The Gospel is Not a Request

Do you share the gospel? Do you make an appeal for the gospel? Do you offer the gospel? I’m not saying that wording it that way is wrong – not in the slightest. We talk in these terms because we know we cannot force belief upon people. We know that the saving response to the proclamation of the gospel comes through the work of God on man’s disobedient heart. It comes through the illuminating, regenerating work of the Spirit through his word. We also know that every human being is individually responsible before God to repent of sin and have faith in Jesus.

Sometimes our rhetoric about gospel proclamation ignores a very important reality.  The gospel is not really a non-obligatory offer for someone to be reconciled to God, it’s a command.

Act 17:29-31 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

When Paul went to Athens (Acts 17) among all the philosophers surrounded by their idols, he told them about the unknown God of the universe who created all things and to Whom they are accountable. He showed them that they are looking in all the wrong places and that the only way of being right with the Creator is through the Savior who died and rose from the dead. Paul called them to a right response. It was not a response to an offer, or even a hopeful appeal. Paul called them to respond to the command of the gospel in obedience through repentance (Acts 17:30).

We are commanded to repent of our sins and believe upon his Son as our only way of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. This is a command of love from God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

The gospel as a command might seem strong until you realize that without faith in Jesus Christ, there is no forgiveness of sins and an eternal judgment awaits. Unbelievers are disobedient do the gospel, not simply unconvinced or preferring something else.

Writing to Timothy, Paul also urges his true son in the faith to command some in Ephesus to stop teaching other doctrines that conflict with gospel integrity (1 Timothy 1:3). Again we see that the strong language of command is necessary because any teaching that conflicts with the gospel undermines the saving reality of the gospel. Commanding gospel response and gospel integrity is important because there is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved. Doesn’t that require better than a weak offer? It requires a command of love.

The Faith and Your Faith

Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

1Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, we find a distinction in the way the New Testament authors talk about faith. Sometimes they talk about THE faith and sometimes they talk about YOUR faith.

When Jude writes to the beloved saints he does so acknowledging that they have a common salvation and appeals to them to contend for THE FAITH that was once and for all delivered to the saints.  When he talks about the faith in this respect he is talking about all matters of truth that pertain to an understanding of the Christian faith. It is difficult to reduce this matter to the simple and irreducible message of the gospel, but the gospel is certainly the very center and thrust of the faith. The faith associated with our common salvation is surrounded by the historic setting and doctrines and life of the gospel upheld by and lived out in the church. There is one faith which is the faith and it alone is the basis for a common salvation that everyone in the faith obtains.

In other Scriptures we find the biblical authors showing that this faith must have an individual, personal component of ownership.  It is my faith or your faith. When we read the personal pronouns associated with faith, we know that the biblical author is asking us to consider the individual belief we have in Jesus Christ that brings us into the faith in which we live. Paul tells the believers in Corinth that if Jesus has not been raised, their faith is in vain.  In other words, their individual belief in Jesus would be for nothing if he has not conquered the grave to give us hope of our own future resurrection from the dead and life everlasting. Through faith in the risen Christ, we are saved.

The distinction is important because those who come to faith in Christ become responsible for the faith in which we stand. The faith delivered to the saints is delivered through them having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we become members of the corporate custodians of the faith to this world. Through the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Christ himself, he has commissioned a succession of the faith to be upheld, protected, lived and proclaimed by the church. For those who have faith in Jesus, they do not just have an individual responsibility to trust in him, but are part of a corporate responsibility with all believers everywhere to uphold the faith with the integrity and purity that the gospel message demands. Every Christian who walks in a profession of faith has a weight of responsibility to contend for the faith in this world. We do it as a corporate body (the church) helping each other to live it, protect it, proclaim it, teach it, and uphold it in every way possible.  

The Great Commission Defines Mission

Matthew28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The moment anyone recites these wonderful verses, we all instantly think of one word – Mission. The reality is that it is not wrong for us to think of this word.  In fact, if there is one sole word to explain the great commission, it’s mission. The problem comes not in our identification that the main point is mission, but in that the great commission also defines mission.

I am hopeful that most Christians would agree that mission is more than sending someone overseas to proclaim the gospel and make converts. Of course, we all want to see converts to Christ, but Jesus commands us to so much more in these few verses.  He commands us to go and make disciples, baptize disciples, and teach disciples to observe his commands. The point we must see when we read the great commission is that Jesus is commissioning his disciples to go and grow healthy churches.

In baptizing disciples, believers are publicly identifying with a community of believers.  They are being baptized into identification with a family. They are declaring their death to former allegiances, their burial of the old life and resurrection with him to new life in a new family. That Jesus commands baptism implies that there is to be an identifiable church being planted and grown in the name of the Tri-une God.

When Jesus tells his disciples to teach disciples he gives the specific instruction for training these new believers to observe/obey his commands.  They are not just teaching dogma but actually discipling/counseling new believers in the application of the truth of Christ in their life of obedience to him. This means that the process of discipleship is implied as an ongoing relationship of disciples helping each other grow in the sanctification of Christ’s truth. That implies a maturing church. As you read on in the New Testament, that also requires the appointment of elders/overseers to watch over that flock under the authority of the Great Shepherd.

Modern missionary strategies that ignore the hard work of one to one discipleship, sanctification, identification with a local body, and biblical leadership miss the point of the great commission.  The great commission is the mission of the church, not simply individuals.  It is the mission to grow the church, and while that takes individual believers, baptism and maturing discipleship takes a commitment to the establishment and growth of a local church.

Where many have an insufficient understanding of the great commission, we must see that there is a greater sense to mission. Jesus is growing his CHURCH and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Why I Have NO Fear About My Church

Upon the great declaration from Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared that he is building his church and the gates of hell would never prevail against it. Jesus has given a great promise to the church that it will never die and in fact, it will always be victorious in the gospel according to the sovereign grace of God.

When we think of promises like this, we underestimate that the promises of God are backed up by the faithfulness of God in keeping them. God’s Word is true and all that he says will happen because his word and his will are absolute.

On many occasions Jesus told his disciples that he was going to die and be raised from the dead.  Upon hearing this, they (especially Peter) attempted to refute the will of our Lord, but Jesus’ word is final. Satan attempted to tempt him away from it in the wilderness, but Jesus withstood Satan’s attack and proceeded toward the cross. The crowd in Galilee attempted to take him by force and make him a king who would overcome Herod and even Rome. Jesus dispersed the crowd and kept proceeding toward the cross. Peter seemed ready to stand with his sword and fight against Jesus’ arrest, but Jesus healed the ear of the guard that Peter cut and willingly gave himself over. Jesus refrained from giving a robust defense before the Jewish and Roman courts as he willingly went to the cross. Jesus said he would die and rise again, and this is exactly what he did.

On Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead and the angel described this event as happening just “as he said.” (Matthew 28:6).

How do I know that Jesus will keep his promise to protect and grow his church? How do I know that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead? How do I know that Jesus will complete his work that he has promised to finish in us? How do I know that there will be ultimate and final perfection of his saints? How do I know that the church will stand in wonder before the shining brilliance of God? How do I know that there will be a new heaven and earth without the stain of sin and suffering? How do I know that the church will live forever in the presence of our Savior and Lord? BECAUSE no mere man can come to life after death. Upon the will of our Savior, he died for sin, was buried, and rose from the grave in victorious life as King and Lord forevermore. It’s not that he simply promised to do the impossible, he DID the impossible.  

Whatever Jesus promises, it’s worth believing. It’s worth staking your whole life on it.

Have no fear. Jesus is with his church.

The Silence of Jesus or The Babylon Bee

I definitely do have a sense of humor and love to laugh. If you ask anyone in my church or family they will tell you that I love a good joke. I’m also aware and concerned about the speed and ferocity of the cultural shift that is happening around us all. I know that this world is not a friend of Christians. Christian media voices like the Babylon Bee have used satirical humor to expose social ills and cultural oppression. Is mocking the world the right tactic for a Christian, even if we are just trying to have a sense of humor?

It is impossible to read through the Easter narratives and not see an intense and persistent mocking of Jesus. In Matthew 27 Jesus was given over to be scourged and crucified and was then mocked by the Roman soldiers and brought to his place of crucifixion where the scornful mocking continued with the Jewish crowd, Chief Priests, Elders, and Scribes. From Matthew 27:27-44 we notice a continual onslaught of scoffing at Jesus with him consistently responding with silence.

Jesus’ focus was to die on a cross. There is little doubt about what this Jewish crowd most wanted. They wanted a King who would help them restore the Jewish way of life and overcome the domination of Rome. They wanted a King who would lead them in rhetoric against the cultural oppression of their dictators. Jesus had no intent in making that his goal. His concern was that the only way a sinful world could know the forgiveness and mercy of God was if the justice of God would be satisfied by One who could actually bear it. The cross was his central focus.

When we understand the one big purpose of Christ, it puts human problems in perspective. Political and social ills in this temporary world are only a peripheral view compared to the central focus and purpose of the cross. Because Jesus’ pinpoint focus was saving a people from sin, he was intentional about his humility before those he was coming to save. Unfortunately, when we have a more worldly focus, it tends to ignite more worldly responses. If Jesus were fighting in the battleground of cultural wrongs and Roman oppression, no doubt his responses may have been different. What we find though is that Christ, focused on his success in the cross, does not join in the worldly fight using the same mocking tactics as the world. What we see in Jesus as we look at his progression to the cross is a picture of the ultimate blessed man from Psalm 1.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

What we find in this Psalm is that the tactic of scoffing is one that the Blessed Man does not engage in. That’s a worldly seat that he avoids. Mocking and scoffing does not bring godly success. All that the Blessed Man does prospers because he is aligned with God’s great purpose. As we look at Jesus and how he responds to a mocking world, we find that he does something amazing. He silently focuses on the only way those mockers might know grace and peace in right relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t use satirical wit to show the stupidity of his opposition with scoffing laughter. Jesus doesn’t weaponize humor in a way to incite hatred toward those who are against him. Actually, Jesus says, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus is exponentially more concerned about individual souls than his opposition’s social ills or oppression. He goes silently toward his focus on the cross and we should imitate him in this way as we go taking the message of the cross.

This Easter I have been even more convinced that Christians should avoid the mocking tactics of the world and take the heart of Christ to a mission field that we are not meant to scoff but to evangelize. We are not meant to incite opposition, even through humor, but to encourage mission with a pinpoint focus on the cross and a desperate love for an opposition who need Jesus.

Get Real About God's Wrath

I make no apologies for this post, and neither did the men in their quotes below.  Please read and consider all the way through. Sometimes the most disturbing of truths is exactly what we need in order to see the most glorious of truths.

“If the biblical doctrine of the wrath of God is true, then it is the most important fact confronting every one of us at this moment; infinitely more important than any international conference that may be held, infinitely more important than whether there is to be a third world war or not. If this doctrine is true, then we are all involved in it, and our eternal destiny depends upon it. And the Bible states everywhere that it is a fact.”

                        Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones

“The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God’s vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the meantime is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward.”

                        Jonathon Edwards

“wrath is the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness.”

John Murray.

“What fools are they who, for a drop of pleasure, drink a sea of wrath.”

Thomas Watson.

“He is angry with you this moment – and always.  You go to sleep with an angry God gazing into your face.  You wake in the morning, and if your eye were not dim, you would perceive His frowning countenance.  He is angry with you even when you are singing His praises, for you mock Him with solemn sounds upon a solemn tongue.  He is angry with you on your knees, for you only pretend to pray; you utter words without heart.  As long as you are not a believer, He must be angry with you every moment (see Psalm 7:11).”

                        C.H. Spurgeon

“God’s wrath is present in God’s giving people over to their licentiousness, their sin, their bondage to evil. And he is saying they are storing up more wrath, as he gives them up to wrath.”

John Piper.

“The wrath of God is not ignoble. Rather, it is too noble, too just, too perfect – it is this that bothers us.” 

James Montgomery Boice

“Wrath, unlike love, is not one of the intrinsic perfections of God. Rather, it is a function of God’s holiness against sin. Where there is no sin, there is no wrath-but there will always be love in God. Where God in His holiness confronts His image-bearers in their rebellion, there must be wrath, or God is not the jealous God He claims to be, and His holiness is impugned. The price of diluting God’s wrath is diminishing God’s holiness.”

                        D.A.Carson.

“Without the black backdrop of our sinful nature and its consequences (God’s wrath), the gospel is a big yawn.”

William Farley.

“God’s holy wrath is poured out on what He hates because it damages and destroys what He loves.”

                        Sinclair Ferguson

“As God’s mercies are new every morning toward His people, so His anger is new every morning against the wicked.”

                        Matthew Henry

“There is no need for God to be in a hurry – all eternity is at His disposal… He is in no haste to execute judgment because He knows the sinner cannot escape Him. It is impossible to flee out of His dominions! In due time every transgression and disobedience shall receive “a just recompense of reward.”

                        A.W.Pink

“Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner’s conscience, nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures – give such a demonstration of God’s hatred of sin – as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son!  Never did divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time our Savior’s countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans – when God had turned His smiling face from Him, and thrust His sharp knife into His heart, which forced that terrible cry from Him, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me!”

                        Stephen Charnock

Titus 3:3-7  For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Preparing Your Heart For The Lord's Supper

How do you approach what we call, “The Lord’s Table?” Most times we come to church and are often unaware that this is the Sunday that we are celebrating this meal together. Perhaps we should do a better job at giving our church family notice that this celebration is coming up. I say this because it seems that the Apostle Paul had some very big concerns about how the church of Corinth was approaching the Lord’s table. As we read 1 Corinthians 11, we might want to object to being compared with the Corinthians. They were treating the Lord’s table like a self-indulgent meal for the rich.

1Corinthians 11:17-22 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

I have never actually been in a church that matches this description, and I am very thankful for that. Even so, as we consider this passage, it does tell us some important aspects of communion that we should consider.

Vs. 17 – It is supposed to be about coming together.

Vs. 17 – It is supposed to be for the better – (for edification/building up of the body).

Vs. 18 – It is specifically the coming together as the church – the united family of God.

Vs. 19 – It is a meal that is supposed to be shared by all who are genuine in Christ. (not just some).

Vs. 20 – It is not our supper, it’s the Lord’s supper.

Vs. 21 – It is supposed to show the unity of all believers, rich or poor or otherwise.

Vs. 22 – It is not supposed to be like any other meal.

The first point of concern for Paul is that the Lord’s supper in Corinth had become a display of sinful indulgence and division in the church. This was to their shame. Even if we are not displaying the same type of visible division among us, it does give us pause to remember that we come to the Lord’s supper with a common bond. That bond is found in the broken body of Christ and his blood shed for us. To come to the Lord’s table with others is to consider that those others share this meal having experienced the same infinite grace that we also desperately need. This means we must not approach the celebration of Christ’s sacrifice for us with a heart of bias against another. In Corinth it seems there were differing factions, and while our church may not have such clear divisions (praise God), it can be easy for us to think lesser of others based on our own selfish criteria. Before we come to the Lord’s table, we should check our hearts of love for our brothers and sisters as we prepare to share it in unity and love.

1Corinthians 11:27-30 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

We should also seriously heed the warning that Paul gives to the Corinthians and consider ourselves before the Lord lest we take this supper in an unworthy manner. In one sense, we are never worthy. None of us can ever claim our own holiness before the Lord, but the Lord’s supper is about remembering that Jesus died for the unworthy. Paul is saying that if we are truly in Christ, we will check our lives and consider if our lives are representative of our faith in Christ. Is our walk, worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Do we have unconfessed sin? Are we guilty of sinful bias against our brothers or sisters? Are we living as if the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice doesn’t matter?

Getting some notice about the Lord’s supper is a great thing. Check your heart. Confess your sin. Put your mind right about your brothers and sisters, and in need, ask for forgiveness where you have been showing your sinful biases. Pray and ask the Lord to ready your heart and mind to share together in a remembrance of Christ with others. Remind yourself that they are your brothers and sisters in the broken body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus, Savior, and King.

This is your notice for Sunday.

Passover: A New Family Photo

In Matthew 26:14-25 we come across the account of Judas betraying Jesus and the Passover meal. It starts with Judas doing the sinister deal with the Chief Priests in order to deliver Jesus to them for 30 pieces of silver (vs 14-16). It finishes with Jesus making it known that one of the twelve disciples would betray him, and it’s obvious it’s Judas (vs. 21-25). Sandwiched in the middle of these two sections is a picture that makes the treachery of Judas even more appalling. The setting for Jesus’ announcement was an intimate Passover meal with his family, a family that redefines the normal Jewish understanding of family in an infinitely more intimate way.

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.

The Passover feast and the entire festival of Unleavened Bread was a huge family deal. In the original Passover, family units were gathered in their dwellings after sacrificing a lamb and smearing its blood on their doorposts. As they ate safely inside, God passed over their homes, and they were safe from the judgement that was wrought on the Egyptians. Through this, God delivered them out of Egypt. Through the wilderness, God gave Israel safe passage and provision as they camped and moved in family units. As Israel then dwelled in the promised land, they were attributed land according to family and tribe, and as they remembered Passover, they came together in intimate family gatherings to recall what God had done. The Passover meal was about as intimate a gathering for families as could possibly be. Fathers would explain the elements of Passover and sons and fathers would recite scriptures in response to each other. The Passover was a great feast of family units convergent upon Jerusalem.

Why weren’t the disciples gathering with their own individual families at this time? Because in Jesus the disciples found something new. Jesus makes Passover all about him. He gives us what we now know as the Lord’s supper. Jesus is not with a group of disciples all disconnected from their families at Passover. Jesus is with his true family at Passover, and he defines it in the explanation of a New Covenant. The New Covenant is not a covenant made to those who have connection to a physical descendancy and tribal connection to the sons of Jacob. The New Covenant is the covenant in Christ’s blood. His family is not identified in the bloodlines of Israel.  His family is identified in the blood shed by Christ himself.

This intimate setting is indeed the most intimate family setting we could possibly explain. This is even more intimate than a family connected by physical heritage. It’s a family connected by an eternal Savior. Jesus shares the most intimate meal with the most intimate family. They share the bowl and dip their hands into it. They pass the Passover lamb and they contemplate together how God is a deliverer. Then Jesus basically says, “This is me. I am this Passover Lamb for you.”

It is in this family setting that Judas sits as a betrayer and would soon prefer that he had never been born. It is in this family setting that we now gather all over the world to remember Christ’s body broken and his blood shed for us. With the New Covenant fulfillment of Passover is a New Covenant definition of what a covenantal family of God truly is. The New Covenantal family is in Christ’s blood alone. The New Covenant is a participation in one Lamb for all who will believe.  What a glorious covenant and what a gloriously beautiful family of the Lamb.

Will The Real High Priest Please Stand

Matthew 26:1-5 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

Matthew begins his passion narrative in chapter 26 of his gospel, and we are faced with some comparisons. We see the comparison of Jesus willingly going to the cross while the Chief Priests and Elders secretly meet to plot his death. We see the comparison of a woman who spares no expense in her affection for Jesus with the disciples who see her gesture as a waste. One other comparison we see is not so noticeable but can be considered nonetheless. We see a man who has taken on the role of a High Priest when he possibly shouldn’t with the One who is the true High Priest and the fulfillment of everything that this role means.

Caiaphas, the High priest of the time, was High Priest from 18-36AD. Caiaphas was the son-in-law to Annas who was the previous High Priest but not yet dead. Were there two High Priests? In short answer, “kind of, yes.” In Luke 3:2 and Acts 4:6, Luke mentions both Caiaphas and Annas as the High Priests and in connection with the high priestly family. The problem with this is that the role of a High Priest was to be a role for life succeeded only be death. Annas was out of favor with the Romans, and so while many Jews would still consider him the High Priest, Caiaphas his son-in-law was the officially appointed High Priest accepted by Rome. As this was never meant to be the proper appointment for a High Priest, perhaps this was why Jesus was first taken to Annas before standing before Caiaphas when he was arrested (John 18).

In the first five verses of Matthew 26, Matthew describes two separate meetings. There is a meeting outside Jerusalem between Jesus and his disciples, and there is a meeting that takes place at Caiaphas’ palace in Jerusalem. In one meeting Jesus describes his death that will end the Old Covenant role of the High Priest forever. In the other meeting, the High Priest seems to be plotting the death of Jesus with the Jewish leadership. By killing Jesus, Caiaphas will unwittingly end a role that he should never have been in to start with. By killing Jesus in just a few days, Jesus will fulfill the role of the Old Covenant Priesthood by taking on himself the sin of humanity. Through his sacrifice he will bear the punishment for sin as the One True Mediator between God and man. Through Christ only and forever, God’s wrath upon sin will be appeased and forgiveness bestowed to all who trust in Jesus.

The comparison between the pre-ordained Great High Priest who truly deals with sin and the wrongly appointed High Priest who plots in his own sin is extraordinary. In one meeting the doubtful High Priest is more worried about the safety of his own position and not causing an uproar. In the other meeting the Great High Priest is selflessly describing his upcoming death for the salvation of his people.

As we consider this comparison, it reminds us of the stunning passages in Hebrews that direct us toward the wonder of Christ’s pre-eminence in his fulfillment of the high priestly role. Hebrews 9:11-15  But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Why I Use the Term "Ordinance" Rather than "Sacrament."

Sometimes when we discuss theological issues, it can sound more like semantics than a true difference in meaning. Normally Baptists prefer to use the word ‘ordinance’ while Presbyterians, Anglicans and Lutherans (and some others) prefer the term ‘sacrament’. Is this just a semantic argument or is there really a dividing line? If one considers the history of sacraments, there is good reason to consider its use.

 Sacramentum is a Latin word, and it was used in the pagan religion of Rome prior to Rome becoming a “Christian” empire at the time of Constantine. Sacramentum was a Latin translation of the Greek word Mysterion (also translated in Latin to Mysterium). Every Roman citizen knew what it meant as they would come to sacrifice animals to their gods and then partake of the sacrificial victim. In the time of Decius (Roman Emperor, mid third century), each house holder was to make a declaration that they were keeping the religion of Rome by partaking in the sacrament. The declaration reads as follows: “I (name), have always sacrificed to the gods and now in your presence I have, in keeping with the directive, sacrificed…. And have tasted of the sacrificial victim; and I request that you, a public servant, certify the same.”

There was an oath associated with the sacrament, and it disclosed that in partaking of the sacrificial victim the declarer was expressing solidarity in the state religion and allegiance to the emperor. Many Christians who were unwilling to declare such a thing suffered the consequences that included death. It even seems that Paul was warning the church in Corinth not to be intimidated into partaking of the pagan ritual. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Paul was saying that the pagan sacrament and the Lord’s table cannot go together. 

It is not uncommon in the general use of language to find Christian terminology repurposed from contemporary society. The fact that there was a sacramental aspect to Roman pagan religion does not mean calling the Lord’s table a sacrament is essentially wrong. The problem comes in the confusion of the meaning behind it. By the time we get to Emperor Constantine who embraced Christianity, we find that the pagan sacrifice was to be banned and replaced with a new sacrament. The sacramental flavor of the Lord’s supper eventually made way for the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. This is the belief that the Priest called Christ into the elements that actually become the body and blood of Christ. The participants in the mass took in the new “sacrificial victim” given to them by the priest laying a morsel on their tongue. Anyone not willing to participate was not seen in solidarity with the state religion (the now Roman Catholic Church) and suffered the consequences of a heretic (even unto death).

Even though many evangelicals today still discuss a “mysterious/sacramental” aspect in the elements of the bread and wine of the Lord’s supper, evangelicals do not hold to the ideology of the sacramental transubstantiation as it still remains in the Roman Catholic Church. Baptists have tended to stray from the baggage that the word “sacrament” holds and have stood on two biblical ordinances for the church – The Lord’s Supper (the love feast), and believer’s baptism.

The word ‘ordinance’ simply means that the church has commands to carry out as it gathers. The Lord’s Supper is something that Jesus has told us to do in remembrance of him. It is where those regenerate in Christ remember what he has done for us in the work of the cross. Baptism is where a believer makes declaration that he or she is a part of the body of Christ through faith in Jesus alone. By calling them ordinances, Baptists have been careful to show that they have no element of saving grace. Saving grace can be attributed to God alone in and through faith in Christ alone. By restricting the ordinances to those who truly profess saving faith in Jesus, we also declare the purity and distinctiveness of the church from the world. It is not a sacrament for the solidarity of a governed people. It is also not entrance into God’s covenant grace. It is an ordinance restricted to the elect of God who are the light of the world as we reflect his grace that has already been given to us in Christ. I believe these distinctives matter.  

The True Power of Persuasion

A number of times in Paul’s letters he talks about being sure of what he is saying. He is persuaded in the truth that he is proclaiming to the churches. Each time Paul speaks of being persuaded about something, we see that his persuasion comes from the same source. It is the most powerful source imaginable. He is persuaded by the person of Christ.

Gal 5:10 I have confidence (persuasion) in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. When Paul is writing to the Galatians, he is writing to churches who have come under the influence of people pushing a false gospel. He carefully and methodically deals with all the false claims and accusations. Why is he so confident that the believers in this church will reject a false gospel? Paul is confident in the Lord that they will hold firm. His confidence in the believers of the churches of Galatia is in the fact that they have been saved by the grace of God in and through Jesus. If God has saved them, Christ has died for them, and Paul can be persuaded by God’s saving power.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure (persuaded) of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Paul is persuaded that the Philippian church will continue to mature in Christ, and they will hold strong in the faith until the day they stand before him. His confidence in this is not in their fallible ability to live in Christ but in God’s purpose for them in Christ. It is God’s work from beginning to end.

2 Timothy 1:12…which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced (persuaded) that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Paul is willing to go to prison and even death for the sake of Christ. His persuasion for doing so without any shame is that he is in God’s hands from beginning to end.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure (persuaded) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul is completely persuaded that there is nothing in this universe that can take any believer out of God’s loving hold. His confidence for this comes in the fact that the person and work of Christ is more powerful than any other power. Everyone in Christ will stand before Christ in glory on the last day. There is nothing that can stop it.

 Humans can be persuaded in any number of ideologies, but Paul puts forward an argument that absolute confident persuasion can only come from unlimited power and a completed work of redemption in Christ. Christ is Paul’s power of persuasion. Christ is every Christian’s power of persuasion.

Glory Past, Present and Future

Often when Christians think of God’s glory we think of the shining brilliance of his majesty and splendor that encompasses God’s throne.  We think of the visions of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John and can only imagine the wonder of what they saw. We await the day when we will see Christ in all his glory forevermore. Even more than this, we await the day when we too will be glorified for all eternity. Perhaps this is why it is a little difficult for us to read Scriptures that place our glorification in a past tense.  One such text is found in what is famously known as the “Golden Chain” in Romans 8:28-30.

At the end of a list of connecting words describing the work of God’s grace in the life of the Christian, we read in Romans 8:30 that “those whom he justified, he also glorified.”  It is not too uncomfortable for us to accept “justification” in a past tense. In coming to Christ, we have already entered into a right-standing relationship with God because of the cross. In and through Christ we have certainly been justified. It is much harder to fathom that we have been glorified.  When we think of glorification, we think of the wonder of our promotion into glory on the last day yet to come.

There is no doubt that Paul does indeed want us to think about our glorification on the last day. In an earlier statement (vs. 18) he had already said that he considers that the sufferings of this time are not worth comparing to the glory that is yet to be revealed. Paul is definitely looking forward to future glory, but in Romans 8:30 he phrases it in a past tense to show us why we can have absolute confidence in the glory yet to come. The reason is found in looking at every word in the golden chain. Those whom God foreknew, he predestined, he called, he justified, and he glorified. This is to say that God determined our glorification even before the day we actually came to know Jesus as our Savior. The glory yet to be revealed is secure because it was always planned for us in God’s eternally certain will.

While this seems to be Paul’s main point, we should also remind ourselves that we are even now participating in God’s glory as we live in Christ in this world. Through God’s work of sanctification in our lives, we are being conformed to the image of Christ as we live for him in the here and now.  We are experiencing an ever-increasing sense of his glory as we know him more and become more like him and as we live in anticipation of his final return. Paul made this clear in a statement he wrote to the church in Corinth. 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The stunning reality that every Christian can hold on to is that in Christ, we are not only justified, but glorified, and as we live in growing sanctification, we look forward to that day in which his glory in us will be complete.  It will happen because God has eternally willed it.

Look up, raise your hands unto the Lord, and praise him for a work in us beyond our comprehension and infinitely opposite to what we deserve. Thank God for the glorifying work of his grace.

I Love Jesus, But I Don't Love The Church

How often have Christians heard people say that they love Jesus, or believe in Jesus, but they don’t go to church. Are these statements possible for sincere believers? As we read through the Scriptures, we get no indication that loving God can be separated from loving God’s people.

In the Old Testament, there are many references to the beauty of the people of God gathering together. Even the pagan prophet, Balaam, was forced to see the beauty of God’s people as they dwelt together. Numbers 24:5-7 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6 Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. Psalm 133 is also dedicated to celebrating the gathering of God’s people. Psalm 133A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

In the New Testament, the writer of the Hebrews understands that it is both a blessing and obedience to God to gather together as his saints. Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

While we read verses that encourage us to be together as God’s people, we also find texts in the bible that tell us that those who do not love the church come under the punishment of God. James tells us that when we criticize the church, we are criticizing God. James 4:11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 

When the martyrs of the church cry out to God in the book of Revelation, God brings swift answer. Revelation 6:15-17 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" When we read texts like this we are reminded that God loves his church and those that come against his people come against God himself.

We only have to read the New Testament letters to find that the Apostles pray for the church, care for the church, call the church to gather and edify each other and love and care for each other. Bottom line, there is no way to declare your love for Jesus without declaring your love and care for his people.  The Shepherd loves his sheep and if you don’t then you will have to deal with the Shepherd.

The Legalist's Absence of Delight

You know you’ve been influenced by legalism when your burden to avoid what is wrong robs you of your delight in serving Christ. I propose that this delight is primarily missing not simply because of the burdensome drudgery of keeping law but because of a mischaracterization of God.

A prime example of this is found in a parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 25 about three servants who were given responsibility over their master’s assets. Two of them went about their duty with diligence and returned an increased portion to the master while the other dug a hole and hid the master’s property in the ground for safe keeping. The telling detail in this parable is that this particular servant had a particular view of his master. He viewed his master as a harsh man exacting excessive punishment on those who don’t meet his expectation. He believed his master took advantage of others by expecting others to do all his work while he reaped the reward. This negative view of the master has this servant unwilling to risk anything in his life for the betterment of his master’s estate.

This may seem to us that this servant has a particularly horrid view of his master or that his master is some type of unjust tyrant. The parable allows no such negative view of the master and shows this servant as the one who is evil and lazy in his reluctance to serve his master who greatly rewards faithfulness. The parable has us considering that there must be something amazing and beyond explanation as to why we would risk our very lives to serve this master. The expectation is that those who do serve the master well go on to serve with greater responsibility as they experience the master’s joy in them. 

Ultimately this parable does indeed give us a great view of the legalistic heart. The legalist views God as a tyrant out to keep score and bring recompense. It only strives to live through life by not avoiding anything to make God unhappy. The legalist lives life in fear and without delight and is motivated only by avoiding judgment.

When we are motivated by grace, our view of God is that he is as holy, just, and righteous as he is merciful, gracious, and loving. We see the glory of his Divine humility in the cross and the incomprehensible gift of forgiveness and eternal life. We look at Jesus and see a glory that is irresistible. We want to serve him and love him and see the glory of his kingdom increase. We are motivated by delight and obedience is not a chore.   

Bottom line: Our view of God matters.

An Open Letter to My Church as We Face 2022

Dear Family,

By God’s providence this year we are starting our preaching schedule in Matthew 25. In this chapter of the first gospel, Jesus is preparing the hearts of his disciples to prepare for his return. He does it by teaching a series of parables and the startling reality of these parables is that being prepared for the return of Jesus is a crucial part of our Christian lives. The way each of us prepare for Jesus says something about the authenticity of our faith in him. We see this in the first parable of Matthew 25 where five unprepared, foolish virgins are shut out from the wedding celebrations of the groom and told that they are not even known to him. Matthew 25:11-12 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

As we look into a new year ahead, it’s a great time to think about our priorities.  What is at the top of our most desired outcomes for 2022? There are so many wonderful goals we could have as a church body. We might desire to grow. We might want to send missionaries.  We might want to expand ministry. We might want to have closer unity and fellowship with one another.  All of these are wonderful goals for a church to have on their list, but in contemplating the words of the groom in Jesus’ parable there is a priority goal above all others.  We must all be ready in a way that we are known by Jesus on the day of his return.

There are two types of people in this world.  The people who will hear, “enter into my rest,” and the people who will hear, “I do not know you.” The difference between the two is having faith in Christ as we live in union with Christ, and it is lived out as we wait for Christ. We wait with Jesus as our hope, our joy and our satisfaction and there is no other priority relationship above him. He is our Savior, our Lord, and our King.  He is our God. We long for his return and we live for his return because he has already covered our debt for the day of judgment. We know him and love him because he first loved us. We know him and love him because there is nothing else that matters more on that final day than him identifying us as being known by him. Our focus is and must be the person and work of Christ.

Once again, like a broken record, I put it to you my dear family that our priority goal this year is to know and love Jesus more. To point each other to him. To elevate and exalt the person of Christ. And while I know that comes with preaching accurate theological truth and conforming our words and actions to the truth of his word, it must first come through a trust in and affection for him as our Savior and Lord. We will do what we do this year because Jesus is our heart’s focus.  We must point each other to him as the foundation of our faith, the object of our faith and the vision of our hope. If whatever we are doing or saying doesn’t help us to exalt and love him more, then let’s not do it or say it.

Why? Because the only important thing in life is being known by him. We live for him - right up to the day we see him coming in the clouds.  And then we live with and for him eternally.

2022 – It really is all about Jesus. Let’s help each other live that reality every day. 

With all sincerity,

Steve.

Simeon and Anna: Examples To Help Us Wait For The Second Coming

As Christians think about the second coming of Jesus, we are often confronted not only with the reality of his return but with the question of how we should prepare for it. Every Christian should consider how to wait for Jesus. As we approach Christmas, we are given two wonderful examples of saints who were waiting the Messiah – Simeon and Anna. They, like us, were waiting in expectancy for Jesus but they were anticipating the birth of their King while we are anticipating his return in final consummation. Even though we are waiting for different advents of Jesus, Simeon and Anna stand in history as examples to the church for how to wait well.

 Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Luke 2:36-38 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

1.     They were faithful.

Luke describes Simeon as a righteous and devout man and Anna as a woman who did not depart from the temple, worshipping and fasting and praying night and day. Both Simeon and Anna are now known in all of history as two people who were faithful in their life before God.  The fact that they were so fervent in their faithfulness in waiting for Jesus indicates that they were aware of the promises of Scripture. They had great conviction in their waiting, and they did not seem to waste that conviction on frivolous debates. They prayed, they worshipped, they obviously studied, they fasted, and they were consistent in worshipping their God who would give them their King. If we are asked how we should wait for Jesus, the primary answer is….in faithfulness.

2.     They were longing for comfort and redemption for God’s people.

While Luke says that Simeon was looking for the “consolation of Israel,” he also notes that Anna was looking for the “redemption of Israel.” Both of these phrases say the same thing. The consolation for Simeon would come in the Messiah bringing about the redemption of his people. In verse 30 Simeon says that his eyes have seen God’s salvation. Surely both Simeon and Anna knew the harsh life of living under the law. As they frequented the temple day in and day out, they knew the reality of their need for a sacrifice to end all sacrifice. They were acutely aware of their need for the Messianic hope as the Savior of the world. Simeon also knew that this great coming would sort out those who would believe and those who would not. Perhaps he knew from the prophets that this Messiah would be despised and rejected by many. Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Like Anna and Simeon, we await with a longing for the redemption of God’s people, but we await the final consummation on the day of salvation that has already been won for us in Jesus’ first coming and work on the cross.

3.     They waited in the grace of God.

The description we are given about Simeon is that the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was by God’s grace that Simeon had such faithfulness in his wait and such wisdom in his expectation. Also by the grace of God, Anna was described as a prophetess. It seems that she was given a good sense of wisdom about the prophecies concerning the Messiah and would tell people of her expectations. When she saw Jesus, she abounded in gratitude having tasted God’s great grace in new measure. Either way, it seems that Simeon and Anna were waiting in the grace of God relying on his truth and the faithfulness of his promises.

 It is also worth noting that Anna declared to all what she had seen. For us, when Jesus returns in his second coming, we will have no further opportunity to tell others about him. Our opportunity for that is right now.

Regardless of the differences of advents, Simeon and Anna instruct us unto faithfulness, expectancy, a desire to see the full consummation of salvation for the church, and a reliance on God’s grace. We should be thankful for their example and allow this Christmas season to drive our eagerness of Christ’s final return.

Correcting Our Misconceptions About The Second Coming

In Matthew 24, Jesus taught his disciples about the events leading up to his second coming and also a description of that very event. A short time later, those same disciples (ex – Judas) saw him ascend into heaven with a declaration that he would return in the same way. With the church then being established through this apostolic witness, you can imagine that the hope of this return taught by the apostles would be of great intrigue to new believers in Jesus. You can also imagine how easy it would be for early Christians to consider various dilemmas associated with Christ’s return and open a door for confusion and false teaching.

In the New Testament letters, we find that these very dilemmas and provocations from false teachers provide even more context for us to understand the nature of the second coming of Christ. They enable us correct misunderstanding in our own time.  We find this most specifically in the letters of Paul, Peter and John.

Misconception 1. There is a disadvantage to dying prior to the return of Christ.

In a section spanning from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, Paul is assuring the Thessalonian church that their brothers and sisters in Christ who have already died are not disadvantaged by dying before Christ’s return. 1Th 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Paul goes on to assure these believers by speaking specifically about the second coming of Christ. He assures them that because of the resurrection of Christ, there will be a resurrection for Christians who have died.  In verse 15 Paul specifically declares that those who are left alive until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are dead but will be resurrected with them in the air with the dead even rising first. The context of the dilemma about Jesus return clearly sets out the principle that at the second coming of Christ there will be great eternal advantage for both those who have died and those who are still alive. In the early part of chapter 5 Paul also emphasizes (within the same context of the second coming question) that those who are not believers will be surprised by a sudden judgment that they are not prepared for.

Misconception 2. Our persecutors get away with injustice toward us.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul starts by assuring the Thessalonians that the current persecution they are going through will not be in vain. In 1 Thessalonians 1:5-12, Paul assures this church that the worthiness of their suffering is absolutely assured in the fact that those who afflict them will be brought to eternal justice, “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God” and do not obey the gospel of Christ (vs 7-8).  If we think that evil is winning and injustice is being left unpunished in the world, a right view of the second coming means that this is not true and we can continue to count the cost of the gospel knowing there is greater reward in eternity.

Misconception 3. Jesus is taking too long. Did we miss him?

In 2 Thessalonians 2:2 Paul tells the church not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. While in his first letter to this church they were worried about their dead brothers and sisters missing out on Christ’s return, it now seems that false teachers are telling them that they have missed out on Christ’s return. He then goes on to teach the church that Jesus has indeed not yet returned. He tells them that before he does return there will be continued lawlessness and even a great exponent of lawlessness that will first be revealed. They need not worry that they have missed the second coming. 

In his first letter, the Apostle John says much the same thing.  1John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. John, in the same way as Paul (and Jesus in Matthew 24), tells his readers that false Christs are around and leading up to a great exponent of a false Christ. This helps them know that they are in the last hour.  They are living toward the second coming of Christ.  They therefore need to be ready. 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. Believers are not like the antichrists, we are like Jesus, and at his return we will be like he is – 1 John 3:5.

Misconception 4: The world just goes on, Christ is not coming at all.

Peter was writing to a group of churches and warned them of the harassment of scoffers who will taunt them about the second coming of Christ. These scoffers would suggest that the operation of this world will continue in the present just as in the past.  In 2 Peter 3:3-13 he tells the church these scoffers easily forget that God has previously judged this world through the great flood of Noah and would one day bring final judgment with the same universal and sudden wrath upon the world. Just because Jesus has not yet come and the time has gone beyond your expectation does not mean he is dragging his feet or that he is not coming at all. Peter then makes the very famous statement that Christians often recite, “with the Lord, one day is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as a day.” The Lord has not forgotten his church and his patience is working so that all of his elect will see the full fruition of repentance. The warning for us is to therefore be ready for the suddenness of his return which is the same type of suddenness as a thief in the night.

These statements in Paul, Peter and John’s writings are just a few of the great testimonies of about Jesus’ return in the New Testament. As we see the context of each of their statements we learn to put away our misconceptions about Jesus’ return and long for the day in which he will judge this world and put all things right. To know the answers to these misconceptions is to live our lives in anticipation of his return. Correcting these misconceptions removes indifference from our life and replaces it with intentional, persevering preparation.

The Second Coming Is Not a Second Rate Doctrine

Too often the consideration of last things has been relegated to the too-hard basket. That’s possibly because over the years we have found reason to debate about the minutiae of the doctrine of Christ’s return rather than encouraging each other in it. Our concerns for times and seasons and sequences of events formed through commitments to systems have somewhat dimmed our unity on matters of the end that are meant to solidify and unify Christ’s Church.

If I were to attempt a list of matters pertaining to the second coming of Christ that Christians must hold simply to maintain the unity of the church, I would suggest the following:

·      Christ is personally and physically yet to return.

·      There will be a resurrection for both the righteous and unrighteous.

·      There is a coming judgment for the wicked that will initiate eternal punishment.

·      There is a coming gathering of the saints for all eternity.

·      There is a final day that will bring the end of death and sin.

·      There will be a destruction (not necessarily annihilation) of the current physical creation.

·      There will be a new heavens and earth.

·      There will be a dwelling of God with his people in sinless perfection forever.

No doubt, even while reading through this list, there are some who may sequence some of these events in accord with their theological systems and millennial views.  I, however, am asking that we step back for a moment and think about the ramifications of the general nature of this list. If we deny these points, we demolish hope. If we deny these points, we weaken our strength of conviction to stand in persevering faith. If we deny these points, we lose all confidence as we inevitably face our own death.

The basic reality of the doctrine of the second coming is that this doctrine (and real expectation) is at the very heart of motivation for the church to continue in this present age. I am in no way undermining the importance of other doctrines. The doctrine of Creation helps us to understand what this world SHOULD be. The doctrine of sin and judgment helps us to understand why this world is currently the way it is. The glorious doctrine of the cross and resurrection is the assurance of atonement for sin and appeasement of God’s wrath. It also makes certain every promise of God. The doctrine of the second coming tells me that there is a final completion of it all that initiates a complete reconciliation of creation, the glorification of the saints, and the final vindication of God’s righteousness. Without the doctrine of the second coming, I am left weak and wanting, wondering if we will ever see an end to sin and suffering.

Well, take heart. Because of the resurrection, even though we have spiritually been raised to new life in Christ, we too will be physically raised on the last day with a great and glorious resurrection body.

Jesus is coming, and this doctrine completes my hope. It’s time for the church to unite and reclaim the precious essential truths of the second coming of Christ.

When Context Defeats Our Theological System

Matthew 24 is one of the most contested chapters in all of Scripture. The reason for this is not terribly surprising considering that the whole chapter deals with the disciple’s question to Jesus about future times and events. It is one of those chapters that is almost impossible to read without bias. So many of us have been brought up developing a bias toward certain positions and systems about end times and when we read chapters like Matthew 24 it is almost impossible to let the biblical authors speak for themselves. The weight of importance increases when we also remind ourselves that these biblical authors wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Who are we to import our own ideas into God’s word?

A great example of our systematic biases comes right at the beginning of Matthew 24 in verse three. The disciples approach Jesus privately with questions. Matthew 24:3 – “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”  The debates many love to have about Matthew 24 start in this verse and carry on through the entire chapter.  How many questions are the disciples asking and how do those questions help us to divide up the entire chapter into neat time frames that fit into our own eschatological systems.

Some people believe that the disciples came asking Jesus three questions. One was about the destruction of Jerusalem, one was about the signs of his coming, and the last was about what might happen at the very end. People who see it this way divide the chapter up according to separate eschatological events. This is essential for one particular type of eschatological system that does not fit into the text any other way. 

Likewise, others see only two questions. One was about the destruction of Jerusalem and one about the second coming and the end of the age. These two questions are then used to find only two events in the text with one singular coming of Christ at the end of time.

I am not explaining the theological systems behind this because my intention is to make a greater point. In fact, I used to hold strongly to the two-question view until I was asked to consider the context. The verse says that the disciples approach Jesus privately to ask these questions. They have just heard Jesus tell the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem that their house (the temple) will become desolate and that they will not see him again. As he left Jerusalem, the disciples pointed out the temple and buildings and Jesus essentially told them that it would all be destroyed. Now the disciples privately ask him what we read in Matthew 24:3.

The disciples have no way of knowing whether they are even asking separate questions. They had not yet lived through the Romans sieging Jerusalem in 70 AD. They had not heard of any different eschatological systems that may or may not place a “rapture” before a final coming of Christ. They had no indication that there would even be another 2000 years of history (and you and I have no indication that there will not yet be another 2000 years of history). They could just as easily have been asking these questions thinking that everything was going to happen at once at some near or far point in the future.

A second important note to make about this is that when you seek to harmonize the questions in Matthew 24 with the same accounts in Luke 21 and Mark 13, there is no confirmation that the questions must be divided a particular way. If these divisions were so important for understanding the future, would they not also be important for the same accounts in the other gospels?

The bottom line here is simply this – the context does not have us looking for our neat divisions by dictating that the disciples could know more than they could possibly know. They are just confused about what to expect as they live toward the return of Christ. That’s really no different to you and me. If you keep this in mind and allow the text to then simply speak for itself without importing events that are not outlined in the text of Matthew 24, you get a simple message about persevering in Christ and waiting in obedience for his unmistakable return. It allows us to put away our division debates and long for our returning King as we proclaim his gospel to the world around us. Context, not our systems, makes light of God’s text.

Taking Cover Under The Hen's Wings

This past week I was on the end of recovering from covid while keeping up with three other brothers in Christ who were also fighting it. One of my brothers ended up in a real battle as the virus attacked his lungs, and he developed pneumonia. I felt anguish rise in my heart as I pleaded with the Lord to both restore him to health and calm his heart. At the same time, by God’s providence, I happened to be preparing a sermon starting with Matthew 23:27.  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

In the middle of Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, our Savior reveals the nature of his heart. His great desire was to gather Jerusalem to himself like a hen gathers its chicks under the protection of its wings. The sad reality of Matthew 23 is that Jerusalem was not willing, but for the one who knows the saving grace of God in Christ, they have this protection and love. This beautiful image of chicks taking shelter under the wings of a hen is not some baseless platitude from Jesus to a disobedient people. Jesus is revealing the unchanging heart of God for his people.

As Israel was to move into the promised land, God affirms how much he loves those he chose to be his people. Deuteronomy 32:9-11 “But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions.”

In Ruth, a Moabite woman leaves her people to live with her Hebrew mother-in-law and trusts in the one true living God of Israel. As the Israelite, Boaz, receives Ruth, he says, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (Ruth 2:11-12).

In the Psalms, David sings of the providential care of God. Psalm 36:7 “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

Isaiah calls a floundering Israel to put their trust in God while other nations seek to bring their destruction. “Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it." (Isaiah 31:5).

This week my brother was struggling to breath, seeking any type of medical help available, and living in the uncertainty of human outcomes. Yet, he was also securely under the shadow of the all-protecting wings of our God who covers his children like a hen covers its chicks. To be in Christ is to have a confident reality of life that unbelievers can never know. My brother knew that no matter the outcome of his struggle, there is an eternal, all-powerful wing covering his every breath. We can be confident about this because this providential care that comes from God is something God desires to give to his children. It’s a yearning desire. 

Listen to Jesus say it one more time: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…”  This sounds like it’s something Jesus truly wants to do.

Well, if you are in Christ, it’s what he is willingly doing for you right now. He’s doing it for my brother right now. Under Christ’s wings…There is no more secure place to be.