This command in Titus 2:4-5 is one of the most neglected and misinterpreted in the New Testament, and probably misunderstood and despised.
This does not suggest that her home is a prison where she must be kept! “Caring for the home” is the idea. She is to manage and work in the home. This word comes from the root word which means “A stayer at home.”
Note this phrase does not say “house keeper or keeper of the house.” It says, “Keeper of the home.” Nor does it say, “Stay at home Dad.”
The culture says that to be a homemaker is a form of bondage by males and they need to be freed.
It is estimated that 60% of mothers with children under 6 years of age hold jobs outside the home.
Dr. John MacArthur says, “It is tragic that the mother has to work because the husbands have died, imprisoned, abandoned with no child support, and their families are unable or unwillingly to help. It is not that their place is in the home as much as their responsibility is in the home.”
We say, “Well that’s what I have been taught and taught my girls. Both parents have to work to make it in the real world.”
I agree that this is what we have been taught and programmed. We live in a fallen world where the pursuit of things is our god. But is that what this verse teaches? Are there any “yeah buts” in this command?
1 Timothy 5:14, “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” [Proverbs 31:27-29].
Let the Scripture speak.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Best State to Live In
Phil. 4:13 is one of the most misinterpreted verses in the Bible and one of the most misapplied verses. It is often used to say that one can pass a hard test having not studied. Some use it to say they can accomplish a seemingly impossible athletic task. Some use it to say that they can accomplish any other task that seems impossible. They can do it because Christ strengthens them. Is this what this verse teaches?
Context: Paul was thanking the church at Philippi for financial assistance in his ministry. Paul is speaking of the fact that he had learned to be content in whatever state he was in. He had learned to be content whether he was abased or abounding, whether full or hungry, and whether abounding or in need.
Summary: Paul is basically saying that contentment is better than riches. He could do all things and be content in whatever state he was in, as long as it was God's will.
The Greek Work for content means "Sufficient, satisfied, or adequate." Whatever God's will was for his life, he was content in it.
The best state to live in is the state of contentment!
Let the Scripture speak!
Context: Paul was thanking the church at Philippi for financial assistance in his ministry. Paul is speaking of the fact that he had learned to be content in whatever state he was in. He had learned to be content whether he was abased or abounding, whether full or hungry, and whether abounding or in need.
Summary: Paul is basically saying that contentment is better than riches. He could do all things and be content in whatever state he was in, as long as it was God's will.
The Greek Work for content means "Sufficient, satisfied, or adequate." Whatever God's will was for his life, he was content in it.
The best state to live in is the state of contentment!
Let the Scripture speak!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Is That in the Bible
People often quote a saying or axiom and give it as being a Biblical truism or in Scripture. You may respond by asking, “Where is that in the Bible?”
More often than not, they can’t tell you. It seems that sayings have been handed down and passed on and we just assume they are in the Bible.
I want us to take a humorous view, yet informative view at some of the popular sayings that pass for Scripture. Remember, it doesn’t mean they might not be true, but just not in inspired Scripture.
My resources for this study are the Scriptures, Google, and Bible websites.
1. “God helps those who help themselves”
This is not found anywhere in Scripture. In fact, we read that God helps those who can’t help themselves.
This is a saying from Aesop’s [620 to 564 BC] fable “Hercules and the Waggoner.” A man’s wagon got stuck in a muddy road, and he prayed for Hercules to help get the wagon out. Hercules responded, “Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.”
We can’t do anything to help when it comes to salvation; salvation is through Christ alone. In sanctification we play a part, but the Spirit is ultimately is the one who makes us like Christ.
The phrase is never used in the Scriptures in regard to working and God helping us.
God helps the helpless.
Romans 5:6, 8; Jeremiah 17:5.
2. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”
This phrase is not in the Bible. The Israelites were given rules for uncleanness as a metaphor for sinfulness.
This began as an ancient Babylonian and Hebrew proverb and became very popular by John Wesley.
Jesus warns us to worry more about the sin in our hearts than the dirt on our hands [Matt. 7:18-23].
Godliness begins inside in transformation and works out in righteous deeds and behavior.
3. “In the last days, you will not be able to know the seasons except by the changing of the leaves.” or “You will not be able to tell the seasons.”
Matt. 24:32-33 uses the budding of leaves heralding the coming of summer as a metaphor for the signs that Christ’s coming is near.
No where in the Bible does it say the seasons will be altered as a sign for Christ’s return.
1 Thess. 5:1; Acts 1:7 speaks of times [extended period of time] and seasons [definite period of time].
4. “Money is the root of all evil.”
Let’s turn to 1 Tim. 6:10. “For the love of money” Money is amoral, neither good nor bad, and being wealthy is not a sin.
Job. 1:1 Job was wealthy and yet blameless, upright, and feared God.
5. “This too shall pass”
This actually is a line from an Old English poem.
Our earthly sorrows are temporary; yet we’re called to rejoice in our trials, knowing they lead to endurance and sanctification [James 1:2-4].
7. “The lion shall lay down with the lamb”
Isa. 11:6 says it is a wolf and not a lamb.
Isa. 65:25
The hunter and the prey will live in peace in the kingdom.
8. “Spare the rod, spoil the child”
Proverbs 13:34; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15
9. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
Gen. 3:19
The phrase is used in the 1662 edition of the Book of Prayer of The Episcopal Church.
A search of the Bible reveals that “ashes to ashes” is used 0 times in the Bible; “dust to dust” is used 0 times in the Bible; and “dust and ashes” is used 3 times in the Bible- Gen. 18:27; Job 30:19; 42:6
More often than not, they can’t tell you. It seems that sayings have been handed down and passed on and we just assume they are in the Bible.
I want us to take a humorous view, yet informative view at some of the popular sayings that pass for Scripture. Remember, it doesn’t mean they might not be true, but just not in inspired Scripture.
My resources for this study are the Scriptures, Google, and Bible websites.
1. “God helps those who help themselves”
This is not found anywhere in Scripture. In fact, we read that God helps those who can’t help themselves.
This is a saying from Aesop’s [620 to 564 BC] fable “Hercules and the Waggoner.” A man’s wagon got stuck in a muddy road, and he prayed for Hercules to help get the wagon out. Hercules responded, “Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.”
We can’t do anything to help when it comes to salvation; salvation is through Christ alone. In sanctification we play a part, but the Spirit is ultimately is the one who makes us like Christ.
The phrase is never used in the Scriptures in regard to working and God helping us.
God helps the helpless.
Romans 5:6, 8; Jeremiah 17:5.
2. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”
This phrase is not in the Bible. The Israelites were given rules for uncleanness as a metaphor for sinfulness.
This began as an ancient Babylonian and Hebrew proverb and became very popular by John Wesley.
Jesus warns us to worry more about the sin in our hearts than the dirt on our hands [Matt. 7:18-23].
Godliness begins inside in transformation and works out in righteous deeds and behavior.
3. “In the last days, you will not be able to know the seasons except by the changing of the leaves.” or “You will not be able to tell the seasons.”
Matt. 24:32-33 uses the budding of leaves heralding the coming of summer as a metaphor for the signs that Christ’s coming is near.
No where in the Bible does it say the seasons will be altered as a sign for Christ’s return.
1 Thess. 5:1; Acts 1:7 speaks of times [extended period of time] and seasons [definite period of time].
4. “Money is the root of all evil.”
Let’s turn to 1 Tim. 6:10. “For the love of money” Money is amoral, neither good nor bad, and being wealthy is not a sin.
Job. 1:1 Job was wealthy and yet blameless, upright, and feared God.
5. “This too shall pass”
This actually is a line from an Old English poem.
Our earthly sorrows are temporary; yet we’re called to rejoice in our trials, knowing they lead to endurance and sanctification [James 1:2-4].
7. “The lion shall lay down with the lamb”
Isa. 11:6 says it is a wolf and not a lamb.
Isa. 65:25
The hunter and the prey will live in peace in the kingdom.
8. “Spare the rod, spoil the child”
Proverbs 13:34; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15
9. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
Gen. 3:19
The phrase is used in the 1662 edition of the Book of Prayer of The Episcopal Church.
A search of the Bible reveals that “ashes to ashes” is used 0 times in the Bible; “dust to dust” is used 0 times in the Bible; and “dust and ashes” is used 3 times in the Bible- Gen. 18:27; Job 30:19; 42:6
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Come, Lord Jesus
In Rev.22:13-21 we see four reasons to receive the Lord Jesus Christ and live holy lives:
1. Because of who He is [vs. 13, 16] - The exalted, majestic, glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Because we will miss heaven if we don’t [vs. 14-15] –
Heaven is exclusively for those who have been cleansed from their sins in the blood of Christ and whose names are written in the Book of life of the Lamb [13:8].
3. Because Scripture is true [vs. 18-19] - Because this book is true, it must be proclaimed calling sinners to repentance and faith.
4. Because Christ is coming back [vs. 20-21]. The return of Christ is certain!
Here we have the last recorded words of Jesus in Scripture.
His coming is imminent as Revelation and the rest of Scripture teaches. “I come quickly” is used three other times in Revelation [3:11; 22:7, 12, 20]. All these in there context refer to the rapture. His second coming is referred to in Rev. 1:7.
Wiersbe says, “The word “quickly” could mean either soon or suddenly. The hope of a sudden return would not excite the same anticipation or watchfulness as the hope of a soon return. If suddenly, this means events will rapidly take place at his coming.” Either way this has to be the rapture!
The word “Amen” means “verily, truly, certainly.” It’s as if John is giving a hearty confirmation of the imminent return of Christ.
Paul was a pre-tribulation Pre-Millennialist as well, “We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.” [1 Thess. 4:15].
All true believers [Christians] are those who love His appearing.
2 Tim. 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Peter was pre-Trib- Pre-millennial as well…
1 Peter 1:7-9, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
The world scoffs [2 Peter 3:4] and says all things continue as they are, but things are not continuing as they are. If the certainty of Christ’s return to judge the lost does not motivate them to repent, then nothing will.
The Lord of glory, as Scripture says, offers heaven to those who, in light of His return, accept His gracious invitation to come to Him.
This book is full of eternal hope for believers and fearful judgment for the lost. In light of His revelation in the Book of Revelation, those who come to Him, say “Even so [yes or absolutely], come Lord Jesus.”
Revelation begins with grace [1:4] and ends with grace [22:21].
1. Because of who He is [vs. 13, 16] - The exalted, majestic, glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Because we will miss heaven if we don’t [vs. 14-15] –
Heaven is exclusively for those who have been cleansed from their sins in the blood of Christ and whose names are written in the Book of life of the Lamb [13:8].
3. Because Scripture is true [vs. 18-19] - Because this book is true, it must be proclaimed calling sinners to repentance and faith.
4. Because Christ is coming back [vs. 20-21]. The return of Christ is certain!
Here we have the last recorded words of Jesus in Scripture.
His coming is imminent as Revelation and the rest of Scripture teaches. “I come quickly” is used three other times in Revelation [3:11; 22:7, 12, 20]. All these in there context refer to the rapture. His second coming is referred to in Rev. 1:7.
Wiersbe says, “The word “quickly” could mean either soon or suddenly. The hope of a sudden return would not excite the same anticipation or watchfulness as the hope of a soon return. If suddenly, this means events will rapidly take place at his coming.” Either way this has to be the rapture!
The word “Amen” means “verily, truly, certainly.” It’s as if John is giving a hearty confirmation of the imminent return of Christ.
Paul was a pre-tribulation Pre-Millennialist as well, “We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.” [1 Thess. 4:15].
All true believers [Christians] are those who love His appearing.
2 Tim. 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Peter was pre-Trib- Pre-millennial as well…
1 Peter 1:7-9, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
The world scoffs [2 Peter 3:4] and says all things continue as they are, but things are not continuing as they are. If the certainty of Christ’s return to judge the lost does not motivate them to repent, then nothing will.
The Lord of glory, as Scripture says, offers heaven to those who, in light of His return, accept His gracious invitation to come to Him.
This book is full of eternal hope for believers and fearful judgment for the lost. In light of His revelation in the Book of Revelation, those who come to Him, say “Even so [yes or absolutely], come Lord Jesus.”
Revelation begins with grace [1:4] and ends with grace [22:21].
Monday, December 19, 2011
Bethlehem Star
John MacArthur’s comments on “The Bethlehem Star”
Gen. 1:14-15
These luminous bodies were given to separate and secondly to dominate. They literally dominate our lives. Now some have suggested that when He says "signs" here He might mean something else. Well, I'm glad you suggested that, it just doesn't say that in the Bible and I'd rather kind of stick with what God wrote here. People say, "Well, you know, this could refer to land and sea navigation by the stars." Well it could. You know, we line up instruments with the North Star and so forth. And some have even suggested that this could be a veiled reference to the star of Bethlehem which was a sign to the Wise Men...Matthew 2. Some really get carried away and see in the stars some astrological sign. Boy, our culture is really drowning in that bunk, that there's some kind of zodiac out there and these stars are actually deities, or forces or powers that give out messages that have great impact on people's lives. That is pagan. That is ungodly. It is unbiblical. It is pseudo-science. It is ridiculous at best. It is demonic at worst.
And some Christian teachers have even come along and they've said, "Well, it says that they're for signs. And they say there's the gospel preached up there in the constellations." That is a contrived and biblically unacceptable concoction.
Genesis tells us what the signs were. They were signs to indicate seasons and days and years. And in that way they dominate our life. They control human life. They control human enterprise.
Matthew 2
And I don't want to take the time to go over that all, let me just remind you that what we basically saw was that these men were Persian king makers who were coming because they were aware of the birth of the anticipated king that they had no doubt heard about from such as Daniel and others of the Israelites who had lived in their land since the time of the Babylonian captivity, and these Persian king makers were very anxious to look for a king because they did not have a king, the king at the time was deposed and they wanted a great monarch to rise to the throne of the east in order that they might pose a threat to the great Roman Empire of the west, so their feelings were both political and spiritual, and we saw that they came into town and they were immediately confronted with a most Interesting character by the name of Herod, and we're going to see more about him tonight.
Now, they kept asking, where is He that is born King of the Jews? You know it must have shocked them a little bit every time they asked that question, to get a response of ignorance from everybody.
They must have assumed that these people would have known that. I mean after all, they were the Jews, and certainly they would know when their King was born, and where He was born. But two things hit me out of that verse as I read it, and I want to answer those questions because they were the two ones that struck me.
Question number one, what was the nature of the star? "We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
What was the nature of the star? So I did some reading this week and last week, to try to find out what the star was, you won't believe the suggestions. First of all, some people say it was a genuine, real, honest to goodness star. Some say it was Jupiter, because Jupiter is called the king of the planets. Some say, and this was Kepler's theory that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of the fish. And some say it was just an erratic comet. Some say it was a low hanging meteor, and some say it was the star of destiny in the heart of mankind. That's a lot of dribble if ever I heard it.
You want to know what it was...I'll tell you what I think it is. Look at Luke 2:9 and maybe this will help to answer a question you've probably had since you were a little kid, if you're still a little kid you've still got it. Luke 2:9, here's a good key, here we are not at the wise men incident but at the shepherds, and they were the first to come, and they were of Israel. And they are a sort of a picture of the remnant. "There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, an angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were very much afraid."
Now what was shining in the sky when the shepherds saw it? What was it? It was the glory of the Lord. And if you go back into the Old Testament and you studied the concept of the glory of God, you will find that the glory of God is manifest as light, right? Over and over and over again in the Old Testament the glory of God is manifest as light, when God radiates His presence He transforms it into ineffable light. When the glory of God appeared at the daytime it was like a cloud of light, when it appeared at night it was a pillar of fire, when the glory of God descended on the tabernacle it was as light, when Moses went up into the mountain, and he said, show me Thy glory, God hid him in a rock and God showed him His glory manifest as light, and it was so much light that it got on his face and when he came down the mountain side and spoke to the people his face was lit up.
The glory of God is blazing light. And when Jesus revealed who He was, and revealed His glory on the mount of transfiguration, He pulled back His flesh and they beheld His what? His glory, as transparent light. And when Jesus comes the second time out of heaven, He will come in blazing light, and Revelation says, God will turn out all the lights of heaven, all the stars will fall, all the suns, all the moons, everything goes pitch black, heaven rolls up like a scroll, and when it's pitch black then Christ comes revealed as blazing light, and people cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of His glory.
Now all that just to remind you that God's glory is manifest in the Scripture as light, as light. He told Moses he couldn't look upon His face and live, held be consumed in it. It'd be like standing ten feet from the sun only it would be like a million, million suns.
And I believe that it was the glory of the Lord that shone that night when God's glory was as ... was descending to earth, it was God's glory descending on the earth, coming in the form of a man, and I believe that that glory of God is the thing that the wise men saw.
Now let me give you a little more support on this because I think it's kind of interesting to trace this thought.
The chief word in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for star is the word kôwkâb, not that that's important just a point of contact with the Hebrew. But it has a basic meaning, and its basic meaning is to shine or to blaze forth, to shine or to blaze forth. Now sometimes the word kôwkâb is used of a real star, sometimes it's used to speak of just a regular star, sometimes it's used to speak of an angel, sometimes it is used to speak of men. So it doesn't necessarily always mean a real star, it can mean anything that blazes, anything that shines, in an incredible way.
In fact in Numbers 24:17, a most interesting Scripture. It says, and this is a Messianic prophecy. "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near: (now listen) there shall come a kôwkâb out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel." That's Numbers 24:17. That is a Messianic prophecy, there will come a blazing forth, there will come a shining One, there will come a star. And people I believe that the prophecy there is, that none other than the glory of God incarnate is the star, the blazing.
Matthew 24:30, "Immediately after the tribulation (verse 29 says) of those days the sun's dark and the moon doesn't give its light," that's what I told you, all the stars fall out of heaven and everything goes black and then v. 30, "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man," now mark that phrase out, "the sign of the Son of man." In other words, whenever the Son of man is about to show up there will be a sign pointing to Him.
Now do you know what a sign is for? The sign is to point you to something that you want to see. You're driving on the road, and the sign says, Roscoe Boulevard three quarters of a mile. The sign is not Roscoe Boulevard but it's there to point you to Roscoe Boulevard, it has a function, its purpose is to point you to something. And the Son of man has a sign, "the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" oh, interesting, that sign is in heaven, and what is it? "They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
Now here is His kôwkâb, His blazing forth. And although kôwkâb, the Hebrew word is not used in the New Testament it is the same idea. I believe that this sign of the Son of man is nothing more and nothing less than the Shekinah glory of God Himself, God revealing Himself in ineffable glorious light. In fact, it even tells us, I think it's Revelation 1:16 that, that the Son shines, the Son of God, shines as if He were the sun in its strength.
Somehow, now watch this, somehow connected to Jesus Christ is this incredible blazing glory of God, it is His sign in the heavens, He is a spirit, He is a spirit being, He is also in a sense a physical being in the glorified body that He has from His resurrection, but there is a sign that goes with Him, and it is blazing glory, and one day on the mount He showed it to His disciples. And one day when He returns the sign of His coming, the sign of the Son of man in heaven will be there, blazing glory in the heaven.
Well, you know what I think? I think He had the very same sign the first time He came too. I just think it was the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And the sign of the Son of man in heaven is not a star, it's not an astral body, it's not a conjunction of planets, it's not, thoughts of human destiny rattling around in somebody's mystical mind, the sign of the Son of man is nothing more and nothing less than the Shekinah glory of God revealed in light, blazing, dazzling in the heavens.
I would add this thought, verse 2 says, "We have seen (watch this) his aster." His blazing. The word astēr incidentally people, the word is translated star here, but it is used of other things than stars. So He has His own ... and again it means a blazing forth or a shining. "We have seen his shining in the east." We have seen His kowkab, His aster, His blazing, His glory.
And the very fact that it's His star means it's something very special. It has appeared. That's an interesting word. "We have seen his star in the east."
His star. Verse 7, Herod says I want to know the time the star appeared. And the word phainō in the Greek means that which lights up. What, what time was it when that thing lit up? And the word ... the same word, interesting thought, the same word is used with lightning. Lightning is a form of astēr, sometimes it's translated as a star in the sky, sometimes it's translated as lightning, sometimes as the shining forth of something, and here it is a shining forth. We can't push it any further, we can't make it mean a real star, and there is the sense in which Herod says, when did this particular shining forth light up? And even that is sort of a hint that it was something that never existed and was called into existence only because Jesus was coming, and so I believe this was His astēr, the sign of the Son of man, in the heavens. It was there at His first coming, and beloved it'll be there at His second coming. It's His sign, it's His star, and it’s not some astral body.
The pseudoscience of astrology could never predict the Lord, they weren't looking in their little puny deals and seeing, well look there, there's old Saturn and whatever doing their thing, it must be that He's being born, no, no. What they saw was something they never saw before, and they knew that it had to be something unique and they tied it together with what the Old Testament said and what Daniel had told them. No astronomical research gave them their direction, God revealed Himself. It was no different than the pillar of fire in the Old Testament.
And you remember the pillar of fire and the cloud, in the Old Testament stood over the Holy of Holies? Well in this it tells us that whatever this star was it went and stood over the house where He was born. Now you tell me how a literal star would ever do that. Can't do it, it's none other than the sign of the Son of man.
You say, well, well if it was such a blazing magnificent glory of, of Christ's sign in the heavens, how come only the wise men over there in Persia and nobody else saw it? Now that's a fair question, that's the second question I asked. How come God is so selective? Well, you know He ... that's nothing new for God, He can make everybody in the world blind to something if He wants to.
In Exodus chapter 14, 1 found a good parallel, 14:19 says, "And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them;" now they're going to go through the Red Sea, so the angels been leading them down to the Red Sea, once they get to the Red Sea he goes around the rear, gets behind them. You say, to push? No, I'll show ya what: "the pillar of cloud (of cloud, here's the glory of God, the pillar of the cloud) went from before their face, and stood behind them."
Now behind the Israelites you've got the pillar of cloud, God's glory, and you've got the angel of the Lord, and who's the angel of the Lord? Jesus Christ. "And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that the one came not near the other all the night." You know what happened? Israel saw it as light and the...and the Pharaoh and his army saw it as what? Darkness. And it was the same thing. There's something about God revealing what He wants to reveal just to those to whom He wants to reveal it. And that's all I can say about it. How did they connect it with Jesus Christ's birth? I don't know, I really don't know, except that God made it so obvious that they knew, that they knew.
Now do you want to know something very fascinating people, this may shake you up a little bit, might mess up your Christmas story next year. But do you know in nowhere in the Bible does it ever say they followed the star to Bethlehem, from Persia? No. It doesn't say it led 'em to Jerusalem, it doesn't say it went anywhere, not at all. "We have seen his star (where?) in the east." They saw the star in the east, and it didn't need to tell them where to go they knew where the Jewish Messiah was supposed to be, they knew the royal city was Jerusalem, they knew that's where all Jewish kings reigned, they knew exactly where to go they didn't need some star to guide them, and when they saw His glory, and God made it so evident and obvious as He always does when He reveals what He wants to reveal to whomever He wants, that they didn't even ask a question, they got on their horses and they went, and they went right to the right place.
And Matthew doesn't give us all the bits and pieces and details of how they saddled a Persian horse and how many miles and how it was and where they ate and all of that, because this isn't the story of these people it's the story of Jesus Christ. And they have a place only in so far as it's related to Him. So the details aren't there.
But it - it's incredible to me how God works things out when He wants to get His things done, He gave these Magi, God fearing Gentiles way off in Persia, king makers, His sign and they knew that it was His sign and they knew where to go to Jerusalem.
And the emphasis of Matthew is so beautiful, he says in verse 2 that they said, "we have seen his aster in the east, and are come to worship him." They knew that He was to be worshiped, to worship Him, they knew there was no other one as worthy as this one, and they were right. Here you have it, pagans who had nothing to guide them but smatterings of Old Testament prophecies, nothing to guide them but their own science mingled with its funny superstitions, and yet they are the true seekers of God.
And when the sign came with all of their misgivings and lacks in knowledge, they were enthusiastically embarking on a journey to seek a king they had along time waited for.
But the Jewish hierarchy, with the Pentateuch in their hand, studying it everyday, with the prophecies in their hand, reading them everyday, ruled by a, a bitter and evil man named Herod were content to be totally indifferent to what was happening five miles away. And here again we see Matthew's constant attitude of condemnation toward the officials of Judaism, and his constant sensitivity that God is opening the church, He's opening the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Gen. 1:14-15
These luminous bodies were given to separate and secondly to dominate. They literally dominate our lives. Now some have suggested that when He says "signs" here He might mean something else. Well, I'm glad you suggested that, it just doesn't say that in the Bible and I'd rather kind of stick with what God wrote here. People say, "Well, you know, this could refer to land and sea navigation by the stars." Well it could. You know, we line up instruments with the North Star and so forth. And some have even suggested that this could be a veiled reference to the star of Bethlehem which was a sign to the Wise Men...Matthew 2. Some really get carried away and see in the stars some astrological sign. Boy, our culture is really drowning in that bunk, that there's some kind of zodiac out there and these stars are actually deities, or forces or powers that give out messages that have great impact on people's lives. That is pagan. That is ungodly. It is unbiblical. It is pseudo-science. It is ridiculous at best. It is demonic at worst.
And some Christian teachers have even come along and they've said, "Well, it says that they're for signs. And they say there's the gospel preached up there in the constellations." That is a contrived and biblically unacceptable concoction.
Genesis tells us what the signs were. They were signs to indicate seasons and days and years. And in that way they dominate our life. They control human life. They control human enterprise.
Matthew 2
And I don't want to take the time to go over that all, let me just remind you that what we basically saw was that these men were Persian king makers who were coming because they were aware of the birth of the anticipated king that they had no doubt heard about from such as Daniel and others of the Israelites who had lived in their land since the time of the Babylonian captivity, and these Persian king makers were very anxious to look for a king because they did not have a king, the king at the time was deposed and they wanted a great monarch to rise to the throne of the east in order that they might pose a threat to the great Roman Empire of the west, so their feelings were both political and spiritual, and we saw that they came into town and they were immediately confronted with a most Interesting character by the name of Herod, and we're going to see more about him tonight.
Now, they kept asking, where is He that is born King of the Jews? You know it must have shocked them a little bit every time they asked that question, to get a response of ignorance from everybody.
They must have assumed that these people would have known that. I mean after all, they were the Jews, and certainly they would know when their King was born, and where He was born. But two things hit me out of that verse as I read it, and I want to answer those questions because they were the two ones that struck me.
Question number one, what was the nature of the star? "We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
What was the nature of the star? So I did some reading this week and last week, to try to find out what the star was, you won't believe the suggestions. First of all, some people say it was a genuine, real, honest to goodness star. Some say it was Jupiter, because Jupiter is called the king of the planets. Some say, and this was Kepler's theory that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of the fish. And some say it was just an erratic comet. Some say it was a low hanging meteor, and some say it was the star of destiny in the heart of mankind. That's a lot of dribble if ever I heard it.
You want to know what it was...I'll tell you what I think it is. Look at Luke 2:9 and maybe this will help to answer a question you've probably had since you were a little kid, if you're still a little kid you've still got it. Luke 2:9, here's a good key, here we are not at the wise men incident but at the shepherds, and they were the first to come, and they were of Israel. And they are a sort of a picture of the remnant. "There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, an angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were very much afraid."
Now what was shining in the sky when the shepherds saw it? What was it? It was the glory of the Lord. And if you go back into the Old Testament and you studied the concept of the glory of God, you will find that the glory of God is manifest as light, right? Over and over and over again in the Old Testament the glory of God is manifest as light, when God radiates His presence He transforms it into ineffable light. When the glory of God appeared at the daytime it was like a cloud of light, when it appeared at night it was a pillar of fire, when the glory of God descended on the tabernacle it was as light, when Moses went up into the mountain, and he said, show me Thy glory, God hid him in a rock and God showed him His glory manifest as light, and it was so much light that it got on his face and when he came down the mountain side and spoke to the people his face was lit up.
The glory of God is blazing light. And when Jesus revealed who He was, and revealed His glory on the mount of transfiguration, He pulled back His flesh and they beheld His what? His glory, as transparent light. And when Jesus comes the second time out of heaven, He will come in blazing light, and Revelation says, God will turn out all the lights of heaven, all the stars will fall, all the suns, all the moons, everything goes pitch black, heaven rolls up like a scroll, and when it's pitch black then Christ comes revealed as blazing light, and people cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of His glory.
Now all that just to remind you that God's glory is manifest in the Scripture as light, as light. He told Moses he couldn't look upon His face and live, held be consumed in it. It'd be like standing ten feet from the sun only it would be like a million, million suns.
And I believe that it was the glory of the Lord that shone that night when God's glory was as ... was descending to earth, it was God's glory descending on the earth, coming in the form of a man, and I believe that that glory of God is the thing that the wise men saw.
Now let me give you a little more support on this because I think it's kind of interesting to trace this thought.
The chief word in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for star is the word kôwkâb, not that that's important just a point of contact with the Hebrew. But it has a basic meaning, and its basic meaning is to shine or to blaze forth, to shine or to blaze forth. Now sometimes the word kôwkâb is used of a real star, sometimes it's used to speak of just a regular star, sometimes it's used to speak of an angel, sometimes it is used to speak of men. So it doesn't necessarily always mean a real star, it can mean anything that blazes, anything that shines, in an incredible way.
In fact in Numbers 24:17, a most interesting Scripture. It says, and this is a Messianic prophecy. "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near: (now listen) there shall come a kôwkâb out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel." That's Numbers 24:17. That is a Messianic prophecy, there will come a blazing forth, there will come a shining One, there will come a star. And people I believe that the prophecy there is, that none other than the glory of God incarnate is the star, the blazing.
Matthew 24:30, "Immediately after the tribulation (verse 29 says) of those days the sun's dark and the moon doesn't give its light," that's what I told you, all the stars fall out of heaven and everything goes black and then v. 30, "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man," now mark that phrase out, "the sign of the Son of man." In other words, whenever the Son of man is about to show up there will be a sign pointing to Him.
Now do you know what a sign is for? The sign is to point you to something that you want to see. You're driving on the road, and the sign says, Roscoe Boulevard three quarters of a mile. The sign is not Roscoe Boulevard but it's there to point you to Roscoe Boulevard, it has a function, its purpose is to point you to something. And the Son of man has a sign, "the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" oh, interesting, that sign is in heaven, and what is it? "They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
Now here is His kôwkâb, His blazing forth. And although kôwkâb, the Hebrew word is not used in the New Testament it is the same idea. I believe that this sign of the Son of man is nothing more and nothing less than the Shekinah glory of God Himself, God revealing Himself in ineffable glorious light. In fact, it even tells us, I think it's Revelation 1:16 that, that the Son shines, the Son of God, shines as if He were the sun in its strength.
Somehow, now watch this, somehow connected to Jesus Christ is this incredible blazing glory of God, it is His sign in the heavens, He is a spirit, He is a spirit being, He is also in a sense a physical being in the glorified body that He has from His resurrection, but there is a sign that goes with Him, and it is blazing glory, and one day on the mount He showed it to His disciples. And one day when He returns the sign of His coming, the sign of the Son of man in heaven will be there, blazing glory in the heaven.
Well, you know what I think? I think He had the very same sign the first time He came too. I just think it was the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And the sign of the Son of man in heaven is not a star, it's not an astral body, it's not a conjunction of planets, it's not, thoughts of human destiny rattling around in somebody's mystical mind, the sign of the Son of man is nothing more and nothing less than the Shekinah glory of God revealed in light, blazing, dazzling in the heavens.
I would add this thought, verse 2 says, "We have seen (watch this) his aster." His blazing. The word astēr incidentally people, the word is translated star here, but it is used of other things than stars. So He has His own ... and again it means a blazing forth or a shining. "We have seen his shining in the east." We have seen His kowkab, His aster, His blazing, His glory.
And the very fact that it's His star means it's something very special. It has appeared. That's an interesting word. "We have seen his star in the east."
His star. Verse 7, Herod says I want to know the time the star appeared. And the word phainō in the Greek means that which lights up. What, what time was it when that thing lit up? And the word ... the same word, interesting thought, the same word is used with lightning. Lightning is a form of astēr, sometimes it's translated as a star in the sky, sometimes it's translated as lightning, sometimes as the shining forth of something, and here it is a shining forth. We can't push it any further, we can't make it mean a real star, and there is the sense in which Herod says, when did this particular shining forth light up? And even that is sort of a hint that it was something that never existed and was called into existence only because Jesus was coming, and so I believe this was His astēr, the sign of the Son of man, in the heavens. It was there at His first coming, and beloved it'll be there at His second coming. It's His sign, it's His star, and it’s not some astral body.
The pseudoscience of astrology could never predict the Lord, they weren't looking in their little puny deals and seeing, well look there, there's old Saturn and whatever doing their thing, it must be that He's being born, no, no. What they saw was something they never saw before, and they knew that it had to be something unique and they tied it together with what the Old Testament said and what Daniel had told them. No astronomical research gave them their direction, God revealed Himself. It was no different than the pillar of fire in the Old Testament.
And you remember the pillar of fire and the cloud, in the Old Testament stood over the Holy of Holies? Well in this it tells us that whatever this star was it went and stood over the house where He was born. Now you tell me how a literal star would ever do that. Can't do it, it's none other than the sign of the Son of man.
You say, well, well if it was such a blazing magnificent glory of, of Christ's sign in the heavens, how come only the wise men over there in Persia and nobody else saw it? Now that's a fair question, that's the second question I asked. How come God is so selective? Well, you know He ... that's nothing new for God, He can make everybody in the world blind to something if He wants to.
In Exodus chapter 14, 1 found a good parallel, 14:19 says, "And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them;" now they're going to go through the Red Sea, so the angels been leading them down to the Red Sea, once they get to the Red Sea he goes around the rear, gets behind them. You say, to push? No, I'll show ya what: "the pillar of cloud (of cloud, here's the glory of God, the pillar of the cloud) went from before their face, and stood behind them."
Now behind the Israelites you've got the pillar of cloud, God's glory, and you've got the angel of the Lord, and who's the angel of the Lord? Jesus Christ. "And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that the one came not near the other all the night." You know what happened? Israel saw it as light and the...and the Pharaoh and his army saw it as what? Darkness. And it was the same thing. There's something about God revealing what He wants to reveal just to those to whom He wants to reveal it. And that's all I can say about it. How did they connect it with Jesus Christ's birth? I don't know, I really don't know, except that God made it so obvious that they knew, that they knew.
Now do you want to know something very fascinating people, this may shake you up a little bit, might mess up your Christmas story next year. But do you know in nowhere in the Bible does it ever say they followed the star to Bethlehem, from Persia? No. It doesn't say it led 'em to Jerusalem, it doesn't say it went anywhere, not at all. "We have seen his star (where?) in the east." They saw the star in the east, and it didn't need to tell them where to go they knew where the Jewish Messiah was supposed to be, they knew the royal city was Jerusalem, they knew that's where all Jewish kings reigned, they knew exactly where to go they didn't need some star to guide them, and when they saw His glory, and God made it so evident and obvious as He always does when He reveals what He wants to reveal to whomever He wants, that they didn't even ask a question, they got on their horses and they went, and they went right to the right place.
And Matthew doesn't give us all the bits and pieces and details of how they saddled a Persian horse and how many miles and how it was and where they ate and all of that, because this isn't the story of these people it's the story of Jesus Christ. And they have a place only in so far as it's related to Him. So the details aren't there.
But it - it's incredible to me how God works things out when He wants to get His things done, He gave these Magi, God fearing Gentiles way off in Persia, king makers, His sign and they knew that it was His sign and they knew where to go to Jerusalem.
And the emphasis of Matthew is so beautiful, he says in verse 2 that they said, "we have seen his aster in the east, and are come to worship him." They knew that He was to be worshiped, to worship Him, they knew there was no other one as worthy as this one, and they were right. Here you have it, pagans who had nothing to guide them but smatterings of Old Testament prophecies, nothing to guide them but their own science mingled with its funny superstitions, and yet they are the true seekers of God.
And when the sign came with all of their misgivings and lacks in knowledge, they were enthusiastically embarking on a journey to seek a king they had along time waited for.
But the Jewish hierarchy, with the Pentateuch in their hand, studying it everyday, with the prophecies in their hand, reading them everyday, ruled by a, a bitter and evil man named Herod were content to be totally indifferent to what was happening five miles away. And here again we see Matthew's constant attitude of condemnation toward the officials of Judaism, and his constant sensitivity that God is opening the church, He's opening the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Justified!
Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
The Book of Romans tells us that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Chapters 1-3 tell us why we need to be saved- we are sinners separated from a Holy God. Chapters 4-5 tell us how we can be saved by grace- thru faith in Jesus Christ. Chapters 6-8 tell us how we can live as Christians and have victory over indwelling sin.
In chapter 5:1-11 Paul shares with us the blessings or benefits of salvation or justification. I want to focus on the first one, peace.
Millions today searching for peace but no peace can be found. They search in possessions, power, popularity, pleasure, places, but true lasting peace can only be found in a person, God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man’s sinful rebellion against God and His laws sets us as enmity with God, hostile toward Him. But thru justification the war is over when we are declared right with God thru faith in His Son. Faith in what? The gospel!
So believers have been reconciled to God thru faith in his Son. We have peace with God and that makes the peace of God possible. You can’t have true peace till you come to God by faith in His Son.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Works give evidence of salvation they don’t earn salvation. We are saved and kept saved by divine achievement. We are not saved by human achievement or human effort.
Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
The Book of Romans tells us that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Chapters 1-3 tell us why we need to be saved- we are sinners separated from a Holy God. Chapters 4-5 tell us how we can be saved by grace- thru faith in Jesus Christ. Chapters 6-8 tell us how we can live as Christians and have victory over indwelling sin.
In chapter 5:1-11 Paul shares with us the blessings or benefits of salvation or justification. I want to focus on the first one, peace.
Millions today searching for peace but no peace can be found. They search in possessions, power, popularity, pleasure, places, but true lasting peace can only be found in a person, God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man’s sinful rebellion against God and His laws sets us as enmity with God, hostile toward Him. But thru justification the war is over when we are declared right with God thru faith in His Son. Faith in what? The gospel!
So believers have been reconciled to God thru faith in his Son. We have peace with God and that makes the peace of God possible. You can’t have true peace till you come to God by faith in His Son.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Works give evidence of salvation they don’t earn salvation. We are saved and kept saved by divine achievement. We are not saved by human achievement or human effort.
Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Lesson # 6 "The Seventh Day"
Review our Lessons:
Lesson # 1: “Before Creation” Gen. 1a
Lesson # 2: “God Created” Gen. 1:1b-2
Lesson # 3: “God Formed” Gen. 1:3-13 [Day 1-3]
Lesson # 4: “God Filled” Gen. 1:14-23 [Day 4-5]
Lesson # 5: “God Filled” Gen. 1:24-31 [Day 6]
Review our Creation Days:
Day 1- Earth, Light, and Time
Day 2- Water and Sky
Day 3- Plant Life
Day 4- Sun, Moon, and Stars
Day 5- Fish and Fowl
Day 6- Land Animals and Man
TT- God created in six literal days and rested [ceased] on the seventh day.
What does this seventh day rest speak of? There are 3 reasons this day is holy or unique as indicated by 3 verbs in this passage
1. The verb “finished” [v. 1].
2. The verb “rested” [v. 2].
3. The verb “blessed” [v. 3].
“God finished…God rested…God blessed.”
1. God Finished His Work [v. 1].
Four times in the first 3 verses God states that the entire work of creation was completed in six days. On the seventh day God ceased from creating.
Creation is not a evolutionary process still in process.
At the end of each day God stated “it was good.” Now after the sixth day God said, “It was very good.” [1:31].
Six days earlier nothing existed, now after the six days we have it as it is now.
The six days of work and seventh of rest that God would require of his covenant people.
Ex. 20:9-11; 31:16-17
2. God Rested From His Work [v. 2].
Having finished or ending his work, God rested. What does this mean?
1. God did not get tired and rest [Isa. 40:28; Ps. 121:4]. God rested from all his work [v. 3].
2. God ceased His creative activity. This does not mean he does not uphold his creation or Lord’s over his creation.
3. There is no mention of a rest for Adam. No Sabbath rest is instituted here but later in the law.
4. The Old covenant priestly and ceremonial commandments were abolished in the New Covenant because they were fulfilled in Christ.
5. There is not statement regarding the seventh day as with the other six days, “and the morning and the evening were the # day.” God has given a permanent rest from his creative works.
6. Sabbath Laws given at Sinai pertained to national Israel not Christians [Ex. 31:16-17]. God gave the Sabbath to Israel as His special covenant sign (Ex. 31:12-17).
3. God Blessed the Seventh Day [v. 3].
God hallowed the seventh day as a memorial. He made a permanent reminder of the glory of creation.
MacArthur says, “To reject the six-day creation is to un-bless the seventh day.” If everything evolved from nothing by chance and creation was spread over long ages, there is no seventh day.
What does this mean for us?
Saturday is the completion of creation when God rested. Sunday reminds us of our Sabbath rest in Christ.
Saturday celebrated his finished work in creation while Sunday celebrates his finished work in redemption thru Jesus.
Lesson # 1: “Before Creation” Gen. 1a
Lesson # 2: “God Created” Gen. 1:1b-2
Lesson # 3: “God Formed” Gen. 1:3-13 [Day 1-3]
Lesson # 4: “God Filled” Gen. 1:14-23 [Day 4-5]
Lesson # 5: “God Filled” Gen. 1:24-31 [Day 6]
Review our Creation Days:
Day 1- Earth, Light, and Time
Day 2- Water and Sky
Day 3- Plant Life
Day 4- Sun, Moon, and Stars
Day 5- Fish and Fowl
Day 6- Land Animals and Man
TT- God created in six literal days and rested [ceased] on the seventh day.
What does this seventh day rest speak of? There are 3 reasons this day is holy or unique as indicated by 3 verbs in this passage
1. The verb “finished” [v. 1].
2. The verb “rested” [v. 2].
3. The verb “blessed” [v. 3].
“God finished…God rested…God blessed.”
1. God Finished His Work [v. 1].
Four times in the first 3 verses God states that the entire work of creation was completed in six days. On the seventh day God ceased from creating.
Creation is not a evolutionary process still in process.
At the end of each day God stated “it was good.” Now after the sixth day God said, “It was very good.” [1:31].
Six days earlier nothing existed, now after the six days we have it as it is now.
The six days of work and seventh of rest that God would require of his covenant people.
Ex. 20:9-11; 31:16-17
2. God Rested From His Work [v. 2].
Having finished or ending his work, God rested. What does this mean?
1. God did not get tired and rest [Isa. 40:28; Ps. 121:4]. God rested from all his work [v. 3].
2. God ceased His creative activity. This does not mean he does not uphold his creation or Lord’s over his creation.
3. There is no mention of a rest for Adam. No Sabbath rest is instituted here but later in the law.
4. The Old covenant priestly and ceremonial commandments were abolished in the New Covenant because they were fulfilled in Christ.
5. There is not statement regarding the seventh day as with the other six days, “and the morning and the evening were the # day.” God has given a permanent rest from his creative works.
6. Sabbath Laws given at Sinai pertained to national Israel not Christians [Ex. 31:16-17]. God gave the Sabbath to Israel as His special covenant sign (Ex. 31:12-17).
3. God Blessed the Seventh Day [v. 3].
God hallowed the seventh day as a memorial. He made a permanent reminder of the glory of creation.
MacArthur says, “To reject the six-day creation is to un-bless the seventh day.” If everything evolved from nothing by chance and creation was spread over long ages, there is no seventh day.
What does this mean for us?
Saturday is the completion of creation when God rested. Sunday reminds us of our Sabbath rest in Christ.
Saturday celebrated his finished work in creation while Sunday celebrates his finished work in redemption thru Jesus.
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