
Now the day of the Lord wasn’t just an event which occurred during the time Joel was written but as Joel 2 verse 31 also hints, there will also be a final day of the Lord where “the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood”.
The New Testament describes this day as when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.
Now, even after God’s demonstrated his faithfulness in Joel, Israel continued to rebel against God.
In fact by nature all of man-kind has rebelled, even you and I have rebelled against God, trying to live our lives our own way.
However, the punishment of Israel’s continued rebellion and our rebellion has been dealt with in one man, Jesus Christ, who took the full judgment and wrath of God to save us from our rebellion, from our sin.
The wonderful thing for Christians, those who have trust in Jesus as Lord, is that we are able to stand bold today.
It is because of Jesus we are able to stand fully absolved of the guilt and judgment we deserve for our sins.
And it is because of God’s faithfulness to restore us, to save us, which the whole Old Testament promises pointed to and which find their yes in Jesus as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Now, God hasn’t just saved us from his judgment but he has also abundantly restored us into a relationship with him.
Therefore, we read in Romans 5 that he has reconciled us by the blood of his son and in Ephesians 1 that he has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Also, as Christians we have a great hope, we read in Revelations 21, that there will be a new heaven and new earth where God’s dwelling place will be with man, he will dwell with them, and they will be his people.
We read that he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former thing will have passed away.
However we are not there yet, Jesus hasn’t returned yet and we still live in a fallen world, a world which is effected by sin and suffering.
So, as Christians who have a great hope but currently live in this fallen age, let me ask you
Do you trust that God will continue to be faithful, that he will save you on the last day in the same way he was faithful to his promises in Joel? Do you depend entirely on God for your salvation? What about when you are faced with hard ship and trials, do you still depend entirely on God?
Well, turn with me to our second reading Romans chapter 8 and let’s pick it up from verse 31
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
If God is for us, who can be against us when we have such a great God, a God who has done great things as we read in Joel 2, a God who was faithful in his promises to abundantly restore and to save his people from the locust invasion, a God who has saved us and justified us through his son who died for us, who was raised to life and who is interceding for us.
Our God indeed is a God who you can depend upon because he is a faithful God who has done great things, so let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord.
So let me ask you again, do you depend entirely on God? If you do, then let me ask you, do you listen to his voice in his word? Do you thank him for all things through pray, do you rejoice and be glad in the Lord and are you concerned about the salvation of your non-Christian friends from the coming judgment?
Well, let me encourage you to depend on God, because as we have seen tonight, God is a faithful God who has kept his promises. And he will continue to keep his promises.
So let me finish with this great assurance that we have in Christ Jesus as we wait for his return in Romans 8:38-40.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Amen.
Friday, May 09, 2008
The time is short
So finally, I've come to updating my blog. The delay has been a case of both busyness and laziness, but nonetheless here I am updating it.
What's been happening, well a lot has actually been happened and I can't remember every detail. However it has been a time of testing and perseverance. As my uni degree is closing to a end many issues have come up like, where am i going to live after uni? what am i going to do? PhD or job? in which situation will i be able to serve God the best? what about work placement, can't graduate till i complete 5 more weeks?, How will getting a job or PhD effect my longer term vision of full time ministry? Well in one sense these issues still remain as I am limited to skills in planning, but am slowly working to deal with those struggles.
However, I am persevering and serving the Lord, and hope to do so with the power of prayer and with God's help. Emu Plains Church has been going well, I am encouraged that the clergy are pushing towards mission minded and being a welcoming church. The preaching is faithful to God's word and is provocative in a good way. We recently got a new student minister, and his faithfulness and zeal has been an encouragement. It is truly amazing and thank God that we have partnerships in the Gospel.
Uni ministry has been going good, lots of committed first year student which once again is just great. The staff workers as well have been putting all there energy to growing, training and telling people the Gospel, which is another thing to praise God for. Let they continue is all i can say. Our training time has also been good, we have been looking at the reformation history period, some followup training and biblical theology. I've been really excited to teach biblical theology this semester, and even though the numbers are low, it brings great joy to see those guys developing a better grasp of the bible as whole, the kingdom of God. It has also been really encouraging to meet up with two guys one-to-one to encourage each other and disciple.
Scripture and Youth group have been going well. We started up a Youth group this year and it has been going well. The core group that is there is really keen and excited to look at God's word, we looked at biblical theology last week and the kids were really excited to see God's faithfulness in God's big picture that is found in the bible. I've also been going along to one of the bible studies at church, which has been really good to get to know some people from Church as we fellowship around God's word. God has been faithful this year in giving me opportunities to serve using God given gifts to build the church up in love. I have been really enjoying leading church, in particularly focusing people's on God's word. I also have another opportunity to preach in a few weeks on Joel 2 which i will have to start preparing this Sunday, so come and join me for it.
Now from the different things I do, one might ask, how do i get any uni work done, and besides that fact, i actually do get quiet alot done. I finished last year with first class honours, a GPA of 6, and in the to 10% of uni. However study as never been a real joy for me, and it is a struggle as it gives me a limited time to take all the opportunity for ministry. Nonetheless a balance is life under Christ is wise.
To those who have been reading my blog, know the struggles i had last year, such as the breakup, family situation and etc. However these small struggles are nullified when i think of God's grace and love. Oh i also got a ps3, its great fun. I hope someone still reads this blog.
Anyways, If you would like to pray for me, please pray for continued growth in Christ and trust in Jesus as Lord and pray for the different struggles that i mentioned in the Blog.
There is so much more that i can write down, however much time and many pages would be used to which will most defiantly weary your body reading it. So please do say hello next time you see me, and we can share some time encouraging and praying for each other.
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is Gain." Phil 1:21
God Bless,
Laurence
What's been happening, well a lot has actually been happened and I can't remember every detail. However it has been a time of testing and perseverance. As my uni degree is closing to a end many issues have come up like, where am i going to live after uni? what am i going to do? PhD or job? in which situation will i be able to serve God the best? what about work placement, can't graduate till i complete 5 more weeks?, How will getting a job or PhD effect my longer term vision of full time ministry? Well in one sense these issues still remain as I am limited to skills in planning, but am slowly working to deal with those struggles.
However, I am persevering and serving the Lord, and hope to do so with the power of prayer and with God's help. Emu Plains Church has been going well, I am encouraged that the clergy are pushing towards mission minded and being a welcoming church. The preaching is faithful to God's word and is provocative in a good way. We recently got a new student minister, and his faithfulness and zeal has been an encouragement. It is truly amazing and thank God that we have partnerships in the Gospel.
Uni ministry has been going good, lots of committed first year student which once again is just great. The staff workers as well have been putting all there energy to growing, training and telling people the Gospel, which is another thing to praise God for. Let they continue is all i can say. Our training time has also been good, we have been looking at the reformation history period, some followup training and biblical theology. I've been really excited to teach biblical theology this semester, and even though the numbers are low, it brings great joy to see those guys developing a better grasp of the bible as whole, the kingdom of God. It has also been really encouraging to meet up with two guys one-to-one to encourage each other and disciple.
Scripture and Youth group have been going well. We started up a Youth group this year and it has been going well. The core group that is there is really keen and excited to look at God's word, we looked at biblical theology last week and the kids were really excited to see God's faithfulness in God's big picture that is found in the bible. I've also been going along to one of the bible studies at church, which has been really good to get to know some people from Church as we fellowship around God's word. God has been faithful this year in giving me opportunities to serve using God given gifts to build the church up in love. I have been really enjoying leading church, in particularly focusing people's on God's word. I also have another opportunity to preach in a few weeks on Joel 2 which i will have to start preparing this Sunday, so come and join me for it.
Now from the different things I do, one might ask, how do i get any uni work done, and besides that fact, i actually do get quiet alot done. I finished last year with first class honours, a GPA of 6, and in the to 10% of uni. However study as never been a real joy for me, and it is a struggle as it gives me a limited time to take all the opportunity for ministry. Nonetheless a balance is life under Christ is wise.
To those who have been reading my blog, know the struggles i had last year, such as the breakup, family situation and etc. However these small struggles are nullified when i think of God's grace and love. Oh i also got a ps3, its great fun. I hope someone still reads this blog.
Anyways, If you would like to pray for me, please pray for continued growth in Christ and trust in Jesus as Lord and pray for the different struggles that i mentioned in the Blog.
There is so much more that i can write down, however much time and many pages would be used to which will most defiantly weary your body reading it. So please do say hello next time you see me, and we can share some time encouraging and praying for each other.
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is Gain." Phil 1:21
God Bless,
Laurence
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