Rom 13:8 “…Owe no one anything except to love one another…”
1. Context—
a. Honoring God by honoring human government
b. Honoring God by paying taxes
2. What does “owe no one anything…” mean?
a. MAC says: “…pay all your debts, and the one debt you'll always pay and never really have paid is the debt of love...”
b. Important contextual note:
(1) Ancient Israel was not a financial society, but primarily an agricultural one.
(2) The Roman Empire had a finance system, though crude by modern standards
c. Biblically, it takes this text too far to outlaw all borrowing and lending.
(1) Business practices in general
(a) Diligence
(i) (Prov 13:4) "The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich."
(ii) (Prov 22:29) "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men."
(iii) (Prov 10:4) "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich."
(iv) (Prov 6:6) "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,"
(v) (Prov 10:5) "He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame."
(vi) (Prov 31:13) "She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands."
(vii) Faithful stewards—(1 Cor 4:2) "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
(b) Honest in business—
(i) (Prov 11:1) "Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight."
(ii) (Deu 25:15) ""You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you."
(iii) (Lev 19:36) "'You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt."
(c) Examples of integrity
(i) Daniel—(Dan 6:4) "So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him."
(ii) Moses—(Acts 7:22) ""And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds."
(iii) Joseph—(Gen 39:6) "Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. …”
(iv) Moses
(v) Joseph
(2) The Bible recognizes at least three types of lending.
(a) Lending or leasing for business and investment purposes—Jesus recognizes the validity of this, and commends those who are diligent.
(i) (Mat 21:33-41) now, in this parable, Christ’s main object is to address working in the Kingdom’s work, but the background is a business situation that all of His hearers would have understood.
(ii) Mat 25:14-30—This is similar to the situation above.
(b) Lending to the poor when they are in desperate need
(i) (Deu 15:7-11)
(ii) Mat 5:42—the poor are not to be turned down— unless
(A) (2 Th 3:11) "For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies."
(B) (Psa 37:21) "The wicked borrows and does not repay…”
(c) Lending tangible goods to be returned—
(i) (Exo 22:14) ""And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good."
(ii) (2 Ki 4:3) "Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors; empty vessels; do not gather just a few."
(iii) (2 Ki 6:5) "But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed.""
d. Except—love
e. Love one another—this is a debt we owe all believers.
(1) John 13:34 ""A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…”
(2) Rom 12:10 "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;"
(3) Rom 12:16 "Be of the same mind toward one another…”
(4) Rom 15:7 "Therefore receive one another…”
(5) Rom 15:14 "…able also to admonish one another."
(6) 1 Cor 12:25 "…have the same care for one another."
(7) Gal 5:13 "…through love serve one another."
(8) Eph 4:2 "… bearing with one another in love,"
(9) Eph 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."
(10) Eph 5:19 "speaking to one another…”
(11) Eph 5:21 "submitting to one another in the fear of God."
(12) Col 3:13 "bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
(13) 1 Th 5:11 "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…”
(14) Heb 3:13 "but exhort one another daily…”
(15) Heb 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…”
(16) James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another…”
(17) 1 Pet 1:22 “…love one another fervently with a pure heart,"
(18) 1 Pet 4:8-10 "And above all things have fervent love for one another…9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling…. 10 As each one has received a
(19) gift, minister it to one another…”
(20) 1 Pet 5:5 “…all of you be submissive to one another…”
(21) 1 John 4:11-12 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."
3. The Law in the New Testament
a. Introductory Thoughts—1 Tim 1:8-11
(1) Which Law is The Law?
(2) Moses Law?
(3) Conscience?
(4) Nature?
(5) Where does the Gospel fit in?
b. The Problem: Theological Positions instead of Bible Exposition.
(1) Theological systems are the stuff that false doctrine is made of, even relatively good systems
(2) The only system we need to be aware of is to carefully examine and exposit what the Word says.
(3) The positions of various preachers and theologians on the law are probably more influenced by their system of belief than are their positions on other doctrinal issues.
c. The Positions
(1) The ultra-dispensational position—The law is not for today in any sense.
(2) The Adventist position—The law is for today, even the dietary laws
(3) The Theonomist position—the Law is for today in most senses, even to rule society
(4) The Legalist position—the law is for today, based on what I pick and choose.
(5) The Typical Christian in the Pew Position—confusion.
(6) The Biblical Position: What we will examine today
4. The form of the Law
a. The Ten Commandments
(1) One God
(2) No Idols
(3) Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain
(4) Honor the Sabbath
(5) Honor Father and Mother
(6) Don’t Murder
(7) Adultery
(8) Theft
(9) False Witness
(10) Covetousness
b. The basic worship law—Ex 20:22-26
c. The case Law—examples and instructions to explain the administration of the law in the theocratic society of Israel.
(1) Example #1 Ex 21:12-15
(2) Example #2 Ex 22:1-4
d. The Dietary Laws, the sanitary laws, the clean and unclean—Lev 11:1-8, ff
e. The Ceremonial Laws—Lev 2:1-3
5. The Law for today, as modified by the New Testament.
a. Key verses—Mat 5:17-20
b. The Dietary Law is canceled by command of Christ Himself.
(a) Mk 7:14-23
(b) Acts 10:14-15
(c) 1 Tim 4:4
c. The Law of the Sabbath is canceled Specifically—Col 2:13-17
d. These are fulfilled in Christ.
(1) The Ceremonial and sacrificial laws are canceled because Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
(a) Col 2:16-17
(b) Mat 27:50-51
(c) Heb 9:7-8
(d) Heb 10:19-20
e. The other nine commands (other than the Sabbath), and the case laws that explain them are still in effect, as stating God’s views on morality and lifestyle
6. The Law re-stated in the New Testament
a. One God—1 Tim 2:5
b. No Idols—(1 John 5:21 KJV) Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
c. Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain--(1 Tim 6:1 KJV)
d. Honor Father and Mother—Jesus re-iterates this command verbatim, as does the Spirit through Paul—Eph 6:1-3
e. Don’t Murder—Gal 5:19-21
f. Adultery—Gal 5:19-21 (which includes the case laws of the Old Testament outlawing all sorts of sexual perversion, such as bestiality, homosexuality, incest, etc.)
g. Theft—Eph 4:28
h. False Witness
i. Covetousness
7. The Purpose of the Law Today
a. The Law and the Unbeliever—
(1) the unbeliever is responsible to obey the law as given above, and will be judged in accordance with the law. Rom 3:19-20
(2) The Law convicts the sinner of his sin—Rom 7:9
(3) The Law helps lead the sinner to Christ by showing the sinner his need of salvation—Gal 3:24
b. The Law and the Christian—
(1) First, the ridiculous position:
(a) The Law has been done away—the whole law, not just those parts which have been fulfilled.
(b) Therefore the constraints of the law are no longer valid.
(c) Under grace, we should learn to follow God from our hearts. (True if properly understood, but we do need a teacher—the law)
(2) This sounds good, but it is not true!
(3) The moral dimension of the Christian life remains, Sin is still sin, Right and wrong still exist
c. Now, The Truth…
(1) The Believer is saved from the penalty of the law
(2) But violation of the moral law is still a sin, which grieves the Holy Spirit and causes a break in communion with God.
(3) Therefore, the Law, as given and expounded in the Bible, and as modified in the New Testament, is the teaching instrument and guide for a Christian (and indeed the whole world) as a standard of obedience. This is so because the Law is an eternal statement of God’s will for human behavior—1 John 3:4
(4) If you are Lost, the Law shall condemn you, buy if you listen to it, you will discover your need of salvation
(5) If you are saved, the Law teaches you the kind of lifestyle God demands of a believer
8. The Law’s verdict—3:19-20
a. Whatever the law says—“let God be true, and every man a liar…..” Rom 3:4
b. Those under the law—this is everyone!
(1) The Jews had the law written on tablets of stone—Exodus 20
(2) The Gentiles had the law engraved on their hearts—they had the conscience that God gave them—(Romans 2) they had the witness of the book of nature (Ps 19)
c. The Law of God tells us to shut up
(1) Man says, “Well, I don’t think it’s anybody’s business who I sleep with…” 1 Cor 6:9-20— God says, Shut Up!
(2) Man says, “I have an alternative lifestyle, there is nothing wrong with what I do…” Rom 1:18-32, 1 Cor 6:9-11—God says—Shut up!
(3) Man says, “I am a good Missionary Southern Baptist, there is nothing wrong with me…” Mat 7:21-23—God says—Shut up!
(4) Man says, “A woman can do what she wants to with her body, there is nothing wrong with abortion—“God says—shut up! Luke 1:39-45, Ps 139
(5) Man says, “I don’t feel guilty about anything……….” God says—shut up! Rom 3:23, 6:23
(6) God says, shut up, and admit our guilt!
d. And finally, the statement toward which Paul has been heading since the beginning of Romans—3:20
e. No one can fix their own problem
f. The Law and Grace-- “Christian” Legalism is a false doctrine!
(1) The Law and salvation—19-20
(2) The witness of other scriptures as to Law and grace
(a) The Law Cannot Justify/ Works Cannot Save è Only Faith can justify—Gal 2:16-21, 3:1-2
(b) Only Grace can save—Eph 2:8-9
Legalism is heresy—Col 2:16-23, Gal 1:6-9
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
God and Caesar pt 2
Romans 13:2-7
1. Why Does God Want Order?
a. The Purpose of man—Gen 1:26-28—fill the Earth with people
b. The Evangelization of the World—Acts 17:24-31
c. Because order expresses His character.
2. Reminder and Review
a. We are to be subject to the rulers and be law abiding and peaceful—Except in matters of faith and conscience—
(1) (Acts 4:18-20) "And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.""
(2) (Acts 5:27-28) "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!” 29 "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."”
b. Examples
(1) Daniel and his friends refusing to eat non-kosher food
(2) Example—Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace
(3) Example—Daniel in the Lion’s Den
(4) Example—Esther coming to the court uninvited
c. Reason 1 for the submission—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(1) (Psa 62:11) "… power belongs to God."
(2) Sometimes Satanic powers are lent a measure of authority—but “… there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (1 John 5:19) "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."
(b) (Luke 4:5-7) "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ….""
(3) But eventually, God reclaims the power He has lent for His own purposes.
(a) (John 16:11) ""of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
(b) (John 14:30) ""I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."
(c) (John 12:31) ""Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
d. Reason 2—God has appointed the rulers who rule—“…the authorities that exist are appointed by God…”
3. Resistance and Its Limits—(Rom 13:2) “…Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves…”
a. ATR Comment
He that resisteth (ho antitassomenos). Present middle articular participle of antitassō, old verb to range in battle against as in Acts 18:6, “he that lines himself up against.”
Withstandeth (anthestēken). Perfect active indicative of anthistēmi and intransitive, “has taken his stand against.”
The ordinance of God
b. Resistance—again, except for the exceptions
(1) By Whomever—is wrong
(2) Resists = “rebels against—(1 Sam 15:23) "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.""
(3) Ordinance—what God has put in place, be it a system, a government of men, or whatever.
(4) What if the government becomes oppressive and evil? God sets up kings and tears down kings—and dynasties, and empires
(1 Sam 2:6-10) "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. {7} The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. {8} He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them. {9} He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. {10} The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the Earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed."
(1 Sam 12:8) "When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
(Prov 8:15-16) By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. {16} By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.
(Isa 45:1-7)
(Dan 2:21) And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
(Dan 4:17) “… the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.'
c. Those who resist outside the acceptable limits imposed by God will be judged and punished—by God, by man, or both in concert!
d. The distinctions are vital to see—1 Pet 2:11ff
4. Human Government—(Rom 13:3-4 (Rom 13:3-4) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. {4} For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
a. Note, Paul is not talking about unjust rulers, crooks, tyrants, murderers, etc. These have always existed in human government—but Paul is relating Government as it should have been and how it ought to be.
b. Rulers—Again, these rulers have a responsibility from God whether they know Him or not.
c. Good vs. Evil works—
(1) again, often the rulers are just the opposite of what they should be
(2) Government should be a terror to the evil and a blessing to the good—but most of the time they are not.
d. Terror –Who should be afraid, and who should NOT be afraid
(1) Who should be among the Not afraid—the meek, the righteous, the godly
(2) Who should be Afraid—evil doers
(a) Again—it is often the reverse in our messed up society
(b) It has often been the reverse in History
(c) So, what happens? God raises up someone else, just like He raised up David—but note, even though he was anointed by God to be the King of Israel, David waited until God had acted providentially
e. Pleasing the authority
(1) The goal is for believers to be harmless in their day to day lives.
(Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."
(Phil 2:14-16) "Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."
(Mat 10:16-18) ""Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
(1 Th 4:10-12) "and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."
5. Human Government’s Primary Task
“…4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.. ..”
a. The Servant for Good
b. The Sword of Authority, defense, and retribution
(1) God reveals that wars and violence are judgments against societies suffering thereby
(2) God desires that nations defend themselves
(3) The man with the sword is the minister of God
(4) The Man with the sword is the avenger of God against evil doers.
c. We MUST submit—
d. Two reasons for submission
(1) Wrath—you don’t want the ruler angry with your attitude and actions
(2) Conscience—you don’t want GOD angry at your attitude and actions.
e. Taxes—“… 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing…”
(1) Just like the support for the pastor, God’s minister, known as government, must be paid and kept up.
(2) But what if the taxes are unjust and ruinous?
(a) In Jesus’ day, taxes were punitive and ruinous.
(b) Tax Collectors were cheats and crooks, and wealthy
(c) And many Jews revolted against or resisted the taxes
(3) either way, they must be kept up.
f. Honors—“…7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor…”
6. Now, What About the US?
a. We have rights
b. We have no allegiance to a man, but to a republic, a constitution, a flag.
c. It is our right and indeed responsibility to overthrow unjust governments
a. The fly in the ointment—our unique form of government
(1) We have no human sovereign—we have two non-human Sovereigns that all recognize
(a) Our first Ruler, to whom we swear allegiance is our Republican form of government and the flag that represents that republic…
(i) “..I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all…”
(ii) But this pledge does not have the force of law behind it. Instead, it is a personal promise which most of us scarcely ever think about, even as we say it.
(b) Our legal ruler, one which can result in our imprisonment for violating its provisions, is a small tract of only a few thousand words—the US Constitution
(2) In essence, each citizen is part of the Sovereign voice of the people, and we are entitled to various rights, such as the right to protest and petition, the right to say nothing to the police, the right to require a search warrant, etc.
“…We, the people of the United …, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America..”.
(3) And, if we go back to the most basic of our documents, the Declaration of Independence, some shocking possibilities result.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness…. it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
(4) So, implicit in our citizenship is the right to rebel—to overthrow the government—there is no other government I am aware of which has such a provision, except for Turkey, whose army is obligated to overthrow and destroy any government that tries to do away with Turkey’s pure secular (non-Islamist) government.
(5) So, when we read Romans 13, some of the provisions are hard to pin down because of the unique nature of our government.
1. Why Does God Want Order?
a. The Purpose of man—Gen 1:26-28—fill the Earth with people
b. The Evangelization of the World—Acts 17:24-31
c. Because order expresses His character.
2. Reminder and Review
a. We are to be subject to the rulers and be law abiding and peaceful—Except in matters of faith and conscience—
(1) (Acts 4:18-20) "And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.""
(2) (Acts 5:27-28) "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!” 29 "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."”
b. Examples
(1) Daniel and his friends refusing to eat non-kosher food
(2) Example—Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace
(3) Example—Daniel in the Lion’s Den
(4) Example—Esther coming to the court uninvited
c. Reason 1 for the submission—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(1) (Psa 62:11) "… power belongs to God."
(2) Sometimes Satanic powers are lent a measure of authority—but “… there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (1 John 5:19) "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."
(b) (Luke 4:5-7) "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ….""
(3) But eventually, God reclaims the power He has lent for His own purposes.
(a) (John 16:11) ""of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
(b) (John 14:30) ""I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."
(c) (John 12:31) ""Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
d. Reason 2—God has appointed the rulers who rule—“…the authorities that exist are appointed by God…”
3. Resistance and Its Limits—(Rom 13:2) “…Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves…”
a. ATR Comment
He that resisteth (ho antitassomenos). Present middle articular participle of antitassō, old verb to range in battle against as in Acts 18:6, “he that lines himself up against.”
Withstandeth (anthestēken). Perfect active indicative of anthistēmi and intransitive, “has taken his stand against.”
The ordinance of God
b. Resistance—again, except for the exceptions
(1) By Whomever—is wrong
(2) Resists = “rebels against—(1 Sam 15:23) "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.""
(3) Ordinance—what God has put in place, be it a system, a government of men, or whatever.
(4) What if the government becomes oppressive and evil? God sets up kings and tears down kings—and dynasties, and empires
(1 Sam 2:6-10) "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. {7} The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. {8} He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them. {9} He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. {10} The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the Earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed."
(1 Sam 12:8) "When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
(Prov 8:15-16) By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. {16} By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.
(Isa 45:1-7)
(Dan 2:21) And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
(Dan 4:17) “… the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.'
c. Those who resist outside the acceptable limits imposed by God will be judged and punished—by God, by man, or both in concert!
d. The distinctions are vital to see—1 Pet 2:11ff
4. Human Government—(Rom 13:3-4 (Rom 13:3-4) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. {4} For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
a. Note, Paul is not talking about unjust rulers, crooks, tyrants, murderers, etc. These have always existed in human government—but Paul is relating Government as it should have been and how it ought to be.
b. Rulers—Again, these rulers have a responsibility from God whether they know Him or not.
c. Good vs. Evil works—
(1) again, often the rulers are just the opposite of what they should be
(2) Government should be a terror to the evil and a blessing to the good—but most of the time they are not.
d. Terror –Who should be afraid, and who should NOT be afraid
(1) Who should be among the Not afraid—the meek, the righteous, the godly
(2) Who should be Afraid—evil doers
(a) Again—it is often the reverse in our messed up society
(b) It has often been the reverse in History
(c) So, what happens? God raises up someone else, just like He raised up David—but note, even though he was anointed by God to be the King of Israel, David waited until God had acted providentially
e. Pleasing the authority
(1) The goal is for believers to be harmless in their day to day lives.
(Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."
(Phil 2:14-16) "Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."
(Mat 10:16-18) ""Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
(1 Th 4:10-12) "and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."
5. Human Government’s Primary Task
“…4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.. ..”
a. The Servant for Good
b. The Sword of Authority, defense, and retribution
(1) God reveals that wars and violence are judgments against societies suffering thereby
(2) God desires that nations defend themselves
(3) The man with the sword is the minister of God
(4) The Man with the sword is the avenger of God against evil doers.
c. We MUST submit—
d. Two reasons for submission
(1) Wrath—you don’t want the ruler angry with your attitude and actions
(2) Conscience—you don’t want GOD angry at your attitude and actions.
e. Taxes—“… 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing…”
(1) Just like the support for the pastor, God’s minister, known as government, must be paid and kept up.
(2) But what if the taxes are unjust and ruinous?
(a) In Jesus’ day, taxes were punitive and ruinous.
(b) Tax Collectors were cheats and crooks, and wealthy
(c) And many Jews revolted against or resisted the taxes
(3) either way, they must be kept up.
f. Honors—“…7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor…”
6. Now, What About the US?
a. We have rights
b. We have no allegiance to a man, but to a republic, a constitution, a flag.
c. It is our right and indeed responsibility to overthrow unjust governments
a. The fly in the ointment—our unique form of government
(1) We have no human sovereign—we have two non-human Sovereigns that all recognize
(a) Our first Ruler, to whom we swear allegiance is our Republican form of government and the flag that represents that republic…
(i) “..I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all…”
(ii) But this pledge does not have the force of law behind it. Instead, it is a personal promise which most of us scarcely ever think about, even as we say it.
(b) Our legal ruler, one which can result in our imprisonment for violating its provisions, is a small tract of only a few thousand words—the US Constitution
(2) In essence, each citizen is part of the Sovereign voice of the people, and we are entitled to various rights, such as the right to protest and petition, the right to say nothing to the police, the right to require a search warrant, etc.
“…We, the people of the United …, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America..”.
(3) And, if we go back to the most basic of our documents, the Declaration of Independence, some shocking possibilities result.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness…. it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
(4) So, implicit in our citizenship is the right to rebel—to overthrow the government—there is no other government I am aware of which has such a provision, except for Turkey, whose army is obligated to overthrow and destroy any government that tries to do away with Turkey’s pure secular (non-Islamist) government.
(5) So, when we read Romans 13, some of the provisions are hard to pin down because of the unique nature of our government.
God and Caesar
Romans 13:1
(reading: 13:1-7)
1. Theological and Historical Context—
(Mark 12:14-17) "When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 "Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him."
a. There are no Christian nations
b. America is not Israel
(1) America is not Israel because Israel IS Israel!
(2) America is not Israel because the Bible never states her to be Israel
(3) America is not Israel, because the church is NOT Israel
c. America is not the Church
(1) America is not the church because there has been only one time when there might have been a majority of born again citizens—the Great Awakening—and we cannot be sure even there.
(2) America is not the church because America has no signs of being the church
(a) As a nation, we have no biblical statement of beliefs
(b) Our nation is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit
(c) We do not excommunicate heretics from the nation, only from the church—and that out of style now.
(d) We have no pastor for our nation, nor deacons, etc.
d. What then, is America?
(1) America was and is a land where the Christian faith in all its forms, (true, semi-true, false, and cultic) has been a major influence
(2) America is a land where many people came because of religious freedom.
(3) America is a land where many of its leaders have been Christian men and women, even today
(4) America is a nation used by God for the greatest outreach of the Gospel in history. From these shores, beginning in the late 1700s, millions of missionaries flocked to all parts of the Earth to win souls and establish churches—this is the meaning of a city shining on a hill.
(5) America is a land where the true and Biblical Christian faith has met opposition, political, moral, and spiritual, and were limited persecution occurred from the earliest time forward.
(6) America is a land of incredible wickedness, from slavery to Jim Crow laws, to drugs and the devastation of the 21st century, her behavior has to have reeked in the nostrils of God!
(7) And this wickedness has always existed side by side with incredible righteous acts by courageous and Godly men and women.
(8) But—and remember this—at its bottom, America is a worldly nation, created by God (Acts 17:24-27) for His purposes (Is 46:8-11, Daniel 2:19-28), and like every other nation in history, it will someday pass out of the way in a manner, by a means, in in such a time as chosen by God.
e. The fly in the ointment—our unique form of government
(1) We have no human sovereign—we have two non-human Sovereigns that all recognize
(a) Our first Ruler, to whom we swear allegiance is our Republican form of government and the flag that represents that republic…
(i) “..I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all…”
(ii) But this pledge does not have the force of law behind it. Instead, it is a personal promise which most of us scarcely ever think about, even as we say it.
(b) Our legal ruler, one which can result in our imprisonment for violating its provisions, is a small tract of only a few thousand words—the US Constitution
(i) The Officer’s Oath…“I, Charles Thomas Buntin, do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
(ii) The Enlisted person’s oath— I, Charles Thomas Buntin (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
(iii) Those with a moral objection are allowed to leave out the last clause
(2) In essence, each citizen is part of the Sovereign voice of the people, and we are entitled to various rights, such as the right to protest and petition, the right to say nothing to the police, the right to require a search warrant, etc.
“…We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America..”.
(3) And, if we go back to the most basic of our documents, the Declaration of Independence, some shocking possibilities result.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
(4) So, implicit in our citizenship is the right to rebel—to overthrow the government—there is no other government I am aware of which has such a provision, except for Turkey, whose army is obligated to overthrow and destroy any government that tries to do away with Turkey’s pure secular (non-Islamist) government.
(5) So, when we read Romans 13, some of the provisions are hard to pin down because of the unique nature of our government.
f. The world of Jesus’ day
(1) It was a Roman World, during the period of the Empire
(2) Jesus was born into a subject province ruled by one of the most wicked men in history, Herod the Great.
(3) When Christ was born, the Emperor was Octavian Caesar, aka Caesar Augustus—an absolute ruler, but considered to be an honorable and effective ruler.
(4) When Christ Died, He died under the rule of Tiberius Caesar, a pedophile, a paranoid, murderous, vile, evil man
(5) The initial missionary outreach was done under Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. In fact, the emperor at the time this chapter was written was Nero!
(6) No human being had any rights except the very elite, and their rights were tenuous at best.
(7) There were millions of slaves in the Roman empire
(8) Homosexuality and pedophilia were not even frowned upon.
(9) Newborn babies who did not meet the approval of the father of the house were set outside to be eaten by wild animals and die.
(10) So when we look at this passage, let us never forget the times in which it was written.
g. Most of our world for most of all times—
(1) No rights
(2) No guarantees
(3) Oppressive, evil governments
(4) Oppressive, evil rulers
(5) Degradations of every kind are rampant visited upon the people by the rulers.
(6) Corruption, exorbitant taxes, and outright theft by people in power.
(7) And there were groups seeking the violent overthrow of Rome—they went by various names, but the NT calls them zealots.
(a) MacArthur’s Comment:
Now also among the Jews were a group of people known as the zealots. Do you remember the zealots? They believed there was no king but God period. And there should be no taxes paid to anyone but God, so they defied the government every way. They wouldn't submit, and they wouldn't pay taxes.
They embarked, the zealots did, on violent action. They started groups. They became murderers, careers of murder and assassination. They were known as dagger-bearers. They were fanatical nationalists I should say. Sworn to terrorism all their life long. And they had a great influence on the Jews. That's why when Jesus came along and the Jews saw His power, they wanted immediately to make him king. Why? Because they wanted the ultimate revolt. The ultimate war to take place, and they would fight and win against Rome.
Now this kind of attitude, this kind of constant fomenting attitude against Rome, is ultimately why the event of 70 AD happened. Finally the Romans took all they could take, and in 70 AD they came in and just wiped out Jerusalem. They killed 1,100,000 Jews. Massacred them. To stop the incessant revolt and revolution.
This is not a Godly attitude. And that's what Jesus meant when he said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And that's what Paul meant when he said, "Live peaceably with all men." We're not to be concerned with issues of the state and the government as a priority. We're to be busy living Godly lives as the conscience of a nation, and preaching God's word. And not starting revolutions and protesting, and making trouble.
(b) (Mark 15:7) "And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion."
(c) (Luke 6:15) "Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;"
(d) (Acts 5:36) ""For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing."
(e) (Acts 5:37) ""After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed."
(8) And he people sought to make Jesus King (as Satan had tried also to do!) (John 6:15) "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone."
h. But Jesus, in fact, ignored all politics, and He did not organize politically—and His apostles followed the example.
The issue of the Christian's relationship to government is a very important issue. It has been through all of the church's history. Christian's have always had to face this issue, and even to struggle with it. Where the church has found itself in all kinds of places, in all kinds of governments, under all kinds of rulers, with all kinds of perspectives and forms of leading and ruling. And so Christians have always had to deal with this matter of: How do you respond to your government? (MAC)
2. The Christian and Divine Providence—(Rom 13:1) "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."
a. Subjection to Authority— “…Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities…”
(1) This is an imperative, a command—ATR—
(a) ὑποτασσέσθω— passive “…be subject…” submit to, obey, be under the authority of; take a subordinate place (1 Cor 14:34)
(b) “…To line up like soldiers under the authority of a superior officer…” (MAC)
(2) We are to be harmless to the rulers of the nation—1 Pet 2:11-21
(3) We are to pray for our rulers—(1 Tim 2:1-3) "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,"
(4) We are to be subject to the rulers and be law abiding and peaceful—
(a) (Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."
(b) (1 Th 4:11-12) "that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."
(5) Except in matters of faith and conscience—
(a) (Acts 4:18-20) "And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.""
(b) (Acts 5:27-28) "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!” 29 "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."”
(c) Examples
(i) Daniel and his friends refusing to eat non-kosher food
(ii) Example—Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace
(iii) Example—Daniel in the Lion’s Den
(iv) Example—Esther coming to the court uninvited
b. Reason 1 for the submission—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(1) Because God is the basis for all power, in Heaven or on Earth—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (Psa 62:11) "… power belongs to God."
(2) Sometimes Satanic powers are lent a measure of authority—but “… there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (1 John 5:19) "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."
(b) (Luke 4:5-7) "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ….""
(3) But eventually, God reclaims the power He has lent for His own purposes.
(a) (John 16:11) ""of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
(b) (John 14:30) ""I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."
(c) (John 12:31) ""Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
(d) (Ezek 28:14-17) ""You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. … 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; …”
c. Reason 2—God has appointed the rulers who rule—“…the authorities that exist are appointed by God…”
(1) (Acts 17:24-26) ""…"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings…”
(2) Compare—Is 46:9-11, Is 40, Is 44, Dan 2:19-28
(reading: 13:1-7)
1. Theological and Historical Context—
(Mark 12:14-17) "When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 "Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him."
a. There are no Christian nations
b. America is not Israel
(1) America is not Israel because Israel IS Israel!
(2) America is not Israel because the Bible never states her to be Israel
(3) America is not Israel, because the church is NOT Israel
c. America is not the Church
(1) America is not the church because there has been only one time when there might have been a majority of born again citizens—the Great Awakening—and we cannot be sure even there.
(2) America is not the church because America has no signs of being the church
(a) As a nation, we have no biblical statement of beliefs
(b) Our nation is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit
(c) We do not excommunicate heretics from the nation, only from the church—and that out of style now.
(d) We have no pastor for our nation, nor deacons, etc.
d. What then, is America?
(1) America was and is a land where the Christian faith in all its forms, (true, semi-true, false, and cultic) has been a major influence
(2) America is a land where many people came because of religious freedom.
(3) America is a land where many of its leaders have been Christian men and women, even today
(4) America is a nation used by God for the greatest outreach of the Gospel in history. From these shores, beginning in the late 1700s, millions of missionaries flocked to all parts of the Earth to win souls and establish churches—this is the meaning of a city shining on a hill.
(5) America is a land where the true and Biblical Christian faith has met opposition, political, moral, and spiritual, and were limited persecution occurred from the earliest time forward.
(6) America is a land of incredible wickedness, from slavery to Jim Crow laws, to drugs and the devastation of the 21st century, her behavior has to have reeked in the nostrils of God!
(7) And this wickedness has always existed side by side with incredible righteous acts by courageous and Godly men and women.
(8) But—and remember this—at its bottom, America is a worldly nation, created by God (Acts 17:24-27) for His purposes (Is 46:8-11, Daniel 2:19-28), and like every other nation in history, it will someday pass out of the way in a manner, by a means, in in such a time as chosen by God.
e. The fly in the ointment—our unique form of government
(1) We have no human sovereign—we have two non-human Sovereigns that all recognize
(a) Our first Ruler, to whom we swear allegiance is our Republican form of government and the flag that represents that republic…
(i) “..I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all…”
(ii) But this pledge does not have the force of law behind it. Instead, it is a personal promise which most of us scarcely ever think about, even as we say it.
(b) Our legal ruler, one which can result in our imprisonment for violating its provisions, is a small tract of only a few thousand words—the US Constitution
(i) The Officer’s Oath…“I, Charles Thomas Buntin, do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
(ii) The Enlisted person’s oath— I, Charles Thomas Buntin (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
(iii) Those with a moral objection are allowed to leave out the last clause
(2) In essence, each citizen is part of the Sovereign voice of the people, and we are entitled to various rights, such as the right to protest and petition, the right to say nothing to the police, the right to require a search warrant, etc.
“…We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America..”.
(3) And, if we go back to the most basic of our documents, the Declaration of Independence, some shocking possibilities result.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
(4) So, implicit in our citizenship is the right to rebel—to overthrow the government—there is no other government I am aware of which has such a provision, except for Turkey, whose army is obligated to overthrow and destroy any government that tries to do away with Turkey’s pure secular (non-Islamist) government.
(5) So, when we read Romans 13, some of the provisions are hard to pin down because of the unique nature of our government.
f. The world of Jesus’ day
(1) It was a Roman World, during the period of the Empire
(2) Jesus was born into a subject province ruled by one of the most wicked men in history, Herod the Great.
(3) When Christ was born, the Emperor was Octavian Caesar, aka Caesar Augustus—an absolute ruler, but considered to be an honorable and effective ruler.
(4) When Christ Died, He died under the rule of Tiberius Caesar, a pedophile, a paranoid, murderous, vile, evil man
(5) The initial missionary outreach was done under Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. In fact, the emperor at the time this chapter was written was Nero!
(6) No human being had any rights except the very elite, and their rights were tenuous at best.
(7) There were millions of slaves in the Roman empire
(8) Homosexuality and pedophilia were not even frowned upon.
(9) Newborn babies who did not meet the approval of the father of the house were set outside to be eaten by wild animals and die.
(10) So when we look at this passage, let us never forget the times in which it was written.
g. Most of our world for most of all times—
(1) No rights
(2) No guarantees
(3) Oppressive, evil governments
(4) Oppressive, evil rulers
(5) Degradations of every kind are rampant visited upon the people by the rulers.
(6) Corruption, exorbitant taxes, and outright theft by people in power.
(7) And there were groups seeking the violent overthrow of Rome—they went by various names, but the NT calls them zealots.
(a) MacArthur’s Comment:
Now also among the Jews were a group of people known as the zealots. Do you remember the zealots? They believed there was no king but God period. And there should be no taxes paid to anyone but God, so they defied the government every way. They wouldn't submit, and they wouldn't pay taxes.
They embarked, the zealots did, on violent action. They started groups. They became murderers, careers of murder and assassination. They were known as dagger-bearers. They were fanatical nationalists I should say. Sworn to terrorism all their life long. And they had a great influence on the Jews. That's why when Jesus came along and the Jews saw His power, they wanted immediately to make him king. Why? Because they wanted the ultimate revolt. The ultimate war to take place, and they would fight and win against Rome.
Now this kind of attitude, this kind of constant fomenting attitude against Rome, is ultimately why the event of 70 AD happened. Finally the Romans took all they could take, and in 70 AD they came in and just wiped out Jerusalem. They killed 1,100,000 Jews. Massacred them. To stop the incessant revolt and revolution.
This is not a Godly attitude. And that's what Jesus meant when he said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And that's what Paul meant when he said, "Live peaceably with all men." We're not to be concerned with issues of the state and the government as a priority. We're to be busy living Godly lives as the conscience of a nation, and preaching God's word. And not starting revolutions and protesting, and making trouble.
(b) (Mark 15:7) "And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion."
(c) (Luke 6:15) "Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;"
(d) (Acts 5:36) ""For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing."
(e) (Acts 5:37) ""After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed."
(8) And he people sought to make Jesus King (as Satan had tried also to do!) (John 6:15) "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone."
h. But Jesus, in fact, ignored all politics, and He did not organize politically—and His apostles followed the example.
The issue of the Christian's relationship to government is a very important issue. It has been through all of the church's history. Christian's have always had to face this issue, and even to struggle with it. Where the church has found itself in all kinds of places, in all kinds of governments, under all kinds of rulers, with all kinds of perspectives and forms of leading and ruling. And so Christians have always had to deal with this matter of: How do you respond to your government? (MAC)
2. The Christian and Divine Providence—(Rom 13:1) "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."
a. Subjection to Authority— “…Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities…”
(1) This is an imperative, a command—ATR—
(a) ὑποτασσέσθω— passive “…be subject…” submit to, obey, be under the authority of; take a subordinate place (1 Cor 14:34)
(b) “…To line up like soldiers under the authority of a superior officer…” (MAC)
(2) We are to be harmless to the rulers of the nation—1 Pet 2:11-21
(3) We are to pray for our rulers—(1 Tim 2:1-3) "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,"
(4) We are to be subject to the rulers and be law abiding and peaceful—
(a) (Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."
(b) (1 Th 4:11-12) "that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing."
(5) Except in matters of faith and conscience—
(a) (Acts 4:18-20) "And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.""
(b) (Acts 5:27-28) "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!” 29 "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."”
(c) Examples
(i) Daniel and his friends refusing to eat non-kosher food
(ii) Example—Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace
(iii) Example—Daniel in the Lion’s Den
(iv) Example—Esther coming to the court uninvited
b. Reason 1 for the submission—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(1) Because God is the basis for all power, in Heaven or on Earth—“… For there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (Psa 62:11) "… power belongs to God."
(2) Sometimes Satanic powers are lent a measure of authority—but “… there is no authority except from God..”
(a) (1 John 5:19) "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."
(b) (Luke 4:5-7) "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ….""
(3) But eventually, God reclaims the power He has lent for His own purposes.
(a) (John 16:11) ""of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
(b) (John 14:30) ""I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."
(c) (John 12:31) ""Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
(d) (Ezek 28:14-17) ""You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. … 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; …”
c. Reason 2—God has appointed the rulers who rule—“…the authorities that exist are appointed by God…”
(1) (Acts 17:24-26) ""…"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings…”
(2) Compare—Is 46:9-11, Is 40, Is 44, Dan 2:19-28
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Questions to Ponder About Grace and Salvation
Brother Charley Buntin
Rather than engage in debate over the doctrine of grace, I invite any reader to honestly evaluate the following questions. Some of the questions are multiple choice questions, and others require exposition to properly answer. Please do not decide your answers without study and prayer. I would humbly invite any who object to the doctrine of Grace to mail me.
1. How much of salvation is “your part?”
2. How much of salvation can you claim credit for?
[Note: By all laws of logic or language, the answers for 1 and 2 must be identical]
3. According to the hymn writer (and the Bible) Jesus paid it
a. All
b. Part
c. None
The Arminian Version of Jesus Paid It All
Jesus paid His part, and I paid mine you know,
Sin had left a little stain, WE washed it white as snow.
(From a Mississippi Baptist Preacher)
4. What does Eph 2:1-3 mean?
5. There are three possible meanings of “dead in sins.” Which of these do YOU think applies here?
a. Before God made us alive we were severely wounded
b. Before God made us alive we were somewhat wounded, but still fully able to discern the things of God
c. Before God made us alive we were dead in trespasses and sins and had no spiritual ability whatsoever.
6. Eph 2:1-3 shows that man before salvation is: (pick only one)
a. A fully functioning moral agent, able to understand and make a choice to follow God on his/her own strength and knowledge.
b. A dead sinner by nature
7. What does 1 Cor 2:14 mean?
a. A Lost person is totally unable to discern and receive the things of God
b. A Lost person is able (or partly able) to discern and receive the things of God.
8. What does “born again” mean?
9. Evaluate the statement: we had nothing more to do with causing our second birth than we did with causing our first.
10. What does John 1:12-13 tell us about the new birth?
11. What does James 1:18 tell us about the new birth?
12. What does 1 Pet 1:3-5 tell us about the new birth?
13. What does 1 Pet 1:23 tell us about the new birth?
14. What does John 3:8 tell us about the new birth?
15. Do you pray for lost people to be saved?
16. If you pray for lost people to be saved, what are you asking God to do?
17. List the Bible passages that explicitly mention the term “free will” or “freewill?” What do these passages tell us about salvation?
18. What does the following verse tell us about the human will and salvation?—Jn 5:40
19. What does Romans 9:16 tell us about the human will and salvation?
20. What is the context of 2 Pet 3:1-9?
21. In the book of 2 Peter, what group of people are “us?”
22. Is a lost person ever “we” or “us”?
23. List the verses in the Bible where a lost person is instructed to pray to receive Jesus.
24. List the verses in the Bible where we are instructed to open our heart to Jesus.
25. Where is “the sinner’s prayer” found in the Bible?
26. List the scriptures that teach that a person may be saved and show no evidence of that in their life.
27. Or, list some of the scriptures which indicate that real salvation will always be followed by fruit.
28. Of what does the conviction ministry of the Holy Spirit consist ?
29. On the Damascus Road, did anyone else but Saul receive the calling from God?
30. In Acts 9:13-16 what does “must” mean?
31. List all of the verses that explicitly teach that faith precedes the New Birth?
32. According to Romans 11:5-6, how much can grace and works mix?
33. There are at least seven direct references to foreknowledge in the Bible (listed below)—which of them refers to God looking down through history to figure out what each of us would do with salvation?
Ps 139, Jer 1:4-5, Acts 2:22-23 Acts 15:18 Romans 8:29 Romans 11:2, 1 Pet 1:2, 1 Pet 1:20
34. Is there a word in the Bible for “foresaw?” (answer below)—Is this word ever used to describe God’s prior knowledge of salvation?
35. If God elected us because He knew we would choose Him, what does the following verse mean? (1 John 4:19) "We love Him because He first loved us."
Brother Charley Buntin
Rather than engage in debate over the doctrine of grace, I invite any reader to honestly evaluate the following questions. Some of the questions are multiple choice questions, and others require exposition to properly answer. Please do not decide your answers without study and prayer. I would humbly invite any who object to the doctrine of Grace to mail me.
1. How much of salvation is “your part?”
2. How much of salvation can you claim credit for?
[Note: By all laws of logic or language, the answers for 1 and 2 must be identical]
3. According to the hymn writer (and the Bible) Jesus paid it
a. All
b. Part
c. None
The Arminian Version of Jesus Paid It All
Jesus paid His part, and I paid mine you know,
Sin had left a little stain, WE washed it white as snow.
(From a Mississippi Baptist Preacher)
4. What does Eph 2:1-3 mean?
5. There are three possible meanings of “dead in sins.” Which of these do YOU think applies here?
a. Before God made us alive we were severely wounded
b. Before God made us alive we were somewhat wounded, but still fully able to discern the things of God
c. Before God made us alive we were dead in trespasses and sins and had no spiritual ability whatsoever.
6. Eph 2:1-3 shows that man before salvation is: (pick only one)
a. A fully functioning moral agent, able to understand and make a choice to follow God on his/her own strength and knowledge.
b. A dead sinner by nature
7. What does 1 Cor 2:14 mean?
a. A Lost person is totally unable to discern and receive the things of God
b. A Lost person is able (or partly able) to discern and receive the things of God.
8. What does “born again” mean?
9. Evaluate the statement: we had nothing more to do with causing our second birth than we did with causing our first.
10. What does John 1:12-13 tell us about the new birth?
11. What does James 1:18 tell us about the new birth?
12. What does 1 Pet 1:3-5 tell us about the new birth?
13. What does 1 Pet 1:23 tell us about the new birth?
14. What does John 3:8 tell us about the new birth?
15. Do you pray for lost people to be saved?
16. If you pray for lost people to be saved, what are you asking God to do?
17. List the Bible passages that explicitly mention the term “free will” or “freewill?” What do these passages tell us about salvation?
18. What does the following verse tell us about the human will and salvation?—Jn 5:40
19. What does Romans 9:16 tell us about the human will and salvation?
20. What is the context of 2 Pet 3:1-9?
21. In the book of 2 Peter, what group of people are “us?”
22. Is a lost person ever “we” or “us”?
23. List the verses in the Bible where a lost person is instructed to pray to receive Jesus.
24. List the verses in the Bible where we are instructed to open our heart to Jesus.
25. Where is “the sinner’s prayer” found in the Bible?
26. List the scriptures that teach that a person may be saved and show no evidence of that in their life.
27. Or, list some of the scriptures which indicate that real salvation will always be followed by fruit.
28. Of what does the conviction ministry of the Holy Spirit consist ?
29. On the Damascus Road, did anyone else but Saul receive the calling from God?
30. In Acts 9:13-16 what does “must” mean?
31. List all of the verses that explicitly teach that faith precedes the New Birth?
32. According to Romans 11:5-6, how much can grace and works mix?
33. There are at least seven direct references to foreknowledge in the Bible (listed below)—which of them refers to God looking down through history to figure out what each of us would do with salvation?
Ps 139, Jer 1:4-5, Acts 2:22-23 Acts 15:18 Romans 8:29 Romans 11:2, 1 Pet 1:2, 1 Pet 1:20
34. Is there a word in the Bible for “foresaw?” (answer below)—Is this word ever used to describe God’s prior knowledge of salvation?
35. If God elected us because He knew we would choose Him, what does the following verse mean? (1 John 4:19) "We love Him because He first loved us."
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Jehovah Shammah—the LORD Who is There
(Ezek 48:35) ""… and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE…”
1. Theological and Biblical Context
a. The Overriding Concept of this Letter, this passage, and this verse is the Presence of God Manifested—In other words, the Glory of God.
b. An overview of the Millennium and Pre-Millennial theology
(1) Pre-Millennial theology is based on the following principles
(a) Interpret the Bible Literally—The Bible is to be taken literally unless there is a compelling reason to not take it literally (such as, when a prophet said “I saw a sign…”)
(b) Understand Israel—As the curses against Israel for her unbelief and stiff necked rebellion were fulfilled literally, so shall all of the promises of restoration and redemption of Israel come to pass, just as literally. Israel, as a nation, will be converted in one day, and God’s promises to the Fathers will be fulfilled.
(c) Understand The Church—The church is not Israel, and Israel is not the church, and God has overlapping but different plans for each entity.
(d) Understand the Distinction Between Israel and the Church—It is a gross theological error to teach that the church has replaced Israel or that all of the promises given to Abraham’s physical seed were annulled and given to the church.
(2) Pre-millennial Theology follows a basic timeline—there is great disagreement about some of the details, but all agree on the basics.
(a) The Church Will Be Raptured Out—1 Thes 4:13-18
(b) The Great Tribulation Will Take Place, the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7, Rev 7:14) —(Mat 24:21) ""For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(c) All of the Jews in the world will return to the Holy Land and will be won to the LORD—(Jer 23:3), (Jer 29:14), (Jer 32:37), (Ezek 11:17) ""Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'"
(d) At the very end of the Tribulation, the Jews will be under attack and final annihilation.
(Zec 14:1-2) "Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
(e) Just as it seems as if the people of Israel are about to be overwhelmed, The Lord Jesus will return to take over.
(f) There will be
(i) The judgment of the nations—Mat 25:31-46
(A) Those individuals from the nations who hid and protected the Jews during the Tribulation, and all of the surviving Jews, will be sent into the Millennial Kingdom
(B) Those who did not protect the Jews will be sent to everlasting fire.
(ii) The establishment of the Millennial Kingdom—Rev 20:1-10
c. Why is this important to the study of Jehovah Shammah, The LORD Who Is There?
(1) Because the only place in the Bible that this particular title is given as a Name of God is in Ezekiel
(2) Chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel describe the Millennium and the Millennial worship in great literal detail.
(3) Therefore, anyone who does not understand and believe in Pre-Millennialism cannot possibly understand nor properly interpret this passage.
d. Context: The Message of Ezekiel
(1) The great themes of Ezekiel are these:
(a) God’s Glory: The visible and invisible manifestation and revelation of His Persons, Attributes and Perfections
(i) The Glory is revealed
(ii) The Glory Departs—to the East
(iii) The Glory returns, in a flood, from the East—on That Day, The Day of the LORD.
(b) God’s Man: The Calling, preparation, and ministry of the prophet Ezekiel
(c) God’s People
(i) Israel’s sin
(ii) Israel’s Restoration
(iii) Israel’s Redemption
(d) God’s Judgments
(i) On Israel
(ii) On the nations that oppressed Israel
(iii) On Satan
(e) God’s Kingdom—the Millennial Temple revealed
(f) God’s Presence—He is “there” for His people, He was “there” for His man, Jehovah Shammah is the God who is THERE
2. God Was There for Ezekiel— (Ezek 1:3) "the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there."
a. The Prophets’ Interpretation—The Three Greatest Prophets in the Old Testament had several things in common
(1) They were being sent to a people who would not listen, and they knew that from the beginning, their message was going to fall on deaf ears
(2) Much of the message they were sending was addressed to people living far in their future, and even yet in our future.
(3) They address the (still) future full restoration of Israel and the Kingdom of God.
b. The Prophet’s Vision of God’s Glory—Ezekiel’s calling began with a vision that has probably been more mistreated and confused than any other passage in the Old Testament.
(1) Without getting lost in the maze of possible meanings of the wheels and beasts, and ignoring the confusion who want to make this the manifestation of an alien space ship, note this one vital fact.
(2) Fact—this is a vision of God and His Glory
(Ezek 1:1) "Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God."
(Ezek 1:26-28) "And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD ."
c. The Prophet’s Call
(1) God Called—(Ezek 2:1-2) "And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you."
(2) Spirit Led— 2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me…”
(3) God Sent—Sent to a Rebellious People Who Do Not Want to Hear God’s Word nor follow God’s plan— “… 3 And He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 "For they are impudent and stubborn children.”
d. The Prophet’s Preparation
(1) Says What God Wants Said, no matter who likes it or not—“… I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' 5 "As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse; for they are a rebellious house; yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
(2) A man who fears nothing except not pleasing God— 6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
(3) The Message is the Word 7 "You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious….”
(4) The Prophet must consume the Word First— 8 "But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." 9 Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe." (Ezek 3:1-11) "Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
(5) He is to be a stubborn, hard headed prophet who cares not for the opinions of man—“ “…. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 "But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 "Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 "Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." 10
(a) This sounds like some present-day churches I know, and there aren’t enough flint-headed preachers to go around these days.
(b) People who think that preachers should be soft-spoken and inoffensive do not understand the role and responsibility laid upon the True Preacher’s back—(2 Tim 4:1-2) "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."
(6) The Prophet also does not gauge success by how many believe, only that he spoke the Truth—Moreover He said to me: "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 "And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse.""
3. God Was There When the Glory Departed
a. We often think of Ichabod when we think of Glory departing
(1) Eli was wickedly tolerant of his sons’ sins.
(2) His Sons and the armies of Israel were defeated, his sons killed, and the Ark taken
(3) Eli fell backwards and died
(4) Eli’s daughter-in-law died in childbirth, and as she was dying, she named the poor child Ichabod, “no glory,” or “the Glory Has Departed.”
(5) But that was only temporary—the Ark was later returned, the temple went on to be built, and so on.
(6) But the incident in Ezekiel was the final great disaster, the final removal of God from the Temple.
b. The Temple had been inaugurated with a great move of God’s Spirit.
(2 Chr 5:13-14) "indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God."
c. For a little over 400 years, God had been there for Israel
(1) Despite the patience of God, His Presence in the Temple was often ignored, commonly offended by sins and abominations of sinful Israel, and only rarely was there any appreciation of the Glory of God
(2) God had endured insult after insult, rebellion after rebellion, and Israel’s Sin was great, so great that The Glory Departed from the Temple— (Ezek 11:22-25) "So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. 23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.”
(a) Note the slow, stately way that the Glory moves out to the Mount
(b) When God’s Glory returns to the Temple in the Millennial Kingdom—it won’t be like that.
(3) This mountain, of course, is the Mount of Olives!
(a) The Mountain where the Garden was where Jesus often went with His disciples, and where He was arrested.
(b) The Mount from Where Jesus departed in His Ascension—Acts 1:1-11
(c) The Mount where the Returning Messiah’s feet will first touch the Ground—Zech 14:3-5
4. God Will Be There—When the Glory Returns—And He Will Reign for 1,000 years. (Ezek 43:1-5) .;
a. Non-literal interpreters have tried to tie Ezekiel’s temple to all sorts of meanings and fulfillments, none of which are any more than the fancies of men.
(1) Why is this not the Ezra Temple—
(a) The manifestations of God’s Glory were not seen in that Temple, and the floor plan is vastly different.
(b) The Glory never shone in the Temple again after its departure in about 592 B.C.
(2) Why is this not Herod’s Temple when Jesus visited it on Earth?
(a) Because Christ’s Glory was hidden in human flesh
(b) Because this Temple was the one there when Jesus prophesied that it would all fall down
(3) Why is this not the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly city? Rev 21:21 “…the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple…”
(4) No, this is the Millennial Temple, made for the people of God to worship during the 1,000 year reign of Christ on Earth—because no other explanation can suffice..
b. Note the physical manifestations that were absent when the glory departed from the Temple, but now are seen—
c. Glory returns, like when Habakkuk saw God moving—(Hab 3:3-4) "God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden."
(1) First, God came from the same direction from which He departed the Temple—“…Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east….”\
(2) Manifestations
(a) Noise—the voice of many waters—“…His voice was like the sound of many water…”
(b) Bright light “…and the earth shone with His glory…”
(c) The Glory is like the vision of God from Chapter 1—“…3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw; like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar…”
(d) Ezekiel’s reaction: the common one when Godly people meet God… “…and I fell on my face…”
(e) God’s Spirit is There, and He transports Ezekiel to the heart of God’s Glory, so that he can witness and write about it.
(f) And the Glory Filled the Temple, as it had when Moses inaugurated the Tabernacle and as it had when Solomon decorated the first Temple—“…4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple."
d. The Name of the City is “The LORD Who Is There”
A.C. Gaebelein— “…Throughout the pages of the Book we read of Israel’s rebellion, Jerusalem’s judgments, the nation’s disobedience and rejection. They follow the messages of Hope—Israel’s conversion—Israel’s’ conversion, the regathering of the twelve tribes , the final conflict, the retuning glory of the Lord, and from that day the name of the city will be Jehovah Shammah Because He has manifested His gracious presence in the midst of His people and established his throne, blessed His people with all the spiritual and nations blessing, promised by His holy prophets, destroyed all their enemies, and covers all with His visible glory one more. Therefore the city will have the name, “Jehovah is there. What a glory it will be for Him . The city through which He once walked with weary feet, the Son of God garbed In Servant’s form, the city through which he was dragged, when the cross was laid upon His shoulders, the city which cast Him out, the city outside of which he endured the cross and despised the shame, that same city will be made in that day the glory spot of the earth!”
e. My God has always been there for me, and because of Who He Is and What He Can Do, I will ever depend upon Him for my protection and well being.
1. Theological and Biblical Context
a. The Overriding Concept of this Letter, this passage, and this verse is the Presence of God Manifested—In other words, the Glory of God.
b. An overview of the Millennium and Pre-Millennial theology
(1) Pre-Millennial theology is based on the following principles
(a) Interpret the Bible Literally—The Bible is to be taken literally unless there is a compelling reason to not take it literally (such as, when a prophet said “I saw a sign…”)
(b) Understand Israel—As the curses against Israel for her unbelief and stiff necked rebellion were fulfilled literally, so shall all of the promises of restoration and redemption of Israel come to pass, just as literally. Israel, as a nation, will be converted in one day, and God’s promises to the Fathers will be fulfilled.
(c) Understand The Church—The church is not Israel, and Israel is not the church, and God has overlapping but different plans for each entity.
(d) Understand the Distinction Between Israel and the Church—It is a gross theological error to teach that the church has replaced Israel or that all of the promises given to Abraham’s physical seed were annulled and given to the church.
(2) Pre-millennial Theology follows a basic timeline—there is great disagreement about some of the details, but all agree on the basics.
(a) The Church Will Be Raptured Out—1 Thes 4:13-18
(b) The Great Tribulation Will Take Place, the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7, Rev 7:14) —(Mat 24:21) ""For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(c) All of the Jews in the world will return to the Holy Land and will be won to the LORD—(Jer 23:3), (Jer 29:14), (Jer 32:37), (Ezek 11:17) ""Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'"
(d) At the very end of the Tribulation, the Jews will be under attack and final annihilation.
(Zec 14:1-2) "Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
(e) Just as it seems as if the people of Israel are about to be overwhelmed, The Lord Jesus will return to take over.
(f) There will be
(i) The judgment of the nations—Mat 25:31-46
(A) Those individuals from the nations who hid and protected the Jews during the Tribulation, and all of the surviving Jews, will be sent into the Millennial Kingdom
(B) Those who did not protect the Jews will be sent to everlasting fire.
(ii) The establishment of the Millennial Kingdom—Rev 20:1-10
c. Why is this important to the study of Jehovah Shammah, The LORD Who Is There?
(1) Because the only place in the Bible that this particular title is given as a Name of God is in Ezekiel
(2) Chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel describe the Millennium and the Millennial worship in great literal detail.
(3) Therefore, anyone who does not understand and believe in Pre-Millennialism cannot possibly understand nor properly interpret this passage.
d. Context: The Message of Ezekiel
(1) The great themes of Ezekiel are these:
(a) God’s Glory: The visible and invisible manifestation and revelation of His Persons, Attributes and Perfections
(i) The Glory is revealed
(ii) The Glory Departs—to the East
(iii) The Glory returns, in a flood, from the East—on That Day, The Day of the LORD.
(b) God’s Man: The Calling, preparation, and ministry of the prophet Ezekiel
(c) God’s People
(i) Israel’s sin
(ii) Israel’s Restoration
(iii) Israel’s Redemption
(d) God’s Judgments
(i) On Israel
(ii) On the nations that oppressed Israel
(iii) On Satan
(e) God’s Kingdom—the Millennial Temple revealed
(f) God’s Presence—He is “there” for His people, He was “there” for His man, Jehovah Shammah is the God who is THERE
2. God Was There for Ezekiel— (Ezek 1:3) "the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there."
a. The Prophets’ Interpretation—The Three Greatest Prophets in the Old Testament had several things in common
(1) They were being sent to a people who would not listen, and they knew that from the beginning, their message was going to fall on deaf ears
(2) Much of the message they were sending was addressed to people living far in their future, and even yet in our future.
(3) They address the (still) future full restoration of Israel and the Kingdom of God.
b. The Prophet’s Vision of God’s Glory—Ezekiel’s calling began with a vision that has probably been more mistreated and confused than any other passage in the Old Testament.
(1) Without getting lost in the maze of possible meanings of the wheels and beasts, and ignoring the confusion who want to make this the manifestation of an alien space ship, note this one vital fact.
(2) Fact—this is a vision of God and His Glory
(Ezek 1:1) "Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God."
(Ezek 1:26-28) "And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD ."
c. The Prophet’s Call
(1) God Called—(Ezek 2:1-2) "And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you."
(2) Spirit Led— 2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me…”
(3) God Sent—Sent to a Rebellious People Who Do Not Want to Hear God’s Word nor follow God’s plan— “… 3 And He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 "For they are impudent and stubborn children.”
d. The Prophet’s Preparation
(1) Says What God Wants Said, no matter who likes it or not—“… I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' 5 "As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse; for they are a rebellious house; yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
(2) A man who fears nothing except not pleasing God— 6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
(3) The Message is the Word 7 "You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious….”
(4) The Prophet must consume the Word First— 8 "But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." 9 Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe." (Ezek 3:1-11) "Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
(5) He is to be a stubborn, hard headed prophet who cares not for the opinions of man—“ “…. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 "But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 "Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 "Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." 10
(a) This sounds like some present-day churches I know, and there aren’t enough flint-headed preachers to go around these days.
(b) People who think that preachers should be soft-spoken and inoffensive do not understand the role and responsibility laid upon the True Preacher’s back—(2 Tim 4:1-2) "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."
(6) The Prophet also does not gauge success by how many believe, only that he spoke the Truth—Moreover He said to me: "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 "And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse.""
3. God Was There When the Glory Departed
a. We often think of Ichabod when we think of Glory departing
(1) Eli was wickedly tolerant of his sons’ sins.
(2) His Sons and the armies of Israel were defeated, his sons killed, and the Ark taken
(3) Eli fell backwards and died
(4) Eli’s daughter-in-law died in childbirth, and as she was dying, she named the poor child Ichabod, “no glory,” or “the Glory Has Departed.”
(5) But that was only temporary—the Ark was later returned, the temple went on to be built, and so on.
(6) But the incident in Ezekiel was the final great disaster, the final removal of God from the Temple.
b. The Temple had been inaugurated with a great move of God’s Spirit.
(2 Chr 5:13-14) "indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God."
c. For a little over 400 years, God had been there for Israel
(1) Despite the patience of God, His Presence in the Temple was often ignored, commonly offended by sins and abominations of sinful Israel, and only rarely was there any appreciation of the Glory of God
(2) God had endured insult after insult, rebellion after rebellion, and Israel’s Sin was great, so great that The Glory Departed from the Temple— (Ezek 11:22-25) "So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. 23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.”
(a) Note the slow, stately way that the Glory moves out to the Mount
(b) When God’s Glory returns to the Temple in the Millennial Kingdom—it won’t be like that.
(3) This mountain, of course, is the Mount of Olives!
(a) The Mountain where the Garden was where Jesus often went with His disciples, and where He was arrested.
(b) The Mount from Where Jesus departed in His Ascension—Acts 1:1-11
(c) The Mount where the Returning Messiah’s feet will first touch the Ground—Zech 14:3-5
4. God Will Be There—When the Glory Returns—And He Will Reign for 1,000 years. (Ezek 43:1-5) .;
a. Non-literal interpreters have tried to tie Ezekiel’s temple to all sorts of meanings and fulfillments, none of which are any more than the fancies of men.
(1) Why is this not the Ezra Temple—
(a) The manifestations of God’s Glory were not seen in that Temple, and the floor plan is vastly different.
(b) The Glory never shone in the Temple again after its departure in about 592 B.C.
(2) Why is this not Herod’s Temple when Jesus visited it on Earth?
(a) Because Christ’s Glory was hidden in human flesh
(b) Because this Temple was the one there when Jesus prophesied that it would all fall down
(3) Why is this not the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly city? Rev 21:21 “…the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple…”
(4) No, this is the Millennial Temple, made for the people of God to worship during the 1,000 year reign of Christ on Earth—because no other explanation can suffice..
b. Note the physical manifestations that were absent when the glory departed from the Temple, but now are seen—
c. Glory returns, like when Habakkuk saw God moving—(Hab 3:3-4) "God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden."
(1) First, God came from the same direction from which He departed the Temple—“…Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east….”\
(2) Manifestations
(a) Noise—the voice of many waters—“…His voice was like the sound of many water…”
(b) Bright light “…and the earth shone with His glory…”
(c) The Glory is like the vision of God from Chapter 1—“…3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw; like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar…”
(d) Ezekiel’s reaction: the common one when Godly people meet God… “…and I fell on my face…”
(e) God’s Spirit is There, and He transports Ezekiel to the heart of God’s Glory, so that he can witness and write about it.
(f) And the Glory Filled the Temple, as it had when Moses inaugurated the Tabernacle and as it had when Solomon decorated the first Temple—“…4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple."
d. The Name of the City is “The LORD Who Is There”
A.C. Gaebelein— “…Throughout the pages of the Book we read of Israel’s rebellion, Jerusalem’s judgments, the nation’s disobedience and rejection. They follow the messages of Hope—Israel’s conversion—Israel’s’ conversion, the regathering of the twelve tribes , the final conflict, the retuning glory of the Lord, and from that day the name of the city will be Jehovah Shammah Because He has manifested His gracious presence in the midst of His people and established his throne, blessed His people with all the spiritual and nations blessing, promised by His holy prophets, destroyed all their enemies, and covers all with His visible glory one more. Therefore the city will have the name, “Jehovah is there. What a glory it will be for Him . The city through which He once walked with weary feet, the Son of God garbed In Servant’s form, the city through which he was dragged, when the cross was laid upon His shoulders, the city which cast Him out, the city outside of which he endured the cross and despised the shame, that same city will be made in that day the glory spot of the earth!”
e. My God has always been there for me, and because of Who He Is and What He Can Do, I will ever depend upon Him for my protection and well being.
Friday, October 3, 2008
The Cultural Mandate: God’s Instructions to Adam and Eve
Reading: Gen 1:26-31, 2:1-16
1. Churches and Professing Christians today are full of the worldview of the World
a. In survey after survey, we find in our land a strange and troubling ignorance of the Truth
b. Worldview Problems Among Professing Christians
(1) The Ignorant Worldview—Ignorance of Truth—not an incidental or accidental ignorance, but a planned ignorance, and a denunciation of those who seek out the Truth in the Bible so that we may teach it so that people may apply it to their lives
(2) The Anti-Bible Worldview—Acceptance of worldly ideas that contradict the Bible
(a) Pro-choice
(b) Gay Rights
(c) Whether or not “gayness” is even a sin
(3) The Accommodation Worldview—Accommodation with sin—we know how we are living is wrong, but…
(4) The Compromise Worldview—avoid conflict in any realm of life.
(5) The Carnal Security Worldview—
c. The Puzzling Positive
(1) On the one hand, there are more great Bible teachers in the US than perhaps at any time
(2) Thousands of pastors and devoted believers go to hear MacArthur, Piper, and other great men of God
(3) There are more Bible study aids available than at any time—
(4) But note, there is also rampant heresy. MacArthur and Piper are both over 60—where is the crop of fresh Sons of the Prophets?
d. The Nagging Negative—heresy is rampant, and “anything goes” in the minds of too many young men of God..
2. Man Was Created In God’s Image, Male and Female— Gen 1:26-27
a. First, this passage takes care of the canard that Jesus never spoke on these things. Mat 19
b. We are created in God’s spiritual image
(1) God, in His Essence, is Spirit, He does not have a body—John 4:24
(2) If God is Spirit, then what does it mean when we say that we are created in His image?
(a) It means that we are spirit in our essence as well.
(b) We have physical bodies and a physical existence, but each one of us is also possessed of an inner self which is spirit.
(c) Eccl 12:7, Luke 23:46, Rom 8:16, Phil 1:23-24, Phil 3:3, Heb 12:23
c. We are created in God’s image Mentally. We are thinking, rational, creatures.
d. We are created in God’s image Emotionally. We have feelings. We can be in joy or grief; we know anguish and delight.
e. We are created in God’s image Morally—we have the right to make choices, and within the limitations of our ability, we have the wherewithal to make choices.
f. We were created in God’s image authoritatively— “…and let them have dominion…” We were created to have authority, to rule and reign as God’s stewards.
g. We were created in God’s image creatively—human beings create! Creativity is part of every human heart. Some create with their hands, some with their minds, some with all their faculties, but we are creative creatures.
h. God’s image in us has been marred by the Fall, but the traces can still be seen
.
(1) Our minds have been corrupted by sin. Rom 8:7-8
(2) Our emotions have been corrupted by sin. Jer 17:9
(3) Our wills are bound by sin. John 5:40
(4) We have both neglected and abused the natural tendency to dominate.
(a) Failure to lead or be led. Eli—1 Sam
(1 Sam 1:12-14) "And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!""
(1 Sam 1:17) "Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.""
(1 Sam 1:25) "Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli."
(1 Sam 2:11-12) "Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD."
(1 Sam 2:20) "And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD." Then they would go to their own home."
(1 Sam 2:22) "Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting."
(1 Sam 2:27) "Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?"
(1 Sam 3:1-2) "Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,"
(1 Sam 3:5-6) "So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down. 6 Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again.""
(1 Sam 3:8-9) "And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place."
(1 Sam 3:12) ""In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end."
(1 Sam 3:14-16) ""And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." 15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!" And he answered, "Here I am.""
(1 Sam 4:4) "So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God."
(1 Sam 4:11) "Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died."
(1 Sam 4:13-16) "Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 16 Then the man said to Eli, "I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line." And he said, "What happened, my son?""
(1 Sam 4:18) "Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years."
(b) Failure to lead well
(c) Dominion perverted into oppression.
(5) We have abused our creativity
(a) Evil intentions
(b) Evil ideas
(c) Evil inventions with evil purposes
(d) Evil, man-made religion.
i. So, we are fallen creatures, made in the image of God, but containing a marred and distorted version of that image.
3. Man Was Created to Fill the Earth—1:28
a. We were blessed, male and female together— Gen 1:27-28 "… male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, …”
(1) God blessed marriage
(2) “Who gives this woman?” God said, “I do.”
(3) God blessed man and woman, He blessed heterosexual marriage, He blessed ONLY heterosexual marriage, and He blessed them for a purpose, to be fruitful and multiply.
(4) Do you want to know Jesus’ views on marriage?—Check this out! (Mat 19:4-5) "… 4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'…”
b. We were blessed to procreate and replenish the earth— Gen 1:27-28
(1) Fill the earth—a spatial term—it means what it says
(2) God loves people, and He wanted the Earth filled with people.
(3) God loves babies, He loves children, He loves life—it is evil and Satanic to hate children, to hate life, to abort and kill, and maim, and torture. It is the height of ungodliness!
c. We were blessed to subdue the earth itself—clear it, till it, tame it, use it, restore it, manage it—we are to be the masters of the soil— Gen 1:28 “… fill the earth, and subdue it…have dominion …”
(1) We were to master the Earth—tame the wilds, explore the reaches, domesticate the animals, control the natural order.
(a) Note that when man fell, a special curse was put on this aspect of humanity.
(b) The Ground Cursed, the natural order upset.—Gen 3:17. Rom 8:19-23
(2) We were to be the stewards over the Earth, using it wisely and properly.
d. We were blessed to have a special kind of dominion: over all the other creatures of this earth— Gen 1:28
(1) Man is the dominant Creature.
(2) We are not animals, we are the masters of the animals.
(3) We are not part of the animal kingdom, we are the stewards over the animal kingdom.
(4) Animals should not be treated cruelly, since they are God’s property; they are not to be wasted or needlessly slaughtered, but we are to use them as God told us to use them, and we are to have the dominion over them.
4. God Provided For Man—1:28-29
a. God Provided A Job: chief manager of Earth—
b. God Provided Food—Gen 1:29-30
(1) Man was originally a vegetarian.
(2) There was no sin as yet, there was no blood shed or which needed to be shed.
(3) The first hunter was God, who first slew animals to clothe fallen man—Gen 3:21
(4) God Provided A Place to Live—Gen 2:8
5. Creation Was Pleasing to God— 1:31
a. Creation, in its original form, was good!
(1) Everything was good.
(2) The Angelic beings were good.
(3) The created order, the plant and animal kingdoms, were good.
(4) Mankind was good.
(5) There was no sin, no disharmony
b. Creation was pleasing to God
c. There was no Hell!
(1) Mat 25:41 ""Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:"
(2) We don’t know when the place of eternal punishment was created, but it was created for fallen angels.
6. The First Law—
a. The Law was in Two Parts
(1) Part 1—the positive Laws—Gen 1:28-29
(a) Are these Laws?
(b) These are commands
(c) It is possible to disobey these commands
(d) In fact, it was violation of these commands which led to the confusion of languages at Babel.
(2) Part 2: the Negative law, the only “shall not…” Gen 2:16-17
b. God gave the one negative law, perhaps as a test. Why did God do that? There are many speculations, but no biblical answers.
c. Man violated that one Law
7. Applications—Adam’s Instructions Today
a. The image of God continues, though marred by sin.
b. The Dominion of man over the Earth continues, though perverted into oppression and misuse.
c. The basic institution (the family) set up by God is under attack as never before:
(1) Free and easy divorce
(2) Free and promiscuous fornication and adultery.
(3) Perversion masquerading as a “right.”
(4) And now, even paedophiles are taken to be “normal.”
8. The Command to be fruitful and multiply continues, though many societies are murdering babies at a faster rate than they are having babies.
9. The Law of the Tree today—
a. The law of the Tree is abrogated because we are no longer in the Garden. We don’t even know what kind of tree it was.
(1) The temptations that arose from that Law are still with us, and are the heart of all temptations— 1 John 2:16
b. The effects of the violation of that Law continue with us—Rom 5:12, 1 Cor 15:22, 1 Tim 2:11-14
1. Churches and Professing Christians today are full of the worldview of the World
a. In survey after survey, we find in our land a strange and troubling ignorance of the Truth
b. Worldview Problems Among Professing Christians
(1) The Ignorant Worldview—Ignorance of Truth—not an incidental or accidental ignorance, but a planned ignorance, and a denunciation of those who seek out the Truth in the Bible so that we may teach it so that people may apply it to their lives
(2) The Anti-Bible Worldview—Acceptance of worldly ideas that contradict the Bible
(a) Pro-choice
(b) Gay Rights
(c) Whether or not “gayness” is even a sin
(3) The Accommodation Worldview—Accommodation with sin—we know how we are living is wrong, but…
(4) The Compromise Worldview—avoid conflict in any realm of life.
(5) The Carnal Security Worldview—
c. The Puzzling Positive
(1) On the one hand, there are more great Bible teachers in the US than perhaps at any time
(2) Thousands of pastors and devoted believers go to hear MacArthur, Piper, and other great men of God
(3) There are more Bible study aids available than at any time—
(4) But note, there is also rampant heresy. MacArthur and Piper are both over 60—where is the crop of fresh Sons of the Prophets?
d. The Nagging Negative—heresy is rampant, and “anything goes” in the minds of too many young men of God..
2. Man Was Created In God’s Image, Male and Female— Gen 1:26-27
a. First, this passage takes care of the canard that Jesus never spoke on these things. Mat 19
b. We are created in God’s spiritual image
(1) God, in His Essence, is Spirit, He does not have a body—John 4:24
(2) If God is Spirit, then what does it mean when we say that we are created in His image?
(a) It means that we are spirit in our essence as well.
(b) We have physical bodies and a physical existence, but each one of us is also possessed of an inner self which is spirit.
(c) Eccl 12:7, Luke 23:46, Rom 8:16, Phil 1:23-24, Phil 3:3, Heb 12:23
c. We are created in God’s image Mentally. We are thinking, rational, creatures.
d. We are created in God’s image Emotionally. We have feelings. We can be in joy or grief; we know anguish and delight.
e. We are created in God’s image Morally—we have the right to make choices, and within the limitations of our ability, we have the wherewithal to make choices.
f. We were created in God’s image authoritatively— “…and let them have dominion…” We were created to have authority, to rule and reign as God’s stewards.
g. We were created in God’s image creatively—human beings create! Creativity is part of every human heart. Some create with their hands, some with their minds, some with all their faculties, but we are creative creatures.
h. God’s image in us has been marred by the Fall, but the traces can still be seen
.
(1) Our minds have been corrupted by sin. Rom 8:7-8
(2) Our emotions have been corrupted by sin. Jer 17:9
(3) Our wills are bound by sin. John 5:40
(4) We have both neglected and abused the natural tendency to dominate.
(a) Failure to lead or be led. Eli—1 Sam
(1 Sam 1:12-14) "And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!""
(1 Sam 1:17) "Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.""
(1 Sam 1:25) "Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli."
(1 Sam 2:11-12) "Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD."
(1 Sam 2:20) "And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD." Then they would go to their own home."
(1 Sam 2:22) "Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting."
(1 Sam 2:27) "Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?"
(1 Sam 3:1-2) "Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,"
(1 Sam 3:5-6) "So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down. 6 Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again.""
(1 Sam 3:8-9) "And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place."
(1 Sam 3:12) ""In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end."
(1 Sam 3:14-16) ""And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." 15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!" And he answered, "Here I am.""
(1 Sam 4:4) "So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God."
(1 Sam 4:11) "Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died."
(1 Sam 4:13-16) "Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 16 Then the man said to Eli, "I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line." And he said, "What happened, my son?""
(1 Sam 4:18) "Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years."
(b) Failure to lead well
(c) Dominion perverted into oppression.
(5) We have abused our creativity
(a) Evil intentions
(b) Evil ideas
(c) Evil inventions with evil purposes
(d) Evil, man-made religion.
i. So, we are fallen creatures, made in the image of God, but containing a marred and distorted version of that image.
3. Man Was Created to Fill the Earth—1:28
a. We were blessed, male and female together— Gen 1:27-28 "… male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, …”
(1) God blessed marriage
(2) “Who gives this woman?” God said, “I do.”
(3) God blessed man and woman, He blessed heterosexual marriage, He blessed ONLY heterosexual marriage, and He blessed them for a purpose, to be fruitful and multiply.
(4) Do you want to know Jesus’ views on marriage?—Check this out! (Mat 19:4-5) "… 4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'…”
b. We were blessed to procreate and replenish the earth— Gen 1:27-28
(1) Fill the earth—a spatial term—it means what it says
(2) God loves people, and He wanted the Earth filled with people.
(3) God loves babies, He loves children, He loves life—it is evil and Satanic to hate children, to hate life, to abort and kill, and maim, and torture. It is the height of ungodliness!
c. We were blessed to subdue the earth itself—clear it, till it, tame it, use it, restore it, manage it—we are to be the masters of the soil— Gen 1:28 “… fill the earth, and subdue it…have dominion …”
(1) We were to master the Earth—tame the wilds, explore the reaches, domesticate the animals, control the natural order.
(a) Note that when man fell, a special curse was put on this aspect of humanity.
(b) The Ground Cursed, the natural order upset.—Gen 3:17. Rom 8:19-23
(2) We were to be the stewards over the Earth, using it wisely and properly.
d. We were blessed to have a special kind of dominion: over all the other creatures of this earth— Gen 1:28
(1) Man is the dominant Creature.
(2) We are not animals, we are the masters of the animals.
(3) We are not part of the animal kingdom, we are the stewards over the animal kingdom.
(4) Animals should not be treated cruelly, since they are God’s property; they are not to be wasted or needlessly slaughtered, but we are to use them as God told us to use them, and we are to have the dominion over them.
4. God Provided For Man—1:28-29
a. God Provided A Job: chief manager of Earth—
b. God Provided Food—Gen 1:29-30
(1) Man was originally a vegetarian.
(2) There was no sin as yet, there was no blood shed or which needed to be shed.
(3) The first hunter was God, who first slew animals to clothe fallen man—Gen 3:21
(4) God Provided A Place to Live—Gen 2:8
5. Creation Was Pleasing to God— 1:31
a. Creation, in its original form, was good!
(1) Everything was good.
(2) The Angelic beings were good.
(3) The created order, the plant and animal kingdoms, were good.
(4) Mankind was good.
(5) There was no sin, no disharmony
b. Creation was pleasing to God
c. There was no Hell!
(1) Mat 25:41 ""Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:"
(2) We don’t know when the place of eternal punishment was created, but it was created for fallen angels.
6. The First Law—
a. The Law was in Two Parts
(1) Part 1—the positive Laws—Gen 1:28-29
(a) Are these Laws?
(b) These are commands
(c) It is possible to disobey these commands
(d) In fact, it was violation of these commands which led to the confusion of languages at Babel.
(2) Part 2: the Negative law, the only “shall not…” Gen 2:16-17
b. God gave the one negative law, perhaps as a test. Why did God do that? There are many speculations, but no biblical answers.
c. Man violated that one Law
7. Applications—Adam’s Instructions Today
a. The image of God continues, though marred by sin.
b. The Dominion of man over the Earth continues, though perverted into oppression and misuse.
c. The basic institution (the family) set up by God is under attack as never before:
(1) Free and easy divorce
(2) Free and promiscuous fornication and adultery.
(3) Perversion masquerading as a “right.”
(4) And now, even paedophiles are taken to be “normal.”
8. The Command to be fruitful and multiply continues, though many societies are murdering babies at a faster rate than they are having babies.
9. The Law of the Tree today—
a. The law of the Tree is abrogated because we are no longer in the Garden. We don’t even know what kind of tree it was.
(1) The temptations that arose from that Law are still with us, and are the heart of all temptations— 1 John 2:16
b. The effects of the violation of that Law continue with us—Rom 5:12, 1 Cor 15:22, 1 Tim 2:11-14
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)