The Providence Podcast: Chris Oswald

The Life of Christ Fuels Christian Endurance - 1 Peter 1:13-19

Chris Oswald — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0100

The Life of Christ Fuels Christian Endurance - 1 Peter 1:13-19

Series: 1 Peter

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 12th April 2026

Passage: 1 Peter 1:13-19

A Living Hope

Chris Oswald — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0100

A Living Hope

Series: Easter Sunday

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 5th April 2026

Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-9

Our Gods On Display

Chris Oswald — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Our Gods On Display

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 22nd March 2026

Ephesians 5:22-33 Marriage & The Mission of God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 5:22-33 Marriage & The Mission of God

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 15th March 2026

Ephesians 4:17-32 Tools for Transformation

Chris Oswald — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:17-32 Tools for Transformation

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 8th March 2026

Passage: Ephesians 4:17-32

Ephesians 4:17-32 Tools for Transformation Part 1

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:17-32 Tools for Transformation Part 1

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 1st March 2026

Ephesians 4:11 - Growing in Christ

Chris Oswald — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:11 - Growing in Christ

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 22nd February 2026

Ephesians 3 - Walking in Faith

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 3 - Walking in Faith

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 1st February 2026

Passage: Ephesians 3:1-21

Preaching That Pleases God, Part 2

Chris Oswald — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Preaching That Pleases God, Part 2

Series: What Pleases God?

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 20th January 2026

God's Cosmic Construction Project

Chris Oswald — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

God's Cosmic Construction Project

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 18th January 2026

Passage: Ephesians 2:1-3:10

Gospel Unity

Chris Oswald — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Gospel Unity

Series: Ephesians

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 11th January 2026

Passage: Ephesians 2:11

Introducing the Ephesians Sermon Series

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Introducing the Ephesians Sermon Series

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 23rd December 2025

Passage: Ephesians 1:1-6:24

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 3

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 3

Series: Outgrowing Anxiety

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 23rd December 2025

Passages:

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 4

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 4

Series: Outgrowing Anxiety

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 23rd December 2025

What Kind of Preaching Pleases God? Part 1

Chris Oswald — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What Kind of Preaching Pleases God? Part 1

Series: What Pleases God?

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 16th December 2025

Colossians 2 - Christus Victor Does Not Need Help

Chris Oswald — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Colossians 2 - Christus Victor Does Not Need Help

Series: The Final Adam

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 14th December 2025

Passage: Colossians 2:1-23

Romans 5:12-6:4

Chris Oswald — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Romans 5:12-6:4

Series: The Final Adam

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 7th December 2025

Passage: Romans 5:12-6:4

1 John 5

Chris Oswald — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

1 John 5

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 30th November 2025

Passage: 1 John 5:1

1 John 3:11

Chris Oswald — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

1 John 3:11

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 16th November 2025

Passage: 1 John 3:11

1 John 3:1-18 Revisited

Chris Oswald — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

1 John 3:1-18 Revisited

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 9th November 2025

Passage: 1 John 3:1-18

1 John 3:1

Chris Oswald — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

1 John 3:1

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 3rd November 2025

Passage: 1 John 3:1

1 John 2:18

Chris Oswald — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

1 John 2:18

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 26th October 2025

Passage: 1 John 2:18

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1 John 2:18

1 John 2 - Love of this World

Chris Oswald — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0100

1 John 2 - Love of this World

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 19th October 2025

Passage: 1 John 2:1-29

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 3: Fear of Man vs. Fear of God

Chris Oswald — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Outgrowing Anxiety, Part 3: Fear of Man vs. Fear of God

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 18th October 2025

1 John 2:1-5 John as an example leader

Chris Oswald — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0100

1 John 2:1-5 John as an example leader

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 5th October 2025

Passage: 1 John 2:1-5

Outgrowing Anxiety Part 2: Gospel Grace Turns Flaws Into Features

Chris Oswald — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Outgrowing Anxiety Part 2: Gospel Grace Turns Flaws Into Features

Series: Outgrowing Anxiety

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 25th September 2025

Outgrowing Anxiety Part 1: Saying Goodbye to Plastic Prayer

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Outgrowing Anxiety Part 1: Saying Goodbye to Plastic Prayer

Series: Outgrowing Anxiety

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Seminar

Date: 23rd September 2025

Passage: Philippians 4:6-7

The Classical View of Biblical Sufficiency

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Classical View of Biblical Sufficiency

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 23rd September 2025

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Classical Biblical Sufficiency Article referenced: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/by-good-and-necessary-consequence-2019-06/

Manuscript:

I wanted to quickly differentiate between the classical (and proper) definition of biblical sufficiency and some of the less refined versions of this doctrine floating around.

The Westminster Confession of Faith Article 1.6 provides protestants with the classic definition:

"The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed. " - Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6

This definition is excellent because it provides three important clarifications, at least two of which are typically lacking in more modern and general definitions of biblical sufficiency:

In addition to scripture, there are principles derived from scripture that are to be held as part of God’s counsel. The WCF refers to these principles as things deduced from scripture that are “both good and necessary” implications. You can read more about this idea in this excellent article from Tabletalk Magazine.

The use of scripture depends on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As the WCF puts it, “Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word.” When the confession speaks of the “saving understanding” of the revealed word, both salvation and sanctification are included.

Finally, let’s consider the biggest distinction between carefully defined classical sufficiency and some of the other definitions that while well-meaning, are less thought out. The confession concludes, “there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.”

As you can see, this is an important detail. The true laws of nature (often discovered via observational science) are never to be understood as a competitor to God’s revealed word. This important wrinkle in the confession’s doctrine forces us to contend with a couple of problems:

Scientists who malign God’s natural law.

Like all human endeavors, the sciences are filled with individuals who hate all of God’s laws (including natural law). In an ideal marketplace setting, scientists who hate natural law would quickly be out of businesses. For the basic definition of science requires the recognition of and submission to a fixed order of nature that is to be discovered via scientific efforts. Unfortunately, we live in a corrupted world that will, from time to time, incentivize and subsidize erroneous science. Again, my definition of erroneous science would begin with the rejection of natural law.

A good example of this kind of thing would be all of the confusion surrounding gender. In a more ideal world, any scientist that denies the existence of two genders, each with observable distinctions and roles, would be immediately rejected as a bad scientist. But there is currently enough corrupt funding within the scientific community that keeps disqualified people employed.

Scientists who misidentify God's natural laws.

In addition to the real problem of disqualified scientists (those who reject natural law), we have another problem. Since we are fallen human beings, we will, even with the best intentions, make mistakes. The scientific world is full of false conclusions which stem not so much from hostility to God’s law, but rather plain old human error. The scientific data surrounding the role of cholesterol in heart disease is one example. In that case, classic confusions over causality and correlation combined with interests from drug companies created a momentum to misapply real scientific findings.

The truth is that sin creates all sorts of potential misunderstandings of real data. Take for instance the data regarding suicidal ideation amongst people with gender dysphoria. For a number of years, this legitimate data was used to argue for “transitioning” children. Certain sinful presuppositions kept scientists from seeing that by definition, a child with gender dysphoria is extremely high in character trait neuroticism and is therefore far more likely to experience suicidal ideations.

Scientists who misapply their findings.

The classical protestant position on epistemology states that the Holy Spirit is needed to illuminate both of God’s books to various degrees. So in addition to needing the Holy Spirit to produce a saving and sanctifying understanding of the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is needed to properly apprehend and apply certain truths we discover in the natural world.

It is one thing to discover real data in the natural world, and it is another to possess the wisdom necessary to know how to apply it properly.

Going back to our example with gender, a scientist might correctly discern the differences and notice that the average woman has about a third of the upper body strength of the average man. This correct finding might lead to the incorrect determination that rape is encoded in the laws of nature (there are scientists who hold this position). One of the more common examples has to do with male monogamy. In some sense, there is a great deal of observable science that indicates men are not built for monogamy. In both of these examples, scientific failure emerges from a kind of materialistic interpretation of data that disregards the clear teaching of scripture.

Key Takeaways:

The classical position on scriptural sufficiency includes a godly use of natural law.

The main problem with so-called integrationism is not so much the use of external data as it is the three problems outlined above.

The Puritans are the best example of a healthy integration of both natural and special revelation. In the average Puritan sermon or book, you will find true shepherding of souls that stands resolutely on the unique authority of the scriptures while also utilizing basic principles that support human flourishing as found in the light of nature.

It would be common for instance to see a Puritan prescribe “getting fresh air and sunlight” as a means of grace. This is very similar to what we see modeled in 1 Timothy 5:23 where Paul tells Timothy to “take a little wine for your stomach.”

Antidotes to harmful integrationism:

A reverential respect for the majesty of God’s word. Every counselor must embrace the essential gratitude and honor for the bible as displayed in Psalm 119. The majority of integrationist errors stem from a dismissive attitude toward God’s glorious scriptures.

A clear understanding of God’s word. The average integrationist, while well-meaning, is often tragically limited in the amount of bible they know and understand. This ignorance often manifests itself in an under-reliance on scriptures that God has provided on particular topics. Too often, we find integrationists making assumptions that the scriptures do not speak to a particular issue when they do. The consequence is a neglect of God’s best prescription for a problem and the issuance of something far less powerful and effective.

A carefulness regarding the binding of consciences. The Westminster Confession stipulates that some principles are to be held as authoritative for the Christian so long as they are both good and necessary outworkings of the scriptures themselves. One example would be the so-called love languages. In a marriage counseling situation, we could conceive of a counselor repeatedly instructing a husband to love his wife according to her love language and then, if he resists, using biblical language to shame him for his failure. The problem here is that the counselor is taking a principle that is arguably derived from natural observation, and prescribing those principles as the only way to obey God’s command to love your wife.

Antidotes to harmful sufficiency:

The main problem we will run into as we understand and apply the important doctrine of biblical sufficiency is that we will fail to follow the wise and nuanced definitions set up for us in classical documents like the WCF. This is often manifest in an attitudinal hostility toward natural law.

As is often the case with lay-level teaching, you will find that in an effort to warn against sinful integrationism, an overly rigid explanation of biblical sufficiency emerges that is not in keeping with the longstanding and carefully defined position as staked out by the WCF and other confessions. This is understandable because in many ways, the doctrine of sufficiency (like many of the church’s doctrines) was articulated in reaction to something. Initially, the doctrine was outlined as a reaction to Roman Catholicism. More recently, the doctrine has been presented as a reaction to significant sin and corruption within the psychological community. And of course, whenever we see reaction, we should expect to see some overreaction. Such is the way of man!

But to be fair to the hard line sufficiency people, psychology is essentially a secularized version of Roman Catholicism. The therapist takes the role of priest. He has “secret wisdom” unavailable to the average person.

The deeper issues at play:

While outside the scope of this paper, it might help the reader to understand that much of this discussion is tangled up with a longstanding disagreement in the church regarding epistemology. The two sides of this debate are presuppositionalists vs. classical or Thomistic thinkers. Both sides have legitimate perspectives. The presuppositionalist believes that all human perception of truth is ultimately dependent on the Holy Spirit. They believe that man’s nature is so corrupted by sin that science itself becomes untenable without spiritual sight provided by the Spirit. The Thomistic side (named after Thomas Aquinas) argues that man’s falleness is not so total as to prevent him from reasoning out certain basic concepts communicated through nature.

It is my opinion that when pressed to their most extreme applications, both approaches fail to adequately explain the totality of biblical data on the subject. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Presuppositionalism can tend to fuel an overly rigid doctrine of biblical sufficiency. Thomism can tend to fuel an under appreciation of the necessity of the scriptures.

Church Update and Philippines Trip Review

Chris Oswald — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Church Update and Philippines Trip Review

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 23rd September 2025

1 John - Introduction

Chris Oswald — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0100

1 John - Introduction

Series: 1 John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 21st September 2025

Psalm 147 Inner Health Made Audible

Chris Oswald — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Psalm 147 Inner Health Made Audible

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 31st August 2025

Psalm 141 Seven Habits of Highly Successful Sufferers

Chris Oswald — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Psalm 141 Seven Habits of Highly Successful Sufferers

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 24th August 2025

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Seven Habits of Highly Successful Sufferers

Psalm 103 Developing a Godly Personality

Chris Oswald — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Psalm 103 Developing a Godly Personality

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 17th August 2025

Passage: Psalm 103:1-22

Psalm 103 Understanding God's Personality

Chris Oswald — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Psalm 103 Understanding God's Personality

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 10th August 2025

Reverence & Reward

Chris Oswald — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Reverence & Reward

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 27th July 2025

Passage: Psalm 128:1-6

Science & The Scriptures

Chris Oswald — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Science & The Scriptures

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 20th July 2025

Passage: Psalm 19:1-14

Asaph's Odyssey

Chris Oswald — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Asaph's Odyssey

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 13th July 2025

Passage: Psalm 73:1-28

Political Power, Purity Spirals, and the Perfections of Christ

Chris Oswald — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Political Power, Purity Spirals, and the Perfections of Christ

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 6th July 2025

Passage: Psalm 72:1-20

The Steadfast Love of God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Steadfast Love of God

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 29th June 2025

Spiritual Warfare in the Psalms

Chris Oswald — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Spiritual Warfare in the Psalms

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 15th June 2025

Passage: Psalm 91:1-16

Seeing & Savoring Christ in the Psalms

Chris Oswald — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 10:01:00 +0100

Seeing & Savoring Christ in the Psalms

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 8th June 2025

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Luke 24:44-47, “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

So wherever we are in the bible, our main purpose is to see and savor Christ.

The severity of pain you experience in your next trial will really come down to how precious Jesus is to you.

It would be much better for you if you treasured him before the next trial.

ADVENT

Aseity (complete self-sufficiency, no needs) Descent (incarnation) Virtue (his perfect obedience and moral excellence) Execution (cross) New Life (resurrection) Throne (rule and reign)

A = Aseity God is independent of all things. He is perfectly self-sufficient, not depending on anything outside himself for anything, and is therefore the eternal, foundational being, the source of life and sustenance for all other beings. He is self-existent, having life in and of himself (Exodus 3:14; John 5:26), and he existed before all things, and through him alone all things exist (Psalm 90:2; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11). He is the source of everything (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 45:5–7; 54:16; John 5:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6) and he depends on nothing; all things depend on him (Romans 11:36). He needs nothing, being all-sufficient (Job 22:2–3; Acts 17:25).

John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Hebrews 1:1-3 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

John - All things were made through him Hebrews - He upholds the universe by the word of his power. Colossians 1:15-16 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Aseity in the Psalms

“Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting” (Psalm 93:2)

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2)

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain” (Psalm 102:25-26)

Psalm 33:4-6, “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”

D = Descent

The next letter in our acronym is D for Descent (Incarnation). And it usually connected in the NT to his Aseity. This great God who needed nothing and is over everything took on flesh and walked among us.

John says, “the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Hebrews says, “God made him a little lower than the angels.” Philippians 2:6-7 says, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Descent in the Psalms

““The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage’” Psalm 2:7-8

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,” – Psalm 8:3-6

Hebrews 10 tells us that the phrase, “I have come to do your will, O God” from Psalm 40:7-8 is actually Jesus speaking to the Father.

The whole creation, in all its excellency, cannot contribute one mite unto the satisfaction or blessedness of God. He has it all in infinite perfection from himself and in his own nature.How magnificent is the humility of the Son of God in taking on the role of mediator! The divine nature is so perfect and infinitely distant from all creation, and God is so completely self-sufficient in His eternal joy—lacking nothing and needing no addition—that any attention He gives to His creatures is an act of humble condescension from His supreme position. What heart can grasp, or words describe, the glory of the Son’s condescension, when He freely took on our human nature, making it His own, to serve as our mediator and represent us before God? – John Owen (Chris’ Paraphrase)

As Thomas Watson said, “it would be more fitting for God to make all of the angels into worms, than for him to become like a man.”

V = Virtue

Philippians 2:5-8

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient… to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Virtue in the Psalms

Psalm 15, “Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly” (1-2)

Psalm 24:3-4, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”

Only Jesus can say Psalm 119:22, “I have kept your testimonies.”

E = Execution

Execution in the Psalms

When you read Psalm 3, “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” — see Christ first and foremost.

When you read Psalm 6 – “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.” (6-7), think first and foremost of Christ.

The Great Exchange: How to see Christ in the Psalmist’s sin

Psalm 51, “my sin is ever before me.”

2 Corinthians 5:21, “He who knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Or Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”

“We need righteousness to be acceptable to God. But we don’t have it. What we have is sin. So, God has what we need and don’t deserve — righteousness; and we have what God hates and rejects — sin. What is God’s answer to this situation? His answer is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died in our place and bore our condemnation. “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he [God] condemned sin in the flesh” Whose flesh bore the condemnation? His. Whose sins were being condemned? Ours. This is the great exchange. – John Piper

N = New Life

New Life in the Psalms

Psalm 3:5-6 – “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”

The classic resurrection line in the Psalms is Psalm 16:10, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” In the book of Acts, Peter explains to the people that this is a reference to Christ.

Psalm 30:1-3, “I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.”

Psalm 30:5, “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

T = Throne

Throne in the Psalms

Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies your footstool.”

Psalm 72:1-11

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

Psalm 2:6-8, “I have set my King on Zion… Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage” (vv. 6, 8).

How to Handle Zion and other Jewish references

Think of it this way. When the woman at the well asks Jesus, which mountain will we worship God on? This mountain here in Samaria or the one in Jerusalem? Remember what Jesus says, “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” and then he goes on to say, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:21, 23)

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. – Psalm 126:1

May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! – Psalm 129:5

Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! – Psalm 149:2

So there you have what some theologians call the Christological Arc

He who needed nothing and is above everything, acted out of pure love by becoming a man, living a perfectly righteous life, died as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. His righteousness was so perfect that death could not hold him and so on the third day he was raised. After appearing to many witnesses, he ascended into heaven where he right now rules with perfect authority over the nations. Bringing an end to all his enemies while simultaneously protecting and prospering his people.

Seeing Christ in the Psalms, Part 1

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 10:01:00 +0100

Seeing Christ in the Psalms, Part 1

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 1st June 2025

Passage: Psalm 1:1-6

Are All Sins Equal?

Chris Oswald — Fri, 23 May 2025 10:01:00 +0100

Are All Sins Equal?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 23rd May 2025

An Introduction to the Psalms

Chris Oswald — Sun, 18 May 2025 10:01:00 +0100

An Introduction to the Psalms

Series: Psalms

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 18th May 2025

Mothers Day & God's Ordinary Means of Grace

Chris Oswald — Sun, 11 May 2025 10:01:00 +0100

Mothers Day & God's Ordinary Means of Grace

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 11th May 2025

Resurrection Responsibilities

Chris Oswald — Sun, 04 May 2025 10:01:00 +0100

Resurrection Responsibilities

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 4th May 2025

Passage: John 20:1-31

The Wisdom of God in the Cross

Chris Oswald — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Wisdom of God in the Cross

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 27th April 2025

Passage: John 19:1-42

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Title: The Wisdom of God on Display in the Cross // The Cross: God’s Most Painful Proverb Text John 19

In 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 Paul says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The cross is both the power and the wisdom of God. Earlier in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says that the cross is the power of salvation to those being saved. We tend to think of the cross mostly as a means of salvation. But Paul says the cross is also the wisdom of God.

That’s what I want to lock in on this morning. The wisdom of God displayed in the cross. I think the cross is a basically God’s greatest and most painful proverb.

A proverb is a very condensed saying, a very dense collection of words, that yields innumerable moral lessons as you meditate on it. A single proverb is something like a chunk of coal. Highly compressed carbon that contains a massive amount of energy in a small package. You can take a proverb and put it in the furnace of your heart/mind and get a large amount of light and heat from that little dense nugget.

That is why I think of the cross as God’s greatest proverb. On the one hand, it is a very compressed moment in time, all taking place on a Friday morning/early afternoon. But there is unlimited light and heat to be gained from this single event. And the more you meditate on the cross, the more light and heat it bears.

Here’s something I just noticed this year as I studied John 18-19

The Cross and Your Career

Jesus was crucified by a group of people who were “just doing their job.”

As chief priest, it was Ciaphas’ job to keep the religious purity of Israel. And to generally look out for her welfare. In John 11, he sets the arrest, accusation, and crucifixion of Jesus in motion by saying,

“If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” (John 11:48-50)

So Jesus is arrested and handed over to Pontus Pilate who again just did his job. It was Pilate’s job to keep the peace in Jerusalem – to prevent and or put down riots. So even though he said three times that he found no guilt in Jesus – he nonetheless crucified him because he was just doing his job.

And finally, it was the Roman soldiers who crucified him. These soldiers had nothing against Jesus. They simply had a job to do. They reported to Pilate. Questions of guilt were above their paygrade. So when Pilate ordered that Jesus be flogged, they flogged him. And when Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified, they nailed him to the cross. They too were just doing their job.

And you could apply this in all sorts of ways. It is possible to be vocationally fruitful and spiritual faithless. It is possible both to do a good job in the eyes of man and do an evil thing in the eyes of God.

And then you could compare the work of these men with the work of Jesus. Jesus’ work looked absolutely foolish, fruitless, a total and complete waste.

My point is that the cross seems to have something to say about everything. Even the evils of mindless professionalism. And that whenever a big question about life and conduct emerged in the early church, the first Christians could look to the cross for wisdom.

The Cross and the Sovereignty of God

So let’s read some of the text for today. Let’s look at John 19, beginning with the end of vs. 16

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.

The Sovereignty of God

In terms of wisdom, one of the greatest bits of insight we can gain from meditating on the cross is that God is perfectly in control. While the book of Proverbs carries a wide variety of lessons, the central matter is the sovereignty of God.

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

Proverbs 20:24 “A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?”

The cross offered early Christians undeniable evidence that this is true. Whatever man is up to, no matter how rebellious or evil or misguided… whatever man is doing of his own free will, the God of the universe orders his steps.

The sovereignty of God is a central lesson of the cross.

In Acts 2:22-24, Peter says – ““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

One example of this has to do with the way the rulers of that time and place both acted freely in their own self-interest while simultaneously serving God’s sovereign purposes.

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”

So when Ciaphas says, ““If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” (John 11:48-50)

John offers the following commentary.

He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. – John 11:51-52

And when three times, Pilate declared Jesus to be guiltless, he was saying more than he meant to say. Likewise, when Pilate orders a sign be hastily painted in Greek, Aramaic, and Latin – saying ““Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” – he is saying more than he knew.

Psalm 2 talks about the nations raging, and the kings of the earth conspiring against the Lord’s anointed – to which the Lord laughs and holds them in derision. Let them rage. Let them conspire. All of their flailing will serve to accomplish the definite plan of God.

And speaking of the Psalms, we see the sovereignty of God displayed in the fulfillment of scriptures written hundreds and thousands of years prior.

Look at vs. 23-24

“They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

That’s from Psalm 22.

And in vs. 28 we read,

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

That was to fulfill Psalm 69:34-35

You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

And again in vs. 31

Here two sets of Scripture converge: Psalms 34:20, depicting God’s care for the righteous man: “He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken” and Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12, specifying that no bone of the Passover lamb may be broken.

And then you have all of the typological fulfillments. In addition to being the obvious fulfillment of the scape goat, driven outside the camp, Jesus is the passover lamb. God had providentially guided all these events so that Jesus would die in Jerusalem during the passover.

So whenever the early Christians got into a situation where they had to wonder if God was really in control, they could look to the cross and see the fundamental building block of all wisdom – God is sovereign over everything at all times. Only a sovereign God could orchestrate the innumerable factors that led to the crucifixion of his son.

Turn in your bibles to Galatians 4:4-5

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

The fullness of time – the idea here is that God had been working from the beginning to bring about this event.

When God promises an avenger to Eve – he is thinking of the cross. When God commands Abraham to sacrifice Issac – he is thinking of the cross. When Joseph is betrayed by his brothers only to bring them into his bless – God is thinking about the cross. When God ordains that the blood of the lamb will cause death to pass over the Jews – he is thinking about the cross. When he initiates the sacrificial system - he is thinking of the cross. When God brings king David to power through suffering – he is thinking of the cross.

I could keep going…

As the early Christians mined the cross for wisdom, they found that even the materials used for the cross spoke of the sovereignty of God.

NAILS: The nails that pierced His hands were forged from hematite and magnetite that Jesus deposited into the earth’s crust in creation. The forge that melted the steel was burning with the oxygen molecules. Each O₂ molecule, with its double-bonded structure and reactive electrons, played a role in fueling the forge’s fire.

WOOD: The wood of the cross grew from seeds that fell from the original trees He spoke into existence. The seed itself contained the exquisitely designed DNA, a library of information. Compared to modern technology, DNA is orders of magnitude denser than the best hard drives or flash storage. For example, a 2023 study demonstrated that 1 gram of DNA can theoretically store 215 million gigabytes) of data, far surpassing any human-made storage medium.

As that seed grew into a seedling, it began to absorb the radiation of a sun that is 92.96 million miles away from the earth. The sun, which is 864,000 miles in diameter, is a nuclear fusion reactor that, along with the 100–400 billion other stars in our galaxy, is being sustained by the word of Christ’s power.

MANPOWER: All of this raw material was fashioned into nails and a cross by human beings. And all of the creative energy and physical energy required to mine the ore, forge it and hammer it into nails; to cut down the tree and saw it into timbers – all of that came from Christ who made human beings into the most complex and beautiful pinnacle of all created things.

Take something relatively simple like hammering a nail. Talk to anyone in the robotics field about the mechanical complexity of doing even something simple like standing on uneven ground and hammering a nail into an uneven surface. Even something as simple as hand eye coordination which is enabled by the symphonic give and take of the brain’s visual cortex, motor cortex, and cerebellum.

So the early Christians could meditate on all of this and wind up seeing a God who will not be deterred but works all things according to his divine purpose. They could join along with William Cowper who wrote,

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform: He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour: The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain; God is His own Interpreter, And He will make it plain.

Communion:

There is another tie in between the crucifixion (as wisdom) and the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” Proverbs 19:11, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 17:9, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.” Proverbs 24:29, “Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’”

And most importantly, Proverbs 16:6, “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.”

And this brings us back to 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

We have focused primarily on the wisdom of God on display at the cross. But as we prepare for communion, we ought to also be reminded that the cross is the power of God unto salvation.

By steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for.

Four Common Objections to the Christian Faith

Chris Oswald — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Four Common Objections to the Christian Faith

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 20th April 2025

Passage: John 18:1-20:31

The Cross of Christ and its Cosmic Consequences

Chris Oswald — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Cross of Christ and its Cosmic Consequences

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Good Friday

Date: 19th April 2025

Passage: Colossians 1:1-4:18

IHOP Postmortem Part 3, The Holy Spirit is for Service

Chris Oswald — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

IHOP Postmortem Part 3, The Holy Spirit is for Service

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 15th April 2025

Good Friday Preview: The Atonement is Bigger Than You Know

Chris Oswald — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Good Friday Preview: The Atonement is Bigger Than You Know

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 14th April 2025

A Prayer of Protection

Chris Oswald — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

A Prayer of Protection

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 13th April 2025

Passage: John 16:31-17:25

The Conscience Coach, An Introduction

Chris Oswald — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Conscience Coach, An Introduction

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 11th April 2025

IHOP Postmortem, Part 2

Chris Oswald — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

IHOP Postmortem, Part 2

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 9th April 2025

The Holy Spirit

Chris Oswald — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

The Holy Spirit

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 6th April 2025

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As we move out of Jesus’ farewell discourse, we have at least one topic that we need to cover. Namely, Jesus’ teachings about the Holy Spirit.

Salvation (16:1-11)

In verses 1-3, Jesus touches on a problem that all people have prior to conversion. They have a broken understanding of who God is and therefore have a broken understanding of what pleases God.

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

Here Jesus is speaking specifically about the Jews. For the rest of the New Testament, going all the way into Revelation, the Jews are singled out as the primary antagonist to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The majority of persecution that happens in the New Testament comes at the hand of the Jews. This is because they have what Paul calls, “zeal without knowledge.”

Romans 10:1-2, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

And that’s exactly what we see from Jesus in John 16:3, “they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

So the early, distinctly Jewish opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ is merely an expression of their fundamental ignorance about the nature of God. Paul himself is an example of this. He was of course, a persecutor of the saints. He kept on breathing murderous threats against the church until Jesus showed himself to him. At which time he went from being a leading opponent of the gospel to a leading advocate for it. The change came about simply through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And that is what the Holy Spirit does for us in salvation. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6,

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

That’s the real problem. They do not see Christ. And thus walk around with wrong ideas about God and do wrong things in response to their wrong ideas. The cure? They need to see Christ. And so Paul continues in 2 Corinthians,

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This is not a problem for the Jews alone. Their situation is especially tragic because God had given them the holy scriptures. And to whom much is given, much is required. But their spiritual condition is not unique at all.

We see plenty of instances in the New Testament where the pagans suffer under the same problem.

In Acts 17, Paul is walking through the city of Athens, which is absolutely littered with idols to various gods. Paul is stirred up in his spirit over this painful reminder about the problem all people everywhere have. They do bad things thinking they are doing good things. And this error all stems from their ignorance of Christ.

In vs.22-28 Paul says,

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

From there he moves on from a general discussion of God to a specific reference to Christ.

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”– Acts 17:30-31

The big idea I am trying to communicate is that the main problem with humanity has to do with a lack of understanding the nature of God as revealed in Christ.

The Jews, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, and even the Satanists all have the same problem. They do not see the truth of God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

And so they sin, not in spite of their religious beliefs but rather because of their religious beliefs. This is also true of all the people who consider themselves non-religious. That’s a lie. We live in a world of informal and individualistic religions. Where everybody does what is right in their own eyes. These people are, in reality, no less religious than the average Shiite Muslim.

Its just that their own sensibilities, thoughts, feelings, and desires serve as a highly individualized kind of Shariah law.

Look back at John 16:1-3

The Jews acted on their ignorance in a particular way. The gentiles acted on their ignorance in another way. The problem is universal. A false view of God will lead to a great confusion whereby people sin greatly against God all the while thinking they are being good people who are pleasing their false god.

So that’s one problem. Human beings have wrong ideas about God that lead to wrong actions.

And Jesus has another problem in mind. Namely that his disciples are about to be sent into a full of spiritual darkness.

Think for a moment about how it would’ve felt to be a very early adoptor to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Jesus is speaking these words, the number of faithful followers could fit in a single room.

They early church was like a little fishing boat set out into a global sea of self-righteousness. How would they ever survive?

Well look at vs. 4

But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “

2000 years have passed since the apostles were sent in their little boat into the global sea of self-righteousness. And while we still see plenty of churning ignorance in the world, we can say that the sea is not as troubled as it once was. The promise Habakkuk 2:14 is coming to pass.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

The knowledge of the glory of the Lord is specifically the knowledge of Christ – who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3)

And this is happening because the Holy Spirit was unleashed, to hover above the chaotic waters, convicting the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. See that in John 16:8-11?

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The sea of people in the world, churning in a storm of self-righteous zeal without knowledge is being stilled by the spirit of the Lord. And this is happening through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

The greek word for convict means to expose. The Holy Spirit is showing people that their self-righteousness is actually just sin; that all their righteousness is as filthy rags.

And he is doing that by showing them the true nature of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

When the Spirit shows a Jew the truth about Jesus, he repents of his self-righteousness.

When the Spirit shows a Mulim the truth about Jesus, he repents of his self-righteousness.

When the Spirit shows a cultural Christian the truth about Jesus, he repents of his self-righteousness.

The saving work of the Holy Spirit is simply this: Open blind eyes to the glory of King Jesus.

So that’s the first point: The Saving Work of the Holy Spirit. And now we move on to point 2: The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit.

II. Sanctification

We see this in vs. 12-15

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The disciples, though saved, still need to be progressively sanctified. They need to bring their thoughts, attitudes, and actions into conformity to the truth about God. And here we see that the Holy Spirit sanctifies Christians in precisely the same way he saves them. He shows them Christ. He will take what is Christ’s and declare it to them.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

How does the Holy Spirit affect salvation? By showing the sinner the truth about Christ.

How does the Holy Spirit affect sanctification? Same thing. By showing them Christ and as they behold the glory of the Lord (that’s Jesus… Hebrews 1:2) and being transformed into what they see from one degree of glory to another.

This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, ““I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Application:

What can we do with these truths?

Firstly, we can view the brokenness of the world through the eyes of faith.

There was a book published in 1995 called The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost Their Sense of Evil by Andrew Delbanco. There he writes,

A gulf has opened up in our culture between the visibility of evil and the intellectual resources available for coping with it. Never before have images of horror been so widely disseminated and so appalling–from organized death camps to children starving in famines that might have been averted. Rarely does a week go by without newspaper and television accounts of teenagers performing contract killings for a few dollars, women murdered on the street for their purses or their furs, young men shot in the head for the keys to their jeep–and these are only the domestic bulletins…

The repertoire of evil has never been richer. Yet never have our responses been so weak. We have no language for connecting our inner lives with the horrors that pass before our eyes in the outer world…

What Delbanco wrote in 1995 is so much more true in 2025.

There are still many storms of self-righteousness in the world. Still many dark and despicable actions flowing from a faulty understanding of God, and the true, the good, and the beautiful.

How are we to navigate this choppy sea? We need to take our eyes off the waves and see the spirit hovering over these chaotic waters. The power of God has been unleashed upon the world and every day, more and more people are having the scales fall off their eyes so that they can see the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

We need to stop looking out at the waves and start looking up at the Spirit’s relentless march through the worlds individuals and institutions. The Spirit is unstoppable. He will not stop working until the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth like the waters cover the sea.

What started as a little band of believers in a single row boat, has today become a massive Navy conquering the whole earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Think of how much that promise has already come to pass. And count the Lord’s past faithfulness as undeniable evidence of his future faithfulness.

The Holy Spirit is engaged in a global work we might describe as a kind of merciful militancy. It is militant because the aim is conquest. He will not stop until all of the Lord’s enemies are made his footstool. It is merciful because the primary means of conquest is conversion.

In the past 24 hours, it is all but guaranteed that some muslim in the middle east woke up from a dream in which King Jesus visited them and led them to a proper knowledge of God.

This morning some young man in America will finally see that Christ is all in all.

Some up and coming politician will put his faith in Christ.

The merciful militancy of the Spirit is marching on and will not be stopped. People everywhere are, even this weekend, having their eyes opened to behold the “ the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.”

So again, thanks to technology, we have all these new ways of looking out into the world and seeing the darkness. But faith is the original technology – by which we look up and see that the light has come into the world and the darkness has not overcome it!

The second point of application involves the problems we see when we look not out, but in. When gospel light shines on us, we see all sorts of troubling things at work in our spiritual house.

We see a tepid love for Jesus. We see constant temptation to sin. We do not love God as we know we should. Nor do we love our neighbor as well as we ought.

But remember, the same spirit that is ruthlessly saving sinners is applying that same merciful militancy to our own sanctification. And he is doing that work in exactly the same way he saves.

He shows us Christ. Therefore in addition to encouraging you to look up, and not only out, I want to encourage you to look up and not only in.

This is the thing that our spiritual fathers were most eager for us to do.

"Turn your eyes away from your own handiwork, and look simply at Christ. The less you pore over your own heart, and the more you fix your thoughts on Him, the better." – JC Ryle

"Therefore, let us not look at our own righteousness or unrighteousness, but let us look at Christ, who is our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." – Martin Luther

"Look away from self to Christ. Do not spend your time studying your own heart and character to see whether you are a Christian or not; but get your eye on Christ, the perfect pattern, and leave the results with God." – Charles Spurgeon

"Let us live in the constant contemplation of the glory of Christ, and virtue will proceed from Him to repair all our decays, to renew a right spirit within us, and to cause us to abound in all duties of obedience." – John Owen

Oh praise God for the tremendous gift of the Holy Spirit. He is curing the world of its self-righteousness by revealing Christ. And he is curing us too, of all sorts of spots, wrinkles, and blemishes – transforming us from one degree of glory to another – as we behold the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

One final point. Look back at John 16:12-15,

Here Jesus is restating something he said in chapter 14:25

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

These scriptures show us how the Holy Spirit does his work. Yes, by revealing Christ, but specifically by illuminating the word of Christ.

How will he calm the choppy seas of self-righteousness in the world? By sending out Christians who will speak God’s word over it.

Romans 10:13-14 says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

And how will the Holy Spirit continue to sanctify you and I? By bringing to remembrance all that Jesus taught us.

Here is a final and essential takeaway from Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit.

The Christian has the opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit’s power in two ways:

Firstly, the Christian can experience the power of the Holy Spirit as they share the gospel word with a lost world.

Secondly, the Christian can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their own sanctification as He actively, throughout the day, brings up certain scriptures that offer truth, guidance, and instruction about the various situations we encounter.

But understand this, not all Christians will experience the Holy Spirit equally. This is not because God is playing favorites. But rather, it is because the Holy Spirit tends to only use the amount of bible that each believer knows.

Again from chapter 14:25

The Holy Spirit’s primary power lies in helping you remember the word you have previously read.

So your experience with the Holy Spirit is pretty significantly fixed to your time in the Holy Scriptures.

Illustration: Many of you know that quarterbacks have little speakers in their helmets. They receive the play call from the offensive coordinator and then run the play. But that system only works if the quarterback knows the plays.

A young quarterback, with a limited knowledge of the playbook is going to have a qualitatively inferior experience compared to a seasoned quarterback who has a total mastery of the playbook.

Likewise, your experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit is going to practically depend, in large part, on your knowledge of the scriptures.

This is a key explanation for the apostle’s unusual effectiveness in the early church. As young boys, they were raised up on a very intense diet of Old Testament scriptures. They knew those scriptures backwards and forwards. So when the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and showed them how all of those things pertained to Christ, their hearts and minds came preloaded with plenty of plays that the Holy Spirit could bring to their remembrance.

Quick Summary:

Don’t be dismayed by the sea of self-righteousness that seems to cover the world. The Holy Spirit is on the move. He is engaged in the merciful militancy of convicting the world by showing them Christ.

Don’t be dismayed by your lack of progress in sanctification. The same spirit who is to this day converting people, is at work to conform you to the image of Christ.

Don’t neglect the bible. This is what the Holy Spirit uses to do his work.

For Those with Broken Bodies

Chris Oswald — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

For Those with Broken Bodies

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 6th April 2025

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The sermon starts with the preacher discussing his recent physical pain and how it led him to think about people in his community who are also struggling physically. He introduces the concept of teleology, using the example of a coffee mug's design implying its purpose. He shares an anecdote about his mother's tendency to decorate and her unusual habit of using a butter knife as a hammer, illustrating how things can be used for purposes they weren't designed for. The sermon centers on 1 Corinthians 6:13-20, specifically the line "The body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body." He addresses those struggling with sexual sin, arguing that the body isn't meant as a "playground" for endorphins and dopamine, even though it might seem to "work" for that purpose. He stresses the body's true purpose is to glorify God. He then speaks to those struggling with physical ailments, emphasizing that the body's primary purpose isn't personal happiness, productivity, or wealth, but glorifying God. He argues that focusing on what one can do to glorify God, even in sickness, is the key to finding joy, peace, and contentment. He uses the analogy of a car with optional features, such as a crock pot, to illustrate that even if a body lacks certain functions, it can still fulfill its main purpose of glorifying God. He then explores the phrase "the Lord for the body," suggesting it signifies a mutual relationship, like marriage. He posits that Christ took on a body to be crucified and resurrected, paving the way for believers to receive new, perfect bodies in glorification. He offers comfort to those with chronic illnesses, emphasizing that the Lord has a plan for their bodies and they will one day be completely healed. He reiterates that sickness doesn't hinder the body's primary purpose of glorifying God. The sermon encourages listeners to repeatedly surrender their bodies to the Lord, focusing on what they can do to glorify Him, even in the midst of suffering. It concludes with the hopeful promise of future healing and glorification, where the body will be fully aligned with its divine purpose.

IHOP Postmortem, Part 1

Chris Oswald — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

IHOP Postmortem, Part 1

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 6th April 2025

Passage: John 14:1-16:33

-------------------

Some of the greatest preaching and teaching in the history of the church was polemic in nature. That is to say it was oriented toward correcting heresy.

An example would Irenaeus’ work: Against Heretics. Spurgeon did this when he opposed Marxism. One of the best sermon’s I’ve ever heard was preached by the baptist great WA Crisswell who preached a sermon at the Southern Baptist Convention aimed directly at theological liberalism.

Today I’m going to be talking about the Holy Spirit. And I’m going to attempt to preach a polemical sermon. Meaning, I’m going to preach against something. Namely, the errors related to the Holy Spirit that are at work in the hypercharismatic movement.

By hypercharismatics, I am mostly referring to the movement known as New Apostolic Reformation. IHOP was part of that, as is Bethel. And there are several other groups loosely connected. This appears to be a growing movement.

In 2015, there were about 3 million American Christians connected to NAR churches. Some estimates put that number at 33 million today. Whatever the number, we can say:

A lot of these folks live in Kansas City. And due to the IHOP stuff, a lot of them are rethinking all of this. In one sense, this sermon could help you help them. And obviously, I am eager to protect from their errors as well.

Three things about polemical preaching.

Firstly, it needs to be firm. Titus 2:11-15 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Secondly, it needs to be gentle. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 says, And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

So we won’t be offering these critiques in a particularly spicy way.

Thirdly, it must use the error to proclaim and clarify the truth. While we do hope that some people will receive correction, the real value of polemical preaching is that it offers a kind of “not this but that” format that winds up clarifying key truths and further edifying believers who aren’t themselves in error. Today, we’re going to use the errors at work in the New Apostolic Reformation movement as a kind of contrast to the truths we see taught by Jesus in John 14-16

Three problems with the hyper-charismatic movement as it relates to their functional relationship with the Holy Spirit.

A failure to distinguish the apostolic age from this current age A false division between the spirit and the word A failure to emphasize Christ

Apostolic Uniqueness

The NAR error on this account amounts to their insistence of total continuity between the apostolic age and our current age. They think the office of apostle continues today as it did back in the early church. The traditional view, which I think is the correct view, says otherwise.

Think of it this way, as we’ve studied the words of Jesus, given primarily to the apostles, there’s a kind of elephant in the room.

Are these promises directed at the apostles or to all believers?

There is a sense in which the apostles are just like us. Peter calls himself a fellow shepherd. The apostles refer to themselves as brothers and co-laborers with the other Christians.

But there is another sense in which they were special. They were given unique apostolic authority and anointing. They performed miracles of unique quality, quantity, and predictability. Most importantly, they wrote the scriptures.

The apostles are like us in that we all are saved the same way. They are unlike us in that they held a unique place in the development of the church.

That’s what we believe. That the apostles were a unique group of men who existed for a specific period of time. They had two qualifications:

they were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1) they were directly commissioned by Jesus to speak and write with foundational authority for the church (Galatians 1:1; 2 Peter 3:2).

This aligns with Ephesians 2:20, where the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets," a foundation we see as being laid once for all in the first century.

This affects how we view Jesus’ words, especially during his farewell discourse. Here’s how I would propose you think about this.

For the apostles, Jesus gives particulars. For the rest of us, Jesus gives patterns.

Perhaps the most obvious example of this has to do with the Great Commission. The apostles literally did go from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the outermost parts. For the church at large, that same text serves as a more general pattern.

In John 16:1-4, we see another example:

That literally happened to the apostles. It figuratively or metaphorically happens to all disciples (you will be excluded and persecuted).

Here’s another example. Look at vs. 12

When directed toward the apostles, this promise predicts the formation of the New Testament. They received divine revelation from the Holy Spirit as they wrote the books of the NT. They were carried along by the Holy Spirit writing inspired inerrant divine revelation. That’s the particular fulfillment of Jesus’ words.

But there’s also something there for us. Something more like a pattern. When directed toward us, the idea moves from being revelation to illumination. For the apostles, the Holy Spirit gave them the words of Christ to write (which is revelation). We are beneath the apostles in this regard and instead of revelation, the Holy Spirit provides illumination of God’s word.

Illumination means that the Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes to the existing scriptures to help us understand and apply them in a way that pleases God.

Which brings us to the second critique of NAR. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit’s main way of helping us involves illuminating the word of God to us.

Facts and Feelings in the Christian Life

Chris Oswald — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Facts and Feelings in the Christian Life

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 4th April 2025

10 Minutes on the Saving Foreknowledge of God

Chris Oswald — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0100

10 Minutes on the Saving Foreknowledge of God

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 4th April 2025

Passage: Romans 8:29

A COVID Post-Mortem: Why Did So Many Godly People Get It Wrong?

Chris Oswald — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

A COVID Post-Mortem: Why Did So Many Godly People Get It Wrong?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 28th March 2025

Gyroscopic Hearts

Chris Oswald — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Gyroscopic Hearts

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 23rd March 2025

Passage: John 14:1-31

He Goes to Prepare the Earth for Us. A Biblical Theological Exploration of John 14

Chris Oswald — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

He Goes to Prepare the Earth for Us. A Biblical Theological Exploration of John 14

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 21st March 2025

Pride in Parenting

Chris Oswald — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Pride in Parenting

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 19th March 2025

Passage: Psalm 127:1

The Story of Absalom and the Problem of Evil

Chris Oswald — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The Story of Absalom and the Problem of Evil

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 15th March 2025

Understanding Verbal Persecution

Chris Oswald — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Understanding Verbal Persecution

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 14th March 2025

Five Questions for Pastoral Side Quests

Chris Oswald — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Five Questions for Pastoral Side Quests

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 14th March 2025

Reading that Russian at 5 A.M.

Chris Oswald — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Reading that Russian at 5 A.M.

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 13th March 2025

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What do we make of the newly formed pro-Trump accelerationist coalition? What is God up to this time?

Suffering is a Showcase for God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Suffering is a Showcase for God

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 16th February 2025

Passage: John 9:1-41

The Menu is Not the Meal

Chris Oswald — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The Menu is Not the Meal

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 26th January 2025

Passage: John 5:44-6:71

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Text: John 5:44-6:71 Title: The Menu is Not the Meal

Introduction:

This is Not a Pipe (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) Rene Margritte. 1929 Treachery of Images

The Map is Not the Territory Alfred Korzybski

The Menu is Not the Meal Allan Watts

Signifier / Signified distinction Words that represent the real thing

This is very adjacent to the way the bible talks about earthly things vs. eternal things.

In CS Lewis’ The Great Divorce, “They have thought of their world as the “real” one, the one with substance, while thinking of heaven as the less substantial spirit world. They learn, or those with eyes to see learn, that they had it backwards. Heaven is the land of substance, earth the land of shadow. Earth is full of not only shadows, but illusions and pretentions, Heaven is reality itself.” – Randy Alcorn

That’s what we believe right? That this world is more like menu than a meal? It is telling us about what’s to come.

This is also the way the bible talks about the Old Covenant in relationship to the New.

Hebrews 10:1 – “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities…”

When you confuse the menu with the meal, you invariably wind up making too much of the creation and too little of the creator.

The gospel of John seems written to deal with this issue. When this gospel was written, the majority of Jews had rejected Jesus and remained committed to Moses. They had rejected the meal in favor of the menu. They mistook the map for the territory. One key to understanding the book of John is to see how he constantly compares Moses with Jesus.

Moses As A Character in The Fourth Gospel Prophet-King: Moses Traditions and the Johaninne Christology Moses in the Gospel of John

I scanned through those resources this week. Here’s a basic sketch of how Moses appears in the gospel of John:

Genesis / John 1

Firstly, you need to note how the gospel of John begins like Moses’ first book begins. John is clearly repeating the creation story in Genesis.

Christ:

"The darkness comprehended it (the light of Christ) not... the (Jewish) world knew him not" (John 1:5,10).

Moses:

"Israel" understood not" the work of Moses (Acts 7:25).

Christ:

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11).

Moses:

When he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren... he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them" (Acts 7:23,25). Therefore Moses in the court of Pharaoh = Jesus working in Nazareth until age 30. Was Moses's "surprise" at Israel's lack of response reflected in Christ (cp. Is. 50:2-7; 59:16)? Despite his own righteousness, did Christ think too highly of the potential spirituality of Israel (Lk. 13:9; 20:13 cp. his high regard of others' spirituality: Mt. 8:10; 11:11; 15:28)? If the Lord respected others so much - shouldn't we have deep respect for each other? The pain of Moses' rejection = Christ's; although he was rich, Moses had become poor for their sakes.

And then in 1:17, we have our first explicit reference to Moses,

“The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

And then in 1:18, we have another implicit connection to Moses,

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

Another implicit one in vs. 19, “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

And then in vs. 45, we have another explicit reference.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

One thing to bear in mind is that plenty of people got the connection between Jesus and Moses right off the bat. Phillip had that part squared away from day 1.

The next explicit reference to Moses is in John 3:17, where Jesus says to one of these teachers of the law, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

I could go on and on.

Woman at the Well / Moses meets Zipporah. The man paralyzed for 38 years. The exact length of time Israel floundered in the wilderness. In John 5, Jesus says he can do nothing of himself. In Numbers, Moses says something very similar.

And all of this leads us back to what Jesus said in chapter 5

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” – Jn 5:44-47

And plenty of people grasped this – at least at some level.

After feeding the 5000, the people said –

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (Jn 6:13-14)

That’s a reference to something Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15-19

15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

Moses was the menu, Jesus is the meal. Moses was the map, Jesus is the territory.

Initially, the people seem to be dialed into this reality.

After Jesus feeds the people, he leaves. The people follow. They find him and ask for more food. Jesus shifts the focus from physical bread to the bread of life…

Moses is intertwined with all of this:

Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

And toward the end of chapter 6, Jesus says…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” – 6:47-51

Problem: One who is greater than Moses is coming – which means he will make more food. They didn’t have a category for greater kind of food.

As so, in vs,. 66 – After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Look at vs. 67-69

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

You have the words of eternal life…. That’s Moses’ job!

Moses was the word guy. He’s the one who descended the mountain, presented the law and later in Deuteronomy explicitly says, “Take to heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. 47For they are not idle words to you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 32:47

Application:

Your eternal joy depends on your ability to distinguish between representations, symbols, or ideas and their corresponding realities.

The sign is not the destination. The blueprint is not the building. The map is not the territory. The menu is not the meal. The model is not the machine. The brochure is not the vacation.

We do ok with 2D things like signs, menus, maps… But we really struggle with more complex ideas.

In some ways, every meal you’ve ever eaten is a kind of menu pointing you to a corresponding set of spiritual realities. This is happening a lot in John.

Woman at the well – water / living water Crowd in John 6 – bread / the bread of life

People struggle with this way of thinking. That’s being earthly minded is.

That’s what idolatry is. Idolatry is what happens when the sign becomes the destination.

There’s a couple of good examples of this in the book of Acts…

Acts 14 – Paul and Barnabbas are in Lystra. And while Paul is preaching, a lame man is healed. The people get it in their heads that Paul and Barnabas are Zeus and Hermes. They got ready to offer sacrifices to them.

Listen to vs. 14-18

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Acts 17 – Paul is entering Athens. He sees a city littered with idols. He goes into the Aereopaghus and says in vs. 24-27,

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

What’s he doing? He’s moving the idolators off of the menu (which is creation) and into the meal (which is Christ).

The Jews have done this with Judaism. They’re trying to get nourishment from the menu of Moses – while rejecting the meal that is Christ.

Where are you and I doing this?

Romantic love Money Children Freedom Health Friendships Comfort Safety

These are all creational breadcrumbs meant to lead you to the creator. They are more like signs than destinations.

Apathy

But plenty of people settle into a kind of spiritual complacency when they accumulate these things.

Illustration:

Map/Territory confusion. We tend think the only potential problem with a map is that it might be inaccurate. But there’s another problem. Some people will confuse their knowledge of the map with actually spending time in the territory.

Illustration:

Buckies Billboard

Greed / Grief

One of the ways God teaches us to distinguish between the menu and the meal is by withholding various created glories.

Look back at John 6:1-5

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”

—--> Phillip is approached because of his Moses comment in John 1

Now look at John 6:24-27 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Sometimes Jesus gave them food, sometimes he didn’t.

Sometimes he will give you the created blessings, sometimes he won’t. Sometimes he will give them to you and then take them away.

He’s not withholding to starve you. He’s withholding to feed you.

That’s the hard thing about idolatry. You can actually taste the menu.

Illustration: Cyberpunk Hellscape, Neurolink, double click on the menu and smell the meal you’re interested in. Taste it. You can see how this would confuse folks into thinking they’re eating. Until they starve to death. No actual calories.

This is somewhat like the way God talks about idolatry.

Jeremiah 2:12-13

“Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Isaiah 55:2

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”

Communion:

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.

When Depravity Meets Divinity

Chris Oswald — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000

When Depravity Meets Divinity

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 19th January 2025

Passage: John 5:1-29

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Introduction: Children’s Hospital, Beauty & Brokeness

Everything that takes place in Jerusalem is like that. Especially what we see today in 5:1-2

“After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.”

This was somewhat architecturally impressive. But the purpose of these pools appears to have been for the purpose of washing, of being cleansed from ceremonial uncleanness, etc… Rabbinc law at the time stated that the water used for purification had to be “living water” – water that moves. So the best understanding of this pool is that the top was a reservoir and then at certain times, they would open the top reservoir, which caused the bottom reservoir to move, bubble, etc… So there’s already the uneasy truce between beauty and brokenness. And then of course we see in vs. 3 that its worse…

“In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.”

The image of Jesus walking among a multitude of physically broken people is bracing for a number of reasons. The God who walked with man and woman in their glorious state is now walking with them in their fallen state.

See what sin and sorrows our father Adam has left for us. – Spurgeon

It seems important to me that while in the gospels, and in our daily lives, we try to view the world through the eyes of Jesus. He is the only human being to ever walk the earth who was not a native to sin. He isn’t desensitized to sin or to the damage it inflicts.

II. The Depravity of Man

Theologians describe what he saw as “total depravity.” There’s some confusion about what this doctrine means. Total depravity does not mean that all men and women are as bad as they possibly could be. Rather, total depravity means that all aspects of human life has been damaged by sin.

Here’s a good definition written by pastor Bill Sasser,

“Every human being has been infected and affected by sin in every part of the body, soul and spirit. The whole, or total, being has been invaded by sin. Thus, "total depravity" means that every faculty of man's being, every activity of his life, and every sphere of his existence has been permeated by sin.”

We see this doctrine displayed quite clearly in chapter 5.

Physical (3)

“In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.”

Psychological (4-6)

“One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?’”

Social (7)

“The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’”

Riotous competition when the water was stirred No help from anyone outside Religious (8-10)

Mankind is a fundamentally religious being (including those who say “I’m not religious”). Sin has infected and affected his religion as much as any other part of him. One example…

The KJV includes the following, “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”

None of the oldest manuscripts include this. So most modern translations do not include it either. This comment appears to be what is known in the translation world as marginalia – comments by the transcribers that eventually found its way into the actual text. And we know about this because there are so many manuscripts of John. So we’re able to see what is original and what is not.

And as we move on, we see another example of religious perversion. Look at vs. 8-10

“Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.’”

Here we see a primary way sin has affected religion. These Jewish leaders are confusing the tradition of man with the commandment of God. We were just in Exodus. So we know that God had indeed commanded the people that for six days they will do their work but on the 7th they will rest. But you won’t find anything forbidding carrying one’s mat after having been healed from a 38 year long disease that left you languishing in a public place as a beggar.

Where did that come from? Well, over time, people began to define work. I doubt any of those definitions were malicious. I bet that 9/10 times, if these Pharisees saw a man carrying a bed on the sabbath, he would indeed be breaking the commandment. I don’t think we need to fault the guys for asking. But we must fault them for this foolish, ideological myopia. His answer should’ve had them renegotiating their own interpretation of the law. Which of course is not what occurs.

II. The Divinity of Christ

Now look at vs. 11-16

But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

Notice the phrase “doing these things” – this implies a pattern

Jesus is not completely blameless here. Meaning, he is not going out of his way to avoid controversy. All he had to do was wait until Monday. If all he wanted to do was heal people, he could get plenty done on the other 6 days a week. He’s up to something.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Only God Works on the Sabbath

This little phrase is one of those spots where the preacher gets his job security. You have to do a fair bit of digging to realize that the same dudes who came up with the rules about carrying mats on the sabbath, also asked a more important question. Does God himself abstain from all work on the sabbath? And the answer was, no – God upheld the universe, he governed creation, so forth. Rabbinical tradition up to this point had reached that consensus. God works on the sabbath.

So you see what Jesus is doing with these Sabbath provocations? He’s telling them that he is God. It is right for God alone to work on the Sabbath. Jesus works on the sabbath.

We’re going to see the exact same thing again in John 9-10. Another Sabbath healing followed by another lecture on his divinity.

You might notice that Jesus is always a little transgressive. Not toward the law of God but toward the longstanding interpretation of the law by religious leaders. He’s always pushing things. He’s talking with the Samaritan woman. He’s telling Nicodemus he’s got a lot to learn. Healing on the sabbath. Turning the ceremonial water jars into wine barrels. Cleansing the temple.

And the typical interpretation of this is that Jesus is anti-traditionalist or something like that. He’s acting this way to get the leaders to ask, “who do you think you are?”

So that he can tell them.

Look at vs. 17-18

“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.’”

It has become popular for various non-Christians to suggest that Jesus himself never claimed to be God. And that his deity was an invention of people much later on. That’s incorrect.

Look at vs. 19-20

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.’”

This is not a typical father/son relationship. Here you see Jesus describing what I would call an ontological impossibility. Meaning, the nature of a thing prevents it from doing certain things. One example would be Hebrews 6:18 – it is impossible for God to lie. Other ideas: A rock can’t swim. A watch cannot make itself. Etc…

Here Jesus is saying, “ I can do nothing of my own accord…” And again in vs. 30, “I can do nothing on my own…”

This not a close relationship between a father and son. A father and son may want many of the same things, but each has their own will and strategy for accomplishing things. A son may be generally submissive to his father but still be capable of doing things his own way. Jesus is saying something much stronger than that.

In John 10:30 he says all of this again, and presses the point even harder – “I am the father are one.”

He’s revealing a doctrine that everybody struggles to understand. Namely the trinity. Which in one sentence can be defined as "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.” For me, every week’s worth of sermon prep usually builds up some kind of burden for a certain kind of person. And this week it is a burden for those monotheists – Jews, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that Jesus was something other than God of very God.

So let me address these friends directly for a moment. I want to warn you explicitly about one presupposition you may have that can absolutely shut you out from the kingdom of God.

Namely that you must fully understand God.

"If God was small enough for my brain to fully understand, He wouldn’t be big enough to save me!”

Look back at vs. 20

“For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

The greek word is thaumazete – it means to be astonished, confused, surprised, etc…

Jewish, Muslim, Jehovah’s Witness friends, please hear me out. Jesus Christ is God of very God. The evidence is in.

He is greater than Abraham. He is greater than Jacob. He is greater than Moses. He is greater than David and Solomon.

He is not just greater — he is the object of their worship.

Look at vs. 21-22

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

The bible says it is appointed unto man to die once and then the judgment. We will all stand before the one true God – the triune God. We will not be judged by Allah or a Talmudic perversion of Yahweh. We will each stand before Jesus Christ and he will judge the quick and the dead. Separating the sheep from the goats.

And the basis of that judgment is whether or not you believed in him. You may object. But be sure of this, Abraham, Moses, and David will observe the proceeding with total approval.

Summary:

We’ve seen Total Depravity. And we’ve seen the Divinity of Christ. Jesus absolutely did claim to be God. And now we’re ready to discuss our third and final point. The Decision to Make.

Total Depravity. The Divinity of Christ The Decision to Make

Look again at verse 22 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Life, New Life, Eternal Life, Abundant Life – you’ll see that language throughout John’s gospel. Remember, he’s told us his purpose for sitting down, sometime in the second half of the first century and writing this:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:30-31

What is the nature of this life?

Go back to the first point. We observed that the doctrine of Total Depravity teaches that sin has infected and affected every aspect of our lives.

Physical Psychological Social Religious

The eternal life that Jesus Christ offers involves healing all of this, the progressive recovery from the sickness of sin – which has permeated our entire being.

So the decision to make today is simple. It is the same one Jesus asked of the invalid in vs. 6,

“Do you want to be healed?”

You must believe that Jesus Christ is God. That he came to offer himself as a payment for your sins. And that he rose on the third day because his righteousness was much greater than the collective sin of those he died to save.

Go back to vs. 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

So I plead with all who have not done this to do so now.

But I also want to acknowledge that many in this room have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. And I want to leave you with three points of application:

You will probably have a conversation with a Jew, a Muslim, or a Jehovah’s witness. I recommend you read John 5 with them.

Our progressive recovery from sin’s many afflictions continue. Did you walk in here with physical, psychological, social, or religious problems? Keep looking to the great healer and physician of your soul. He is not done with you. But his work is as good as done. God’s promises are true. You will surely be, and fully be, cleaned without spot, blemish, or wrinkle.

One day you will see him face to face. And he will tell you to enter into the joy of your master. And you will come alive in a way that we cannot comprehend. We are desensitized to the way sin is ruining everything. One day we will burst forth into a level of freedom that is beyond description.

Communion:

For communion, let’s continue in John 5 by looking at vs. 25-29

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Kindness

Chris Oswald, Dov Cohen — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Kindness

Series: Podcast

Speakers:

Chris Oswald
Dov Cohen

Podcast

Date: 23rd December 2024

New Men for the Messiah

Chris Oswald — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

New Men for the Messiah

Series: John

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 22nd December 2024

Passage: John 1:12-13

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Today we’re beginning 21 weeks in John.

The chapter begins with an emphasis on the cosmic Christ.

1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

1:9-10, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

And then in vs. 14 we see that all of this cosmic power is compressed into one creature, one man – Jesus of Nazareth.

The way John writes about the incarnation reminds me of that quote from Alladin, “unlimited cosmic powers, itty bitty living space.”

Or as Queen Lucy put it in The Last Battle, “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”

Now in the material world, a bunch of energy compressed into a small space is often an explosion waiting to happen.

And in some sense that’s what would happen…

What started out with a baby in a manger wound up converting over half the Roman empire by the third century. Today around 2.6 billion people claim to be Christian. That number is expected to be north of 3 billion by 2050.

So maybe the term “explosion” is appropriate.

Look at John 20:30

So there you have the purpose of the book. “That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

We will deal with that more in a moment. I actually wanted to draw your attention to the first line, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples…”

Now turn to John 21:25

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” – John 21:25

Is that literally true? If someone were to have written down everything Jesus ever did – would that library really overflow the world itself?

Jonathan Edwards thought that the word “did” ought to be translated as accomplished. He said in that way, John’s statement is literal.

If here, by the “things that Jesus did,” be not only meant the actions of Christ, but the things done or accomplished by those actions, we may suppose it to be literally true, that if they were written every one, the world itself is not large enough to “contain the books that should be written.” There are other things that belong to what Christ did, besides merely the external action that was immediately visible to the eye, or the words that might be heard by the ear, which we must suppose are included in what the Evangelist means by the “things that he did.”

The apostle John in this history mentions some of them, but to mention all would be to write a declaration of all the glorious wise purposes and designs of God’s wisdom and grace, and the love of Christ, and all that belongs to that manifold wisdom of God, and those unsearchable riches of wisdom and knowledge in the work of redemption that we read of in the Scripture, which, if they should be all written, ’tis probable the universe would not contain the books.

The point being, the creator of the world – becoming a creature – unlimited cosmic power // itty bitty living space – that was ground zero for a kind of world altering explosion.

Krakatoa

Four times as much force as the most powerful thermonuclear weapon ever detonated. People 3000 miles away heard the explosion – which witnesses first assumed was a canon being fired. (due to the speed of sound, they heard it 4 hours after the actual blast) The eruption is estimated to have reached 180 dB – the loudest sound in history. The acoustic shockwave traveled around the entire world three times. It killed around 40,000 people Created multiple tsunamis with 100 foot waves The ash started a volcanic winter in the Northern Hemisphere California had record rainfall. The sky was darker than normal for years afterward Vibrantly red sunsets for the same period The jet stream was discovered due to Krakatoa. People were able to visibly identify it due to the movement of the ash. White moonbeams shining through the clouds emerged blue and sometimes green. People also saw lavender suns In 2004, an astronomer proposed the idea that the red sky shown in Edvard Munch's 1893 painting The Scream is an accurate depiction of the sky over Norway after the eruption. (10 years after the eruption)

So that’s the effect of a considerable amount of compressed energy exploding into the world. In vs. 12, we see the main thing Jesus has accomplished:

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This is the main idea of the gospel. Every other aspect of the gospel is, in some way secondary to this. The whole point of Christ’s coming was to do this – to bring many sons and daughters to glory.

In his classic book Knowing God, JI Packer states:

Everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. “Father” is the Christian name for God. Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption in Christ….If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much they make of being God’s child, and having God as our Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls their worship, prayers, and whole outlook on life, they do not understand Christianity very well at all (J. I. Packer, Knowing God).

You’ll notice that Packer is using the word adoption to describe all of this. Which of course is a word that the bible uses repeatedly. But that word isn’t used in our text. Instead we have the word born.

That’s an important distinction to note. The word adoption does a good job of describing many of the glories of conversion. Adoption indicates transfer from one family to another. Adoption indicates a legal status. It indicates God’s free choice to make a people out of those who were not a people. But the one thing the word adoption doesn’t communicate very well is a fundamental change of nature. To describe that aspect, the bible uses the word born.

We see that in vs. 13 and we see it repeated again in chapter three.

Verse 3: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And again in verse 7, Jesus tells Nicodemus – “you must be born again.”

The word adoption covers many of the glories of the gospel. But it cannot, by itself, include one central aspect of conversion – the actual change of nature which occurs in a person who has been saved.

That’s a very significant detail. In fact, it might be the central detail. Making new men and women – a new kind of man and woman – that’s the central work of the incarnation.

“God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.” – Lewis, Mere Christianity

That’s why the world is so different now than it was prior to the coming of Christ. A new kind of person is walking around. And these people are filled with the divine life of God himself. That is what John meant in chapter 20:30 – “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

That’s what having life in his name means – being made into a new creation – having the life of God in the soul of man.

In John 7, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” – John 7:37-38

And that’s what God has done. He has created a people who love him.

In the 17th century, a young scottish minister named Henry Scougal heard that one of his friends had lost the faith and become disillusioned with Christian living. So Scougal wrote him a letter – which was later published as a small book entitled “The Life of God in the Soul of Man.”

That title is what we’re talking about. That is the fallout of the massive Christ entering the world. He has made it possible for men and women to have the life of God at work in their souls. The letter has been rewritten in modern english. Listen to Scougal’s description of the Christian life.

Again, religion can be thought of as a way of life, because it is an internal, free, and self-motivated force. Those who have made progress in it are not just driven by external pressures, threatened by consequences, or bribed by rewards; they are strongly drawn to what is good and take pleasure in doing it. The love that a devout person has for God and goodness is not just because of a command telling them to do so, but because of a new nature that guides and encourages them. They don't just offer their devotion as a way to appease divine justice or to quiet their conscience; rather, these religious practices are the result of the divine life, the natural activities of a reborn soul.

He prays, gives thanks, and repents not only because it is expected of him, but because he is aware of his needs, the divine goodness, and the foolishness and suffering that comes with a sinful life. His charity is not forced, nor is his giving coerced; his love makes him willing to give, and even if there were no external obligation, his heart would still be generous.

That is what Lewis is getting at when he says, “God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.”

Galatians 5

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Human beings move from mostly living in column A to mostly living in column B.

A new kind of human is in the world. He is a partaker of the divine nature. He is indwelt with the spirit of God. He is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He loves God. He forgives those who sin against him. He is generous. He is patient. He blesses his enemies. He loves his wife with sacrificial love. He raises his children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. He offers his work to his employer as unto the Lord. He invests his time and energy into positive things. He is a man of prayer. He meditates on God’s word. He honors his father and mother. His belief in objective reality makes him capable of doing science. His belief in objective morality makes him capable of establishing and keeping just laws. He is able to admonish the idle. Help the weak. Encourage the faint hearted. And be patient with them all. He starts to get serious freedom over the various vampires of vice that bleed people dry. Sexual sin Careless speech Various addictions Bad company He has some kind of divine discernment. He is able to see through the lies of sin and Satan. He sees Jesus as both savior and model for his behavior. He has eternal assurance that no matter how hard this life may be, he will one day be in the presence of God who has countless pleasures in store for him.

And all of this is delivered to us in a way that prevents boasting. Look back at John 1:12-13,

We didn’t get here by our own efforts or even by the efforts of our families. We got here by the will of God alone.

One commentator puts it…

We shall have cause again in the course of the gospel to observe John’s recognition of the complexity and mystery of a salvation which is both ‘willed by man, and worked by God’ (Schlatter). While both sides of the equation are asserted here (as they are throughout the gospel), the stress falls at this point on the sovereign action of God. Christians become such by being born of God (13). This birth is to be radically distinguished from human birth, with its human initiatives. All these are irrelevant in the case of spiritual rebirth; it is not something we can take into our own hands. We are born of God.

So God has given Christians a new nature. They are a new kind of person created by the coming of Christ. And yet, he’s also made it impossible to boast in this new nature – as if we had done it ourselves.

This new nature comes with tremendous privileges…

You are given the Holy Spirit – Gal 4:6 You have access to the Heavenly Father – Heb 4:16 You are an heir with Christ and will inherit all of his riches – Rom 8:17 You have God’s ongoing sympathy and compassion – Malachi 3:17 “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.” You have his protection – 2 Thess 3:3, “The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” You have his provision – Matt 6:31-34 You have his discipline – Heb 12:6-7 You have his promise – he will never leave you nor forsake you – Psalm 94:14 You have a kind of freedom the unregenerate do not – Galatians 4:6

This is the main reason Christ has come into the world. This is the main theme of John.

The Messiah's Gift

Chris Oswald — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Messiah's Gift

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 15th December 2024

Passages:

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Title: Christmas & the Church Text: Ephesians 2:17-22

No hoops! No hoops!

That was the message given to the women attending the debut performance of Handel’s Messiah on April 13, 1742. Specifically, the women were asked to not wear hoops in their dresses – so as to make more room in the packed concert hall.

‘The Ladies who honour this Performance with their Presence would be pleased to come without Hoops, as it will greatly encrease the Charity, by making room for more company’

As it will greatly increase the charity…

The concert was a fundraiser. Tickets were about $45 in today’s money. Adjusted for inflation, the concert raised approximately $100,000. The proceeds went to two local hospitals and towards the debts of many men who were currently in debtors' prison. Some reports suggest that as many as 142 prisoners were bought out of debtor’s prison with the proceeds of this single concert.

That is quite apropos. The first lines of the Messaiah, taken from Isaiah 40

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

At the time of this performance, Handle himself was in significant debt. He had been considered a childhood prodigy in line with Bach and Beethoven, and had various flirtations with greatness. But Handle didn’t play the patronage game very well at all. He was rarely found in the places men like him needed to be to get the funds men like him needed. Money was always tight, the specter of his own potential haunted him – like it does so many young men of great promise.

In another movement, Handle cites Isaiah 53, “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” In the summer of 1741, Handle was experiencing a taste of that.

And then inspiration struck. One of the most edifying and God glorifying pieces of art ever created was finished in just 23 days. During that time, Handle hardly ate or slept; he was completely engulfed in the creation of this music—and he felt that he wasn’t alone. When he got to the Hallelujah chorus, his assistant found him in tears, saying, “I think I did see heaven open, and the very face of God.”

With the piece written, Handle started looking for singers. Whilst smoking a pipe in a local coffee house, Handle inquired…

“whether there were any choirmen in the Cathedral who could sing at sight, as he wished to prove some books that had been hastily transcribed by trying the choruses which he intended to perform in Ireland.”

A bass, a printer named Jansen, was recommended to him and a rehearsal took place at the hotel where Handel was staying. Jansen failed miserably to cope with ‘And with his stripes’ from Messiah at which, Handel, ‘after swearing at him in four or five different languages, cried out in broken English: “You shcauntrel, tid you not tell me zat you could sing at sight?”.

“Yes sir”, says the printer, “and so I can, but not at first sight”

As displeased as he was with Mr. Jansen, Handle found a soprano that he said, “pleases extraordinary.” That was Ms. Susanna Maria Cibber. Like Handle, her personal life was a bit of a mess. Ms. Cibber had fled the city of London to escape the scandal of an adulterous affair.

It is said that when she finished singing “He was despised and rejected by men” – that a local minister in attendance stood up and said, “woman, all thy sins are forgiven.”

One final detail. The music for the Messiah was all Handle. But the lyrics, which is simply the arrangement of X scripture passages, came from the hand of Mr. Charles Jennens.

A close friend of Handle, Jennens was a member of the “Society for the Propagation of the Gospel” and a passionate evangelical believer. He believed that putting the gospel to music would communicate its truth, not just intellectually, but at a deep heart level.

From zealous Jennens, to the depressed and indebted Handle, to the disgraced soprano Ms. Cibber – the whole story is a demonstration of truth and beauty in community. A group of people, brought together by God’s wise providence, assembled together just so – producing a monument of truth and beauty to the glory of God.

Emblematic of the Church

Technically speaking, that first performance of Messiah was not the church. But it is emblematic of the church. A wide variety of people brought together to proclaim the excellencies of him who called them out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2)

For the next two weeks, we’re going to think about the church as the goal of Christmas. The church as the goal of Christmas. Specifically, the church as a gift from the Father to the Son.

We saw a hint of that last week in John 17:6

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.”

And this is something clearly announced in the first messianic Psalm (Psalm 2).

“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

And we know that Jesus did ask for the nations. In Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Christmas is gift giving season. This practice is partially an echo of old Saint Nicholas, who was an avid defender of the bodily incarnation of Jesus and a very generous man known for giving gifts.

And the practice of gift giving is also in some respects, an echo of the wisemen from the east who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

But most fundamentally, Christmas is the initiation of a gift exchange between the members of the trinity. The Father has given the son a people – extracted from every nation, tongue, and tribe, and time.

Hebrews 10:5 cites the greek translation of Isaiah 40…

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;”

But a body you have prepared for me… there’s a double meaning there.

First – Christ would take on flesh, be born into this world as a full blown human being. And he would use that body to walk among men, live a perfectly holy life, and offer up his body as the sacrifice to fully satisfy the wrath of God against sin.

Second – emerging out of that sacrifice is a people given to Christ as his possession. We call that people the church. The New Testament also calls that people, the body of Christ.

They are his excellent ones. In whom is his full delight (Psalm 16)

Theologian John Gill writes, the Father has given to him as his portion, and whom he has made his care and charge: as if it was not enough that he should be King of Zion, or have the government over his chosen ones among the Jews, he commits into his hands the Gentiles also and these are given him as his inheritance and possession, as his portion, to be enjoyed by him; and who esteems them as such, and reckons them a goodly heritage, and a peculiar treasure, his jewels, and the apple of his eye. These words respect the calling of the Gentiles under the Gospel dispensation; and the amplitude of Christ’s kingdom in all the earth, which shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

And again, I think that debut performance of Messiah, with all of its backstories and interwoven threads is emblematic of the nature of this gift.

Let’s spend the rest of our time examining one text in particular – Ephesians 2:17-22

Ephesians 2:17-22

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Who are the near and who are the far off? The immediate context is dealing with the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Jews were near, because as Paul teaches in Romans, they had immediate access to the many promises of God. The Gentiles were far off because they were strangers to the covenant promises.

But the concept of near and far off extends beyond the issue of race. Even today we can say that some people start off in different proximities to the promises.

Those living in cultural Christianity are nearer than those living in cultural Islam. Children growing up in Christian homes are nearer than those growing up in some other worldview.

But look back at vs. 17, And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Notice that no matter how close they were to the promises, they still needed Christ to come and preach peace to them.

Brooke recently told me that when she was a child at summer camp, a counselor explicitly told her that just because her dad was a pastor, didn’t mean she was going to heaven. This struck her as new news.

It was true news. Whether a person is near or far off, they still need Jesus to preach peace to them. Why?

Look at 2:1-3

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But no matter their proximity to the gospel, every human being still needs to hear the same message.

You are dead in your sins and trespasses. You are captive to the flesh and live to carry out the desires of the body and mind. And are by nature, children of wrath.

Meaning that no matter the status of your parent’s faith, no matter how culturally christian your environment – you are a sinner who provokes the wrath and judgment of God.

Going back to the debut of the Messiah, you have a diverse roster of characters. Some seemed nearer than others.

Both Charles Jennens, member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and Susanna Maria Cibber, disgraced home-wrecking soprano entered the kingdom of God in exactly the same way, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners… of whom each one of us, as far as we know, is the chief of sinners.

Now look back at our text.

Those who were near and those who were far off were brought together in Christ. And they were brought together to become one body – which being built together becomes the dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Christ did not come to make individual bricks – scattered all over the place. He came to make individual bricks, and then join them together, growing them into a holy temple, a dwelling place of the Lord.

You see, that April night in Dublin’s Musick Hall, all the way back in 1742, that moment is a microcosm of the great gospel project to create unity in diversity.

Not only were they brought together by the providence of God, they were brought together to work together – to create something together – to be truth and beauty in community. That moment was a metaphor for the work the church has been doing for 2000 years.

1 Peter 2:9-10 puts it this way:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Now let’s stay in the early 1740s for a moment, but fly from Dublin, across the Atlantic and land in the town of Enfield Connecticut. At the same time Handle is composing and conducting Messiah, Jonathan Edwards is in America, overseeing the Great Awakening.

In 1741 – Handle is composing Messiah In 1741 – Jonathan Edwards is preaching Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

In 1742 – The Messiah is performed In 1742 – Edwards is writing Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion

Jonathan Edwards might just be its preeminent “beauty theologian” in the entire history of the church.

As a good puritan, he was of course, completely proficient in the scriptures, but not only the scriptures. Edwards thought long and hard about the role nature played in the purposes of God. He was a deep imbiber of beauty and was constantly thinking about how the links between the natural world and the bible – they were after all, both designed by the Lord.

In one section, we find Edwards meditating on Rainbows. And here he sees another expression of the truth and beauty in community concept we see in Ephesians 2.

One modern theologian summarized Edward’s thoughts:

Christ is the sun in Edwards’ mind, the light which beams over all creation. The saints (individual believers) are the tiny drops of moisture. Just as the sun’s rays catch each drop, however small or insignificant, so does the love of Christ extend to each of his children. This light beautifies each person, each ‘drop’, allowing each the opportunity to participate in the reflection of the Lord’s loveliness.

From Edwards…

“They are all God’s jewels; and as they are all in heaven, each one by its reflection is a little star, and so do more fitly represent the saints than the drops of dew… These drops are all from heaven, as the saints are born from above.” – Edwards, Reflections on Scripture (Genesis 9).

Conclusion:

So what did the Father give the Son for Christmas? Through his sufferings he brought many sons glory. (Hebrews 2:10)

And they are arranged according to his wisdom, each one uniquely positioned – all reflecting the light of the lamb collectively…

“The whole rainbow, composed of innumerable shining beautiful drops, all united in one, ranged in such excellent order, some parts higher and others lower, the different colours one above another in such exact order, beautifully represents the church of saints of different degrees, gifts, and offices, each with its proper place, and each with its peculiar beauty: each drop may be beautiful in itself, but the whole, as united together, much more beautiful.” – Edwards

That’s what we saw that night in Dublin. And Lord willing, that is what we see at Providence Community Church.

Application:

Three points of application

Make merry Lean into the church Do not despise your droplet

Communion:

In Hebrews 10:5 we read:

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;

That word body has two complimentary meanings.

Firstly, it refers to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He was always fully God took on flesh and became fully man. He used that body to serve the Father and became obedient, all the way to the cross.

And because of what Jesus did with that body, God has given him another body – the church which is the spiritual body of Christ. Comprised of many members, many degrees, gifts, and offices, each with its proper place, and each with its peculiar beauty.

And this body now remembers the crucified body of Christ via communion, and in this way proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes.

How to Commune with God

Chris Oswald, Dov Cohen — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

How to Commune with God

Series: Podcast

Speakers:

Chris Oswald
Dov Cohen

Podcast

Date: 12th December 2024

What to Do When You Disappoint Yourself

Chris Oswald — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

What to Do When You Disappoint Yourself

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 10th December 2024

Priest

Chris Oswald — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Priest

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 8th December 2024

Passage: Exodus 40:12-15

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Text: Exodus 40:12-15

“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

The OT priesthood is central to Christianity all the way into the New Creation. If you’re a Christian, God has big big plans for you. And those plans are intertwined with the priestly role.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 1:6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Not only that, but Jesus is called the Great High Priest. To understand Christ, we need to have some understanding of the OT priesthood.

So what shall we say about the priests? There’s a lot of material here, and even more in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Three basic ideas represented in three words:

Priority, Protection, Presence

Priority – They were uniquely the Lord’s.

Deuteronomy 18:1-2 “The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.”

Protection – They were to guard and keep the temple.

It would not be surprising if, when thinking about a priest, to find your mind going to some kind of effeminate man in a collar. But the Levites were chosen by God explicitly because that particular tribe had a history of violence. As the great patriarch Issac issued blessings to each of his 12 sons, Levi was singled out as being a man of war.

Zach Garris writes, “The Levites were not just priests—they were warrior-priests. Their priestly origin is based in righteous violence. But God put the violent nature of the Levites to good use. Not only would the priests among them slaughter animals on a regular basis for sacrifice, but also all the Levites would guard the tabernacle/temple and the cities of refuge. Yahweh ordained and scattered the Levites throughout Israel in order to guard His worship.”

Numbers 3:5-10 “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

Presence – They were responsible for entering the presence of the Lord. Which, under the old covenant, was a very risky mission. They were appointed to do the very thing the rest of the people feared to do. Remember Exodus 20

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

When you search the word “die” in Exodus you wind up with a bunch of instructions for the priests:

Exodus 28:35 – And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

Exodus 28:43 – and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die.

Exodus 30:20 – This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.

Echos of Eden

While we’re thinking about these things, I want to take a bit of a side quest into once concept I feel it is important for you to understand….

I don’t think most Christians understand that the tabernacle/temple were in some respects, designed by God to be an echo of Eden.

Work & Keep

I mentioned a moment ago that the Levites were supposed to guard and keep the temple. The phrase in the Hebrew is “‘ābad and šāmar” – which is exactly what Adam was charged with in Genesis 2:15: “And the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Eden was the place of God’s localized presence. The place where God dwelled among men

Flaming Cherubim

The tabernacle/temple was exactly that. And as the high priest went beyond the great veil hung at the entrance to the holy of holies – he would pass two flaming cherubim embroidered in the veil. Which brings to mind Genesis 3:24, when after the sinned, God drove out Adam and Eve from the garden (from God’s localized presence) and “...He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Clothed in Jewels

When the high priest entered the holy of holies, he was made ceremonially sinless – he took on Adam’s original splendor. In Ezekiel 28:11-14, God, in a round about way, tells us how he viewed Adam before the fall…

Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.

That description maps on pretty well to the priestly garments prescribed in Exodus 28.

28:2 – And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 28:15-20 – “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth. You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.”

I wanted to take a moment to discuss this because I think it is hard to understand what we, as human beings, were before the fall. We were, in God’s eyes, bejeweled beings. Perfect in beauty – covered in precious stones. The crown of his creation. When he made man and said, “this is very good” – he really meant it.

So when God appointed one man to enter the Holy of Holies once a year – as a kind of symbolic Adam – we are able to see the heights from which we’ve fallen. The jewels and intricate clothing is just an external way of revealing the inherent splendor of our original sinless state.

But you also have what is essentially a very brief imaging of curse reversal. What if none of this had happened? What if man was not cursed with sin? What if he was still able to commune with God?

Which of course brings us to Jesus

He is the new and better Adam. And he is the great high priest. And John 17 is a pretty good passage to reveal some of that.

John 17:1-5 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Priority – “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (17:4)

Jesus only did the Father’s work. He had no other mission. No inheritance. He did not take a wife. Etc…

Protection – In John 17, we see the guard and keep language. Look at vs. 10-11: “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Now pay attention to what he is guarding and keeping. The Levites guarded the Old Testament temple – Jesus is guarding and keeping the New Testament temple – which is the church – where each individual believer has become the dwelling place of God.

He isn’t guarding a place. He is guarding a people. Specifically, he is guarding his people against the three great enemies to our soul. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Look at vs. 14-17

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Presence – What about the presence of God? Well, there’s too much that could be said! Remember how the Old Testament priests were symbolically glorious – symbolically sinless – and all of that was reflected by the splendor of their physical appearance.

Well in the New Covenant, God flips the script a bit. Jesus comes as externally inglorious. No form or majesty. First as a baby born in a manger, then as a servant. Outwardly he is a carpenter. Inwardly, he is pure glory, a kind of glory that would make diamonds and sapphires look absolutely dull.

In the Old Covenant, the garment was passed down from priest to priest, year after year. They put on an external form that represented sinlessness. But Jesus has an inherent glory. And this is the glory he is passing on to his people.

Look at vs. 22 – “The glory that you have given me I have given to them…”

And all of this is leading to a great great future for those who are in Christ. Look at vs. 24 – “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

And so in the end, Jesus is the curse reverser. He is not just the redeemer of many souls, but he is actually redeeming mankind’s original dignity and destiny. And all of this will lead to our great future described in Revelation 5:9-10

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Now, in the meantime, we, being made into a nation of priests, have a clear sense of what our life is supposed to look like. All of my life belongs to the Lord

In his classic work entitled Practical Christianity, William Wilberforce writes..

It is the grand, essential, practical characteristic of true Christians, that, relying on the promises to repenting sinners, of acceptance through the Redeemer, they have renounced and abjured all other masters, and have cordially and unreservedly devoted themselves to God.

Christians are become the sworn enemies of sin; they will henceforth hold no parley with it, they will allow it in no shape, they will admit it to no composition; the war they have denounced against it, is universal and irreconcilable.

 But this is not all—it is now their determined purpose to yield themselves without reserve to the reasonable service of their rightful Sovereign. ‘They are not their own:’ their bodily and mental faculties, their natural and acquired endowments, their substance, their authority, their time, their influence; all these, they consider as belonging to them, not for their own gratification, but as instruments to be consecrated to the honour and employed in the service of God.

This must be the master principle to which every other must be subordinate. Whatever may have been hitherto their ruling passion, or leading pursuit, whether sensual, or intellectual, of science, taste, fancy, or feeling…must exist only at the pleasure, and be put altogether under the control and direction of its true and legitimate superior.

I am called to guard God’s temple-people Prayer is supposed to be a big part of my life

Spurgeon: “If any of you should ask me for the epitome of the Christian life, I would say that it is in one word-prayer.”

Why do I say that? Because as priests, you are meant to spend time in God’s presence. This is what Jesus has paid for. Hebrews 4:14-16

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

COMMUNION:

One way to think about the cross is that in a spiritual sense, Jesus entered the Holy of Holies with your sin on him… and this is why he was destroyed. But now you get to enter the holy of holies with his righteousness on you

Money & The Mission of God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Money & The Mission of God

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 1st December 2024

Passages:

Exodus 35:1-36:38
2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15

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Title: Money & The Mission of God Text: Exodus 35-36, 2 Corinthians 8-9

One great privilege of preaching through the Old Testament is that we have the New Testament.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus talked about a scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of the house, bringing out of his treasure both what is old and what is new. (Matthew 13:51-53)

That’s what we’ve been doing throughout Exodus. We’ve been taking hold of a text there and then running around the rest of the scripture, pulling out other things that go with it. Today, we have two main texts:

Firstly, Exodus 35-36 Secondly 2 Corinthians 8-9

Both having to do with generosity.

Exodus 35-36 The context: building the tabernacle and really the entire physical infrastructure of their worship.

Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution… (35:4-5)

And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD. (35:20-22)

And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more. (36:2-7)

Now 2 Corinthians 8-9 The context: Paul spent a considerable amount of his ministry raising funds for the saints in Jerusalem who were undergoing a famine and also extreme persecution.

Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction. (9:1-5)

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (9:6-14)

Some fundamental truths about generosity that shine through both texts:

Money makes a difference in the mission of God.

God has chosen to advance his mission through expressions of financial faith.

Illustration: Josephs in the Bible

I was thinking about some of the Josephs in the Bible. OT Joseph Joseph the father of Jesus Joseph of Arimathea Joseph in Acts — which was Barnabas’ given name

How each of them were essential to particular moments in God’s unfolding mission.

The emphasis is always on voluntary, heart-based, cheerful giving

In both covenants, the emphasis is mainly on voluntary generosity. Of course, the tithe was written into law in the OT. But even in the OT, the vibes lean much more toward volition and non-compulsion. We see that in this particular text.

35:5,21,22,29 & 36:2 – willing heart, free will offering

35:5 - Generous heart 35:21 — Everyone who’s heart stirred him, everyone who’s spirit moved him 35:22 — All those of a willing heart 35:29 — All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD. 36:2 — And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning…

Even in other passages dealing with the tithe, there is a clear sense of God honoring human reason and will.

Take Malachi 3:8-10. God says, Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Now how does he speak to them about obedience? Look at the way he talks to them. This is reasoning, enticing, not simply “because I said so.” Look at vs. 10, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

When we turn to the New Testament passage, we see the same emphasis on freewill generosity…

1-2 — Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.

5 — So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.

7 — Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Generosity is not an expression of elite Christianity.

Both of our subjects are infamous for their immaturity. For their suspicion toward leadership, their carnality, etc… In one sense, it is safe to say that the majority of people in this room are more spiritually mature than both the Hebrews and the Corinthians.

It is not a sign of vigorous spiritual health. Rather, generosity is a basic vital sign that proves you are spiritually alive.

Nowhere in the bible do we see any kind of pattern that suggests people grow into generosity. What we do see is a pattern that suggests generosity is just an early sign of life — like the first gasp of a newborn baby.

In Luke 19:9, Jesus says of Zacchaeus — “Today salvation has come to this house…”

What prompted this declaration? Luke 19:8 — “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

In Acts 16, the first European convert, a merchant named Lydia… the first work of her faith was generosity.

In Acts 2, Barnabas moves from conversion to costly generosity in a single verse.

Generosity is more like a basic vital sign — more like a pulse — than a feat of strength

It simply shows that you understand the nature of the story that you’re in.

Illustration: Signs

And what is the story we’re in?

There’s a latin phrase that will prove helpful.

Sui-Generis

Which means one of a kind, totally unique, completely unclassifiable.

A generous Christian is aware that he is the eternal beneficiary of the Sui-Generous gift of God.

2 Corinthians 9:13

By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,

Their generosity comes from their confession of the gospel of Christ.

That gospel being described quite succinctly in 2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Generosity is sign that you understand the Sui Generous grace of God.

Luke 7:41-47

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Generosity does not leave you poorer

Why? Because what Jim Elliot said was true. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Friends, generosity does not leave you poorer. At the very worst, it stores up treasure for you in eternity. ETERNITY! And that’s the worst case scenario. It is more than likely that in this life, God will bless you in various ways so that when all is said and done, you will be able to see that what Paul says in 9:6-11

Friends, I take my responsibility to care for you and build you up very seriously. I would not tell you this unless I was sure — generosity will not leave you poorer — not according to any meaningful measurement.

Generosity is not usually spontaneous

Because of point 3 — that generosity needs to be non-compulsory, I probably tend to lean more toward under emphasizing it than over emphasizing it. But another thing we can see from these two texts is that some leadership in this area is necessary. In the Exodus, God repeatedly tells Moses things like:

25:1 — The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.

And in 2 Corinthians, we see Paul dedicating a decent portion of his letter toward leading this offering. Look at 9:1

Generosity is usually contagious

9:1 - “and your zeal has stirred up most of them…”

It isn’t explicit in the Exodus story but I think we have good reason to believe a similar dynamic is at play.

Generosity should be stewarded with transparency and integrity

People ought to have reasonable confidence that what they’re giving is going to be used for the purpose their giving toward.

In the Exodus story, that was pretty simple. I gave ya’ll some acacia wood… yup — there it is in the table. But notice the integrity on behalf of the workmen…

And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more. — Exodus 36:3-7

The Corinthian situation is more complicated. There’s distance involved. And we’re not dealing with commodities anymore. This is just currency — which is easier to subvert.

And the same kind of thing is at work in the Corinthian text:

Look at 2 Corinthians 8:16-21

But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

Leaders should be above reproach

Both Moses and Paul were, by the manner of their own actions and life choices, above reproach on this issue. Look at Hebrews 11:26, “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

And Acts 20:33-35

I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Communion:

“Do you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9

Eldership Announcement

Chris Oswald — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Eldership Announcement

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 24th November 2024

Comfortable Certainty

Chris Oswald — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Comfortable Certainty

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 13th November 2024

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How can a Christian experience what Martin Luther called "comfortable certainty" regarding the reality of their salvation?

Aaron's Failure of Nerve

Chris Oswald — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Aaron's Failure of Nerve

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 10th November 2024

Passage: Exodus 32:1-35

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Title: Aaron’s Failure of Nerve Text: Exodus 32

The Golden Calf story is a leadership story. Everything pivots around the action/inaction of Aaron and Moses.

While we can clearly see that the people hold significant responsibility for their actions, Aaron is singled out as uniquely responsible.

In vs. 21, “And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?”

In vs. 25, “And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),”

Some of you are positional leaders. All of you are relational leaders. Somebody out there looks to you.

Some of you are positional leaders: Husbands, fathers Mothers, household managers Leaders at work, or in the church…

All of you are relational leaders in one degree or another. If nowhere else, you are supposed to be leaders in this local church.

Pastor Jonathan Leeman says the following to those who join his local church:

“Friend, by joining this church, you will become jointly responsible for whether or not this congregation continues to faithfully proclaim the gospel. That means you will become jointly responsible both for what this church teaches, as well as whether or not its members’ lives remain faithful.”

Now if you absolutely refuse to think of yourself as a leader, I still think this sermon can help. Because by the end of it, you’ll have learned a great deal of detail about the fear of man — which the bible says is a snare — and which experience says is a very very common snare.

The Basic Problem

When it comes to leadership, the main problem is something the poet Milton called Effeminate Slackness.

“The real problem of leadership is a failure of nerve. Leaders fail not because they lack information, skill, or technique, but because they lack the nerve and presence to stand firm in the midst of other people’s emotional anxiety and reactivity.” – Bob Thune

That’s exactly right. That’s the situation Aaron has found himself in.

Aaron has found himself leading in what Edwin Friedman would call an unhealthy emotional system. Among other things, Friedman was a family therapist and over time he observed that the families who had the most troubles had certain things in common:

Unhealthy emotional systems are marked by reactivity. Unhealthy emotional systems are marked by a herding instinct. Unhealthy emotional systems are marked by blame displacement. Unhealthy emotional systems are marked by a quick-fix mentality; relief from pain is more important than lasting change.

In these kinds of highly charged environments, a leader is greatly tempted to sin in one of two directions. He either becomes…

The bully The bullied

The Bully

Our primary focus will be on #2. That’s the loss of nerve. That’s effeminate slackness. That’s the sin of Aaron.

But as is often the case, there is a ditch on the other side of the road. I want to ensure that nobody responds to this message by saying, “yes, Aaron lost his nerve, and in order to avoid that, I plan on becoming a grade A jerk.”

There are instances of that kind of thing in the bible and even in the Exodus story. That has something to do with the sin that disqualified Moses from the promise land. Where he let his anger get the best of him.

That’s found in Numbers 20. The passage begins like many others – with the people grumbling about the lack of something – this time water.

Moses does what he normally does. He goes to the Lord. God tells him to go to a rock and speak over it – and that when he does that – the rock will split and water will come forth.

But on his way back to the people and rock, something happens in Moses’ heart. His anger gets the best of him.

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.” – Numbers 20:10–11

God had his back. In his mercy, he caused the water to flow. But privately, God told Moses in no uncertain terms that he had sinned.

And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” – Numbers 20:12

Many of you are leading something. A wife, a home, a team at work, a church – watch your anger. Don’t let the sins of those you lead – lead you into sin. Whatever we mean by backbone, nerve, etc… must be harmonized with 2

Timothy 2:24-26

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Ok, that’s the other ditch. When the people sin, when the environment is highly charged, some leaders become the bully. Don’t do that. The Bullied

Don’t become the bully. But also, don’t become the bullied. I would say that problem, of becoming the pushover is the deeper biblical problem of leadership. That’s what we see in…

Saul (1 Samuel 15) Peter (Antioch) And many others.

Look at Exodus 32:1-2

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” Baptizing Unbelief: Failure of Nerve & Sin Management

Now I want you to notice one feature of Aaron’s failure. Namely that he attempted to split the difference between the people’s pagan urges and true religion.

When the 2020-21 race riots took place all over the country. Plenty of prominent Christian leaders tried to baptize the sin of rioting, looting, etc… by appropriating biblical categories of social justice.

When the government massively overstepped their authority, shutting down churches, mandating masks and later vaccines. Plenty of prominent Christian leaders tried to baptize those sins with biblical categories like loving our neighbors and Romans 13.

You see the mob wanted to run in a particular direction and many evangelical leaders did a bunch of biblical gymnastics to endorse the mob’s anxious passions.

We see Aaron doing something similar.

In verse 1 the people say, “make us gods who shall go before us.” They’re ready to completely abandon Yahweh all together.

Aaron concocts a scheme involving constructing a golden calf.

In verse 4-5 we see Aaron splitting the difference.

And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

He didn’t completely vacate his leadership. He is still in charge. And he is trying to minimize their sin rather than confront it. Friends, much of our failure of nerve comes, not so much in going along with the crowd 100% but in going along with the crowd 50%. Rather than speak openly and honestly to those in sin, we try to manage them, manipulate them, and mitigate the trouble the people we love will get themselves into.

Our main question is why? What motivates this kind of leadership meltdown? Making Sense of Aaron’s Meltdown

Why did Aaron fail? We can’t trust Aaron’s account. Aaron is an unreliable narrator here.

Look back at vs. 21

21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

We can’t rely on Aaron’s assessment. He’s not being honest with himself.

This leaves us to run through other biblical data about the same kind of thing and make some educated guesses. False Humility

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul succumbs to similar pressures as Aaron.

After being confronted with his sin. Saul said, ““I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

Why did he fear the people? Earlier we are shown the heart issue at play. That’s in vs. 17,

And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.

That’s pride masqueraded as humility. His view of himself is not in line with God’s view.

Maybe Aaron suffered from the same kind of insecurity. He was after all, clearly the number 2 man. Why should the people listen to him? Who was he to lead?

Emotional Blackmail

When people get into this state of highly charged anxiousness, they are prone to leveling a very specific charge against any leader who stands their ground. Namely that the leader is being a bully and that he thinks he is better than everyone else.

We see that in Numbers 16:1-3

16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

An anxious people want you to make their anxiety your agenda. And if you resist this, refusing to be the bully or to be bullied…. if you resist this emotional sabotage, the next step will almost always be an accusation of arrogance.

And if you are not careful, you will go out of your way to show how reasonable you are. How you are the opposite of a tyrant, you’re a servant leader, you’re an empathetic leader, a consensus builder!

And what you really are is being bullied. Love of Position

Another possibility is that Aaron would rather be an ineffectual leader than to lose his position all together. Plenty of leaders choose self-preservation in these kinds of situations.

They feel they must give in to the sinful desires of those they lead or they won’t have anyone to lead. Love of the People

Here’s the trickiest motivation.

God has programmed good leaders with deep feelings for those they lead. In Philippians Paul talks about longing for the people with the very affections of Christ. We see throughout the Pauline epistles that Paul is walking around with a deep emotional burden for the people.

“…imprisonments, countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” – 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Good leaders carry deep feelings for those they lead.

Illustration: Greg Dirnberger (when one church is not doing well, he is not doing well)

If we aren’t careful, the flesh will hijack those deep feelings.

This is a very very old sin.

In 1 Timothy 2:12-14, Paul gives some apostolic insight into the fall of Adam and Eve.

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

Ok. So if Adam was not deceived, then why did he partake? Why did he follow Eve into death? And the answer appears to be wrongly ordered loves.

One early church father said something to effect of, “Though believing death would ensue, he partook of the fruit knowingly so that he would not be separated from his bride.”

In Paradise Lost, Milton handles the subject of the fall of Adam.

“Adam, at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves through vehemence of love to perish with her, and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit

He then writes a section in which he imagines Adam’s inner dialogue…

“However I with thee have fixed my lot, Certain to undergo like doom: If death Consort with thee, death is to me as life; So forcible within my heart I feel The bond of Nature draw me to my own; My own in thee, for what thou art is mine; Our state cannot be severed; we are one, One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself

Once again, this is so easy to do. God gives us deep feelings for those we’re supposed to lead. But those deep feelings must never go deeper than our feelings for God. We have to watch out for instances where our love for others is more pronounced than our love for God.

And this isn’t purely a male and female thing. It is unfortunately routine to see older saints, who hold a God-given mantle of leadership over younger saints, choose empathy over exhortation.

Plenty of instances where older women disobey the mandate in Titus 2 by choosing empathy over exhortation.

So many young men struggle with sins of the flesh, in part, because older men choose empathy over exhortation.

Again, this is not only a male or female thing.

In Paradise Lost, when the angel is showing Adam the future of the human race. When the angel shows Adam the future seduction of men by the “daughters of men,” Adam’s initial response is to blame the women involved—”Man’s woe holds on the same, from Woman to begin.” The angel contradicts him. That is not it at all: “From Man’s effeminate slackness it begins.” Conclusion: How should have Aaron responded?

To which Aaron ought to have said – I don’t work for you. I don’t work for you.

I work for the Lord. And he has made it clear what we are to do. I hope you’ll join me in trusting him. But if you won’t, then I will, with great sorrow, need to show you the door.

The solution to effeminate slackness is something Edwin Friedman called “self-differentiation.” Which is just another way of talking about holding your ground.

In this story, there are three leaders. Moses, Aaron, and in vs. 17 Joshua is mentioned. Joshua would eventually become the people’s leader as they entered the promised land. And while Joshua would make plenty of his own mistakes, he did not succumb to a failure of nerve. He was a properly self-differentiated leader.

That’s what motivates his famous speech. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

That’s how Aaron ought to have responded.

I don’t work for you. I work for the Lord.

Mothers and Fathers must say to their children, “I don’t work for you, I work for the Lord.”

Husbands must say to their wives, “I don’t work for you, I work for the Lord.”

Church leaders must say to their congregations, “I don’t work for you, I work for the Lord.”

God’s Self-Differentiation

In verses 7-14, we see that the only thing that keeps God from completely destroying the people is his motivation for his own name.

9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

God doesn’t save us because he must. There is nothing in his nature that requires him to save us.

God doesn’t save us because he needs us. He is able to raise up a people for himself from the stones.

God certainly doesn’t save us because we are deserving.

In the end, God saves us for the sake of his own name.

Look at vs. 11-14

11 But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

God saves us for the sake of his own glory.

Pastor Mike Fabarez writes,

While most people believe God saves people for “people’s sake” (i.e., because of his attraction to them and his inner compulsion to promote and honor them), Psalm 106:8 tells us that God is in the business of saving sinners for “his own name’s sake” (i.e., for his own honor, promotion and glory). In considering his grace and mercy toward his people, God repeats through the prophet Isaiah: “For my sake, for my sake, I do this” and “I will not yield my glory to another” (48:11).

Conclusion: The world is in urgent need of leaders who are (to quote the meme): Unbothered. Moisturized. In Their Lane. Focused. Flourishing.

That only happens when the leader is more concerned about pleasing God than anyone else.

That is the cure to effeminate slackness.

Friends, you are servants of the most high God. Be done with the prideful insecurity. You are what God says you are.

You are servants of the most high God. Do not be intimidated by emotional blackmail. Who can bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

You are servants of the most high God. Your position is given to you by God. The favor you have is given to you by God. Honor and serve the one who gave it to you.

You are servants of the most high God. It is good to feel a deep love for those you lead. But if you let that love eclipse the love you have for God, you do nobody any good.

We have got to move away from a people-centered religion and back to a God centered religion. And that starts by seeing that our very salvation was worked out by God as a service to God.

Psalm 106:8 – “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.”

All of the fundamental good that has been done in Christendom. All the human flourishing it has provided. Came into the world through God-centeredness and not people centeredness.

So fellow leaders, would you join me in resolving to trust in the Lord with all our heart and leaning not on our own understanding. In all our ways let’s acknowledge him and trust that he will direct our paths. Illustration: Latimer & Ridley

Under the cruel and violent rule of Queen Mary, two godly men named Latimer and Ridley were arrested as heretics. Their offense? Proclaiming protestant doctrine. On their way to being burned at the stake the following words were recorded.

“Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.”

“Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.”

Communion:

The Lord Jesus was the king of self-differentiation. In John’s gospel we are told:

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. – John 2:23-25

In John 5:19,

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

And it was this purity of purpose, his singular service to the Lord that secured our salvation.

No failure of nerve on Jesus’ part. No effeminate slackness. And that is why you and I are saved.

Thou Shall Not Steal

Chris Oswald — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Thou Shall Not Steal

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 13th October 2024

Passage: Exodus 20:15

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Introduction:

What do we make of the relative agreement across cultures time and space on the 2nd tablet? That the world is built on universal moral laws that are as fixed and unbreakable as the physical laws.

The second table (commandments 5-10) is simply the codification of the nature of reality. This is the way the world works — there is no other sustainable way…

There are two types of laws: “stop sign” laws and “fire” laws, as explained by Dorothy Sayers. “Stop sign” laws are arbitrary rules created by humans for various purposes. Examples include traffic regulations, curfews, and minimum wage laws. These laws can be negotiated and changed with the agreement of relevant parties. Individuals may choose to disregard them if they disagree with them.

In contrast, “fire” laws are inherent laws of nature that are discovered rather than created. These laws, like gravity and inertia, cannot be altered by human intervention. Attempts to defy them will inevitably result in consequences. For example, touching fire will burn you, stepping off a roof will make you fall, and trying to stop a moving car with bare hands will be futile. These laws operate independently of human desires or opinions.

The 5th commandment — honor your father and mother that you may live long in the land — that promise is implicitly extended to all the commandments. For later God will command the parents to teach their children these laws. And if the children obey them, they will live long in the land.

Today we’re going to look at theft in three directions:

Stealing from Yourself Stealing from Others Stealing from God

I. Stealing from Yourself

Here’s a category I wouldn’t have thought of. Listen to the WLC:

The sins forbidden in the Eighth Commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, theft, robbery, man-stealing, and receiving anything that is stolen; fraudulent dealing, false weights and measures, removing land marks, injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts between man and man, or in matters of trust; oppression, extortion, usury, bribery, vexatious lawsuits, unjust enclosures and depopulations; engrossing commodities to enhance the price; unlawful callings, and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbor: What belongs to him, or of enriching ourselves; covetousness; inordinate prizing and affecting worldly goods; distrustful and distracting cares and studies in getting, keeping, and using them; envying at the prosperity of others; as likewise idleness, prodigality, wasteful gaming; and all other ways whereby we do unduly prejudice our own outward estate, and defrauding ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God has given us.

I was surprised to find that in the older literature, stealing from oneself came up time and time again. How do we do that? The WLC lists various ways but for the most part, it all falls into the category of wastefulness.

Buying stuff you don’t need Not taking care of the stuff you already have.

“…we must render to every man his due. In substance, then, the commandment forbids us to long after other men's goods, and, accordingly, requires every man to exert himself honestly in preserving his own.” — Calvin

And the primary expression of wastefulness in the old world was laziness — which is wasting of your life.

“He is a thief to himself, by idleness, when he misspends his time. He who spends his hours in pleasure and vanity robs himself of that precious time which God has given him…” — Watson

Proverbs 25:28 says, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

Explain

Proverbs 18:9 says, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.”

You have one life (picture)

Protestant work ethic… Puritan work ethic.

It boiled down to seeing time like CS Lewis saw people. Some of you may remember that statement from Lewis, that there are no ordinary people.

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

Just as Lewis saw that are no ordinary people. No unimportant people, the Puritans realized there were no unimportant moments. Every moment of every day was pregnant with possibility. They sought to live each one of those moments with a kind of happy sobriety. They sought to do what Kipling described — “to fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds run.”

So in order to obey the 8th commandment, we must stop stealing from ourselves. And almost all self-theft comes down to waste. And the most common kind of waste is expressed in various kinds of laziness.

It is in this way that the sluggard becomes a companion to him who destroys.

II. Stealing from Others

From there we move on to the more traditional form of theft. Namely stealing from others. This is wrong, in part, because there are no ordinary people.

Our sister church in Sioux Falls is going through the book of Judges right now. I was listening to the sermon on Gideon. The preacher brought out something I had never noticed — the similarities between the call of Moses and Gideon.

Both were in pretty low positions. Moses is out in the middle of nowhere. Gideon is hiding from the bad guys in the land. God appears to both and speaks to them. He promises both that he will be with them. They both ask for signs.

But most importantly (for our purposes today) both of these men are called to be instruments of judgment against a people who were committing systemic theft against another people.

That is of course with the slavery we see in Egypt is. It is the theft of a man’s life energy. In his 2nd Inaugural address, Lincoln describes slavery as “wringing your bread from the sweat of other men’s faces.”

And then in Judges, we might forget the context in which Gideon was called…

For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. — Judges 6:6

And it was in this context that the Lord was aroused to bring the Midianites into utter ruin.

I bring this up for two reasons. Firstly because I’m not sure we understand how much God hates theft.

Proverbs 11:1 — God abhors a dishonest scale Proverbs 23:10-11 — Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.

God isn’t playing. Very few things stir his anger like theft.

In his second inaugural, Lincoln understood that divine judgment had fallen on America —

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

Why? Because when we steal from others, we indicate a sense of superiority over them. And not only them but also God.

“For we must consider, that what each individual possesses has not fallen to him by chance, but by the distribution of the sovereign Lord of all, that no one can pervert his means to bad purposes without committing a fraud on a divine dispensation.” — Calvin

Theft in all forms is committing fraud on divine dispensation. And sometimes, like in the case of slavery, society legalizes it — which changes absolutely nothing. Write the law however you want, “wringing your bread from the sweat of other men’s faces” is always wrong.

And of course, it is quite easy for us to be against something in our distant past that absolutely everybody disagrees with. But there’s a modern issue that bears many similarities…

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”

How exactly to they vote themselves money? By electing politicians who promise to give them stuff. And where does the stuff come from? It either comes from selecting one part of the population and forcing them to pay more — or it comes from indebting our children.

I won’t go into all of this in detail. But I’m against “taxing the rich” for the same reason I’m against slavery. That’s not my stuff. I don’t have a right to it simply because a majority of my fellow citizens have decided it is so.

The founders foresaw this kind of thing quite clearly. This is a primary theme of Madison’s thinking in Federalist #10.

III. Stealing from God

The most obvious application has to do with generosity. Where Jesus says, “if you’ve done it to the least of these, you’ve done it unto me.” But also, if you haven’t done it to the lest of these, you haven’t done it unto me.

In Luke 12:16–21

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

The basic idea here is that God owns everything you have. He owns it, you’re just borrowing it. And while it is in your possession, he commands you to be generous.

Any plan to accumulate meaningful wealth that does not include meaningful generosity is a plan destined to fail.

Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay, he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. — Job 27:16

Proverbs 28:8, “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.”

“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.”

Any plan to accumulate meaningful wealth that does not include meaningful generosity is a plan destined to fail.

And let me be clear, this is not a law of the stop sign kind of thing. This isn’t the kind of law you can break. This is the kind of law you break yourself against.

What does that look like? Well, I would point you to something else Lewis said, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” But I don’t want to camp out on this subject too long. The truth is that financial generosity is just a subset of a larger thing. Just like laziness is a subset of wastefulness, generosity is a subset of the broader concept called stewardship.

We owe God our lives. He is our creator, sustainer, and redeemer. Our lives are not strictly our own. They belong to God. Same with our bodies. Same with our brains. Same with our time, talents, and treasure.

In 1 Corinthians 4:7, the apostle Paul provides three simple questions wind up being absolutely devastating to human pride and human stinginess toward God.

For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

The rhetorical questions in verse 7 are meant to devastate prideful stinginess. Especially the various forms of glory stealing that we commit against God.

Here’s the answer. You did not choose to be born and almost certainly, you will have no choice over when you die. Your whole life is a product of divine activity. Even if you devote yourself with puritanical diligence to hard work, thrift, and enterprise, we find that the conviction and energy to live that way come from God.

As the Apostle Paul writes elsewhere, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” — 1 Corinthians 15:10

The truth is that in a very real way, all the sins we commit are fundamentally acts of theft. And this is not a perspective restricted to Christianity. We find this kind of thing clearly stated in various novels.

In the Kite Runner, “There is only one sin, only one, and that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right of a husband, you rob his children of a father. When you lie you steal someone's right to truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no more wretched act than stealing.”

And many years before that, Stephen King wrote the following:

“The father of sin was theft; every one of the Ten Commandments boiled down to “Thou shalt not steal.” Murder was the theft of a life, adultery was the theft of a wife, covetousness the secret, slinking theft that took place in the cave of the heart. Blasphemy was the theft of God’s name, swiped from the House of the Lord and sent out to walk the streets like a strutting whore.”

Communion:

So in the end, we find that sin is simply theft. And I think that’s remarkable when you consider the cross.

What is God’s answer to a world that has broken itself by taking what did not belong to it? All sins comes down to stealing from others, from stealing from God, from stealing from ourselves. What is God’s answer to all of this wrongful taking?

God’s cure for our wrongful taking, is a great merciful giving.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

It is no coincidence that Jesus is crucified between two thieves. For at the end, that is the state of humanity. And the only question is how we will respond to the great giving of God’s great son.

Will we be like the thief on his left — unrepentant all the way to the end. Or will we see the great gift of God’s only begotten son and say to him — remember me, represent me, forgive me!

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. — 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Are Legalism and Licentiousness Really Equal Threats?

Chris Oswald — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Are Legalism and Licentiousness Really Equal Threats?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 9th October 2024

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In this episode of the podcast, Pastor Chris discusses how older generations handling the 10 Commandments tended to apply these commands to many more areas of lives than modern Christians do. How this seems to be consistent with Jesus' own approach (found in Matthew 5) and how sins tend start off like "fetuses" that grow over time.

You Were Made For Love

Chris Oswald — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0100

You Were Made For Love

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 6th October 2024

Passage: Exodus 20:14

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Title: You Were Made For Love Text: Exodus 20:14

Introduction:

This week I was thinking about Faraday cages. Einstein had three pictures of three scientists in his study, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and James Clerk Maxwell. Faraday was a great experimental scientist. And I suppose these days he is best known for the Faraday cage. Which is an enclosure meant to protect an object from electromagnetic fields.

And the reason I was thinking about Faraday cages is that as I pressed into our text, I began to realize how much misinformation about the subject is buzzing around in the world.

Our text is Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.”

Back in 1943, an academic named Walter Langer was tasked with writing a psychological profile of Adolf Hitler. And it is in those writings we find a phrase that has gained some popularity:

“People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it.”

The world is full about big, bold lies about sex. We are living in a psy-op. Propoganda is buzzing all around us. And that’s why I began thinking about a Faraday Cage. I wondered – how do we protect people from all of the misinformation?

Now, I want to concede on the front end that to the outside world, any effort to “protect yourself” from the world’s lies about this sin is going to appear crazy. In other words, to the world, your faraday cage is going to look like a tinfoil hat.

Which is what the word of God predicts.

1 Peter 4:4 reads:

With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

In a world gone crazy, sanity appears to be insanity. I said a moment ago that the world is filled with sexual propaganda. We’re being played.

So that’s what I think the Lord would like us to do today on this subject. Let’s put a stake in the ground and discern truth from lies. Let’s deprogram and perhaps even develop some protection against the world’s lies on this subject.

Before I do that, I want to show you this kind of sermon is biblical. Let’s take a look at 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

Many of us are familiar with that phrase, “take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” But we might not realize that Paul is not talking about individual believers. He is talking about his own ministry. One thing Paul does with his ministry is he tears down intellectual strongholds that are raised against the knowledge of God. He invades the castle of bad thinking and captures thoughts and forces them to obey Christ.

You can feed a congregation on these kinds of sermons alone. But from time to time, people need help seeing through the lies that surround them in the popular culture. So that’s what we will do today.

Sexual Heroes & Villains

Almost all of the heroes are villains

This week I was reading a book entitled Hoodwinked: How Intellectual Hucksters Have Hijacked American Culture. The book details various pseudo intellectual cons run on the western world.

“In the worldwide culture war, our progressive friends honor no conventions. Unchecked by God or tradition, largely unedited by their peers in the academy or the media, they fall back promiscuously on the one weapon that their opponents are loath to use: fraud. As weapons go, however, it is no match for the truth. At the end of the day, one prays, it is the latter that goes marching on” – Cahill

This makes sense. As Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8,

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44

The last section of the book deals with the various cons associated with the so-called sexual revolution.

Going from Sanger, to Margaret Mead (boy what pieces of work). You know, many years ago in the late 1600s, the so-called Salem Witch Trials took place. In which, we called some women witches who were not witches. But the more I learn about Sanger and Mead, I now see that we sometimes make the opposite mistake.

Anyway, he finally lands on Alfred Kinsey – who has had an enormous influence on how the western world thinks about human sexuality. The short version is that Kinsey was a total fraud. And an avid champion of and participant in pedafila, etc…

At least some of the villains are heroes

How did these people get away with all of the lies? They used Christianity as a foil. They suggested that repression was dangerous. Kinsey in particular spent his entire life opposing Christianity labeling it as prudish, puritanical, etc…

There was, in the early 1900s a whole propaganda campaign against the puritans. We see it in statements like HL Mencken’s hilarious: “Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy.” Truly funny, but not all factual.

So we’re living in a world in which almost all of the heroes are actually villains and some of the worst villains are actually heroes.

That is certainly true of the Puritans and how they viewed human sexuality. CS Lewis once wrote,

Relief and buoyancy are the characteristic notes . . . It follows that nearly every association which now clings to the word puritan has to be eliminated when we are thinking of the early Protestants. Whatever they were, they were not sour, gloomy, or severe; nor did their enemies bring any such charge against them . . . Protestants are not ascetics but sensualists

On many questions, and specially in their view of the marriage bed, the Puritans were the indulgent party;

You need to understand that the world you’re living in has been propagated with lies. Many of those presented to you as heroes are villains and many presented to you as villains are heroes.

The Worldview Divide

When it comes to establishing sexual sanity, I suggest you start with this piece of fundamental first principle thinking.

You need to decide which came first – lust or love.

Do you understand that for the Darwinian, lust is undeniably more natural and more fundamental than love. We are, afterall, just animals.

And so as Kinsey said, the only unnatural sex act is the one you can’t physically do.

This seems undeniably important… The Darwinian propaganda beaming all around you believes lust has existed far longer than love. Indeed, they would be hard pressed to explain love at all.

On the other hand, Christianity asserts that love came first. It does not deny the existence of lust, but it sees it as an unwelcome intruder, a kind of parasite on the human spirit.

Can you see why this is so important? We need to ask fundamentally, was a human being created for love or for lust? And again, the Christian story is that we were created first and foremost for love.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. – Genesis 2:21-25

Yes you are fallen, yes sin has entered the world. But you need to be fully convinced that most fundamentally, you were made for a monogamous, one-flesh relationship with a member of the opposite sex – that is provided by and blessed by your creator.

Every other sexual arrangement: Hook-up culture, self-pleasure, polygamy, etc… is fundamentally anti-human.

So in 1 Corinthians 6, when the apostle Paul makes statements like,

“the body was not made for sexual immorality”

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

He’s making those statements with this insight — you were not made for lust – you were made for love.

Illustration: Lust is like a cancer cell

Lust is like a cancer cell. Is it organic? Yes… in one sense. Does it have our DNA? Yes… a cancer cell is “you” – but on the other hand it is not you. Cancer cells are evidence that something has gone wrong with nature. They are technically natural – but it is obvious they are mutations of something more natural. This is how Christianity views lust.

Meanwhile materialistic Darwinism views lust as more natural and actually sees love as the mutation.

I cannot overstate how central this one perspective is in explaining the way of the world vs. the way of Christ.

And this is all evidence in in the created world as well…

Francis Bacon, another preeminent Christian scientist once said,

“God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.”

We do not need to rely only on scripture to show that in regards to sexuality, human beings were made to behave differently than other created organisms.

Sexually transmitted diseases Sins against his own body Receive in themselves their due reward

Bonding chemicals / oxytocin Brain development Children need both mothers and fathers

If you repeat a lie often enough… And so it is with the truth. Here’s the truth…

You were made for love. You were not made for lust. You were made for love. You were not made for lust.

You were made for covenantal love. What is covenantal love. It is love with full commitment and full passion. There is no necessary division between those. We can trace the idea all the way up to God himself. He is fully committed to us. He also fully loves us. That’s what you were made for.

For many of us, the covenantal love of God, the steadfast love of God – needs to land on this very issue. The world is full of sexually wounded people. Some were wounded by their own hand. Some were wounded by others. For 2000 years, the gospel of Jesus Christ has healed all sorts of gaping wounds – but it has in reality, for a very long time, specialized in healing people broken by sexual sin.

It starts with Jesus sitting with the Woman at the Well. It continues all the way into Paul’s ministry where he writes to the Corinthians…

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

– 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

God has healed countless sexual sinners. And he can heal you. He can pull you out of the psy-op. He can purge of the propaganda. He has paid the price to redeem you fully from any and all stronghold.

Illustration: Man in an orchard

Here is an image of man standing in a orchard of some kind. I want you to imagine that all of the fruit above him (apples) are just outside his reach. And all of the berries and stuff on the ground are all obviously within his reach – but all slightly poison. Not enough to kill him in the short term, but enough to make him sick and eventually kill him.

So he’s faced with a problem, his appetite and his reach.

Friends, all the sexual sin you can think of is like those berries. Their main virtue is that they are low-hanging fruit. You can reach them without any effort, commitment, prayer, faith, etc…

Meanwhile, over your head, and out of your immediate reach is the fruit you were really created to eat. And it is healthy for you. You can eat as much of it as you want. But it is much much harder to get.

The world is full of people who have learned to subsist mostly on the low hanging fruit. Yeah it makes them sick. Yeah, it leads to death. But we have these appetites – and that fruit way above our heads is too hard to get!

So they stoop down one more time to eat the low hanging fruit of self-pleasure, hook-ups, etc…

Christ has come to save people from this very thing. Please hear me brothers and sisters. Christ did not die only to offer you forgiveness. He also died to give you freedom.

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

There is a whole other life available to each person in Christ. That’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This table stands before us as God’s offer:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. – Isaiah 1:18

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” – Isaiah 55:2-3

Come and partake of the table that stands for life…

Life & Death: Motive, Means, & Opportunity

Chris Oswald — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Life & Death: Motive, Means, & Opportunity

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 29th September 2024

Passage: Exodus 20:13

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You shall not murder. – Ex 20:13

If you ever have the power and the desire to take someone’s life unjustly, do not do it.

There are various pieces of this we could talk about.

For instance, the word “unjustly.” If you ever have the power and the desire to take someone’s life unjustly… As you see in the text itself – if you’re using the ESV anyway – the verse does not say, “you shall not kill,” rather “you shall not murder.” That’s a wise choice on the part of the translators. You have various texts in the New Testament that do warrant certain kinds of killing. Just War. Capital Punishment. Self Defense.

But I want to talk about the first part – “If you ever have the power and the desire…”

This is an important aspect of the conversation. It isn’t like everyone has the ability to kill someone. Especially not back then. The detective shows talk about motive, means, and opportunity. The means of murder isn’t evenly distributed across all people everywhere. Not everybody has the physical strength, etc…

And that’s interesting insofar as we’re thinking about motives. Because there are plenty of temptations that never even occur to us if we don’t have the opportunity. There are plenty of sins we feel rarely drawn to because they’re not really legitimate possibilities.

The means and the opportunity to murder someone is really an interesting issue.

So please trust me for a moment. You might think this is a strange line of thought. But I believe it warrants some discussion.

Some people have more opportunity to murder than others. Historically, that would’ve come down to size and strength advantage.

But also technological advantage. Technology winds up being a key part of this conversation. Because there you get force multipliers. Take a 265lb UFC fighter and a 100lb woman with a shotgun. Who you picking? Take away the shotgun and the answer is easy.

Technology winds up being a really key idea. This is what’s really going on with abortion. Which is by far the most common kind of murder that takes place in the United States. A group of people, “expecting mothers” have been given an opportunity they did not widely have before. To murder their own unborn children. Abortion technology is a force multiplier. A group of people who did not have the means now do.

And remember the connection between means and temptation. Because what’s happening now is especially concerning on this front.

Abortion has been a possibility for some time. There were certain poisons you could take for instance. But these had a real possibility of doing the mother harm. So many women were not tempted by that route because after all, the only reason they want the abortion is because they’re narcissistic or fearful or both.

Not to mention it has often been illegal.

But over time, it has become legal and even worse – somewhat safe. Now here’s the thing… its only getting easier and safer.

The latest abortion pills are force multipliers – giving people an opportunity to murder who never had it before. A temptation has come along with it.

Because God Said So 

So that’s the introduction to the topic. And now I’ll show you all my cards. This is going to be mostly a sermon about loving God’s word. How can I turn Exodus 20:13 (Thou Shall Not Murder) into a sermon about God’s word?

Because under certain conditions, all that will keep you from doing a terrible thing, is simply the fact that God told you not to.

In a lot of situations, motive doesn’t exist. Means doesn’t exist. Opportunity doesn’t exist. In other situations, one of the three does exist but not the other two. But there are moments when all three are present – and then what? All you’ll have is God’s word.

That’s the situation we find ourselves in regarding abortion.

Not many women would ever be tempted to take a poison that could also kill them.  

Some but not many women would ever be tempted to get a back-alley abortion that could give them sepsis, etc… 

Many women, but not the majority, would ever be tempted to drive to a Planned Parenthood and have a procedure. 

But what about a couple of pills shipped to your home that you can wash down with a nice Rose while sitting on your white couch underneath your live laugh love sign? 

In a lot of situations, there would be no other reason to not take those pills – other than “because God said no.”

So we’re not really talking about murder today per se. We’re not really talking about abortion. We’re really getting at the following:

Under certain conditions, the only thing standing between you and a disastrous decision are words written in an ancient book. There are plenty of moments when literally all the other reasons not to do the thing disappear.

SUICIDE

Let me give you another example. As I started to think about this motive, means, and opportunity dynamic, I began to think about the role technology has played and continues to play in creating force multipliers that allowed people who previously had no opportunity to murder – the opportunity to murder.

And I began to ask myself, are there any kinds of murderings, that pretty much everybody has pretty much all the time. And of course there is one. Taking your own life.

Most people have power over their own lives. If you use crime data as your guide, you will see that there are twice as many suicides last year than murders. Now before I go any further, I promise you two things:

I won’t be talking about this for very long at all I will be very very careful.

Beside abortion, suicide, (or as they called it in the deep past, ““Felo De Se” which is translated “Felonizing Himself”) is the most common form of murder in America (so there’s a good statistical reason to briefly discuss it).

And there’s a few philosophical/logical reasons to think about it. It is the one form of murder that almost everybody has the opportunity to commit.

And it allows us to explore this very real territory of “sometimes the only reason not to do something is because God said not to.” Let me explain…

We all know the various reasons given to those who are considering taking their own lives.

You have so much to live for. People love you and depend on you.

These are front-line, common grace reasons for people not to commit self-murder. And they’re all subjective. And may not be true. And they may not be true to an extent sufficient to ward off the darkness.

There are plenty of people who can get into such a dark place that they have only one reason that isn’t subjective, doesn’t move around on them in their squishy minds, that simply is what it is – Thou Shall Not Murder.

And again, I want you to see that this is true in all kinds of ways in your life.

In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, God calls out to his people:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

In Deuteronomy 32:46

“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life…”

All we’re seeing here is a very literal visceral example of this. The word of God is life. It really is, in some very fundamental way, the only thing standing between you and darkness.

I know all of this is morbid. But friends, sin is morbid!

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.

Violating the 6th commandment leads to death. So does violating the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th.

Perhaps one of the most unique things about murder is that for that crime, motive, means, and opportunity rarely all line up at the same time. For basically every other sin on the tablets, the opposite is true.

You will frequently have the motive means and opportunity to violate the first commandment — to serve God only — and when you violate it — a kind of spiritual death takes place.

You will frequently have the motive means and opportunity to violate the sabbath commandment — and death will ensue there.

The motive means and opportunity to violate the command to honor your father and mother is always knocking on your door — violate it and get the inversion of the promise — you won’t live long in the land Violate the commandment against lying and you’ll see the death of your word.

Violate the commandment against adultery and see the death of your spouse’s trust.

Violate the commandment against covetousness and you’ll see the death of your joy!

Its all death all the time. And very often — the only thing standing between us and this buffet of decay is the word of God.

How much death is in your life… really?

The answer is simple — how true is the following for you?

“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God.”

The more you walk in your own wisdom — the more death. The more you walk according to the word — the more life.

Walking in your own wisdom is sin — and “the wages of sin is death”

BUT — Romans 6:23 continues…

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Growing for the Glory of God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Growing for the Glory of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 15th September 2024

Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:15

Verbal Vandalism & The Third Commandment

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Verbal Vandalism & The Third Commandment

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 1st September 2024

Passage: Exodus 20:7

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Introduction:

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” – Matthew 12:36-37

How does that make you feel?

I mean a few of you are on the quieter side. So maybe your response to that verse is pretty neutral. But some of you are not on the quieter side. Some of you (including me), sometimes find themselves talking just to talk.

Turns out there are three categories of speech. We know about good speech: Praise, instruction, encouragement and admonishment… We know about bad speech: Mean things meant to inflict harm, lies, etc… But we might not know about vain speech. And honestly, it would be good for us to think about it. Careless talk causes more problems than we realize.

I’m sure some of you have had date nights blown up with careless speech…

Good speech, Bad speech, Vain or Careless Speech – and the headwaters of that category is the third commandment. If you can understand and apply the third commandment, you’ll be well on your way to…

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

Learning how to control your speech in general begins here… As well it should. God deserves to be honored most of all.

When you use God’s name in vain… you’re really telling lies about God.

Verbal Vandalism

Why? Because we have a word-based religion rather than an image based. As Dov mentioned last week, we’re a word based religion. We aren’t an image based religion, we’re a word based religion. And this means that our vandalizing is verbal.

How is God represented to us? Listen to this quote from an old baptist pastor with the last name Pepper - and yes he had his doctorate - so…

“His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” In like manner we, conceiving God as having certain properties, characters, methods, and so forth, call him Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, King, Judge, the Eternal, the Almighty, the All-seeing, the Heavenly Father, Immanuel, Holy Spirit, and the like. On the other hand, when we give the Supreme Being no specific title, the general phrase “Name of God” stands as a compendium of our conceptions of God, a human epitome of Deity.

When we use God’s name, we’re not just using a name.

God’s name not only signifies all his various titles—that were little to say: it also signifies his nature, his attributes, his character, his authority, his purposes, his methods, his providences, his words, his institutions, his truths, his kingdom; in short, all that God is, all that God says, all that God does, all that God bids. Thus comprehensive is the phrase “Name of God.”

Boardman, George Dana. The Ten Commandments: A Course of Lectures.

God’s name is more than just a name. God’s name is the representation of all that he says, does, and commands.

So taking God’s name in vain is verbal vandalism.

And your messing with the fundamental ingredients of Christianity.

So what does this look like? How does one take the name of the Lord in vain?

Your understanding of this text is going to depend on your understanding of the word vain. It has traditionally been quite broad. Here’s the Westminster Catechism:

The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God’s name as is required; and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious, or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works, by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths and vows, if lawful; and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful; murmuring and quarreling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God’s decrees and providences; misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the Word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines; abusing it, the creatures, or any thing contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices; the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any wise opposing of God’s truth, grace, and ways; making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by unconformable, unwise, unfruitful and offensive walking, or backsliding from it. (WLC 113)

Let’s take one particular motivation: When the name of God or the word of God is invoked to establish improper authority, credibility, power, etc…

Just to give you a sense of what that’d look like, I’ll take three areas that won’t be so convicting.

Perjury You swear to tell the whole truth so help you God. The invocation of God’s name is meant to communicate, “I fear God – he will not hold me guiltless if I swear by his name and then lie.” This is intended to get others to trust that you’re telling the truth. And in many respects, you can’t have a high trust society if you don’t have a reverent society. If people don’t fear God…

Chesterton - “If men will not be governed by the Ten Commandments, they shall be governed by the ten thousand commandments.”

Remove the fear of God and you’ll wind up with a low trust society. Low trust societies need a billion more rules.

Diversity is our strength. Not in this respect. You can’t have a nation with multiple versions of God. That’s going to lead to the state taking the role of God.

If you want to understand the end game of religious pluralism, look to the Roman Empire. When the empire is comprised of many religions, caesar emerges as the unifying religion.

Imagine a world where people just told the truth in court and in congress.

Politics Invoking God’s name to support their agendas

Preaching Binding people’s conscience to things God would not have them be bound by Knowingly or unknowingly preaching false doctrine Misrepresenting God by emphasis (gentle and lowly, etc…)

One of the easiest ways to take the name of God in vain is to have the wrong ideas of God in mind. Suppose 100 people are taking the pledge of allegiance – one nation under God… – how many of them have the right conception of God when they say that?

Now let’s move on to some areas that do affect us:

Performative Pietism Pietism has to do with holiness, but here I’m talking about a kind of performative pietism.

Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's Chosen People.

Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian church.

Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store.

Some Christians turn up their “Jesus speech” to an 11 when in the company of certain Christians.

And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” – Mk 12:38-40

Another example would entail invoking the name of God at strategic moments to appear more spiritual than you really are.

Saying you’ve prayed for someone but haven’t – that’s

Prophecy & Promptings High: The utilization of God’s name (Thus sayith the Lord) Low: I prayed about it. The Lord is leading me. Etc…

“Many [Christians] now rely far more on inward promptings than on their Bible knowledge to decide what they are going to do in a situation.” – DA Carson

I . . . know by experience that impressions being made with great power, and upon the minds of true saints, yea, eminent saints; and presently after, yea, in the midst of, extraordinary exercises of grace and sweet communion with God, and attended with texts of Scripture strongly impressed on the mind, are no sure signs of their being revelations from heaven: for I have known such impressions [to] fail, and prove vain.

Profanity (high / low) High – using the name of God as a swear word If you are a gosh person – you’d better go out of your way to hit that SH Low – being a Christian and doing sinful stuff. Jesus loves you bumper sticker – driving like crap

Publicity If people know you as a Christian and you misrepresent him.

Parenting I’m not putting this here because I have ever seen any Parents in Providence do this. I’m actually putting this here because I wonder if there are any adults here who had an authority figure twist God’s name, God’s word, etc… to get something they wanted – which wasn’t at all what God wanted.

Conclusion:

This isn’t one of those things where we would join the Jews and say, “Keep God’s name outa your mouth.”

Like many things, the best way to avoid the negative behavior is engage in the opposite positive one.

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved Pray to the Father Openly praise God

Two Mountains: One Mandate

Chris Oswald — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Two Mountains: One Mandate

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 18th August 2024

Passage: Exodus 19:17-20:3

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Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.” And Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” And the LORD said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them. And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.

Notice the…

The mountain was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire.

And listen to v.12-13

12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

From 20:1-17 we have the giving of the 10 commandments.

Then in vs. 18, we read…

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. – Exodus 20:18–21

So what does all of this mean? Well, as was the case last week, we have a New Testament passage that tells us what to make of it. Look at Hebrews 12:18-24

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Section 1: The Two Mountains

Two different mountains

Two different mountains. Sinai and Zion. One outside of the promise land. One inside the promise land. One represents the Old Covenant and the other the New Covenant. One law. The other gospel. And the quality of these two covenants is reflected in the names for the mountains.

The Old Covenant Mountain: Sinai – thorny or even hateful, harsh Horeb - to lay waste, be dried up

The New Covenant Mountain: Zion - monument, maker, permanence Salem - peace

Moving from one mountain to another

God has designed the story of Exodus to reveal some deeper theological truths. The Jews were headed into the promise land – which was a place of unmerited favor. It was given to them. Cities they did not build. Vineyards they did not plant. Wells they did not dig. The promise land represents gospel peace. But to get to mount Zion, they had to first stop at mount Sinai.

We move from the law into the gospel. We are given awareness of sin in the law and the solution to sin in the gospel. Nobody ever arrives at the peace of Salem without feeling the thorns of Sinai.

Two different mediators

What accounts for the difference in the mountains? God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. One of the early church age heretics, a man named Marcion, could not reconcile the God of the OT and the God of the NT. He believed that the God of the OT was a lesser god, a gnostic demiurge and that the God of the NT came to set the record straight. But what Marcion failed to understand is that God appears differently from the OT to the NT because Christ is a better mediator than Moses.

The virtue of the mediation affects the vibe of the mountain.

When Moses, a mere man, mediates between God and man, we feel terror, fear, woe, etc… When Jesus, the god-man, mediates for us, we feel joy and peace.

Moses has to say, “don’t get too close…” Jesus is able to say, “draw near…boldly approach the throne of grace.”

What accounts for the difference? The writer of Hebrews says that the Old Covenant has something to do with the blood of Abel and the New Covenant has something to do with the blood of Christ.

See that in vs. 22-24

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

What does that mean? Two men who had unique favor from God – killed by their jealous brothers. Abel killed by Cain. Jesus killed by his fellow Jews. But Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance. Abel’s blood is all accusation. But Jesus’ blood cried out for forgiveness. Abel’s blood is accusation. Jesus’ blood is reconciliation.

So the reason for the different mountains is not different gods. Rather different mediators. One representing the need for justice. The other representing the accomplishment of justice.

Something like that.

The same mandate

Now what’s interesting is that in spite of the fact that you’ve got two different mountains, and two different mediators, the mandate from both mountains is the same.

Yes, the second mountain is mediated by a superior mediator. Yes, it is a place of joy, peace, and welcoming. But there is no relaxation of God’s righteous requirement.

In Hebrews 12:18-24, we have the better mountain and the better mediator. But in vs. 25-29 we see that the mandate, the righteous requirement of God remains.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Now look back at Exodus 19:21-20:3

21 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.” 23 And Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” 24 And the LORD said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them. 20 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

See the same mandate?

Hebrews 12:28-29 – “thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.”

Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Puritan Thomas Shepard "the gospel requires believers to be holy and perfect... The law and the gospel each require as much perfection as the other in the matter of holiness." (p.51)

The swiss reformer Johanne Wolleb, “It is not that the law is strict and the gospel is lax. Rather, both law and gospel require “perfect obedience.”

So whichever mountain you’re standing before, the mandate is the same. All human beings everywhere are commanded by God to worship and serve him alone.

And the cross does not change this requirement at all.

So why then, are the mountains so different? Or why is the New Covenant better?

Section 2: The Two Law Givings

There’s another theological connection to Sinai that I want you to see. You know a little while back, we saw the very first Passover. A feast that was celebrated every year by the Jews for thousands of years that followed.

But in Exodus 19, another feast is initiated. This one called Shavuot (shuhvooowt). The Feast of Weeks. That takes place 7 weeks after passover. And Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the law.

Btw, this is also right around the time the final grain harvests are coming in. Which was also celebrated. So when Jesus quotes “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth” – there was a very deep cultural connection between bread and the law.

Anyway, this receiving of the law that we see in Exodus 19 was, thereafter celebrated as Shavuot – seven weeks of seven days (7x7). So the passover winds up being correlated with the cross and resurrection. Do you know how this appears in the New Testament? We don’t have the word Shavuot, we have the word Pentecost. Which means 50. It is the same thing. The more hellenistic Jews call Shavuot Pentecost.

So turn with me to Acts 2:1-4

2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Do you see the similarities between this passage and Exodus 19? God descending via fire.

Only in Pentecost, the men are the mountains. At Sinai, the law was given externally, on tablets of stone. At Pentecost, the law was given internally, on the tablets of their hearts.

Now in explaining this phenomenon, Peter cites from a series of Old Testament scriptures including Ezekiel 36:28

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

So the mandate remains the same. It is your absolute duty to love God and worship and serve him only. But the means of obeying that mandate has been given to you and I in a way that it was not given to the people who stood at Sinai.

We have been given the Spirit of God – the law of God written on our hearts – and he causes us to walk in God’s statutes and be careful to obey his rules.

Application:

Now we all know this isn’t a fully automatic thing. The will is still involved. So my question is simply this. How does the Spirit work on our will to lead us away from idolatry and into “acceptable worship with reverence and awe.”

Let me just give you one key idea. It isn’t the only one but it is key. And it ties in with what we talked about last week (grumbling).

Look at Exodus 19:1-3 – “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

And now look at Hebrews 12:28 – “28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.”

In both texts, prior to the command, we are given a justification for the command. Namely, God has done great things for us.

I am the Lord your God who brought you out of slavery – therefore you shall have no other gods

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and therefore let us offer to God acceptable worship.

How does the Holy Spirit work in our hearts to drive out the idols and energize real love for God alone?

He uses gratitude. I don’t think that’s a very remarkable idea. I think it is very obvious. I think we all understand that…

Gratitude fuels loyalty. Grumbling fuels disloyalty. But gratitude fuels loyalty.

And we’ve seen, on several occasions, we’ve seen that the Hebrews had a very hard time conjuring up gratitude – which of course – is connected in fundamental ways to remembering God’s past faithfulness.

So the Old Covenant is inferior in this respect. It depends on gratitude and godly memory – but fails to offer the spiritual power we need to overcome forgetfulness, pride, presumptuousness, forgetfulness.

And the New Covenant is superior in this respect. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, godly memory and therefore gratitude are furnished.

Acts 2:5–11

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Illustration: Polycarp “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?

The Lord is a Man of War, Part 2

Chris Oswald — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0100

The Lord is a Man of War, Part 2

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 4th August 2024

Passage: Exodus 15:1-27

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Call to Worship: Palm 52

Text: Exodus 15

“Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them

Introduction: No Problem Passages

I have resolved to have no “problem passages” in the Bible. This is because The Bible isn’t the one with the problems… I am.

By “no problem passages” we mean I am not embarrassed by any part of the bible. Let it be true and every man a liar.

We’ve been examining a period of redemptive history where God is very hard on his enemies. He is said to have hardened Pharaoh’s heart – all so that he might destroy him and his armies in the Red Sea.

And this is an opportunity to learn to take the bible straight with no mixers. Whether we realize it or not, we sometimes expect the preacher to be a college bartender – cover up the taste of the hard stuff with a bunch of sugary mixers. Sure God seems awful hard on Pharaoh, but let me cover up that hard stuff with a bunch of qualifiers and sentimentality so that the truth doesn’t burn your throat.

But if we’re going to really advance in Christian maturity, we have to learn to take God as he is. We have to resist the temptation to remake or remix God in manner that is more pleasing to our tastes.

Today we’ll be in Exodus 15. The song of Moses and Miriam. What did they do when they saw the wrath of God poured out on their enemies? They rejoiced. They worshiped.

So that’s the basic goal today. Take God as he is. And not only be ok with what we see – but praise God for who he is.

Illustration: Catfishing

I watched this documentary years ago called Catfish. Have ya’ll seen that? It is, in my opinion, mesmerizing. A young man strikes up a conversation with a young single woman on the east coast. They chat for months. Grow close. And then Nevim, the guy, decides to make the trip out east to surprise her in person.

Turns out the woman wasn’t who she said she was. She was an older woman, married (if I remember correctly) and had fabricated this online persona.

I have this theory that a lot of so-called deconstruction is really just the final act of a catfishing story. People were presented with a false view of God. Usually a super sanitized soft version of God. And then either their lives get hard, or they start reading the bible and find that they have been tricked. God wasn’t as one dimensionally nice as they were led to believe. . This is a normative bible song

It is said that Exodus 15 is the first song in the OT. But it is not at all unusual. It is very much like so many other songs.

Psalms review: I ran a word search of the Psalms for two words: Enemy and Foe. Those two words appear 86 times. And some Psalms are very militaristic but do not include those specific words. The majority of the Psalms have this kind of language in them.

The truth is that the modern church has a problem. 99% of our songs follow the themes of about 10% of the bible’s songs. Sure there are some bible songs that feature only redemption and do not include any kind of militaristic or judgment language. But those are the exception and not the rule. The normative bible song includes the themes of judgment and destruction of God’s enemies.

Our guys are really trying to change this. But it isn’t easy. Super thankful for our guys and all the efforts their putting into our singing in general.

II. Moses’ and Mariam’s reactions are normative Christian reactions.

We have Moses’ reaction in vs. 1-18 that include:

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name. “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. (1-7)

And Miriam’s in vs. 21-22:

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

They are reacting rightly. If we are don’t respond to this data with worship, then it is we who are abnormal.

2a. Bible women love this about God

I sometimes hear that the church’s neglect of the militaristic side of Christianity is owing to the church being feminized. As if all of this worshiping God’s warrior personality is something that really grabs the male heart but not so much the female heart. That sounds plausible until you start looking at the bible. When you look at the bible, you have to say that women weren’t always so offended by this kind of language.

Hannah’s Song:

And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. (1 Samuel 2:1)

The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. (2:6-7)

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (2:10)

Lady Wisdom: In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified in various places as a woman. In chapter 1, Lady Wisdom says the following:

If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1:23-27)

Mary:

“for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;” – Luke 1:49-52

So if modern women find this kind of stuff objectionable, I don’t think it is their femininity that is the problem but rather their modernity.

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.” Who said it? It was a popular girl song in David’s day. Compare that with women sing about today.

Women in Church History:

This is not only true of women in the bible but also in church history. I was reminded of Julia Ward Howe’s song – the Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword His truth is marching on Glory, Glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on

That didn’t strike anyone as odd or unfeminine. Women have often written these kinds of things. Take the hyman written by Ellen Gates:

This is war in earnest Not a childish play Swords and martial music On a festal day Oh thou christian soldier To the cause be true In the day of battle There is work to do.

We need to raise our young girls to love justice and praise God for it – otherwise they will seek men who are meek in the wrong ways.

And more generally, the church needs mothers who expect their men to fight and to win.

So we’ve said that Exodus 15 is a normal Christian song. And we’ve said that Moses and Miriam’s reactions are normal Christian reactions. Now let me add a third idea.

III. God’s work revealed in Exodus 15 is normative. This is how he normally acts. This isn’t merely an Old Testament thing.

Genesis 3:15 - the very first gospel promise is a violent one

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The most quoted and alluded OT verse in the NT is Psalm 110:1

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Mt 22.44; 26.64; Mk 13.36; 14.62; 16.19; Lk 20.42-43; 22.69; Acts 2.34-35; 5.31; 7.55-56; Rom 8.34; 1 Cor 15.25; Eph 1.20; Col 3.1; Heb 1.3, 13; 8.1; 10.12-13; 12.2; 1 Pt 3.22

The great work of God throughout all of redemptive history involves both the saving of the chosen and the destruction of the wicked.

Last week I read from Colossians 2:13-15:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Hebrews 2:14-15 — Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

3a. He causes his enemies to perish by their own pride

Psalm 7:12-16 — If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.

Psalm 9:15 — The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Psalm 57:6 — They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves.

As Merlin says in That Hideous Strength:

“Their own strength has betrayed them. They have pulled down Deep Heaven on their heads. Therefore, they will die.”

3b. He uses his people as bait

This is what he does with Job. Have you seen my servant Job? In the end Satan is humiliated.

He does this with Lot. Allowing him to be captured by the four kings of Dan in order to destroy them.

This is what he does with Joseph. He gives the young man dreams which enticed his brothers to sell him into slavery so that he winds up in Egypt and eventually becomes the agent of their salvation.

And most importantly, he does the same thing with his only begotten son.

Augustine wrote, “The Redeemer came and the deceiver was overcome. What did our Redeemer do to our Captor? In payment for us He set the trap, His Cross, with His blood for bait.”

The Father put a target on Jesus’ back and sent into Jerusalem where all those under the power of Satan — Pilate, Herod, the priests, Judas — took the bait and crucified the Lord of Glory.

God is able to walk and chew gum at the same time. He is able to accomplish salvation for his people while also accomplishing judgment for the wicked.

See 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

What is not normative

We’ve said that Exodus 15 is a normal kind of bible song. And that Moses’ and Miriam’s reaction is a normal reaction And that the work of God shown in Exodus 15 is his normal work. To execute judgment on the wicked and redemption for those whom he has chosen. Very often through the same action.

Now let’s conclude with what is not normal. Or what you might say is the New Covenant surprise.

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, God has made it possible to simultaneously save and destroy his enemies

Listen to 2 Corinthians 5

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come

That’s what salvation is. It is the voluntary identification of with the death of Christ. A choice to be united with him in his death so that we can also be united with him in his resurrection.

So that you can join Paul in saying,

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

In the cross, we see God’s preferred way of destroying his enemy. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:32) but all of heaven rejoices when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7).

So we can say to the world – God’s judgment has come. This only ends one way. All the wicked will perish.

Jesus now sits at the right hand of the father, working through the church to make all of his enemies his footstool.

Choose your means of destruction. Either repent and be identified with the death and resurrection of Christ – or go on living as God’s enemy and face the natural consequences for your sin.

And oh it would be so much better for you – to face God’s wrath at Calvary, than to face it in eternity.

We cannot be faithful gospel witnesses if are ashamed of God’s wrath. Rather than being embarrassed by it, we must exalt in it.

Everybody must stand before the judgment seat of God. God will spend eternity doing two basic things. He will pour his love out in one place and his wrath in another.

But at the cross, we see him doing both.

Insider & Outsider Status. AKA: How to Trick a Feminist

Chris Oswald — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Insider & Outsider Status. AKA: How to Trick a Feminist

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 1st August 2024

The Lord is a Man of War

Chris Oswald — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0100

The Lord is a Man of War

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 28th July 2024

Passage: Exodus 13:1-15:27

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Title: The Lord is a Man of War Text: Exodus 13-15

Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space is reported to have said, “Oh my, its blue!”

O course, the blueness of the earth would’ve been known, in a theoretical way, for many many years prior to this. Everyone knew the earth was covered in water, and that water refracts sunlight in a certain as to make it look blue.

But what was known in theory had yet to be seen in reality and totality. In 1961, that changed.

Let me ask you a question. How did you get your theology? Some of it may have been delivered by your parents, Sunday School teachers, and the various pastors you have had. Some of it has come directly from the word of God. Some of it has come from good books, podcasts, etc…

But what if I told you that the greatest theological breakthroughs, the highest visions of God have to come through risk, suffering, and adventure? And that the view of God you gain from these experiences make the trip worth it.

We are on our way to becoming a nation of “skimmers,” living off the risks of previous generations and constantly taking from the top without adding significantly to its essence. Everything we enjoy as part of our advanced civilization, including the discovery, exploration, and development of our country, came about because previous generations made adventure more important than safety. – Edwin Friedman, Failure of Nerve

The church of Jesus Christ is regularly at the risk of various theological downgrades. Keeping good theology is hard. Various false teachers, cults, and liberalizing forces constantly threaten the church’s fidelity to sound doctrine. But today we’re talking about a different source of threat. Namely, that our preference for safety and comfort will keep us from seeing certain aspects of God that can only be known through Godly risk and adventure.

Not sure how many of you know that the entire framework for the Lord of the Rings universe came to Tolkein as he fought in the trenches of WWI. There have been books written about this — including John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War.

“The war imposed urgency and gravity, took [Tolkien] through terror, sorrow, and unexpected joy, and reinvented the real world in a strange, extreme form. Without the war, it is arguable whether his fictions would have focused on a conflict between good and evil; or if they had, whether good and evil would have taken a similar shape.”

Even CS Lewis, who as also a WWI veteran, spoke about the connection. Speaking about how realistic he found the LOTR battle scenes to be, Lewis said

This war has the very quality of the war my generation knew. It is all here: the endless, unintelligible movement, the sinister quiet of the front when 'everything is now ready',[b] the flying (fleeing) civilians, the lively, vivid friendships, the background of something like despair and the merry foreground, and such heavensent windfalls as a cache of tobacco 'salvaged' from a ruin.

I know many of you have read quite a bit of Tolkien. If you’ve ever wondered, how did he dream up this world, these characters, those battles — the answer is significantly related to his time spent in the trenches.

Over the next two weeks, we’re going to work through Exodus 13-15 and the title for these two messages will be, “The Lord is a Man of War.” We get that from chapter 15, commonly referred to as the song of Moses. It is the first song in the Old Testament. And it is full of deep theological insights about the nature of God.

Listen to the first few verses:

How did Moses gain these insights?

He was a man who was mostly cut off from a sound theological upbringing. His parents were unable to raise him beyond the age of his weening. He had his Jewish mother only as a kind of nursemaid. As soon as he was ready to eat solid food, he was shipped off to Pharaoh’s house. There he was no doubt catechized in the Egyptian religion. How would the mighty Moses, the prophet, priest, and king of the Hebrew nation, receive his theological education? Like Tolkien, Moses received a key part of his education in the trenches.

There are many truths in the Song of Moses that can only be learned by going on an adventure with God. A life centered around safety cannot fill our hearts with the glories we see here. This is not a song written by a man dedicated to safety.

We will hold 15 for next week. Today we want to spend our time in chapters 13&14 and see the struggle that spawned these insights.

Look at Exodus 13:17-18

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.

Let us see that even as God is going to lead them into some risk and danger, he is also shielding them from other trials. When some difficulty enters our lives, we are often so focused on what the Lord has let into our lives, that we forget to ask what God has kept out of our lives.

We have to remember that God dispenses our difficulties in perfect wisdom and care.

Charles Spurgeon, who knew suffering quite well once wrote,

It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me to think that I have an affliction which God never sent me, that the bitter cup was never filled by His hand, that my trials were never measured out by Him nor sent to me by His arrangement of their weight and quantity.

As Psalm 103 puts it, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” We are going to see that the Lord is a man of war. Yes and amen. But he is also a tender father. He is both at the same time.

I wanted you to see the struggles the Lord was withholding. Now let’s see the struggle he is allowing:

Now turn to chapter 14:1-4 where we see him set the people as a kind of bait for Pharaoh.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

And in vs. 5-9 we find that Pharaoh takes the bait. His addiction to the free labor of the Hebrews causes him to repent of his repentance. He rouses his army and chases the people all the way to their encampment.

Look at vs. 10

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. — Exodus 14:10–12

Now here we find two things:

We see how perfectly God sees things. He knew Pharaoh would take the bait. He also knew that his people were, in their present state, unable to endure much difficulty.

We see how poorly man sees things. The Hebrews are leaky buckets. They had just gone through 40 days of witnessing the shock and awe of God at work in Egypt. And we how Pharaoh, in the exact same way, failed to let God’s past performance be indicative of future results.

Putting all this together, we see a huge gap between human beings and God. Pharaoh and the people of Israel are more like one another than they are like God. God is just different.

That’s the message of Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Now look at the comfort Moses is able to provide in vs. 14:13-14

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

The Great Eucatastrophe

Going back to Tolkien again, one of the things he is most known for is the idea of eucatastrophe.

In essence, a eucatastrophe is a massive turn in fortune from a seemingly unconquerable situation to an unforeseen victory, usually brought by grace rather than heroic effort. Such a turn is catastrophic in the sense of its breadth and surprise and positive in that a great evil or misfortune is averted.

Tolkien himself described it as — a sudden and miraculous grace

And that’s what we see here. He puts his people in an impossible position. Which makes them an irresistible target of his enemies. And then delivers them in a way nobody saw coming.

And so God tells Moses to, “Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” — Exodus 14:16-18

The people pass safely through the divided sea and Pharaoh and his armies follow.

And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” - Exodus 14:24-25

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. — Exodus 14:26-31

Application:

Why does God allow us to get on the edge of destruction? Why does our loving father allow the darkness to threaten us and unnerve us?

We See God

Well, we’ve already provided one answer. Namely that God has certain things he wants to teach us about himself. He wants us to be like Israel in vs 31

31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

This is information we have to learn in the trenches. We like Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin might have certain theoretical knowledge about God prior to the adventure itself, but only when we actually take the trip to the edge of darkness do we really see him as he is.

That what ol Job said at the end of his adventure:

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” – Job 42:5

Proverbs tells us that we are to buy the truth and sell it not. Get also wisdom and understanding. – Proverbs 23:23

Some truths are more important and therefore more expensive than others. There is some knowledge about God that can only be seen from the trenches.

Proverbs also says “One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.”

The next time God leads you to the edge of the Red Sea, and allows some frightening hardship to befall you, consider this. If you are hungry enough for the knowledge of God, even this bitter thing will wind up being sweet.

So that’s one reason God brings us to the edge. He has things to teach us there that we cannot learn anywhere else.

Others Gain Strength from Our Story

There’s another thing God is doing with the Israelites’ hardship. Namely he is going to use your story of struggle to teach and comfort others. Think about what we’re doing right here right now,. We are reading about someone else’s struggle. And we are getting comfort from it. And not only us, the people of God have, for millennia returned to this story for instruction and inspiration.

Try to remember that the next time God puts you in the trenches. He is going to use your struggle to support some other saint down the road. As a result of Tolkien’s time in the trenches, the world was blessed with some of the most stirring storytelling that is known to man.

Likewise, God intends to use this or that crisis – not only to teach you about himself, but also to teach others.

That’s exactly what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:6 – “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation”

By the way, this includes your struggle against sin. Some of the fiercest Pharaohs we face do not come from without but from within. Our own battle against various sins can feel at times to press us up against the edge of spiritual extinction.

Sometimes our Pharaohs have to with circumstances and sometimes they have to do with sin. In both cases, the Lord God is your deliverer. He will redeem you. And in your redemption you will learn things about God that you wouldn’t have been able to see in any other way. And so will others.

We’ve been talking a lot about repentance this week. And in those conversations have made various references to David’s great sin in which he lay with Bathsheeba and had her husband killed. We’ve mentioned that his repentance, unlike Pharaohs was genuine. And thanks to God, we have the 51st Psalm as a record of his repentance.

Listen to a small section of that Psalm:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

See that the end? What was the ultimate result of his struggle with sin and his salvation from it? “He will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”

Oh how prophetic was this statement. Think of how many sinners over the centuries, have turned to Psalm 51 and repeated David’s very own confession as a blueprint for their own repentance.

Now truly David’s role in redemptive history is bigger than ours. But it is not fundamentally different. To paraphrase something said of David elsewhere, “You and I will teach our hundreds, and David will teach his billions” – but the lesson is the same.

Even in our struggle with sin, the Lord is a loving fatherly man of war. He will fight for us and will deliver us from both inward and outward enemies and in the end, we will have something to teach others.

The Destruction of His Enemies

There’s a third thing God is doing in all of this. And here we will only touch on this topic and hope to return to next week and discuss it more fully.

It is very difficult to make sense of your suffering without understanding the following: God is both a saver and a destroyer.

One great danger of portraying God as an artificially sweetened father, is that we cut off a whole dimension of his personhood and motivations. Namely, that as the title says, The Lord is a Man of War.

Yes, he has saving purposes, but he also has destroying purposes. Look back at vs. 26-31

In addition to teaching Israel, and many through Israel, God has a third purpose – the destruction of the wicked.

This is something we will expand upon in much more detail next week, but for now let simply say that you won’t be able to make total sense out of your struggle until you remember that the Lord is both a savior of the humble and a destroyer of the proud.

In other words, your struggle isn’t completely about you. It is also about your enemies. He is bringing judgment to some and joy to others. This is his perfect and just will.

On this subject, my mind often turns to the song of Mary, the mother of Jesus in Luke 1:46-53

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

And indeed God did this very thing through the cross of Jesus Christ. Through the one thing, he has accomplished two things. The redemption of his chosen ones and the destruction of the proud.

“He brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.”

The gospel message became the aroma of death to those who were perishing and the aroma of life to those who were being saved.

Conclusion:

Why does God have you in the trenches, fighting for your life. He wants to teach you things and turn your theoretical knowledge into direct knowledge.

He wants to teach others through your story. Finally, and do try to remember this the next time your in the trenches – at the end of this story – you will be saved and some enemy will be destroyed.

And he wants to use your crisis in the very same way he used Israel’s and Jesus Christ – the true Israel.

Listen to Colossians 2:13-15

The Lord is a Man of War

How to Hate Your Sin

Chris Oswald — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0100

How to Hate Your Sin

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 25th July 2024

The Narcissism of Sin

Chris Oswald — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Narcissism of Sin

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 22nd July 2024

Passage: Exodus 9:17

Pharaoh & the Problem of False Repentance

Chris Oswald — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0100

Pharaoh & the Problem of False Repentance

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 21st July 2024

Passage: Exodus 9:1-35

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Today we’re going to talk about repentance.

In his book, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, John Owen Roberts notes:

The ﬁrst word of the gospel is not “love.” It is not even “grace.” The ﬁrst word of the gospel is “repent.” From Matthew through the Revelation, repentance is an urgent and indispensable theme that is kept at the very forefront of the gospel message.

He then goes on to show that repentance was the primary concern of John the Baptist’s message. He was a voice crying from the wilderness saying, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-3)

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” (Matthew 3:1-3).

Not only is the word repent the dominant note in John’s message, but he made the concept of repentance absolutely clear. Repentance makes the path straight between the Lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing a highway of holiness to and from God.

And not only was it John’s first word, it was also the Lord Jesus’ first word. Matthew 4:17 says that Jesus settled in Capernaum and from that time began to preach, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And not only was it both the first word of John and Jesus, but it was also the last word of Jesus. In Luke 24:45

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem

It is impossible to be a gospel centered church, let alone a Christ centered church – without making repentance a central issue.

Now what exactly are we talking about? What is repentance? Well, we saw one definition. It is the clearing of the highway between us and God. Or as the writer of Hebrews might say, it is casting aside of every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles.

Thomas Watson suggested that repentance “...is a spiritual medicine made up of six special ingredients: 1. Sight of sin 2. Sorrow for sin 3. Confession of sin 4. Shame for sin 5. Hatred for sin 6. Turning from sin. If any one is left out, it loses its virtue.”

There’s a reason we are talking about it. We’re going to cover the 10 plagues today and observe that at various times, Pharaoh exemplified a false repentance.

Illustration: Disease

I thought I might walk you through all of the mistakes Pharaoh made.

Repent before the repercussions come. Don’t wait until your sin goes to seed In the early stages of any sin, though the seed may’ve been planted, the consequences have not yet appeared. This is the perfect time to repent. Waiting until after the consequences appear puts you in a situation where it will be difficult to sort out your sincerity. Was Pharaoh truly sorry, or did he just want the storm to stop? The human heart is a confusing place. It is actually very difficult to sort out one’s motives.

Look at 9:13

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”

And again in vs. 22

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

It was in these desperate circumstances that Pharaoh said the following:

Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. (9:27-28)

There is nothing obviously problematic with this statement. Matthew Henry says,

Pharaoh humbled himself to Moses. No man could have spoken better: he owns himself wrong; he owns that the Lord is righteous; and God must be justified when he speaks, though he speaks in thunder and lightning.

And yet we know that this repentance was not sufficient. As soon as the hail stopped, his heart grew hard again.

I think he thought he was sorry. But it was the hail that had him sorry. Allowing our sin to go to seed, to begin to wreak havoc on our lives puts us in the difficult position of potential self-deception. It is far better to repent before the consequences come. It is far easier to sort out our true motives.

This is one reason why we impart knowledge of God’s law to our children. When they sin, or even when they get close to sinning, we want them to feel a storm in their conscience and act on that.

If you are suffering consequences, make good use of them Supposing you do not cut off the sin in time to forestall physical or relational consequences, and you begin to suffer external consequences, do not be in a hurry to chase them away. Don’t be like Pharaoh – who tied the terms of his repentance with the removal of the consequences.

See that in vs. 28?

“Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

That’s a bad idea. God has brought them into your life to teach you the sinfulness of your sin. Pray to God, “please do not fix this until you fix me.”

Don’t Negotiate with God Further back in the story, We see Pharaoh repeatedly attempting to negotiate a partial obedience with God.

The fourth plague (flies), Pharaoh tries to bargain with Yahweh. He makes a counter offer. “Offer your sacrifices here in Egypt.” Moses refuses to make that concession. Then Pharaoh counters — “ok, leave Egypt, but do not go very far away.” And then he asks Moses, “plead for me.” Moses says, ok we’ve got a deal, but do not renege. Moses pleads for Pharaoh, the flies stop, and once again when the relief comes, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

And then again in the eighth plague, Pharaoh makes another attempt at negotiating.

He is willing to let some of the people go but not everyone.

But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. (10:10-11)

The ninth plague is darkness. Pharaoh concedes a little ground. Ok ok, you and all the people can go, but you have to leave your livestock behind.

Don’t do that. Go in the other direction. Build a fence around the sin.

Don’t get addicted to the benefits your sin provides Pharaoh became dependent on a lifestyle that was made possible by his sin. So that even when he knew he was in the wrong, he found it too distasteful to lose the benefits his sin was bringing him. He was addicted to the free labor. He is afraid to lose something that only his sin made possible.

During the final plague, Pharaoh appears to have had enough. All of the first born of Egypt are dead. Pharaoh calls Moses to him at once and says, “leave…right now…all of you.”

But then we read the following in chapter 14,

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” – Ex 14:5.

And so he and his armies chased the Hebrews to the Red Sea and there met his maker. The message of Pharaoh’s story arc is clear. While true repentance leads to life, false repentance leads to death. That’s the scariest thing about false repentance, you eventually run out of time to get it right.

Now what could Pharaoh have done to handle the problem of having grown addicted to the so-called benefits of his sin? Well he would’ve had to reconfigure the entire Egyptian economy. Building projects would’ve had to been scaled back. Egyptian workers would’ve had to pick up the slack.

This is a very important idea because there are plenty of people who are addicted to a particular fruit of their sin. This is a very common problem for people caught in various dopamine seeking sins. Also with lying.

What can be done? We must understand that repentance is not only the recognition of your own sinfulness, but also a recognition of God’s goodness and kindness.

What Pharaoh ought to have done is say, “I’ve put myself and my country in a bad situation where we have become addicted to free labor. Now we’ve got to go through some uncomfortable times of adjusting to the way we should’ve been living all along. But the same God has visited us with plagues, will visit us with blessings when we obey. He will see us through this change.”

Friends, your flesh will try to convince you that while full obedience is obviously preferable, it is just not possible in your case. You’ve gone too far down the bad road, built too many bad habits, etc…

But the same God who shows you your sin is also eager to show you his faithfulness. Choose to do things his way, knowing that he will be with you.

It is true that being rid of a particular sin will bring a certain kind of austerity into your life. You had been cheating the system, printing your own money as it were. And now you must learn to live honestly and yes, that will be harder.

Think of Paul’s injunction in Ephesians 4:28,

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Outwardly, the repentant thief’s life has gotten harder. He used to have it easy. He did not have to invest his own blood, sweat, and tears into work. He could simply steal the fruits of someone else’s labor. Now in order to repent, he has to do honest work with his own hands. Something he’s probably not used to doing. And just wait until he gets a bad boss!

In order for a thief to leave his old lifestyle, he must believe God will bless his new one. Even though he has never done an honest day’s work in his life, he must enter the workforce and trust that God will give him the humility and the energy to live in this new way.

What he is going to find is that yes, his life is harder, but his heart is sweeter. If he can keep his eyes on the Lord while his calluses develop – calluses he should’ve earned a long time ago – if he can walk in this harder pathway for a bit, God will meet him and bless him in both internal and external ways.

Summary:

So there’s a brief rundown of the inner workings of Pharaoh’s false repentance. Now you know how to avoid that disease.

Repent before the repercussions come If they are already upon you, let them have their full work on you Don’t try to negotiate with God - give him full obedience Don’t get addicted to the fruit of your sin – but if you do, trust that God will help you through the withdrawals.

Conclusion:

For the past few months, as I have typed out these sermons, I have misspelled the word Pharaoh approximately 1000 times. I’m really tired of typing that word. To make matters worse, John has me feeling insecure about how I say the word. I’m kinda done with Pharaoh!

What is the purpose of this man in this story?

God is showing us two things in the life of Pharaoh. Firstly, he is showing us who we are. Or at least who we have the capacity to be.

But he is also showing us who He is.

Exodus 7:5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

Exodus 7:17 Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.

Exodus 8:10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.

Exodus 8:22 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Exodus 9:14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.

Exodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.

Exodus 10:2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

Exodus 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

Exodus 14:18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

He is the LORD – there is none like him in all the earth. He is the LORD of all the earth.

This knowledge tells us why we should repent. He sees us. He cares what we do and do not do. As our creator and king, He deserves our obedience. This great God over all the earth is surely able to punish our disobedience.

But he is also willing and able to empower our obedience.

Around 1600 years ago, St. Augustine had, in his youth, developed a very promiscuous way of living. He knew the Lord was commanding sexual fidelity. But he felt like he had zero shot of obeying the Lord in that respect.

Eventually he learned to pray, “command what you will, only grant what you command.”

And the Lord did just that.

He was seeing 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 in action.

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Infertility and the Glory of God

Chris Oswald — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Infertility and the Glory of God

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 9th July 2024

How We Got the Bible

Chris Oswald — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0100

How We Got the Bible

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 2nd July 2024

Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience To God

Chris Oswald — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 07:00:00 +0100

Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience To God

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 30th June 2024

Passage: Exodus 6:6-8

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Introduction:

It could be said that the church exists as a love training center. The church exists to teach God’s people what to love, how to love those things, how much to love those things.

Including love of nation.

It is good to love your spouse. Your children. Your job. It is good to love the Chiefs. Chik fil A. Etc… So long as those loves are properly ordered according to God’s word.

It is good to love your nation. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved. Your spouse, children and football team aren’t perfect either.

I was rereading the book of Empires of Dirt this week. I think around chapter 5, I found a statement that made me want to stand up and clap:

“We are constantly and regularly subjected to a false alternative. Either we must believe that America is the last best hope for mankind, or we must be muttering ingrates who don’t recognize or appreciate any of the advantages of living here.

America is emphatically not the last best hope for mankind. What perfect nonsense. Jesus is savior. He is the last savior, he is the best savior; he is the blessed hope.

But America is emphatically not a dingy little tawdry place to live in, either. It is a great nation and has accomplished many great things–as other great nations have before us as yet others will after us.”

Martin Luther once wrote, "Ministerial work is to make saints out of sinners, living souls out of the dead, children of God out of servants of the Devil.”

Ministerial work is to turn both national idolators and national ingrates into Christ-loving patriots who have a properly ordered love of God and country.

And our particular location in Exodus lends itself to this aim. For two reasons:

Firstly, we are invited to look back and see how the Exodus story has been interwoven into our national history. Secondly, we are able to see what role Exodus must play in our future – if we are to have one.

So those are the two points we’ll examine today.

The Exodus in America’s Past The Exodus in America’s Future

The Exodus in America’s Past

Our national story is interwoven with the Exodus story.

There are three phases of American history where Exodus became really the central story:

The Pilgrims: 1620

“When they embarked on the Mayflower in 1620, they described themselves as the chosen people fleeing their pharaoh, King James. On the Atlantic, their leader, William Bradford, proclaimed their journey to be as vital as ‘Moses and the Israelites when they went out of Egypt.’ And when they arrived in Cape Cod, they thanked God for letting them pass through their fiery Red Sea.” – Bruce Feiler, How the Story of Moses Shaped America

William Bradford:

Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean and were ready to perish in the wilderness, but they cried to the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity…. Yes, let them who have been redeemed of the Lord, show how He has delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered forth into the desert-wilderness, out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men.

Indeed Bradford became popularly known as “Moses” and Plymouth as “Little Israel.”

In his book, The Bible and Civilization, Gabriel Sivan writes:

“No Christian community in history identified more with the People of the Book than did the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed their own lives to be a literal reenactment of the biblical drama of the Hebrew nation.”

The Patriots: 1776

More than a century and a half after the Pilgrims’ arrival, the American colonies went to war against their British colonial masters in a struggle for independence, and the revolutionaries were also very much stirred by the story of the Israelites.

In his pamphlet Common Sense, which was published in January 1776 and had a galvanizing effect on American public opinion, Thomas Paine described King George III as the “sullen tempered pharaoh of England.”

On July 4, 1776, the declaration of independence was ratified but before dismissing, the Continental Congress conducted one final piece of business. The following resolution was passed:

“Resolved, that Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams, and Mr. Jefferson, be a committee, to bring in a device for a seal for the United States of America.”

August 14, 1776 letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams recounted some of the debate. Benjamin Franklin, Adams wrote, suggested “Moses lifting up his wand, and dividing the Red Sea, and Pharoah, in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters,” and the following motto, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Thomas Jefferson imagined Americans as “the children of Israel in the wilderness…led by a pillar of fire by night,” alongside representations of early Britons “whose political principles and form of government” the United States assumed. Adams concentrated on Hercules, the mythical figure of strength, “resting on his club,” gazing towards a figure of virtue, and impervious to sloth and vice.

Jefferson was so taken by that phrase that he had it developed into his own seal.

The Slaves: 1775-1870

Now simultaneous to this, going back to right around the same period of time, slaves in the south began using the Exodus as a metaphor describing their own plight. This kind of rhetoric was used by both the slaves and the abolitionists going all the way up through the civil war.

One of the most famous songs amongst the slaves:

The Lord, by Moses, to Pharaoh said: Oh! let my people go If not, I'll smite your first-born dead—Oh! let my people go Oh! go down, Moses Away down to Egypt's land And tell King Pharaoh To let my people go

II. The Exodus in America’s Future

Here we are in 2024. 164 years from the Civil War 248 years from the Declaration of Independence 400 years from the Mayflower.

What relevance should the Exodus story play in our national identity? Can we return to the well one more time and use this story to guide our next step as a nation? I think so. But only if we apply it internally.

Let me explain what I mean.

John Adams wrote:

“...we have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

The most pressing and I would argue most patriotic application of the Exodus story would also be the one most supported by the New Testament – namely the spiritual one. The one in which people enslaved to various sins and vices are set free to worship God.

I do believe the Exodus story may be used politically, collectively, externally. But it must be used spiritually, individually, and internally.

As one commentator puts it, “The book is not about liberation in general or about political and religious freedom in particular, but about deliverance from bad servitude to good servitude. The Israelites served Pharaoh but were called by God to serve him instead.”

The main problem with liberation theology is not that it expects the will of God to manifest in politics, systems of power, etc… That’s not the problem with liberation theology. The problem with liberation theology is that it relocates sin, out of the soul and into political systems. The problem is always “out there.” It never helps a people deal with the problem “in here.”

I know there are still great injustices out in the world – various political Pharaohs to oppose – many in our own government. But before we can do any of that we’ve got to lay hold of internal freedom.

So let’s walk through that. Look at Exodus 6:6-8

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’ ”

As mentioned last week, we have seven “I Will” statements from God.

The first two have to do with liberation: I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians I will deliver you from slavery to them

The third has to do with redemption: I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment

The fourth and fifth “I will” has to do with adoption: I will take you to be my people I will be your God

The final two statements have to do with possession: I will bring you into the land I will give it to you for a possession

There are obvious gospel connections to all of this.

We are liberated from sin and satan. With the precious blood of Christ, we are redeemed from the guilt we incurred through our sinning. We are adopted into the family of God. We are given possession of the kingdom which cannot be shaken. A kingdom which is not of this world but is absolutely for this world.

We won’t have time to explore all of this. But I want to be sure to cover the concept of liberation.

Here we are discussing liberation in its deepest sense. All other expressions of liberation are mere echos or implications of this fundamental liberation.

Pharaoh = Satan Egyptian bondage = slavery to sin and Satan

The Bible teaches that slavery to Satan is:

Natural – this the default state of the human soul (Ephesians 2:1-3) Invisible - it isn’t something you see (2 Corinthians 4:4) Vocational - you work for him (2 Timothy 2:6) Unfruitful - you get only death in return for your efforts (Romans 6:20-21) Formidable - there’s nothing you can do about it (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Natural

The bible teaches us that all people, by virtue of their own choice to sin, are caught up in slavery to Satan.

Thomas Watson writes,

See into what a wretched deplorable condition we had brought ourselves by sin. We had sinned ourselves into slavery, so that we needed Christ to purchase our redemption: But by sin we are in a worse slavery, slaves to Satan, a merciless tyrant, who sports in the damnation of souls. In this condition we were when Christ came to redeem us.

The New Testament talks about Satan capturing people to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:6

Invisible

The bondage is perceptual in nature. Their hearts, minds, and souls are blinded both to the realities of their enslavement and the means of their freedom.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

In Egypt, the people recognized their slavery. But in this greater spiritual slavery, the recognition of enslavement is often hidden from the slave. His mind is blinded. He does not see his enslavement. He is in Plato’s cave.

We live in a time with increased sensitivity toward corrupt systems of power. Everywhere we look, we see strong evidence that the game has been rigged. The great irony is that so many of the people who see this externally fail to see an even worse oppression at work internally.

Vocational

And Ephesians 2 tells us that in this state of being, individuals, no matter how well meaning, no matter how legitimate their external grievance – are actually pawns of the devil. Unless you have been liberated from his kingdom, you work for him.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” – Ephesians 2:1-3

Unfruitful

Romans 6:20 says of those who are slaves to sin and satan

“what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.”

So that even actions we think are good tend to lead to either pride or other unforeseen problems.

And this is one of the reasons why America’s future depends on recovering the spiritual meaning of Exodus. No form of government is immune from being hijacked by Satanic schemes.

Listen to how Screwtape puts it…

“And is it not pretty to notice how “democracy” (in the incantatory sense) is now doing for us the work that was once done by the most ancient Dictatorships, and by the same methods?”

Formidable

This situation is incredibly dire. In the first chapter of Exodus, Pharaoh sets out to deal shrewdly with the Hebrew people. He was indeed a formidable opponent. And Satan is even more so.

Previously God told Moses that Pharaoh will not let you go unless compelled by a strong hand. This is even more true of this deeper enslavement.

2 Timothy 2:24 talks about people captured by Satan to do his will.

How does one get free?

This is why Christ came.

“The Son of God … was made man to share the same state and nature as us.… He put on our nature in order to submit Himself to the state of death.… He has freed us from a diabolical tyranny.… The devil himself has been laid low as to be of no more account, as if he did not exist.” – Calvin

He came to deliver “...us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14

So this is the role Exodus must play in the immediate future of America. Too many of its citizens remain in bondage to the devil. What kind of external freedom can we expect to manifest when the majority of our citizenry is in bondage to the devil?

We must double down on gospel sharing. We must proclaim freedom to the captives.

God told Moses to tell the people: “‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”

God tells us to tell our neighbors: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

And of course you think, they won’t listen! Well that’s not what Jesus said. In John 16:7-11 he says,

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Illustration: I think of our friend Brandon. I won’t use his last name because he’s in a position of some prominence and I didn’t ask permission to talk about this. I just thought about him this morning. He and his fiance attended Providence for a while until he was moved for his job. But Brandon was a political conservative who had a front row seat to some of Antifa’s hijinks back in the summer of 2020. Suddenly Brandon realized he was on the front lines of a spiritual war. He saw the fundamentally religious nature of the militant left. And he also realized that while he was politically on the right side – he was spiritually lost, without God, dead in his sins and trespasses. He asked a Christian friend on his team, “what must I do to be saved?” And he put his faith in Jesus as the true liberator of the soul. Brandon’s a Christian now – experiencing the fruit of God’s fundamental liberation.

Freedom Comes from Freed Men

The final thing to notice is that God used a free man to pronounce freedom.

Moses had freedom the others did not. He had escaped Pharaoh’s tyranny previously, and God miraculously kept him free throughout his interaction with Pharaoh.

This is of course most fully represented in Christ. But there is also something here for us.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. – 1 Peter 2:16

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. – Galatians 5:1

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:20-23

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. – Ephesians 5:11

Live a free men proclaiming freedom to a world enslaved to Satan. Obviously the devil doesn’t want you to do this. So you can expect opposition, temptation, distraction.

But rebellion against this tyrant is indeed obedience to God.

Communion

Consider Luke 4 for a moment. It begins with Jesus being sent out into the wilderness to do combat with the devil. There he is offered enslavement at a cost. All of this can be yours if you worship me. Jesus overcomes the devil.

In the next verse we see, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” (Luke 4:14-15) And in the next section, we are told what he taught in those synagogues,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

This whole work amounts to an undoing of Satan.

They are poor because they are oppressed by the devil. They need liberty because they are captured by the devil to do his will. They need recovery of sight because the God of this world has blinded them.

Does Public Theology Need Its Own Hermeneutic?

Chris Oswald — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Does Public Theology Need Its Own Hermeneutic?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 28th June 2024

Patriarchs in Paradise

Chris Oswald — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Patriarchs in Paradise

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 26th June 2024

Mountains of Assurance for Molehills of Doubts

Chris Oswald — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Mountains of Assurance for Molehills of Doubts

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 23rd June 2024

Passage: Exodus 5:2-6:30

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Title: Mountains of Assurance for Molehills of Doubt Text: Exodus 5:20-6:30

We’re going to cover a very large portion of scripture today. And the first thing I want you to notice is that the whole section is bookended by people doubting God.

You can see that in this first slide. We have the people’s doubts and Moses’ doubts – which we read last week. Then in 6:2-8, we have a section where God reassures Moses and tells him to go to his people once again.

Then in vs. 9 we have the people unable to hear or believe because of their broken spirits.

God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh, and again Moses doubts. Verse 12 – But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

Then in verse 14, we have a genealogy dropped on us. That continues through vs. 27. This is followed by more doubts.

In vs. 28 – On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

I’ll bet every one of us has some doubts about God. I find that my doubts are usually hidden from me. I don’t even know they’re there until the Lord shows me. I’m assuming the room is full of various kinds of doubts.

And the main point today is as we will see in our text, our doubts are like molehills compared to the mountains of assurance God offers.

I want to broadly cover this whole section. Let’s start with the genealogy.

What is a Genealogy For?

Even the genealogy is a kind of assurance from God. And you know, there are 25 of these genealogies in the bible. I think the average Christian gets to those sections and thinks, “um, what am I supposed to do with this?” So let’s talk about that.

God communicates assurance through three categories: I am, I will, I have

Personality (this is what I’m like) Past Performance (this is what I have done) Promises (this is what I will do)

And genealogies fit in the “Past Performance: This is What I’ve Done” category of assurance.

You can think of genealogies as brushstroke theology. Here is a painting by Van Gogh, I chose it because the brushstrokes are very visible – and also because this is likely Van Gogh’s attempt at the Last Supper. You have Jesus in the center waiting on the tables. 11 disciples seated. Judas in all black lurking at the door. The window directly behind Jesus has a cruciform pane structure.

But my main point is to suggest that you can think of the people who appear in the biblical genealogies as brushstrokes. God is painting a masterpiece and he uses people.

I actually wrote out a little prayer that you can pray when you come to a genealogy in the bible.

Lord, you knit each one of these people together in their mother’s wombs - cell by cell. You knew every hair on their head. You knew every thought in their head. You knew their goings out and their comings in. These people were, without exception, sinners and by nature, wanderers going their own way. And yet, in a level of orchestration that goes beyond my ability to conceive, You providentially directed their lives in such a way as to accomplish Your particular purposes and tell Your story. The names on this list are like brushstrokes that you perfectly laid down on the canvas of history in order to show the world that you are God.

So that’s a quick comment on genealogies. God exhibits his trustworthiness in three categories of evidence. I am. I have. I will. And genealogies are part of God’s “I have” category of evidence.

Now let’s get into the main part of the text. Verses 2-8

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”

You can see all three categories of evidence here.

We have multiple “I am” statements – usually appearing as “I am the Lord” or more specifically, I am Yahweh.

We have multiple “I will” statements – 7 of them actually.

And then you have several references to God’s past faithfulness. Several “I have statements.” Let’s stick in that category – let’s keep talking about God’s past faithfulness. I said a moment ago that there are 25 big genealogies in the bible. But you know, the phrase “Abraham, Issac, and Jacob” is also a genealogy – a very short one – but a genealogy nonetheless. And it appears hundreds of times.

When it appears, the point being made is almost always something to do with trusting the Lord. We are called to review God’s past faithfulness to these patriarchs and infer God’s present trustworthiness based on his past performance.

This seems to be a formula understood by saints throughout the Old Testament. For instance, when Elijah is having his showdown with the priests on Mt. Carmel, he prays –

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. – 1 Kings 18:36.

Psalm 105:5-15

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”

And then when we get to the New Testament, we learn two surprising things about Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

New Testament Developments:

Firstly, when God says, “I am the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob” he isn’t saying, “I was their God.” He is saying, “I am their God.” That would never have occurred to me if Jesus didn’t explicitly point it out in the gospels. In Mark 12 we find Jesus talking to the Sadducees. They don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus corrects them by saying the following:

And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” (Mark 12:26-27)

Again, God didn’t say, “I was the God” of these fellas. He says, “I am” the God of these fellas. And Jesus’ point is – these guys are still alive.

And I don’t know if that does anything for you. But it kinda hits differently when you realize that even as God is reassuring Moses about his past faithfulness to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob – that Abraham, Issac, and Jacob are there in God’s presence as he is saying these things.

And as he works to free the people from their enslavement and send them into the land flowing with milk and honey, he is keeping a promise to these patriarchs who are right then in his presence.

The second surprising development we find in the New Testament is who God counts as descendants of Abraham. Who stands to benefit from God’s promise.

And then when we get to the New Testament, we learn two surprising things about Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

Namely that God was counting who belonged to Abraham, not by blood by by faith. This is forecasted early in John 1:9-13 —

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. How are they his own? This is according to the flesh, their Abrahamic genes.

But then there’s a second kind of belonging found in the subsequent verse.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The first kind of belonging has to do with having the Abrahamic genes. The second kind of belonging has to do with having the Abrahamic spirit. The one that believes God. The spirit that is made righteous by faith.

So you have in John 1 the old way – physical descendents. And also the new way – spiritual descendents.

And the apostle Paul sharpens this revelation when he simply says –

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:6-8)

And in Galatians 3:24-29

24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 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 no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

And so put together you have something pretty remarkable. Firstly, God made promises to Abraham. Even right now, Abraham is in the presence of the Lord. He is watching God fulfill his promise. Those promises are extended to all who are in Christ.

The thing God is doing in Exodus for the ethnic people of God is but a whisper and and a shadow of the thing he does for the spiritual people of God in the new covenant.

Going back to our main passage, we have the 6 “I Will” statements made by Yawheh in Exodus 6:6-8

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”

Those I Wills have greater fulfillments in the New Covenant than they did in the Old. We are redeemed from a greater slavery for a greater freedom in a greater land. And maybe we can talk more about that next week – but for now we need to begin wrapping up.

Intelligent Design: The Bible’s Architecture

Now before we move on from the “what God has done” section — I want to draw your attention to something else in this section that speaks to God’s sovereign power and perfect skill.

I noticed the other day that Brett Weinstein — who is an evolutionary biologist conceded that the field of intelligent design is cutting edge science and that it has raised questions that evolutionists have been unable to answer. And he’s referring specifically to Stephen Meyer — who did the Joe Rogan show some time ago. Intelligent design in the biology is based on the observation of irreducible complexity within living organisms. A complexity which cannot be explained by randomized mutations — no matter how much time you give to the process.

Most people don’t know that all over the Bible — all over this very ancient book (with the newest sections being 2000 years old) — all over this ancient book we find literary architecture that appears to have been designed by a highly advanced mind.

I am by no means an expert in this stuff. But our text today affords an opportunity for me to try to explain a little sliver of this textual architecture or design.

In vs. 2-9 we have what is known as a chiastic structure. Let me try to explain chiasms to you with a series of visuals.

Look at this pattern. What’s going on here? What order are the colors arranged in?

Let’s add numbers to it. So you have 1-6 and then you have 7 in the middle. Then 6-1. This is also called introverted parallelism.

Now let’s look at the text.

A. God spoke (2) Moses spoke (9) B. I am the LORD (2) I am the Lord (8) C. I appeared to Abraham, to Issac, and to Jacob, as God almighty (3) I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (8) D. But by my name the LORD (3) and you shall know that I am the LORD (7) E. I also established my covenant with them (4) I will take you to be my people (7) F. I have heard the groaning of the people… whom the Egyptians hold as slaves (5) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery (6) E. The central truth usually stands alone, here is the repetition of the 1st and 6th — “ I am the LORD”

Here’s a cleaner visual depiction. Here’s the another way. Here’s another way.

This kind of thing happens hundreds and hundreds of times in the Bible. the Bible text itself has a temple structure — always progressing into the holy of holies.

Can I ask you something? Is your faith a little stronger than it was 35 minutes ago?

Brushstoke theology – God’s perfect use of imperfect people throughout history to paint his picture

God’s ongoing fulfillment of promises he made to Abraham – who is even right now in God’s presence watching him fulfill the promises made to him so long ago?

Your inclusion in those promises in Christ?

The masterful orchestration of God – not only in history – but in the actual architecture of the biblical text.

We’ve all got our own molehills of doubt. But consider the mountains of assurance God offers. And we’ve only looked at one tiny sliver of one category of God’s evidence – his past faithfulness.

Let’s close by looking at vs. 2

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.

I never told them this special name — Yahweh. They only knew me as El Shaddai. There’s a good chance that means, “God of the mountains.” But the point I want to leave you with is that when he moved through Abraham, Issac, and Jacob — he gave them one name. El Shaddai. And now that he’s about to move his people out of Egypt, he’s revealing this new name, “Yahweh.”

Now this isn’t a situation where God is saying, some people call me El Shaddai, others call me Yahweh. No, he is progressively revealing himself. God is more clearly seen as Yahweh than he was as El Shaddai. And this all terminates in the New Testament with Yeshua — Jesus.

He is the full revelation of God.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

I’ll leave you with something Jesus said in John 8:55

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.

Leadership and the Crisis of Confidence

Chris Oswald — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Leadership and the Crisis of Confidence

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 16th June 2024

Passage: Exodus 5:1-23

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When I started working on this text, I thought there was a sermon on busyness in there. After all, Pharaoh’s basic strategy is to keep the people so busy they lose all spiritual ambition. Which reminded me of an old saying from Corrie Ten Boom, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”

But as I pressed into the text further, I saw a more prominent theme. Something to do with leadership.

Now you may remember a number of weeks ago, we talked about the Exodus pattern in scripture. God moves people out of a bad situation into a better situation. And that there’s usually a middle situation – the wilderness.

Now in chapter 5-6 we see the basic leadership pattern that is related to the basic exodus pattern. And this is going to repeat over and over again in Exodus, in the whole bible, and in your life as you attempt to lead those God has called you to care for.

Six C’s of Leading Through Change:

This is going to help you lead your families. This is going to help you lead in church contexts. And it’ll make you a better church member. But even in work contexts – you’re still God’s leader even there. So that even if the change isn’t explicitly spiritual in nature – this is all still going to apply.

Call – the leader receives a plan from God Change - he begins to lead his followers into the new state Conflict - the “forces” who prefer the status quo are provoked Cost - the followers feel friction Complaints - the followers blame the leader Crisis of Confidence – the leader questions everything

In this story –

Moses receives God’s call (Exodus 3-4) He initiates the change (Exodus 4:29-5:1) This change is in conflict with Pharaoh’s need for the status quo (5:2-5)

But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (5:2)

But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” (5:4)

Pharaoh fights back inflicting a great cost on the followers (5:6-19)

“You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.” (5:7)

The people grumble and complain to Moses (5:20-21)

They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (5:20-21)

Moses has a crisis of confidence (5:22-23)

Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” (5:22-23)

Now this one goes well. God responds to Moses with kindness.

In fact we get this structure chiastic structure in chapter 6

Development of Yahweh’s response (6:2–8) A. I am Yahweh (2) B. I appeared to … Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (3) C. I have established my covenant (4) D. I have heard the groaning in bondage (5) E. I am Yahweh: I will liberate you; I will deliver you; I will redeem you (v. 6) D′. I am Yahweh who redeems you (7) C′. I will bring you to the promised land (8) B′. To give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (8) A′. I am Yahweh (8)

I’ll return to this in a moment.

He brings this word back to the people. But they don’t believe him. Look at vs. 9 –

“Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”

The people have been effectively demoralized. Moses and Aaron have nobody with them but the Lord. This is the loneliness of leadership. They are sandwiched between Pharaoh’s hard heart and the people’s broken spirit. But they press on.

Now there are other times when this same pattern plays out but it doesn’t go well.

Exodus 20-32 – all happening at the foot of Sinai. Moses is up there with God for 40 days and 40 nights. Aaron is down there with the people. The people grow restless, Aaron violates his own calling, they make the golden calf, etc… Aaron’s failure of nerve.

Call is to wait Conflict is with their own lack of peace and patience Cost is that they’re supposed to refrain from sexual relations and remain in a “consecrated state.” Complaints Crisis of Leadership – Aaron folds

This is similar to what we see in 1 Samuel 13. And I think also in the matter of Abraham and Sarah and Hagar – if you’re familiar with that story.

And the thing to understand as a leader is that sometimes you’ll have no choice other than to be at odds with the God you love or with the people you love.

There is so much that can go wrong for the leader at this final point.

God doesn’t let squishy leaders off the hook. He calls Abrahm out for listening to his wife. He cuts Saul’s reign short and says, I’ll bring in a guy who wants to please me. Who is after my heart. And in the case of Aaron, Moses held him responsible saying, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” – Exodus 32:21

So I think that is probably what we should talk about.

II. Three Common Complications:

A leader’s own insecurity – We know from chapter 3 that Moses is far from confident that he is the right man for the job. This is common. Very few men feel up to being the spiritual leader of their homes. Very few pastors feel like they should actually be in charge.

A leader’s love for the people. Good leaders actually love the people they’re called to lead. And so when they see them going through trouble – trouble that appears to be downstream of their leadership – well this really gets to a person. We see going all the way back to chapter 2 that Moses identifies with his people. And he doesn’t like to see them get hurt. That’s one reason he killed the Egyptian. This is huge for evangelism. Can you imagine sharing the gospel with someone in the first century knowing that if they believe it, they’re almost certainly going to suffer for Christ?

A leader’s own limited faith. God rarely gives the leader a lot more faith than his people. He gives them more faith but not usually a massive amount. So the leader has his own doubts about God, etc…

III. Three Things to Do During a Crisis of Confidence

Set your mind in the right direction

Now what Moses does with all of this is crucial. Look at vs. 22

This is far from a perfect prayer. He is accusing God of sin. This is not a model prayer. But the thing that is a model for us is that he turned to the Lord.

With Abraham, Aaron, Saul – these situations that didn’t go well – you don’t see this part. The faithless people get the last word. The leaders don’t do what Moses does here. At least he goes to God.

So that’s a good thing. People ask, what good does prayer really do? Well it has a wide variety of benefits – but in these kinds of situations where you’re one bad decision away from really screwing everything up – from losing your nerve – from compromising – prayer is a kind of decompression chamber. It is always better to pray a dumb prayer than to make a dumb decision.

Prayer has the effect of deflating anxiety. Philippians 4:6-7 says,

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Now let’s start layering in some real world application:

Call: God shows you a vision for the people you’re leading. We’re going to give generously. Open our home to hospitality. We’re going to church. We’re going to start praying together. We’re going to share the gospel with our neighbors. We’re going to expect our little kids to obey the first time.

Change: You, perhaps quite hesitantly explain the plan to the people you lead

Conflict: Some part of the status quo is challenged

Cost: Something goes wrong that either is directly connected to the change or “feels” connected to the change.

We start giving and the car breaks down. We open our home to hospitality and have a big fight right before the guests arrive. We share the gospel and someone gets offended and calls you a bigot.

Complaints: The people paying the price complain.

Crisis of Confidence: You’ll doubt yourself You’ll doubt the plan You’ll doubt God

What you do next is key. And we’ve already seen the most important thing. Then Moses turned to the Lord. When we look through the biblical data and separate all of the instances of this pattern between the ones that went well and the ones that went poorly – this “turning to the Lord” is one of the most decisive factors.

Prayer is the place you go to cool off. To get recentered. To let the peace of God overcome the anxiousness of man.

We mentioned Isaiah 26:3 last week. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Get your heart settled on the right devotion

It is hard enough to lead people when your motives are pure. We said a moment ago that the crisis of leadership is magnified in some sense by the leader’s love for the people. He hates to see them suffer for something he’s initiated. True enough.

But the heart of the leader is never pure. No doubt he is in part motivated by true love for the people, but there’s a second sinful motive marbled in there.

Yes he loves the people. But he probably also loves to be loved by the people.

If his love for them is pure, he can, by talking to God, fortify his confidence in the plan, in God, in his calling, etc… and stay faithful. But he’s got to expunge this darker motive that has crept in. Namely that he loves to be loved by his people. If this motive is present, he will almost surely fold.

Where did all of the pastors go on the controversial issues of our day? Why have so many abandoned God’s clear biblical teachings about human sexuality and gender? Why has the rainbow mafia been so effective in moving pastors, churches, and entire denominations off the clear teaching of God’s word?

John 12:43 has the answer, “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

Back in Exodus 4:29-31,

Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Would anyone be surprised if Moses thought to himself, “well now, I could get used to this.”

I could get used to being the good new guy. The encouragement guy. The guy who makes people feel good when he enters the room.

But in 5:20-21 – all of their goodwill toward Moses is completely reversed

And to be honest, this is more representative of how the people will think of Moses throughout the entire Exodus.

If you want to be a good leader, you’ve got to get use to periods of unrequited love. You’ve got to get used to giving love to people who will not recognize your efforts other than to say your causing them trouble.

Fill your soul with the right doctrine

Look back at 5:22-23

“O Lord, why have you done evil to this people?

Well this is just plain wrong. James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

But Moses’ theology isn’t as refined and sharp as ours. He is asking, “why” and doesn’t fully get an answer.

We have an answer. By the time the New Covenant is in full swing, the spiritual leaders of God’s people no longer ask “why” in the same way Moses did.

Peter is able to say to the believers he’s addressing in his first letter – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” – 1 Peter 4:12

And again in chapter 5 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Don’t be surprised – this isn’t strange. The same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood through the world.

So to review.

Point your mind in the right direction Get your heart settled on the right devotion Fill your soul with the right doctrine

Trials are a part of the Christian life. When we follow God, we find opposition

All who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted – 1 Timothy 3:12

Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God – Acts 14:22

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they keep my word, they will also keep yours. – John 15:19

Sometimes it will be because we upset the world. Sometimes it will be because we upset the flesh of our followers. Sometimes it will be because we’ve stepped on Satan’s tail and reminded him that his time is short.

But when we lead people through a godly change, there’s always going to be a cost.

Last week I posted a chronological timeline of all the church history biographies John Piper delivered over the span of about 20 years.

Let me read you what he wrote as he introduced the biography of a pastor named Charles Simeon:

I am, in great measure, a child of my times. And one of the pervasive marks of our times is emotional fragility. I feel it as though it hangs in the air we breathe. We are easily hurt. We pout and mope easily. We break easily. Our marriages break easily. Our faith breaks easily. Our happiness breaks easily. And our commitment to the church breaks easily. We are easily disheartened, and it seems we have little capacity for surviving and thriving in the face of criticism and opposition.

When historians list the character traits of the last third of twentieth century America, commitment, constancy, tenacity, endurance, patience, resolve and perseverance will not be on the list. The list will begin with an all-consuming interest in self-esteem. It will be followed by the subheadings of self-assertiveness, and self-enhancement, and self-realization. And if you think that you are not at all a child of your times just test yourself to see how you respond in the ministry (leadership) when people reject your ideas.

We need help here. When you are surrounded by a society of emotionally fragile quitters, and when you see a good bit of this ethos in yourself, you need to spend time with people — whether dead of alive — whose lives prove there is another way to live.

And so he introduces Pastor Charles Simeon as one such model. Simeon served as a pastor for 49 years and almost all of it was marked by opposition. Yet he remained faithful. And also joyful. In large part because he had mastered everything I’ve described to you today. But I want to draw one particular thing to your attention. When asked by a friend how he had endured so well he said,

My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ’s sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently; we shall soon be partakers of His victory”

The word picture is of someone pressing through a hedge – which in Simeon’s England, serve as fences or barriers marking one field off from another.

And so he says that one key to his enduring joy and faithfulness was to understand that Christ, his head, the head of the church, has already poked his face through into the promise land. The hard part is already done. Indeed in some respect, it is all done. But he acknowledged that there is still more of the body to push through the brush and thorns. But that was ok – the head is already through.

How does God respond to Moses’ very imperfect prayer. He provides a very perfect promise.

Namely the threefold assurance found in 6:6-8:

6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Now as I mentioned – these words of assurance were not enough for the people.

Verse 9 – “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”

But they were enough for Moses. Humanly speaking, the whole Exodus project depended on whether Moses would trust the Lord.

Brothers, leaders –

We must not mind a little suffering.

When we lead toward the light, the darkness will react. We must not be surprised by the fiery trials that follow.

Let us set our attention on the Lord through prayer Let us purify our own motives – getting rid of the love to be loved nonsense Let us fill our soul with sound doctrine – trials are expected – God remains faithful.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

How Does God View Political Entities?

Chris Oswald — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

How Does God View Political Entities?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 12th June 2024

Passage: Genesis 12:3

Monotheism Made Our World

Chris Oswald — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Monotheism Made Our World

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 9th June 2024

Passage: Exodus 4:29-31

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Call to Worship

96 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Text: Exodus 4:29-31 Title: Monotheism Made Our World

Last week we covered Moses’ calling. Though initially unwilling and argumentative, Moses ultimately obeys.

He obeys as a result of God’s assurance that he will not do this alone. God himself will be with him. And Aaron, Moses’ older brother will join him on his mission.

That gets us to the end of chapter 4 where we see Moses and Aaron going to the elders of the Israelites and disclosing God’s plan. And we will look at that text in a moment.

29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Exodus 4:29–31)

My aim for today is to show you why we’re about to spend 9 chapters watching God contend against Pharaoh. I have identified at least 2 very big reasons, one theological and the other political.

I’ll discuss the theological reason today and the political reason in a podcast later this week.

Look back at that text and focus on that phrase, “visited the people of Israel.”

This is the same word God uses in the previous chapter when he tells Moses – “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:16-17)

The Development of Monotheism

This reminds us that at the time, the theology of the Hebrews was not as developed as it would eventually be. They still had a lot to learn about God. At this time, ancient people thought of gods in a regional way. Certain gods occupied certain places.

The concept of monotheism is still a long way off from being fully revealed.

At this time, I suspect the majority of the Hebrews were henotheistic. Henotheism is the belief in many different gods for many different people – with no clear sense of superiority between one god and another.

The Hebrews knew they were to worship Yahweh. But probably assumed that the Egyptians were free to worship their own gods. And they probably also assumed that the Egyptian gods were really in charge of Egypt.

God is speaking to them in their flawed theology category. He says “he visited them.” And maybe he did visit them in a physical way like he did with Sodom. But he didn’t need to “visit” them to see them.

From henotheism, the Hebrews will progress into monolatry. What is monolatry? This is the belief in many gods connected to the conviction that one god is superior to all others.

This theological category was hard for the average hebrew to shake. I don’t think you see complete progress in this area until much much later in the history of the Jews. Probably not until after the babylonian exile. So about a thousand years after the Exodus.

Then we arrive at the theological position we now assume – monotheism. Not merely the preference for one god over another. Or the superiority of one god over another. But the conviction that there is but one God. And that he reigns over the whole earth.

Now it is widely accepted that monotheism is a very important milestone in cultural development and stability. The idea is simply that with monotheism comes a belief that the whole cosmos is created and governed by a single entity. Though Christians believe in spiritual warfare, we do not believe the war is a match between equals.

Monotheism, Science, and Human Flourishing

Monotheism is in many sense the mother of science. As CS Lewis says,

“Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.”

John Hedley Brooke, who is a historian of science, says the same thing. “The quest after the laws of nature can also be seen as a quest to uncover the divine legislation that lies behind nature’s regularities.”

In this way, monotheism has become an absolute boon to human flourishing.

And this is one of the purposes of God’s judgment on Pharaoh. Something God himself explicitly states in chapter 9.

“But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” – Exodus 9:16

And when it is all said and done. When Egypt lies in ruins. God says to his people,

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; (Exodus 19:4-5)

So again, we’re about to walk through 9 chapters of God’s judgment against Pharoah. Why? What’s the end game?

Well on the one hand, we would say the purpose is very personal. He is redeeming a certain people. But why the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart? Why the prolonged back and forth?

God is revealing himself to the world. He is picking on the strongest so-called gods of the time. He is working in a territory in which the popular theology of the day believed he had no dominance.

In the next 7 chapters, God contends with Pharaoh. This culminates in the seven plagues. Now the thing to remember about the plagues is that they were not arbitrary. Each plague that God brought to Egypt amounted to a targeted strike on a particular Egyptian deity.

When he turns the Nile into blood, he is targeting three particular deities closely associated with the Nile.

When he fills the land with frogs, he is targeting the Egyptian frog-deity known as… wait for it… Hopi. Yes, the Egyptians worshiped a frog named hoppy.

With the lice is he attacking Seb. With the flies he is attacking Uatchit When he afflicts the cattle, he is targeting four Egyptian gods associated with cattle When he brings boils upon the people, he is confronting Imhotep and Serapis (gods of healing) With the hail comes an attack on four other Egyptian deities including Isis and Seth Then he brings the locusts. The Egyptians worshipped the god Serapia specifically to prevent plagues of locusts. With the darkness plague, Yahweh is targeting some of the most important gods — the sun gods. And with the plague on the firstborn God is targeting the entire Pharaonic system.

All of this led Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law to conclude, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” — Exodus 18:11

And this revelation is, in due time, going to be an absolute boon to human flourishing. I wrote this part of the sermon at Revo Cup in the Lenexa City Center area. What a beautiful place. And so close to my house! I sat there with jazz playing on the overhead speakers, electricity, beautiful buildings, fountains, law and order — all of that is downstream from the wide acceptance of monotheism.

You don’t get there without these chapters.

So that’s a little something about the theological purpose of God’s opposition to Pharoah. In this story, God began sowing seeds of monotheism into the world. And today we live in kind of unparalleled bounty that in some very real way, came from this contest.

The Incarnation & The Global Spread of Monotheism

Now before we move on, I do want to stipulate that the Exodus story was not enough to move the world into monotheism. It was a huge leap forward, but there was still one more massive development needed.

And here I am thinking about the incarnation of God. Look back our text. Chapter 4:31

31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Exodus 4:29–31)

Remember what Paul tells us about the covenants. The Old Covenant had some glory. The New Covenant has much more glory. When you read that from the perspective of the New Covenant, you think – well yes, that is glorious but we know about a better visitation.

John 1:14

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:16

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

See this is a better visitation. God took on flesh. He dwelt among us. And he who knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles

And this is really the moment monotheism takes hold. Up till this time, it was only a Jewish thing. But after this, it starts to become a global thing.

Nations everywhere walk away from their polytheism and all the chaos created by that system. And begin to worship Christ – the one true God.

And again, this development has fundamentally changed the world.

Dr Mark Worthing, author of Unlikely Allies: Monotheism and the Rise of Science puts it this way:

If a single divine being was responsible for the whole of the created, natural order, then all knowledge about the natural world must be fundamentally interconnected. Monotheistic thinkers not only tended to ask after natural causes and explanations (without rejecting God as the ultimate cause of all things), but also to view these causes as fundamentally linked – having a common ground in the one creator God.

Application:

Now before we move on from this topic, let’s take a moment to make a personal and spiritual application.

Is your heart a peaceful place? Is it an ordered place?

I know you are – at least intellectually – all monotheists. But we’re always creeping back toward Henotheism. God is the best god, but there are also a few idols out there that seem worthy of our trust.

Well, in the same way that monotheism brought intellectual stability to the world and with it science and with science human flourishing, I want to encourage you today to ask the Lord to clear your head, your heart – of all the other lesser gods that seem to clutter up the sanctuary of our hearts.

What the Lord says of Israel in Jeremiah 2 can also become true of us.

Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:14-15

This choice leads to human flourishing.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. – Isaiah 26:3

Did Jesus Condemn Homosexuality?

Chris Oswald — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Did Jesus Condemn Homosexuality?

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 5th June 2024

Zipporah and the Bridegroom of Blood

Chris Oswald — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Zipporah and the Bridegroom of Blood

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 4th June 2024

Passage: Exodus 4:24-26

Paleo-Evangelism

Chris Oswald — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Paleo-Evangelism

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 2nd June 2024

Passage: Exodus 3:10-4:17

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God’s concern for sinner (7)

Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings…

He saw a people enslaved to a great tyrant. More broadly, he sees the lost in a worse condition

God’s choice to save some (8)

and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

While he sees them in their terrible state, he has a plan to transform them. So it is with the lost more broadly. God has chosen to save some of them. And he made that choice before the foundation of the world.

So right now, God looks into the world and sees people who are at this time his enemies, but in the fullness of time will become his sons.

He sees people right now in the world who are at this time, dead in their sins and transgressions, who will in the fullness of time, be raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

At this time their sins are like crimson, but at his appointed time, they will be white as snow.

God’s certainty of success (8)

Notice the certainty of his language. “I have come down to deliver them and bring them up to a good and broad land.” God is not making a proposal here. He is making a promise.

“…observe the definiteness and positiveness of Jehovah’s assertions. There were no “perhaps” or “peradventure’s.” It was no mere invitation or offer that was made to Israel. Instead, it was the unconditional, emphatic declaration of what the Lord would do—“I am come down to deliver.” So it is now. The Gospel goes forth on no uncertain errand. God’s Word shall not return unto Him void, but “it shall accomplish that which He pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto He sends it” (Isa. 55:11).”

We don’t believe that God tries to do things and sometimes fails. We believe that all God determines to do will come to pass. Including saving those he means to save.

Or take Acts 13:48 — Paul and Barnabbas are preaching to a great crowd of gentiles. And vs. 48 says — “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Which brings us to our fourth parallel between this passage and God’s larger evangelistic purposes.

God’s concern for the sinner God’s choice to save some God’s certainty of success God commissions a shepherd

In this story, he literally commissions a shepherd. That’s what Moses is doing at the time. That’s what Moses has been doing for the last 40 years. His vocation is no accident. God sees his people as sheep without a shepherd. Sheep that have been stolen by Pharaoh. Sheep that will need to be tended to and herded out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the promise land.

When we look at evangelism more broadly, we see that Jesus saw those sinners whom God has chosen to save as lost sheep. Harassed and confused. And in the great commission he sent his people out as shepherds into the world.

How would they know which sheep were his? They were to speak the gospel message with the assurance that Christ’s voice would come through their voice.

As Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)

A lost person is not saved simply because a saved person shared the gospel with them. Its a little more magical than that. A lost person is saved because Jesus speaks through those he sends. And his sheep hear his voice.

In his book Finally Alive, John Piper tells the story of a young lady who joined their church.

A young woman told the story as she was joining our church of how Christ saved her. She said that she knew a good bit about Christianity because of her parents but had thrown it all away as a teenager and was on her own. One day she and her friends were walking down the beach as several handsome guys approached. Her thought was to impress them and be thought attractive and cool. As the guys passed, one of them called out, “Praise Jesus!”

Now probably later that night those guys said to themselves, “That was a lame witness. Why didn’t we stop and talk?” Little did they know that this simple word, “Praise Jesus,” pierced her heart and sent her later to her knees and to the Savior. There are no wasted testimonies.

When that young handsome beach Chad, with his Vineyard and Vines trunks and completely undeserved six-pack said “Praise Jesus” this confused lost girl heard the voice of God.

The point is this. God does his delivering work through people. In this story, he is using Moses and in the larger redemption story, God uses people like you and me.

“God’s way then, is God’s way now. Human instrumentality is the means He most commonly employs in bringing sinners from bondage to liberty, from death to life.” (AW Pink)

This is what Paul is talking about in Romans when he says,

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)

But at this point in the story, the plot thickens. Which brings us to our 5th point.

God’s Chosen Spokesperson Sins

Look at verse 10-11

Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

God has shown his concern for the lost. He has stated his choice to save them. He has made it clear that this mission will be successful. He commissions Moses to go. And Moses says no.

Exodus 3:7-4:17 have a very simple structure.

Commission: 3:7-10

Moses’ Objection: 3:11 God’s Answer: 3:12

Moses’ Objection: 3:13 God’s Answer: 3:14-22

Moses’ Objection: 4:1 God’s Answer: 4:2-9

Moses’ Objection: 4:10 God’s Answer: 4:11-12

Moses’ Objection: 4:13 God’s Answer: 4:14-17

We will get into some of the details of that conversation in a moment, but first let us establish some of Moses’ mindset.

Distant Deliverance — God had delivered him from Pharaoh. But that was a long time ago. Moses’ deliverance is far back in the rearview mirror. The reality of his own salvation is not front and center. If it were, he might have more faith to follow God into the fray. But that was a long time ago. And most of it happened in his childhood.

Domestication — He’s gotten old, and grown comfortable. He’s got a job that keeps him busy, a wife and two sons to greet him in the evenings. An awesome father in law.

Disappointments — You know a long time ago, he had tried to help his people. He struck down an Egyptian who was striking a Hebrew. That didn’t go so well.

Disability — I believe he really did have some kind of speech impairment. Josephus tells us that when he was still in Pharoah’s household, Moses was known as a military man, a successful warrior. I think Moses was most naturally a man of war and not a man of words.

Danger — And besides all of this, and perhaps most obviously, the whole thing looked like a suicide mission.

Now I don’t know about you, but there’s a lot there that I resonate with.

One commentator puts it this way:

Were it not that we were acquainted in some measure with our own desperately-wicked hearts, it would appear to us well-nigh unthinkable that Moses should continue objecting and caviling. But the remembrance of our own repeated and humiliating failures only serves to show how sadly true to life is the picture here presented before us. The Lord had favored His servant with the awe-inspiring sight of the burning bush, He had spoken of His tender solicitude for the afflicted Hebrews, He had promised to be with Moses, He had expressly declared that He would deliver Israel from Egypt and bring them into Canaan. And yet all of this is not sufficient to silence unbelief and subdue the rebellious will. Alas! what is man that the Almighty should be mindful of him! Nothing but Divine power working within us can ever bring the human heart to abandon all creature props and trust in God. (AW Pink)

Distant Deliverance: I was saved a long time ago in my childhood. It is easy to forget. Domesticity: I have a happy home life. It is pretty sweet to hang out with your soul mate. Disappointments: I have tried to share the gospel before and it didn’t go well. Disability: I don’t have a speech disability, but I can feel socially awkward at times. Danger: And add this the likelihood that when I share the gospel, I could very well be rejected, scoffed at, etc…

Now I want to stress this morning that this 5th point — when the sent spokesperson sins and tells God “no thank you” is a normal part of God’s redemptive working. It shouldn’t be. We should respond with faith. But we don’t. And this isn’t surprising to God.

One of the things we see in this passage is God working on both ends. He is with the people in their bondage. He sees them. He is working in their lives to prepare them for salvation. He is also working on the other end — dealing with the inevitable hesitancy, rebellion, and sin of those he is calling to speak for him.

God is dealing with sin on both sides of the story. The same God who will deliver the lost out of their sin will deliver those he sends from their unbelief.

If God were to wait until He found a human instrument that was worthy or fit to be used by Him, He would go on waiting until the end of time. God is sovereign in this, as in everything. The truth is that God uses whom He pleases. Not yet was Moses ready to respond to Jehovah’s Call. There were other difficulties which the fertile mind of unbelief was ready to suggest, but one by one Divine power and long-sufferance overcame them. Let us take this lesson throughly to heart, and seek that grace which will enable us to place God between us and our difficulties, instead of putting difficulties between God and us.

Let’s spend the remainder of our time observing how God deals with Moses’ unbelief. Firstly, it might be edifying to point out how God does not deal with it. Remember the details of this particular scene. Remember in 3:6 that “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

When I was younger, I read a lot of books on revival and I suppose you could say, “powerful personal encounters with God.” And I think I came to assume that if I just had a very powerful encounter with God, that I would instantaneously become more inclined to obedience and specifically more bold in evangelism.

Well, our passage with Moses pushes against that way of thinking. He’s right there in God’s presence — about as close as you can get — he is standing on holy ground, his face is warmed by the fire of God. His ears are full of the audible voice of God. And yet he’s acting just like you and I would act — just like we do act.

We love the quick fix. And it is pretty easy to think that there’s some religious experience out there that’ll burn away all of our unbelief. But that’s not what we see in the Bible. Even the mighty Paul, the man who encountered Jesus on the road and Damascus and later caught up into the third heavens is still self-consciously struggling with boldness.

At the end of the book of Ephesians, Paul calls the people to pray for him, “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

And my mind sometimes turns to old Elijah. Coming off the heels of a miraculous showdown in which God used him mightily, he almost immediately consumed with defeatism. “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” — 1 Kings 19:4

It is unlikely that some future power encounter with the Lord is going to permanently fix our unbelief. That’ll come later — when the Lord Jesus returns. But in this life, we’re stuck with a basic pattern:

God has people he wants to save. He wants to use you and I to effect their salvation. You and I will often resist this call.

Now we know that Moses eventually did obey. And we’ve seen what didn’t do the trick — mainly a power encounter with Yahweh. So what did work?

Well, I think the answer is simply sanctification. God patiently and progressively moves Moses’ eyes off himself and on to God. A lot of attention gets paid to pronouns these days. One article describes this cultural moment as “the pronoun war.”

Friends at the very foundation of this fallen world is an original pronoun war. And we see it in this story. Moses is focused on the wrong “I”

3:11 – “who am I” 3:12 – “I will be with you”

3:13 – “if I come to the people of Israel and they ask me what is your name…” 3:14 – “I am”

4:1 – “they will not listen to me” 4:2-9 – “I will make them listen you”

4:10 – “I am not eloquent. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 4:11-12 – “I will be your mouth and teach you what to say.”

4:13 – “Oh Lord please send someone else.” 4:14-17 – “Go find your brother Aaron. I will be with your mouth and his mouth.”

What we’re observing here is just plain old progressive sanctification. A doctrine that is alway summarized by our decreasing and his increasing.

When Paul says in Galatians 2:20 — he is talking about this dynamic. Likewise when he tells the Romans to not be conformed to the pattern of this world.. (Romans 12)

Think about it this way, While not every evangelistic encounter ends with salvation, they all start with sanctification. In order for the message to go forth, the messenger has to get over himself. He has to be freed from his unbelief and filled with faith in the Lord.

We’re living in an era of pronounced evangelistic disobedience. How do we change that? God must change us. And that change will not be quick and painless. That change takes place over the course of a conversation with God. Progressively, over time, God shifts our focus from “I” to “I Am."

And it is a conversation many try to avoid. And I guess a main application for this message is that we need to stop avoiding the conversation. We need to let God convince us. We need to let him work on our hearts.

Now I want to leave you with one piece of outstanding hope.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul teaches us that the glory of the New Covenant far exceeds the glory of the Old Covenant. That’s the real challenge of preaching these old testament passages. We need to demonstrate both the continuity of the covenants and also the differences. We have to keep on saying, “our situation is like theirs — only better.”

Now look at 4:10-17

This is the final series of objections and answers. What happens here seems to push Moses over the edge from disobedience to obedience. So let us pay careful attention to this section.

Beginning in vs. 10,

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

And in vs. 13-14, But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…

Firstly, let us understand that our dullness and disobedience in this area — Our constant leaning on our own understanding is frustrating to God. Yes, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ has placed in permanent relationship with God. Yes, he is our father. But don’t take that to mean he doesn’t get frustrated with us. He does.

But he is kind and patient. Somehow this final answer gets Moses over the hump.

Look at vs. 14-17,

“Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Two points emerge.

Firstly, you do not have do this alone. God gave Moses his brother Aaron, and he has given us many bothers and sisters to help us out. Some in this local church. Some in the larger invisible church.

Bring your unbelieving friends into your home. Surround them with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Invite your unbelieving friends to church. Let them see the family of God at work. In his book Finally Alive, John Piper writes:

In your relationships, invite people to church even before they are Christians. Some of the sheer strangeness of what it means to be a Christian can be overcome by a growing familiarity with how we sing and talk and relate in church. And the preaching of the word of God has a unique power. Every kind of speech is unique in some way. Preaching is not the only or the main way that we communicate. But it is appointed by God for a special effectiveness. Or, nowadays, with the Internet, if they are hesitant to come to church, invite them to a website where they can watch or listen to your pastor or some other teacher.

And you have brothers and sisters, co-laborers in the gospel who are not in this church. They may not even be alive. But they have written books, recorded podcasts, etc… The point is that God has surrounded you with many Aarons. Many people whom God will use to compliment your own efforts.

There is a reason Jesus sent out his disciples in twos.

We need to encourage one another in this regard. Consider again what finally did it for Moses.

Was it a face to face encounter with God? Was it assurance that his mission would be successful? Was it the strange signs of the serpent and the leprous hand?

In the end it was this — you won’t have to do this alone.

If we’re going to change in this area, we’re going to have to change together. The old management consultant Peter Drucker is perhaps best known for one particular quote.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

We have seen

God’s concern for the sinner God’s choice to save some God’s certainty of success God commissions a shepherd

Is in some way bottlenecked by our fifth point:

God’s Chosen Spokesperson Sins

Overcoming that seems to be a matter of developing a community-wide culture of gospel partnership. Where we lean on one another, challenge one another, and work together to bring God’s saving purposes to pass.

She Did What She Could Do

Chris Oswald — Sun, 12 May 2024 10:00:00 +0100

She Did What She Could Do

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 12th May 2024

Passage: Exodus 2:1-10

Understanding Covenant Theology

Chris Oswald — Mon, 06 May 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Understanding Covenant Theology

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 6th May 2024

-------------------

Originally preached on July 24 2022 at Providence Community Church

Overview: Israel in the Exodus

Chris Oswald — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Overview: Israel in the Exodus

Series: Exodus

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 28th April 2024

Passage: Exodus 1:1

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I. Exodus

Let’s start with the title of the book: Exodus

Most people don’t know that there’s an actual exodus pattern that shows up over and over again in the bible.

First, let me define the word Exodus.

James B. Jordan says that “Exodus is a movement brought by God from an old place to a new place. From a worse place to a better place.”

In broad strokes, the pattern has three phases:

Old state - Egypt (slavery, sin, stuck) Middle state - Wilderness (waiting on the Lord, struggling, enduring) New state - Promise Land (resolution, strengthened, confirmed, established)

We see two Exoduses in Adam’s story.

Adam 1: Old state: Adam’s creation Middle state: Adam watches God create the garden New state: Adam is moved into the garden

Adam 2: In Genesis 2, God looks at Adam and says, it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper for him. And he caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. And when he awoke, Adam was in a new place (or a new state).

Noah: Noah moves from an old world to a new world. And probably the most famous thing about Noah is his ark. The ark is his middle state.

Abram: From there we could talk about Abram. Leave your father’s household and go to the place I will show you. And as we know, Abram moved out of the land, along with a substantial amount of wealth, and entered an in-between state. There was a famine in the land.

This in between state is almost always testing and trust oriented. It often looks like death (or flirts with death). There’s usually an opportunity to get into trouble, to doubt God, succumb to some kind of temptation, etc…

Now Abraham goes through multiple exodus. And we begin to see another them in the exodus pattern. Deception and plunder.

Abraham went into Egypt, the Pharaoh attempted to conscript Sari into his harem. There’s some deception going on in this story. Abram tells Pharaoh Sari is his sister. Pharaoh gives him a whole bunch of livestock. But Pharaoh is in the wrong, he’s holding someone that isn’t his to hold. Plagues befall Pharoah’s household. Pharaoh sends Abram and Sari out of the land.

Same thing happens in chapter 20 with Abimelech - another king. Takes Sari into his harem. God visits him in a dream tells him he’s dead if he doesn’t return her to Abram. Abimelech gives Abram a bunch of livestock and servants and sends him off.

By the time we get to Jacob, the pattern is very developed.

Jacob goes through multiple Exodus. He uses deception to plunder Esau’s blessing and birthright. He moves out of the inferior state into the superior state.

He then goes to Laban’s household. And becomes a slave. Jacob is a prefiguring of the nation of Israel. Laban is a prefiguring of Pharoah. Laban deals treacherously with him. He keeps renegotiating their deal — why? Because Jacob gets winning. He is more and more fruitful (And there’s some deception going back and forth). All of this comes to a head when God tells Jacob to take all of his wealth and his wives and flee the land of Laban. Rachel plunder’s Laban’s idol. Laban pursues him. God meets with Laban and tells him, “let my people go.” Laban listens. Jacob flees into the wilderness.

So that’s the Exodus pattern. God moves a person from a bad place to a better place — and there’s always some time spent in a middle place. Sometimes there’s deception involved in leaving the bad place. There is almost always plunder of some kind.

Now here’s why I think its important for you to know about this. That pattern is core to our Christian experience. God moves us from one place to another place with some middle place playing a key role.

As we know, the Exodus is a picture of salvation. The movement out of slavery to sin and into Christian freedom. Ultimately into the New Heavens and the New Earth — the promise land of promise land. And what happens in-between? Sanctification. Testing. Purification. Battles.

We live in the Exodus pattern. Not only in a broad sense but also in countless micro-narratives. God puts his finger on something in your life he wants to change. You have to put off the old way and put on the new way. There’s a middle place, some kind of wilderness, hardship, and usually and opportunity to cheat your way out of the wilderness (which is always a trap). But, if we endure, we wind up on the other side. And not only do we wind up in a better place, we’re richer in wisdom. We take lessons we learned as a kind of plunder.

A lot of times, the plunder is turned into worship. When Adam awoke from his deep sleep, he had a new wife. That was his plunder. He immediately worships the Lord for this gift.

Noah emerges from the ark with the animals (plunder), he sacrifices some of them. When Israel flees Egypt with a bunch of their gold, they use some of that gold to make the instruments used in the tabernacle.

You're going to go through many Exodus in your life. Some of them you’ll ask God for, some of them will happen without your permission.

Some of them will be rather dramatic. Some will happen almost without your noticing.

You’ll start off as an angry person, or a lustful person, or an addicted person, or a controlling person, or a lonely person. You’ll start to see this isn't sustainable. You can't go on like this forever. You start crying out to the Lord like the Jews cried out to the Lord in Egypt. And in a variety of ways, you’ll move into an in-between place. A place where you learn a new way of thinking, feeling, or acting. This is the hardest spot. This is the wilderness. And eventually, once you’ve learned what you're supposed to learn from the wilderness, God strengthens, confirms, and establishes you. You’re in the new place now. But you’ll probably have some lessons from that old place that you take with you. And you'll worship the Lord with that plunder.

So that’s a little bit about the title of this book. That’s the Exodus pattern.

II. Sons of Israel

Now let's move on to the first verse.

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: — Ex 1:1

I want us to focus on this phrase, “sons of Israel.” It is used 169 times in the book of Exodus.

John Calvin begins his institutes by writing, “Nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves”

If you want to know who you are, you have to know about this name Israel. Do you know where that name came from and what it means?

Remember old Jacob fleeing from Laban? He's in the wilderness. He’s anxious about having to face Esau. Who, as far as Jacob knows, wants to kill him. So he’s all alone in the wilderness and he cries out to God for deliverance.

And how does God answer his prayer? Genesis 32:24-28

And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

So the name Israel means “wrestles with God.” Isra comes from the Hebrew word for strive, contend, wrestle. El means God.

Who are you? You are one who wrestles with God.

To some extent, the whole Exodus pattern is one big wrestling match. But especially the middle portion — the wilderness. The in-between place.

Think of the Joseph story. He starts off with a promise from God that comes in the form of two dreams. Both dreams mean the same thing. Joseph will be the head of his household. Everyone in the household will eventually serve and obey him.

But the bulk of the story is Joseph bouncing around in the in-between state. This is where Joseph does his wrestling with God. As a slave, in Potiphar’s house, in the prison. Only at the very end of the story do we see the promise come true.

The middle state is where you learn to trust God. And where you become qualified to enter into the promise God gave you. That’s the wrestling time.

That’s the time where you begin to doubt the whole plan. That’s the time where you can be tempted to accuse God. That's the time where you begin to wonder if the old place wasn’t so bad after all.

Most of the Exodus story takes place in the wilderness. By the end of chapter 12, they're out of Egypt. For the remaining 28 chapters, they’re in the wilderness wrestling with God just like their father Jacob did.

But unlike Jacob, who endured through the struggle, the people kept wanting to give up.

In chapter 14, Pharaoh pursues them to the Red Sea. They appear stuck.

They say, “Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (14:12)

In chapter 15 they arrive at a place with bitter undrinkable water.

“And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (15:24)

In chapter 16 they have no food.

“And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (16:2-3)

In chapter 17 they have no water.

“Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (17:2-3)

Each time they were ready to give up. When they should’ve done what Jacob did, saying, “I will not let go of you until you bless me.”

Turn with me to Hebrews 10:32-39

Here the writer of Hebrews is trying to keep these new Christians on track. He wants them to keep hold of God and not let go, not shrink back to their former state.

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened… (leaving the old place)

, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. (Wilderness)

They held on to God.

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

And the writer of Hebrews is trying to encourage them to keep doing so…

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Throughout the Bible we see the distinction between false Israel and true Israel. False Israel lets go of God in the wilderness. True Israel endures and says, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”

What’s going on in your life? See any Exodus patterns there?

Addiction to get rid of? Desire to marry or build a family? Struggling with your health? Working hard and still struggling financially? Raising a child with special needs?

You could give up. You could grumble. Or, you could grab hold of God and say, “I won't let go until you bless me.”

You have need of endurance.

Moses and Our Better Mediator

Now in the Exodus story, the people of God would’ve gotten nowhere without Moses serving as their mediator and intercessor.

It was always Moses who pleaded with the Lord on behalf of the people. He fought against Pharaoh to secure the people's freedom. He interceded with them when they were backed up against the red sea, when they came to the place of bitter waters, when they ran out of food.

Moses’ mediatorial role is best pictured in Israel’s first battle. There they encountered Amalek, kind of the Amalekites. Exodus 17 tells the story

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. -- Ex 17:8-13

Christ is now our better mediator and intercessor. And unlike Moses, he never grows weary in interceding for us.

Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Moses was a good mediator. But he could do nothing about the people’s hearts. He couldn’t deliver them from their spiritual amnesia. They kept getting delivered and they kept forgetting that God had been faithful to them. He couldn't give them faith.

But the lord Jesus has free access to your heart. He can teach you how to wrestle. He can teach how to hang on to God.

After all, Jesus underwent the ultimate Exodus. The cross being the ultimate kind of middle-place. Suspended between heaven and earth. There he refused to let go of God. He endured the cross, forsaking its shame for the joy set before him.

He bound the strong man and plundered his house.

And we are his prize. We who were once in the domain of darkness have been brought into the kingdom of light. We who were once enemies have become true sons of Israel.

And it is through Christ that we enter the promised land.

So whatever you’re going through now. Or will go through in the future. Understand this.

You have need of endurance. And Christ will give you strength.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. — James 1:12

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. — Romans 2:7

I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. — Revelation 3:11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, — Hebrews 12:1

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. -- Galatians 6:9

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. -- 1 Peter 5:6-10

Don’t grumble. Don’t give up. Grab hold of God.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

The Status of the Jews in the New Covenant

Chris Oswald — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0100

The Status of the Jews in the New Covenant

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 27th April 2024

Passage: Genesis 12:1-5

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In this podcast, pastor Chris presents the classic reformed view regarding the status of the Jews in the New Covenant. He also addresses how we ought to think about the current nation of Israel and concludes the podcast sharing the gospel with Jewish friends.

Some Thoughts About Mentorship

Chris Oswald — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0100

Some Thoughts About Mentorship

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 1st April 2024

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Key principles: When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive. God is faithful to provide mentors when you need them. Hustle attracts help Do the best with what you have and people will help you hit the next level Pray for wisdom Be willing to work for wisdom (Proverbs 20:5, 27:7) Remember the concept of Mission Compatibility. Find someone who is doing what you want to do (but is doing it at a more advanced stage/scope). Mentorships should be reciprocal (not even, but somewhat transactional - with ever increasing reciprocity) Surround yourself with people of all ages who share your basic life mission. God mostly calls us to love people with the things we love. When you need highly specific help, try to find someone who loves doing that sort of thing. The local church is awesome. God loves to give wisdom -- ask him without doubting.

No Mere Myth

Chris Oswald — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0100

No Mere Myth

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 31st March 2024

Passages:

Ephesians 2:1-10
2 Timothy 4:3-4

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We like to work through books of the Bible, studying one section after another until we reach the end. Over the past several months, we’ve been studying the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy. And today we conclude our time here by examining 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which reads…

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

You might say, “Chris, that’s not an easter text.” Well hold on now. I can see at least one way that it is. Namely, when Paul says that people will leave Christianity and wander off into myths, he is implying that Christianity is not a myth. More than implying he nakedly states that Christianity is the truth.

Demonstrate that the basic claims of Christianity are true

Discuss why they are often doubted

Determine how they affect our lives

I want to show you three things this morning:

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are historical facts. There is far greater evidence supporting these events than many other historical events that we all take for granted.

Why then is there not universal agreement and acceptance of these facts? It is my contention that the basic facts of the gospel are like germ theory was in the 17 and 1800s. Facts, extremely consequential facts, that almost nobody believed. I think our text explains why

How these facts change people.

Firstly, Christianity is not a myth.

It is a religion built on historical events - the most crucial of which is the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I was watching a debate between atheist Richard Dawkins and a Christian mathematician named John Lennox. In that debate Lennox states:

Blind faith can be very dangerous. Especially if it is coupled with a blind obedience. Especially when its coupled with a blind obedience to an evil authority. And that I would like to emphasize is true whether the blind obedience is that of religious or secular people. But not all faith is blind faith because faith itself carries with it the ideas of belief, trust, commitment and is therefore only as robust as the evidence for it. I can’t speak authoritatively for other religions, but faith in the Christian sense is not blind. And indeed I do not know a serious Christian who thinks it is. Indeed as I read it, blind faith in idols and figments of the human imagination, in other words delusional gods, is roundly condemned in the Bible. My faith in God and Christ as the son of God is no delusion. It is rational and evidence based. Part of the evidence is objective, some of it comes from science, some comes from history, and some is subjective — coming from experience.

Lennox referenced historical evidence. So let’s talk about that for a moment.

How do we know anything in the past actually happened? You can’t use the scientific method to prove the existence of history. Not really. So how do we know anything in the past is true?

How do historians differentiate between fact and fiction? I’m going to compare two historical claims. The assassination of Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus.

Interval (Caesar)

One method historians use involves evaluating the interval between the date of the reported event and the earliest record reporting the event.

The earliest written report of Caesar’s assassination was written 160 years after the event.

Now in terms of ancient history, that’s not so bad. Remember, back then, recorded history was very slow and tedious. All things being equal 160 year gap would be seen as credible to most historians.

And what about the resurrection of Jesus?

The earliest written reports of the resurrection of Jesus occurred within 20 years of the event.

In comparison, the New Testament was written by eyewitnesses to the resurrection and their close associates. While Plutarch wrote 160 years after Caesar’s death, the New Testament authors wrote within the lifetimes of eyewitnesses who could confirm or deny two central claims: the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Christ. — Bateman

Records (Christ)

Another method used by historians to separate fact from fiction has to do with how many manuscripts exist reporting the original event. When it comes to the assassination of Caesar, we have 10 manuscripts of original report.

And what about reports of the resurrection? We have 23,986 manuscripts containing various portions of the New Testament.

New Testament scholar Dan Wallace estimates that a stack of all existing New Testament manuscripts would be taller than four Empire State Buildings. In contrast, a stack of existing manuscripts of all classical Greek works would be four feet tall.

In conclusion, New Testament Scholar Daniel Bock writes,

“The Gospels compare favorably to the classics in terms of what the sources say about Jesus and Caesar. If such sourcing works for the classics and the study of Caesar, it should work for Jesus as well.”

Now remember what we’re investigating. We’re investigating the claim made by Paul that Christianity is not myth. Based on the agreed upon way in which we know any history is true, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not mere myth. It really happened.

Additionally, we have something known as the minimal facts argument. Something I present pretty much every year.

This only take a moment. In a world of deep fakes, fake news, artificial intelligence, catfishing, etc… I just want to be certain you see the bedrock of the Christian faith is a set of facts…

Jesus was a real historical person We have plenty of evidence that he was crucified. We now understand that crucifixion leads to death 100% of the time. Many people claimed to see and interact with Jesus after this death. Some of those people were themselves skeptics of Christ’s messianic claims (Paul, James). The message that Jesus was raised from the dead was taught immediately. It was not invented at some later date. We have plenty of evidence to verify this. Since this was first preached in the same city where it happened, the empty tomb was imminently verifiable. Paul was a real historical person who is considered, even by skeptics, to be a formidable intellect. His first letter to the Corinthians is believed, even by skeptics, to be authentic. Meaning he really wrote it. He tells us that Jesus appeared to many witnesses (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians) and that he even appeared to a group of 500 people. The details of the resurrection, including the women finding him first, are not compatible with a conspiracy claim.

Secondly: Why then do so many treat these facts as something less than true?

The second issue I wanted to present takes the form of a question. Why then is there not universal agreement and acceptance of these facts? Why does everyone believe in the assassination of Caesar but only a relative few believe in the resurrection of Jesus?

Why doesn’t everyone believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? As we have seen, it isn’t for lack of evidence. We have plenty of evidence — but here’s the rub — this is evidence that demands a verdict — a very personal and life changing verdict.

Look back with me at vs. 3

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

Broadly speaking, we see this text talking about a fundamental tension between the truths of Christianity and the passions of the flesh.

That’s what that phrase at the beginning of vs. 3 is talking about, “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.”

The word for sound means true, solid, built on facts.

Now look at that word “endure.” The time is coming when people won’t endure the sound teaching of Christianity. That's kind of an unusual statement.

There are plenty of facts that we don't have to endure. The truth of Caesar’s assassination requires no endurance on my part. It is what it is. I don’t have to endure the scientific principle of photosynthesis or thermodynamics. As far as I can see, these principles are fairly compatible with however I may choose to live my life.

But the resurrection of Jesus is a fact that demands something of us.

The main problem is our passions. See that in the text?

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. — 2 Timothy 4:3–4

What are we talking about when we talk about passions?

The greek word is used over 30 times in the New Testament and it usually refers to lusts, sinful desires, craving, etc…

Sometimes the passions are sexual in nature.

Sometimes they are materialistic. (Desire to be rich — 1 Timothy 6)

Sometimes the passions are related to power, or human approval.

All of these passions are directly challenged by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The bible plainly teaches that we can either live for Christ or we can live for our passions — but we cannot do both.

And this is why we find such uneven belief in the resurrection. It isn’t for lack of evidence. Rather it is that the evidence — as convincing as it is — competes with our passions.

The famed American reporter Upton Sinclair once said, “'It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

We could rephrase it, “It is difficult to get a man to accept facts when his passions force him to deny them.”

Now look back at our text again:

What does it mean, “having itching ears.” Well, there are two possibilities.

One is that people want to hear things that will satisfy their urges. You ever get an itch right in the center of your back that you simply cannot reach? So maybe what Paul is saying is that these people want to feel endorsed in their urges. And the simple gospel message isn’t doing that.

The other possibility is that it is actually the gospel that is causing their ears to itch. Some of the greek uses for the word there seem to imply their ears are being irritated. So they go somewhere else that isn’t as irritating.

So one way of putting it would be — the gospel message isn’t satisfying to our passions. And the other way of saying it would be — the gospel message is irritating to our passions.

Basically potato tomato.

So the basic thrust of the text is something like this:

Christianity is based on a set of facts Our various passions are competing with these facts. We have to choose between our facts and our feelings.

The word passion has undergone quite a transformation over the last 2000 years. These days we use it to refer to anything we’re really excited about. Yoga is my passion.

Around the 14th century, the word was used to describe strong physical or emotional desires that competed with reason and logic.

But in the beginning, the word just meant “suffering.” And it was used primarily to describe the cross of Christ. That's why the film is called, “The Passion of Jesus Christ.” The ancient latin speaking church used the word passion (passio) — which to them meant suffering.

So in a sense, we are all forced to choose which definition of passion we will center our life around. The passion of Christ or the passions of the flesh?

Hedonic Treadmill

In the worlds of neuroscience and clinical psychology a new term has emerged to describe the wide variety of dopamine seeking behaviors reeking havoc on the lives of men and women everywhere.

They talk about something called the hedonic treadmill.

Hedonic - hedonism - pleasure seeking. Treadmill — a road to nowhere. Activity without accomplishment.

People stuck on the hedonic treadmill foolishly believe that true happiness lies just around the corner. The only problem is there are no corners, there is no horizon, there is no real progress.

The next time you’re at the gym, get on a treadmill next to a person and ask, “so where are you headed today?” And they’ll look at you’ve got a screw loose. A treadmill is a road to nowhere.

But ask someone stuck blindly on the hedonic treadmill where they are headed and they will confidently assert — toward happiness!

Friends, we cannot follow Jesus if we’re on the hedonic treadmill.

Thirdly: How this helps

This morning we have a wide variety of people, men and women, boys and girls, young adults, less young adults — and in spite of all this variance — we can safely divide everyone into one of two categories:

Those who are caught on the hedonic treadmill — And those who were caught on the hedonic treadmill —

What accounts for the difference?

Those who were caught on the hedonic treadmill woke up.

They did not wake up because they were smarter than others, more spiritual than others, more sensitive than others — they woke up because the risen Christ woke them up.

He rescued them from their slavery to sin. They had traded God for pleasure and now they thank God for pleasure — and try to honor him with their appetites.

Titus 2:11-14 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

If the evidence I’ve shared has yet to convince you, I could easily call on dozens of people in this room right now to testify that this was their personal experience. He woke them up, took them off the hedonic treadmill and placed their feet on solid ground.

And what about those still churning out the miles, caught in the delusion that satisfying their passions is the purpose of life? Still fooled into believing that happiness lies just around the non-existent corner?

A pleasure centered life is, to coin an old phrase, “a myth of progress” where there is no progression. But the Christ centered, joy-filled life is no myth.

Here’s what is true…

Christ died for our sins. He was buried He was raised on the third day

The bible has another name for the hedonic treadmill. Death — the state of uninterrupted degeneration.

Ephesians 2

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. — Ephesians 2:1–10.

Let’s Pray

Where are you? Are you standing on the solid ground of real history? Or are you still stuck on the treadmill? Jesus died to set you free and as surely as he has risen from the dead, so you can be taken out of the spiritual grave and raised with him to walk in abundant life.

Has the truth dawned on you? In 2 Corinthians 5:15 Paul says, “and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

In Acts 17, Paul addresses the intellectual pagans of Athens saying, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Are you ready to follow the risen Christ?

He is worthy of your worship. He is worthy of your life.

Successful Christian Parenting, Part 2

Chris Oswald — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Successful Christian Parenting, Part 2

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 24th March 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 3:14-15

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We’re going to talk about the role of influence in raising up children who love the Lord. We get this concept by the inclusion of a little phrase in vs. 14 — “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.”

I think parents intuitively understand this. So I don’t suspect I’ll show you anything new today. My aim is to merely highlight and reemphasize a principle you probably already understand.

I. Negative Influence

We’ve just moved through a section of the book where the negative influence of others has been discussed.

In chapter 2, we saw that irreverent conversations lead to more and more ungodliness. Paul compared this kind of thing to gangrene — spreading from one member of the body to another.

And then in chapter 3, (Logan Thune preached an excellent message on this topic) we see Paul say:

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Ti 3:1–5)

All of this fits with we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:33 — “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.”

The danger of bad influence is a constant theme of the Old Testament. When Israel sinned (which they often did), they often did so by “learning the ways of the nations that surrounded them.” (Jeremiah 10:2)

And the book of Proverbs is full of fatherly counsel about who’s company to avoid:

Proverbs 22:24-25

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Proverbs 23:19-21

Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

We join with David who said in Psalm 119

Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

We need to say this for our children, on behalf of our children. We need to banish evil doers from their presence as well.

Last week I mentioned that 30 of young people leave the Christian faith. What happened? In many respects — influence.

As the spiritual father of Timothy, Paul was careful to curate the company Timothy kept. Likewise, mothers and fathers must do the same for their children.

So that’s a bit about the negative side. What about the positive?

II. Positive Influnce

Look back at vs. 13-14

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

There’s a phrase going around in theological circles right now. An old phrase, originating with Thomas Aquinas — grace perfects nature. That’s what Paul is doing. He isn’t trying to overcome the nature of man. Man is is going to be influenced. That is nature.

Here we see that while Timothy is surrounded by a sea of unfaithfulness, but his life has been built up on an island of godly influence. While so many others are bobbing in the sea, tossed to and fro by every wind and wave, Timothy has a faith built up on high ground.

That phrase, “from whom you have learned it” is in the plural. Paul isn’t pointing to himself alone. Rather he is pointing to the whole company of influences who played a role in passing on the faith.

We can delineate these influences in three categories:

His Household His Church His Mentor

IIA. The Role of the Church and Godly Mentors

I’m going to spend most of my time emphasizing the importance of godly parents in the successful transmission of the faith — but Timothy’s story provides us with an opportunity to mention the role the whole church plays in helping a young person continue in the faith.

So let me lump “Church” and “Mentor” into a single point and talk about that for a moment.

I never gave you a brief biographical sketch of Timothy. So let’s do that now.

Let’s start with his name.

Timotheo — literally means God honoring.

His name appears at least 25 times in the New Testament.

Five times in Acts Twice in 1 Corinthians Twice in 2 Corinthians Twice in Philippians Once in Colossians Twice in 1 Thessalonians Once in 2 Thessalonians Many times in 1 and 2 Timothy Once in Philemon Once in Hebrews

I did not do a comparative analysis of other prominent names. But it would be hard to imagine that amongst the non-apostles, there is any other name that appears as often. Timothy was a very prominent figure in the early church.

And there’s a point to be made about that. Parents, when we raise our kids for the Lord, we raise them for the Lord’s kingdom. Church history is full of men and women who had an outsized influence in the kingdom — the vast majority of them were consistently prayed over by at least one parent.

This reminds me of a cute little exchange between Spurgeon and his mother.

Spurgeon’s mom: “Ah, Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist.”

Spurgeon: “Ah, mother! The Lord has answered your prayer with his usual bounty, and given you exceedingly above what you asked or thought.”

The connection between Spurgeon’s influence and his mother’s prayers is not novel. This is the norm we see over and over again in church history. There are some outliers — men and women saved from raw paganism who ascended to prominence in the church. But generally speaking, the pattern we see in Timothy and in Spurgeon is the primary way God does things.

Now Spurgeon was not Spurgeon because of his mother alone. And neither was Timothy.

His name first appears in Acts 16. Paul was in the town of Lystra. There he meets a young Timothy who is described as “a disciple” — the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek and presumably not a believer.

Acts 16:2 says that. "He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.

Now this little sentence reveals the role the local church plays in the development of godly young men and young women.

This tells us that Timothy was so enmeshed in the life of that local church that the brothers in both his own home church and even a neighboring church knew him. They had their eyes on him. They were able to say to Paul, “this young man Timothy really loves the Lord.”

Let me wrap this section up by sharing a vision or daydream I recently had.

I imagined a prominent visitor coming to a very beautiful and well run medieval city. When he arrived, the city’s mayor who was a very industrious and kind hearted leader was eager to show him around his quite large and well fortified town. The town was bustling with life, full of productivity, and a great wall surrounded the town to protect it from invaders.

The mayor said something to the effect of, “we have this huge wall and several dozen gates built into different parts of the wall so that goods can efficiently be brought in and sent out from nearly every part of the city.”

And the guest was duly impressed. He said, “Mr. Mayor, this is a beautiful town! Your diligence and love for this place is very obvious.” But then he asked a rather penetrating follow up question.

“You have how many gates — several dozen? Yes. How many gatekeepers do you have?”

The mayor looked down, somewhat embarrassed and sheepishly replied, “You’ve touched on a real problem we’re facing. We built all of these gates but have had trouble finding gatekeepers. We have dozens of gates but only two full time gatekeepers. And they are getting quite old! So these gates, which really are an asset, have become somewhat of a liability. We don’t have enough people willing to guard all of these gates.”

Friends, when your children are young, they only have a few gates. Mom and Dad can and should guard them. But as a child grows older, he, by necessity of age and the complexity of his own life will require many gates. Here’s the question. Who will help you guard all of these gates? The answer is the church, the living body of Christ, the people of God.

With all of the immediate demands of raising children, I want to encourage you to be very careful to not neglect the long game. While you are raising your children, you also need to be raising up allies within the church. Trust me, the day will come will you will need a whole community of faith to help stand guard over your child’s life and doctrine. The friendships you build in the church today will become gatekeepers in your child’s life tomorrow.

Pick a church and stick with it. If at all possible, put down roots. Plant relational seeds so that when they are older, your children find themselves in an environment teeming with godly influences.

Not only did Timothy grow up in a Christian home, but he also grew up in a wider Christian community.

No person lives a perfect Christian life. We all have blindspots and inconsistencies. Furthermore, our lives are very particular contexts. If we isolate our children from the church, we deprive them of the opportunity to see the Christian life lived out in a variety of contexts, articulated in a variety of voices, with a variety of burdens and blindspots.

By the time your child is 18, he or she should have seen the Christian life applied in a wide variety of careers, ages, and seasons of life.

He or she should have seen how the Christian life is applied in a wide variety of problems.

How does the single mother trust Jesus? How does the chronically ill person fight discouragement? How does the person struggling with substance abuse find deliverance? How does the marriage rocked by an affair get put back together again? How does the man who unexpectedly loses his job get back on his feet? How does the couple struggling with infertility walk in faith?

We want our kids to see how all of Christ applies to all of life. That’s too big of a job for one set of parents.

IIB: Positive Influence: The Role of Parents

But it certainly begins with the parents.

That’s probably the main idea in our text:

We see that Paul is thinking mostly of Timothy’s childhood. And he is pointing to the faith of his mother and also his grandmother.

You may remember that this is how Paul opened this letter. Way back in chapter 1 the apostle Paul writes,

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. (2 Ti 1:3–5).

The key ingredient to raising up godly children is that the faith of his parents be sincere. The greek literally means — non-hypocritical. The greek word for hypocrite is closely associated with actors. Not in the climate change private jet sense our modern day celebrities. But in the simple sense of acting or playing a part.

There should be no huge disparity between who you are in the home and who you present yourself to be in the church.

Time and time again, it is this problem that causes young men and women to stumble. They learn to think of Christianity is a set of projected behaviors and church as a kind of LARP.

Dad is angry at home but pleasant at church. Mom is sassy or worried at home but in church, she is abounding in faith.

We don’t want to teach our children that Christianity is an act to put on in certain company. We want them to see that by in large, we are the same person in every context. Let me conclude with something I think I received from the Lord to pass on to you.

Let’s wrap up by thinking of the story of the prodigal son.

Tell the story: Prideful punk who squanders his inheritance and only comes to his senses when he has no other options. The father sees him from a long way off and runs to him and eagerly bestows grace upon grace. The older brother who never left, is provoked by this. Because he is a stranger to grace.

Now how do we normally process this story? Especially when talking about parenting.

I have a friend that I see a couple of times a year. He is a little older than me and has five adult sons. One of those sons has completely abandoned the faith. And from time to time, I pray for this young man.

When I meet with my friend, I usually ask, “how’s the prodigal doing?” And he responds, “still prodigaling.” And so we keep praying and dreaming of restoration.

When we think of the prodigal son, we tend to think of situations like that. We pray in hope that these stayed sheep will come to their senses and return to the heavenly father. Fair enough.

But you know, the real message of that story is not to tell us about the nature of prodigals. It is to tell us the nature of God.

A God who, in spite of being seriously wronged, is eager to forgive and embrace his ruined son. So happy at his recovery, that he throws a feast (not sure if it was brunch themed).

Moms and dads of all ages and stages. When was the last time you felt the Father’s embrace?

The bible talks about Moses physically glowing after being in the presence of God. Are you glowing after experiencing the grace of God?

When was the last time you felt the forgiveness of God? When was the last time you went to him completely undone and and honestly repentant? When was the last time you felt the joy of the Father who secured our forgiveness in Christ?

I counted up the years I’ve been doing pastoral ministry. 27. In all that time, I’ve found that all Christian homes can be divided into two basic categories.

There are Christian homes led by parents who see themselves as restored prodigals.

And then there are Christian homes les by parents who have more in common with the older son. They are strangers to grace.

You see, I imagine these two men growing up and having children of their own. And I am certain that the prodigal son would make a much better parent than the older son.

Strangers to grace make terrible parents.

But the prodigal knew the grace of God intimately, presently, personally. Do you?

Friends, we all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way.

Some of us have very significant seasons of extreme prodigal behavior. Some of us spread out our prodigal behavior in “micro-aggressions” over a long period of time. All of us routinely turn aside from the Father.

We are all like sheep that have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In the end, we want our children to say, mom and dad were people intimately familiar with grace. They were forgiven much, so they loved much.

COMMUNION

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. — 1 Co 11:23–26.

Successful Christian Parenting, Part 1

Chris Oswald — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Successful Christian Parenting, Part 1

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 17th March 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

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14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:14–17

For the next two week’s we are going to talk about Christian Parenting. Many of you are parents and I have no doubt that if you pay attention, you will find much instruction from our time in this passage.

But what about those of you who are not parents?

All I’m going to talk about for the next two weeks pertains to how to help someone grow in godliness. So one way to listen to these sermons would be to apply all of it to yourself. Indeed, it is key for everyone listening to apply these truths to themselves even if they do have children.

And there’s a second way for those without children to listen to these messages. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the culture is in real trouble. 30% of young adults leaving a Christian home also leave Christianity. That number is deceptive. It is talking about people who self-identify as Christians. 30% walk away from the title completely. Many more walk about from the basic doctrines of the faith, accommodating the spirit of the age, while retaining the basic title of Christian. Our very national identity depends on a significant reversal of these trends.

In an address entitled “The Kind of Revival We Need,” Charles Spurgeon said,

We deeply want a revival of domestic religion. The Christian family was the bulwark of godliness in the days of the Puritans, but in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no family worship, no restraint upon growing sons, and no wholesome instruction or discipline. How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance when His own disciples do not teach His gospel to their own children? “Oh, Christian men and women, be thorough in what you do and know and teach! Let your families be trained in the fear of God and be yourselves ‘holiness unto the Lord’; so shall you stand like a rock amid the surging waves of error and ungodliness which rage around us.

And if this was true in Spurgeon’s day, how much more is it true of ours?

So whether you are a parent or not, it is absolutely in our collective best interest to support any effort aimed at bringing about a revival of bible based Christian parenting.

Now as I alluded to a moment ago, our passage today is remarkable. I would say it belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Bible passages about parenting.

I would say we have at least three essential parenting texts in the scriptures:

Firstly, we have Deuteronomy 6:4-7

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Secondly, we have Ephesians 6:4

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Thirdly, we have the whole book of Proverbs. Where we see parenting in action on every page.

And finally, we have this passage in 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

The Aim

One of the things I love about this passage is that it shows the aim of Christian parenting.

Look at vs. 14,

I don’t know of another bible verse that so clearly describes the basic goal of parenting. The goal is to be able to say to your adult children, “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.”

It’d be pretty difficult to overstate how magnificent this little sentence is!

We have a young sister church in Bozeman Montana that has encountered some but pretty tough sledding. Namely because of property costs. They’ve lost several meeting spaces due to rent increases. Young families are having to move away because they can no longer afford to live there. A city official confided in one of our guys that about 50% of the young people in Bozeman are trust fund babies with millions and even billions of dollars at their disposal.

Timothy was a trust fund baby — only with the greatest treasure. Every parent listening to this message ought to have the aim to make their children trust fund babies.

Proverbs 13:22 says, A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. And there is no greater inheritance than the gospel.

“Three bricklayers are asked: “What are you doing?” The first says, “I am laying bricks.” The second says, “I am building a church.” And the third says, “I am building the house of God.” The first bricklayer has a job. The second has a career. The third has a calling.”

It is essential that Christian parents see their work as a calling. You really are building up the household of God.

If we have kids, we have a high and holy calling. Or as Spurgeon also said, “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”

And in addition to the aim, this text presents us with two key strategies.

“Tolstoy opens Anna Karenina by observing: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”All happy Christian homes are filled with the word of God.

God’s Word — which we will handle today Godly Influence — which we will handle next week as we conclude our series on this book.

The primary tool of effective Christian parenting is the word of God.

It is interesting to note, that perhaps the central verse related to the inerrancy and sufficiency of the scriptures is located within the context of child-rearing. We are free to apply this text to a wide variety of areas, but let us be sure to see that primary place of application.

The scriptures are provided to parents to teach, reproof, correct, and train their young men and young women so that they may be men and women of God, complete and equipped for every good work.

Every home has certain questions that get asked over and over agin.

What’s for dinner?  How was your day? What are we doing tonight? Has anyone seen my keys?

Great Christian homes ask one question over and over again.

“What does the Bible say?”

Not only does this passage commend the communication of scriptures. It tells us something even more specific. Look back at the beginning vs. 14, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…”

Lock into that phrase, “have firmly believed.”

That’s the real trick isn’t it? We aren’t content with the mere communication of the faith, we want successful transmission. And admittedly, this is something only God can do. We can teach our children the scriptures, but we cannot will them into conversion. And yet, if we use the scriptures the way they intended to be used, we can prime their hearts to receive the gospel with joy.

Look back at verses 14-15 again,

If you have your bibles, underline the phrase, “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

We can teach the Bible to our kids in a way that can make them wise for salvation.

What do you think that means? How is someone made wise for salvation?

Friends, this is speaking of the role the law plays in provoking a person’s conscience to see their need for the gospel. Remember, when Paul is talking about the sacred scriptures of Timothy’s youth — he is talking about the Old Testament.

Earlier I mentioned that 30% of young people leave Christianity all together. And again, I believe that number is even higher than that when you account for those who keep the name Christian but depart from orthodoxy.

Older generations would’ve assumed this statistic has developed from one particular problem.

“There is no point upon which men make greater mistakes than upon the relationship which exists between the Law and the gospel. Ignorance of the nature and design of the Law is at the bottom of most religious mistakes.” — John Newton

In short, the general recommendation of the text is to teach our kids the Bible. Let them be raised in bible saturated homes.

And the specific recommendation of the text is to teach them the law so that they may be wise unto salvation. Consider this from Martin Luther,

“Therefore learn, who can learn, and learn well, so that we may know, first the Ten Commandments, what we owe to God. For if we do not know this, then we know nothing and we will not inquire about Christ in the least. Just like we monks did who either held Christ to be an angry judge or despised him entirely in the face of our imaginary holiness. We fancied we were not in sin, which the Ten Commandments show and punish; but we had the natural light of reason and free will, and if we lived according to that, as much as we were able, then God would have to bestow upon us his grace, etc. But now, if we are to know Christ as our helper and Savior, then we must first know, out of what he can help us, not out of fire or water, or other bodily need and danger, but out of sin and the hatred of God. But whence do I know that I lie drowned in misery? From no other source than from the Law, that must show me what my loss and disease are, or I will never inquire for the physician and his help.”

Matthew Henry puts it this way,

“The commandments of the Lord are pure, holy, just, and good. By them we discover our need of a Savior; and then learn how to adorn his gospel. They are the means which the Holy Spirit uses in enlightening the eyes; they bring us to a sight and sense of our sin and misery, and direct us in the way of duty.”

Just so we’re all on the same page, we are seeing the great aim of Christian parenting, we want to be able to say to them —

“continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed” (14)

And the main supporting strategy given to accomplish this are bible saturated homes.

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings (15a)

And then within that broad strategy of bible saturation, we have an important point of emphasis. Teach them the law, the holy standards of God so that they can be made…

“…wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (15b)

How to Teach the Law

Just so there’s no confusion, let me clear about what I mean by the law. God’s salvific work happens in two phases, most broadly labeled law and gospel.

The law highlights our need for salvation. The gospel provides the means of salvation.

It would be wrong to say that the law is located in the Old Testament and the gospel is located in the New Testament. There is plenty of gospel in the OT and plenty of law in the NT. The law is simply the righteous requirements of God designed to bring conviction to the conscience. The gospel is the righteous fulfillment of the law by Christ meant to produce relief and joy to the convicted conscience.

To be very specific, parents should, at minimum teach and talk about and use the 10 commandments as the law of their home.

And in addition to the 10 commandments, parents should teach their children the sermon on the mount. Which is found in Matthew 5-7.

These texts in particular make a person wise unto salvation.

I remember like yesterday, a night when the kids were very young. Wesley had just emerged on to the scene. Sarah and Brooke were very young. Sarah had gotten the chicken pox — and it was a bad case. And then Brooke got the chicken pox — and it was a very light case.

So Sarah was in her bed living the life of Job. Scratching herself with a piece of clay pot. And Brooke was running a light temperature with a barely any actual pox.

One night during this ordeal, Angela and I were asleep and we awoke to a sobbing Sarah standing by our bed. And we asked, “what is wrong?” And she said, “I sinned and I feel really bad about it.” And we said, “Ok, well what did you do?” I’m thinking to myself, you couldn’t have done much — all you’ve been doing is laying in bed watching Barney tapes. She said, “I hated Brookie in my heart.” And she just kept repeating that. So we asked, “what do you mean?” And she said, “I hated Brookie in my heart because she said the chicken pox were fun and not a big deal and I then I hated Brookie in my heart.”

So we told her that Jesus will forgive her because he died to forgive her and that she should trust him and go back to bed.

Now can you think through all of the instruction that had gone into making that moment possible? We were asleep, but the law was at work.

Somewhere along the way, Sarah had been taught Matthew 5:21-22 where Jesus says,

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

So while we were asleep, the law was making her wise for salvation. It was showing her her sin.

Friends, since at least the 1960s, Christian parents have been conditioned to believe that the primary reason young adults abandon the faith is due to their being brought up in an overly rigid and law based environment.

In contradiction to that, I would draw your attention to is that when these young people depart the faith, they typically run into more legalistic contexts. The unconverted young people of the west are some of the most legalistic people on the face of the earth.

Careful to use the proper pronouns. Eager to levy the law on the population — carbon taxes, mask and vaccine requirements. Often following strict diets. Eager participants of cancel culture.

So I would argue that legalism isn’t the problem it is made out to be. They aren’t running away from law — only God’s law. Rules are not the problem. They love rules. One of the best selling books to young women is entitled All the Rules, Time Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mrs. Right. That book has sold millions of copies. One of the best selling books amongst young men is entitled 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

We need to let go of the myth that rules are the problem.

In addition to being illogical, it is unbiblical.

The Bible teaches us very clearly that God’s rules make us wise for salvation. And we have to get rid of a very shallow understanding of the role of fear. The scriptures, in particular the law makes us wise for salvation. Does anyone remember what Proverbs teaches us about the root of wisdom?

Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Listen to what Spurgeon says to a crowd before he presents them with the gospel:

“…there is war between you and God’s Law. The Ten Commandments are against you…The First one comes forward and says, “Let him be cursed, for he denies me. He has another god besides me; his god is his belly, he yields homage to his lust.” All the Ten Commandments, like ten great pieces of cannon, are pointed at you today, for you have broken all God’s statutes, and lived in the daily neglect of all His commands. Soul! You will find it a hard thing to go to war with the Law. When the Law came in peace, Sinai was altogether on a smoke, and even Moses said, “I do exceedingly fear and quake.” What will you do when the Law comes in terror, when the trumpet of the archangel shall tear you from your grave, when the eyes of God shall burn their way into your guilty soul, when the great books shall be opened, and all your sin and shame shall be published? Can you stand against an angry Law in that day?

Now I want to be very clear. God has given us the one two punch of law and gospel. You will not be able to raise up a Timothy if your home is only law. You will not be able to raise up a Timothy if your home is only gospel.

Conclusion:

Thought my study, I was reminded of the story of David, desiring to build the temple but being kept from doing so. He could not build the temple. But he could lay up all the materials needed so that when his son rose to power, Solomon could quickly finish the work of David’s heart.

Friends, we cannot convert our children. But we can carefully lay out all of the material needed. That material is found in the word of God. In both the law of God and the gospel of God.

Oh friends, I now speak a blessing over you — one of the richest blessings I could ever wish for you. May you have the joy of being able to say to your older children one day — “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.”

Resurrection Heresies

Chris Oswald — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Resurrection Heresies

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 29th February 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 2:17-18

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In this episode, pastor Chris discusses resurrection concepts in the New Testament and examines possible heresies that can undo a faithful understanding of these doctrines.

A Kingdom Divided: Evangelicalism in the American Civil War

Chris Oswald — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A Kingdom Divided: Evangelicalism in the American Civil War

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 26th February 2024

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A discussion of April Holme's book: A Kingdom Divided: Evangelicals, Loyalty, and Sectionalism in the Civil War Era (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War)

Error Correction: At the 5min mark, I suggest that the northern position was abolitionism. This is false. The proper way to describe the general northern position would be to say that they were generally against slavery. Abolitionism was a particularly aggressive position within the larger, anti-slavery camp.

Systems and Strategies for Fending Off Spiritual Attacks

Chris Oswald, Dov Cohen — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Systems and Strategies for Fending Off Spiritual Attacks

Series: Podcast

Speakers:

Chris Oswald
Dov Cohen

Date: 26th February 2024

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In this episode Pastor Chris is joined by Dov Cohen as they discuss practical ways to strengthen yourself against spiritual attacks.

Toward Theological Endurance

Chris Oswald — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Toward Theological Endurance

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 18th February 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 2:11-19

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February 18 2024 Sermon

Introduction: The Unkillable Soldier

Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian de Wiart, was a British Army officer born of Belgian and Irish parents. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" in various Commonwealth countries. He served in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War. He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; was blinded in his left eye; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor declined to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly, I had enjoyed the war.”

Today I want to talk about how to develop theological endurance. What I mean by theological endurance is a commitment to biblical doesn’t change when the culture changes, when your circumstances change, etc…

Doctrine that can endure many battles over many years, doctrine that can take a bullet and keep on keeping on.

It was about this time of year, way back in 1974, that Charles Spurgeon wrote the following to his students:

We must be ready to give up anything and everything for the sake of the principles which we have espoused, and must be ready to offend our best supporters, to alienate our warmest friends, sooner than belie our consciences. We must be ready to be beggars in purse, and offscourings in reputation, rather than act treacherously. We can die, but we cannot deny the truth. The cost is already counted, and we are determined to buy the truth at any price, and sell it at no price.

That’s what I mean by theological or doctrinal endurance.

Now when I say doctrine, you might think of the biggies. The divinity of Christ. Justification by faith alone. Penal substitutionary atonement. And of course, I do mean these things. But we are living in an age where things we don’t even think of as doctrine are under attack:

Doctrine of marriage. Doctrine of gender. Doctrine of conflict resolution. Doctrine of biblical justice. So on and so forth.

It is very important to me that you build theological resilience. And that you live your whole life as faithfully as possible.

Endurance is a great theme of this little book. In vs. 1-3, we see that Timothy is to find faithful men who are able to teach others.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

The word faithful is just another way of talking about endurance. Faithful not flakey.

And in vs. 11-13, the endurance theme appears again —

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

And Paul tells Timothy to remind these faithful men about the importance of endurance.

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Remind them of the importance of all kinds of endurance. Including theological endurance.

I. The Nature of Human Perception: Belief & Belonging

One way we can develop theological endurance is to understand there is always a connection between our beliefs and desire for belonging.

There is copious amounts of psychological data, especially following WW2, on the problem of groupthink. It is really shocking how quickly someone’s need to belong can twist their perception of reality. Those studies usually involve the perception of naked facts.

It only gets more complicated when discussing things like doctrines. Which are even more complex in some respect than naked facts. If our perception of color is that susceptible to our desire to belong, how much more our perception of spiritual things.

I actually don’t believe there is anything to be done about that. It is a fundamental to human nature. And it something God gave us for a very specific purpose. Our desire to be loved and accepted by him — works in favor of our theological fidelity. In God’s perfect design, there is no gap between our relational needs and our perceptual capacities. We were created to belong to God. To walk with him. To know him. To feel and seek his approval. And in that context, the human connection between our beliefs and longing to belong are suited for one another.

That’s what Paul is commending to Timothy in vs. 15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

The image of an approved worker is tied into the principle of apprenticeship. The apprentice is doing his work for an audience of one. He is trying to please his teacher.

Paul is giving us a simple but powerful key to theological endurance. Remember who it is you’re trying to please. Remember who’s test you’re trying to pass.

Look at vs. 16-18

16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.

Now I plan on dropping a podcast on some of the theological stuff happening here related to the resurrection in particular. But I don’t think we need to get into all of that here. What I think it is most important to see is this link between beliefs and belonging.

There were many resurrection related heresies in that day. We aren’t given enough information to know the specifics of this situation. But let’s just quickly consider two possibilities.

We know there was Jewish heresy that taught a limited resurrection. Namely the patriarchs and a few other special people would be resurrected during the time of the Messiah.

Let’s suppose this was the idea going around in the Ephesian church. Let’s carry this idea of belonging motivated beliefs into that possibility.

If these so-called Christians were adopting a Jewish idea, we need to hasten to add that the Jews were at that time religious bullies. The majority of heat on the early church came from the Jews. Do you see what I’m getting at? One motivation to depart from sound doctrine would be to make your beliefs more like the people most likely to pounce on you for disagreeing with them. To appease those with the most cultural power.

Who are the bullies of this age? The rainbow mafia to be sure. The marxist guilt manipulators. There are areas of Christian doctrine that are simply incompatible with these perspectives. And our drive to belong is so strong that we can convince ourselves that we aren’t compromising — we’ve just arrived at a “new understanding.” And that new understanding just so happens to be less offensive to the bullies.

Now there’s another possibility with this resurrection heresy. Rather than being specifically Jewish, it could’ve been gnostic. The gnostics spiritualized everything. The resurrection wasn’t a physical thing but rather a purely ephemeral thing.

Now supposing this was an adoption of the gnostic principle. Then we can draw another important lesson. The gnostics were the intelligent ones. Their entire religion was built on intellectual pride. And so we have another motivation revealed. To be thought of as smart.

Who are the intellectual cool kids?

The point I am making is that when it comes to perception and epistemology, we are not mere computers. There are emotional, relational issues at play. These desires for acceptance and approval are an inescapable part of human cognition.

All we can do is choose who we’re trying to please. Who’s acceptance we’re going for. Etc….

I heard about a terrible thing done by a company’s IT department. Some of you know about Phishing. Emails sent to workers meant to entice them to click, provide confidential information, etc… And this has become such a problem that IT departments proactively send out phishing emails to their own employees to weed out the most gullible. Well, just last week, I heard about an IT department in what sounded like a decent sized company — send out a phishing email to its employees to the effect of — “you have a Valentines delivery waiting for you downstairs. Hit this button and then come pick it up.” So all of these people immediately felt like someone loved them and their hearts lifted a little bit thinking — wow, so and so remembered or wow, I have a secret admirer. They pranced down to the lobby of the business with anticipation in their hearts — only to find Kyle from IT waiting down there to give them a stern talking to.

The part of you that wants others to love you, appreciate you, etc… is going to affect your judgment. There’s no way around it.

It would be a shame to face God one day and realize that you failed the test. You bit the hook of worldly approval.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

II. The Nature of Ideas: They Bite

These ideas have power. Look back at vs. 14

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

The word for ruin is catastrophe.

And then in vs. 15-17

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

When someone in the hospital develops gangrene, or something less serious like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) — the whole medical staff treats that situation with the upmost seriousness and caution.

“…who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.”

Look for a moment at the word upset. I really wish the English translators had chosen a different word. To me, that sounds like a kind of pearl-clutching emotional thing. The word upset is the exact word used for Jesus’ turning over the tables. This is serious.

Let’s say a little more about this phrase in vs. 16 — “avoid irreverent babble”

The ancient world at this particular time was very similar to our world in this respect. There was a high view of cosmopolitanism. Projecting a high degree of openness to new ideas. We see in the book of acts, the Athenians gathered for the sole purpose of discussing anything new. The concern with this kind of culture is that it can create a kind of casualness and irreverence around issues that require a kind of humility and awe.

When it comes to thinking about theology, one should never be fully relaxed. We don’t need to be fearful. But we do need to be careful. People don’t seem to understand that the ideas they think about are kind of like powerful forces that capture an unsuspecting person. You ever see one of those videos of a person getting sucked into a jet engine? Ideas have power. You can’t just casually play around with stuff.

Let me put it this way. Thinking about theology is not like going to the zoo to look at lions. That whole thing is built for safety. That lion is well fed. He is not climbing that wall, etc. So that you can stand there in your flip flops with your overpriced slushy and just casually take it all in.

Thinking about theology is more like going to the African Savannah to look at lions. Whenever we think about theology, philosophy, metaphysics, etc… we need to understand — these ideas bite. They consume people. Be careful. Don’t be overly casual. You need to be respectful. You need to be sober-minded. You need a good guide.

III. The Korah Story

19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

These statements are almost certainly references to a story recorded in Numbers 16. A story usually referred to as Korah’s Rebellion. This story was used throughout Judaism and the early church to talk about theological schisms. Let me close our time together with that story.

This is all taking place when the people of Israel were in the wilderness with Moses. Korah was a levite, a priest who attended to the sacrifices and to the tabernacle, etc… And he fomented an acute sense of dissatisfaction amongst many people toward Moses. And when he felt like he had gathered enough malcontents, he rose up against Moses and Aaron saying, “They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” (Numbers 16)

So the usual charge goes out — Moses and Aaron are elitists. They are full of pride. It’s all projection of course. But it is all washed in the language of democracy and equality. This reminds me of an Edwin Friedman quote:

“It has been my impression that at any gathering, whether it be public or private, those who are quickest to inject words like sensitivity, empathy, consensus, trust, confidentiality, and togetherness into their arguments have perverted these humanitarian words into power tools to get others to adapt to them.”

Real abuses of power do occur. But from the very beginning (Garden), false accusations of power abuse are used by those who would 100% abuse their power if they got it.

Moses does what a good leader does. He says, “well, the Lord knows who are his.” Let’s all just go stand before the Lord and let him sort it all out.

So the whole congregation gathered and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, stand back, I’m just going to destroy them all. And Moses and Aaron fall on their face and cry out to the Lord and beg him to spare the people. Only punish those directly responsible. So the Lord says, “well then you’d better tell the people to move away from Korah and his gang.” So Moses tells the people, stand with who you want to follow (this seems to be where the second line in vs. 19 comes from — Depart from the iniquitous ones — Numbers 16:26)

And then the ground splits open and consumes all of the Korah’s people. And then fire falls from heaven and destroys another 250 co-conspirators.

Now that whole thing went about as well as it could possibly go. It turned out to be a kind of surgical strike. It appears the gangrenous toe had been amputated just in time.

But that turns out not to be the case. The next day all the people arose and grumbled against Moses and Aaron — “You have killed the people of the LORD.” — the Korah bacteria had spread. The toe was amputated, but enough necrotizing bacteria had already gotten into the blood stream.

And so God sends a plague of judgment on them, and it seems to spread exactly like gangrene does. It moves over the people. Starting in one place and moving across the plain. Aaron runs into the middle of this. He’s described as standing in-between the dead (at his face) and the living (at his back). And he holds up a censer that is burning with fire that came from the altar — and he’s just holding back the plague with this thing. A real “You shall not pass” kind of moment.

And thankfully only about 12,000 people died.

So what is the point of this story?

Firstly, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the artfulness of Paul’s referencing this story.

People getting incepted/infected with an idea. Bad ideas working through a people like gangrene through a body. Plague. The only way to save the body is to cut off the disease. BTW, that’s what church discipline is for.

But I think Paul’s reason for citing this story goes deeper.

Some suggest Paul inserted this as a way of suggesting that people should be respectful of him — like they should of been of Moses. Ok. Fair enough.

But here’s another way to think about it. Moses is routinely a stand-in or personification of God’s word. I think that’s the best way to think about this. Moses = the Bible. Korah = you and your own understanding.

We become Korahs when we accuse the word. When we bring our own definitions of love, our own definitions of justice, etc… up against the Bible.

You could look at the word of God and think — well that’s just harsh and unloving, etc… You could lead your little rebellion or follow someone else’s. You could be a Korah.

But how exactly do you expect that to go?

The Lord knows who are his. Therefore let everyone steer clear of that iniquity.

Summary/Conclusion:

You are a relational perceiver — our beliefs are always mixed up with our need to belong. Who do you want to belong to? Friendship with the world is enmity with God.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Ideas have power. When you think about theology, you’re not at the zoo, your on the Savannah.

Avoid irreverent babble

You vs. the word — never a good idea.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Communion:

The thing that cut off the plague was fire from the altar burning incense. This is a picture of the cross. What? Fire = judgment. Incense = pleasing to God.

Jesus Christ stops the plague of theological compromise. He says, “here and no farther…”

Romans 5:17-18

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Strengthened by Grace

Chris Oswald — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Strengthened by Grace

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 11th February 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 2:1-10

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2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

Intro: First responders, firemen in particular are trained to use a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus — you’ve seen these — hopefully only in movies. The whole face glass shield which is sealed — and connected to an oxygen tank on their back.

Trainers help firefighters get used to this equipment and learn to rely on it because one day, those firefighters are going to be sent into a smokey place while breathing an whole different kind of air.

The Christian must learn to rely on God’s supply of strength. Otherwise they will cower in the face of potential suffering, or quit the first time smoke fills the room.

I. Be Strengthened

“Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

The power of this prescription is hidden from us if we, like so many other Christian people, equate grace with forgiveness.

You were forgiven by grace. But grace is not the same as forgiveness. Grace is a much bigger thing than that.

I believe it was John Stott who once defined grace as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Forgiveness being just one of those riches. And this is relevant to our text because Paul is telling Timothy to be strengthened by grace.

If we tend to think of grace as mostly an eraser, we might wonder how someone is to be strengthened in it. But grace is far more like an engine than an eraser.

In fact let me take a minute just to present a larger picture of grace — some of which you know, some of which you might not know.

It is expensive yet extensive. Expensive — the grace of God is paid for by the blood of Christ. It is expensive — it could not be acquired by any other means but the cross of Jesus Christ — but counterintuitively, it is also extensive. It is if each drop of Christ’s blood has secured its own ocean of grace.

It is an undeserved prerogative The word prerogative means an exclusive privilege or right exercised by a person or group of people holding a particular office or hereditary rank. Grace is unmerited favor at God’s expense. We don’t deserve it. We can do nothing to earn it. And yet, we have unlimited access to it. The proper word to describe this idea is birthright. It is a right. But not a right which we have earned. Grace is our birthright. If we are in Christ, unlimited amounts of priceless grace is ours for the asking.

It is both expulsive and propulsive. By expulsive, I mean it pushes out other things. In an article on Desiring God, John Piper recalls once being asked a trick question. “If you had access to all the latest machinery in a sophisticated science lab, what would be the most effective way to get all the air out of a glass beaker? One ponders the possible ways to suck the air out and create a vacuum. Eventually, the answer is given: fill it with water.”

That article is about an old Scottish theologian named Thomas Chalmers who preached a sermon entitled, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” in which he talks about the way that love for God pushes out love for world comfort.

But how, Chalmers asks, can one displace the common human love for comfort? Or, as Piper asks, how does one get the air out of a glass beaker? The most straightforward answer being — fill it with something else. This is what Chalmers meant by the expulsive power of a new affection. And it is grace that can displace our lesser loves with something much grander.

This is what I mean when I say grace is expulsive. But grace is not a merely static substance. It doesn’t only displace lesser loves, it energizes and activates godly living. So in addition to being expulsive, grace is also propulsive. It moves you forward.

Commenting on this aspect of grace, Louis Berkoff states: “…there are clear indications of the fact that it is not a mere passive quality, but also an active force, a power, something that labours.” And he cites various proof texts including 2 Timothy 2:1 and also 1 Corinthians 15:10 in which Paul states: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

This propulsive power of grace seems to be key to Paul’s charge for Timothy to be strengthened by grace. Timothy has come to a fork in the road. He can choose the road of safety or he can choose the road less traveled — which is the road of Christ.

How can Paul help his friend Timothy? How can he stir him up to faith and good deeds? It is grace that can make him strong.

II. Why You Need Strength

I think we can see quite clearly, that Paul is seeking to stir Timothy up to zealous effort by the next section. Look at verse 3,

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

These three occupations have one thing in common — namely, productive discomfort. And this brings us to our second misconception. We must be clear at the outset that Christian life is no walk in the park.

As Jesus said, “if anyone wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” — Matthew 16:24

But Paul has provided three vocations when in theory one would do. So let’s take a moment and consider these in a little more detail.

The Soldier & Suffering as Second Nature (4) “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”

When we say something is second nature, we mean they are good at it. They take to it like it was their natural environment. Something that is so familiar that it is done without having to think about it. Something you have gotten used to.

As Tertullian put it in his Address to Martyrs:

‘No soldier comes to the war surrounded by luxuries, nor goes into action from a comfortable bedroom, but from the makeshift and narrow tent, where every kind of hardness and severity and unpleasantness is to be found.’

Stott comments:

Similarly, the Christian should not expect an easy time. If he is loyal to the gospel, he is sure to experience opposition and ridicule. He must ‘share in suffering’ with his comrades-in-arms

And then when it says, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” — I think all it means is that he isn’t looking over into the civilian world, wondering why his life is so much harder than theirs.

Now this text has been misinterpreted to suggest that Christians should not do things that normal people do. But of course this is impossible. A soldier eats, drinks, rests, fellowships with his friends, and so forth. He does many of the same things that the civilian does. The difference lies in the why and the how and the who for.

Take the word comfort for instance. Notice the "fort" in comfort. The Latin root of comfort means to fortify - to make stronger. The original sense of comfort was rest that readies you for war.

The Athlete & The Rejection of Shortcuts (5)

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

To the solider, Paul adds the athlete. And another aspect of the Christian life emerges. Namely, a rejection of shortcuts. See the text? An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Why would he not? Why do athletes cheat? How do athletes cheat?

Probably the most famous kind of athlete in Paul’s age was the runner. Which brings to mind a set of stories you’ve probably heard before. I found an article titled: 9 of the most brazen marathon cheats of all time. And how did they cheat? Overwhelmingly, they cheated by skipping part of the course, some got in cars, some rode the subway, in various ways they skipped over part of the race. This would be especially tempting on circuitous courses where you could break free from the course and skip over to the next part.

When we talk about there not being any shortcuts in the Christian life, we mean that one cannot skip over the hard parts. One cannot skip over suffering.

The Farmer & Obscurity (6) — “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”

And then in addition to the soldier and the athlete, we have the farmer. Another trade added to the list — and yet another aspect of the Christian life emerges.

John Stott describes the of ‘the strenuous and prosaic toil’ of the farmer. Unlike the soldier and the athlete the farmer’s life is ‘totally devoid of excitement, remote from all glamour of peril and of applause’.

Before we move to the next section, we need to say one more thing. So far, everything we’ve said is negative. But we must not miss the positive. Each one of these vocations ends in glory.

The soldier — parade The athlete — podium The farmer — feast

III. How To Be Strengthened

Now so far, Paul has done two things:

He has told Timothy to be strengthened by grace. He has told Timothy why he needs strength (the three jobs) Christian life is like soldiering — a kind of second nature embracing of suffering Christian life is like running a race — no shortcuts allowed Christian life is like farming — obscurely sowing in tears in order to reap in joy.

We been told why we need strength. We’ve been told where to find it — strength is to be found in the grace of Jesus Christ.

But what Paul has yet to do is to explain how we are to be strengthened by grace.

I think the next section of our text accomplishes this. In verses 7-10,

7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

How does one become strengthened by grace? It involves mental self-discipline. See the word think in vs. 7 and the word remember in vs. 8.

7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ…

Quiet the inner quitter:

What separates an endurance athlete from a regular person? Genetics plays relatively small role. What really separates an endurance athlete from a regular person is that the endurance athlete has learned to quiet the inner quitter.

I have seen this in my own life. When I take a walk, I think like a normal person. I look at the scenery, think about various issues going on in my life, so forth. But when I go for a run, the only thought I have is “why are you doing this!?!”

It is really one’s mind that must dealt with in matters of endurance. You have to quiet the inner quitter. If endurance is the aim, then it is the mind that needs, most of all, to be strengthened by grace.

And so Paul gives Timothy things to think about. One of them explicit and primary — Remember Jesus Christ. And others more implicit and secondary. Let me deal with them, not in textual order, but in order of importance.

Think of those who depend on your endurance

Look at vs. 10, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

One of the ways we quiet the inner quitter is to think of those who depend on our endurance. “I endure everything for the sake of the elect.”

Remember how this little letter began? We just looked at it last week.

1 Timothy 1:3, “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.”

It is probably no accident that Paul is remembering Timothy while in prison. By reading all of his prison letters, I propose the following. He had developed various mental tricks to get his mind off quitting. One involved thinking of those whom he is suffering for.

And before we get off vs. 10, we see another strategy for quieting the inner quitter. And it too involves the mind.

Think of eternal glory gained by earthly endurance.

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This way of thinking is built into the three illustrations Paul provided to Timothy.

The soldier is working for ultimate victory and commendation from his commanding officer.

The athlete is running to receive a crown.

The farmer is working toward the great day of harvest.

Paul is always working with the eternal aim in mind. We see this in his recounting of Oneisphorus’ faithfulness in chapter 1. “May the Lord reward him on that day.”

And it carries all the way through to the end of the letter. In 4:7-8 he says,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

So far we have two lines of thinking that quiet the inner quitter and strengthen one in grace. Firstly, to think of those who depend on our endurance. Secondly, to think of the eternal glory that is gained by earthly endurance. And as we have seen in all of the texts we’ve examined, these two thoughts work quite well together.

Heaven will be a place of corporate victory where all who shared in suffering as good soldiers join King Jesus in triumphal procession as we count all the enemies made his footstool.

Heaven will be a kind of collective finish line. Where all who ran the race congratulate one another even as they praise the one who ordered and powered their steps.

Heaven will be a kind of communal feast. Where all who sowed the word dine together on the harvest of God.

One way to quiet the inner quitter is to think on these things. And the God of peace will be with us.

Now these are glorious lines of thinking. But the main idea is even greater. Not because the two I have already commended are small, but because the one I’m about to commend is just so big.

Look back at vs. 8 — specifically the first three words:

Remember Jesus Christ

In the book The Savior of the World, BB Warfield writes,

Amid all the surrounding temptations, all the encompassing dangers, Paul bids Timothy to bear in mind, as the sufficing source of abounding strength, the great central doctrine,—or rather, let us say, the great central fact—of his preaching, of his faith, of his life. And he enunciates this great fact, in these words: Jesus Christ raised from the dead, of the seed of David.

And this phrase, “raised from the dead, of the seed of David…” is meant to draw Timothy’s mind to very specific realities of Jesus Christ.

Modern pastors attempt to comfort a chronically anxious people with a gentle and lowly Jesus. But that is not the tact taken by Paul.

Again from Warfield,

Paul bids Timothy in the midst of all the besetting perplexities and dangers which encompassed him to strengthen his heart by bearing constantly in remembrance, not Jesus Christ simpliciter, but Jesus Christ conceived specifically as the Lord of the Universe, who has been dead, but now lives again and abides for ever in the power of an endless life; as the royal seed of David ascended in triumph to His eternal throne.

In verse 9 Paul says that while he is bound in chains, the word is not bound. Why not? The word is not restricted in any way because Jesus Christ, the living word, reigns.

This central reality has dominated the hearts and minds of countless men and women who endured to the end. And it was always intended to be our primary source of strength. For as Jesus gave his marching orders to the disciples to walk straight in the line of fire and take aim at the principalities and powers of this present darkness, he gave them one promise in particular.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

Go therefore into all the nations — share in suffering as a good soldier. Run the race to win the prize. Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

And all God’s people said!

When Friends Become Enemies

Chris Oswald — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

When Friends Become Enemies

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 9th February 2024

Passage: Psalm 55:1-23

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In this episode, Pastor Chris discusses the worst case scenarios of friendship.

Get More of Your "Entertainment Calories" From Friendship

Chris Oswald — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Get More of Your "Entertainment Calories" From Friendship

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 8th February 2024

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In this episode, Pastor Chris reads a 1923 Essay from A. Huxley entitled "Pleasure" and makes various suggestions about the union of friendship and recreation.

How to Make Friends

Chris Oswald — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

How to Make Friends

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 6th February 2024

Christian Friendship

Chris Oswald — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Christian Friendship

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 4th February 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 1:2-15

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Introduction: I heard about a local church who sent out postcards to the neighborhood saying, “Come to church, we won’t lick you!”

Come to church, you won’t be lonely.

But is that true? It must be more and more true. And in order for that to become more and more true, we must teach about friendship.

This little letter is full of information about friendship. The letter itself is a function of a friendship. I want to explore that theme this whole week.

On Monday, Angela is going to speak with the ladies about friendship. On Tuesday, there will be a podcast On Wednesday, community group On Thursday and Friday, more podcasts!

As we will see, growing in the art of friendship is a leading indicator in one’s sanctification. And it is also a leading indicator of a healthy church.

Friendship Defined:

Firstly, let us take some time define our terms. Friendship is like marriage in the sense that it is a common grace that God extends to both regenerate and unregenerate humanity.

We will focus on Christian friendship because that’s what we see in 2 Timothy. But it is helpful to start with a broad definition that applies to all people.

We don’t have a bible verse that provides a neat definition of friendship. We do have a lot of verses that describe particular friendships and we also have a lot of verses that tell us the kinds of things that friends do for one another.

After reviewing that data, here’s my definition.

A friend is someone who is willing to invest himself in your good.

Investment of time, mental energy, resources, etc…

Now let’s differentiate Christian friendship from all other forms.

Broadly speaking, the distinction between Christian friendships and non-Christian friendships is spelled out in verse 7: “For God gave US a spirit.” And again in vs. 14, “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within US.”

Christian friendship is to be broadly distinguished from non-Christian friendship by the shared presence of the Holy Spirit.

Two forms of friendship: Friendship in the flesh and Friendship in the spirit

Three markers of Spiritual Friendship

Defined Goodness (as Godliness)

We’ve said that a friend is someone who is willing to invest himself in your good. What is our good? Is that left up to the individual? Do you define what is best for you and ask me to invest in that?

In non-Christian friendships, goodness is either individually or culturally defined. But in Christian friendships, there is an agreement on what is best for me and what is best for you.

Namely, godliness.

So in a Christian friendship, each one invests himself in the other's growth in godliness.

Delayed Gratification (and eye toward eternity)

A Christian friend looks out over the horizon of history and aims to invest himself in the other’s eternal good.

Dependence on God (to supply what we need to be a good friend).

A third distinction — non Christian friends have only their own immediate resources to invest in your happiness. A Christian has, in addition to their own immediate resources, the power of God and the promises of God (the word) all moving by the spirit to invest in you so that you can invest in your friend.

Last Wednesday, Kate Wilhoft share some thoughts on the book of Ruth. Which is a prime example of friendship. Ruth takes responsibility to care for Naomi. But basically has no resources to accomplish that responsibility. And what we see in that little book is God working through providence to give Ruth the resources she needs to care for Naomi.

At first, it is pretty hand to mouth. She is gleaning in the fields. But very soon, Boaz (the Christ figure) starts furnishing Ruth with more resources. And then of course, it all ends with Naomi being a wealthy grandmother type — all of that came through Ruth — but very little of it it involved Ruth’s resources.

I want you to remember that story when caring for a friend requires more of you than you have to offer. You serve the God of providence. He will help you and give you what you need.

Application of these principles:

Let us imagine that neither Paul or Timothy are Christians. But that we have a letter written from one non Christian friend to another non Christian friend. How would that letter differ from the letter we have?

Pagan Paul would still be investing himself in Timothy’s good. But the goodness in view would be something less than holiness or happiness in God.

And Pagan Paul would be aiming mostly at Timothy’s short-term or near term happiness.

And then of course the resources that pagan Paul has to invest would be less substantial. He might share his advice, his insights, etc… but that’d be it. He certainly wouldn’t have any kind of supernatural power to bring to the table when things got tough.

You would wind up with a letter heavy on self-esteem. On a pragmatic view of happiness. A lot of opinions. So forth.

Now, I think this is helpful for two reasons:

Firstly, because sometimes even Christian friendships walk in the flesh.

Even among two Christians, the friendship that actually happens can sometimes be rather worldly. Christians have the capacity for and the responsibility for a higher kind of friendship, but plenty of Christian friendships spend very little time doing explicitly Christian friendship.

Secondly, we can now understand why friendships fail.

We have introduced enough clarity to help explain why some of Paul’s friendships have failed and others have succeeded.

2 Timothy is a book littered with relational wreckage.

On the front end of the book: 1:15 — “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”

On the back end: 4:10 — “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”

4:16 — “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!”

Everything we’ve stipulated up to this point provides us with some clarity about why these friendships have failed:

Generally, they failed because one of the parties stopped being willing to invest themselves in the other’s good.

More specifically, these folks likely abandoned their friendship with Paul because the price of that friendship was more than they could pay. In which case, they had a resource problem. They got to a point where they lacked the power of God, spiritual courage, etc…

Christian friendship is fueled by faith.

Both parties have to believe God exists and rewards those who seek him. They must believe that the highest good is godliness. And that the majority of human happiness will be harvested on “that day.” They must seek one another’s eternal good. And they must believe that God will supply them with what they need to be a friend to the other.

All of this requires faith.

If you marked the date when a Christian friendship failed, you could go further back in the timeline to see that well before the friendship failed, one of the friends faith had begun to falter.

If you want to be a Christian friend, you must seek to strengthen your faith in God. The stronger your faith in God, the better a friend you will be. The weaker your faith in God, the worse of a friend you will be.

When examine biblical history and indeed church history, it is no coincidence that men and women of great faith were also good friends.

Abraham was a man of great faith, and he was a great friend to Lot. Moses was a man of great faith, and he was a great friend to the people of Israel. Ruth was a woman of great faith, and she was a great friend to Naomi. Jonathan and David were men of great faith — and their friendship was great. Jesus had something we might even extend beyond faith — and he was a great friend to the disciples and others. Paul was a man of great faith — and he was also a great friend.

Pastor Tony Merida writes,

When surveying the life of the apostle Paul, we see his firm belief in the sufficiency of the gospel and his willingness to suffer for it. But there’s another, often overlooked, feature of the Pauline mission: friendship. As Paul planted churches throughout the Roman world, he didn’t do so as a one-man band.

Paul was relationally wealthy. He traveled with friends; he stayed with them; he visited them. He worked alongside them; he preached alongside them; he was beaten alongside them. He even sang in prison with friends. He encouraged them, and was encouraged by them. At times, Paul disagreed with his friends. And at times, he reconciled with them.

A quick read through Acts shows Paul’s commitment to, and genuine concern for, his friends: Barnabas, Titus, Silas, Luke, Priscilla, Aquilla, Lydia, Onesiphorus, Epapharoditus, John Mark, the Ephesian elders, and more.

In Romans 16, he mentions more than 30 names. The whole list oozes with affection; it also magnifies the gospel, demonstrates beautiful diversity (race, rank, gender), and contains moving expressions of honor.

A quick word about the diversity of Paul’s friendships.

People typically organize themselves in “affinity groups.” Hobbies, interests, seasons of life, etc… But when we look in the Bible, we see many of the greatest friendships were between people who had very little, humanly speaking, in common with one another.

One of the things we will see very often in the scriptures is that Christian friendships develop between older and younger.

What’s going on there is that faith magnifies the gospel in our eyes. It becomes very big, very central, etc…

And as such, a diversity of people find unity around the cross.

I wanted to mention that because I sometimes hear younger people thoughtlessly shrink the pool of potential friendships by looking primarily at lesser affinities — and thinking, I need a friend who understands this aspect of my life or that…

That’s a worldly way of thinking. If you are a Christian. The most important thing about you is that you were purchased by Christ. That is your central story. Therefore expand your pool of possible friendships to include all those who have that same thing as their central story.

Remember that even if they don’t have a particular situation in common with you, they have the resources of God at their disposal. God knows your situation perfectly. And he can and will easily work through a person who has not experienced what you are experiencing.

The particulars of your life are not as important as you think they are. Faith will help you see things in their proper perspective.

Now let’s turn to the text and see a number of ways Paul is investing himself in Timothy’s good.

He spent time thinking and praying for Timothy (2-5)

“To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

Attention is the currency of our culture. Our mental energy is being solicited constantly. There’s an economic theory called “Attention Economics.” Psychologist/Economist Herbert A. Simon was the first to propose this idea — all the way back in 1971.

[I]n an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.

Another thought leader in this field is Matthew Crawford. He summarized the problem quite simply: “Attention is a resource, we only have so much of it.”

Now if someone were to ask me for an explanation of the epidemic of loneliness that so many now recognize as a real problem, I would point to at least two things.

The lack of church attendance and sabbath keeping. You can actually see the data spell this out. As church attendance decreased, loneliness increased. But that doesn’t go far enough. Because as a pastor, I know it is possible to attend church faithfully and still be rather disconnected. So as a secondary explanation, I would point to the attention economy.

People simply aren’t investing enough of their mental energy into thinking about other people.

The solution to both of these is to obey the Bible! Specifically Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Take time to think about others. And specifically how you might stir one another up to faith. And make time to be together. Do not neglect to meet together.

Now remember, “attention is a resource, you only have so much of it.” In order to devote some time to thinking and praying for your friends, you’re going to have to cut something out. Which means you’re going to have to unplug something.

1a. He affirmed what he could affirm

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

1b. He spoke into his temptations (6-8)

Now one of the things that will happen when you invest mental energy into thinking and praying about others is that God will give you his vision of the person in question. You will begin to see the other’s situation in a way they cannot. You’ll begin to see, not only the realities of their present situation, but also potential temptations that will arise out of their current situation.

That’s what Paul is doing for Timothy in the whole book really, and we see it first brought up in verses 6-8,

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

In previous sermons and podcasts, we discussed what Paul is doing here. He is seeing that in the midst of increasing hostilities toward the word of God, Timothy could be tempted to hide his light under a bushel. He might be tempted to fulfill his ministry in a half-hearted way with an eye to his own immediate comfort.

And so Paul speaks to this. Note again, the result of mental energy expended on Timothy. He is not merely reacting to his present situation, he is able to see the potentialities. Paul knows Timothy is at a crossroads. Timothy may not even realize it. But God has met Paul in his prayers and shown him, not only the realities of Timothy’s current situation, but the potentialities that lie in the next chapter of Timothy’s life.

There’s a great example of this in the letters of John Newton. He writes to a young pastor, taking his first church — mainly to congratulate him. But also adds something to the effect of, “I know your heart, and suspect you may find yourself wishing you had been appointed to a larger congregation. But trust me, on the day you stand before the Lord and give an account for the souls of your sheep, you will feel that this small number was more than enough.

Practically speaking, you’re going to do something like this: “I was thinking about your situation, if I were you, I might be tempted to feel/think…”

The Lord will help you do this.

Conclusion:

How to Think Through Our Objections to Hell

Chris Oswald — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:00:00 +0000

How to Think Through Our Objections to Hell

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 29th January 2024

He Abolished Death

Chris Oswald — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:00:00 +0000

He Abolished Death

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 28th January 2024

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Introduction:

We’ve been tracing through Paul’s efforts to literally encourage Timothy. To give him courage to fan into flame the gift of God — and share in suffering as a good soldier of the Lord.

Last week we saw two ingredients in our recipe for boldness. Namely reliance on the holy spirit coupled with rehearsing key truths related to the sovereignty of God.

Today we will see Paul adding a third ingredient. Namely the removal of the fear of death.

I was reminded of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar and faced the fiery furnace as a result.

15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” — Daniel 3:15–18

In a very real sense, death stands as the ultimate and universal fiery furnace into which all people must enter. But as we will see, those who are in Christ have such assurances that make boldness in the face of our enemies a very real possibility. So let’s get into it.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Look back at vs. 8

The Curious Case of Caesar the Savior

I am sure you get tired of me telling you that every time you see the word Lord in the New Testament, the writer is engaging in political speech. That title was reserved for Caesar. But what is less understood, and what I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that the title Savior was likewise reserved for Caesar.

A gate into the city of Ephesus, a gate which Paul and Timothy would’ve walked, had something inscribed to the effect of Caesar Augustus is Lord and Savior of the world.

We might understand Lord, but why would Caesar be deemed savior? There’s another ancient inscription, dated around 9 B.C. gives the answer:

“Since the providence that has divinely ordered our existence has applied her energy and zeal and has brought to life the most perfect good in Augustus, who she filled with virtues for the benefit of mankind, bestowing him upon us and our descendants as savior– he who put an end to war and will order peace, Caesar who by his epiphany exceeded the hopes of those who prophesied good tidings [euaggelia]… and since the birthday of the god first brought to the world the good tidings [euaggelia] residing in him… For that reason, with good fortune and safety, the Greeks of Asia have decided that the New Year in all the cities should begin on 23rd September, the birthday of Augustus.”

N. T. Wright concludes that Augustus had done the sort of thing only gods can do. Rome had power to sweep aside all opposition; the power, in consequence, to create an extraordinary new world order. Rome claimed to have brought justice to the world. The accession of the emperor, and also his birthday, could therefore be hailed as euaggelion, good news.

Caesar was savior in this sense. He defeated the nation’s enemies and brought peace to the world.

Christ the Destroyer

Now look back at vs. 10 — “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

Pretty crazy to realize that Paul wrote that while in Roman custody. His letter to Timothy in Ephesus may well have passed through the very gates that praised Caesar as lord and savior. And I want us to understand that the Caesarian meaning of savior very much applies to Jesus Christ — indeed far more so.

If Caesar was considered a savior because he dealt with the temporal, regional enemies.

How much more so is Jesus an even better savior — for he has defeated the enemy. Namely death. See that in vs. 10? “…our savior Jesus Christ who abolished death.”

The greek word for abolish is katareo. It is used four times in reference to Christ’s work. And each time it describes the use of force in establishment of peace.

It is used in 2 Thessalonians to refer to the man of lawlessness… “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” (2:8)

A haughty man and violent man will appear — and then Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing.

It is used in Ephesians 2 to talk about Jesus’ destruction of the ordinances that separated Jew and Gentile — “that he might in himself one new man in the place of two, so making peace.”

It is used in Hebrews in a way similar to what we see in 2 Timothy. “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Each time we see peace through power — through the destruction of something.

Now I’m glad Jesus took care of the man of lawlessness. And I’m glad Jesus made it ok for Jews and Gentiles to be friends. But I’m especially stoked about the whole death thing.

Let’s take the rest of our time thinking about what this means.

He abolished death. We need to think about death for a moment.

When we look at older preaching from centuries past, we see far more teaching and preaching on the subject of death. Now days we see very little of it. And this situation is exactly opposite as it should be. Death was far more visceral and visible in centuries past. In some sense, the reality of death was preaching its own sermon to everyone all the time. Now we have done a great deal to sanitize death and even worse, to sequester it. We keep death hidden from the regular person far more than we used to. As such, it is even more important to talk about it. The death rate hasn’t reduced whatsoever. It still maintains a perfect track record. And yet that reality is less visible to the average person than ever. So if anything, we need to talk about it more in these days than it used to be discussed in the past.

And there’s another reason… in order to appreciate the good news of the gospel, we have to think about things we don’t want to think about. But going back to the first sermon in this series, we cannot use comfort as our compass.

We must think about our sins. And we must think about our deaths.

Three Universals Concerning Death

Everybody Dies

Death is the most universal of experiences. There are very few problems that are shared equally by all human beings in all places, cultures, etc… across both genders… and all socioeconomic tiers.

Sometimes you will meet an unbeliever who seems to have gotten a lot of mileage out of common grace. They are financially secure, not given to any particularly destructed vices, and seem to have relatively healthy relationships. And we might think to ourselves, “how can I possibly share the gospel with this person who seems to be doing quite fine without Christ.”

And the answer is death.

Death Often Surprises

Three million people die in the US each year. The CDC states that accidents are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Heart disease being number one. Every year about 800,000 people have a heart attack. A very large portion of the 3 million people who die every year do so with little to no warning.

Our sin nature fills us with delusions of grandeur. We tend to think we are God. In this way, death is undeniable evidence that we are not God. At a certain age, we begin to realize how fragile our own lives really are.

Even those who die of other causes, tend to have one final season of mental clarity that at the time does not appear to be the final moments of mental clarity. Many people die in various states of confusion where they lack the mental acuity necessary to hear the gospel and believe.

As Jonathan Edwards puts it,

However strong, hale and healthy men may be, there is none strong enough to resist death; death will conquer them as easily as other men. However great they may be in the world, they must die: kings and emperors, czars and sultans must bow down before death, must give place to the king of terrors. (The king of terrors is from the book of Job).

“He is torn from the tent in which he trusted and is brought to the king of terrors.” — Job 18:14

Death is a one way door to divine judgment

Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for man to die once and then comes the judgment.”

There are some technical questions about the timing of God’s judgment on individuals. We don’t need to get into that. The point we want to make today is simply that death is coming, it may come unexpectedly, and it is a one way door to divine judgment.

Excepting for those who are alive during the return of Christ, every human on earth has these three things in common. And in a very real sense, these three factors have driven the development of every culture, every religion, etc…

Those Who Die Without Christ Will Go to Hell

We have talked about what all people have in common. Now we must talk about the difference Christ makes for those who are saved by him.

Those who die without Christ are driven into divine judgment. Thomas Boston said, “When the wicked die, they are driven out of this world, where they sinned, into the other world, where they must be judged (for their sin).”

That judgment leads to hell. What is hell?

From JI Packer’s Concise Theology

The sentimental secularism of modern Western culture, with its exalted optimism about human nature, its shrunken idea of God, and its skepticism as to whether personal morality really matters—in other words, its decay of conscience—makes it hard for Christians to take the reality of hell seriously. The revelation of hell in Scripture assumes a depth of insight into divine holiness and human and demonic sinfulness that most of us do not have. However, the doctrine of hell appears in the New Testament as a Christian essential, and we are called to try to understand it as Jesus and his apostles did.

The New Testament views hell (Gehenna, as Jesus calls it, the place of incineration, as the final abode of those consigned to eternal punishment at the Last Judgment. It is thought of as a place of fire and darkness, of weeping and grinding of teeth, of destruction, and of torment—in other words, of total distress and misery.

If, as it seems, these terms are symbolic rather than literal (fire and darkness would be mutually exclusive in literal terms), we may be sure that the reality, which is beyond our imagining, exceeds the symbol in dreadfulness. New Testament teaching about hell is meant to appall us and strike us dumb with horror, assuring us that, as heaven will be better than we could dream, so hell will be worse than we can conceive. Such are the issues of eternity, which need now to be realistically faced.

Scripture envisages hell as unending. Speculations about a “second chance” after death, or personal annihilation of the ungodly at some stage, have no biblical warrant.

Scripture sees hell as self-chosen; those in hell will realize that they sentenced themselves to it by loving darkness rather than light, choosing not to have their Creator as their Lord, preferring self-indulgent sin to self-denying righteousness, and (if they encountered the gospel) rejecting Jesus rather than coming to him. General revelation confronts all mankind with this issue, and from this standpoint hell appears as God’s gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshiping him, or without God forever, worshiping themselves. Those who are in hell will know not only that for their doings they deserve it but also that in their hearts they chose it.

Those Who Die In Christ Will Go to Heaven

Thomas Boston said, “When the wicked die, they are driven out of this world, where they sinned, into the other world, where they must be judged (for their sin).”

But the Bible tells us that when the righteous die, they are are escorted, they are carried, they are ushered from this life to the next sitting in the final climactic float of an angelic parade.

Here is John Flavel’s description

No sooner is the dividing stroke given by death, but they shall find themselves in the arms of angels, mounting them through the upper regions in a few moments, far above all the aspectable heavens,

They pass from the arms of mourning friends, into the welcome arms of officious and benevolent angels. From the sight and converses of men, to the sight of God, Christ, and the general assembly of blessed and sinless spirits.

Farewell vain world, with all the mixed and imperfect comforts of it, and welcome the more sweet, suitable, and satisfying company of Father, Son, and Spirit, holy angels, and perfected saints. From the bondage of corruption to perfect liberty and everlasting freedom.

From all fears, doubtings, and questionings of our conditions, and anxious debates of our title to Christ, to the clearest, fullest, and most satisfying assurance.

From all burdens of affliction, inward and outward, under which we have groaned all our days, to everlasting rest and ease. Oh what a blessed change to the righteous must this be!

Again from Packer

Scripture teaches us to form our notion of the life of heaven by (a) extrapolating from the less-than-perfect relationship that we now have with God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, with other Christians, and with created things to the thought of a perfect relationship, free from all limitation, frustration, and failure; (b) eliminating from our idea of a life lived for God all forms of pain, evil, conflict, and distress, such as we experience here on earth; and (c) enriching our imaginings of that happy future by adding in every conception of excellence and God-given enjoyment that we know. The visions of heaven’s life in Revelation 7:13–17 and 21:1–22:5 draw on all three of these ways of conceiving it.

According to Scripture, the constant joy of heaven’s life for the redeemed will stem from (a) their vision of God in the face of Jesus Christ (Rev. 22:4); (b) their ongoing experience of Christ’s love as he ministers to them (Rev. 7:17); (c) their fellowship with loved ones and the whole body of the redeemed; (d) the continued growth, maturing, learning, enrichment of abilities, and enlargement of powers that God has in store for them. The redeemed desire all these things, and without them their happiness could not be complete. But in heaven there will be no unfulfilled desires.

So the life of heavenly glory is a compound of seeing God in and through Christ and being loved by the Father and the Son, of rest and work, of praise and worship, and of fellowship with the Lamb and the saints.

Nor will it end (Rev. 22:5). Its eternity is part of its glory; endlessness, one might say, is the glory of glory. Hearts on earth say in the course of a joyful experience, “I don’t want this ever to end.” But it invariably does. The hearts of those in heaven say, “I want this to go on forever.” And it will. There can be no better news than this.

Conclusion

You will sometimes hear it said that the Jews missed Jesus’ messiahship because they were looking for a military hero and Jesus was not that. Wrong.

He was and is a military hero who waged war on the fundamental enemies that have enslaved humanity since the fall. He is a much better Caesar, and thus far superior savior, who fought the cosmic forces of sin and death and abolished their power over all who call Christ their King.

I am reminded of a quote from George Orwell who once said, “We sleep soundly in our beds, because rough men stand ready in the night to do violence on those who would harm us”

When the time comes; whether it is expected or unexpected, those in Christ may close their eyes and die in peace. They can sleep soundly in the death beds because, the strong man, Jesus Christ has removed the sting of death for them.

It is as if God has placed a banner over saint as he or she passes from this world — “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

And this is, I suppose you might say, an additional ingredient in our recipe for courage.

As John Flavel wrote, “If our souls be immortal, certainly our enemies are not so formidable as we are apt, by our sinful fears, to represent them.”

Fan It Into Flame

Chris Oswald — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Fan It Into Flame

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 16th January 2024

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Preparation for Community Group meeting on January 17th

Hope as Help

Chris Oswald — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Hope as Help

Series: Theological Leaders Program

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Theological Leaders Program

Date: 14th January 2024

Passages:

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Giving Hope

I believe the entire epoch of a counseling relationship has to do with a redistribution of hope.

Those who properly hope in the Lord would have no need of counseling.

Proverbs 10:28 - hope in the Lord produces joy 1 John 2:28-3:3 - hope in the Lord produces purity 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - hope in the Lord produces renewal

Hope in the Lord is a regenerative thing. It keeps a soul healthy.

Hope in other things is a degenerative thing. It drains the soul, makes it more susceptible to additional temptations, and very often leads to some kind of crash.

The crash produces suffering. And this is God’s way of redistributing hope.

Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

This is how good God is — he allows our sin to produce suffering which in turn leads to us getting back into righteous hope — which brings life.

Understanding Hope

True hope vs. False hope is a major concern of the Lord:

“The biblical writers distinguish between hopes that are ill founded and vain, and hopes that have a sure foundation. The range of ill-founded hopes is as wide as the human capacity for self-deception. It is vain to place one’s hope in military might (Isa. 31:1–3), in one’s own wisdom (Prov. 26:12) or righteousness (Ezek. 33:13), in riches (Prov. 11:28), or even in the temple (Jer. 7:9–10) or the law of Moses (John 5:45). All of these are inadequate bases of hope, and indeed, for the unrighteous person who trusts in such things, there is no hope (Job 8:13; 11:20; 27:8; Prov. 10:28; 11:7). Thus the majority of scriptural references to hope elucidate the only true foundation of hope, God. In this there is a remarkable continuity between the Old and New Testaments.”

The Mechanics of Hope

Let’s make sure we understand the basic mechanics of hope. Hope is downstream of a promise. It helps to break down a few components.

Firstly, people want certain things (feelings, states of being, pleasures, etc…) Objects, ideas, circumstances get translated (somehow) into promises to deliver on our desires. Hope happens when we “believe” the promise.

Discussion Question: Let’s try to come up with five scenarios in which people are hoping in wrong things and consider why, what will the consequences be, how might the Lord use that to restore them, etc…

Sin & Misplaced Hope

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” — Genesis 3:6

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. — 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

Some People Go Numb

When misplaced hopes fail, people tend to make people feel weary, undone, uprooted (Job 19:10). A fairly common response is to abandon hope in general. Rather than simply reevaluate the object in which they placed their hope, they develop a negative attitude toward hope itself. It is as if, out of some effort at self-protection, “they chose to lose hope in hope.” This makes sense from a purely earthly perspective. If you hope in nine different things and they all disappoint you, then it seems “reasonable” to conclude that hope itself is the problem. But it is also a self-defense mechanism of the flesh.

Biblical Counselors are Hope Dealerz

Being a hopeful person:

Have you been born again to a living hope? — 1 Peter 1:3 Do you have reputation for being hopeful? — 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 Could you tell a story of God forgiving and restoring you? — 1 Timothy 1:12-16 Have you experienced the difference God works makes on a problem? — Hebrews 4:12

Giving hope (initial conversation with someone asking for help)

“Biblical hope is the expectation of good that is based on the promises of God.”

“A concept involving trustful anticipation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of the promises of God.”

Bible Promises:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” — Psalm 46:1-3

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” — Psalm 34:18-19

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” — Hebrews 12:11

Comfort is Not a Compass

Chris Oswald — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Comfort is Not a Compass

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 14th January 2024

Passage: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

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2 Timothy 1:1-8

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You 3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I. This is Leadership

What we have here is a very useful display of Godly leadership. If you pay attention, not only to what is said, but how it is said — you’ll learn something about leadership.

Three elements I would encourage you to think about when leading someone:

Affection Reflection Direction

The direction starts in vs. 6

II. Sincere Faith is not Static

Now to make much progress in understanding, we’re going to need to identity the nature of the gift Paul is referring to. But before we do that, we can make one important generality. Namely that sincere faith is not static.

Let’s differentiate between sincere faith and insincere faith. The word for sincere is ‘anoupokritos’ — which related to our word hypocrite. This is what an actor was called in Ancient Greece. That is what hypocrisy means. It means someone who is playing a part. It doesn’t mean someone who has a standard and then fails to live up to it. That’s just a regular person. A hypocrite is someone pretending to be something they are not.

Paul is saying, “you aren’t just playing a part — you have a sincere faith.”

Now one key differentiator between someone who is playing a part (even to themselves) and someone who is really Christ’s is that they keep growing. We all have lulls. But overall, the sincere faith is not static. It grows. It expands. This is what Paul is getting at generally when he speaks of fanning the gift of God into flame.

Writing on a similar verse in 2 Peter, commentator Micheal Green puts it well…

“…because of our new birth and the precious promises and the divine power offered us in Christ we cannot sit back and rest content with ‘faith’ (cf. Jas 2:20). The grace of God demands, as it enables, effort in man. We are to bring into this relationship alongside what God has done every ounce of determination we can muster.”

III. What is the Gift?

So there’s a general truth worth considering. And now to go any further into the text, we need to know more about the gift Paul is referring to. See that in verse 6,

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

What gift is he to fan into flames? We can look back to Paul’s first letter to see. Look back at 1 Timothy 4:12-15

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”

The gift is his teaching ministry. Paul wants to ensure that Timothy is pressing into his teaching ministry.

God has given him a gift — a teaching gift. There are several lists in the New Testament of spiritual gifts — capacities enhanced or all together bestowed by the Spirit. And teaching is one of the gifts. Timothy has the gift of teaching or preaching or something along those lines.

And really the entire letter of 2 Timothy is aimed at getting Timothy to fan this gift into flame. What threatens the expansion and full of expression of this gift?

Paul is Suffering For Doing Exactly What He’s Telling Timothy to Do

Well, the great elephant in the room is simply this — Paul is writing this letter as someone who has put his all into his teaching ministry and it has landed him in prison awaiting execution.

Look back at the text and see if my explanation makes sense… (vs. 3)

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,”

Do you see? This kind of language continues throughout the entire book.

Look back at vs. 8

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

And again in chapter 2 —

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! — 2 Timothy 2:8

Do you see the idea? Paul is Timothy’s mentor, his father, he has followed in his footsteps, all the way down to his vocation. Paul was a preacher. Timothy is a preacher. But… there’s an elephant in the room. This line of work leads to suffering.

Illustration: Me sledding as a boy

Paul is writing this from prison — awaiting execution.

And he’s doing it virtually alone.

“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.” — 2 Timothy 4:9–10

“At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!” — 2 Timothy 4:16

And Paul is telling Timothy, follow my example. Teach with boldness (power), love (agape), and self-control (wisdom). Don’t be afraid.

“…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”

There are many ways to apply this insight to our lives.

When C-Grade Obedience Keeps The Heart Off

There’s a way to do kind of “C-grade” obedience that does not draw the enemy’s fire. But you know full well that if you went hard and fanned the gift of God into a flame, you’d draw the eye of Sauron. Why are there so many lukewarm Christians? Why not more earnestness, zeal, relentless obedience, etc? Maybe because we know that C-grade Christian life can satisfy our conscience without drawing the ire of the enemy? Well anyway, that’d be something to think about.

Cowardice is Always a Temptation

I’m not sure there’s any accusation going on here. It isn’t clear to me that Timothy is wimping out. It seems very possible that Paul is simply anticipating the temptation to be cowardly. That’d be another point of application. Cowardice is a real temptation. When we foolishly presume we are above this or that temptation — we do so to our own peril. I was just reading Peter’s confident assertion to Jesus — “I will die for you.” Etc… Paul on the other hand asked his brothers and sisters to pray for him that he would have boldness.

Love & Hard Labor

But I think the main application probably involves reconciling two ideas which our culture continually holds as dichotomous.

I love you Join me in suffering

Paul is confident that if Timothy preaches the word like he ought to preach it — he will suffer. And yet, to one he loves, his beloved child — he is clear —

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:3)

Yes Timothy, I am suffering. Yes I am imprisoned awaiting execution. Yes I have been abandoned. Join me!

Now on this basis, there are plenty of people who draw a big X through vs. 2 — “Timothy my beloved child.” This isn’t love. This certainly isn’t fatherly love. Love doesn’t look at its object and say, “join me in my entirely voluntary misery.”

Love doesn’t call, let alone charge and command someone to live a life of danger, hardship, loneliness.

You might’ve been listening to the first part thinking, “well, I’m not a preacher.” I’m not sure how relevant this is.

But hopefully you can now see how the entire idea of this little letter is speaking into one of the most pressing ideas in our culture. Namely, the tendency to use comfort at a compass.

Comfort As A Compass

Here’s what I mean.

Compasses are used to help you figure out which way you should go. They tell you which way is north. Because of indwelling sin, we all struggle with using comfort as a compass. When things are uncomfortable, we tend to assume we’re walking in the wrong direction. When things are comfortable, we tend to assume we’re walking in the right direction.

And this is something we all need to watch out for. But there’s another layer. We get married. We have children. We make close friends. We are, even as peers, put into position of helping others figure out their lives. And we tend to use their comfort as our compass. If they are comfortable, we tend to think we’re loving them well. If they are uncomfortable, we tend to think we are loving them poorly.

We tend to assume that loving them well will make them comfortable. If they are uncomfortable, we are not loving them well.

But that’s not what Paul is doing with his beloved Timothy. He is leading him into discomfort. Even kind’a pushing him.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” — 2 Timothy 4:4-5

What gives?

Paul knows that disobedience to God is far worse for a person than discomfort. Sinning is worse than suffering. And that in the rarified air of suffering for the gospel — there is great joy to be found.

He isn’t a sadist. He is wanting Timothy to bring him his coat.

13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. — 2 Timothy 4:13

He might be executed soon. But he would like to be warm in the mean time.

He isn’t calling Timothy into pure Kamikaze mode.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. — 2 Timothy 4:14–15

But as he sits in his cell, he is filled with great assurance…

2 Timothy 1:12 — “…for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

2 Timothy 4:8 — “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Paul isn’t using his comfort or his son’s comfort as his compass. He’s using the Christ as his compass.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Conclusion/Communion:

Illustration from the Spanish Civil War: On 23 July, Communist forces captured Moscardó's 24-year-old son, Luis. They called the Alcázar on the telephone and Moscardó himself picked up the receiver. The political officer of the Republican force informed him that unless he surrendered the Alcázar, Luis would be shot. Moscardó asked to speak to his son. He then told Luis, "Commend your soul to God and die like a patriot, shouting 'Long live Christ the King' and 'Long live Spain.'" "That," answered his son, "I can do.

Timothy died as an 80 year old man interrupting a festival for the local Ephesian goddess. He was beaten to death.

We are dealing with the deep end of the pool right now. I’m not sure any of us are anywhere near martyrdom. But the principle holds. It is indeed loving to call those you love to follow Christ with you. Even if it is hard.

Firstly, if you encourage someone to follow Jesus — you’ll be loving them rightly. Obedience is always the best option. Would that require them to break up with their girlfriend? Switch to a flip phone? Give generously? Confess a sin? Leave a group of friends? Keep a baby that threatens their career? Forgive? Or a million other uncomfortable choices…

We are just doing gospel here.

What kind of father would ask his son to suffer?

This is of course the very foundation of our faith.

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. — 1 John 4:14

Unity in Diversity

Chris Oswald — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Unity in Diversity

Series: Let Earth Receive Her King

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 31st December 2023

Passage: Revelation 7:9-10

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Title: Unity in Diversity Text: Revelation 7:9-10

Introduction: It has been great fun to devote the sermons this Christmas season to Christ's work in history.

Tom Holland —

For a millennium and more, the civilization into which I had been born was Christendom. Assumptions that I had grown up with – about how a society should properly be organized, and the principles that it should uphold – were not bred of classical antiquity, still less of “human nature,” but very distinctively of the civilization’s Christian past. So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view. It is the incomplete revolutions which are remembered; the fate of those which triumph is to be taken for granted.

The ambition of Dominion is to trace the course of what one Christian, writing in the third century AD, termed “the flood-tide of Christ” (Acts of Thomas 31): how the belief that the Son of the one God of the Jews had been tortured to death on a cross came to be so enduringly and widely held that today most of us in the West are dulled to just how scandalous it originally was. This book explores what it was that made Christianity so subversive and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mindset of Latin Christendom; and why, in a West that is often doubtful of religion’s claims, so many of its instincts remain – for good and ill – thoroughly Christian.

Jesus has been at work. Holland never goes that far. He seems to be persuaded that the ideas themselves are the revolution. But we agree with Athanasius

Which lines up with what we are told in Ephesians 2:17

“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.”

The idea is that He is reconciling the world to himself. That's the way Paul puts it in Colossians.

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” — Colossians 1:19-20

Or… we could say He is uniting all things. That’s the way Paul puts it in Ephesians.

…making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. — Ephesians 1:9–10

I like the word unite. It brings to mind a very important concept — over which Christianity has a firm monopoly -- namely the idea of unity and diversity.

We have this idea in the trinity. Three persons one substance. We have the same notion on display in the Bible. 66 books // 40 authors. Written over 2000 years. Three languages. Three continents — one harmonious message.

Look at the cross-reference chart.

http://chrisharrison.net/projects/bibleviz/BibleVizArc7WiderOTNTsmall.png

That’s what Jesus is doing to the whole world. I think of this as his reharmonizing of the world.

The great genius Leibniz used the concept of “harmony” in a similar way. “Harmony, he writes, is when many [things] are restored to some kind of unity.”

Things which appear to us to be discordant are not actually ontologically discordant. They are simply instruments in an orchestra — originally designed to play together which are not tuned properly, not played properly, not conducted properly.

Take for instance the issue of ethnic diversity. Race or ethnicity is really an imperfect approximation of culture. Culture is the real question. But the big idea is that they don’t naturally harmonize. They are naturally discordant.

But take a look at this in the book of Revelation:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” — Revelation 7:9–10.

This is a fulfillment of many OT prophecies involving the Christianizing of people from many nations.

Malachi 1:11

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

Zechariah 2:11

11 And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

Isaiah 66:18

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory,

Habakkuk 2:14

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

What is different in Revelation is that we see how the unity in diversity comes about. In all the OT passages, we have a general promise — but in Revelation 7 — we see that Christ is the power behind that promise.

Now, once again, this isn’t supposed to happen. We are so awash in Christian ideas that we assume multi-cultural unity is just a matter of deciding to do it. Not true. Distinct cultures are historically at odds with one another — most definitely not functioning in harmony.

That’s what I’ve been hoping to do with this series. Clear up any misconceptions about the origin of some of our culture’s deepest values.

I heard something written by George Orwell — from his experience in the Spanish Civil War.

Early in life I have noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper, but in Spain, for the first time, I saw newspaper reports which did not bear any relation to the facts, not even the relationship which is implied in an ordinary lie. I saw great battles reported where there had been no fighting, and complete silence where hundreds of men had been killed. I saw troops who had fought bravely denounced as cowards and traitors, and others who had never seen a shot fired hailed as heroes of imaginary victories; and I saw newspapers in London retailing these lies and eager intellectuals building emotional superstructures over events that never happened.

Secular Humanism was born on third base, thinking it hit a triple. It is Christianity that has made qualities like equality ubiquitous. And it is Christianity that makes any kind of unity within cultural diversity possible.

And in this Revelation text we are reminded that it is all of Christ.

Different Cultures Common King

Look at vs. 9

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb”

Here we see different cultures with a common king. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb.

And what kind of king? A dying king. A sacrificial king. A king who leads out of love.

Different Cultures Common Covering

Looking back at vs. 9 we see, “…After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes…”

In the Scriptures, the history of clothing is obviously quite interesting. We go in the beginning of the Bible to naked and unashamed, to naked and ashamed (gluing on fig leaves), and we could keep going all the way to Christ being stripped before his crucifixion and dying in a very shameful way.

By the time we get to Revelation, we understand that white robes are a picture of justification. Of forgiveness. Of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.

It is white because we’re forgiven and made righteous in Christ. It is a robe, because that’s what priests wear. And we are told in Revelation 5:9-10 we have,

“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Different Cultures Common Celebration

Continuing in our text, we see:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Jesus is their king, he is their covering, and he is the cause of their celebration.

Jesus Christ is such a weighty substantial powerful individual — he is like the sun in our solar system. His substance brings unity of orbit to the diversity of planets.

And he teaches the nations.

Every culture has a distinct view of leadership. Jesus provides the right one. The sovereign savior.

Every culture has a way of handling shame and a way of projecting status. Jesus provides white robes of meritless justification.

Every culture has some vision of triumph. Some kind of common celebration. Jesus shows us that the triumph of humanity is merely to be forgiven and to be his.

Conclusion So Far:

So that’s a little bit about Christian Unity in Diversity. Now I want to take a moment to apply this in a distinctly New Years Eve kind of way.

You are a diversity of things.

You have a diversity of roles. You have a diversity of ways of viewing the world. Thoughts and feelings.

You can think of yourself as a kind of solar system. You have all these different planets floating inside of you. And it is pretty common for a Christian to lack internal unity. To have some parts of him/her in conformity to Christ. And other parts not so much.

For some people it is days — I’m orbiting around Jesus on Sunday — but by Thursday, not so much.

For some people it is certain areas of their life — Christ is the center of much of their life — but when it comes to their finances, their fantasies, etc…

Now you see a group of nations gathered in unity and see the beauty in that. Well, I want to suggest that a man or a woman who, through the grace of Christ, gathers all of himself or herself to the service of the Lord is a pretty beautiful sight.

I think that’s what Ireneaus was getting at with his statement, “the glory of God is fully alive.”

Now some might say, “I don’t know Chris, this seems like a bit of a stretch. Revelation is talking about unity of nations before the throne — now you’re talking about the unity of a person’s life unto Christ.”

Its like well, how do you suppose the nations thing happens?

Look back at the text one more time:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number…”

Well, I can think of one person who can number it, has numbered it, knows the number of hairs on the heads of each person there…”

From every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

What’s the salvation they are celebrating? National salvations? No. Maybe God has saved various nations. Wouldn’t surprise me at all.

But that’s not what they’re celebrating. Their celebrating individual conversions. Individual justifications, individual sanctifications.

And this in turn does something to the character of a nation — and indeed of the whole world.

But if we want harmony in the world — conformity to Christ in the world — we ought to start with ourselves — bringing unity to the diversity of our many motives and members.

And this… and only this… will have a broader cultural affect…

Theologian James B Jordan wrote an article called The Dominion Trap

Christian activist literature too often reduces or even perverts Christianity into an ideology, a set of ideas. Christianity is not, however, an ideology to be implemented through crusading activism. Rather, Christianity is a new creation. It grows holistically and organically out of the life of faith and prayer. It is as men draw near to God and acquire wisdom and maturity from the Scriptures that they are built up and prepared for dominical responsibilities, and God will confer these upon His people in due time.

The point is simply this. Every Christian who wants to see Christ’s kingdom advance in the world must take great care to see it advance in his own life.

So this year, join me in gathering all of yourself. All of your feelings, thoughts, dreams, ambitions, your work life, your relationships, your intellectual curiosities, your physical appetites gather all of you before the throne of Christ.

And see that all of you worships Christ in unity.

Every part of you has the same king. Every part of you has the same covering. Every part of you celebrates the same thing.

Be like Patrick of Ireland

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

This is the kind of thing you need to do from time to time. Get all of your internal sled dogs pulling in the same direction. Today is a good day to do that.

We have records throughout church history of many people renewing themselves before the Lord many times throughout their lives.

Here’s an account Jonathan Edwards records that sums it up well…

I have, this day, solemnly renewed my baptismal covenant and self-dedication, which I renewed when I was taken into the communion of the church. I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own. I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections, which are in me. Neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members—no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing as my own.

Wouldn’t it be fitting and proper and good for both you, your relationships, and the world at large if you joined with Jonathan Edwards today and said — “Today… I have renewed my whole self to the Lord. Today… I have given myself clear away.”

How Jesus is Establishing His Kingdom

Chris Oswald — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

How Jesus is Establishing His Kingdom

Series: Let Earth Receive Her King

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 24th December 2023

Passage: Isaiah 9:6-7

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Call to Worship:

Zephaniah 3:17-20

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Introduction: Chess nuts roasting on an open fire.

Today we’re going to continue the conversation began last week about the world under the sovereign reign of Jesus Christ.

We looked at Isaiah 9:6-7.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

And we asked — what evidence is there that these promises are coming to pass?

And we saw evidence of virtues/values/morals developing since the coming of Christ that did not exist prior to his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, reign…

Now we’re not arguing for any kind of utopianism. Merely we would apply what the old Saint John Newton said of himself…

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, but still I am not what I once used to be…”

That is how I would describe the world today as a result of Christ’s coming.

It is not what it ought to be. It is not what we want it to be. But still it is not what it used to be.

Today we want to ask “how.”

Look with me at vs. 7

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

We can all coexist with different understandings of “when.” But we cannot do mission together unless we understand “how.”

How is Jesus bringing his kingdom to pass?

Rejecting Elitists

We need to remember that the gospel has a hard edge to it. And even with Christmas and the incarnation, though we have many warm and fuzzies — we don’t want to forget about the hard edge. Remember what Simeon told Mary and Joseph. This child is appointed for the downfall and rise of many. (Luke 2:34). We tend to focus on who Christmas is for and forget to ever talk about who it is against.

But the gospel is against, at least one specific type of person — the elitist.

Elitism = self-appointed, self-perpetuating superiority…

A. Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)

B. Jesus’ worship of the Father in Matthew 11:25-26

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

C. Paul’s explanation in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Now what I want to make sure you see is God’s direct opposition of the proud. He isn’t actively saving the humble and passively letting the prideful go their own way. No, he is actively saving the humble and actively opposing the proud.

In Mary’s song — he is scattering the proud, bringing down the mighty, sending the rich away empty.

In Jesus’ praise — God is actively hiding his gospel from the so-called wise and understanding.

In 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 — he is shaming the wise and the strong.

II. Reigning in Hearts

Once again, we are asking how Jesus fulfilling the promises in our text.

And we’re asking how?

Well throughout the Old Testament, God often tipped his hand, saying that the final act, which would bring his kingdom to pass, was the conversion of individual souls.

But we can go back thousands of years and see that God has always been planning it…

Deuteronomy 30:6 — “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Jeremiah 31:33 — “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 — “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Now all of these texts are placed within the context of national promises, national outcomes, etc… The key to God’s national blessings is individual conversion — Christ governing the heart of each believer.

Now look with me at Galatians 5:19-24

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Tell me what happens when a considerable number of people move from the activities in the first list into the activities of the second list?

We are asking how Jesus is establishing his kingdoms. All other kingdoms have been established by coercion. Christ’s kingdom is established by conversion.

As we read last week from Richard Halverson…

“The fact is, the birth, crucifixion, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ are celebrated worldwide by folk of every race, language, and color, every year. And believing in Jesus, they have been delivered from the most evil, disastrous, frustrating, debilitating habits and life forms possible.

I was reading Athanasius this week. A very early church father (died in 370s) who at times, seemed to stand entirely alone in defending the biblical doctrine of the deity of Christ. His stubbornness spurred a somewhat epic statement: Athanasius contra mundum (Athanasius against the world).

His most important work is simply titled: On the Incarnation. He offers many defenses of the physical reality of Christ’s life, death, resurrection and reign.

Eventually he argues — obviously Jesus has come! Look at the difference he is making!

“For now that the Saviour works so great things among men, and day by day is invisibly persuading so great a multitude from every side, both from them that dwell in Greece and in foreign lands, to come over to His faith, and all to obey His teaching, will any one still hold his mind in doubt whether a Resurrection has been accomplished by the Saviour, and whether Christ is alive, or rather is Himself the Life?”

“Or is it like a dead man to be pricking the consciences of men, so that they deny their hereditary laws and bow before the teaching of Christ? …the adulterer no longer commits adultery, and the murderer murders no more, nor is the inflicter of wrong any longer grasping, and the profane is henceforth religious? Or how, if He be not risen but is dead, does He drive away, and pursue, and cast down those false gods said by the unbelievers to be alive, and the demons they worship? For where Christ is named, and His faith, there all idolatry is deposed and all imposture of evil spirits is exposed, and any spirit is unable to endure even the name, nay even on barely hearing it flies and disappears. But this work is not that of one dead, but of one that lives — and especially of God.”

Which brings us all back to the quote we started with. Old John Newton… “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, but still I am not what I once used to be…”

I wonder how much you know about John Newton? Maybe you know that he wrote the hymn Amazing Grace?

Here is his tombstone

"John Newton, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy!”

Newton was the captain of several slave ships. He was an active part of the slave trade. And in time, the grace of God transformed his heart. The Lord killed his inner elitist. The Lord reigned over John Newton’s heart. So much so that he became instrumental in the outlawing of the slave trade in England.

Is the world what it ought to be? No. But it is not what it used to be.

And this is because Jesus Christ has come — seeking and saving the lost — converting them — transforming them — and establishing his kingdom through them.

That’s at least a partial explanation of “how” Jesus is —

The Government on His Shoulder?

Chris Oswald — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

The Government on His Shoulder?

Series: Let Earth Receive Her King

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 17th December 2023

Passage: Isaiah 9:6-7

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Quotes:

The Book That Made Your World — How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization

“The Bible created the modern world of science and learning because it gave us the Creator’s vision of what reality is all about. That is what made the modern West a reading and thinking civilization. Postmodern people see little point in reading books that do not contribute directly to their career or pleasure. This is a logical outcome of atheism, which has now realized that the human mind cannot possibly know what is true and right.” — Vishal Mangalwadi

Rodney Stark, The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion

“In fact, all known societies above the very primitive level have been slave societies—even many of the Northwest American Indian tribes had slaves long before Columbus’s voyage.46 Amid this universal slavery, only one civilization ever rejected human bondage: Christendom. And it did it twice!”

The WEIRDEST People in the World, Joseph Henrich

In 19th-century Switzerland, other aftershocks of the Reformation have been detected in a battery of cognitive tests given to Swiss army recruits. Young men from all-Protestant districts were not only 11 percentile points more likely to be “high performers” on reading tests compared to those from all-Catholic districts, but this advantage bled over into their scores in math, history, and writing.

Tom Holland, Dominion

Repeatedly, whether crashing through the canals of Tenochtitlan, or settling the estuaries of Massachusetts, or trekking deep into the Transvaal, the confidence that had enabled Europeans to believe themselves superior to those they were displacing was derived from Christianity. Repeatedly, though…it was Christianity that…provided the colonized and the enslaved with the surest voice. The paradox was profound. No other conquerors, carving out empires for themselves, had done so as the servants of a man tortured to death on the orders of a colonial official. No other conquerors…had installed…an emblem of power so deeply ambivalent as to render problematic the very notion of power.

George Sciallabba

Perseverance in virtue will sometimes require self-sacrifice. And self-sacrifice seems to require some transcendental justification or motivation, of which the most common, and perhaps the most logical, is belief in the existence of God.

And there is the quick of my discomfort: the suspicion, powerfully and plausibly albeit tactfully and tentatively expressed, that the ideals I most prize are at bottom inadequate. I confess I see no alternative to living with this suspicion, perhaps permanently.

Yuval Noah Harari, Author of Sapiens

“Most legal systems in the world today are based on a belief in human rights. But what are human rights? Human rights…like God and heaven, are just a story we’ve invented. They’re not objective reality. They’re not a biological fact about Homo sapiens. Take a human being, cut him open, look inside, you will find the heart, the kidneys, neurons, hormones, DNA. But you won’t find any rights. The only place you find rights is in the stories that we have invented and spread…they may be very positive stories, very good stories. But they are still just fictional stories that we have invented.”

“Human rights are as fictional as the God who underwrites them.”

Glen Scrivener, The Air We Breathe

Imagine there’s another guest on the TV show. Plato is brought in, blinking at the studio lights and baffled by the technology. He’s asked whether he agrees with the claim: “Some lives are worth more than others”. The ancient thinker frowns: what is the debate exactly? It is trivially obvious to the father of Western philosophy that lives are of unequal value. Some are men, and some are women; some are Greeks, and some are barbarians; some are free, and some are slaves. There are rich and poor, wise and foolish, strong and weak. All that we see in nature is difference. Compare any two people concerning any one attribute and what will you conclude? This one has more than that one. This, of course, is the definition of unequal. To insist that two people are equal really, when every human trait betrays inequality, raises the question: Equal how? Where is this magical realm where their “equality” exists? Can you show it to me? If Plato was being polite, he might say, “Your faith in ‘equality’ fascinates me, and I’d like to be able to see what you see. Clearly ‘equality’ is very important to you. You live your life in the light of this belief, and I can respect that. But to me it looks as if you’ve just decided to believe in something with no reason or evidence. I’m afraid I’m not convinced.”

The Flight From Humanity, Rushdoony

"The gospel of Sir Thomas More was his Utopia, wherein man's mind imposed its idea on all of the world of matter. For More, wives were to be selected after being inspected naked; their minds were not important enough to count, So unimportant was matter or particularity, so little was it the world of spirit, that wives were to be chosen without regard to the unity of mind and matter, naked on inspection like cattle. For Aristotle, women were misbegotten males, an inferior form of humanity (more material), and Plato wondered as to whether women could be called reasonable creatures. Aristotle held that men, slaves, women, and children all have souls. However, "although the parts of the soul are present in all of them, they are present in different degrees. Women thus have less soul than men and are thus more material. As a result, the neoplatonist tradition has tended strongly toward a hostility to women as the principle of sensuality and materialism. The implicaton of More's principle, which he applied to his daughter, was that women are at best essentially flesh rather than spirit, and hence, like cattle, to be inspected physically before marriage.

The feminist movement, despite its serious errors, has some justification, in that the neoplatonist movement has consistently treated women with contempt. In the Bible, women are presented as no less intelligent than men, nor any the less capable of redemption; the question is one of authority, not of humanity or dignity, whereas in the neoplatonist tradition women are seen at times almost as a different species or at best a very inferior form of man.

The influence of Hellenic thought on Islam is a marked one, and women are the victims of it. Islam is a good example of men setting up a sexual order for their gratification, all the while insisting that men are rational and spiritual, and that women are coarse, materialistic, and sensual in nature. They are also supposedly inferior to men. The Bible teaches, not the inferiority of women, but their subordination, a very different thing."

Richard Halverson

Do Christianity

Chris Oswald — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Do Christianity

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 3rd December 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 6:1-21

Quotes and Comments Concerning Contentment

Chris Oswald — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Quotes and Comments Concerning Contentment

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 30th November 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 6:6

Paul's Secret to Contentment

Chris Oswald — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Paul's Secret to Contentment

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 26th November 2023

Passages:

Philippians 4:6-13
1 Timothy 6:6

Cultural Demoralization is Real and the Gospel has a Cure!

Chris Oswald — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Cultural Demoralization is Real and the Gospel has a Cure!

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Podcast

Date: 19th November 2023

Passage: Proverbs 25:25-26

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This podcast features a sermon Pastor Christ preached at Cross of Grace Church in Chaska Minnesota on November 19, 2023.

Podcast: Denominational Plank Pulling

Chris Oswald — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 19:30:00 +0000

Podcast: Denominational Plank Pulling

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 7th November 2023

Passage: Matthew 7:4-5

Podcast: The Three Laws of Excellence Applied to Godliness

Chris Oswald — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0000

Podcast: The Three Laws of Excellence Applied to Godliness

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 31st October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 4:6-16

Keep a Close Watch

Chris Oswald — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Keep a Close Watch

Series: Topical Sermons

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 29th October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 4:6-16

Podcast: Where Crunchy Women Go Wrong

Chris Oswald — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0100

Podcast: Where Crunchy Women Go Wrong

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 28th October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Podcast: Eschatology without Prophecy

Chris Oswald — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0100

Podcast: Eschatology without Prophecy

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 26th October 2023

Some Will Depart

Chris Oswald — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0100

Some Will Depart

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 22nd October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 4:1-4

Podcast: Godliness

Chris Oswald — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0100

Podcast: Godliness

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 17th October 2023

The Mystery of Godliness

Chris Oswald — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0100

The Mystery of Godliness

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 15th October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Deacons: Servants of the King

Chris Oswald — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0100

Deacons: Servants of the King

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 8th October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Podcast: The Epicenter of Godly Ambition

Chris Oswald — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 19:30:00 +0100

Podcast: The Epicenter of Godly Ambition

Series: Podcast

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 3rd October 2023

Elders: Burly Church Fathers

Chris Oswald — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0100

Elders: Burly Church Fathers

Series: The Household of God

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Date: 1st October 2023

Passage: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

Rely on God's Spirit, Rehearse God's Sovereignty

Chris Oswald — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Rely on God's Spirit, Rehearse God's Sovereignty

Series: True North

Speaker: Chris Oswald

Sunday Morning

Date: 21st January 2023

Passage: 2 Timothy 1:6-14

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Call to Worship:

Today we’re going to be thinking about the sovereignty of God and his providential working that brings his purposes to pass. And we’re going to consider how the Spirit of God uses the doctrine of God’s sovereignty to make us brave.

There’s a classic text in the book of Acts that shows us this very connection.

Specifically Acts 4. Peter and John had been arrested and beaten and then released. And when the disciples all gathered back together they prayed,

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. — Acts 4:29-31

There are certain prayers you should absolutely assume God will answer. Asking him for courage to obey is one of those prayers.

But upon more careful inspection, we see that before praying for boldness and receiving it from the Holy Spirit, the disciples rehearsed what God had revealed to them about the sovereignty of God.

You know earlier I mentioned Acts 4 and the disciple’s prayer for boldness. I only read the second half of the prayer. The first half of the prayer goes like this…

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. — Acts 4:24-28

So what we have here is the not so secret recipe for bravery. By recalling what we know about the sovereignty of God and relying on his spirit — the Lord is faithful to make his people brave. Sermon Title: Relying on God’s Spirit, Remembering God’s Sovereignty Text: 2 Timothy 1:6-14

In January 2022, the Canadian government enacted Bill C-4, effectively criminalizing Christian preaching, teaching, and counseling that upholds Biblical morality for human sexuality. Many pastors in Canada determined to preach the truth that very next Sunday. That was celebrated last Sunday.

This Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Do you know how many women have found themselves with an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy and yet looked their fear in the eye and made it serve the Lord? There are probably plenty of us in this room right now who would not be here if our mothers were more fearful and less faithful.

This is precisely the kind of thing that the book of 2 Timothy is about. We saw last week that Paul is encouraging his beloved Timothy to fan his teaching gift into a flame — even though that increased zeal is likely to lead Timothy into certain trials he would not encounter if he’d just ease up on the gas a little bit.

So this little letter is for the purpose of encouragement in the most literal sense of the word. This is meant to impart courage.

That’s what Paul is doing for Timothy. And thanks be to God, he gave us this little letter so that we could be brought along for the ride.

Some of you might benefit from this series more than others because you have a specific action in mind that, if taken, will in the short term, may very well lead to hardship. I really think this sermon and this series can help some take the next step when you know the next step is going to be painful.

Others may be in the middle of something difficult. And you’re sorely tempted to hit the easy button, step outside of the will of God, disobey and bring this difficult season to end by leaning on your own understanding.

But you know, this kind of thing isn’t really uncommon. I bet there are probably things you’re doing… and things you have chosen not to do — that make life harder for you than it would be if you took a path of least resistance. And the only reason you’re doing things the hard way is because the Lord has made it clear to you.

So some of you need encouragement to endure the hard thing you’re already in. To give generously. To not give up on someone that is difficult to love. To press into community when it feels awkward.

In the section of text we will cover this morning, we will see Paul encourage Timothy with two interconnected things: The Spirit of God and the Sovereignty of God.

I. The Spirit of God

Look at vs. 6-7 — “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

For God gave us a spirit— not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.

And these are three things you really need when staring down the barrel of a gun. When looking at the prospect of suffering.

A. Power

You need power — because you are, in the flesh, to match for the hardships which come your way. Paul emphasizes the power of God again in vs. 8 where he says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,”

God may ask you to suffer for his sake. But he will not ask you to suffer with your strength.

If you obey your way into hardship, then you can expect his help. You can expect his power, supplied by the Holy Spirit, to be fully supplied to help you endure.

B. Love

You need love because that’s the seat of courage. As Gilbert Keith Chesterton famously said, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” Paul expresses this kind of thing in chapter 2 when he says, “I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

But Chesterton’s quote is not complete. The good soldier fights, not only for who is behind him but for who is above him — namely Jesus Christ. As Paul commands Timothy, also in chapter 2, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

C. Self-Control

If we are to be courageous. We must “get a hold of ourselves” when we are afraid. We must not allow the fear we will naturally feel to lead our hearts. We must lead our hearts. The ancient world understood that courage was not an absence of fear but rather a refusal to allow fear to take the lead or have the last word.

I was thinking the other day, “what would my life be like if I was totally unafraid of suffering?” This seemed like a good thing for a second until I realized, if I was totally unafraid of suffering, I would do so many dumb things. I do too many dumb things as it is. But the fear of suffering keeps me from being as dumb as I could be.

Fear is actually God’s gift to us. It keeps us from obeying the short term impulsiveness of the flesh. And when used in that way, it is great benefit. Fear is beneficial when it keeps us from obeying the flesh but is a real liability when it keeps us from obeying God.

And once again, we find the basic challenge of being a fallen human being in a fallen world. God gives us fear as a gift. It was employed by God to Adam and Eve — on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. But after the fall, the gift of fear — just like all the other gifts of God — tends to be heeded over and above the giver of the gift.

So we don’t want to attempt to eliminate fear of suffering. Rather we merely want to subordinate it so that it never keeps us from obeying God. We want to take it captive. Make it serve us and our God and not the other way around.

And all of this comes by the Holy Spirit.

But I want to take a moment to clear up one key misconception about the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God should not be counted on to bring things into being in your soul - ex nihilio - out of nothing. The Holy Spirit does not work that way. In the believer the Holy Spirit does one thing mainly.

He illuminates the scriptures to us. That’s what Jesus tells us about the spirit in John 14.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” — John 14:26

The Holy Spirit deals primarily in the promises of God.

If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why do some seem to be so much more under his influence than others? One key reason for that phenomenon, which I am sure we have all observed, is the amount of bible the Holy Spirit has to work with.

The Holy Spirit is not a replacement for knowing the Bible. He is fundamentally a teacher. And he teaches from the Bible.

Friends, let’s be honest that there are many churches that, either explicitly or implicitly elevate the holy spirit up here — while putting the scriptures down here. Not only is that unbiblical it is setting people up for disappointment. They’re going to be wondering why they lack victory, courage, etc…

The problem isn’t a lack of the holy spirit, but rather a lack of the holy scriptures — which serve as kindling for the fire of the spirit.

His primary work is to bring to mind all that Jesus has said to us in his word.

Let me give you an example and by way of this example, pivot into the second point.

Example: The Disciple’s Increased Boldness

People have long noted how much boldness was manifested in the lives of the disciples in the book of Acts and beyond. They have noted the incredible change that took place in the lives of men who just weeks prior, had abandoned Jesus when times got tough.

And they note the role of the Spirit. The disciples had received the Holy Spirit. And that this was the source of their increased boldness. To that I would say “yes and amen.”

But the Holy Spirit works in us by illuminating truth and making it real to us. The Holy Spirit does not normally produce feelings in us in a vacuum. Rather the Holy Spirit takes the information, ideas, doctrines of the scriptures and makes them real to us so that we act on the information.

So when we think about how the early disciples became so bold — when they were not bold before — we are only providing half an answer when we credit the Holy Spirit. The full answer is that the disciples in Acts had gained information they did not have beforehand. And the Spirit brought what they learned to life.

What information did they gain?

They began to see the providence of God, the unconquerable purposes of God — in clearer light.

Take for instance the famous story from the Emmaus Road — where the risen Christ walked with some disciples and explained to them that all of the thousands of years of biblical history had all been exquisitely orchestrated by the sovereign hand of God.

That even the cross — which at the time looked like the masterful orchestration of evil, turned out to be part of God’s definite plan. And that God had essentially tricked the darkness into destroying itself.

This was the information the disciples possessed after the resurrection that they did not have before. And it was this insight into the sovereignty of God — illuminated by the Spirit — that provided them with the boldness they needed to voluntarily share in suffering for the gospel.

And this is the next idea Paul presents to Timothy. He says, the spirit will give you power, and he will do so by illuminating the sovereignty of God — specifically in salvation.

II. The Sovereignty of God

Look at vs. 8-9

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Paul is not content to leave Timothy with a reminder about the spirit’s work in the face of suffering. He wants to arm the Spirit within Timothy by filing Timothy’s mind with gospel truth — related, above all, to the sovereignty of God in salvation.

This is Paul is doing in vs. 8-10. And I want to take a moment to highlight some of the details…

God’s Sovereignty in Salvation Tells Us Four Things About Him: A. Power B. Independence C. Purpose D. Providence

A. Power

“…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.”

Jonathan Edwards once said that converting a sinner is a greater act for God than creating the world because in converting a sinner, God must overcome sin.

The basic math of Christian suffering is this. God has already done the hardest thing. He has already raised us from spiritual death. Anything we might need from him moving forward — hope, encouragement, endurance, words to say, financial provision, new friendships to replace those who desert us, etc… All of that is a much lesser act than what he has already done for us.

And he did the first thing when we are his enemies. How much more will he do for us now that we are his sons and daughters.

B. Independence

“…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.”

God did not save us by partnering with us. When it came to raising sinners out of their spiritual death, God did not have any assistance. We were, after all dead in our sins and trespasses. We could do nothing to help him help us. God did not have any assistance. God did not need any assistance.

God. Saves. Sinners. Each of those words is important for understanding what the Bible teaches about salvation. 1. God saves sinners. God, not man, saves. We do not save ourselves. Only God can save. 2. God saves sinners. He does not make us potentially savable. He does not enable us to save ourselves. He saves. 3. God saves sinners. He saves a multitude that no man can number out of a world of human beings who are dead in sin and in utter opposition to his kind and sovereign rule. He saves people who once hated him, ignored him and resisted him. In salvation, God does not help those who help themselves, because no sinner can help himself. We are not “basically good” and in a position to “get by with a little help from” God. We are “without hope save in his sovereign mercy.” — L. Duncan, July 2018

C. Purposes

“…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.”

That God loves us is good news. Why God loves is even better news. He loves us because he has decided to.

Let me say something that might seem odd. You don’t want to be God’s why. You want to be caught up in God’s why. But you do not want to be God’s why.

I was reminded of something that Catherine the Great is credited with saying,

I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” — Isaiah 43:25,

D. Providence

This phrase, “before the ages began” is a very Pauline statement.

Ephesians 1:4 tells us that were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

This is simply referring to God’s skillfully working through countless means to bring you to himself as part of his commitment to bring glory to himself.

“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. That every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens. That the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence. The fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.” — Spurgeon

And it is this God who worked your salvation from the foundation of the world.

Conclusion:

Josh read from Heidelberg.

Question 27. What dost thou mean by the providence of God?

Answer: The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but be his fatherly hand.

Let me read you the next question.

Question 28. What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by his providence does still uphold all things?

Answer: That we may be patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from his love; since all creatures are so in his hand, that without his will they cannot so much as move.

Now I want to suggest that in addition to giving us patience in adversity, a proper understanding of the providence of God helps us manage fear on the front end of suffering.

When we look at God’s sovereignty over salvation, the Holy Spirit provides us with power, love, and self-control and we are able to overcome fears that would like to keep us from obeying God.

So what do you individually need to do with these insights?