A Creed of Christ

1 Timothy 3:14-16, “A Creed of Christ”
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Introduction:
We don’t deal much with creeds today, but historically they’ve been very important to the church. Served as methods of worship (in recitation – which is wonderful, if it’s not a boring rote repetition), as symbols to distinguish true believers from Gnostic (and other) cults, and as confessions of faith prior to baptism & other events. Most of us are probably familiar with the “Apostles’ Creed”…it actually developed out of a series of questions used in baptism. (1st developed around 150AD).
A. Do you believe in God the Father almighty?
B. Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the Holy Ghost and of Mary the virgin, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and died, and rose again at the third day, living from among the dead, and ascended unto heaven and sat at the right of the Father, and will come to judge the quick and the dead?
C. Do you believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy church, and the resurrection of the flesh?

These are still all great questions! Great way to rehearse the foundational truths of our faith & to understand what the essentials of the gospel. Keep in mind that although many creeds developed over time, Christianity has always been a creedal faith. From the Hebrew Shema (Deut 6:4-5), to the summary of the resurrection & gospel in 1 Cor 15… creeds are scattered throughout the Scripture. So much so, that you’d almost think the Holy Spirit wants us to know correct doctrine about the faith.

God does want us to understand the faith! It’s no wonder that we’re to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30)…the true worshipers of God worship Jesus in spirit & truth (John 4:24). If we don’t understand our faith, we’re missing out on a major aspect of our faith…thus we ought to take the time to look at these Biblical creeds to see what God has to say about Himself.

That’s what we’re looking at in 1 Timothy 3. Theologians technically call this a “Christological Confession”…but really that’s a fancy way of saying, “A Creed about Christ.” Scholars believe this may have been an ancient hymn that helped condense some basic teaching about Christ. Jesus is the Author & Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) – and there’s hardly any better theology we can dig into than the truths about Christ Jesus Himself!

1 Timothy 3:14-16 (NKJV)
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
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A. It seems probable that Paul had written this letter after the book of Acts had come to a close – so we can’t say for certain where Paul was at this time. Many scholars believe that Paul had been released from prison for a while, and then re-arrested later & quite possibly this affirms the idea. Wherever Paul was at the time, he thought he’d be able to get to Ephesus again at some point.
B. Seems to indicate that he hadn’t intended Timothy to always minister in Ephesus without him there – but he did want to prepare Timothy for the possibility that he may not be able to join him.
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15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
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A. Gives the background for all the various church ministries & roles he had previously taught on in Ch 2-3. Why are the men invited to pray – the women invited to worship – the leadership accountable to Godly character? Because this is the correct conduct for the “house of God”.
__a. Seems like every few years, there’s another move that attempts to “redefine the way we do church.” There’s nothing wrong with trying creative ways of communicating with the culture around us, but we need to be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Some things should absolutely NOT change: authentic worship of the Lord Jesus – the preaching of the gospel & right doctrine – prayer – instruction in the faith – holy living…these are issues of substance & not issues of style. And according to the NT, these things are not up for debate; it’s what the church is expected to do.
B. The church is the “house of God”…not in the respect that there’s anything inherently special about the building we meet in. Rather the church (us – the “assembly/called-out-ones”) are the temple of the Holy Spirit who indwells and fills us. Thus we are the household of God & He resides in us individually and collectively. How is the “house of God” described?
__a. The “church of the living God”: We have indeed been called out of the world – not to worship ourselves, but to worship the One True Living God. We don’t worship an idea – we don’t expound a philosophy – we serve a (THE) Living God. He is alive.
____i. Do we remember that?
__b. The “pillar and ground of the truth”: Normally houses might be built on a pillar – but in this case, the house of God IS the pillar. Our Chief Cornerstone is Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:20) – and upon that foundation we proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ. Thus the church is both based on AND supports the gospel.
____i. Some have taken this to mean that the source of truth is the church itself. Incorrect! Jesus is the source of truth (because Jesus IS the truth) – and the church proclaims that truth. So on one hand, spiritual truth is not found outside the church (as in Buddism or Islam), but on the other hand the church is not the originator of truth…that belongs to God alone & revealed through His Word.
____ii. Where do we point people to regarding truth? Do we make ourselves to be the authority? Or do we point them to Jesus through the Scriptures?
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16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
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A. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Mysteries (today) by definition are usually controversial. But a “mystery” in the NT is a truth now revealed, that was only hinted at in the OT… And because the mystery was about Christ, it’s now been fully revealed because Christ has been fully revealed…
B. These things should be “without controversy.” Among believers in Christ Jesus, these items are essentials – foundational truths. If a supposed ‘Christian’ disagrees on these points, they’re not really a true Christian…
__a. That’s not uncommon! Whole theological societies deny the deity and resurrection of Christ, yet still try to claim to be “Christian.” Can’t do it! 1 John 2:22-23 (22) Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. (23) Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. [] This isn’t rhetoric; simply a statement of fact. Christians are those who are saved by & trust in the Risen Son of God (Christ). …
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…God was manifested in the flesh,
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A. Can’t read a commentary on this verse without the author commenting that different manuscripts differ on whether or not the word “God” is actually in the text. “Theos” (God) is included in the Majority Text; not in the oldest texts. The problem with the debate (IMO) is that it misses the forest for the trees. Even if we substitute “He” for “God”, the subject doesn’t change…Paul’s immediate context is of the church of the living GOD, the house of GOD – obviously even a “He” is saying “GOD was manifested in the flesh”
B. Speaking of the incarnation. Fully God became fully man & yet never gave up any aspect of either nature. As we soon head into the Christmas season, this is what we celebrate: God put on flesh & came to His creation, that we might see Him face-to-face and live, and that He would physically be the sacrifice by which we must be saved. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. []
C. What does the incarnation tell us about the Lord Jesus?
__a. He is fully 100% God. He has all the power God has because He IS God. There is nothing beyond His ability – no one beyond His reach – no information He does not know. He’s GOD. …
__b. He is fully 100% Man. He has all the experiences you & I have. Jesus knows what it’s like to be hungry & thirsty. Jesus knows what it’s like to need to go to the bathroom. To be tempted – to grieve – to be betrayed – to be falsely accused – to be jailed – to be beaten & put to death – to feel like God has turned His back on Him…
__c. The result? Jesus knows what we go through as humans, and is infinitely equipped to walk us through it as God. … He’s a perfect High Priest who can both empathize and empower us (Heb 4:15)…
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…Justified in the Spirit,
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A. What does it mean that the perfect Son of God was justified? Does a perfect Person need justification? Some translate as “vindicated” – the word means to be “declared righteous” & that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit did in His earthly ministry. We need to have righteousness imputed to us (Rom 4:24); Christ Jesus simply needed to be declared/testified as righteous to the world around Him. Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1), and the Spirit testified of His identity visibly at His baptism (Mark 1:10), and later as the Son of God. (John 15:26) This was one of the primary effects of the resurrection – Romans 1:3-4 (3) concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (4) and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. [] …
B. Note how this completes the Trinity. God becomes manifest in the flesh & justified in the Spirit – and we know Him as Jesus. Continues the line of thought throughout 1 Timothy that all 3 Persons within the Godhead are intimately involved in our salvation. GOD is our Savior…whether we speak of God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, God Himself saves us from sin.
__a. Be careful not to take this into modalism. One of the common analogies of the Trinity that often falls short is “water.” … The problem is that water can only be 1 thing at a time (solid, liquid, gas) – but God is all 3 Persons at ALL times. God the Father didn’t come down in the flesh; Jesus did. We are not born of the Son; we’re born of the Spirit. (Athanasian Creed, ~440AD), “That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.” The doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery, but it’s a glorious mystery as we look to the nature of our Creator God who saves us!
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…Seen by angels,
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A. As God the Son, the angels worshipped Christ in His glory – as the Son of Man, the angels attended to Jesus throughout His ministry (to Mary & Joseph – after His temptation – in the Garden of Gethesemane (Luke 22:43)). The reference also seems to refer to the Resurrection. We often say that the women were the 1st witnesses – but to be more accurate, they were the 1st human witnesses of the Resurrected Lord. All 4 gospels affirm that angels were there first (and scared the pants off the Roman guards! ).
B. It is interesting that the focus here is not on people, but on angels. Obviously, people are addressed in the next two lines – the fact that angels did witness of Jesus emphasizes the fact He is both divine and human. At the same time, Gk could be translated “messengers” as well…some think this could be a reference to the apostles. Christ Jesus was definitely seen by people! 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (5) and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. (6) After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. (7) After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. (8) Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. []
C. Whatever the reference, the point is clear: the Lord Jesus Christ has been seen! We don’t worship a mythological figure – we don’t follow a bunch of legends – we are an heir of eyewitness history…of men and angels.
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…Preached among the Gentiles,
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A. The gospel message began among the Jews, but it didn’t stay there for long. The gospel of Christ was preached among the nations of the earth – whatever nationality or ethnicity. It can be preached despite cultural barriers or various ethnicities because God calls us out of where we were into one NEW ethnicity: the Body of Christ. In Christ, there is neither Greek, Jew, barbarian, Sycthian, slave or free – just Christian! (Col 3:11)
a. [Iron Curtain fell – gospel explosion] Why? Because the church wasn’t attempting to export ‘Americanism’ – it was simply sharing the gospel…
B. It may seem minor, but the fact that the gospel is preached among the Gentiles is absolutely incredible. We Gentiles are saved by the Hebrew Messiah! Remember how controversial it was for Cornelius to be converted? (Acts 10-11) Yet this was God’s plan from the beginning! Isaiah 49:6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” []
C. The point? The gospel has been preached, but we must still preach the good news of salvation through Christ!
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…Believed on in the world,
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A. The gospel must be preached, but it is only really good news to those who believe. What does it mean to believe? There are many who would say, “Oh, I believe in God” – but so what? So do the demons (James 1:19). Belief in Christ is far more than simply acknowledging the historical fact of His existence. Could be defined as “committing to one’s trust” – actually comes from the same root in Greek as the word used for “faith.” IOW, to believe IS to believe in faith – there’s no separating the 2 concepts.
__i. Practically speaking, this means ‘belief’ isn’t an action anyone can do for you – it’s not a prayer you can utter – it’s not even a concept you can simply sit and ponder. It’s a conviction you must come to in your heart, which brings about a response of commitment to the Lord Jesus. Romans 10:9-10 (9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. []
B. Who does the message go out to? The entire world. The world rejected Him, but yet the world is exactly who God gave Christ for in the 1st place (John 3:16).
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…Received up in glory.
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A. We sometimes tend to think that Jesus stopped everything at the Resurrection – but that’s not true. He also took part in the Ascension and was physically received into heaven (while the apostles watched with their mouths gaping open! ).
B. What does the Ascension tell us?
__a. Jesus is STILL alive: Every other resurrection in history still ended in death (i.e. Lazarus) – but not Jesus’. When He was raised from the tomb, He never tasted death again…proving that He didn’t merely cheat death; He defeated it! Death has no more sting & no more victory because Jesus is victorious!
__b. Jesus is currently in Heaven: Because Jesus is still alive, He is still active. The work of salvation is complete & He sits at the right hand of God (Heb 12:2), but He is still our mediator (1 Tim 2:5) – He intercedes for us (Rom 8:34) – He’s preparing a place for us (John 14:2).
__c. Jesus will be coming back from Heaven: This was what the angels had to remind the apostles when they were staring into the sky (Acts 1:11)…Jesus may have ascended, but He’s promised to return & to receive us to Himself. He’ll receive the church at the Rapture; He’ll dispense Judgment at the 2nd Coming.
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Conclusion:
‘Dude, that’s a lot of doctrine.’ Yes…but the question is: do you believe it? Can you confess with the church of the Living God that Jesus Christ is:
1. God manifested in the flesh
2. Justified in the Spirit
3. Seen by angels
4. Preached among the Gentiles
5. Believed on in the world
6. Received in glory?

If you can & do, praise God! Immerse yourself in these truths about Christ Jesus, and give Him all the praise He deserves! Live accordingly to this creed, serving God & preaching the gospel in word & deed as you wait for His trumpet call.

If you can’t, then you need to know this: this is far more than just another faith statement from just another church in just another religion…this is the absolute truth according to the word of God Almighty Himself. Jesus Christ IS God, crucified for our sins, risen from the dead, ascended to glory & alive today. Every single person in all history will see Him one day, either as Savior or Judge.

Violence or Justice?

Deuteronomy 19-20, “Vigilante or Justice?”
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Deuteronomy 19 (NKJV)
1 “When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there. 4 “And this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past— 5 as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; 6 lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. 7 Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’
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A. Cities of refuge. Specifically for people who had accidentally killed someone else… These are actually the 2nd set to be established, as Moses had already set aside 3 cities (Deut 4:41). Keep in mind this was during a time when vengeance killings were commonplace – they didn’t have the kind of protections we do in modern society. Thus God was providing safety and mercy for them. For the innocent, they had a place to stay until their ‘case’ was cleared or the family avenger calmed down.
B. Underlying principle here: sin doesn’t solve a problem caused by sin. Even though the person’s death wasn’t intentional, it was still was an offense (not unlike our own sin…some is intentional; some isn’t – but it’s all sin). But a vigilante revenge isn’t any better. Vengeance belongs to the Lord (Rom 12:19), so any vengeance we might personally extract (context is personal; not gov’t) is sin as well.
__a. What we need is not sin; but justice! Sin doesn’t solve any problems; it just makes it worse by compounding the issue. But true justice resolves the issue – which is why only the Lord can truly dispense it.
b. As Christians, we need justice too – only we also experience the grace of God. The perfect justice of God WAS dispensed…on Christ Jesus. Every lash, every nail was ours to take, yet Jesus bore them for us. And on top of it, Jesus offered His grace to us… Thus do we have refuge today? Yes! In Christ Jesus (Heb 6:18).
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8 “Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, 9 and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
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A. Israel wasn’t limited to 3 cities of refuge – the number could grow if needed. Keep in mind God was giving them the land, but His covenant of blessing with them was conditional (based on their obedience). If they obeyed, they’d grow – and if they grew, they’d need extra cities of refuge spread throughout the land.
B. God doesn’t want innocent blood to be shed…this is what happened with Cain & Abel (Gen 4:10). Bloodshed can only be met by bloodshed – which is why it takes sacrifice for our sins to be forgiven (Heb 9:22).
C. Notice the reiteration of the Great Commandment in vs 9 – keeping these other commandments were part of loving God; we might look at it today as a balance between faith & works. For a Hebrew to say, “I love the Lord my God” but then ignore the Law was an oxymoron. Likewise for the Christian who just gives lip-service to the Lord Jesus. John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” [] Question: Is Jesus preaching legalism here? Not at all – simply describing a fact. If we truly love Jesus, our lives will reflect it through obeying His commands to love God & others through word & deed. And we will experience intimate fellowship with God in the process – all because of the work HE has done in us.
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11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
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A. Big difference between accidental death & murder – and a big difference in the way of dealing with them. The innocent receives refuge; the guilty receives death… Would have prevented murderers from using the cities of refuge as “sanctuary” cities. There are no ‘loopholes’ to take advantage of with God.
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14 “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
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A. Seems pretty random. Is this something that people would kill over? Yes. (Nelson’s) “Removing a landmark was far more than moving a stone. Is was changing a property line and in effect cheating some family out of the inheritance of land that God had given them.”
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15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.
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A. Need for multiple witnesses…we see the same thing reflected in our own judicial system (which was based off this). The more witnesses a lawyer can bring for his client, the clearer of a picture that the jury will see of what actually took place. The worst place to be is a ‘he said/she said’ scenario where it’s just one person’s words against the other.
B. See this same principle reflected in the gospels – for bad & good.
__a. Bad: Jews tried to abuse this & railroad Jesus as a criminal…couldn’t get the witnesses to agree. (Mark 14:56 – Emphasizes the fact that Jesus was absolutely innocent!)
__b. Good: Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs… Mark 6:7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. [] Was this a good number for safety & accountability – yes, but much more…it also showed that 2 or more witnesses agreed that Jesus is the Messiah.
____i. Still a good idea for us when we witness to others…
C. God uses the same principle regarding Christ!
__a. Multiple witnesses to His divinity…Jesus appealed to a 4-fold witness to the Jews (John 5): John the Baptist – Jesus’ works/miracles – God the Father – the Scriptures/Moses. Jesus was showing He had twice as many witnesses (at least) as needed to demonstrate & proof He is the Son of God.
__b. Multiple witnesses to His death: It’s a truly incredulous thing that some people claim Jesus never died. Jesus’ family watched Him die – Jesus’ disciples watched Him die – the Jewish authorities watched Him die (and certified it by getting a Roman guard on the tomb) – the Romans even verified His death…
__c. Multiple witnesses to His Resurrection: The women knew He had risen – the disciples knew that He had risen – the Romans (definitely) knew that He had risen – the Jews demonstrated that they knew He had risen… According to Paul, there were over 500 people who saw the Risen Jesus at one time (1 Cor 15:6). If it only takes 2-3 witnesses for a matter to be established, the Resurrection blows the standard out of the water!
__d. This is the CORE of the gospel! Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [] His divinity shows that He is Lord – His death shows that He paid the price for sin – His resurrection proves He was victorious…and in every aspect we have multiple historical witnesses! We can KNOW that the gospel is true!
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16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you. 20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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A. How to deal with perjury. … Note that if a person insists on bearing false witness against his brother, he’s going to have to do it at the Tabernacle before the LORD Himself. Would have been a very sobering deterrant.
__i. Keep in mind this is a very serious offense – breaks the 9th commandment (Exo 20:16).
__ii. Is bearing false witness a sin against our brother? Yes. But it’s primarily a sin against God! Sin is vertical… (David & Bathsheba) Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. []
B. How is perjury punished? According to the crime, and only by the state. The law here does not permit mob violence done by individual to individual, but rather gives guidelines to the local government on what the appropriate punishment should be. What should be the personal response? Mercy. Matthew 5:38-39 (38) “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ (39) But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. [] Jesus isn’t contradicting the Law; He’s clarifying it’s use among individuals to show the heart of God…
__i. The principle is still quite valid. How are sinful people punished? According to the crime – those without Christ serve an infinite sentence in an infinite Hell because of the infinite sin against an infinite God… …
__ii. Think about that for a minute & then remember Jesus’ words at the cross: “It is finished!” Jesus Christ fulfilled an infinite sentence against you ONCE AND FOR ALL at the cross! …
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Deuteronomy 20 (NKJV)
1 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
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A. Note the presupposition: they WILL be going up against armies bigger & more powerful than them. Their enemies will have more people, more horses, and fiercer weapons.
B. What makes the difference? GOD! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31) When under the protection of God, no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isa 54:17). God makes ALL the difference!
__a. We will face difficulties that seem far to difficult to possibly manage. How can we possibly walk through them? Because the Lord your God is with you. That can seem trite if you’re overwhelmed by what’s going on around you (talk is cheap!) – but not if you realize that what the Scripture is saying is absolutely true. We have a promise straight from Scripture that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5) – we have the word of the Lord Jesus that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:10)…do we believe it?
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2 So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 4 for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
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A. Priest will give reassurance before the fight. Like the Lord did with Joshua – the assigned priest comes out to encourage the people to be strong & courageous.
B. Because God is with us, we don’t have to be fearful! 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. []
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5 “Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: ‘What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. 6 Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’ 8 “The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’ 9 And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
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A. All sorts of ‘outs’ given to the people. If they’re looking for an excuse not to fight, God graciously allows them not to do so. Note there are both good & not-so-good excuses listed here. Those who had planted a vineyard might lose the whole crop while gone & come back to poverty – those who were betrothed may never be able to marry. All valid reasons for not wanting to go to war! Yet at the same time, God still provides for those who are simply caught up with fear.
__a. Did the same thing with Gideon – God specifically told Gideon to whittle the army down. Went from 32000 to 300! Why? So that God would get the glory (Judges 7:2)
B. Why here? Likely for the same reason – so that God would get the glory. Keep in mind that God had already promised the victory to Israel as long as they were obedient to Him. Thus those who stay are trusting in the Lord to save them & bring them through victorious.
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10 “When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11 And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. 12 Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it.
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A. Peace offer. … Isn’t this amazing? God had already given the land to Israel – but He still offered the people peace!
B. Same thing with Noah – same thing with Sodom – same thing today…the offer of peace has gone throughout the whole world! For 2000 years, Christians have been proclaiming the gospel: the good news that man can have peace with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over & over, God is offering His peace – even while people reject it.
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13 And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword. 14 But the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which the LORD your God gives you.
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A. The men are killed…standard action at the time. Any male of age would have been considered a threat to the state, so they were put to death in battle.
B. The women & children are plundered…i.e., they become slaves. We’ve got to remove ourselves from our 21st century mindset here. Slaves were very common in the time, and in this case was an act of mercy. Not only would they be spared from death, but they’d be brought into a people who worshipped the One True God – and they’d be exposed to the Law & grace of God as well.
C. The spoil belongs to the Israelites for their use. Only a few cities at the beginning of the conquest belonged solely to the Lord; the rest were to be used in the future.
D. Is this cruel & merciless?
__a. People still ask the same question about God today. ‘So, unless I repent & trust Christ for salvation, God’s going to throw me into Hell for all eternity?! What kind of loving God would do that?’ First of all, any punishment we receive is absolutely deserved… … Secondly, God IS loving & merciful – He provided every means possible for us to be saved through Christ Jesus. WE would have been the ones to reject His offer of grace… …
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15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 “But of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, 17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.
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A. The peace offer did have a limitation: it was only for those who were afar off. For the other nations within Canaan itself, God had already determined & pronounced their judgment.
__a. Critics of the Bible often attempt to portray the OT as permanently commanding this level of destruction of God’s enemies – but they miss the point. This was God’s judgment on these people (to whom He’d given 400 years to repent) – these are specific commands for a specific time period. For other wars, Israel was to offer mercy & compassion 1st.
__b. Even these acts of the judgment of God are merciful! We haven’t even begun to see what it would be like when the full wrath of God is poured out on sin during the Great Tribulation. Jesus told us it’d be easier for Sodom & Gomorrah than in that day…(Matt 11:24). The world hasn’t seen anything yet…God’s wrath is that great because sin throughout history has been that egregious.
____i. Yet that only helps us appreciate the grace of Christ even more!
B. Why did the destruction of the Canaanites, etc. have to be so complete? Because otherwise the pagans would turn Israel after their own gods & sins… … And that’s exactly what happened. As late as Solomon’s reign, there were people listed from the Hittites, Amorites, etc. in the land (2 Chr 8:7) & there’s no doubt that the Israelites had learned of the Ashereh poles & pagan worship practices from them – to the point of even allowing their children to be sacrificed through the fire of Molech. If they had simply destroyed the inhabitants of the land as God commanded them, they would have saved themselves a lot of heartache & kept themselves from a lot of sin.
__a. Some bridges are worth burning! We don’t want to leave a door open for a situation that would drag us down into sin…
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19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food. 20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it is subdued.
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A. The difference between animals & plants. That which had breath was to be utterly destroyed; trees & other vegetation for food was to be left alive…that was part of God’s provision for Israel. (vineyards they did not plant)
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Conclusion:
Our God is good! Our God is gracious – our God is merciful! It’s an amazing thing to consider that He’s saved us – He’s made Himself our refuge & yet His perfect justice is still accomplished in Christ Jesus.

Like Israel, we have many battles to fight. The war has been won (PTL!), and our rest is in Christ – but Satan will try to throw as many things at us as possible between now & the judgment. Don’t let him overwhelm you – as a Christian, you belong to the Lord God! He is our Savior & He fights for us – none can stand against Him.

Are you struggling? Lay it at the feet of Christ tonight, placing yourself in His hands, relying on His grace.

So You Wanna Be in Ministry?

1 Timothy 3:1-13, “So You Wanna Be in Ministry?”
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Introduction:
Some people treat the pastorate as a career path, to the detriment of the church (and themselves)…it’s definitely not a career, but rather a calling from God. At the same time, there are specific qualifications to look for in a person who thinks they have been called into ministry – which Paul outlines here.

Take a minute to appreciate that. Don’t you love the fact that God set aside instructions in His Bible to tell us what to look for in those who would give us spiritual instructions? It’s easy to get caught up in charismatic personalities – or impressed by multiple degrees. (End up with cults & non-christian ‘churches’) But God would have us look beyond what the world would view as their ‘skillset’ & focus our attention on what the Holy Spirit is doing in their heart & lives. Thus He calls someone into ministry & gives the church the tools to recognize His calling upon someone’s life – and then they can be released into what God had intended for them to do. (Marvelous!)

Remember that Paul had sent/left Timothy in Ephesus to help bring correction to a church that had gotten somewhat off-track. There had been some false teachers in the city, and so Timothy was a kind of apostolic emissary to help get things right again…getting them back on track with right doctrine & helping the local church reorganize a bit. Came out of a section dealing with the ministry roles of men & women in the church. Men were invited to pray & women invited to learn… Paul narrows it down even further to the qualifications & expectations of church officers…
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1 Timothy 3:1-13 (NKJV)
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
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A. 1st thing we need to do is define “bishop” – we tend to think of guys in pointy hats or chess pieces. Other translations use the term “overseer” & it’s pretty accurate. Gk ???????? (episcopal) compound word ??? “over” + ?????? (scope) “view/see”… There are several terms used in the NT to refer to the senior leadership of local churches: bishop/overseer – elder – pastor. Vast majority of scholars (almost universally) view them all as equal terms…synonyms for the same office.
__a. Good evidence for this! Paul exhorting the Ephesian elders (Acts 20)… Peter also affirms it – 1 Peter 5:1-2 (1) The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: (2) Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; [] All 3 combined here…yet we’re still left with the question of: Why would the Holy Spirit choose 3 different words to refer to the same office in the church? We may not be able to answer that now. We can ask the apostles when we see them.
B. It’s good to desire a calling into the ministry! If that’s something you believe God has placed on your heart – that’s a good thing. Sometimes we get the idea that God’s only going to call us to do things we don’t want to do – but its likely that if He called you, He’d also give you the desire to do it.
__a. At the same time, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the pastorate is the only good way to serve God! [] It’s good to serve God however He’s called you to serve…whether that’s as a truck driver or a teacher. Wherever God has called us to work, that’s the area He’s given us as a mission field.
C. Ministry is work! The one who desires to be a bishop/elder/pastor doesn’t desire a life of laziness or luxury – he desires one of labor. When you hear someone say, “I just get up in the pulpit & say whatever the Spirit leads,” beware! Different men may or may not use notes (mine are pretty extensive, because I can hit rabbit trails! ) – but a faithful pastor has labored over the text & dug deep into what God wants to say to the church.
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- Positive qualifications
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
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A. “must be”: Stop there because this is important for everything to follow. Note this is present tense; not past. There is not a man throughout history (save Jesus Christ) that could truly be considered blameless over the course of his whole life – or completely sober-minded, or well-behaved, or whatever. The NT qualifications for a pastor/overseer doesn’t look over the course of one’s past life; but rather what Christ has done in someone’s life upon their salvation – bringing them to a point where God can use them to minister to others.
B. “blameless”: Other translations say “above reproach.” Note the word isn’t “perfect” – simply “blamess”. Gk is the negative form of a word meaning “to seize / lay hold of.” The idea is that if someone was to throw an accusation at him, it wouldn’t stick – that Christ Jesus has done such a work in the overseer’s life that old charges don’t apply anymore & there’s no need for new charges.
C. “the husband of one wife”: A lot has been debated regarding this little phrase! Literally the construction in Greek is “one woman man.” Many interpret this as meaning “married only once” – many others interpret this as faithful monogamy (one wife at a time, till death or divorce only under clear Scriptural guidelines). There are weighty scholars on each position. Wherever the exact line is actually drawn, the overall thought is clear: pastors should not be philanderers.
__a. In a perfect world, this would go without saying – but obviously we don’t live in a perfect world. Some churches are perfectly willing to put up with men in the pulpit who are known to have many mistresses, under the guise of “he teaches so well.” It doesn’t matter how good his sermons are – it’s window dressing upon a lifestyle of sin & it’s abhorrent to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
D. “temperate, sober-minded”: The words are very similar in definition, and different translations might appear to be reversed. The idea isn’t so much one of abstaining from alcohol (though ‘temperate’ can be translated that way in other contexts) – Paul will deal with wine in the next verse. Both words deal more with clear-headedness & refraining from extreme behavior.
E. “of good behavior”: Modest…well-mannered, dignified behavior.
F. “hospitable”: Could be translated “fond of guests”. Especially important in NT times when travelers would more likely stay in house-to-house, rather than in hotels. Still important today! Some joke, “Ministry would be great if it wasn’t for the people.” It’s a poor joke…ministry IS the people. It’s not ensuring we have a well-oiled program; it’s about glorifying God through loving His people & loving the lost enough to share the gospel with them.
G. “able to teach”: Could also be thought of as “teachable” – but most think that it’s a reference to being qualified & capable to teach the Word of God. Ephesians 4:11 implies that “pastors & teachers” are closely related (if not the same) gifting from God – thus it wouldn’t make sense to call a teacher who couldn’t teach.
__a. Doesn’t necessarily mean that someone needs to be skilled to preach to a hall full of people – but rather simply that they are able to teach the Word of God. Perhaps that’s in a small-group – or even one-on-one. Whatever the group size; they simply need to be able to teach when called upon. Thus someone might serve as an elder, but not what we think of as a pastor.
__b. Note this is the only skill. All the rest deal with lifestyle. We put a HIGH value on skills, but God does the reverse. [Samuel looking for a replacement for Saul] 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (6) So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” (7) But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [] God is always more interested in our heart-condition than our skills & abilities. God can GIVE the abilities to whomever He chooses – but He desires our heart to be humble before Him.
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- Negative qualifications
3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
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A. “not given to wine”: Actually 1 compound word in Greek ???????? “para” = “beside”, “oinos” = “wine”…some translate this “a drinker”, with the idea that someone would be known to be lingering with a cup of wine. Overseers have the responsibility to bring & demonstrate the word of God to the people of God – it’s a misrepresentation of God to do that while tipsy.
__a. There are a variety of opinions for how this is played out (esp. depending on someone’s denomination). For me, I’ve got a personal conviction that overseers/pastors are simply to abstain. Especially in this day & age where alcoholism is so rampant, there’s no reason for a pastor to be a stumbling block for others who might be struggling in this area.
B. “not violent”: Goes hand-in-hand with the instruction on wine – Pastors are not to be drunken brawlers. Moreover, there are some who would abuse their position as spiritual leaders & they do spiritual violence upon the flock of God. Those who do so will answer to the Good Shepherd.
C. “not greedy”: This one little phrase should be enough to shut whole churches down. An overseer is not to be greedy! Pastors have a responsibility to feed the flock of God; not to fleece it. [Ezekiel 34]
D. “gentle, not quarrelsome”: Not looking for fights & arguments, but instead someone who seeks to handle disagreements in the gentleness of Christ.
E. “not covetous”
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- Personal Family
4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
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A. What does it mean to “rule” one’s own house well? Does it mean the pastor’s children are to be perfectly behaved & never rebellious? No… (Otherwise men would be dropping out of the pastorate the minute their kids turned 2 & again at 12!) It means that the pastor is faithful in leading his own home according to the Word of God. Sometimes that includes godly discipline.
B. Why is it important to have a well-ruled home? Because otherwise he can’t truly pay attention to the needs of the church! Besides the logical inconsistency of attending to the needs of dozens when he can’t attend to the needs of his own family, there is a huge misplacement of priorities when this takes place. A ministers’ 1st ministry is always to his family…if that’s in chaos, everything else needs to take a backseat.
__a. That’s not reserved for pastors – that’s for everyone. It’s OK to take time off from ministry within the church if things need to be taken care of at home…it’s actually the best thing that can happen for everyone!
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6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
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A. Note that “novice” doesn’t necessarily equate to age. Timothy was a relatively young man – but Paul had entrusted him with ministry. Instead, the idea is that someone isn’t brand-new or immature in the faith.
B. What’s the danger here? Pride! Pride seems to have been what took down the devil & it’ll take down ministers of God too. People can mature quickly, but we never want to try to rush the process. Moses tried to rush things & ended up killing an Egyptian – so God let him mature for 40 more years in Midian.
__a. The problem with pride is that (virtually by definition), it places us on a higher place than God. We start thinking, “Look how good I am? I’ve built this all on my own – I can do this all by myself.” Many times in response, God basically says, “Well have at it then,” & things crumble. In all areas of our lives, every good & perfect thing is a gift from God (James 1:17) – but especially in the church, we need to remember that it’s fully dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. [] It’s HIS church & HE’s the One that builds it. Any human that takes credit for it is falling into the trap of pride.
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7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
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A. Sums it up with their personal testimony. Someone’s eloquence in the Scriptures doesn’t mean much if people aren’t willing to hear him because of his poor character.
B. There is an urgent need for pastors & leaders to be above reproach!
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8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
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A. What’s the difference between a deacon & a bishop? The responsibilities of the office. The bishop oversees the church & teaches doctrine; the deacons minister to the (primarily) physical needs of the Body. [Acts 6…1st formation of deacons]
__a. Churches often get this mixed up & call their boards “Deacon boards.” That’s backwards, Biblically speaking…if the board is a group of men giving leadership to the workings and doctrine of the church, it should more properly be an elder board. Elders eld & deacons deac.
B. Regarding qualifications – the deacons are very similar to overseers…
__a. “reverent”: honors God & honorable among men.
__b. “not double-tongued”: Doesn’t say one thing to one person & turn around & say something else to another. Regardless of whether or not we serve as elders or deacons, Christians should not be double-tongued. Let our yes be yes & no be no (Matt 5:37).
__c. “not given to much wine”: English translation looks very similar to that for overseers, but the Greek is fairly different (one word vs. phrasing). The idea here is that deacons would not “pay attention to” or “having their mind held by” wine. Nothing wrong with abstaining (I’d recommend it!), but biblically speaking moderation is the key. Keep in mind that the ancients (for the most part) drank wine differently than we do. They obviously had a natural fermentation process, but generally diluted their wine with 2-3 parts of water. For them, drinking a little wine was virtually like using a water purification tablet – our culture treats it much differently & Christians should take that into consideration.
__d. “not greedy”: just like the overseers.
C. What else are deacons supposed to be doing? “holding the mystery of faith with a pure conscience” IOW – that they’d understand the faith. Overseers are to be able to teach doctrine; deacons must have a good comprehension of it. (Makes logical sense – why would you have church leadership that didn’t understand church teaching?) Possible reference to the end of the chapter…come back next week to dig into it.
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10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
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A. IOW, don’t throw a title on someone – see them in action 1st. The best way to look for future servant leaders is to look at who’s currently serving. Have they been faithfully serving in such a way where blame “doesn’t stick”? They might be a good candidate for a deacon.
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11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
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A. Some argue that “wives” here could be a reference to deaconesses, and not the wives of the deacons themselves. However, the whole context is one of male deacons (as seen in vs. 12). The difficulty lies in the fact that the Gk word used for “wives” could just as easily be translated “women” & there’s no possessive pronoun (note the italic “their” – added by the translators). There is a female form of the word translated “deacon” (actually applied to Phoebe in Rom 16:1), but Paul doesn’t use it here. As with other items in this chapter, scholars are split on the issue. Historically speaking, the NT shows many women serving in ministry – whether or not this is a reference to that is unclear.
B. What are the requirements for the women/wives?
__a. “reverent”: Same as the deacons.
__b. “not slanderers”: Literally, “not devils” – the Devil IS the Grand Accuser, and when we engage in backbiting & slander, we’re treading on his turf.
__c. “temperate”: Same as vs 2 – not given to extremes.
__d. “faithful”: However we serve the Lord Jesus, we want to be found faithful. It’s not that certain tasks are more worthy of being faithful in than others – we ought to be faithful in all things…whatever the Lord has put before us.
C. Otherwise, same requirements for deacon as for overseers – they’ve got to be able to serve their homes before serving the church.
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13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
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A. Like those who serve as bishops, those who serve well as deacons have a good work. Re-emphasizes that ministry isn’t a career path; it’s simply serving as God has called us to serve. We are the body of Christ – and whether you consider yourself to be the tongue or the spleen, you have a vital role to fill. I firmly believe at the Bema Seat of Christ, we will see more rejoicing over those who were faithful in “smaller” works than those who spoke to 1000’s of people & fell short in their character.

Conclusion:
‘Gee, this was great – but I’m not in church leadership.’ Two responses to that:
A. We all serve Christ in some way – these are characteristics we all should want to see the Holy Spirit develop within us. Most are simply a mark of maturity in Christ.
B. If you’re not serving locally, why not? Do you want to grow in your faith & mature in your walk with Christ? Serve Him how He’s called you to serve. Whether or not it has a title is of little importance – note what happens to those who serve well in vs 13: not only do they have a good standing, but they obtain a “great boldness in the faith.” That’s true regardless of the position in which you serve Him – being simply a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord is better than dwelling in tents on earth (Ps 84:10) – why? Because we’re serving the King! The more we serve Him, the bolder we become in our service to Him, the more joy we gain in our worship of Him!

If you’re not a Christian – this was an in-house message. Ministry is a calling from God He extends to people whom He’s already saved. Does that include you? Are you saved? Did you even know you needed to be saved? Many people don’t. They are either like I was (never giving the afterlife a 2nd thought), or if they do think about heaven they’re relying on their good works to get them there…

The problem is that none of our good works are good enough. The Bible makes it clear that the best we can do are like filthy rags in the sight of God, because God is more than just “pretty good” – He’s absolutely perfect. We’re not! Even the ‘good’ ones of us have lied & lusted, or cheated, or dishonored our parents. And because God is absolutely perfect, He must provide perfect justice…which includes more than just murderers & rapists, but liars & the rest of us. If we are honest in examining ourselves, we will find ourselves guilty – and we’ve got to face God on Judgment Day.

What can you do? YOU can’t do anything, but GOD can & did. He sent His only Son to die on the cross for you & me – taking the punishment that WE deserved upon Himself. Jesus didn’t deserve a single second on that cross, but you & I deserved an eternity there. He paid the price we couldn’t pay & freely offers the gift of forgiveness & eternal life to you – but you must receive it.

Is Christianity Chauvinistic?

1 Timothy 2:8-15, “Is Christianity Chauvinistic?”
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Introduction:
Is Paul (and more generally, Christianity) chauvinistic? Are those who believe that every verse of the Bible is given by inspiration of God people who chastise women for speaking their mind & just looking for new ways to keep them pregnant, barefoot & in the kitchen? It’s certainly not difficult to find critics of the Bible who think exactly that.

But what do we do with these verses? How do we deal with these teachings that seem so out-of-touch to our 21st century ears? The Christian community has come up with several solutions:
A. Dismiss them as uninspired. Some claim that the pastoral epistles (1-2 Timothy & Titus) weren’t written by Paul, but someone claiming to be Paul. Thus their argument is, if it doesn’t have apostolic origin, it’s not inspired & we can dismiss it. The problem with this is that the early church accepted the authorship of Paul & this teaching lines up with other teaching on the subject throughout the NT.
B. Ignore them as culturally irrelevant. Some argue that these are dated remarks meant to address a specific situation in a specific city, thus the 21st century church can ignore them since we are so removed from the original situation. The problem here? What Paul addresses is universal among the church (teaching) & he makes his argument from Adam & Eve, making it relevant to all time periods.
C. Bend them to a more pleasing teaching. In this view, we’re supposed to take a little bit of the core teaching & turn the rest into some sort of spiritual analogy. The problem? That’s just bad hermeneutics (study methods) to begin with!

Question: apart from the teachings on women & homosexuals, is there ANY other doctrine in the Bible that we would dismiss, ignore, or bend? Would we dare do this to justification? The role of the Holy Spirit? Of course not! If not to any other doctrine, then why would we do it to this one?

So how DO we deal with this? Let’s go back to basics. Proper Bible study method: (1) Observation… (2) Interpretation… (3) Application… One of the major problems (and there are so many!) of dismissing, ignoring, and bending this teaching is that we rush to application without spending any time observing the text/context, and looking at the interpretation as intended by the Holy Spirit through Paul. And that’s where we MUST start – if we don’t, we’ve missed it entirely. Keep in mind these ARE words given by inspiration of God…thus we should be able to trust the heart of the ultimate Author. This is the same God Who went to the cross for your salvation – we can only glimpse at the extent of love He has for each one of us! We can be assured that these words were not penned to oppress; but given to help make us complete & equipped for every good work in Him (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Remember the context leading up to this point. Paul exhorted the church to pray – primarily for those in government, under the understanding that the only way we can approach the Father in prayer is through the One Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus. Gets back to prayer in vs 8…
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1 Timothy 2:8-15 (NKJV)
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
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A. Before we get to the section on women, we get 1 little verse about men…but be careful not to pass off this little verse. It sets up the context for everything that’s about to follow. What is it? How to participate in the local church fellowship. We know we’re supposed to pray, but how do we pray as a local body of believers? For the men, several characteristics:
__a. “Pray everywhere”: Keep in mind that the church didn’t have the luxury of synagogues at the time – they were meeting from house to house. Wherever they were, the men were to pray.
____i. Mentioned this last week…many times we look at prayer as the ‘supplement’ or ‘afterthought’ of ministry. Wrong! Most of the time, it IS the ministry, or at least a foundational portion of it. We do ourselves a disfavor if we discontinue prayer – it’s absolutely vital to the health and work of the church.
__b. Lift “up holy hands”: This isn’t the normal word used for “holy” (set apart) – refers more to piety & sacredness. The idea is that when we come to God in prayer as a church, we should come undefiled. Men, confess your sin (1 John 1:9) & be done with it – and then lift your hands in prayer.
____i. Do we have to literally lift our hands? Not necessarily – it was a common posture for prayer among the Jews. But we needn’t feel like we have to fold our hands & bow our heads either…we have freedom to boldly pray to our Abba Father!
__c. Pray “without wrath”: Prayer isn’t an opportunity to hold grudges; it’s a time to forgive them. Ever listen to someone ‘pray’ when they’re really speaking to someone else? [] We should have none of that! We’re coming before the God Who has forgiven us much; we should be willing to forgive as well.
__d. Pray without “doubting”: The thought isn’t so much of a lack of faith (per James 1:6), but one of disputing – either within oneself in distraction, or among others (in wrath). Neither has a place in prayer. Prayer should be intentional & reverent.
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9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
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A. “in like manner” – like what? Like the men in the church. Paul’s continuing the context – how Christian women are supposed to participate & conduct themselves in the local church.
B. 1st, adorn themselves with modesty. There are a ton of churches where the women (and men) put on a fashion show… Not only does it introduce unnecessary pressure & stress, it becomes a distraction from true worship. Our eyes & thoughts should be on Christ Jesus; not on what Sister So&So is wearing.
__a. Also seems to be a reference to physical modesty. Braided hair & gold used in certain circumstances were indicative of the temple prostitutes. … We don’t need to ‘dress up’ to worship, but we shouldn’t ‘dress down’ to the point of going clubbing, either. Again – we want to have our thoughts on Christ in worship…not distract one another.
C. 2nd, adorn themselves with good works. Far more important than wardrobe is the work Christ Jesus is doing in us. As He transforms us from the inside out (man or woman), our lives should reflect that in the works that we do. The sister who is truly godly doesn’t need to brag about it in endless profession; her godliness will be evident in the fruit of her life.
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11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
A. Be careful not to jump to the controversy too quickly here – again, we 1st want to observe. How does the text begin? “Let a woman learn…” Amen! Women are encouraged to learn & the church was to allow the opportunity for this to take place.
__a. Do we understand how revolutionary this was for the time?! Greek culture treated women as little more than property. In their worldview, they were good for procreation & recreation, and little else…certainly they weren’t allowed an education. Roman culture wasn’t much better – although some elite women were educated, most common women were not. Yet the Lord Jesus invites ALL those whom He bought with His blood to learn of Him & to know and understand His word!
__b. Do we understand how revolutionary this still is? Christianity encourages all its followers to learn. Not to simply do as their told – not to be a blind follower – but to love God with all our heart, soul, MIND, and strength. God invites you to know of Him & to learn His word & ways…this is startling when we stop to think of it. If the US President invited you to a one-on-one lunch, offering to answer whatever questions you had about him, what would be your response? How much more the God of all the Universe? We’ve all been given that invitation: Matthew 11:28-30 (28) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” []
B. How was a woman to learn? “in silence with all submission.” 1st thing we need to do is to define “silence” – same basic word as “peaceable” in vs. 2, and in this case doesn’t necessarily mean “silent.” (Walvoord & Zuck) “It is clearly used elsewhere (Acts 22:2; 2 Thes. 3:12) to mean “settled down, undisturbed, not unruly.” A different word (siga?) means “to be silent, to say nothing.” The idea isn’t so much one of ‘zipped lips’ but an orderly atmosphere for learning. And again, before we jump to controversy, we need to ask if this is really bad? After all, how are men supposed to learn? We have a time & place for Bible discussion fellowships, but in a church service, how does everyone learn? Quietly in submission to the Word that’s being preached. Women are no different from the men in this respect…but Paul needed to give instruction to a culture that hadn’t given this opportunity to women in the past.
__a. We ALL need to be submitted to the Word of God. The immediate context here is being submitted to the teaching from the elders of the church – but the only reason the elders carry any weight is because of the word and gospel they are proclaiming. The Bible is our final rule of authority and practice because it is the very word of God Himself…and it is good because HE is good!
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12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
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A. Here’s where the difference between males & females in church kicks in. But before we look at what it is, notice what it’s not. The difference is not one of worth. Too often when we look at these sorts of passages, this is the conclusion we jump to: ‘Paul said that a man is better than a woman!’ Perish the thought! Nowhere in the NT will we come to that conclusion if we look at a passage in context. Regarding worth in the body of Christ, men & women are exactly the same! Galatians 3:26-28 (26) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [] Why? Because we were all bought with the same blood. Jesus did not have to pay more for John Smith than Jane Doe on the cross – we all had the same debt of sin which brought the same punishment, and thus the same blood that saves you saves me, and we are all equal in the Body of Christ…all glory be to God!
B. Instead, the difference is one of role. What ministry roles are available to men & what ministry roles are available to women? In many cases, there is much overlap – but when it comes to teaching the Word of God, there is distinction. Men are not exhorted to teach the young women; that’s reserved for the mature women. Likewise, women are not to teach the men….practically speaking, women are not to serve as elders/bishops (which Paul is contextually moving to in Ch 3).
C. Question: is Paul saying women should never say anything in church? Not at all! Elsewhere, Paul specifically instructs women regarding prophecy (1 Cor 11:5) – he gives instruction for older women to teach the younger women (Titus 2:4) – Philip’s 4 daughters were known to prophesy (Acts 21:9) – John wrote to the elder woman who hosted a home church at her house (2 John 1) – Aquila & his wife Priscilla were instrumental in teaching Apollos (Acts 18:26)…obviously, women were (and are) to be very active in the church! That activity is simply submitted to the church leadership.
__a. Keep in mind the context here is limited to the local church fellowship – this isn’t a reference to home life, school, the workplace or anything else. Mothers teach their sons, and they are to honor her for their entire lives. Male students should have no problem taking instruction from female high school teachers or college professors, etc. Anytime we take Scripture out of context, we invariably get into trouble, and this is no exception.
D. How could Paul teach this so definitively? See vs. 13-14…
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13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
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A. God is a God of order, and the role follows the order of creation. Adam was not created 1st because God ‘liked’ him more; he was simply created 1st & carried the authority of being the 1st born. (He also carries the responsibility, as we’ll see in a minute.) But order is found in the Triune Godhead itself! God the Father & God the Son are of equal worth, equal power, equal natures – yet the Lord Jesus willingly submits Himself to His Father. Philippians 2:6-8 (6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. []
B. Apart from creation, this order is reinforced because of the Fall. Eve was created 2nd, and fell 1st. Personally speaking, I believe this is all the text says. Many commentaries take a viewpoint that somehow women are more susceptible to spiritual deception – but I would argue that’s reading into the text. Paul is simply reviewing the Genesis account…if he’s implying anything, the context has to do with order; not ‘ability.’ When Adam took the fruit from Eve, the order was reversed as Adam was intended to be the spiritual head. At that moment, everything was turned upside down as Eve followed the lead of Satan, and Adam followed the lead of Eve – when it should have been Adam following the lead of God, and Eve following the lead of Adam.
C. Question: Is Paul absolving Adam of guilt here? Not at all! Paul doesn’t pull punches with Adam in the slightest (see Rom 5)…the Bible squarely puts the blame of the fall of creation at the feet of Adam. But the simple fact is Eve was deceived & Adam wasn’t…and that doesn’t speak well of Adam at all. Eve had never been lied to before; there was no reason to expect the subtle attack of Satan. Adam knew better, yet still willfully sinned & transgressed the law.
__1. Before we start casting too many stones, we should realize that we all would have made the same choices. Had the Father of Lies lied to us, we would have listened – had we been given the choice of the temporary pleasure of the fruit instead of God, we would have taken it. How can we be sure? This is what we do already! Even before we are born-again in Christ, we have the law of God written on our conscience (Rom 2:15) & yet we still buy into the lies of the devil & willfully transgress against the God that created us.
__2. This is why the gospel is so glorious! No matter what we’ve done – no matter how bad we’ve transgressed against the Lord – all can be forgiven through Christ Jesus. But you must repent! If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?
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15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
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A. ‘What on earth is Paul talking about here?’ Good question! There’s a ton of debate on this verse…virtually every commentary takes a different view. Some think it’s a reference to back to the curse, that women would bear children in pain, but Christian women would be saved (not die) in childbirth (which is the focus of the NASB). Big problem here: what about all the godly women that have died in childbirth? … Others think that Paul is proclaiming that a woman’s proper role is in child rearing, and that’s where a woman finds her greatest satisfaction. Problem here: the vast majority of what’s involved with “childbearing” takes place in the home & outside the ministry roles of individuals in the church – and that’s where most of the context is. And if this is a reference to eternal salvation, how does this avoid a ‘salvation by works’ scenario? Go back to basic bible study methods:
__a. Observation: (1) Who does “she” refer to? The woman – specifically Eve, but all who followed her. (2) Define “saved” – the word can (and does) refer to physical life, but it is usually used to refer to eternal life…to deliver & make whole. (I.e., a much larger context than that of general childbearing). (3) Although the English translation doesn’t show it, “childbearing” is accompanied by a definite article…could be literally translated “the childbearing.”
__b. Interpretation: The preceding verses are plainly talking about the Genesis account of the fall. Adam was formed – Eve was formed – Eve fell – Adam fell…then what happened? God gave a prophecy of salvation of a specific Childbearing. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” [] The woman was to bear a Child…who would crush Satan’s head, bringing salvation. And that’s exactly what happened – Galatians 4:4-5 (4) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. [].
__c. Application: Women are saved by Christ Jesus – the One born of a woman. Amplified Version takes the same position: “Nevertheless [the sentence put upon women of pain in motherhood does not hinder their souls’ salvation, and] the will be saved [eternally] if the continue in faith and love and holiness with self control, [saved indeed] through the Childbearing or by the birth of the divine Child.” How are women saved? The same way men are saved: through Christ Jesus! Their gender had the honor of bringing Him into the world.
B. The exhortation to women? Continue! Hearkening back to Ch 1:19, Paul’s basically saying, “Don’t let your faith get shipwrecked!” Men & women both ought to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5) – is our walk with Christ producing fruit of faith, love, holiness, and self-control? If so, praise God! If not – go to your knees, examine your heart, and turn to Christ Jesus.

Conclusion:
Is Christianity chauvinistic? No. The greatest thing that ever happened to the world came through a woman – so grand that a multitude of angels sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14) A Samaritan woman was one of the 1st evangelists (John 4:28) and women were the 1st witnesses to the Resurrected Christ (Matt 28:9). The Lord Jesus invites men and women to be saved, follow Him, and learn of Him – and He graciously proscribes an order in which learning ought to take place.

Do people use these verses out of context to be chauvinistic? Without question. But just because Scripture is abused doesn’t make it invalid – it’s still the Word of God, and we can be thankful for every jot & tittle. The response to those who would use it out of context is to take them back to the Scripture itself for correction. Be a Berean & let God deal with wrong teachers…they will be held to a stricter judgment.

Bottom line?
A. Men: We have an invitation to pray. Women tend to naturally gravitate towards prayer; men want to be ‘active.’ Prayer IS being active – and we ought to pray everywhere.
B. Women: You have an invitation to learn. There is much ministry that God has for each person (male and female) within the Body of Christ – we need to be equipped from His Word in order to fulfill that calling.

We’ve ALL been invited to follow Christ! The question is: have you acted on that invitation? Have you received Christ as your Lord & been born-again? It doesn’t matter how religious you are or how much learning you think you already have – when speaking to Nicodemus the Pharisee, Jesus said “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) We must be born again spiritually because without Christ we are spiritually dead – our sin (and Adam) has condemned us to that. Every lie – every lustful thought – every time we place our will above God’s will – every sin carries a death sentence, and we are all guilty. That’s why Jesus went to the cross…to bear the punishment you & I deserved – He did it so we wouldn’t have to. And now He offers grace & forgiveness to all those who call upon Him.

Judgment, Kings, Priests, Prophets

Deuteronomy 17-18, “Judgment, Kings, Priests, Prophets”
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Introduction:
It’s truly an amazing thought to consider that God not only invites us to worship Him (which He is worthy of, despite whether or not we believe) – but that He also invites us to have a relationship with Him. Yes, we come before Him in praise & adoration, but He graciously desires us to not only know of Him, but to know Him. His invitation to Israel was no different. He wanted them to know His word & commands, and provided so many opportunities for them to learn it through the coming kings, the serving Levites, and the line of prophets – all of which God gives direction on in Ch 17-18. He also provides warnings on how NOT to seek God (through pagan practices) – and that’s basically how He begins.

Deuteronomy 17 (NKJV)
1 “You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.
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A. Where does this come from? It might seem somewhat out of place… Ch 16 ended with a prohibition against idolatry; Ch 17 will go on to talk about prohibition against pagan ‘magic’ practices. Is vs. 1 just a random verse between them? Not really – all are dealing with some sort of perversion of worship & vs. 1 makes the point that even if the Hebrews are sacrificing to the One True God, it’s still possible to do it in a way which would be an abomination.
B. How so? The Hebrews were not to bring God their leftovers or 2nd best. (You can imagine the temptation…) Instead, God was to be worshipped with the very best they had to offer…He’s worthy of such a sacrifice because God is supremely perfect and holy!
C. How does God view imperfect sacrifices? As “an abomination”…no better than idols – it’d be better if they hadn’t brought anything! Why? Every sacrifice ultimately points to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for sin. Thus the only sacrifice that will do is one that is perfect…otherwise they weren’t really looking ahead to Christ. [] That’s why Jesus is the ONLY sufficient sacrifice; He’s the only One truly without blemish or defect.
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2 “If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing His covenant, 3 who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, 4 and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.
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A. Referring to pagan worship practices – many cultures worshiped the different celestial bodies…not the least, the Egyptians (Ra = sun god). This is exactly what God had called them out of & God doesn’t share His glory! The Hebrews were HIS people – and they were to worship HIM alone.
B. The proper response in Israel to paganism? Death. It was a capital crime, as it was basically an act of adulterous treason…
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- How to properly administer the death penalty:
6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
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A. Capital punishment is not taken lightly…a serious investigation was to take place. Multiple witnesses were established, and they were under the command of God (the 8th Commandment: don’t bear false witness) to tell the truth of the matter. The more witnesses, the better – but all that was truly required was 2-3 credible ones.
B. Capital punishment was to be administered with responsibility…the actual witnesses were the ones to cast the stones, thus they had to deal with their own consciences & judgment of God if they were less than completely truthful.
¬¬__a. We see a great example of this with Jesus & the woman caught in adultery. The woman was plainly guilty – not even she denied it. But the proper punishment as dictated by the law could not be administered responsibly, because none of them followed the law responsibly. By law, both man & woman were guilty (Lev 20:10) – but they were plainly trying to judge Jesus & using the woman as a tool to do so. Thus when Jesus brought up the law, their hearts were convicted & the witnesses could not fast the 1st stone.
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8 “If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 9 And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment.
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A. “degrees of guilt” is a reference to deciding what level of a crime an offense was. Is it murder, or accidental manslaughter? Those were the types of decisions the priests & Levites were charged with deciding. Somewhat of a change from the way things had been working with Moses & the elders of 10’s, 100’s, 1000’s, etc. Makes sense considering the changes upon entering the land. Levites would be scattered around the nation – and thus accessible to for this kind of judgment.
B. Note the care that goes into these judgments. No punishment was to be given hastily or under mob-rule, or revenge – judgment was to be delivered justly. Why? Because God is just!
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10 You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the LORD chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. 11 According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. 12 Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously.
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A. Don’t vary from God’s word (in this case, judgment). What He instructed the Israelites to do (via the Levites), they were to do it…period.
B. What to do with someone who ignores the voice of the Lord regarding someone’s criminal punishment? Treat it as a capital crime – that person himself incurs the death penalty. Eliminates vigilantism…
C. Also underscores the authority of the word of God. It’s not up to us to decide what’s right & wrong for ourselves…we haven’t been invested with that kind of authority. ‘That’s kind of a harsh thing to say!’ No, it’s simply the truth about human nature. Without a standard of morality given to us, we disintegrate into chaos & like the Judges, every man does what is right in his eyes (Jud 21:25). This is one reason the written Word of God is such a gift to us! We don’t have to guess at what’s right & wrong – we KNOW it because we’ve been given an objective standard based on God’s ultimate righteousness. Without the Law & Scripture, we wouldn’t understand what sin is (Rom 7:7), but now we know! Psalm 119:103-105 (103) How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! (104) Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. (105) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. []
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14 “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
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A. Note this isn’t an “if”; it’s “when.” God’s perfect plan for Israel was to be a true theocracy, with God Himself ruling over His people. But God knew that eventually the people would reject this and want a monarchy…and that’s exactly what they did. 1 Samuel 8:6-7 (6) But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. (7) And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. [] What a tragic thing: to reject the rule & reign of the Lord – to reject Him for ‘status’ in the eyes of man!
__a. Can Christians do the same thing? After all – Christians (by definition) belong to Christ & are ruled by Him. Yet many times we do reject His rule in certain areas of our life: pet temptations, family members, whatever. When we do that, we’re turning away from His perfect plan for us – and it’s still a tragedy!
B. What are the regulations for the king?
__a. God makes the choice. This was not to be left up to the people to decide (as they tried to do in Judges 9); this was a choice to be made solely by the Lord. He was their Sovereign King, thus He was the only one who could empower someone else for the monarchy.
__b. The king has to be Hebrew. No matter what their system of government, they were still under covenant with God – thus they could never have a foreigner reigning over them (which was one reason ‘King’ Herod caused such turmoil…he had Jewish background, but wasn’t considered a ‘true Jew.’)
__c. Not dependent on military. King Asa got into trouble on this point. Early on, he relied on the Lord to fight his battles; later he relied on his diplomacy to gain military advantage (2 Chr 16). God disciplined him with wars.
__d. Not dependent on allies: combining the reference to Egypt & multiplying wives. Kings often married to form allies & treaties with other countries.
__e. Not dependent on wealth.
____i. Solomon failed on most counts…he multiplied his horses & wives, traded with Egypt, and was the richest man in the world. And in the end, he fell away from the Lord.
____ii. Jesus fulfills all counts! As the Son of David, Jesus is the rightful King of Israel. Chosen by God, descended of Abraham, Jesus needed no army, was rejected by the nations, and had no wealth (not even a place to rest His head). He came in humility, but will return in glory!
f. Instead, he must be dependent only on God! By knowing the Word of God. See vs 18…
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18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
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A. He makes his own copy! He was to literally take the book of Deuteronomy & write out a personal copy by hand. [Interesting experience!] You never pay quite so much attention to something you’re reading as when you’re writing it down. And that was the point.
B. He doesn’t just write it down; he reads it daily. Writing it down once doesn’t do any good if you don’t pay any attention to it later.
C. He doesn’t just read it; he observes it. In doing so, he’s building his house on the rock (Matt 7:24).
D. The result? His heart remains humble… His reign is blessed…
__a. We may not be kings – but we do serve the King of Kings. Want your life to be transformed? Write the law on your heart – read it daily – do what it says.
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Deuteronomy 18 (NKJV)
1 “The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion. 2 Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He said to them. 3 “And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. 4 The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. 5 For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever.
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A. Reminder that the Levite’s inheritance is the Lord Himself.
B. Because they are the Lord’s, the Lord provides for them through the people they serve. They received the 1st fruits, and meat from the offerings – truly they were dependent on God for ‘daily bread.’
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6 “So if a Levite comes from any of your gates, from where he dwells among all Israel, and comes with all the desire of his mind to the place which the LORD chooses, 7 then he may serve in the name of the LORD his God as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the LORD. 8 They shall have equal portions to eat, besides what comes from the sale of his inheritance.
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A. Levites are to receive fair wages…whether they serve in the Levitical cities, or at the Tabernacle itself.
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9 “When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.
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A. Reiteration against pagan idolatrous practices. Why does God hit this over & over? Because He wants them to learn it! Because He knows it will be a constant temptation & so He continually warns them away from it.
__a. God never gives us commands to see us squirm or not engage in fun – His commands are always based on His character & nature & are meant to protect & provide for us. In this case, God is protecting Israel by keeping them away from demonic influences.
B. Specifically details witches, spiritists, psychics, etc. These things are an abomination to the Lord – and even though we’re in the NT, we’re still to avoid these things completely. (Sorcery is specifically mentioned in Gal 5:20)
__a. King Saul fell into this trap by using the witch of En Dor to summon Samuel from the dead – ended up having judgment pronounced on him that he’d be dead the next battle (1 Sam 27:19)
__b. Are these things real? Yes & no. Most of these things are designed to fleece people out of money. But there are truly demonic forces unseen to us – and they’ll use whatever opportunity given to them to drive people away from God. Christians should have nothing to do with these things (real or imagined). 1 Corinthians 10:21-22 (21) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. (22) Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? []
C. Ultimately, God’s making the point that if we want to learn about the supernatural, we’re not to turn to the perversions of the Devil; we’re to look to our supernatural God Himself! If we want to know the future or God’s revealed will, we simply need to turn to His word – as revealed through the prophets (vs. 15)…
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15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
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A. A prophet like Moses. Is this every prophet to follow? In a sense, yes – they brought the words of the Lord to the people in the same tradition. They each had a responsibility to speak the words of God to whomever God directed – and they got in trouble when they refused (see: Jonah, fish ).
B. Ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ! He is truly a prophet like Moses…both in personal history & purpose.
__i. Personal history: they had both survived death sentences for newborns – they had both been called out of Egypt – they had both fasted for 40 days – Moses gave the Law; Jesus explained it’s intent – they both radiated the glory of God — they either lifted up or were lifted up for deliverance & more.
__ii. Purpose: this is probably more of Moses’ intent with this prophecy & again, Jesus fulfills this perfectly. After God gave the 10 Commandments, the people were so terrified of God’s awesome holiness that they asked Moses to speak to God on their behalf. That’s exactly what Jesus does as our Mediator (1 Tim 2:5). We cannot approach God by ourselves, so Christ Jesus does it for us – and He’s truly the only One who can.
__iii. Keep in mind, this is more than pure speculation – the NT affirms that Jesus Christ IS the fulfillment of this prophecy: Acts 3:19-22 (19) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, (20) and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, (21) whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (22) For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. [] To this day, the Jews are still waiting – but there’s no one left to be waiting for! Christ Jesus IS the Prophet as unto Moses – demonstrated in His 1st coming, and will be so again at His 2nd.
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19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
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A. People ignore the Lord Jesus at their own peril. He didn’t come to tickle anyone’s ears or to make them ponder at His wisdom. He came to seek & save the lost! He came to glorify the Father & provide the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Those who will not hear the words of Christ, do not hear the very words of God – thus they do not hear the gospel and remain in their sin. And God absolutely will require it of them.
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20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
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A. Dealing with false prophets… The problem with many false prophets is that their prophecies are so appealing, we want them to be true. Jeremiah dealt with his share of false prophets before the Babylonian captivity. Whereas he was preaching that God would allow the nation to be captured, the false prophet preached nationalistic victory & a return to the land after 2 years. Sounds good, right? The problem was that it encouraged further rebellion & God had already decreed the captivity was going to take place. Jeremiah was simply trying to prevent further destruction & loss of life (Jer 27:17).
__a. The same thing happens today all the time. People follow the ‘signs & wonders’ circus from city to city & receive all sorts of ‘prophecies’ regarding healing, finances, and power – and although they sound good at the time, they inevitably come to nothing & people are heartbroken…
B. God would save us from all this! This is why we’re supposed to judge prophecy (1 Cor 14:29) We have a very simple test for how to know if a prophet is false: do their words come true? If not, be assured he/she is a false prophet & forget about them – don’t fear anything they have to say. (Recent prophecies at L. Outpouring commissioning – all proven to be false.)
__a. Applies to non-predictive prophecy as well. Are the words true? Do they line up with the already revealed truth of Scripture? God will never contradict through prophecy what He’s already given through written revelation. Be a Berean!

Conclusion:
Make no mistake that our God is a supernatural God! (By definition.) He still gives His people prophecy, and He definitely speaks to us through His supernatural Word. And because we can be assured of that, we have absolutely no reason to be looking anywhere else for divine revelation. We know exactly what God is like because we worship Christ – who is the image of the invisible God, the 1st born of all creation. He has declared God to us, and because we have received Christ, we have become children of God. Why would we ever settle for any substitutes? Be it false prophecy or outright paganism – it’s a cheap substitute for our loving God & King.

With that in mind – are you taking advantage of the glorious opportunity God has set before you to know Him? Every day is a new day to boldly & humbly approach God through prayer & His Word. Let us not waste a single day!

One Mediator

1 Timothy 2:1-7, “One Mediator for all Men”
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Introduction:
Just over a year ago on August 1, 2007, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis suffered a catastrophic collapse during rush hour, killing 13 people & injuring 145 others. The bridge had served as Minnesota’s 5th busiest bridge, carrying over 140,000 vehicles every day. And then at 6:05pm, it was in the water.

For thousands of Minnesotans, that bridge was what connected them between their home & their workplace – it was their mediator for transportation. What happens when that mediator isn’t good enough? Tragedy. How much more important when considering eternity? Almost all religions agree that our sin needs to be dealt with – they mostly differ on the method of mediation. Is it our works? The priests? The prophet? Or is it (as Christianity claims) the Savior? Paul makes it absolutely clear to Timothy that we need a Mediator – and that Mediator is none other but God Himself, the Son of God Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
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A. Wherefore the therefore? Remember the context Paul’s coming out of…he had just urged Timothy to teach no other doctrine than the truth of the Scripture (1:3), and charged him to wage the good warfare by staying true to the faith of the gospel (1:18). Now that all that is said, Paul can get to the meat of the letter: how to instruct the church at Ephesus about roles, leadership, practice, etc. And where does it all start? Prayer! How important is prayer? It’s the 1st priority.
__a. It should always be the very 1st priority! Whether it’s before Sunday service in the office – at intercessory prayer meetings – at 3rd Wednesday prayer services – small groups, devotional time, wherever. Prayer is absolutely essential to the work of ministry. Why? Generally it IS the work of ministry!
B. What’s included in prayer? A lot!
__a. “supplications”: This is what we mostly think of when it comes to prayer – and sometimes all we do when we pray. … We need to avoid the habit of making our prayers into ‘laundry lists’ – but at the same time, we don’t want to downplay the importance of bringing our supplications to God. The NT specifically encourages us to do so. (Phil 4:6-7)
__b. “prayers”: Prayer is often defined as “talking with God” – and this is pretty accurate. But never forget prayer is more than just simple conversation between friends – prayer is a specific conversation between you and your God, Father, Master, Savior, and King!
__c. “intercessions”: This actually seems to be the majority of prayer Paul’s contextually referring to – when we put our “selves” to the side & intercede for others. Usually for their salvation…which is the context Paul seems to take it in.
____i. Never let anyone tell you it’s fruitless to pray for someone’s salvation… It’s absolutely essential that we intercede for the lost that they would receive the gospel & be saved!
__d. “giving of thanks”: Sadly, oftentimes this is what we forget. But our prayers ought to be bathed in thanksgiving, because there’s so much to be thankful for. The very fact that we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace in prayer because of the work of Christ Jesus is enough reason to forever be thankful!
C. Who do we pray for? “all men” – Speaking of all peoples…starting with the government. See vs. 2…
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2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
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A. Specifically we’re to pray for those in government & leadership. For those leaders who are believers, we pray that they may follow Christ… For those who are not believers, we pray that they would be saved… For all, we pray that they would be used by God to accomplish His will. Question: can God use a pagan ruler for His purposes? Yes! Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah tell us of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon & Cyrus, Darius, & Artaxerxes of Persia – all used by God to protect His people & ultimately bring the Jews back into the land. God even used Caesar Augustus to fulfill prophecy when Augustus ordered a census that brought Joseph & Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Since God can use leaders of all stripes, we are to pray for them.
__a. As we approach the presidential election, this is especially important. We don’t pray for only Republicans, only Democrats, Independents, etc…we’re to pray for ALL “who are in authority.” Pray for both candidates & for God’s will to be done in our nation.
__b. ‘What about dictators & rulers who hate Christians?’ Pray for them, too! (Especially for them.) Keep in mind that Nero was on the throne when Paul wrote this – if he could pray for the emperor who would later kill him, surely we should pray for those who would wish Christians harmed.
B. Why? To have freedom to live out our walk with Christ. … Specifically:
__a. “a quiet and peaceable life”: We praise God for all the freedoms we have to speak our mind, but the primary thing we are concerned with is not a loud political voice, but a quiet life. Christians don’t need special privileges or attention (and in the vast majority of countries around the world, they definitely don’t get them!); we just need the same privileges as everyone else to live out our faith freely & worship Him without hindrance.
____i. Does this mean Christians should never be politically active? No. Be as active in whatever circles as God leads you to be. We just need to keep the proper perspective & priorities.
__b. “in godliness and reverence”: Emphasizes our own personal walks with Christ. Sinners are going to act like sinners (we shouldn’t be surprised by that) – but WE don’t have any excuse…we’re to live in godliness, being respectful towards all who are in authority.
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3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
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A. Isn’t it great to know there are some things about the will of God we can be absolutely sure of? Praying for our leaders pleases our Heavenly Father…by extension, when we intercede for others (“all men”, vs 1), it pleases God. It’s “good and acceptable” in His sight.
B. Note God is our Savior. Reiterating the thought in 1 Tim 1:1… Every Person within the Triune Godhead is completely active in our salvation. Jesus went to the cross & rose again, God the Father draws people to Christ, and the Holy Spirit gives them a new birth. God is our Savior, and without Him we have no hope!
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4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
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A. Does “all men” really mean ALL men? Some might argue no – that “all men” refers to all of God’s elect. … Simply not supported by the Greek! The word “all” truly means “all”! It means every person – the whole – the totality. God really desires all men to be saved… This is what Peter was referring to regarding the soon coming of judgment day – God isn’t willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9) …
__a. This is where I have severe trouble with the Calvinistic doctrine of Limited Atonement. [] LA (also known as ‘particular redemption’) says that Christ died only for the elect, and not the whole of humanity… Yet to affirm that God desires all men to repent, but limit the opportunity to only a few isn’t even logical – nor does it reflect well on the glory of God.
__b. It’s worth noting that even John Calvin agrees that this verse shows God’s universal invitation for mankind to repent & be saved! (Calvin), “for the Apostle simply means, that there is no people and no rank in the world that is excluded from salvation; because God wishes that the gospel should be proclaimed to all without exception. Now the preaching of the gospel gives life; and hence he justly concludes that God invites all equally to partake salvation.” I disagree strongly with many aspects about Calvin’s view of predestination – but on this point, we can all say AMEN! In the words of Spurgeon, those who claim to follow Calvin while applying the idea of Limited Atonement to this verse apply “grammatical gunpowder to it” in their attempts to explain away the clear meaning of what the Holy Spirit intended to say through Paul.
__c. If God truly desires ALL men to be saved, wouldn’t it follow that God made provision for ALL men to be saved? Yes – and that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus affirmed to Nicodemus: John 3:16-17 (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. [] ‘Yeah, but couldn’t ‘whosoever’ still refer to the elect?’ Perhaps, but how then do we explain ‘the world’ in vs 17? The Greek isn’t talking about a select group of ‘whosoevers’ – it’s a specific word referring to the entire universe! ?????? (cosmos)…all of humanity has access to salvation through Jesus Christ.
__d. The point here is not a debate for/against Calvinism – it’s that we would take the Scripture at its word for what it says. The Bible plainly proclaims that God desires all men to be saved – and for that we can say “Amen!”
B. ‘So is Paul teaching universalism here?’ Absolutely not – perish the thought! It is certainly God’s desire that all be saved, but obviously not all do. Hell is a very real place & the Bible makes it perfectly clear that anyone who’s name is not written in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). ‘So is this a contradiction?’ No – God desires that all would be saved, He commands us to repent (Acts 17:30) – but that doesn’t mean that we all are or do. Jesus commands us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48) – does that mean we are? Of course not. We fail every single day (if not every single minute). What then makes the difference? Jesus Christ. In Christ, we ARE perfect, because we have been clothed in His righteousness. Likewise, God desires that all men be saved, but the only people that are saved are the ones found in Christ. What makes the difference? Jesus Christ!
__a. Question: if God desires for us to be saved, and has made provision for us to be saved, whose fault is it then if we are not saved? Our own. We are the ones who have sinned against our Holy God. We are the ones who would have rejected His offer of forgiveness and life. One claim that those who for eternity will be in Hell will not be able to cry out is: “God it’s Your fault that I’m here!” No, the responsibility for our sin lies with us. God became man & died the horrendous death of crucifixion, and rose again to new life – He freely offers forgiveness to all who call upon Him…and today you’re hearing the good news of the gospel. What more do you expect Him to do?
____i. If you’re not saved, repent & trust Christ today!
C. What happens when we’re saved? We “come to the knowledge of the truth” – as if a light is turned on in a dark room, we see Christ for Who He truly is: the Son of God, our Savior, and our Lord. … We’re not talking about a gnostic “special knowledge” only available to certain people through certain initiation rites (like some lodges & Scientology circles) – Paul’s simply referring to correct knowledge; the truth.
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5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
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A. There is “one God”: One common argument from other religions against Christianity is that they claim we worship 3 gods. Nowhere in the NT will you find that affirmed. We worship ONE God. He is revealed in 3 distinct persons, but He is 1 God. Every analogy falls short in explaining the Trinity, and to that I say “Praise God!” I’m so glad to worship a Creator that is more complex than my limited understanding.
B. There is “one Mediator”: Today we think of “mediation” as legal arbitration. Instead of going to court against each other, we go to a 3rd party who negotiates between us until we can come to a compromise together…we each walk out with less than what we started with, but at least we didn’t go to court. Suffice to say, this is NOT what Christ Jesus does as our Mediator. Jesus does not make a compromise with God the Father because of our sin, nor does God ‘walk out’ with anything less than pure perfection & holiness. Instead, Jesus takes on the role of a High Priest – He represents us to God (because we cannot represent ourselves), and He represents God to us (because we in our sin cannot see God & live). He mediates (Latin “in the middle”) between us.
__a. How does Christ Jesus fulfill all this? As God, Christ is supremely holy; as Man, Christ endured every temptation we do – but showed Himself to be perfect. Thus through His sacrifice, there is a perfect offering that satisfies the righteousness of God for all the sins of mankind. Hebrews 9:13-15 (13) For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, (14) how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (15) And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. [] IOW, Jesus is the only option as a Mediator because He’s the only One who qualifies. We don’t qualify for the sacrifice – it would take an eternity to pay our debt. Bulls & goats definitely don’t qualify…anything they did in the OT covenant was purely temporary & symbolic of the future sacrifice of Christ. Only an eternal God can offer an eternal sacrifice bringing an eternal inheritance.
C. Who’s the Mediator? “the Man Christ Jesus.” Not the saints – not Mary – not Mohammed – not any created being. The only One who is capable and qualified to mediate between man & God is God who became Man – none other but the Lord Jesus Christ. Other religions, no matter how sincere the adherents are sincerely wrong – and Jesus Himself made this perfectly clear. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [] We quote this often b/c it’s absolutely foundational! If we don’t start at this truth, we can go no further. It sounds exclusive b/c it is – but make no mistake, it absolutely is truth. (Every real truth is absolute, despite their objections)
__a. In response, those who advocate praying to saints will say, “But the saints are alive in heaven, so what’s the difference between asking your friends to pray for you & the saints?” The difference is twofold: the role & the means.
____i. The role: Those in the presence of our Lord and King surely worship & pray even while seeing Him face-to-face. But they certainly do not mediate. They are sinners saved by the grace of God just as we are, and they cannot mediate between God & man.
____ii. The means: Contextually, Paul is speaking entirely of prayer. Where in this passage (or anywhere else in the Scripture) are men commanded to pray to anyone but God? This verse even makes it clearer – there is one God AND one Mediator. The one who mediates for us is God & God alone, thus He is the one to which all “supplications, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks” is made.
__b. Jesus is fully God & fully Man – now and forever. It’s not that once God the Son became incarnate that He gave up His divinity, walked as a human for 33 years & became all God again when He ascended to Heaven. Once the incarnate Christ Jesus was implanted in Mary’s womb, He was 100% God, and 100% Man – and now that He sits at the Father’s right hand, He’s still 100% God and 100% Man. Why is this bit of theology so important?
____i. Because otherwise He could not serve as our Mediating High Priest. Without Christ there is an unfathomable chasm between Holy God and sinful man & nothing we can do can possibly change that. But the Son of God as the Son of Man can perfectly bridge that gap!
____ii. Because it demonstrates that God’s love for us is not temporary. Jesus didn’t become a man for 33 years, go back to heaven & say, “Boy am I glad THAT’s over with!” He forever took on human nature in an eternal commitment – showing beyond a shadow of a doubt the extent of love God has for us & the desire the Son had to glorify the Father.
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6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
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A. How is it that Jesus can be our Mediator? Because He is our “ransom”. (DA Carson) “The ransom metaphor is drawn from the slave market, where a slave could obtain his freedom if someone paid the ransom price.” Make no mistake, prior to trusting Christ Jesus, we are enslaved to sin (Rom 6:16). To be freed, we must be bought – and that’s exactly what Jesus did as our ransom. Every Christian has been bought at the highest of prices (even more than the $700B bailout! ) – we’ve been bought by the precious blood of the Son of God…and nothing is more valuable than Him!
B. Who is it Jesus became a ransom for? All. Again – His work of atonement is sufficient for the entire world; it’s only efficient for those who trust in Him.
C. How can we be assured that Jesus is the Mediator? Because we have sufficient testimony.
__a. Prophecy: Prophetically speaking, Jesus Christ came at just the right time…it was “due”. Not enough time to get into it today, but it’s truly amazing to see the 300+ prophecies fulfilled in Christ’s 1st coming. He came from exactly the right family (from Abraham through David) – He is of the correct lineage (Mary’s line through David; not Joseph’s) – He came at the time that crucifixion was enforced as punishment (prophesied in the Psalms) – He came at the exact moment that the Messiah was expected after Jerusalem was to be rebuilt (Dan 9:25). Truly, the time was “due!”
__b. Witnesses: Jesus had a four-fold witness to His identity (outlined in John 5) – John the Baptist, Jesus’ works, God the Father, and the Scriptures (Moses). In addition, the Holy Spirit witnesses to Jesus (John 15:26). The apostles were witnesses (who died for their testimony!) – over 500 people saw Christ risen from the dead, which is the ultimate declaration that Jesus is the Son of God (Rom 1:4), thus the One Mediator.
____i. Leads into vs. 7 – Paul is a witness who offers his testimony.
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7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying— a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
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A. Whether he was heralding & proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, or planting churches all over the Roman Empire as an Apostle, or teaching the Gentiles in every corner of the world, Paul was a faithful witness of Christ Jesus, Who had appointed him to the task.
__a. Did Paul really need to emphasize this to Timothy – even to the point of emphasizing it under oath? Of course not – Timothy was Paul’s “son in the faith” & had no doubts about Paul’s calling. – This seems to be one of many indications that Paul intended this personal, pastoral letter to Timothy be read to the entire church at Ephesus. If there were people who doubted Paul’s calling due to Hymenaeus & Alexander, Paul’s putting those doubts to rest.
B. What he preached was the truth! The Gospel IS the truth…Jesus really is the Son of God crucified for our sins & risen from the dead! Our response to that? Have faith!

Conclusion:
Every single man, woman, and child on the face of the planet needs a mediator! Whether it is the king we pray for to be saved, or ourselves as we lift up our supplications to the Lord – we need a Mediator to go between us & God. In our sin, we cannot face God on our own, so what can we do? We must see God on Judgment Day…no way around it. We have to have a Mediator, and that One Mediator is the Son of God, the Man Christ Jesus. What’s our response to this?

As a Christian, praise God! There was no possible way you or any other created thing could possibly bridge the gap to our Creator – and so Jesus bridged the gap for you. Now your sins are forgiven & you can boldly go before the throne of grace in prayer & intercession for others. Rejoice in that – give thanks – and be a herald of this good news to others.

If you’re not a Christian (haven’t asked for His forgiveness & received Him as Lord), then you need to respond to His offer of Mediation today.

Mercy towards people and from God

Deuteronomy 15-16, “Mercy towards people and from God”
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Deuteronomy 15 (NKJV)
1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release.
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A. So in addition to a Sabbath rest every 7 days, there is also a Sabbath rest every 7 years from debt, where the debtor has a year of relief. Keep in mind contextually, this comes immediately following a section instructing Israel about the tithe of harvest, livestock, and income. The whole underlying theme here is trust. They are utterly dependent on God for every aspect of their life – and nothing underscores that as much as letting God set the rules for their pocketbook.
__a. Ultimately, all Sabbaths point to Christ Jesus – He IS our Sabbath rest, and we are utterly dependent not on our work, but on His…
B. Why release it? It’s the “LORD’s release.” If God is truly our Lord, then He is our Master in everything. The whole Sabbath year was dedicated unto the Lord, and in His grace we find freedom.
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3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, 4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today.
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A. Can collect from foreigners, but not family. The foreigners who lived in the land did not worship the One True God, nor did they have a covenant with Him. That was reserved for Israel itself.
__a. We see the same principle reflected in the NT. We are certainly to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matt 22:39), but we show preference to fellow believers…they’re family! Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. [] This is a distinguishing mark of believers in Christ (John 13:34)…that we love one another!
B. There is an exception for the poor – but the Lord’s plan was that there would be no poor. If they obeyed, the whole nation would be financially prosperous…they’d experience national blessing. Keep in mind this was God’s perfect will and intent for Israel. Did they actually experience this? Of course not – they had terrible times of famine & poverty. Could they have been prevented? Apparently so – if they had only obeyed the Lord.
__a. So many times we wonder why we’re experiencing the natural consequences of our sin when we thought we were supposed to be protected from them. God wants us to be protected from them – WE are the ones who ignore His instruction to us. We throw ourselves into situations where we know we will be tempted & then wonder why we fall into sin. God wants so much more for us than that!
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6 For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.
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A. They can lend; they can’t borrow. Why? God desired for them to be independent from the Gentile nations & dependent solely on Himself. After all, He had purchased them from the Egyptians – so they weren’t to enslave themselves to any other nation via debt. And that’s exactly what happens with debt – Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. [] It’s a glorious feeling to be debt-free (I’ve been there once or twice ) – you’re completely free to serve the Lord as He leads you to serve without being concerned about the house note, the car note, etc.
B. Should we owe anything? Yes: Love! (Rom 13:8)
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7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you.
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A. Beware of a hardened heart… Why? Because a stiff heart can lead to sin. To Israel, it was the temptation not to help the poor out of the fear of not being released/reimbursed. The Sabbath year was to be a year of blessing & worship; not one of restraining mercy from those who were in need.
B. Likewise, we’re fooling ourselves when we think that our faith only pertains to our personal knowledge. Sometimes we react so vehemently against the ‘social gospel’, that we neglect to demonstrate the gospel at all in society… The most effective presentation of the gospel not only declares the good news; it demonstrates it! (Be warmed & be filled…) James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. []
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10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
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A. The poor will always be with us…Jesus affirmed the same thing. (John 12:8) Is this a contradiction with vs. 4? No. Again, God’s will was for them to be blessed as a nation not to experience poverty – but in God’s Omniscience He knew what Israel would actually do. Because of this reality, He instructs them to have compassion on the poor in the land.
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12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.
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A. How to deal with Hebrew slavery. Anytime we look at slavery in the Scriptures, we need to keep in mind that both Hebrew & Roman practices were VASTLY different than the slavery that was known in the United States. To the Hebrews, slaves were basically members of the household – and temporary members at that. God required that slaves be treated well & be given an opportunity for release at the Sabbath year.
__a. Even in the NT, masters are commanded to treat their slaves well – they have a Master to answer to in heaven (Eph 6:9, Col 4:1).
__b. Does this mean that God approves of slavery? No – no more than He approves of polygamy. But it was a reality of the day, and so He places loving restrictions on the practice in order to protect the weak & show His own glory.
B. Note the slaves weren’t supposed to walk away empty-handed…the former owner was to send him/her away with a payment (which would have provided the slave a good incentive to serve the master well!).
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16 And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.
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A. Every 7 years, the master is commanded to offer release to his slaves – but what happens if they didn’t want to leave? Remember they were treated as part of the household & they may have developed a love for the family – maybe they were living a far better life than they would otherwise – maybe they had married a fellow slave as well & didn’t want to leave. In that case, God doesn’t force a family of friend to break up – but allows for them to stay together forever. Master would take the slave to a public place (the door) & pierce their ear…giving them the mark of a bondslave/ bondservant.
__a. Who was the Ultimate Bondservant? Christ Jesus! Isaiah 50:5-7 (5) The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. (6) I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. (7) “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. [] The Lord Jesus came in humility – not as a military king, but as a suffering servant. He willingly submitted His will to the Father & allowed Himself to endure the wrath you & I deserved…in truly horrific ways.
__b. NT has a common use of the word bondservant/bondslave = “doulos.” It was one of Paul’s favorite descriptions of himself (opened 4 epistles that way)…he bore the marks of a bondservant (Gal 6:17). And it’s not just Paul…we’re all called to be ‘doulos’ – we were bought at a price & we serve the Risen King!
B. Vs 18: For those who don’t stay, don’t feel bad sending other servants away – they don’t belong to you. Makes a great transition to the 1st born redemption in vs 19…
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19 “All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the LORD your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You and your household shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD chooses. 21 But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. 22 You may eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.
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A. Why the reminder of the 1st born? Perfect sense after the instructions on slaves – the 1st born redemption is the reminder of what God did to purchase & redeem Israel from the hand of Egypt.
B. Keep in mind Jesus fulfills this perfectly! He is the image of God, the 1st born over all creation (Col 1:15) – He is flawless, w/o defect – His blood purchased us from the slavery of sin. Our redemption is in Christ alone…the perfect sacrifice of God!
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Deuteronomy 16 (NKJV)
1 “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
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A. Passover… Came out of Egypt…
__a. Ultimately fulfilled at Calvary!
B. Would have coincided with the barley harvest
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4 And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning. 5 “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; 6 but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall roast and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it.
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A. No leaven… Why? Leaven is generally a picture of sin – and sin is exactly the issue that was being addressed in both Egypt & at the Cross. In Christ, sin is completely done away with & atoned for – thus Israel was to get rid of any leaven in the house, which painted the picture of their coming Messiah.
B. No waste… Emphasizes the holiness & sanctity of the feast. This was a meal fully dedicated to the Lord…just as Jesus was fully & totally set apart for the Lord God.
__a. Can Christians ‘waste’ Jesus? Not really – but there are many who claim to be Christian who don’t actually follow Christ. Jesus is not a part-time Savior – we’re either fully born again of Him, or we’re not born-again at all. That’s not to say Christians don’t fall occasionally into sin, but there’s a vast difference between knowing you’re fully reliant on the grace of God for life itself & trampling the grace of God underfoot at every opportunity. This gift is not something to be wasted!
C. No other way but God’s way…they’ve can’t sacrifice it anywhere except where God commands – they’ve got to eat it the way God tells them to – they’ve got to do it at the exact time God instructs.
__a. ‘Isn’t that kind of restrictive & legalistic?’ No! This is God’s compassion & love being poured out on His people. We come to God on HIS terms & not our own… Likewise – God desires the whole world to repent & follow Christ, but we’ve got to do it in His way, or else we’re acting in vain. John 14:5-6 (5) Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” (6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [] Want to know the way? Jesus already told us! It’s through Him…no other way is equally valid because no other way works!
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9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. 11 You shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. 12 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
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A. Feast of Weeks – celebrated 50 days after Passover & known later as Pentecost. Coincided with the wheat harvest & celebrated the time of ingathering between the harvests. Ultimately fulfilled in Acts 2 with the Holy Spirit coming down upon the church & baptizing them with power. If Passover/Unleavened Bread/Firstfruits (not mentioned here) spoke of the cross & resurrection, Pentecost speaks of the birth of the church in the ‘new harvest’.
B. Worship & Rejoice! This was a time of celebration & everyone (including servants & strangers) was invited to participate.
__a. There’s a reason the gospel is called the “good news!” It’s something we can rejoice in as we invite the whole world to come & lay their lives at the feet of Christ the King. This is the best news to ever cross the record of history: we can be forgiven!
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13 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
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A. Feast of Tabernacles… Coincided with the fall harvest. Spoke of the time Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years & spent their time in tabernacles (tents or booths). Symbolically looks forward to the Millennial rest we (and Israel) have in Christ.
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16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
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A. These are national worship times…
B. Don’t appear empty-handed; but don’t give under duress either…
__a. The NT standard? Give worshipfully (2 Cor 8:5) – give regularly (2 Cor 8:24) – give generously (2 Cor 9:5) – give cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7). The 1st standard is foundational! If we’re not giving worshipfully, we’re missing the point.
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18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. 20 You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
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A. Those who worship a just God should judge justly. We are representatives of a holy, righteous, and just God – our judgments should reflect His character and commandments. God cannot be bribed nor bought – and neither should we.
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21 “You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the LORD your God. 22 You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.
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A. Prohibition against idolatry & pagan worship practices…

Conclusion:
We serve a merciful God! Because we were shown mercy, we should show mercy to others… And we were indeed shown mercy? Absolutely at the cross – no greater example of it there! Pictured in Passover, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the kingdom reign we’ll share with Christ – all examples of the abundant mercy & grace He’s given us.