My Lord and My God -- 12/16/07

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007

MY LORD AND MY GOD
John 20:28

Do you remember when Jesus took His apostles aside and asked them, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" They gave him some answers they had heard. Then Jesus asked them more directly: "And what about you? Whom do you say that I am?" And who was it that spoke for the group, as usual? Yes, it was Peter. And what did he say? "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." We often speak of it as Peter’s great confession. It was a great confession, because Peter didn’t think it up on his own, but the Father in heaven revealed it to him.

And where in the scripture to do we find that story? In the gospels, of course, but which gospel? We can find it in Matt. 16, in Mark 8, and in Luke 9. However, we don’t find that story in the Gospel according to John. I want to remind you this morning that there is a great confession to be found in John. It didn’t come from the lips of Peter, but from one of the other apostles. Do you know who it was?

Please allow me to tell you the story again. After Jesus rose from the grave and made some brief appearances, among them His appearance to Mary Magdalene, He then suddenly stood in the midst of the twelve. He said, "Peace be unto you." Then Jesus showed them His hands and His side. We then read, "Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (Jn. 20:20). Well, there weren’t quite twelve present on that occasion. Of course, the betrayer Judas Iscariot wasn’t with them, but there was another absentee as well. And who was that? Yes, it was Thomas. When the others saw Thomas, they said, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas didn’t believe them. "Until I see the nailprints in His hands, and put my fingers into those nailprints, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." That’s why he is sometimes referred to as "Doubting Thomas."

Now let’s pick up the story in John 20:26-28…
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

This morning I want to keep the words of Thomas before us: "My Lord and my God." Again and again, let us recall those words: "My Lord and my God." This was the great confession of Thomas, but is it not also the confession of every true child of God? Though a person may not use those exact words, is this not the heart attitude of the person who has surrendered to the Lord Jesus and has become a child of the heavenly Father?

Some of you are aware that the Gospel according to John is often called "The Gospel of Belief." Why? Because the word "believe" is used in John just over a hundred times. No wonder it is called "The Gospel of Belief." This morning I would like to explore this theme of "believe" in John’s gospel.

I don’t have to tell you that "believe" (along with the noun form "faith) is a word that has a very wide variety of meanings in our world today. This becomes very important because "believe" is also a word that we Christians use often. And so we should; it is a very biblical word which conveys a biblical concept. Nevertheless, it is easy to find ourselves using the word without understanding what it means. What is New Testament belief? What kind of belief does it take to truly save a person? We certainly don’t want to be wrong, when we come to answer that question. What a tragedy for those who will say in the last day, "I believe," but Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23).
My purpose is not to muddy the waters, but I have to be honest with you. Even in the scriptures, the term "believe" does not always mean the same thing. More specifically, the meaning of this word differs even within the Gospel of John. In order to get a handle on this concept, let’s spend some time looking at it in John.

Let’s begin with John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Your translation may say that He gave them the right to become the sons of God. That is the idea, as the King James "power" here is the idea of "authority." And to whom does this right of sonship belong? To those who receive Jesus.

Many of us grew up with the phrase "accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior." I would encourage you to examine that idea. I don’t use that terminology because I think it conveys false concepts. While it is true that we must be saved as an individual, the idea of "personal Savior" has taken on the connotation of a "private Savior," the "just me and the Lord" syndrome.

But more confusing is the idea of accepting Jesus Christ. If there is any basis for that terminology, it is this verse right here – John 1:12. Certainly the word "receive" carries the idea of "accept." However, this concept of accepting Christ has been reduced and reduced and reduced until "accepting Christ" has little meaning. A. W. Tozer puts it like this…
The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be "received" without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is "saved," but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. ("Following Hard after God" in The Pursuit of God)
The great problem today is that many who "accept Christ" are receiving something other than Jesus Himself. They are receiving a ticket to heaven, better self-esteem, a more fulfilled life (or so they think). I want you to notice that here in John 1:12 "those who receive Him" are defined as "those who believe on His name." So that brings us back to the issue of what it means to believe, for those who receive Him are those who believe in Him.

Don’t quit reading at the end of verse 12, but continue through verse 13, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." The context makes it clear that John is not talking about the physical birth of a baby, but that new birth about which Jesus teaches in chapter 3. Notice in verse 13 that "them that believe on His name" are further identified as those who were born of God. Do you see? Those who truly receive Him are those who believe on His name, and those who believe on His name have been born of God.

That raises some questions. Is it possible to believe on His name and not be born of God? So is it possible for a person today to "accept Christ" and not become a child of God? Rather than trading opinions about the answers to these questions, let’s continue to explore the concept of "believe" in John. And don’t forget the words of Thomas, "My Lord and my God."
2:11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." The miracle John speaks of is the turning of the water into wine at the wedding feast. After seeing this revealing of Jesus’ glory, "his disciples believed on him." What exactly does that mean? After this occurs, we find some glaring weaknesses in Jesus’ disciples, including Peter’s rebuking of Jesus. We wonder how mature this believing is.

Now come to John 2:23, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did." Notice first of all the strong language that is used here: "…many believe in his name." However, we might receive a slight caution from the words which follow, "when they saw the miracles which he did." Were they just looking for some spectacular demonstration of power? It does appear that the reason for this belief was the beholding of the miracles. Is that a basis for the kind of belief that truly saves a person?

Let’s allow John to answer that question, as he gives us Jesus’ response: "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25. And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man" (2:24-25). If we want to give these miracle seekers the benefit of the doubt, we might say that this was the start of real belief. Perhaps some of them would come to the point where they truly put their faith in Jesus Christ as a result of being born of God, but they were definitely not there at this time. They "believed" in Jesus, but He didn’t believe in them. Contrast their "belief" with the confession of Thomas, "My Lord and my God."

But let’s not stop there. Remember that the chapter divisions in the Bible were added simply as a matter of convenience. Praise God, because they are very helpful. But let’s not quit reading just because we come to the end of chapter 2. Though the word "believe" will not be used in the first 8 verses of chapter 3, John introduces the story of Nicodemus in the context of what it means to believe. We have seen some who have some form of belief, but now John is going to allow Jesus Himself to help us understand more of what kind of belief is required in order to enter the kingdom of God. Let’s read John 3:1-8…
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus certainly had some measure of belief. He confessed openly to Jesus that he believed Him to be a teacher from God. He recognized that the miracles Jesus did were by the power of Almighty God. But Jesus did not want Nicodemus to think for a moment that what he had constituted the kind of belief that saves, the kind of faith that secures a place in the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He went on to say, "Truly, truly I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Jesus pressed home the point that a person must have a radical new birth from above in order to enter God’s kingdom. As physical birth is a radical beginning in this physical world, so a birth just that radical is required for a man to enter God’s kingdom.

The water birth He speaks of is not water baptism. Some believe that it is the spiritual washing spoken of in Ezek. 35:25-26… "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Others see being born of water as the physical birth which has already occurred. Which ever way we take it, what is clear is that a supernatural spiritual birth from God is required.

Though Nicodemus has recognized Jesus as a teacher come from God, he cannot believe in a saving sense until he is born from above. He can confess all kinds of things with his lips, but it will not have any real meaning until his spirit is made alive by the Spirit of God. I realize that is strong language, but is this not exactly what Paul teaches in Ephesians 2, when he says, "But you hath he quickened, who were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1)? "Quickened" means to make alive. (I realize that some of your translations won’t have the phrase "and you hath he quickened" in verse 1, but the words are repeated again in Eph. 2:5.) And why does God need to make us alive? Because we were dead in our trespasses and sins. A dead man can do nothing. Someone from outside himself who has power over death must come and give him life. That’s what Jesus was communicating to Nicodemus.

So how do we know that the belief we profess is real, is genuine, is sufficient for salvation? Let’s come back to John 3 and find Jesus’ answer to that question in 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." We can’t see the wind; we don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So how do we know that the wind is real, that we are not just imagining it? We see the trees bending under its force and we hear the rustling in the leaves. In short, we see the evidence, which makes it absolutely clear that the wind is real. Jesus says: "So is everyone that is born of the Spirit." We can’t see the life that enables a person to believe in Christ, but we can see the evidence. Notice that this is true of everyone that is born of the Spirit. If there is no evidence, then there has been no new birth, and regardless of what the lips profess, any claim to true faith is vain. And what about the confession of Thomas, "My Lord and my God"?

Come to chapter 6, where we read of great promises to those who believe. John 6:35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:39-40, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." Take time to compare these two statements of Jesus. On the one hand, He speaks of those whom the Father has given Him (as in John 17:2). On the other hand, He speaks of those who believe on Him. Both are true. This belief comes out of the life the Father puts within.
But now come to John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." What a promise. No "if’s, and’s, or but’s;" the one who believes on Jesus has everlasting life. But again, what kind of belief is this? Surely it has to be more than what we found back in chapter 2, when they believed on Jesus because of the miracles they saw Him do. Again, we have to look at the context. Jesus didn’t stop speaking after what we read in verse 47. He continued in the verses that follow. In verse 48, Jesus begins to explain the kind of belief that is consistent with everlasting life. You can see this most clearly, when you compare verses 26-47 with verses 48-58. The theme of the entire section is eternal life (sometimes designated by just the term "life"). This eternal life is referred to five times in the first section and four in the last. But now consider the term "believe." It is found six times, but only in verses 26-47. In verses 48-58, the word "believe" is not found a single time, yet Jesus has not switched subjects. He is still talking about eternal life. So why nothing more about belief in this latter section? Because He has now substituted another term. What is it? In verses 48-58, the word "eat" is found ten times and the word "drink" four times.
Do you see it? Jesus is defining belief in terms of eating and drinking. But why? Because "believe" can be misunderstood so easily. It was true in that day, and surely it is even more so today, when there is such a drive to get people to say that they believe, to accept Christ, to cash in on Jesus as their ticket to heaven. Let’s listen to the stern language of Jn. 6:48-58…
I am that bread of life. 49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

To believe on Jesus is to eat His flesh and drink His blood. That statement was so radical that Jesus’ listeners couldn’t believe it. It is obvious that Jesus didn’t intend for us to take this in a literal and physical sense. He was not saying His followers are to be cannibals. He used this language in order to get the attention of those who were listening. I suspect that when He said, "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life," many people nodded, as if to say, "And yes, we certainly believe." But then Jesus began to drive home the truth that to believe on Jesus is to take in His life in a way that is just as real as taking food and drink into your body.

It’s been over 15 years ago that we were going through this passage and we did a little illustration. I asked one of our ladies to volunteer. We brought up to the front and I pulled out a dead grasshopper. She was willing to look at the grasshopper. I asked her if she would be willing to touch it. With some reluctance, she stuck out her finger and touched it. Then I asked her if I could put the grasshopper against her face. It wasn’t easy, but she finally did it. Then I asked her if she would be willing to eat it. If I remember right, her response was something like: "If the Lord wanted me to." That illustration was very effective, because it showed how drastic it is to take something into the body. What a world of difference between laying the grasshopper on your face and actually eating it. And what a drastic difference between the mere belief professed by the lips and that which embraces all of Jesus Christ. As Jesus skillfully defined the belief that is in keeping with eternal life, I think I can hear the echo of the words: "My Lord and my God."

There are so many more passages which shed light on this concept of belief, but now let’s come back to John 20 and Jesus’ meeting with Thomas. Remember that Thomas had rather defiantly said that he would not belief until he could put his fingers in the nail prints and his hands into Jesus’ side. Now let’s read again Jesus’ invitation to Thomas in John 20:27, "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." The word "faithless" and the word "believing" are closely related. They are identical, except for the Greek letter alpha in front of the first – unbelieving versus believing. They are the exact opposite. To the Thomas who vowed that he wouldn’t believe until he actually touched the wounds of Jesus, the Lord speaks and urges him to believe.

So how did Thomas respond? Though Jesus invited him to investigate his wounds, Thomas didn’t respond to that invitation. Nor did Thomas say, "I believe." Jesus specifically told him not to be unbelieving, but to believe, but Thomas said nothing about believing. He didn’t say, "I put my faith in you," though he certainly could have said that honestly. With the words "My Lord and my God" Thomas said much more.

What did Thomas mean? First of all, we must acknowledge that it was absolutely unthinkable for a Jew to say to man, "My God." Every Jew grew up on Deut. 6:4, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." He was well-versed in the words of Isaiah 43:11, "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior." To confess that a man was God was blasphemy. Nevertheless, Thomas said with all the conviction of his heart, "My Lord and my God." He called Jesus his God.

But Thomas also called Jesus "Lord." Some well-respected Christians interpret this to mean that Thomas was referring to Jesus as God. They maintain that since the Greek term (kurioV) here translated "Lord" was used in the Greek Old Testament to translate the Hebrew "Jehovah" (or "Yahweh"), therefore the word emphasizes the deity of Christ, the fact that He is indeed God. I don’t think anyone could deny that fact. However, the question remains, "Is that all we are to understand from the term ‘Lord’?" If so, then why the use of both of the terms "Lord" and "God"? Was Thomas saying more than, "My God and my God?"

Here is the crucial question: "Does ‘Lord’ retain any of its normal meaning ‘Master’?" In other words, was Thomas only acknowledging that Jesus was God in the flesh? Or, was he also submitting himself to this One who was indeed God? Was he bowing to Jesus as Master? Hear me well. To strip the term "Lord" of its usual meaning "Master" is to try to turn language upside down. Not only does it twist the normal use of language, but it throws all earth and heaven into confusion. How can a man acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh and not bow before Him? Can I acknowledge Jesus as the creator of the universe and then refuse to bow before Him, and still expect to have Him say some day, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? Surely, not… "My Lord, and my God."

Notice how Jesus responded: John 20:29, "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Notice how Jesus linked the belief of Thomas with the belief of those who would believe in the future without seeing Jesus in the flesh. He doesn’t say, "Blessed are those who will accept me as their personal Savior." No, Jesus speaks of those who though they don’t see Jesus in the flesh as Thomas did, they will believe even as Thomas did. That is, they will acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh and bow before Him as King of the universe.
Now John 20:30-31, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." Many of you have heard me ask many times, "Why did John write the things in this book?" From the text itself, we answer, "That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." While that is true, it doesn’t go far enough. "That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name."

Please hear this. The ultimate goal of the gospel is not belief, but life through His name. The evidence of true faith is life in Jesus’ name. And how do we know if there is life? Back to the evidence of the wind in 3:8; "and so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

"My Lord and my God." As we have gone through some of John this morning and you have heard again and again this confession of Thomas, what is happening in your heart? Do you want to fall on your knees and say to Jesus again, "My Lord and my God"? Is your heart overwhelmed with the majesty of the Jesus who is Lord of all, and yet who drank the cup of the wrath of God and then rose victorious from the grave? This is the believing that Jesus is looking for, the faith that the Spirit of God stirs upon within those that are His.

Let those words "My Lord and my God" search your heart this morning. The issue is not whether we have "accepted Christ as our personal Savior," said a particular prayer, been baptized, or become a part of a church. Have you seen the reality of the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God? Have you been captivated by Him who left the glory of heaven and endured the wrath of God for a person as wicked as you are? And seeing that His death and resurrection are sufficient to deal with all your sin, have you thrown yourself at His feet?

Even now, are you willing to let go of your attachment to this world and cry out to God, "O God, I know I desperately need you. Don’t let go of me until I have been broken and humbled at your feet. Give me the grace to repent and believe, to say with Thomas, ‘My Lord and my God.’"

Sending Our Missionaries:Bill & Mary --- 12/9/07

Sunday, December 9, 2007

"Send Off for Bill and Mary Glidden"

** Bill and Mary are beginning their missionary service with Amercian Missionary Fellowship. One of the purposes of this service was to strengthen our relationship wtih them, in order that we may be a part of their work in southeastern Colorado.
During the service Bill shared concerning the work and ways that we might pray for them. Afterward, AMF regional director Stan Spiess (who was accompanied by his wife Jan) gave a charge to Bill and Mary. I then had the privilege of sharing with our congregation how we might effectively send and continue to send the Gliddens (= the brief message below)...

Let’s begin by reading that classic missionary passage, Rom. 10:1-15…
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

In these first 13 verses, we see the beauty of the salvation that comes through faith in Christ. Praise God that we don’t have to attain the righteousness which is described in the law, for what man or woman can do the things written in the law? As Paul writes in Gal. 3:10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Aren’t you thankful that there is One who continued in all the commandments of the law; His name is Jesus. That same Jesus became a curse for us, taking our sins upon Himself? Yes, that is good news. Because of what Jesus did, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

That is the beauty of salvation that comes through faith in Christ, but there is another beauty in this passage. Verse 15, "…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things." If the message is beautiful, so are those who faithfully proclaim it.

Now look in verses 14-15 at the link between the message and the messengers. Paul uses a bit of sound logic that would appeal to the Roman mind. Let’s begin in verse 13 and read 10:13-15a…
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent?…

Think it through slowly and carefully. It’s wonderful that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but how can a person call on the name of the Lord unless he believes in the Lord? Of course, we know this belief is more than a mental knowledge and requires more than intellectual assent. This is a complete casting of self on Jesus Christ and what He did at the cross. But who can believe in Jesus in this way, if he hasn’t heard about Jesus and the gospel? And how will he hear without a preacher? Remember that the "preacher" here is not someone who stands up in front of a congregation. We may call what I am doing "preaching," but that is only a small part of what Paul is talking about here. The Greek word used here means "to proclaim as a herald." When a king or some other very important person was coming to town, a herald would run before him and cry out, "The king is coming." He was simply a proclaimer. But wait a minute. The herald who proclaimed the message in the town was sent by the king. How can a person go and proclaim such good news, if he is not sent to bear that good news? The word "sent" in verse 15 carries the idea of "being sent with a message."

So when we think about evangelism and missions, we start at the other end of this progression. The first step is being sent. And then those who are sent go and proclaim the good news message. Because the message is proclaimed, people hear it. And some who hear believe. As a result they call upon the Lord and are saved. Praise God!

So let’s look for just a moment at that first step, the sending. Who is it that sends? Let’s make no mistake about it. It is the Lord Himself who sends. Though the king might tell an underling to summon the herald, the command came from the king. So it is with our King. The Lord sends. If a missionary is not sent by the Lord, there is no basis for his work. Before Paul and Barnabas set out on that first missionary journey, who was it that said, "Separate (unto) me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." It was the Holy Spirit. He was the sender. So let’s be absolutely clear that if Bill and Mary are truly going out as missionaries in the name of Jesus Christ, then it is the Lord who is sending them. It isn’t us; it isn’t AMF; it is the Lord Himself.

So do we have any part? Yes, because the Lord has so ordained it. It isn’t that the Lord needs us in any way, but He gives us the privilege of being a part. Let’s read that passage in Acts 13, to which I just referred. Acts 13:1-4…
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Notice that in verse 3 we read that "they sent them away." In verse 4 we read that they were sent forth by the Holy Spirit. Both statements are absolutely true. The initiative came from the Holy Spirit, as we see in verse 2. However, he uses the local congregation as His sending agents. Praise God that we too can have a part in sending Bill and Mary.

Please allow me to suggest four specific ways in which we can send and continue to send the Gliddens into the field. This "continuing to send" is very important. What we are doing this morning must be a beginning, not an end.

1. Give. We have already started our giving. As most of you know, we support Bill and Mary with $300 a month. This contributes to their living expenses and their ministry expenses. Every time we pass the offering plate we are continuing to support the Gliddens. Though this is in one sense the easiest part of our support, it is vitally important.

2. Encourage. Bill and Mary will need encouragement. They aren’t super people; they are ordinary believers just like the rest of us. Before Paul and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus, the people laid their hands on them. It is not conclusive from this passage who was involved in the laying on of hands, but even if it was only the leaders, they did so as the representatives of the people. Don’t you know that in the days ahead they remembered many times this symbol of support from God’s people.

Because Paul and Barnabas were constantly on the move, they didn’t have the privilege of ongoing support during that first missionary journey. They didn’t have a post office box. But because Bill and Mary will be ministering in a particular area, we will have the opportunity to prove that this is not just a one-time sending, but that we are linked with them in ministry.

While Bill and Mary will be plenty busy, I doubt that they will resent any letters and phone calls they receive from us. Speaking of busyness, most every one of us will be tempted to say, "I just haven’t had time to write or call Bill and Mary." Let me remind us before we say it that it is a lie. If you absolutely don’t have the time, then skip supper and write them a short letter. I dare say that in 95% of the cases the letter you write will have more eternal value than the meal you would have consumed.

3. Provide Accountability. Bill and Mary are ultimately responsible to God. They also receive supervision from AMF, primarily through Stan. But they still need accountability in the body of Christ.

Please let me explain what I mean by accountability. I do not mean that you call Bill up and say, "Bill, I am calling you to see what kind of job you are doing up there. Are you being faithful to the Lord?" I’m talking about an accountability that grows out of a relationship, the "iron sharpening iron" relationships, of which the scripture speaks. If one of you ladies call and say, "Mary, I’ve been praying for you. What’s the Lord been doing?" I assure you that Mary will be more than happy to give you an earful. If things haven’t been going well, she may cry on your shoulder a bit, but that’s okay too. I’m simply encouraging us to maintain the kind of contact that reminds Bill and Mary that they are part of a team.

4. Pray. As you might have suspected, I saved this one for last because it is the most important. While it is the most vital way we can support Bill and Mary, there are ways in which it is the most difficult. It isn’t so much that we will be tempted to forget them and never pray. Far greater will be the temptation to make prayer for the Gliddens a little routine. "Lord, bless Bill and Mary." I’m not saying that’s wrong, but I am suggesting that we give diligence to offering more effective prayer.

You might want to find biblical prayers to pray for Bill and Mary. How could we go wrong, if we pray for them the prayer of Eph. 3:14-21, which was one of Paul’s prayers for the Ephesian believers? After praying that for a while, we might select another biblical prayer.

Let me suggest some specific things for which we can pray. First, let’s pray that Bill and Mary abide in Christ. If you prefer different wording for the same concept, pray that God keep on filling them with His Holy Spirit. Or pray the same concept in terms of Col. 3:16, "that the word of Christ may dwell in them richly." Bill and Mary cannot be effective missionaries, if they are not abiding in Christ. Of course, we will find it difficult to pray this for them if we are not praying it for ourselves.

Second, let’s pray that the Lord will give them grace to proclaim the true gospel. Why do I mention this? Because there is an increasing tendency in our religious society to compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ. Increasingly we see preachers and ministries who soften the message in order to make it more acceptable for the hearers. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, many who claim to represent the Lord are proclaiming a God who is less than holy, are abandoning the necessity of repentance, and are presenting a Christ who can be received on man’s terms. Such a gospel has no saving power. Let’s pray that Bill and Mary will proclaim "the faith which was once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

And finally, let’s pray that God will give Bill and Mary the wisdom to know where to invest themselves for the glory of God. When we make ourselves available to the people around us, the needs can be overwhelming. But they will not be able to meet all the needs that present themselves. They will need much wisdom to know what to do and what to leave undone.

Bill and Mary, I remind you that although you will be involved in meeting the needs of hurting people, your first response is to your Lord, even above meeting the needs of people. As Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (Jn. 4:34). And as you do His will, He will pour your lives out for the sake of others.




























Order – Dec. 9, 2007
Announcements/Introduction
"To God Be the Glory" (64) – Jim
Resp. Reading # 580 –
Prayer
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8 –
Introduction – Bill & Mary
Testimony: Bill
"What a Wonderful Savior" (255) -- Jim
"When I Survey" (158) – Lee
Offering
Introduction: Stan Spiess (Ron & Bill)
Message: "Exhorting the Missionaries" -- Stan
Message: "Exhorting the Senders" – Ron
Special Prayer for Bill and Mary
Benediction

Will You Fear the Lord? -- 12/2/07

Sunday, December 2, 2007

WILL YOU FEAR THE LORD?

Think with me for a moment. What are some of the most stable things you can think of? I’m thinking of the ocean. Because many of us see the ocean so infrequently, we tend to be fascinated when we do see it. Its waves come rolling in with an unrelenting consistency. Its tides are so regular they can be predicted with precise accuracy. Though storms come and go, when they are done, the sea remains just as it was before. Or consider the mountains. We only have to turn our eyes to the east or the west to see these mighty fixtures that God created. The weather assaults them year after year; man may use his equipment to blast a road through them… but they remain the same. When we come back from a long trip, they are always there when we return. Neither the sea nor the mountains are swayed by any of the forces that attack them.

But now would you read with me Psalm 114…
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; 2. Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. 3. The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. 4. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. 5. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? 6. Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? 7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 8. Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

Listen to the Word of the Lord. His people were slaves under the mighty hand of Pharaoh. Surely nothing could ever change that, but God did. Forget about Moses and Aaron, the human instruments by which He delivered them. It was God who brought them out of Egypt. And what happened when the Lord led His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness? The sea fled.
We know the story. We can read the short version of it in Ex. 14:21, "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." The skeptic reads that and tries to find natural ways to explain it. "Well, it wasn’t really a sea they crossed, but just a marsh land." Of course, anyone who really thinks about it wonders how the entire Egyptian army was later drowned in the shallow marshland. But when God Himself explains what happens, He gives a more descriptive and poetic picture: "The sea saw it, and fled." When confronted by the Lord who created it with an authoritative word, the sea fled. So the Lord says to the sea, "What ails you, O sea, that you fled before me?"

It was the same with the Jordan River and the mountains. They were moved by the presence of Almighty God, as He led His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. The Jordan was driven back. Remember that 40 years after Israel crossed the Red Sea, they (the younger generation) would cross the Jordan River in the same way. Not only was the Jordan driven back, but even the mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like rams. How do mountains and hills skip? I have no idea. But surely this skipping speaks of joy. When God triumphed over the Egyptians and their gods, when He successfully brought His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, even the mountains and hills were moved with rejoicing. We read similar language in Ps. 96:11-13…
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13. Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Now come back to Psalm 114. Let’s read again verses 7-8, "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 8. Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters." Ultimately, the earth trembled at the command of the Lord, the Lord who was able to bring water out of the rock to satisfy the thirst of His people. Nothing the Lord created is unmoved at His mighty presence. We find this same truth in Ps. 97:1-6…
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. 3. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. 5. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

Who is this God before whom all creation trembles? Let’s read it in the Word of God. We read the latter part of Psalm 96, but now let’s go back and read Ps. 96:1-9…
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. 3. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Did you hear that? He is to be feared above all gods. All the other so-called gods are idols made by men’s hands, but the Lord made the heavens. "Fear before him, all the earth." Come over to Ps. 113:3-6…
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised. [Why?] 4. The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6. Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

Listen to me. There are two great truths about God which seem to be contradictory, but both are true. It is what is known as a paradox. It doesn’t seem possible for both to be true, but they are. I am speaking about the truths that God is transcendent and immanent. No, those are not biblical words, but they are terms that have been used down through the years to communicate these truths about God. To say that God is transcendent is simply to say that "He is exalted far above the created universe, so far above that human thought cannot imagine it" (as A. W. Tozer puts it… "The Divine Transcendence" in The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 69). God’s immanence emphasizes that God is near. Both are true – God is high above all, but He has come near in Jesus Christ.

One of these truths must not be emphasized to the exclusion of the other, and yet that is what we find in our day. And which of these truths is emphasized so much in our day, while the other is largely neglected? We are told again and again that God is near. When we think of the incarnation, we are reminded that one of Jesus’ names is "Immanuel," which means "God with us." Praise God for that truth! It is proper that it should be greatly emphasized. BUT it is tragic that professing Christians have come to believe that because God has come near in Christ, He is no longer exalted high above the heavens.

Come back again to Ps. 113:4, "The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens." We read the same truth in Is. 57:15, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." We must understand that when the biblical writers speak of the Lord God being high above the earth and the heavens, they are not speaking about geography and space. The exaltation of God cannot be measured in miles. It isn’t a matter of the Lord’s elevation in space. When they describe God as high above everything else, they are focusing on His quality of being, the truth that the Lord is unique, that He is like no other. We sang it earlier from I Sam. 2:2, "There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none beside thee; neither is there any rock like our God."

If we aren’t careful, we will put God at the top of the ladder. At the bottom are inanimate objects and lower forms of life. As we move up the ladder, we finally come to man. And then much higher up on the ladder we place God. That is wrong. God isn’t on that ladder. He is Creator; we are creatures, and there is a great gulf fixed between the two. God is in a class all by Himself.
How do we respond to a God like that? Consider a man who became great among men. He would lead over two million people for 40 years. How did that man respond to God? Let’s read it in Ex. 3:1-6…
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Moses had to hid his face, because he was afraid.

Let’s look at the prophet Daniel and how he responded in the presence of the Lord God. Dan. 10:5-9…
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6. His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 7. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. 9. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

We could look at many others, but someone will surely say, "But these were Old Testament men. That was before Jesus came, and He changed everything." Then let’s look at Peter in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Turn to Luke 5 and I will remind you of the story. Jesus told Peter to move out into the deep waters and expect to catch many fish in his net. You remember Peter’s response in Lk. 5:5, "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." When they did, they had so many fish that the net broke. When their partners came over to help, they filled both boats so full of fish that they began to sink. Now let’s read 5:8, "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

Or consider Saul, the great persecutor the church. This presence of this man struck fear into many. He had great authority and power and was filled with zeal to carry out his plan against the Christians. Now listen to his experience in Acts 9:3-6…
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

The man whom so many feared now trembled in the presence of the risen Lord, saying, "Lord, what do you want me to do."

Will not someone say, "But that was before they knew the Lord and walked with them. It was different after they had received the Holy Spirit and had fellowship with Jesus." Perhaps we should go to the end of the book to find someone who had walked with Jesus a long time. His name is John, and he is the human author of the book of Revelation. By the time of this writing, John was an old man. He had walked with the Lord ever since he was a young man, when Jesus had said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." In the Gospel which he wrote (the Gospel of John) four times he refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Here was a man who was loved by the Lord and had walked with him for many, many years. So let’s read his story in Rev. 1:10-17a…
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.

Here was a New Testament saint who saw the Lord. And how did he respond? Very much like the Old Testament saint Isaiah. Is. 6:1-5…
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

If anything, John’s response was even more drastic than that of Isaiah. John fell at the feet of Jesus like a dead man.

Why am I reading all these passages to you this morning? Why am I emphasizing to you the transcendence of God, the truth that God is exalted high above all creation? Because if I don’t, who will? And because this is what the Lord has been preaching to me all week. Perhaps I shouldn’t need to be reminded, but I do.
Come to Rom. 3:10-18…
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

If we could sum up the overall climate of American Christianity, perhaps there would be no better and concise summary than this: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." And don’t think for a moment that we can say, "But we’re not like that." The world professes the popular slogan: "No fear." Don’t think that attitude hasn’t invaded the church. We have been conformed to the world more than we know.

But what is the fear of God? This is one of those scriptural concepts that we find over and over in the scriptures, but the Lord did not see fit to give us a handy little definition. Perhaps that is because the fear of God is so profound that it defies definition; it won’t fit into our little categories. While I may not be able to explain what it is, I can proclaim with confidence that it is vital.

The fear of God is that attitude of fear and trembling that follows an understanding and acknowledgment of who God is. Conversely, there is no fear of God before the eyes of men who do not understand and acknowledge who God is. If God is a being we have made in our image, there is no reason to fear Him. If He is our buddy, then there is no reason to fear Him. But if God is the "I AM THAT I AM," who created and sustains the entire universe, how can we stand before Him?

In our day there is much confusion about the fear of God. Many people want to make the fear of God an Old Testament concept that we New Testament saints have outgrown. Please listen to some wise words from A. W. Tozer...
In olden days men of faith were said to "walk in the fear of God" and "to serve the Lord with fear." However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful… This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a nonrational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty. (p. 71; see above)

So why is it that there is so little fear of God in our day? It is because we have lost the understanding of who God really is. Man has tried to make God like himself, as we read in Ps. 50:21a, "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself…" When we see God for who He really is, how can we do anything but tremble in His presence? Our great need is to take our concept of God from the Word itself, not from hearsay.

Come back to Rev. 1:17. We read the first part of the verse, but we didn’t finish it. Let’s read again Rev 1:17, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:" Isn’t that amazing? John fell at Jesus’ feet as a dead man, and then Jesus said to him, "Fear not, for I am the first and the last." John was full of the fear of God, but then Jesus told him not to fear. So does that mean that John was wrong to fall at Jesus’ feet. Never. So what does it mean? I confess that it is more than I can understand. This is the paradox of the transcendence and eminence of God. On the one hand, He is so exalted that no man can see Him and live. On the other hand, Jesus could lay His right hand upon John and tenderly tell him to "Fear not."

And this incident is not unique. We find the exact same thing in Ex. 20:19-20, "And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." Isn’t that amazing! Don’t be afraid, because I have come to make you afraid, so that you won’t sin. I find that to be much like the situation with John and Jesus in Rev. 1:17. Both Israel and John had plenty of reason to fear, but the Lord told them not to be afraid. Whatever it meant to not be afraid, it was not intended to do away with the fear of the Lord.

Consider a very imperfect illustration. Think for a minute about fire. While it is an imperfect illustration, there is some validity to it, for we are told in the Word that the Lord our God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Heb. 12:29). Our first experience with fire causes us to be very afraid of it, and for good reason. The child that isn’t afraid of fire is a foolish child. A wise parent will teach his child to be afraid of fire. I suppose it’s possible to overdo it, as my dear wife is still afraid of fire. She supervises the lighting and disposal of every match. When her mom told her not to play with matches, she took it seriously.

While the young child is afraid of fire, as he grows older, his attitude changes. He learns that fire can be very useful, when handled properly. It can warm the body, cook our food, and provide light. Through the centuries, hundreds and thousands of ways have been discovered for the use of fire.

Now let me ask you a question: As adults in 21st century America, do we fear fire? Do we? Not as a small child fears fire, but we do fear it. While we make use of it and are around it in one form or another, we still have a healthy fear of fire. Why? Because it is a powerful force that is not always predictable. A few years ago a fire broke out in the Sacramento Mountains. At the time, Mark and Ellen Hinsch were living not too far from Weed. When Ellen was notified, she had only a matter of minutes to leave. Though we have found fire to be so useful and beneficial, that fire could not be controlled. The Lord moved the fire by the speed and direction of His wind, and no man had any control over it.

When such a fire has finally been put out or burned itself out, we can go back and look at what it has done. Whether we see the aftermath of the fire or actually watch it burn through the forest, we stand in awe of its power and unpredictability. So we all have a great respect and appreciation for fire, and there is still a sense of awe when we get close to it and see its raw power.

While that illustration is imperfect, there is an analogy. Before we come into a relationship with God, we have every reason to be afraid, very afraid. Why? Jesus tells us clearly: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). And who is the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? It is none other than God Almighty. When you hear someone say that God will never cast anyone into hell, know that such a person has swallowed the devil’s lie. God is the only one who will cast people into hell. Who can understand this truth and not fear? Only a fool.

But what about the Christian, the one who has been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? He is no longer the enemy of God, but now he has become a child of God, a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Does he still fear God? Many people would tell us "No," but we must decide whether we will follow the reasoning of man or the truth of God’s Word. The apostle Paul feared God. 2 Cor. 5:10-11a…
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…

The word translated "terror" by the King James is simply the word "fear." Paul knew the fear of the Lord. He stood in awe of the God who will judge His people for the things done in this life. As we have already seen, John the beloved disciple feared the Lord. In the presence of the Lord Jesus, he fell down as a dead man. Anyone who thinks he can stand in the presence of Almighty God and not fear has deceived himself. No, it is not the same kind of fear experienced by the man who comes to understand he is lost without hope, but it is an awe that is far more than the respect we give any earthly creature.

You say, "How can a believer have joy, if he fears? Can fear and joy ever go together?" Indeed they can. We read in Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing" (Ps. 100:1-2). But listen to Ps. 2:11, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." It isn’t either/or; it is both/and. Yes, serve the Lord, but do it with fear. And by all means rejoice in the Lord, but do it with trembling. Again in Ps. 22:23, "Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel." The greatness and majesty of God that strikes dreadful fear into the heart of man also calls forth praise from the one who loves Him. The last mention of the fear of the Lord is in Rev. 19:5, "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." You who fear the Lord, praise Him.

Conclusion

Let’s close with some wonderful promises for those who fear God…

Ps 25:14 "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant."
Ps 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;"
Ps 34:7 "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."
Ps 34:9 "O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him."
Ps 85:9 "Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land."
Ps 103:11 "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him."
Ps 103:13 "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him."
Ps 103:17 "But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;"
Ps 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."
Prov 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Prov 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
Ps 115:11 "Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield."
Ps 115:13 "He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great."
Ps 145:19 "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them."
Ps 147:11 "The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy."
Prov 10:27 "The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened."
Prov 14:26-27 "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. 27. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."
Prov 15:16 "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith."
Prov 16:6 "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."
Prov 19:23 "The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil."
Prov 22:4 "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life."
Eccl 8:12-13 "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God."
Luke 1:50 "And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation."

In light of who God is and what He has promised to those who fear Him, "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest" (Rev. 15:4).

Giving Thanks Always for All Things -- 11/25/07

Sunday, November 25, 2007

GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS
Eph. 5:20

Toward the end of the first chapter of Romans we are confronted by a list of some of the worst sins mentioned in all the Bible. Some see in this list a particular application to our day. While that is true, the application is much more general. Remember that Paul is writing in the past tense. The big question is this: How could man, who was created by God, go so far astray? We are given a clue in verse 21: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." The verses before 21 assure us that God has revealed Himself to man, even in His creation and in man’s conscience.. Nevertheless, men who received this knowledge of God did not glorify Him as God and they were not thankful.

Is there any sin worse than ingratitude? What is worse than not being thankful for what we have received? How a parent’s heart breaks when he sees that his son or daughter isn’t grateful for the fact that his parents have poured out their lives to him or her. How God must be grieved when He watches the people He created go merrily on their way with very little thanksgiving to their Creator.

Of course, this past Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving, as did people all across our nation. Praise God that there were people in our nation who saw a need to set aside a day to give thanks to God for all He has done. My purpose is not to criticize that action in any way. On the other hand, I must say that Thanksgiving Day is not the real test of thanksgiving. As Jesus tells us that it is no big deal to love those who love us, so it is no big deal to give thanks when we sit down to a bountiful meal with those we love.

Please come with me to Eph. 5:18-21. Let’s read it… (Eph. 5:18-21)
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

The command is that we be filled with the Spirit. It isn’t a one time thing, but we are to keep on being filled with the Spirit. Closely associated with that filling of the Spirit are four characteristics within the life of the believer. I want us to focus on the thrid, which is given in verse 20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus." Exactly how this attitude fits with being filled with the Spirit is understood differently by different believers. This much is very clear – being filled with the Spirit and giving thanks always for all things in the name of Jesus are very closely related. Where you find one you will find the other.

But let’s be honest this morning. This kind of attitude seems too high (that is why it is associated with the work of the Spirit, who is able to do what we cannot). Is this just a lofty statement? Or, can this be true in the lives of people like you and I? While this is only possible through the work of the Spirit, are there good reasons for us to give thanks for all things? Can we have some understanding of the wisdom of such an attitude? Indeed, we can.
This morning I would like to remind us of why it is perfectly fitting that we should give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. In Light of the Self-Sufficient God

When we think of giving thanks, we often think of how much we have received. For example, consider Thanksgiving in our nation. We are encouraged to give thanks abundantly because of the abundant blessing we have received. We have plenty to eat. Materially, we have more than we could ask for. When we complain—whether it be about gas prices or something else—our hardship is relative. Yes, gasoline costs much more than it did a year ago, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t blessed. The great majority of people in this world don’t even own a car, much less have the money to operate one. Not only have we Americans been blessed materially, but we have great freedom, even the freedom to worship together openly this morning. Because we have been so blessed, it is only fitting that we pour out our thanksgiving.

Now let’s move from national thanksgiving to the idea of thanking our God. We know that our Creator has done much for us, but I would like for you to think with me for a little while this morning about "the self-sufficient God." I will explain what I mean by that term. Let me ask you a question: "Why did God create man?" When we read the account of creation, we are not given a reason. God made man in His own image, but He doesn’t tell us why. So why did God create mankind? One of the most common answers goes like this: "God created man because He needed someone with whom to have fellowship." Some would even further explain that God was lonely and created man for companionship.

Brothers and sisters, friends, that is absolute heresy. God did not create man because of any need in Himself. God is not dependent upon man in any way. God is absolutely complete within Himself. He needs nothing; He needs no one. Man is totally dependent upon God; God is not dependent upon man.

You may say, "Where do you find that in the scriptures?" We find God’s self-sufficiency from cover to cover, but we will not find any hint that God needs man. Let’s read that lofty passage from Isaiah 40:12-31…
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 18. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19. The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. 21. Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 23. That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Someone will say, "Yes, God has great power, but didn’t He need relationship?" He has been in relationship from eternity. The scripture reveals that He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is why we read that God said, "Let us make man in our image." Our God was never lonely, for He is trinity. We can only get a glimpse of the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. It is beyond us. Hear the Father when He cries from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And then the Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. How foolish to think that God needs man. Better to say with the Psalmist, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?" (Ps. 8:3-4).

So if God didn’t create man out of need, then why did He create man? I can only answer that by saying that it is God’s nature to give. So we find it in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave…" God owed nothing to man, for man was not. God did not need to create man, and yet we owe everything to Him. Man’s love is often flawed by impure motives. How many people love others for what they can get out of them? None of us are above that temptation. I think I could safely say that no one here has totally avoided that flaw. But the Son of God, through whom everything in the universe was made, loved us and gave Himself for us (Eph. 5:2).

Can we not give thanks to a God like that, a God who owes us nothing but has given us Himself so freely?

II. In Light of Romans 8:28-29…

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Now let’s be honest, it is more difficult to give thanks for some things than for others. We can list dozens of things for which we are thankful. No, let’s make that hundreds of things. But in our list of things for which we are thankful how many of us include our arthritis, our loss of a job, our broken relationship with a friend? At first, we want to say, "God doesn’t expect us to be thankfuf for those things." But I ask you the question: "What does the Word say?" Then we say, "But God doesn’t bring bad things into our lives. He is a loving God."

I ask you this question: "What is it that God is trying to do in your life?" Let’s answer that question by looking at these words of Paul here in Rom. 8:28-29. We have been through this a number of times before; I trust that these truths are taking deep root in us. Yes, God does indeed work all things together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose. Praise His name for that, but that isn’t the end of the story. We have to ask the additional questions: "What is His purpose? And what is our good?" Because of the influence of the world, we are tempted to immediately conclude that our good is what we think is best. No, our good and what we think best are often far apart. That is because He is the only wise God, and He alone knows what is best for us.

So now let’s come to that crucial question again: "What is our good?" The answer is in verse 29. Let’s read verses 28 and 29 together: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Those of us who are in Christ have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This the definition of "good" in verse 28.

This helps us to understand why it is right for us to thank God for all things. Though we don’t understand why the Lord brings us into a certain difficult circumstance, He is our Father who is working to conform us to the image of Christ. If you and I were able to engineer our own circumstances, we would never be conformed to Christ’s image. We don’t have the wisdom to understand what we need, what it takes to mold us into His image. But the God who created us, who sustains life in us, who redeemed us, and who gave Himself for us knows exactly how to accomplish this work. Do you believe that? If you do, then can you trust Him to only bring into your life that which will conform you to the image of Christ?

If you have great difficulty with thanking God for all things, you might want to ask yourself this basic question: "Is my greatest desire in life to be conformed to the image of Christ, no matter what the cost?" Hear me – this is the Christian life. To want anything less is to miss the great purpose of what God wants to do in you.

When a parent disciplines his child, is it pleasant? Of course, not. It isn’t any fun for the child or for the parent. The child will sometimes even beg the parent not to carry out the discipline. So what does the parent do? He can try to explain to the child that this spanking is for his own good, but his explanation is not always understood. Even if the child doesn’t understand, the loving and purposeful parent goes ahead with the discipline. A wise child will take it to heart and will even be thankful that his mom or dad loves him enough to spank him. Wise parents understand well that they are not trying to gain the approval of the child for the moment; they are not trying to make him happy. Rather, they are doing what is best for him in the long run. Let me remind us of God’s faithful discipline by reading Heb. 12:9-11…
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10. For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

With these concepts in mind, consider again that passage we know so well. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5). When "tragic circumstances" come into your life, don’t lean to your own understanding. You are not capable at that time of understanding how God is able to use this in conforming you to the image of Christ. Instead of leaning to your own understanding, trust Him. You can have confidence that the God who had the wisdom and power to create this universe is more than capable of using these events to make you like Jesus. Trust Him.

III. In Light of God’s Great Purpose in All the Universe – that He Be Glorified

This goes hand in hand with God’s design to conform us to the image of Christ, but now we are looking at it in an even more comprehensive way. God’s plan to conform us to Christ’s image is part of an even larger design – that of bringing glory to Himself. Let me put it this way: "What will you be like, as you are more and more molded into the image of Christ?" Let’s answer that question by turning once again to that familiar passage in John 12:23-28a…
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name.

I submit to you that Jesus thanked His Father for the cross. No, we are not told specifically that Jesus thanked the Father for the experience of the cross, but the overall message of the scriptures will lead us to that conclusion. Remember what we are told in Heb. 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Does not that joy imply thankfulness?

Now back to our question: "What will you be like, as you are more and more molded into the image of Christ?" You will be like Jesus Himself. And Jesus’ prayer in the face of the greatest injustice of all time was, "Father, glorify thy name." He knew full well what it would cost Him, as He stated in verse 24, "Except a kernel of wheat all into the ground and die, it remains alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit." Jesus was talking about His own death on the cross.
Please hear me well. None of us will ever be called on to give thanks for what Jesus faced. We will never face the cross that He endured. But even when it meant taking on Himself your sins and mine, He said, "Father, glorify your name."

In light of this truth, I ask you, "Is there anything for which you cannot give thanks?" The key is the desire of our heart. If I desire comfort and little pain, I won’t be able to thank God for all things. If I desire what I think is best, I won’t be able to give thanks for all things. But if I long to bring glory to the God who is all wise and who is working constantly to glorify Himself, then I can face every circumstance with the attitude that says, "Father, I thank you in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, be glorified even in this."

Come back to Eph. 5:20 again for a moment. "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice those words "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." We have a tendency to take those words lightly, as if they were just part of a formula to be said at the end of a prayer. No, these words have great meaning. We can only give thanks for all things, as we do so in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The "name" speaks of the character of our Lord Jesus. When we give thanks for all things, we are living in consistency with Christ, who is our life. This is exactly what He did. As we thank God for that which seems to be tragic, we are acknowledging that we long for the glory of God in and through our lives, even as Jesus did.

Can we not give thanks for all things, when we realize the great and eternal purpose which God is accomplishing – the giving of glory to Himself? My Psalm this morning was 115. The first verse reads: "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me; but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth’s sake." O that we might be able to pray that prayer. When that is truly the prayer of our hearts, we will begin to find ourselves giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

If we wanted to add another "in light of," I would say, "We can give thanks always for all things in light of the cross of Jesus Christ," but that truth has permeated everything we have said, especially concerning God bringing glory to Himself. The climax of all the acts that have ever glorified God was the cross, where Jesus became our substitute, where God magnified both His justice and His love – His justice, in that our sins were punished; His love, in that we didn’t have to bear that punishment.

Do you see why this lifestyle of always giving thanks for all things is associated so closely with being filled with the Spirit? It is because this kind of life isn’t natural; it’s supernatural. It comes only from God. It was demonstrated perfectly only in the life of Jesus. But praise God that we can indeed be filled with the Spirit and can even give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we do that, God is glorified!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of wanting to do something really big. If there were just something we could do that would bring great glory and honor to our Father. Brothers and sisters, giving thanks always for all things may not seem big, but it is bigger than we realize. This is the kind of life that does indeed bring great glory and honor to our Father. And the lack of it will be a hindrance to those grandiose activities that we think we bring great glory to God.
In reality, this is a wonderful test for the believer. Don’t fall into the trap of saying, "Tomorrow I am going to do better at giving thanks always in all things." Neither you nor I can do this. This is the work of the Spirit within us. The key is being filled with the Spirit, letting the Spirit guide our lives. And how do we do that? That is another subject, but let me leave you with two verses.
The first is the parallel to Eph. 5:18. We mentioned it last Sunday evening. Ephesians and Colossians are often called "parallel epistles," because Paul covers a lot of the same territory in each of these letters. In Colossians 3:16, where we would expect to hear, "Be filled with the Spirit," instead we find these words: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." There is a very close relationship between being filled with the Spirit and letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. They go together. Let no one think he is being filled with the Spirit, if the Word of Christ is not dwelling in him richly.

The other passage doesn’t appear to be so directly related to being filled with the Spirit, but it really is. It is Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Surely we understand that God is not saying that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us everything we want. No, as we delight in Him, He will purify the desires of our heart. Instead of wanting a comfortable life, we will begin to long for His glory. Instead of wanting control of our circumstances, we will increasingly desire that we be filled with His Spirit. Our Lord is eager to fulfill such holy desires.

Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:1-22) -- 11/18/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

PAUL IN CORINTH
Acts 18:1-22

I. Paul Introduced to Aquila and Priscilla (1-3)

1. After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

Like Athens, Corinth was a major city of the area we know today as Greece. That is about the only thing that Athens and Corinth had in common. You will remember that Athens had a great reputation in the fields of architecture, philosophy, and politics. Many great names of history are associated with Athens. As we mentioned last week, Paul wasn’t physically persecuted in Athens, but he was subjected to a not-too-subtle intellectual intimidation. So what would he find in Corinth?

Corinth was no small town. Estimates vary, but an estimated population of 200,000 free men and a half million slaves is probably not far off. Its size can be attributed to the fact that it was located in a very strategic position, on the north/south trade route by land and the east/west trade route by sea. Corinth was situated on a narrow strip of land between the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Sailors avoided going around the southern tip of Achaia (Greece) because of the bad weather and the distance involved. They much preferred to land at Corinth’s port city of Cenchrea and drag their ship across the narrow strip of land on a track that had been designed for that purpose. Even the larger ships sometimes unloaded their cargo, carried it across, and put it on another ship.

Corinth was also important politically. It was an ancient city and by 750 B.C. it was the wealthiest city in Greece and was a political, commercial, and naval rival of Athens. But in 146 B.C., the Romans leveled it to the ground because of an anti-Roman revolt staged there. Exactly 100 years later, Julius Caesar rebuilt Corinth and only 20 years later it became the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. It soon recovered its former importance.

Let’s pause for just a moment to consider that designation “Achaia.” This region is mentioned by name 11 times in the New Testament. Another similar name we have run across is “Macedonia,” which is mentioned by name 26 times in the New Testament. Let’s look at them on the map. Together they made up basically what we know today as Greece. Madedonia was the northern part and in it were the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Achaia was the southern region and it boasted of Athens and Corinth. Both Macedonia and Achaia were Roman provinces (similar to our states). As we mentioned, Corinth was the capital of Achaia. It was also a Roman colony.

And what was the city like? What could we say about its character? The difference between Corinth and Athens was the difference between night and day. Athens was sophisticated and cultured, boasting of men who upheld high moral standards. Corinth had a reputation for drunkenness and sexual immorality. It was generally considered to be the foulest city of the ancient world. “To live like a Corinthian” became a popular expression for living a loose life. And the term “Corinthian girl” was synonymous with prostitute. Even its religion was full of immorality. The primary worship there was given to Aprodite, the goddess of love. In her temple were a thousand young women who served as priestesses; in reality, they were religious prostitutes.

2. And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. 3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

This is our first introduction to Aquila and Priscilla, who had come to Corinth from Rome. Luke gives us a little note to explain why they left Rome. It was because the Emperor Claudius commanded that all Jews leave the city. Secular historians also speak of this event. Suetonius writes: “As the Jews were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus, he banished them from Rome” (quote found in Bruce, The Book of the Acts, p. 368). The trouble that occurred in Rome was likely due to the introduction in the synagogues of the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. This “Chrestus” was most probably a reference to Jesus, whom they were calling “Christ.” Writing years after the event, Suetonius likely confused the issue, “wrongly imagining” that Jesus Himself was in Rome stirring up the trouble. Often the Romans did not distinguish the Jews from the Christians, viewing Christianity as just another sect of Judaism. At any rate, Aquila and Priscilla were casualties of Claudius’ command to cleanse Rome of Jews.

It seems that Paul was first attracted to this couple because they shared a common trade, that of making tents. Not only did they share a common trade, but they also shared a common Jewish heritage. Even more importantly. they shared the life of Jesus. We are not told when or how Aquila and Priscilla became Christians, but their later role in Ephesus makes it clear that they were indeed believers in the Son of God. Luke tells us that Paul stayed with them in their house and worked with them.

II. Paul Preaching the Gospel in Corinth (4-11)

4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Being such a large city and a city of commerce, it is not surprising that we find a Jewish population in Corinth. And wherever there were Jews, there was at least one synagogue. And wherever Paul found a city with a synagogue, that synagogue was his first preaching point. It was no different in Corinth. We are told that Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath.” He not only reasoned with them, but he “persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”

5. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

There is a great deal of question about the exact interpretation of this verse. Was it that Silas and Timothy found Paul being pressed in the Spirit and testifying to the Jews that Jesus was Christ? Or, was their coming the catalyst for Paul beginning to earnestly testify to the Jews? If so, what was it about their coming that changed things? There is also a difference in the Greek texts. All the more modern translations I have found accept the reading “word” instead of “spirit.” As a result, most take it to mean that Paul was utterly consumed in preaching the Word. And many believe it was because Silas and Timothy brought a love offering from Macedonia (see II Cor. 11:9), freeing Paul for a while to devote more time to preaching and less to tentmaking.

The simple fact is that we are not given the kind of details that would answer all of these questions. Perhaps Paul was greatly encouraged by the presence of Silas and Timothy. Could it be that such encouragement renewed his holy enthusiasm and fervor in sharing the gospel? At first, we want to say, “No, Paul didn’t need that kind of encouragement. He always preached the word in season and out of season.” But if we aren’t careful, we will forget that Paul was a man and subject to the same things we are subject to. Surely the man who spoke so much about the importance of the body needed the encouragement of his brothers in the Lord.

There can be no question that Paul was glad to see Silas and Timothy. You will remember that Paul left Berea in such haste that Silas and Timothy were not able to go with him. We don’t know how long it has been since he has seen them. He ministered in Athens alone, without their aid. No doubt, Paul gathered enough attention in Athens that they had little trouble finding out he had been there and had already left town. We might ask, “How would they be able to find Paul in a city as large as Corinth?” It seems to me that all they had to do was go to the synagogue, knowing Paul’s predictable strategy of evangelism.

6. And when they opposed themselves [them], and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

We have seen this pattern before. At first, the Jews in the synagogue were receptive to his message. But as time passed, some of them (the majority, it seems) began to resist the message he preached. In this case, we are told that they “blasphemed.” This blasphemy is most likely a reference to what they were saying about the Jesus Paul proclaimed as the Messiah. Such strong language helps to explain the rather extreme response of Paul at this point, for we are told that he shook off his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads…” Later, when speaking to the leaders of the Ephesian church, Paul would say, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:26-27). Paul was simply saying that he could not be held responsible for their rejection of the gospel. He had faithfully proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, and they had only insulted Him.

So what would Paul do from here? The synagogue had been his arena for preaching, but now he was cutting himself off from the synagogue. Paul didn’t leave them or us in suspense. He said, “From now on I will go (and preach) to the Gentiles.” As we read this, it brings back the scene at Pisidian Antioch. Let me refresh our memory by reading from Acts 13:45-47…
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

7. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. 8. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

When Paul left the synagogue, he went into the house of Justus, a man who worshipped God and who lived next to the synagogue. I take this to mean that Justus was one who believed on Jesus as the Messiah and who was eager to further the gospel message. While we are not specifically told that he was a Christian, it is very doubtful he would have risked his neck, if he were not. It also seems that this was Paul’s new preaching point, for Paul didn’t need a place to stay, as he was staying with Aquila and Priscilla. The context indicates that what is in view here is a place of ministry. And apparently the ministry in Justus’ house was effective, because now we read that the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord with all his house. When Paul turned from the Jews, here was one leading Jew who was seriously pondering the message of the gospel. Add to that many of the Corinthians, who when they heard, believed and were baptized.

When we are told that Crispus believed on the Lord with all his house, we should note that the language is identical to that which described the Philippian jailer in Acts 16. There we emphasized that his whole house was not saved because of his faith, but rather in the same way that he believed, so his whole house believed. By the way, Crispus is mentioned by Paul when he later writes to these Corinthians. I Cor. 1:14, “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius.” There is no reason to believe that this is not the same Crispus that Luke describes here.

9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 10. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

When Luke says that many of the Corinthians believed, he does not tell us whether the “many” were mostly Jews or Gentiles. At first, we would conclude that they were Gentiles, because Paul just left the synagogue and turned to the Gentiles. However, even after that, we have the record of Crispus and his whole house being converted. Crispus and his family may not have been the only Jews to follow Jesus. Perhaps Paul’s decisive action to leave the synagogue forced a number of on-the-fence Jews to choose where their allegiance was.

We see the seeds of division here. We read earlier about how Paul turned away from the synagogue in Antioch and began to preach to the Gentiles. Later, those Jews from Antioch would travel all the way to Lystra to turn the people there against Paul. Perhaps Paul wondered if the same thing would happen here. Don’t forget that the gospel of Jesus Christ has always been divisive, and it always will be. We often refer to that wonderful statement of Jesus in John 7:37-38, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." But don’t forget how the people responded… (John 7:40-43)
Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42. Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43. So there was a division among the people because of him.
Paul encountered this division very often in his ministry. It was that kind of division that caused him to leave many of the cities where he had a ministry.

With that in mind, the Lord came to Paul in a vision and spoke to him very specifically. If we aren’t careful, we can’t get the idea that Paul was some kind of superhuman missionary who never had any internal difficulties. Of course, Paul would never have any fear. But listen to the first thing the Lord Jesus says to him, “Be not afraid.” Paul was not above being attacked by fear. The New American Standard, which specializes in bringing out the fine details of the Greek tenses, translates it: “Do not be afraid any longer…).” Nor was he immune to letting such fear affect his message. That is surely why the Lord said, “But speak, and hold not your peace.” Again, Paul was a man just like the rest of us. He was tempted. He did the will of God, only as he trusted Him, abiding in the Lord Jesus. Listen to the words of comfort that he received from his Lord: “For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city.” Literally, “No one shall put upon you to do you evil.” They might oppose Paul, but the Lord would not allow them to harm him.

I think of the words of the song “How Firm a Foundation…”
When through the deep waters I cause thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

The Lord does not chastise Paul for leaving Philippi, or Thessalonica, or Berea, or Athens. For the most part, Paul left those places in the face of danger. But now He has a direct word which Paul must hear. Had the Lord wanted him to remain in those other places, He most likely would have let him know, even as He does now. To the best of Paul’s knowledge, he was following the leading of the Spirit. But now, just as the Spirit had turned him away from preaching in Asia and from entering Bithynia, now the Lord Jesus Himself urges Paul to remain in Corinth and continue to preach the good news there.

We think, “Wow! I wish the Lord would speak to me like that. I wish He would tell me which job to take, which house to buy, what city to live in, etc. Why doesn’t the Lord speak to me like that?” I don’t have all the answers to that question, but I must remind us that this was an issue of the ministry of the gospel. There is no doubt that God is capable of giving guidance in the most minute details of life, but I expect Him to be more concerned about the issues of eternal consequence than where he wants me to live. Jesus’ message to Paul had to do very directly with the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not he continued to preach in Corinth would have great consequences for many people involved, as we see from the end of verse 10, “For I have much people in this city.”

We are not given the specifics of what the Lord meant by, “I have much people in this city.” Was he saying that there were already many who had responded to the gospel? Or, was He saying that He had already marked out many would still respond to the gospel, as Paul continued to preach? While many had already responded, I think the Lord was including those who would yet believe in the future. Remember the note in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

11. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Was this a year and six months over all? Or, was this a year and six months from this time forward? In other words, does the 18 months include the time he had already spent at Corinth? To me, it seems best to understand it as 18 months from this time forward. Perhaps his complete stay in Corinth was somewhere around two years. Whether the entire stay was 18 months or more in the neighborhood of two years, we see that this was a long stay. There is only one place where Paul stayed longer. Do you know where that was? Yes, at Ephesus, on the third missionary journey.

The Lord was true to His promise, and Paul was obedient to what Jesus told him to do. He stayed, and the Lord was with him.

III. Paul Before Gallio (12-17)

12. And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, 13. Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. 13. Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

While the Lord assured Paul that he would not suffer harm while he was in Corinth, that doesn’t mean that no attempt was made to stop Paul’s preaching. In verses 12-17 we read of one such attempt.

During this time, Gallio was the deputy (proconsul) of Achaia, which was a Roman province. It was normal that he would live in the capital, which was, of course, Corinth. During his term, the Jews rose up against Paul. Notice that they were “of one accord,” the term that is used so often in Acts to speak of the unity of the Christian family. This united opposition brought Paul to the official place of judgment before Gallio. They didn’t bring him to local rulers of the city, but to the Roman governor. This was very important, because the ruling of a Roman governor would likely be followed by the governors of other provinces. In other words, his ruling would set a precedent.

And what was the charge? “This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.” They were not talking about the Jewish law, but about Roman law. They were accusing Paul of preaching an illegal religion. Judaism was a legal religion within the Roman Empire, but these Jews refused to recognize the gospel Paul preached as having anything to do with the faith of their ancestors. They argued that this “new religion” which Paul preached was not a recognized religion in the Empire. Therefore, Paul must be dealt with as a troublemaker and his teachings banned.

Is not this the way the religious leaders dealt with Jesus when He was before Pilate? Luke 23:2, "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King." They presented a lie and then a half truth. Jesus did not forbid giving tribute to Caesar, but He taught the very opposite. And while Jesus did indeed claim to be a King, the Jews knew full well that He did not claim to be a king in the normal sense of the word, for He clearly taught that His kingdom was not of this world.

14. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: 15. But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. 16. And he drave them from the judgment seat.

Paul was all ready to speak. It would be interesting to know what he was going to say, but he never got a chance. Gallio, the governor, spoke first. Notice what he says. “If your charges dealt with true wrongdoing or some specific crime, I would be willing to listen to you Jews. But if it is a matter of your words and names and your Jewish law, you take care of it. I am not going to lower myself to deal with such matters.” Gallio wasn’t a Jew. He had little knowledge of their disputes. His response indicates that he considered Paul’s teachings as just another Jewish sect. He lumped him in with all the other Jewish teachers. And then he drove them away.

If Paul had been able to respond, I think he would have made it clear that what he taught was not a new religion, but rather the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures. However, it is questionable whether Gallio would have listened to him. The Lord had better plans. Without Paul having to say a word, Gallio was convinced that Paul was just another Jewish teacher. While that wasn’t the truth, it had the same effect. Paul was in no trouble with the Roman governor. As a matter of fact, Gallio basically gave Paul permission to continue his preaching in the Roman provinces. Though his teaching upset the Jews, Gallio declared that the Jewish opposition to Paul’s message had no place before Roman law.

17. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.

Now a new character enters the picture. His name is Sosthenes, and he is the ruler of the synagogue. But wait a minute, earlier we were introduced to Crispus, as the chief ruler of the synagogue. Apparently, Sosthenes took over the position that was vacated by Crispus, when he became a follower of Jesus. Bear in mind that this incident took place some time during the 18 months that Paul was in Corinth. It was likely quite some time after the conversion of Crispus.

Notice that it was all the Greeks who took Sosthenes and beat him right there before the judgment seat. Why did they do such a thing? This is an indication of the anti-Jewish feeling among the people. We have talked about this many times before. There was great hostility between Jews and Gentiles. Apparently the Greeks in the city, who were witnessing all of these things, saw this as an opportunity to vent some of their hostility. Gallio’s curt dismissal of Paul’s Jewish accusers likely convinced them that he wouldn’t care. And they were right, for we read, “And Gallio cared for none of those things.” He turned his head the other way, while they beat this highly-respected Jewish man.

IV. Paul’s Departure from Corinth (18-22)

18. And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

Again, we have a rather inexact term used to designate the remainder of Paul’s stay in Corinth. It is likely that the favorable ruling by Gallio allowed Paul to continue his ministry there for a few more months. This time there is no indication that Paul was forced, or even asked, to leave Corinth. He must have sensed that it was time to move on. As we will see, he had an appointment back in Jerusalem.

So Paul, along with Priscilla and Aquila, sailed for Syria. Syria was north of Israel and Paul’s home base Antioch was in Syria. We are not told why Priscilla and Aquila went with Paul. Perhaps it had to do with their business as tentmakers. Or, it may be that Paul asked them to come along, as he did with Timothy and others. Nor do we know why Priscilla is mentioned first (also in Rom. 16:3; but Aquila first in Acts 18:26 and I Cor. 16:19). We could speculate, but the truth is that we do not know.

What was this vow? There are some who believe that it was Aquila who took the vow, rather than Paul. While this is grammatically possible, it is highly unlikely. Luke is primarily telling the story of Paul, and the inclusion of Priscilla and Aquila is only parenthetical. In association with the vow, Paul cut his hair at Cencrhea. You may remember that when a Jew took a Nazirite vow, the hair was allowed to grow. When the fulfillment of the vow was complete, then the man would cut his hair again. While some would see this as a brief Nazirite vow Paul had taken, A. T. Robertson asserts that a Nazirite vow could only be concluded at Jerusalem. At any rate, the cutting of the hair indicates that the vow had been fulfilled. We don’t know why Paul took the vow. Perhaps it was a vow of thanksgiving for how graciously the Lord had allowed him to minister during his stay in Corinth. Cenchrea was the port city of Corinth, from which Paul and the rest of the party would have sailed.

19. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

This leaves us with another question. Why did Paul leave Priscilla and Aquila at Ephesus? Perhaps this is where they had intended to continue to pursue their business. Or, is it possible that Paul asked them to preach the gospel there? We are not told, but we will encounter them again.

Though his stay in Ephesus would be brief, he stayed with his plan to go to the synagogue. And what did he do there? What he always did – he reasoned with the Jews. He discussed with them the concept that Jesus of Nazareth was their promised Messiah.
When you look at the map, it might not at first appear that Ephesus was on the way to Syria, but it was. They avoided sailing out in the open seas. Ephesus was the chief city of Asia and was on the main trading route from Rome to the east. It was perfectly fitting that the ship should stop in Ephesus.

You will recall that earlier on this second journey Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia. But now he has come to Asia from the other direction and has the privilege of speaking to the Jews in the synagogue.

20. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; 21. But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Paul’s reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue was going well. They wanted him to stay around and continue the discussions, but Paul couldn’t do so. This feast in Jerusalem must have been very important for Paul to turn down an opportunity to continue ministering in a city like Ephesus. He did assure them that he would return, “if God will.” Surely Paul had every intention of returning. Nevertheless, he includes the words “if God will.” It wasn’t a cliché for Paul. He meant it from his heart. Though he wanted to return, he would only do so if that was what the Lord wanted.

So what about this feast in Jerusalem? We are not told. Some Bible students maintain it was Passover, while others contend it was Pentecost. It doesn’t seem important that we know. Whichever it was, the ship was ready to sail, and Paul knew he must be on it, if he was going to make it this feast in Jerusalem.

There is a difference in the Greek texts at this point. That is why some of your translations don’t have the words: “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem.” Whether or not these words should be included, the next verse indicates that Paul did indeed go to Jerusalem. Let’s read verse 22…

22. And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.

You may say, “There is no mention here that Paul went to Jerusalem.” Hang on for just a minute. Caesarea was the main port of Palestine (show on the map). “When he had landed there and had gone up and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.” So where was the church Paul saluted? On the surface, we might assume that it was the church in Caesarea. However, notice the term “up.” This was the common way of speaking about going to Jerusalem, because of its high elevation. Come back to chapter 9 and let’s read about Saul (Paul) in 9:28-30…
And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

Notice the language – “they brought him down to Caeasarea (from Jerusalem).” There is no indication that Paul had any reason to tarry in Caeasarea, but it is natural to see him going up to Jerusalem for a feast, as we will find him doing again in chapter 20.

And after he had saluted the church, Paul went down to Antioch. Again, this language is better suited to his departure from Jerusalem. When a person left Jerusalem, he always went down. The writers do not use the terms “up” and “down” to speak of north and south directions, but to designate difference in elevation.

So now Paul is back to his home base in Antioch. And this is where the second missionary journey ends, right where it started, in Antioch.

Conclusion

So let’s think about Paul’s experience at Corinth. It was a hard place to go to. It’s reputation preceded it. Paul knew full well what Corinth was like, even before he set foot in the city. Everyone knew about Corinth. But Paul went there because he had absolute confidence that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes – to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16).

Not only was it a hard place to go to, but it was a hard place to stay. It certainly looked like history was about ready to repeat itself, as division began to show itself between the Jews and the believers. But the Lord Himself appeared to Paul and settled all his fears, assuring him that no harm would come to him and that the Lord had many people in that city.

In the end, it was a hard place to leave. Though we don’t read that specifically, we can’t miss the fact that there was no one trying to force Paul out. Because of the ruling of Gallio, he had an open door to preach the gospel. Nevertheless, he did leave. Though Luke doesn’t tell us why, we trust that Paul was following the leading of God’s Spirit.

As we seek to live and share the good news of Christ, we can expect the same Lord to actively work in and through us. I think of what Jesus said before He ascended back to heaven. “All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:18-19). Because all authority is given unto me, you go! Jesus still has all authority. As Joseph Tson puts it, He is the boss of the cosmos. We can go in His name with confidence, confidence in Him alone.