It’s an interesting observation. I’ve heard my mother use it on a number of occasions over the years – “You don’t really know that, it’s just something you’ve read in a book somewhere!”
That reminds me of an eminent Old Testament scholar I know whose mother turned to him several years ago and said, “You aren’t a real doctor! After all, what have you ever taken out of or put into a person?” Hopefully, knowledge of divine truth!
The point is the same. There seems to be a prevalent notion in many Christian circles that gaining knowledge of the truth is a static enterprise. In other words, you gain a compendium of beliefs and a body of knowledge; and it’s fixed, you’ve got it, Amen! Where do they get that? How is it that growing in the grace of knowledge of the Lord is a dubious exercise? Paul said that we must “study to show ourselves approved unto God.” Luther said, “We must beat the Gospel into our minds.” And part of that beating process is gaining an ever-increasing understanding of what the Gospel is. If our call to follow Jesus is simply gaining a one-time data dump and nothing more, how do you explain the obvious growth in the beliefs and understandings of Jesus’ first disciples over time?
When my father got married after World War II, his new bride asked him, “What are we going to do?” He said, “Well, we have three choices. I can stay in the Navy. I can go back to Michigan and become a tool and die maker. Or, I could go to school.” My mother chose the third option. So they proceeded to move from Pensacola, Florida, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where, thanks to the GI Bill, he was able to secure a B.A. and an M.B.A. in three years. From there he went into industry. But a curious thing happened. Though he was out of school, and though he had passed his CPA exams, he kept on studying. My mother asked him, “When are you going to stop studying?” You know what he said? “Never. I’m never going to stop reading and studying.” And he didn’t. Before 1960 it was mostly business, industry practices, and investments. After 1960, and his spiritual rebirth, it was the Scriptures, theology, and Christian faith. The fact is, a little over a month before he went home to the Lord he was teaching his Monday night Bible study from his handwritten notes.
The point of all of this is to say that this Sunday, July 1, Communion Sunday, we are in Luke 10:25-37 where Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2002, I preached on this text for the first time at Hebron. At that time I pointed out some truths that had been hidden from me for nearly twenty years of ordained ministry. Now, I “knew” the story. I had taught the meaning of the story on numerous occasions. I could tell you about the context, the culture, the conventions, and the conviction that surrounded Jesus’ telling of this parable. But it wasn’t until I was studying this parable weeks earlier that I saw the incident at deeper level. Indeed, I saw the Gospel in a powerful, transforming way that I had never seen before. Then, eight years later our former seminary intern, Dave Dack, talked to me about a discovery he had made in same text a few winters earlier. As soon as he mentioned it, I smiled and said, “Preach it, brother!”
How can any of us ever think that the infinite truth of an infinite God can be mastered in this life? What’s more, how can any of us rest on some modicum of divine truth when Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit He would send to us would lead us into all truth? Here, nearly ten years after preaching a sermon entitled, “The Samaritan Christmas,” I’m again back in the Hebron pulpit preaching the same text with greater insight than I had before. The title of this message is “The Rest of the Story.”
I don’t know about you, but I would be bored out of my skull if preaching and teaching today consisted only of parroting back stuff I learned in Seminary or even last year. May we all be like the Bereans who studied the Scriptures daily. Indeed, that’s one of the greatest blessings of the Transformed Life.
In preparation for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider the following:
1. Romans 5:6-11.
2. The role of the “lawyer” in the Hebrew society of Jesus’ day.
3. What is the problem with his question in verse 25?
4. Why does Jesus answer as He does in verse 26?
5. What is Jesus’ implication in verse 28?
6. Luke tells us, “But desiring to justify himself, he asks, ‘Who’s my neighbor?’” Is this guy pulling a Bill Clinton here - “It all depends on what the definition of “is” is? Or is he appealing to some extant debate regarding the definition of the word “neighbor”?
7. What reasons are there for the priest and the Levite to pass by the victim? [Note the direction in which they are walking.]
8. What is the Gospel in this parable? Who is Jesus and who are you?
9. What does Jesus mean when He tells the lawyer to “go and do likewise”?
10. What Old Testament incident does Jesus draw on in answering the lawyer’s question?
11. What should the grace we receive in communion enable us to do regarding our neighbor?
See you Sunday!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Why Pray?
Last week we finished our 25-week series on Living a Transformed Life, but our study of the application and topic is hardly over. Indeed, this week and in coming weeks, we will continue to build on all that we have learned throughout the year - for in 25 weeks we only scratched the surface. We could have spent 25 weeks on each area of transformation. When it comes to the Holy Spirit’s work in dealing with our brokenness toward God, ourselves, others, and the world - 25 weeks is quite meager. The Scriptures are filled with incidents and instruction that bring to light the height and length, breadth and depth of God’s healing love for His own.
This week we turn to the topic of prayer in a message entitled “Why Pray?” The text we’ll examine together is one that was passed over in our year-long series on the Book of Genesis entitled Themes from Genesis (2003). The text is Genesis 18:16-33 and the companion text is John 14:8-14. The context is important.
Abraham has just been visited by God by the trees of Mamre. He’s one hundred-years-old. He’s recently been circumcised. He’s been the recipient of God’s last will and testament in Chapter 15. There the Lord of Glory proves to Abraham in no uncertain terms that should any of His promises fail, He will slay Himself. And now, here on the plain of Hebron, at the great oaks of Mamre, the Lord appears to Abraham in three persons. (It’s called a theophony.)
We’re not told at what stage of the visit Abraham realizes that he’s entertaining the Lord Himself in human form. If he recognized the identity of his visitors early in the encounter, then his bowing down, his solicitous care, and his warm welcome were most appropriate. On the other hand, if he acted so courteously and generously to total strangers he not only “unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2); but he also discovered firsthand the truth that what is done generously to one of the Lord’s people is done to the Lord Himself (Matthew 25:40). His hospitality extended to a fine meal and a deep conversation (initiated by God) that concerned Abraham’s deepest relationships – wife and son. Here at this “table” the Lord articulates one of the greatest fundamentals in all of the universe – “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Abraham would come to see that the answer to that question is “NO, NO, a thousand times NO!”
And it’s also here at the conclusion of this meal that we find the Lord revealing something else about Himself. As the Lord is ready to take His leave of Abraham, the ever courteous patriarch walks with Him. The Bible says that as they look over the plains toward Sodom the Lord says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” It’s not a rhetorical question. As is the case with nearly every question God asks in Scripture, it is answered. God Himself answers it. The answer is “no,” because God has a plan and purpose for Abraham and his people.
You see, what God is doing here is initiating prayer. He’s initiating the first recorded prayer in Scripture to reveal more of Himself to His friend. Prayer at its core is a communicative relationship between God and His people. And it’s about the nature of communication that we will be concerned this Sunday.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. What is the first mention of prayer in Scripture?
2. What does Jesus say to the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar (John 4) that helps us know why God initiates prayer?
3. What is different about Abraham’s prayer in Chapter 18 from his prayer in Genesis 15?
4. What is God intimating in his question in verse 17?
5. How important is the object of Abraham’s prayer in Chapter 18 in telling us about God’s agenda?
6. What is Abraham’s view of himself as he prays?
7. What is the foundation of Abraham’s boldness here?
8. What is Abraham learning here about God and His “corporate orientation?”
9. Why doesn’t Abraham get down to one righteous person in his pleading?
10. Why pray if God knows what He’s going to do? What purpose does prayer serve in the transformed life?
This week we turn to the topic of prayer in a message entitled “Why Pray?” The text we’ll examine together is one that was passed over in our year-long series on the Book of Genesis entitled Themes from Genesis (2003). The text is Genesis 18:16-33 and the companion text is John 14:8-14. The context is important.
Abraham has just been visited by God by the trees of Mamre. He’s one hundred-years-old. He’s recently been circumcised. He’s been the recipient of God’s last will and testament in Chapter 15. There the Lord of Glory proves to Abraham in no uncertain terms that should any of His promises fail, He will slay Himself. And now, here on the plain of Hebron, at the great oaks of Mamre, the Lord appears to Abraham in three persons. (It’s called a theophony.)
We’re not told at what stage of the visit Abraham realizes that he’s entertaining the Lord Himself in human form. If he recognized the identity of his visitors early in the encounter, then his bowing down, his solicitous care, and his warm welcome were most appropriate. On the other hand, if he acted so courteously and generously to total strangers he not only “unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2); but he also discovered firsthand the truth that what is done generously to one of the Lord’s people is done to the Lord Himself (Matthew 25:40). His hospitality extended to a fine meal and a deep conversation (initiated by God) that concerned Abraham’s deepest relationships – wife and son. Here at this “table” the Lord articulates one of the greatest fundamentals in all of the universe – “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Abraham would come to see that the answer to that question is “NO, NO, a thousand times NO!”
And it’s also here at the conclusion of this meal that we find the Lord revealing something else about Himself. As the Lord is ready to take His leave of Abraham, the ever courteous patriarch walks with Him. The Bible says that as they look over the plains toward Sodom the Lord says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” It’s not a rhetorical question. As is the case with nearly every question God asks in Scripture, it is answered. God Himself answers it. The answer is “no,” because God has a plan and purpose for Abraham and his people.
You see, what God is doing here is initiating prayer. He’s initiating the first recorded prayer in Scripture to reveal more of Himself to His friend. Prayer at its core is a communicative relationship between God and His people. And it’s about the nature of communication that we will be concerned this Sunday.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. What is the first mention of prayer in Scripture?
2. What does Jesus say to the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar (John 4) that helps us know why God initiates prayer?
3. What is different about Abraham’s prayer in Chapter 18 from his prayer in Genesis 15?
4. What is God intimating in his question in verse 17?
5. How important is the object of Abraham’s prayer in Chapter 18 in telling us about God’s agenda?
6. What is Abraham’s view of himself as he prays?
7. What is the foundation of Abraham’s boldness here?
8. What is Abraham learning here about God and His “corporate orientation?”
9. Why doesn’t Abraham get down to one righteous person in his pleading?
10. Why pray if God knows what He’s going to do? What purpose does prayer serve in the transformed life?
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Welcoming Together
Ty Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, in 1886. He spent twenty-two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six of which as player/manager. He played in 3,033 games. For twelve years he led the American League in batting with a .367 average. He retained many major league records for nearly a half-century, including most career hits. In the opinion of the vast majority of observers, having Ty Cobb on your team was an unparalleled boon. And yet, according to the Detroit Free Press, “His legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament, racism, and an aggressive playing style that is ‘daring to the point of dementia.’”
But it was on his deathbed that Cobb experienced his most extraordinary feat. For it was there in the final days of his life that Ty Cobb came face-to-face with the singular saving power of Jesus Christ. In his entire lifetime Cobb knew no moment of greater clarity than when he acknowledged Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord for the first time. Immediately he turned to a friend who was standing at his bedside and said, “Go tell the boys I’m sorry it was in the last part of the ninth that I came to know Christ. I wish it had taken place in the top of the first!”
This week we come to the end of our 25-week series on The Transformed Life. On Sunday, September 11, 2011, we began with a sermon entitled, “The Big Story.” The text that day was Romans 1:8-17 where Paul plainly points out that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is greater than most people think, including Christians. (You may wish to go back and listen to that message on Hebron’s podcast at hebrononline.org.) For Paul is clear throughout his writings that one who is found in Christ is not only saved from the penalty of sin, but from the power of sin as well. One is not only saved from the coming wrath of God, one is saved from the power of sin that derails one from being all that God intends. For the Christian, the principle question is not, “Are you saved?” but, “Why are you saved?” And the answer is – to be transformed – to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Throughout this series we have seen how Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can heal us from all the brokenness that sin has wrought. We’ve seen how He heals us from our brokenness with God, ourselves, others, and the world in which we live. We’ve seen how the Holy Spirit redefines the lives of those He is transforming by enabling them to live differently – with a different kind of love, hope, forgiving attitude, power, courage, and sense of community. And it’s this final area of change that’s in focus this Sunday – Father’s Day.
The message is entitled, “Welcoming Together” and it’s an exposition of Jesus’ model of discipleship detailed in John 1. The thesis of the message is that just as Jesus repeatedly demonstrates how one is welcomed into the family of faith, so ought we in the same way welcome others in. In fact, the simple truth of the Gospel is that He welcomes us so that we might welcome others. Consider all of the parables of Jesus that deal with welcoming others to the banquet table. Consider the very next chapter of John where Jesus proves that He is able to provide life, and health, and joy in a way that the law was never intended to provide. Jesus is all about welcoming others to the family!
Throughout the New Testament we repeatedly see how dining around a table is a vivid metaphoric reminder of what the people of God are meant to do and be. Indeed, what better picture of transformation is there than an ever-increasing family gathering around a table to feed one another. That’s what the community of faith is all about – feeding one another on the Bread of Life.
At the heart of Ty Cobb’s lament is the awareness that he missed out on the supernatural reality of Christian community throughout his life. On his deathbed he came to see the wasted years in which his God-given talents were buried, rather than used for the glory of the Giver. While coming to know and acknowledge Christ on his deathbed was the greatest of all blessings, his lateness to the party precluded him from enjoying the incalculable blessing of welcoming others.
The ancients used to say that where heaven intersects earth God always plants a family of God that is nothing short of the temple of God. Think of it. The church is the dwelling place of God. It’s the family of faith where every need is met and every gift of God is used to build up the Kingdom of God.
The sad truth is that there are so many gatherings called churches today where godly community and a Christ-like welcome are absent. Would to God that we grow further and further away from such a charge!
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Someone has said, “The church at its best is a taste of the Kingdom of God.” What do you think is meant by that?
2. If all of life illustrates biblical truth, can you think of any examples of what the church should be like?
3. A recent survey of Protestant churchgoers was conducted asking, “If a person is sincerely seeking God, can he/she obtain eternal life through other religions?” What percentage do you think said “no”? What percentage of Protestant pastors said “no”?
4. What does John the Baptist mean when he sees Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God!”?
5. Why does Jesus ask the disciples of John that question in verse 38?
6. Can you think of other cases where Jesus asks such a question?
7. What is meant by the response? (verse 38b)
8. What other word can be substituted for the word “staying”? Hint: It’s mēno in Greek. (See John 15 where it’s used twelve times.)
9. What is John’s purpose in including the hour of the day in verse 39?
10. What does Jesus mean in verse 51 when He tells Nathanael he’ll see heaven opened?
11. Do you think there’s any correspondence between what Jesus tells Nathanael in verse 51 and what He tells the disciples of John in verse 39?
12. Why does the Gospel of John begin and end with a meal? What does that tell us about what the church ought to be?
See you on Father’s Day!
But it was on his deathbed that Cobb experienced his most extraordinary feat. For it was there in the final days of his life that Ty Cobb came face-to-face with the singular saving power of Jesus Christ. In his entire lifetime Cobb knew no moment of greater clarity than when he acknowledged Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord for the first time. Immediately he turned to a friend who was standing at his bedside and said, “Go tell the boys I’m sorry it was in the last part of the ninth that I came to know Christ. I wish it had taken place in the top of the first!”
This week we come to the end of our 25-week series on The Transformed Life. On Sunday, September 11, 2011, we began with a sermon entitled, “The Big Story.” The text that day was Romans 1:8-17 where Paul plainly points out that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is greater than most people think, including Christians. (You may wish to go back and listen to that message on Hebron’s podcast at hebrononline.org.) For Paul is clear throughout his writings that one who is found in Christ is not only saved from the penalty of sin, but from the power of sin as well. One is not only saved from the coming wrath of God, one is saved from the power of sin that derails one from being all that God intends. For the Christian, the principle question is not, “Are you saved?” but, “Why are you saved?” And the answer is – to be transformed – to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Throughout this series we have seen how Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can heal us from all the brokenness that sin has wrought. We’ve seen how He heals us from our brokenness with God, ourselves, others, and the world in which we live. We’ve seen how the Holy Spirit redefines the lives of those He is transforming by enabling them to live differently – with a different kind of love, hope, forgiving attitude, power, courage, and sense of community. And it’s this final area of change that’s in focus this Sunday – Father’s Day.
The message is entitled, “Welcoming Together” and it’s an exposition of Jesus’ model of discipleship detailed in John 1. The thesis of the message is that just as Jesus repeatedly demonstrates how one is welcomed into the family of faith, so ought we in the same way welcome others in. In fact, the simple truth of the Gospel is that He welcomes us so that we might welcome others. Consider all of the parables of Jesus that deal with welcoming others to the banquet table. Consider the very next chapter of John where Jesus proves that He is able to provide life, and health, and joy in a way that the law was never intended to provide. Jesus is all about welcoming others to the family!
Throughout the New Testament we repeatedly see how dining around a table is a vivid metaphoric reminder of what the people of God are meant to do and be. Indeed, what better picture of transformation is there than an ever-increasing family gathering around a table to feed one another. That’s what the community of faith is all about – feeding one another on the Bread of Life.
At the heart of Ty Cobb’s lament is the awareness that he missed out on the supernatural reality of Christian community throughout his life. On his deathbed he came to see the wasted years in which his God-given talents were buried, rather than used for the glory of the Giver. While coming to know and acknowledge Christ on his deathbed was the greatest of all blessings, his lateness to the party precluded him from enjoying the incalculable blessing of welcoming others.
The ancients used to say that where heaven intersects earth God always plants a family of God that is nothing short of the temple of God. Think of it. The church is the dwelling place of God. It’s the family of faith where every need is met and every gift of God is used to build up the Kingdom of God.
The sad truth is that there are so many gatherings called churches today where godly community and a Christ-like welcome are absent. Would to God that we grow further and further away from such a charge!
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Someone has said, “The church at its best is a taste of the Kingdom of God.” What do you think is meant by that?
2. If all of life illustrates biblical truth, can you think of any examples of what the church should be like?
3. A recent survey of Protestant churchgoers was conducted asking, “If a person is sincerely seeking God, can he/she obtain eternal life through other religions?” What percentage do you think said “no”? What percentage of Protestant pastors said “no”?
4. What does John the Baptist mean when he sees Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God!”?
5. Why does Jesus ask the disciples of John that question in verse 38?
6. Can you think of other cases where Jesus asks such a question?
7. What is meant by the response? (verse 38b)
8. What other word can be substituted for the word “staying”? Hint: It’s mēno in Greek. (See John 15 where it’s used twelve times.)
9. What is John’s purpose in including the hour of the day in verse 39?
10. What does Jesus mean in verse 51 when He tells Nathanael he’ll see heaven opened?
11. Do you think there’s any correspondence between what Jesus tells Nathanael in verse 51 and what He tells the disciples of John in verse 39?
12. Why does the Gospel of John begin and end with a meal? What does that tell us about what the church ought to be?
See you on Father’s Day!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Living Together
Watching the building of the Hebron Sanctuary’s new entrance has been a joy. The laborers have turned a load of individual bricks into an attractive wall. The bricks by themselves serve little purpose until placed together. This seems to be Peter’s thought when he calls us “living stones”. The Lord is putting each of us (stones/bricks) together to make His spiritual temple.
Peter also teaches that Jesus Christ is the precious cornerstone holding the other stones (us) in place.
Amazingly, Peter tells us we are not only God’s temple but also His priests. Each believer has the ability and privilege to offer the Lord worship and spiritual sacrifice.
Think of why we come together as believers though we have different homes, jobs and schools. It is primarily to worship God! Our local church is a visible expression of I Peter 2 where God is putting a people together to worship Him.
A friend of mine greets his congregation on Sundays with this line “Hello, Church.” He has captured Peter’s thought that the church is much more than the place; it’s the people!
See you in “Church”!
1. Peter teaches that Jesus is “precious” to God and to us. I Peter 2:4, 7 - List reasons why.
2. What does the theological concept “the priesthood of all believers” mean. I Peter 2:5, Revelation 1:6, 5:10
3. Compare I Peter 2:6 with Ephesians 2: 19-22. How is Christ the cornerstone?
4. He (Jesus) is also a stumbling stone in I Peter 2:8. What could that mean?
5. Who do you think the “builders” are in I Peters 2:7?
6. For what purpose does God grant for us the privileges of I Peters 2:9?
7. David describes God as a rock in Psalm 18:1. What do you think he means?
8. Read Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2:31-46. Any ideas on the who/what of that rock!
9. What rock do you think Jesus is referring to in Matthew 16: 15-18?
10. Note some early renditions of Christian “rock music”. Deuteronomy32:1-4; II Samuel 22:1,2
Peter also teaches that Jesus Christ is the precious cornerstone holding the other stones (us) in place.
Amazingly, Peter tells us we are not only God’s temple but also His priests. Each believer has the ability and privilege to offer the Lord worship and spiritual sacrifice.
Think of why we come together as believers though we have different homes, jobs and schools. It is primarily to worship God! Our local church is a visible expression of I Peter 2 where God is putting a people together to worship Him.
A friend of mine greets his congregation on Sundays with this line “Hello, Church.” He has captured Peter’s thought that the church is much more than the place; it’s the people!
See you in “Church”!
1. Peter teaches that Jesus is “precious” to God and to us. I Peter 2:4, 7 - List reasons why.
2. What does the theological concept “the priesthood of all believers” mean. I Peter 2:5, Revelation 1:6, 5:10
3. Compare I Peter 2:6 with Ephesians 2: 19-22. How is Christ the cornerstone?
4. He (Jesus) is also a stumbling stone in I Peter 2:8. What could that mean?
5. Who do you think the “builders” are in I Peters 2:7?
6. For what purpose does God grant for us the privileges of I Peters 2:9?
7. David describes God as a rock in Psalm 18:1. What do you think he means?
8. Read Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2:31-46. Any ideas on the who/what of that rock!
9. What rock do you think Jesus is referring to in Matthew 16: 15-18?
10. Note some early renditions of Christian “rock music”. Deuteronomy32:1-4; II Samuel 22:1,2
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Eating Together
One time a student came to Socrates and said, “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, because anytime I meet you, you show me what I am.” God’s a lot like that. Someone has said, “Our problem with God is not His existence, it’s His essence, for when we see Him, He shows us what we’re not.”
One time Luther was asked by a friend, “Where are you going to stand when everyone is against you?” Luther replied, “Right where I stand now, in the hands of Almighty God.” You see, Luther knew that his standing was not the product of the work of Luther; it was the product of the work of God.
Generations ago some unknown author wrote: “I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Savior true, No I was found of thee.”
Years after Watergate, Chuck Colson said, “My greatest humiliation was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life. He chose the one experience, in which I could not glory, for His glory.
And the Apostle Paul knew that. After writing two letters to the church at Corinth, Paul writes a third letter that we call II Corinthians. (We’re missing the first and maybe another one.) Near the end of it, the apostle returns to a familiar theme – humility. Indeed, both of the Corinthian epistles take on the issue of egotism as the primary problem in Corinth. And Paul begins his rebuke in the first chapter of the first letter. Twenty-six chapters later Paul says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The problem in Corinth is factionalism. It’s a factionalism born of pride, and Paul hits it head on. In fact his most devastating critique of egotism is a reference to Christ’s teaching in II Corinthians 12:1-10. Here Paul recounts the time when he was caught up into the third heaven and there he heard things that cannot be told. But in I Corinthians 11 he tells us one of the things Christ told him. And guess what? It’s all about oneness!
Think of it. When Paul meets the Risen Christ, whether in the desert of Arabia (Gal. 1) or here in the third heaven, the subject the Lord addresses with him is communion. That’s the Corinthian problem. That’s our problem, too – factionalism and individualism born of egotism.
When one considers the marks of a life that’s becoming more and more like Jesus, one of the clearest and strongest is a corporate identity. This stands to reason, for in all the Gospels there’s only one thing that Jesus says He earnestly desires (read “lusts after”) and that is to eat with His disciples. Indeed, His final command prior to the cross is, “Love one another as I have loved you.” As we noted last week, when the Holy Spirit transforms a life, one of the clearest byproducts is a whole lot less “me” and a whole lot more “we.” And that’s exactly what we find again in Sunday’s text: I Corinthians 11:1-2, 17-34.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Find some Scriptural examples of eating together as the sign of intimacy.
2. What experience might Paul be referring to in II Corinthians 12:2?
3. How could Paul’s experience of 14 years earlier relate to what he’s saying in I Corinthians 11?
4. What does the word “communion” mean?
5. Why does Paul say that when the Corinthian Christians come together in verse 17 it’s not for the good, but for the worse?
6. Why is it that the most pressing thing on Jesus’ mind before the cross is eating with His disciples?
7. In verse 24 Paul mentions something Matthew and Mark fail to mention in their accounts of this first communion. What is it?
8. What can we learn about our corporate identity in Christ from the word “Eucharist”?
9. What does it mean to eat and drink in an “unworthy manner”?
10. How do both of the variant readings in verse 33 make the same point - that it’s all about the “whole” and not the “parts”?
One time Luther was asked by a friend, “Where are you going to stand when everyone is against you?” Luther replied, “Right where I stand now, in the hands of Almighty God.” You see, Luther knew that his standing was not the product of the work of Luther; it was the product of the work of God.
Generations ago some unknown author wrote: “I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Savior true, No I was found of thee.”
Years after Watergate, Chuck Colson said, “My greatest humiliation was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life. He chose the one experience, in which I could not glory, for His glory.
And the Apostle Paul knew that. After writing two letters to the church at Corinth, Paul writes a third letter that we call II Corinthians. (We’re missing the first and maybe another one.) Near the end of it, the apostle returns to a familiar theme – humility. Indeed, both of the Corinthian epistles take on the issue of egotism as the primary problem in Corinth. And Paul begins his rebuke in the first chapter of the first letter. Twenty-six chapters later Paul says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The problem in Corinth is factionalism. It’s a factionalism born of pride, and Paul hits it head on. In fact his most devastating critique of egotism is a reference to Christ’s teaching in II Corinthians 12:1-10. Here Paul recounts the time when he was caught up into the third heaven and there he heard things that cannot be told. But in I Corinthians 11 he tells us one of the things Christ told him. And guess what? It’s all about oneness!
Think of it. When Paul meets the Risen Christ, whether in the desert of Arabia (Gal. 1) or here in the third heaven, the subject the Lord addresses with him is communion. That’s the Corinthian problem. That’s our problem, too – factionalism and individualism born of egotism.
When one considers the marks of a life that’s becoming more and more like Jesus, one of the clearest and strongest is a corporate identity. This stands to reason, for in all the Gospels there’s only one thing that Jesus says He earnestly desires (read “lusts after”) and that is to eat with His disciples. Indeed, His final command prior to the cross is, “Love one another as I have loved you.” As we noted last week, when the Holy Spirit transforms a life, one of the clearest byproducts is a whole lot less “me” and a whole lot more “we.” And that’s exactly what we find again in Sunday’s text: I Corinthians 11:1-2, 17-34.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Find some Scriptural examples of eating together as the sign of intimacy.
2. What experience might Paul be referring to in II Corinthians 12:2?
3. How could Paul’s experience of 14 years earlier relate to what he’s saying in I Corinthians 11?
4. What does the word “communion” mean?
5. Why does Paul say that when the Corinthian Christians come together in verse 17 it’s not for the good, but for the worse?
6. Why is it that the most pressing thing on Jesus’ mind before the cross is eating with His disciples?
7. In verse 24 Paul mentions something Matthew and Mark fail to mention in their accounts of this first communion. What is it?
8. What can we learn about our corporate identity in Christ from the word “Eucharist”?
9. What does it mean to eat and drink in an “unworthy manner”?
10. How do both of the variant readings in verse 33 make the same point - that it’s all about the “whole” and not the “parts”?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Rescued Together
“No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be wasted away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.”
John Donne 1624 A.D.
John Donne was a Christian Monk. His intention in authoring this piece was not to create a “stand alone” poem, but was a part of a devotional contemplation entitled, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. For Donne, and other thinkers of his Renaissance Era, rugged individualism and self-reliance were not the hallmark of progress, but the devolution and corruption of God’s original intentions.
Today we live in a culture where the quest for “islandhood” is at epidemic levels. Many see it as progress; and yet, it’s actually quite the opposite. As John Donne knew, Satan’s first temptation in the Garden of Eden was an appeal to individualism and isolation. The effect of the fall of man was not only isolation from God, but isolation of man from man, man from self, man from creation. Indeed, all of human history is marked by a tension between individualism and community.
In the last 50 years “self-help” books have been at the top of the sales volume list of all publications. Many of the books of this genre have multiple chapters on acts of altruism. The author’s intention is clear – one necessary step toward human fulfillment is the undertaking of acts of kindness to others; ergo: “No man is an island.” Indeed, even someone as accomplished as the Secretary of State and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, could author her epiphanous book, It Takes a Village, as a declaration of the truth of Donne’s discovery.
There is something fundamentally intrinsic in fallen man that seeks to isolate and individualize one life from another. Indeed, throughout the Scriptures we find that isolation and individualism are the inevitable results of sin. See Cain and Abel. See Achan. See the Gergesene demoniac. See Judas. The list goes on and on. But the converse is also true. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, where His regenerative power is on full display, there is a glorious fellowship that results. One needs only to look to Acts 2 (Sunday’s companion text) to see the power of divinely authored interdependence among Christ’s body – His church.
For months we’ve been examining the effects of spiritual transformation on lives that rest on the finished work of Christ. We’ve looked at the different kind of love that begins to flow from the transformed life. We’ve looked at the hope, the forgiveness, the power, and the courage that mark every truly transformed life.
This Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we turn to our final mark of transformation – community. The evidence of Scripture is overwhelming. Those who are truly being transformed by the Holy Spirit will find a growing desire for fellowship and interconnectedness. This is necessarily so, for Jesus came, died, and rose again to redeem a company of people – His body – the church. Simply put, every one of us who names the name of Christ, who worships God in spirit, glories Christ Jesus, and puts no confidence in the flesh, should find within ourselves a growing, intense devotion to other believers. For all that Christ has done, He’s done for “US.”
This week we look at our RESCUE. We find ourselves in Joshua chapters 3 & 4 where, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, God leads His people, together, from the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Who are these people who come to the banks of the Jordan River? What is their relationship with the ones that come through the Red Sea?
2. What similarities and differences can you find between the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14) and the crossing of the Jordan?
3. What is the purpose of delaying them at the river for three days (3:2)?
4. What is the meaning of the parenthetical comment in 4:15?
5. Who leads them through the waters?
6. How many pass through the Jordan? And how wide is the dry riverbed? (See 4:16)
7. What is the meaning of sending one man from every tribe to the feet of the priests to pick up a stone? (See 4:2-3.)
8. Why carry the stones on the shoulder? And how far do they carry them?
9. What is the meaning of Gilgal?
10. What is the message of the stone “sign”? (See 4:6)
11. What is the meaning of “crossing over” together? (See Genesis 2:18.)
See you Sunday – Pentecost Sunday!
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be wasted away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.”
John Donne 1624 A.D.
John Donne was a Christian Monk. His intention in authoring this piece was not to create a “stand alone” poem, but was a part of a devotional contemplation entitled, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. For Donne, and other thinkers of his Renaissance Era, rugged individualism and self-reliance were not the hallmark of progress, but the devolution and corruption of God’s original intentions.
Today we live in a culture where the quest for “islandhood” is at epidemic levels. Many see it as progress; and yet, it’s actually quite the opposite. As John Donne knew, Satan’s first temptation in the Garden of Eden was an appeal to individualism and isolation. The effect of the fall of man was not only isolation from God, but isolation of man from man, man from self, man from creation. Indeed, all of human history is marked by a tension between individualism and community.
In the last 50 years “self-help” books have been at the top of the sales volume list of all publications. Many of the books of this genre have multiple chapters on acts of altruism. The author’s intention is clear – one necessary step toward human fulfillment is the undertaking of acts of kindness to others; ergo: “No man is an island.” Indeed, even someone as accomplished as the Secretary of State and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, could author her epiphanous book, It Takes a Village, as a declaration of the truth of Donne’s discovery.
There is something fundamentally intrinsic in fallen man that seeks to isolate and individualize one life from another. Indeed, throughout the Scriptures we find that isolation and individualism are the inevitable results of sin. See Cain and Abel. See Achan. See the Gergesene demoniac. See Judas. The list goes on and on. But the converse is also true. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, where His regenerative power is on full display, there is a glorious fellowship that results. One needs only to look to Acts 2 (Sunday’s companion text) to see the power of divinely authored interdependence among Christ’s body – His church.
For months we’ve been examining the effects of spiritual transformation on lives that rest on the finished work of Christ. We’ve looked at the different kind of love that begins to flow from the transformed life. We’ve looked at the hope, the forgiveness, the power, and the courage that mark every truly transformed life.
This Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we turn to our final mark of transformation – community. The evidence of Scripture is overwhelming. Those who are truly being transformed by the Holy Spirit will find a growing desire for fellowship and interconnectedness. This is necessarily so, for Jesus came, died, and rose again to redeem a company of people – His body – the church. Simply put, every one of us who names the name of Christ, who worships God in spirit, glories Christ Jesus, and puts no confidence in the flesh, should find within ourselves a growing, intense devotion to other believers. For all that Christ has done, He’s done for “US.”
This week we look at our RESCUE. We find ourselves in Joshua chapters 3 & 4 where, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, God leads His people, together, from the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
1. Who are these people who come to the banks of the Jordan River? What is their relationship with the ones that come through the Red Sea?
2. What similarities and differences can you find between the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14) and the crossing of the Jordan?
3. What is the purpose of delaying them at the river for three days (3:2)?
4. What is the meaning of the parenthetical comment in 4:15?
5. Who leads them through the waters?
6. How many pass through the Jordan? And how wide is the dry riverbed? (See 4:16)
7. What is the meaning of sending one man from every tribe to the feet of the priests to pick up a stone? (See 4:2-3.)
8. Why carry the stones on the shoulder? And how far do they carry them?
9. What is the meaning of Gilgal?
10. What is the message of the stone “sign”? (See 4:6)
11. What is the meaning of “crossing over” together? (See Genesis 2:18.)
See you Sunday – Pentecost Sunday!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Courage to Die
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" is a statement that has stirred the spirit throughout the years. It seems that often the death of a person for the sake of the Gospel has been used by the Holy Spirit to compel others to Christ. We so often speak of Christ's death for us but this week we think of those who died for Him. Obviously, they were willing to give all for Him because He had given all for them.
Stephen is the primary example we have of a martyr in the New Testament. He was an amazing follower of Christ who was powerful in his witness and bold in his preaching. Opponents of "The Way" (as Christianity was first called) hated his theology and ministry just as they opposed our Lord. False witnesses were set against Stephen but to no avail. Finally, his direct challenges to his opponents and vision of the Triumphant Lord brought about the stoning that killed him. We will consider in the text this matter of hatred against Christians, Stephen's fearlessness in the face of death, and Christ's honor of this faithful martyr.
The transformed life calls us not only to be willing to live for Christ but to be willing to die for Him as well. Thankfully we live in a nation where religious freedom has flourished. However, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other lands still face persecution and even martyrdom.
Along with the biblical record of martyrs, I have read an old book called Foxe's Book of Martyrs and viewed the website for "The Voice of the Martyrs." These testimonies have stirred some questions in my mind. Do I love Christ enough to die for Him? Would I have the courage if called upon to be a martyr for Him? When we consider questions like these and the sacred sacrifice of Stephen, we are looking at ultimate transformation!
See you Sunday.
1. What "S" word gives an indication of where Stephen's power and fearlessness came from? Acts 6:5, 10, 55
2. Looking at Acts 6:15 and Acts 7:51-53 what curious combo do you see in Stephen? Compare John 1:14.
3. Study Acts 6:7-11. Why was Stephen opposed? What methods did his opponents seek to use to combat him?
4. What is unique about Christ’s recognition of His martyr, Stephen, in Acts 7:55?
5. Read some of the other "stoning" stories in the N.T. John 8:5, 59; 10:31; Acts 14:19
6. Christ honors the martyrs of the O.T. beginning and ending with whom? Matthew 23:35
7. Consider the 5th Seal of Revelation 6:9-11 and its description of martyrs for Christ.
8. What is the promised reward Christ gives to martyrs? Revelation 2:10
9. Where is our source of courage? Joshua 1:9; Psalm 31:24
Stephen is the primary example we have of a martyr in the New Testament. He was an amazing follower of Christ who was powerful in his witness and bold in his preaching. Opponents of "The Way" (as Christianity was first called) hated his theology and ministry just as they opposed our Lord. False witnesses were set against Stephen but to no avail. Finally, his direct challenges to his opponents and vision of the Triumphant Lord brought about the stoning that killed him. We will consider in the text this matter of hatred against Christians, Stephen's fearlessness in the face of death, and Christ's honor of this faithful martyr.
The transformed life calls us not only to be willing to live for Christ but to be willing to die for Him as well. Thankfully we live in a nation where religious freedom has flourished. However, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other lands still face persecution and even martyrdom.
Along with the biblical record of martyrs, I have read an old book called Foxe's Book of Martyrs and viewed the website for "The Voice of the Martyrs." These testimonies have stirred some questions in my mind. Do I love Christ enough to die for Him? Would I have the courage if called upon to be a martyr for Him? When we consider questions like these and the sacred sacrifice of Stephen, we are looking at ultimate transformation!
See you Sunday.
1. What "S" word gives an indication of where Stephen's power and fearlessness came from? Acts 6:5, 10, 55
2. Looking at Acts 6:15 and Acts 7:51-53 what curious combo do you see in Stephen? Compare John 1:14.
3. Study Acts 6:7-11. Why was Stephen opposed? What methods did his opponents seek to use to combat him?
4. What is unique about Christ’s recognition of His martyr, Stephen, in Acts 7:55?
5. Read some of the other "stoning" stories in the N.T. John 8:5, 59; 10:31; Acts 14:19
6. Christ honors the martyrs of the O.T. beginning and ending with whom? Matthew 23:35
7. Consider the 5th Seal of Revelation 6:9-11 and its description of martyrs for Christ.
8. What is the promised reward Christ gives to martyrs? Revelation 2:10
9. Where is our source of courage? Joshua 1:9; Psalm 31:24
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