When I Told the Atheist I Would Kill Him...

(Or, what I should have said was…)

In the words of Alanis Morrisette: “I recommend biting off more that you can chew to anyone (I certainly do)." That’s what I did this past week. I accepted an opportunity to dialogue with an atheist on the topic “Should You Believe in the Resurrection” at the Baptist Student Center at Missouri State University. I was paired with JT Eberhard who is a speaker for the Secular Student Alliance and blogs at www.patheos/blogs/wwjtd. You can also find many of his debates and presentations on YouTube.

Although I do believe JT was being somewhat kind to me and not as vicious as his reputation, I do think I was doing all right in the discussion. I’ll admit, I didn’t always have answers to his points about science as the answer to everything, my goal was to give a viable reason why I believe in the resurrection, and my reason was grounded in historical method and not science.

There came a time near the end of the night when the subject veered off of the resurrection and on to morality. The subject of the morality of Abraham’s decision to sacrifice his son came up. JT turned the question to me. Granted there is a God, and he told me to kill him (JT), would I do it. I hemmed and hawed. I didn’t know how to answer the question. If I said no, then I admit that I am more moral than God and don’t need him to make moral decisions. If I said yes, I reveal myself to be no different than someone like Andrea Yates (who drowned her children in a bathtub because “god” told her). We obviously don’t believe God told Andrea Yates that, and that is why it is hard to believe in anyone who tells you that God told them anything (especially when it comes to claims of the supernatural). I started by saying I felt the demand was something I felt that was out of character for what I knew of God on this side of the cross. But for some reason, I felt compelled to answer. I took the bait, and said yes, if God himself told me to kill JT, I probably would. And immediately I knew it was the wrong answer. The crowd (probably more skeptics than Christians) gasped. The BSU director threw his head back with his mouth agape as if to say, “I can’t believe you said that!” And of course, JT pounced. It is irrational to believe in the stories of the Bible where God tells someone to kill just as we wouldn’t believe Andrea Yates.

I backtracked, admitted that I made a mistake and wished that I could answer again, but I didn’t feel that was fair. I said that the question was hard to answer because it was out of character for God. What I wish I had said was that I would probably not do it, for that very reason. The request was out of character for my understanding of the nature of God revealed through the person of Jesus Christ. I would decline the command and throw myself on His mercy. I would assume that there must be something wrong with me if I thought that God was asking me to do something like this. Perhaps I should have just refused the question, because it is an impossibility. You cannot imagine how many times I have kicked myself since last night.

I definitely was out of my element last night. And that’s okay. I have very little experience in those of settings. It is amazing, however, how clever I was on the three-hour ride back home last night. I could think of many answers to the questions that were posed to me by both JT and the skeptics in the audience. If I want to continue doing this sort of thing, I guess I’ll need to get my reps in. (It will remain to be seen whether I want to continue to do this sort of thing, or even after this performance, anyone would even ask me to be a part. It will be on YouTube soon, so you can see the train wreck yourself).

The experience was truly humbling and challenging as well. I interacted with sources that I normally do not. I went into the evening with the goal of representing Jesus well. I was asked to take part in this event, not because of my debating skills, but because of my relationship with the Christian campus director and his feeling that I would come across knowledgeable, but I would not damage relationships that he has been building with the skeptic community at Missouri State University. And while I did not match wits at time very well with JT, later I was told by several skeptics that I came across as cordial, honest and humble. I knew I wouldn’t win a debate, but if what they said about me was true, I met part of my goal.

A Review of The Just Church

Jim Martin is the Vice President of Church Mobilization for International Justice Mission, a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

Instead of writing a book on social justice based on guilt and manipulation, Martin’s book, The Just Church, lays out a vision of a better future for oppressed people around the world. Martin acknowledges the overwhelming need around the world but provides a blueprint for churches to make an impact for justice locally and globally.

The fight for justice is a call to discipleship as it works in step with the heart of a just God. Martin encourages churches to start “looking for trouble” in the sense that there are people who are in distress and it is God’s plan for the church to embody good news to those people and relieve their suffering. As churches look for trouble, they may find situations that put their faith at the “failure point”; that is that place where you encounter people in situations that may cause you to question how a good God could allow this happen to people. At these points where theologically pat answers do not suffice, the “failure point” of one’s faith has to trust that God is involved in these situations and that he cares for suffering people far more than you can. And that is why you are involved in the issue of social justice, because God has called the church to that work.

This book is more than just the biblical mandate to social justice. Martin lays out a practical three-step process that churches have used to become “just churches”. The first step is “Encounter”, learning the heart of the God of justice in an unjust world. This is for the churches to be educated on the Scriptures’ call to be engaged in fighting injustice. The second step is “Explore”, finding real neighbors to love. The book provides great questions to ask of the church and the community at large to see how the church can get involved and harness the gifts and the passions already within the church. The third step is “Engage”. Here is where the church is encouraged to overcome its fear and get to work meeting the needs discovered in the “Explore” phase.

The book closes with stories of churches both big and small that have gone through the steps and are actively engaged in their communities and globally in the fight against injustice. The book does not paint a rosy picture of how simple this will be. To engage in the long haul is both hard and scary but it is worth it. God commands it and people need it.

Martin believes that believers grow in their faith by putting themselves in situations that require great faith. Engaging in the fight against injustice is really a dimension of spiritual development. For the church, engaging in social justice is the blueprint for revival.

Paul's Gospel to the Galatians

Paul’s Gospel to the Galatians

If you’ve ever read Paul’s letters or any literature on Paul, you will see that Paul talks about “his” gospel quite a bit. As we are going to see in Galatians, he is very protective of “his” gospel. He thinks that it is “the” gospel. It is the message of salvation. In fact, he wishes eternal condemnation for those that may distort his message of the salvation provided through Jesus.

Gal. 1:6-7 – I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all…some people are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse.

As you can see, Paul feels very strongly about his version of the good news of the salvation of Jesus. What I want to do with this message is look at what that message might have been to the people of Galatia. We will see how this played out in Acts 13-14. But before we do that, I want to provide even more background into Paul’s story that we began last week. The bulk of Galatians 1-2 contains the story of Paul receiving his gospel and some of the things he had to go through to preserve it.

The origin of Paul’s Gospel - Paul wants everyone to know that his message of the story of Jesus came directly from Jesus himself.

Gal. 1.11-12

Paul then goes on to tell the story of his pre-Christian life (as a persecutor of the church). He talks about his zeal for the Law (and for the institutions of Judaism and the traditions of the elders). But like the prophets of the OT, God called Paul to his service.

Gal. 1.13-16a.

He reveals that not only did he receive his message by revelation from Jesus but also his commission, to preach this message among the Gentile (the non-Jews). We see this account in Acts 9.3-19; 22.3-21; 26.12-23.

Paul goes to Arabia

Gal. 1:16b – 17

Paul doesn’t tell what he did in Arabia, nor does Luke in the book of Acts. Paul makes sure he tells them that he has not consulted anyone (especially the apostles in Jerusalem). He wants everyone to know that Jesus himself revealed to him the nature of his gospel. I believe that Paul took his scrolls (OT) and began to read through them with a different lens, that of his encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. Paul implies that Jesus may have appeared to Paul to help him sharpen his message (one of a salvation for Gentiles apart from the institutions of Israel).

(Perhaps corresponds with his flight from Damascus in Acts 9.25).

Paul goes to Jerusalem

Gal. 1.18-19

Paul finally goes to Jerusalem to visit some of the leaders of the church. It seems he spent time with Peter and James. This may be when he meets Barnabas (corresponding to Acts 9.26). He doesn’t tell us what they discussed, but as my Galatians professor Jack MacGorman said, “They probably didn’t discuss the weather”. Paul probably got filled in on some of the details of the life and ministry of Jesus. Paul probably wanted to learn from those who lived with Jesus and knew him during his earthly ministry.

Paul goes to Tarsus

Gal. 1.21-24

Paul returns to his hometown and spends some time there (more than likely spreading the good news about Jesus to the Jews and the Gentiles there). This corresponds to Acts 9.30.

Paul goes to Antioch (Syria)

See above.

Antioch was a major city in the biblical world. It was the seat of the Seleucid (Syrian) Kingdom. Roman times? Acts gives a little more details on ministry in this city. The persecution of the church in Jerusalem (which Paul helped to start) spread the early Christians out throughout the region and one of the cities they settled in was Antioch. This is shown in Acts 11.19-26. Jews were accepting the message about Jesus in Antioch and the Gentiles were as well. When word reached the apostles in Jerusalem that there was this great outbreak of people becoming disciples of Jesus in Antioch, they wanted to investigate and perhaps instruct the people further in the ways and message of Jesus. They sent Barnabas. He sees the outpouring of the Spirit and sees that the grace of God has caused this outbreak and he encourages the people (and the church continued to grow there). Barnabas needs help discipling these new believers. Perhaps the presence of these Gentile Christians (who were not first Jewish converts or god-fearers) reminded him of someone who had shared his heart for seeing Gentiles coming to Christ apart from the institutions and rituals of Judaism; without becoming Jews first. He travels to nearby Tarsus to grab Paul and bring him to Antioch to disciple these new believers.

Acts 11.25-26 - …called Christians first at Antioch.

Paul confronts Peter in Antioch

Paul records a very contentious meeting between himself and Peter in Antioch. Paul has this after his second visit to Jerusalem, but I think it belongs here in the timeline. (Actually, Paul does not mention specifically when it took place). It seems Cephas (The Aramaic name for Peter) came to visit Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. And when he came, he would eat with the uncircumcised Gentile Christians. This was something he never would have done when he was a Jew. But it seems that some men came from James the Lord’s brother from Jerusalem to Antioch as well. When they came, they must have looked down on Peter. Why?

There were two significant aspects of Judaism that set them apart from other peoples: one they were circumcised (while Gentiles generally were not); and two, Jews did not eat with Gentiles, who were seen as unclean by very religious Jews and it would impact their purity. (These, in a nutshell, are the major issues of Galatians, mostly circumcision).

Gal. 2.11-14

Paul lays out a brief understanding of his gospel in

Verses 15-16 a person is not justified (that is declared not guilty of his/her sin before God) by works of the law (that is rituals like proper table guests and circumcision) but by faith in Christ. Our faith in Christ justifies us. We will come back to Paul’s gospel in a second. The major issue was that the Jews believed that salvation came through them (and rightfully so: the promise of Abraham, Jesus). Thus, they believed that even thought they believed in Jesus as their king and savior, one needed to become a Jew in order to be properly related to our Jewish savior. In Paul’s experience and call from Jesus, this was not the case. Paul believed that one did not have to stop being a Jew if one already was one when called, but a Gentile did not have to become a Jew to become a Christian.

This was such a major issue of the early church that the church had to call all of the major leaders from the early church to Jerusalem and hash this out. When the evidence was heard from Paul (and from Peter who also saw Gentiles touched by the power of the Holy Spirit), the church ultimately allowed the Gentiles full membership in the church without the belief that they needed to become Jews as well (submit to circumcision).

Paul visits Jerusalem again

Gal. 2.1-2

Response to a revelation, this may correspond to an episode in Acts 11.27-30 where a prophet named Agabus predicted a famine that would spread over the entire Roman world. The elders at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas with a relief offering for the poor in Jerusalem.

Paul presented his version of the gospel that Jesus revealed to him, his Law free gospel for the Gentiles.

Gal. 2.7-10

Paul shows that the apostles at Jerusalem not only heard Paul’s gospel but they approved of it and gave them the commission of going to the Gentiles. After their time in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch.

Paul delivers his gospel to South Galatia

Acts 13.2-3

We have the account of the Holy Spirit setting apart Paul and Barnabas for the task of spreading the good news of Jesus beyond Antioch. In Acts 13 we have Paul and Barnabas going to Cyprus, then to Perga in Pamphylia to Pisidian Antioch.

Pisidian Antioch - They begin their preaching in the synagogues. If Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, why is he preaching in the worship gatherings of the Jews? The network of synagogues throughout the Roman world gave him an excellent platform to make disciples. In the synagogues, there were Jews, of course, but also Gentiles who were interested in Judaism (but who hadn’t submitted to circumcision so they were considered fully Jewish. They were called “God fearers.”) Paul and Barnabas entered synagogue on the Sabbath and were asked if they have a word of exhortation.

In the context of Jewish congregation, Paul retells the story of Israel, election, prospering in Egypt, leaving the slavery in Exodus and entry into Canaan (the promised land, modern day Israel). He tells them of the series of the first real centralized leaders: Samuel, Saul and David. It is through David that the savior Jesus came.
Jesus was not recognized by the religious leaders, they conspire to have him put to death under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (on a cross).

But of course, Jesus was raised from the dead and was seen by his followers.

13.32 – We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children by raising up Jesus.

This good news (gospel) was connected to Israel’s story. And the good news was forgiveness of sins

13.38 - …through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believers is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

Again, look at what Paul is proclaiming to the Jews here. Forgiveness of sins took place before through the high priest’s sacrifice on the Day of Atonement every year. And they thought they were justified (not guilty) before God through their observances of the Law of Moses nor in their status as Jews. Paul tells them they were not able to receive this justification or be forgiven of their sins this way. It only came through faith in the accomplishment of Jesus Christ. Note, it said nothing about circumcision or becoming Jews. Salvation comes from a right relationship with Jesus.

They were urged to speak again. Some people wanted to hear more. And a large crowd gathered. (Acts 11.44 says the whole city gathered). But some devout Jews understood what Paul was advocating (this salvation apart from the institutions of Judaism). They began to stir up trouble and eventually drove them out of town. (Remember this, perhaps it explains why the Gentile converts may have slipped and gave into circumcision among other things).

But we do see the Gentiles of this Galatian town receiving the message (11.48).

Iconium - Paul moves to the next Galatian town, Iconium and delivers his message there and Jews and Gentiles receive it. The power of God allows Paul and Barnabas to display God’s power through signs and wonders. But again, they encounter opposition from the Jews (along with some Gentiles this time) and they move to another Galatian city, Lystra.

In Lystra, they heal a man who could not walk. This powerful sign was misunderstood as a sign that Zeus and Hermes had come to visit (Ovid’s Metamorphosis). They try to deflect the praise to God. And again, opposition arises from Jews of other towns (like Iconium). This time the opposition is so fierce that they stone Paul and leave him for dead.

Derbe - Paul is revived and departs for another Galatian town, Derbe.

Acts 14.21

Paul does not sugar coat his message (like he possibly could after they saw all that he went through). When trying to become a member of the Kingdom of God, hardships will enter your way. They go back through the towns where they preached and raised up elders to lead the new churches that they started in these Galatian towns. Then they returned to their base of operations, Antioch with the intention of returning to these towns to strengthen these churches (Acts 15.36).

It was probably in Antioch that Paul caught wind that people were going in behind him in Galatia and adding to his message.

Where do you stand with this message? This is basically the message that we are all confronted with. I want to conclude with a summary of the gospel of the Apostles as it appears in the book of Acts.

·      *The life, death and resurrection of Jesus was attested to by eye-witnesses

·      *His ministry was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures

·      *His death effects the forgiveness of our sins

·      *Jesus’ death lead God to raise him up

·      *Jesus is alive today and ruling from a position of great prominence

·      *There is no other names or way to be saved than through Jesus

·     * He is coming back

·     * He will be the judge of everyone

·      *This message elicits a response

·      *The only proper response is faith in the name and work of Jesus and we must pledge our allegiance to him.

Galatians Series - Background

Galatians

Imagine being called by God to take the message of Jesus to a certain group. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you displayed God’s power and you delivered the message clearly. The group you were sent to accepted the message. They began to live it out. God, then, called you to another group, but you planned on returning to this group and encouraging them in their faith.

While you are gone, some other “believers” came in behind you. They said that your message was only part of the story. You weren’t fully a part of the family of God. You needed to perform certain rituals in order to be fully accepted by God. The people, who originally accepted your message, accepted this message as well.  How would you feel? You would probably be angry at those who came in behind you. And you would probably be frustrated over your flock because they were so easily led astray. Remember, this message you were sent to them with was given to you directly from Jesus. You displayed the power of God in their midst. You lived a life of integrity and displayed your faithfulness to this message. But still, your group was led astray. How would you respond?

This is basically the story of Galatians.

Several questions need to be addressed: The letter is written by Paul. Who is Paul? He identifies himself as an apostle. What is an apostle? Is that important? This letter is addressed to the Galatians. Who are the Galatians? What relation does Paul have with these people? Why did Paul write this letter to them? What does this mean to me?

Who is Paul?

The Pre-Christian Paul:

We first encounter Paul in the Bible in Acts 7. A young Christian man named Stephen is being tried on the count of blasphemy (a serious crime in Judaism, liable to the death penalty in certain circumstances). When Stephen reaches what his accusers think is the height of his blasphemy (claiming to see Jesus at the right hand of God), they put him to death. And a man named Saul is there. Saul was probably Paul’s Hebrew name, and Paul may have been the name he used in Greco-Roman contexts.

Acts 7:57-8:1 – At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As Stephen lay dying, the text notes that Saul approved of their killing him. (Dig? What did this mean?)

We see that this act led to a great persecution against the Christians in Jerusalem. And this Saul: (8:3 – Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison).

This persecution becomes so bad we see in

Acts 9:1-2 - Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

What other clues can we glean from the NT as to what Paul was like before he became a Christian?

In his testimony later in the book of Acts that he was a Jew from Tarsus of Cilicia (Acts 22.3). Tarsus was a city in what is now southeastern Turkey. It was then…

A little later in this testimony we see that he was brought up in Jerusalem and was educated under Gamaliel and he was trained in the Law of his ancestors. Gamaliel was a very important teacher in Judaism. He was a member of the Sanhedrin (a type of Jewish Supreme Court. We see him in Acts 5).

Paul was a very religious man, who was very concerned about following the Law of Moses to the letter. He believed that his service brought him a sense of righteousness before God.

Paul will tell the church of Philippi that he was from the tribe of Benjamin and a Pharisee. His zeal for God was shown in how he persecuted those who he felt were blaspheming God (by claiming that this Jesus was God’s equal).

Paul’s Calling

We see in Acts three accounts of Paul’s conversion (the second two were Paul’s accounts during trials). We will look first at the account as it flows in the narrative of Acts. We saw earlier that Paul was actively persecuting the early church, from Jerusalem to Damascus (in modern day Syria). It was on the road to Damascus that Paul encounters Jesus and it changes his life, his vocation, his worldview and his theology.

Read Acts 9:3-19

After Paul’s encounter with the Risen Jesus, Paul becomes a powerful witness for the one he sought to destroy.

We see another interpretation of this event in Paul’s letter that we are about to discuss, Galatians.

Gal. 1.11-17

We get another element to the story here. Paul reveals that he went into Arabia. There has been much speculation on what Paul did in Arabia, but more than likely, Paul began to study the Torah (and all of the OT) with a new lens. He began looking for Jesus in the Hebrew Bible. He saw how the entire story of God’s revelation of himself to the people of Israel was pointing to the arrival of Jesus. He began to interpret the OT in light of what Jesus had done (and was continuing to do in and through the Church). One thing he became convinced of was that uncircumcised Gentiles could be put right with God through faith in Christ without first becoming Jews. Key

After Paul had processed all of this, and after he gathered information on the life of Jesus from his disciples, he began to tell others about who Jesus was and why everyone should follow him. He spent a good deal of the first part of his ministry back in his hometown of Tarsus. One of the church leaders, an encouraging man by the name of Barnabas (who defended Paul after his encounter with Jesus, when many in Jerusalem were rightfully afraid of him), brought him to the hotbed of Christian growth, a nearby town called Antioch.

What is the connection to the Galatians?

Paul the Missionary

It was from Antioch that the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas and sent them on a journey to tell others about Jesus and to start churches in those areas. This brings Paul to Galatia. This story is found in Acts 13-14. He spent time sharing Jesus in towns of a Roman province called Galatia (modern day central Turkey). Galatia gets its name from an ethnic group of people called the “Gauls”. They have a connection to native French people and actually run back to the ancient Celts. Paul spent time in the southern Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. While in these cities, Paul began to lead people to faith in Jesus but he also encountered opposition. Most of this opposition came from Jewish people who had the same zeal for the Law of Moses that Paul had before his encounter with Jesus. They had the same zeal to stamp out this Jesus movement (and stamping out Paul as well. Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra).

Galatians is basically a letter to the churches that Paul started.

Why is he writing this letter to the Galatians?

These Galatians were being deceived by some Jewish Christians who were mixing Judaism and Christianity. What we will find is that there was a group of Jewish “Christians” who believed that non-Jews (the majority of the Christians in Galatia) needed to submit to certain Jewish rituals in order to be accepted fully as believers. The major ritual was circumcision for males. It was the sign that God gave to Abraham that his people were to be set apart from the rest of the world. (The thought was that Jesus was a Jew, the early church was Jewish, therefore Gentiles needed to become Jews in order to properly become Christians). This would become a major issue in the early church. We will see in this letter that two very important church leaders got into a public confrontation over this issue (Peter and Paul in chapter 2). Ultimately the early church called leaders from all over the church at the time and had to solve this issue. We see this conference detailed in Acts 15. (Recap?)

Why should they listen to Paul?

For one, he started these churches. Paul also claimed the authority of an Apostle. What does that mean? From what we can gather from the New Testament, an Apostle was someone who had seen the risen Lord and was commissioned by him to proclaim the gospel and start churches. They had authority in the churches they started. Other signs of an Apostle were signs, wonders and miracles. Another task of the Apostles was the transmitting of the words of the prophets and of Jesus to the church.

Other notes of interest about Paul: he was not married (and probably never married, despite what some will say about his role as a Pharisee). He had some kind of physical affliction. It is mentioned in

2 Cor. 12.7-9

and in our letter in Galatians 4.12-14

One of the marks of an apostle was persecution. Paul also suffered much for his decision to follow Jesus. We get a good portrait of the persecution Paul suffered (as well as his compassion for his churches):

2 Cor. 11:21b-29

Why is this letter important to us today?

Are you ever tempted to put your trust in anything other than what Jesus has done for you? Are there things that you do that make you feel like God owes you some sort of blessing? Does God owe you heaven or a good life because you go to church, serve the poor, read your Bible, avoid “sinful” activities? If so, you need to read this letter. Or, at times are you tempted to think that your understanding of Jesus or your way of being Christian is better than someone else’s? (Reword these two sentences). Close with Paul’s understanding of the gospel:

Eph. 2:8-9 - You have been saved by grace through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – no by works, so that no one can boast. The sign that you’ve received this gift of grace is repentance (a changed life that is devoted to following Jesus in the power of his Holy Spirit).

The Old Testament Thread that Points to Jesus

The Old Testament Thread that Points to Jesus

With this lesson we are going to be pointing out the thread that runs through the OT that points to Jesus. What were the people looking for in the coming Savior and how did Jesus fit the description?

I want you to add to the beginning Luke 24:25-27 discussing how Jesus walked through the Scriptures starting with Moses (first five books) and the prophets

First Promise of Redemption: Genesis 3.15

The account of salvation begins in the Garden of Eden. In spite of their perfect surroundings, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and plunged all of creation into sin. Immediately, God took the initiative to remedy the situation. In Gen. 3.15 God gave us the first promise of redemption and the first gospel proclamation.

Someone was coming who would conquer the evil one and restore to humanity what was forfeited when humans disobeyed God in the Garden.

An Everlasting Covenant: Genesis 12.1-3

From sinful humanity God called a man and formed a nation through whom He would bless the earth and send His deliverer. Read Gen. 12.1-3.

Abram would give birth to a nation. By this and through his descendants God would bless “all peoples on earth.” Abram would be the means by which God would bless the whole world. (See also Gen. 17.7)

A Chosen Family: Gen. 49.9-10

God begins to narrow the specific line by which God would bless the whole world. Verse 10 points to the coming of a Deliverer, the Messiah.

The ‘scepter’ was the symbol of kingdoms – it would be Judah’s. God had created humankind to ‘rule and have dominion’ over the earth as his vice regent (see Gen. 1.26-30). And now, as the plan to restore that blessed estate and purpose for his creation developed, God selected one family with a view to the restoration of rulership.

A Prophet like Moses: Deuteronomy 18.15

We are searching for an individual and the picture the OT paint of Him, step by step. He will be born of a woman, an offspring of Abraham and the fulfillment f an everlasting covenant, and he will be a King, a Messiah-King from the tribe of Judah (this is from Genesis). Another key figure from the OT is Moses. Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt; parted the Red Sea; worked miracles; brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain; and produced the Torah, the first five books of the OT.

Read Deut. 18.15.

God’s Deliverer would be someone who would speak for God in an authoritative manner, similar to the way Moses had.

An Eternal Dynasty: 2 Samuel 7.9-16

The chapter record’s the Lord’s great promise to David (the descendant of Judah). Other than Moses, no one in the OT is held in higher esteem than this king of Israel.

Elements of the Covenant with David from 2 Sam. 7.9-16:

• I will make your name great…
• I will establish a house (royal dynasty) for you
• I will raise up your offspring…and I will establish his kingdom, and the throne of his kingdom will be forever.
• I will be his father and he will be my son
• My love will never be taken away from him
• Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

God promised to establish an eternal Davidic dynasty. The covenant that the Lord established with the house of David became the nucleus around which the messages of hope proclaimed by Hebrew prophets of later generations were built.

Messianic Promises: Psalm 2

This royal psalm, perhaps composed for the coronation of a king from the line of David, calls the king the Lord’s “Anointed One” (that is, messiah/Christ) in verse 2. Verse 7 calls the king, “God’s son.” The king is a son who will rule not just Israel but also the nations (see verses 8-9). This psalm had a forward look to God’s end time King, his Anointed One who will rule over David’s house forever. It is one of the most quoted Psalms in the NT. The early church applied the second psalm to the Messiah as an explanation of the crucifixion of Christ by the rulers (see Acts 4.25-28). Paul applied it to Jesus’ ministry: his sonship, resurrection, and ascension to glory, which confirmed God’s promises in Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 13.22-33). This psalm held hope for a greater day and a greater King all the nations would recognize.

The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 52.13-53.12

Isaiah 53 is directly cited no fewer than 7 times in the NT and is alluded to more than 40 times. There is no specific reference that the Messiah would die for the sins of the people, but we have to take seriously the role of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52.13-53.12.  In this passage we see that the “Servant” of God was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities” (53.5); “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53.6); “the Lord makes his life an offering for sin” (53.10); “my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities” (53.11); and “he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (53.12).

We have seen that he was “crushed for our iniquities…cut off from the land of the living…assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death...” Yet, “he will see his offspring and prolong his days…after he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…”

The Son of Man: Daniel 7.13-14

The “Son of Man” was Jesus favorite designation of himself. The language of these verses recalls Gen. 1.28; 2 Sam 7.12-16; Psalm 2; 8; and Isaiah 9.7. The one described as “like a son of man” has the appearance of a man, but he is much more than a mere mortal. He comes with the clouds, a signature of deity in the ancient world. He is given the rule over all things, coroneted by the Ancient of Days (God himself). He is to be worshiped, and his kingdom is everlasting. This final eschatological (end times) ruler is not just a man. He is the “heavenly Sovereign incarnate.” For a clearer picture of how this relates to Jesus, note the similarity between this passage and Matthew 26.63-64. (It is actually a combination of Ps. 110.1 and this passage).

From Days of Eternity: Micah 5.2

A promised deliverer was to appear from the tiny, insignificant town of Bethlehem. (Its significance was that it was David’s hometown). He “will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” There seems to be a sense that the ruler to come (after Jerusalem’s judgment) that was in some sense preexistent. This verse is appealed to in the NT as justification as to why Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem (see Matt. 2.4-6).

 The messianic hope is a single line that beings in broadest terms with God’s promise of victory over the serpent through the “seed of woman” (Gen. 3.15), then is narrowed successively to the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22.18), the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49.10), the stem of Jesse (David’s father, Isaiah 11.1), the house of David (2 Samuel 7), the suffering servant of God (Isaiah 53) and finally through the Son of Man (Dan. 7.13-14). As you read the NT, you see this is the person that we find in Jesus of Nazareth.

Missio Dei - Communion message

Communion – a celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper

Jesus’ Last Supper was associated with the Jewish celebration of Passover.

Matt. 26.17-19 - On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

What was this Passover meal and what did it mean to the Jewish people?

The people of Israel went to Egypt to escape famine. They flourished there for a few generations. But a whole new regime came in that did not remember how valuable some of their ancestors were to the country. They grew suspicious of the Israelites and oppressed them and enslaved them. They cried out to their God and he heard them.

Exodus 6.5-7 - I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Chapters 7-11 of Exodus reveal the signs of God’s power over and against Pharaoh and Egypt’s gods (in the form of plagues). God is ready to display his might one last time by destroying the first born of all of Egypt and preparing the way for the Israelites to leave Egypt and go to their own land. They were to have one last meal in Egypt that would serve as a constant reminder of what God had done for them.

The meal is described in Exodus 12

Verses 7-14 - Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs…This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.

This lasting ordinance was reenacted every year that they were in the land.

Verses 26-27 - And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”

The importance of this deliverance in the life and history of Israel.

Ps. 78.12, 42-3 – He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt…They did not remember his power – the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his signs in Egypt…

Ps. 81.4-7, 10 –Ps. 106.8, 10 –

Ps. 105.23-5, 37, 42, 44-5 – Then Israel entered Egypt…The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes…He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered…For he remembered his holy promise to his servant Abraham…he gave them the lands of the nations and they fell heir to what others had toiled for – that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

We see that there were expectations on the people that God delivered. He made an agreement with them, a covenant, the Law. And they were to obey that covenant. God speaks to the prophet Micah of this agreement.

Micah 6 – I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you…then God discussed how he should be worshiped and obeyed. It wasn’t just the mere form of obeying the Law and the sacrificial system, he wanted their hearts as well – He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

When the people of Israel were reminded of the rescue from Egypt, when they pictured God as their redeemer, they were also to remember that they were to be obedient to God. They were to live like the redeemed. They were to model redemption.

Each celebration of Passover told the story of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt and the meaning of the various elements of the meal.

In times of exile or oppression (occupation) the Passover meal would have also celebrated the greatest act of deliverance but also looked forward to a great day when God again would deliver his people.

It is with this in mind that we discuss Communion.

We will look at Matthew’s account in chapter 26.26-29.

First, verse 26 - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Jesus has come to give himself (his body) on behalf of his people. Jesus is the Word (the visible representation of God) who became flesh. And it is in this body that he paid the penalty for our sins to gain our deliverance:

1 Peter 2.24 - “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

It was through his physical body that he paid the penalty. We have deliverance from sin and death because of God doing this on our behalf through Jesus. Thus we begin to see a connection to the Passover.

That connection continues with the cup.

Verses 27-28 - Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

This recalls Moses in the desert, after the Passover in Egypt and their deliverance from Pharaoh’s army at the Sea of Reeds. Moses receives the Law, the covenant, from God on Mount Sinai. It is a promise from God that he will be their God and they shall obey his commands. Moses ratifies this covenant in

Exodus 24.6-8, where he offers a bull in sacrifice and takes the blood to impose upon the people how serious this commitment is –

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Sometimes we are turned off by the mention of animal sacrifice and the use of its blood. But it had significance. The blood was seen as the life force of the animal and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. It shows that the covenant (and sin) is costly and cost something its life.

This idea of a covenant that Jesus is issuing is also found in the words of the prophet Jeremiah 31.31-34 - “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant… “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people… “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Listen to what he mentions, “a new covenant” and “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” One can definitely see the connection between Jesus’ words at his Last Supper and Jeremiah’s mention of a “new covenant”.

Verse 29 – I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Just as the celebration of the Passover meal in Jesus day was looking forward to a banquet at the end of times, when God overthrew all of Israel’s enemies and set up his complete Kingdom on earth, Jesus’ celebration of Passover looked forward. Jesus has offered us deliverance, but we long for a completion of his victory on earth.

Jesus here has in mind a final banquet at the end of times, when God completes his kingdom on earth that began with the resurrection and pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

In the OT, there was an expectation of an end times banquet.

Isa. 25.6-8 - On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

And we see Jesus pointing forward to some kind of final banquet when God inaugurates the completion of the Kingdom.

Matt. 8.11 - I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

(And there are other comparisons to the inauguration of the completed kingdom in some of Jesus’ parables that we will look at next semester).

Luke adds another element (that Paul picks up on). Luke records Jesus saying “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22.19).

Just as the Jewish celebration of Passover looked back to God’s deliverance from Egypt, our celebration of communion looks back to Jesus’ death on the cross. And just as, during times of occupation, Passover looked forward to a new day of deliverance, we are told to do this until Jesus returns.

1 Cor. 11.26 - For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

As we do this, we are expecting Jesus to return. Jesus tells us that he will eat and drink with us at that banquet when he completes and restores all things for all time.

We see that the early church took these words of Jesus seriously and celebrated this Supper of Jesus apart from the celebration of Passover. This was Luke showing how the early church carried out Jesus’ teachings (see Acts 2.42, 46; 20.7, 11; 24.30).

Kingdom of God series: With the Kingdom comes...persecution?

This message was in conjunction with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (see www.idop.org).

With the Kingdom comes…persecution?

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt. 5:10

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The key phrase…”because of me”.

Context: This command is from the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7). In Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as a new and better Moses. Moses was seen as the Lawgiver in the Hebrew Bible (received the Law on Mount Sinai). What we find in the Sermon on the Mount, is that often, Jesus quotes one of the commandments or one of the other rules from the Torah (or Law, like 5.21, 27, 31, 38) and he expounds on it, revealing the Spirit that God gave the command in. He wanted to deal with our sinfulness (both external and internal).

The people who heard this message would have been on the bottom rung of society’s status ladder. And here Jesus flips the entire social order based on his message and one’s reception of it. (The poor [in spirit], the meek/humble, the mourners, the persecuted…)

Blessed? On one level this word refers simply to being “happy”. But in this context, it refers to the happiness of those who participate in the kingdom announced by Jesus.  This is a deep inner joy of those who have long awaited the salvation promised by God and who now begin to experience its fulfillment.

Righteousness – a right relationship with God. That comes when one is rightly aligned with Jesus. We repent (change our agenda to match the King’s agenda), we are born of the Spirit and we begin a life of submission, obedience and allegiance to Jesus the King.

Righteousness here points to the character of the recipients of the kingdom. Those who display their loyalty to God will become the reason for their suffering. And they are to see their selves as blessed.

Their confidence in Jesus and what they hear and observe should produce a confidence in the future that can and should produce joy in the present in spite of their painful circumstances.

The result of righteousness is…persecution? Insults? People saying evil and untrue things about me? What kind of reward is that?

In another place, Jesus even expands on these “rewards”. “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.”

Ahh, reward in heaven. Eyes on the final reward.

They kept their focus on the final reward. I don’t think you can properly understand the book of Revelation without keeping the issue of persecution in your minds. There is a constant call from Jesus to “the one who is victorious” or “to the one who overcomes…” Revelation shows what the scene in heaven looks like, a portrait of praising the lamb who was slain (who also has experienced what they’ve experienced). This same lamb is the one “who sits on the throne” and to him be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever (Rev. 5:13)! There is even a scene where those who have been killed for their faithfulness to Jesus are shown to be serving Jesus day and night in his temple and experiencing his presence. Rev. 7:16-17. Earlier, these martyrs were asking how long until God would avenge their blood? They were told to wait until the full number of their brothers and sisters who were to be killed first (Rev. 6.9-11). Then, God would pour out his wrath on the wicked and judge the evil ones and avenge those who were killed for their testimony. This book was to assure those people who were suffering that Jesus was on his throne now and that he saw it all and was waiting, but that he would act.

Aligning with Jesus opens us up to the possibility of persecution. Jesus never promised us an easy life when we decided to follow him. In fact, his call to be a disciple is come and die.

Luke 9.23-24

He warns the disciples on several occasions:

Matt. 10.17 – Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. (But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it…)

John 16.2 – They will put you out of the synagogues, in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God (Paul).

John 15. 18-21 - “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

How different is this message from those who share “the gospel” or the plan of salvation with you and do not share these verses as well?

We see this played out in the life of the early church.

In the book of Acts, some of the early apostles are first arrested and then beaten because of their message (Acts 4.18; 5.40; 18.17; 21.30-32). One early follower was stoned (Acts 7.58-50). Some were brought before governing authorities (Acts 18.12-16; 24.2-9).

One of Jesus’ first twelve was executed (James the Greater, Acts 12.1-2). Paul was persecuted because he freed a slave girl from demonic presence and men who were making money off of her were angry (Acts 16.22-23). Paul and Silas were illegally beaten and imprisoned even though they should have been offered due process due to their privilege of Roman citizenship.

We see this played out throughout the rest of the NT. The readers of the book of Hebrews had experienced some type of persecution that included the confiscation of property (Heb. 10.32-34).

1 Peter is written at a time when his readers were experiencing persecution. “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you…” (1 Peter 4.12, he goes on to connect the suffering of these believers to participating in the sufferings of Jesus).

Persecution is the backdrop of the book of Revelation with references to martyrdom throughout (6.9-11; 16.6; 17.6; 18.24; 19.2).

Jesus’ half brother, James was killed in the temple in Jerusalem according to early church historian Eusebius. Tradition states that he was thrown off the top of a wall around the temple, stoned and then clubbed to death.

Tradition of Paul and Peter’s martyrdom: Paul beheaded and Peter crucified upside down.

Roman historian Tacitus tells of the fire that burnt down % of Rome and Nero shifted the blame away from himself to Christians and began to torment them. Tacitus tells of the event where Nero had Christians dipped in pitch and set on fire to serve as torches in his garden at night. (Annals 15.44).

This movement spread in spite of brief, but at times intense, periods of persecution. Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus, Decius and Diocletian. These are some of the emperors who enacted state sponsored persecution over the first 300 years of the church’s life.

How God works it for good.

The early church actually seemed to value their experiences of persecution. After being flogged for preaching about Jesus, the disciples rejoice because they feel that they have actually been counted worthy of suffering for the name of Jesus. They are connecting what happens to them is what had happened to Jesus. Jesus predicted this. It is coming true and they’re rejoicing.

Think about that on one level. Jesus the king suffers and dies and yet he appears alive to them. He reveals that he is the true king. And all of the things that he predicted that would happen to them begin happening to them. Things like the appearance and power of the Spirit, healings, signs and wonders and…beatings!

After being stoned by a mob and left for dead, Paul reflects and tells his fellow believers “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14.22). Later on in one of his letters, he would write the chilling words of 2 Tim 3.12 - In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…

How does God let this happen to citizens of the Kingdom?

Jesus won our victory by becoming a sin offering and by letting the forces of evil do their worst to him and he overcomes them through his resurrection. We are to follow in his footsteps as we seek to be conformed to his image. We must experience the same things that he experienced.

Hebrews 5.8 states that Jesus learned obedience through his suffering.

There are several places in the writings of Paul that discuss sharing in Jesus’ suffering. Two places connect our sharing in his suffering to sharing with his glory (Rom. 5.3; 8.17). And one verse Paul seems to assume that if we want to know the power of his resurrection then we’ll want to share in his sufferings as well (Phil. 3.10).

It seems as if God used persecution to spread the message of Jesus in the early days of the church (as he may today as well).

In Acts 8.1-4 we see the result of the outbreak of full-scale persecution of the church:

“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

We can’t expect to follow Jesus into glory if we don’t follow him through the garden. That doesn’t mean that we should actively pursue persecution. Jesus cried out in the garden the night before his crucifixion, “Father, is there another way?” But when he receive his answer, he set forth boldly and looked toward the glory that he would receive by being obedient, he looked toward the gift of the Spirit he would bestow upon the church by his obedience and he looked toward the glory we all would share when he comes to complete his kingdom.

We may never experience that suffering. But we need to be aware that it is a possible part of following Jesus. We know that there are believers around the world who do not have the freedom to express their faith like we do here. How can we identify with them? When asked how we can help the persecuted church around the world, the first response is always, “Pray for us.”

Hebrews 13.3 - Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.