All of the newswires are abuzz with the story that Noah's Ark may actually have been found, not on Mt. Ararat in Turkey, but actually on a mountain in Iran. The 14-member team from Texas included archeologists, biblical experts, and others.
I have looked at the pictures from the expedition, and have to say that they appear convincing to me. The team found something. Was it the Ark? Who knows? But it is very interesting and is the best evidence I have ever seen of an ark-like find.
You can view the pictures on this site.
Other articles on the expedition and their findings are listed below:
World Net Daily
Houston Chronicle
ABC News
CBN News
Friday, June 30, 2006
SERMON: WITNESSING IN THE WILDERNESS
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
24 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 16
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- one of the songs that seems to hold a sacred place in the worship life of our churches is "The Church in the Wildwood"
-- I think we're all familiar with this song that tells about the little church in the valley in the wildwood -- the writer tells about how the bells from that church ring out on Sunday mornings -- calling to the saved and unsaved alike -- and beckoning them to come to the Lord -- announcing to them that this little brown church in the vale carried within it a message larger than itself -- the good news of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
-- perhaps it is the memory of his encounter with the risen Lord in a similar setting that caused the writer to pen these words, "no place is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale"
-- at homecoming one year, we learned of the inspiration of this song to the writer, Dr. William S. Pitts -- as you probably remember, Dr. Pitts was in the process of moving to Iowa -- and as he traveled through this country in about 1857, he came on a spot that overlooked this little valley in the middle of -- what was then -- frontier land
-- as the sun danced on the leaves of the trees and as the wind whispered through the trees, it struck him that this site was the ideal place for a church -- and in his mind's eyes he envisioned a little brown church sitting in that very location and composed the words to this familiar old hymn
-- as I thought about Dr. Pitts explanation of how he was inspired to write this song, it struck me this week that as he gazed across this valley, he was responding with his heart to the call of the Lord -- you see, it has always been the will of God for His word to go forth into places where it could touch the hearts and lives of others -- it has always been the will of God for His people to carry the good news of Christ to people who were living in wilderness areas -- whether it is the wilderness of a new frontier, like Iowa in 1857, or the wilderness of an unbelieving heart in the middle of a city in the United States today
-- in this passage in the book of Acts, we see a clear example of how God called Paul to the wilderness of Europe in order to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the people there
II. Witnessing in the Wilderness
-- look back at verse 6
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
-- as this passage opens up, Paul and Silas and his other companions had been traveling throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia -- preaching the gospel and establishing churches in that region -- now Paul was not called to be a pastor -- he was called to be a missionary -- to go forth into the wilderness, carrying the good news of the risen Christ -- so, once the fledgling churches were established and growing and strengthened by his ministry with them, Paul cast an eye out for the next place he could go in his ministry
-- immediately south of Galatia was the province of Asia, with its capital city Ephesus -- this was a heavily populated area in his day and was the center of Greek culture -- Paul obviously felt this was to be his next mission field -- so he headed off in that direction
-- but we are told that the Holy Spirit kept him from preaching the word of God in Asia -- God clearly told Paul that he was not to go south -- so, having come from the east and not being able to go south, he headed north, towards the province of Bithynia along the Black Sea -- there was a large population in this area and a heavy concentration of Jews as well -- if he couldn't go to Asia, surely God intended for him to go to Bithynia
-- but once again, the Spirit of God spoke to him and would not allow him to enter Bithynia -- he had come from the east -- he tried to go south -- he tried to go north -- but God said "no" each time -- the only other option was for him to go west, and west he went, skirting Asia and Mysia until he reached the port city of Troas
-- As I was reading this, I wondered how many times we were faced with a similar situation as that of Paul -- Paul had great plans for ministry -- he was going to go to these great population centers and preach the gospel and see lots of people come to Christ
-- I think a lot of times we are like Paul -- I think we come up with great ideas for ministry -- maybe we hear about an idea another church has implemented with good results and we think we can do the same -- or maybe it's an idea that comes from the current hot book that everyone's reading -- regardless, a lot of times we come up with great ideas for ministry that are sure to work -- the only problem is, they are not God's plan for us
-- Going into Asia and Bithynia was not God's plan for Paul -- Paul surely would have been successful in these places and many people would have come to Christ, but God had other plans for him -- God said "No" and Paul listened
-- the question for us is, "When God tells us 'No,' do we listen, or do we press on with our own plans for ministry and do them in our own power?"
-- Paul was seeking God's will -- God's plan for his ministry -- through the leading of the Holy Spirit -- when the Spirit said "No," Paul didn't go -- he didn't complain or try to find the reason why God wouldn't let him go to Asia or Bithynia -- instead, we find Paul waiting and listening for the moment when the Holy Spirit would say "Go" and then -- and only then -- would he move -- Terry Tekyll calls this being "Presence Driven" -- being guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of our own ideas and our own plans
-- one thing is certain -- when God tells you "No" to one ministry, then that means that He has plans for you that are greater than you can ever imagine -- when God says "No" it means that He has even greater things in store for your life and for your ministry
-- after having his plans for ministry rejected twice by God, Paul obviously was going to need a clear prompting from the Holy Spirit before he went anywhere else -- and it was then, as he was sitting in Troas at the border of Asia on the Aegean Sea, that Paul sought the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit -- and God responded by giving him a vision that was to direct him in his next steps
-- verse 9
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
-- in this vision from God, Paul sees a man from Macedonia begging him to come and help them -- as John Wesley put it, to help them "against Satan, against ignorance, and against sin" -- the man from Macedonia didn't know what they needed -- they didn't have a conscious desire for the gospel -- but they knew they needed help from someone greater than themselves to bring them out of their hopeless situation and bondage to sin and death
-- while it is probable that this was an angel who was appearing to Paul in the garb of a Macedonian, it does point out the fact that we can sometimes discern the will of God from the call of man -- God speaks to us and directs our path through various means -- through His Word -- through prayer -- through circumstances -- and through the church
-- as we are seeking God's will and direction for us, we need to be listening for His voice speaking to us from these various sources -- it might just be today that God puts a man from Macedonia in our midst to call us to action -- it might just be today that God speaks to us and calls us to go forth in His name and start a new ministry that we never envisioned
-- notice something else important in this next verse -- verse 10
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
-- after God gave Paul this vision, he shared it with his companions and they "concluded" that God was calling them to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel -- we are told in the Scriptures to "test the spirits" to see if they are from God or not -- and Paul, when he received this vision, did not accept it blindly but put it forth to his companions to see if they confirmed it as the Word of God to them or not
-- when God is getting ready to call this church into a new ministry, He may give the vision to only one person at first -- but before we step forward into a new ministry, we need to first confirm it is from God, just as Paul and his companions did with the vision that he received -- and, if it is truly from God, then the rest of the church will receive confirmation from God that the church is being called to go out and join God in this ministry
-- we need to be open to hearing from God and not being afraid to go forth in a new direction that we have never been before -- as Eugene Peterson said, "It is God's nature to seek us out and draw us into participation with what He is doing" -- Henry Blackaby said a similar thing in the Bible study, "Experiencing God" -- Blackaby taught that "God is always at work around you, and He invites you to join where He is working" -- the vision of the man from Macedonia that Paul received from God was an invitation for Paul and his companions to join God in His work in Europe
-- verse 11
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- immediately after they were certain that this was a prompting from the Holy Spirit, Paul and his companions headed for Philippi and began to share the gospel of Christ with all those residing in the wilderness in that place
-- it was during this trip to Macedonia that new churches were started in Philippi and in Thessalonica -- churches that went on to impact the world with the good news of Jesus
-- because of a vision that stirred his soul, Paul went to where the people were that God wanted him to touch, even though this was not his plan -- he went into Macedonia as God commanded, and the world was never the same again
III. Closing
-- I began this message this morning by reflecting on the story of how the great hymn, "The Church in the Wildwood" was inspired -- as a result of the vision by Dr. Pitts of a church in this wilderness valley, a church was built on that very spot and the good news of Jesus Christ began to be proclaimed in the wilderness -- because of a vision by Dr. Pitts, hearts were touched and lives were changed through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
-- now think for a moment about this church -- this church is here in this place because someone had a vision -- a vision that the people in this community needed a place where they could hear the gospel of Christ -- a place where they could come to find help -- to find forgiveness of sins -- to find eternal life through Christ
-- the vision that built this church is no less valid today than it was when it was first given by God -- we are here for a reason -- we are here for a purpose -- we are here to respond to the people around us who are calling out to us for help and to fulfill the vision that God gave to those who built this church in the first place
-- God does not want us to merely sit here in these walls and wait for them to come to us -- but He wants us to go forth into the wilderness around this church -- the wilderness of hearts -- the wilderness of lives -- in the community that surrounds us and to help them by sharing with them the love of Christ
-- last night I saw a promo for a new t.v. show that caught my attention -- as I listened to it I thought, "That's it -- that's who we are -- that's who God has called us to be"
-- here's what it said, "Some people are born to be extraordinary -- they thought they were like eveyone else -- until they woke with incredible abilities -- this show chronicles the lives of extraordinary men and women -- people whose destiny just might be saving humankind"
-- that is God's vision for us and that is our calling this morning -- to not be ordinary but to be extraordinary people for Him -- people willing to listen to His call to go forth into the wilderness -- people willing to carry a message of salvation to those around them -- no matter the cost -- people like the Apostle Paul, who didn't hesitate to stop when God said "No" and who moved when God said "Go" -- people like you
-- as I close, let me ask you a question, "Who is calling out to you this morning for help? Who is our man from Macedonia? What extraordinary ministry is God calling us to begin?" -- will you be faithful to the vision that God has given us? -- will you commit to going where the people are and telling them about Jesus?
-- if so, then I'm going to ask you to pray a prayer of commitment to God right now as we close this service -- let us pray
24 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 16
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- one of the songs that seems to hold a sacred place in the worship life of our churches is "The Church in the Wildwood"
-- I think we're all familiar with this song that tells about the little church in the valley in the wildwood -- the writer tells about how the bells from that church ring out on Sunday mornings -- calling to the saved and unsaved alike -- and beckoning them to come to the Lord -- announcing to them that this little brown church in the vale carried within it a message larger than itself -- the good news of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
-- perhaps it is the memory of his encounter with the risen Lord in a similar setting that caused the writer to pen these words, "no place is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale"
-- at homecoming one year, we learned of the inspiration of this song to the writer, Dr. William S. Pitts -- as you probably remember, Dr. Pitts was in the process of moving to Iowa -- and as he traveled through this country in about 1857, he came on a spot that overlooked this little valley in the middle of -- what was then -- frontier land
-- as the sun danced on the leaves of the trees and as the wind whispered through the trees, it struck him that this site was the ideal place for a church -- and in his mind's eyes he envisioned a little brown church sitting in that very location and composed the words to this familiar old hymn
-- as I thought about Dr. Pitts explanation of how he was inspired to write this song, it struck me this week that as he gazed across this valley, he was responding with his heart to the call of the Lord -- you see, it has always been the will of God for His word to go forth into places where it could touch the hearts and lives of others -- it has always been the will of God for His people to carry the good news of Christ to people who were living in wilderness areas -- whether it is the wilderness of a new frontier, like Iowa in 1857, or the wilderness of an unbelieving heart in the middle of a city in the United States today
-- in this passage in the book of Acts, we see a clear example of how God called Paul to the wilderness of Europe in order to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the people there
II. Witnessing in the Wilderness
-- look back at verse 6
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
-- as this passage opens up, Paul and Silas and his other companions had been traveling throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia -- preaching the gospel and establishing churches in that region -- now Paul was not called to be a pastor -- he was called to be a missionary -- to go forth into the wilderness, carrying the good news of the risen Christ -- so, once the fledgling churches were established and growing and strengthened by his ministry with them, Paul cast an eye out for the next place he could go in his ministry
-- immediately south of Galatia was the province of Asia, with its capital city Ephesus -- this was a heavily populated area in his day and was the center of Greek culture -- Paul obviously felt this was to be his next mission field -- so he headed off in that direction
-- but we are told that the Holy Spirit kept him from preaching the word of God in Asia -- God clearly told Paul that he was not to go south -- so, having come from the east and not being able to go south, he headed north, towards the province of Bithynia along the Black Sea -- there was a large population in this area and a heavy concentration of Jews as well -- if he couldn't go to Asia, surely God intended for him to go to Bithynia
-- but once again, the Spirit of God spoke to him and would not allow him to enter Bithynia -- he had come from the east -- he tried to go south -- he tried to go north -- but God said "no" each time -- the only other option was for him to go west, and west he went, skirting Asia and Mysia until he reached the port city of Troas
-- As I was reading this, I wondered how many times we were faced with a similar situation as that of Paul -- Paul had great plans for ministry -- he was going to go to these great population centers and preach the gospel and see lots of people come to Christ
-- I think a lot of times we are like Paul -- I think we come up with great ideas for ministry -- maybe we hear about an idea another church has implemented with good results and we think we can do the same -- or maybe it's an idea that comes from the current hot book that everyone's reading -- regardless, a lot of times we come up with great ideas for ministry that are sure to work -- the only problem is, they are not God's plan for us
-- Going into Asia and Bithynia was not God's plan for Paul -- Paul surely would have been successful in these places and many people would have come to Christ, but God had other plans for him -- God said "No" and Paul listened
-- the question for us is, "When God tells us 'No,' do we listen, or do we press on with our own plans for ministry and do them in our own power?"
-- Paul was seeking God's will -- God's plan for his ministry -- through the leading of the Holy Spirit -- when the Spirit said "No," Paul didn't go -- he didn't complain or try to find the reason why God wouldn't let him go to Asia or Bithynia -- instead, we find Paul waiting and listening for the moment when the Holy Spirit would say "Go" and then -- and only then -- would he move -- Terry Tekyll calls this being "Presence Driven" -- being guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of our own ideas and our own plans
-- one thing is certain -- when God tells you "No" to one ministry, then that means that He has plans for you that are greater than you can ever imagine -- when God says "No" it means that He has even greater things in store for your life and for your ministry
-- after having his plans for ministry rejected twice by God, Paul obviously was going to need a clear prompting from the Holy Spirit before he went anywhere else -- and it was then, as he was sitting in Troas at the border of Asia on the Aegean Sea, that Paul sought the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit -- and God responded by giving him a vision that was to direct him in his next steps
-- verse 9
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
-- in this vision from God, Paul sees a man from Macedonia begging him to come and help them -- as John Wesley put it, to help them "against Satan, against ignorance, and against sin" -- the man from Macedonia didn't know what they needed -- they didn't have a conscious desire for the gospel -- but they knew they needed help from someone greater than themselves to bring them out of their hopeless situation and bondage to sin and death
-- while it is probable that this was an angel who was appearing to Paul in the garb of a Macedonian, it does point out the fact that we can sometimes discern the will of God from the call of man -- God speaks to us and directs our path through various means -- through His Word -- through prayer -- through circumstances -- and through the church
-- as we are seeking God's will and direction for us, we need to be listening for His voice speaking to us from these various sources -- it might just be today that God puts a man from Macedonia in our midst to call us to action -- it might just be today that God speaks to us and calls us to go forth in His name and start a new ministry that we never envisioned
-- notice something else important in this next verse -- verse 10
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
-- after God gave Paul this vision, he shared it with his companions and they "concluded" that God was calling them to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel -- we are told in the Scriptures to "test the spirits" to see if they are from God or not -- and Paul, when he received this vision, did not accept it blindly but put it forth to his companions to see if they confirmed it as the Word of God to them or not
-- when God is getting ready to call this church into a new ministry, He may give the vision to only one person at first -- but before we step forward into a new ministry, we need to first confirm it is from God, just as Paul and his companions did with the vision that he received -- and, if it is truly from God, then the rest of the church will receive confirmation from God that the church is being called to go out and join God in this ministry
-- we need to be open to hearing from God and not being afraid to go forth in a new direction that we have never been before -- as Eugene Peterson said, "It is God's nature to seek us out and draw us into participation with what He is doing" -- Henry Blackaby said a similar thing in the Bible study, "Experiencing God" -- Blackaby taught that "God is always at work around you, and He invites you to join where He is working" -- the vision of the man from Macedonia that Paul received from God was an invitation for Paul and his companions to join God in His work in Europe
-- verse 11
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- immediately after they were certain that this was a prompting from the Holy Spirit, Paul and his companions headed for Philippi and began to share the gospel of Christ with all those residing in the wilderness in that place
-- it was during this trip to Macedonia that new churches were started in Philippi and in Thessalonica -- churches that went on to impact the world with the good news of Jesus
-- because of a vision that stirred his soul, Paul went to where the people were that God wanted him to touch, even though this was not his plan -- he went into Macedonia as God commanded, and the world was never the same again
III. Closing
-- I began this message this morning by reflecting on the story of how the great hymn, "The Church in the Wildwood" was inspired -- as a result of the vision by Dr. Pitts of a church in this wilderness valley, a church was built on that very spot and the good news of Jesus Christ began to be proclaimed in the wilderness -- because of a vision by Dr. Pitts, hearts were touched and lives were changed through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
-- now think for a moment about this church -- this church is here in this place because someone had a vision -- a vision that the people in this community needed a place where they could hear the gospel of Christ -- a place where they could come to find help -- to find forgiveness of sins -- to find eternal life through Christ
-- the vision that built this church is no less valid today than it was when it was first given by God -- we are here for a reason -- we are here for a purpose -- we are here to respond to the people around us who are calling out to us for help and to fulfill the vision that God gave to those who built this church in the first place
-- God does not want us to merely sit here in these walls and wait for them to come to us -- but He wants us to go forth into the wilderness around this church -- the wilderness of hearts -- the wilderness of lives -- in the community that surrounds us and to help them by sharing with them the love of Christ
-- last night I saw a promo for a new t.v. show that caught my attention -- as I listened to it I thought, "That's it -- that's who we are -- that's who God has called us to be"
-- here's what it said, "Some people are born to be extraordinary -- they thought they were like eveyone else -- until they woke with incredible abilities -- this show chronicles the lives of extraordinary men and women -- people whose destiny just might be saving humankind"
-- that is God's vision for us and that is our calling this morning -- to not be ordinary but to be extraordinary people for Him -- people willing to listen to His call to go forth into the wilderness -- people willing to carry a message of salvation to those around them -- no matter the cost -- people like the Apostle Paul, who didn't hesitate to stop when God said "No" and who moved when God said "Go" -- people like you
-- as I close, let me ask you a question, "Who is calling out to you this morning for help? Who is our man from Macedonia? What extraordinary ministry is God calling us to begin?" -- will you be faithful to the vision that God has given us? -- will you commit to going where the people are and telling them about Jesus?
-- if so, then I'm going to ask you to pray a prayer of commitment to God right now as we close this service -- let us pray
U.S. IMMIGRATION -- CALL TO MISSIONS?
Acts 2:1-5. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
I was meditating on this passage today when I read an article on Rick Warren's site called "A small town church with a ministry to the whole world." Highlands Fellowship in Abingdon, VA, started a ministry to pastors and leaders outside the U.S. by inviting them to their church for a three-day conference once a year.
As I read this article, I started thinking about the tendency of our smaller churches to be inwardly focused and started wondering what I could do to help them catch a vision for reaching out, maybe not to pastors from Belarus, but to someone. And then it struck me that we have a world-wide mission on our doorstep that everyone is talking about but no one -- at least in my part of the world -- is really impacting, namely immigrants.
Our area is filled with immigrants -- legal, illegal, transient, permanent -- mostly from Mexico and central America. Limited attempts have been made by our UMC District and conference to reach out to them, but the attempts have been focused on bringing them into fellowship with the UMC by starting Hispanic services in our larger UMC congregations. The big problem with this, in addition to the fact that we have only two Hispanic ministers in our district to minister to thousands of immigrants, is that most of these immigrants are not permanent, not even seasonally.
It's hard to get them involved in a church when they are leaving in a matter of weeks.
So, what would be the best way to impact them positively for Christ? What about focusing on raising leaders from among their own ranks, giving them training in theology and ministry, and encourage them to form migrating fellowships that go where the people are? Men and women with a call on their lives from God could be identified through the Hispanic fellowships already developed and then invited to participate in a multi-week leadership training class that would meet one day a week during a time when they are not working. Once trained and once their eyes have been opened to the ministerial possibilities in their midst, these called men and women can carry the word of God with them where they go, planting the seeds of faith and new fellowships where possible.
When I was meditating on the passage from Acts, it struck me that the timing of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit was perfect. It coincided with a time when the city of Jerusalem was filled with "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven." These God-fearing Jews carried back with them the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and were the first missionaries of the new church.
Is it any coincidence that our towns and communities are filled with men and women from other places? Only God knows how great an impact one immigrant, changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, could have on his friends, his family, and even his nation. Perhaps the "Billy Graham" or the "Apostle Paul" of Mexico is in our midst today. Perhaps all it will take to fill them with a desire to evangelize and carry the word out is someone first reaching them with the Word of God and with leadership and ministerial training.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
I was meditating on this passage today when I read an article on Rick Warren's site called "A small town church with a ministry to the whole world." Highlands Fellowship in Abingdon, VA, started a ministry to pastors and leaders outside the U.S. by inviting them to their church for a three-day conference once a year.
As I read this article, I started thinking about the tendency of our smaller churches to be inwardly focused and started wondering what I could do to help them catch a vision for reaching out, maybe not to pastors from Belarus, but to someone. And then it struck me that we have a world-wide mission on our doorstep that everyone is talking about but no one -- at least in my part of the world -- is really impacting, namely immigrants.
Our area is filled with immigrants -- legal, illegal, transient, permanent -- mostly from Mexico and central America. Limited attempts have been made by our UMC District and conference to reach out to them, but the attempts have been focused on bringing them into fellowship with the UMC by starting Hispanic services in our larger UMC congregations. The big problem with this, in addition to the fact that we have only two Hispanic ministers in our district to minister to thousands of immigrants, is that most of these immigrants are not permanent, not even seasonally.
It's hard to get them involved in a church when they are leaving in a matter of weeks.
So, what would be the best way to impact them positively for Christ? What about focusing on raising leaders from among their own ranks, giving them training in theology and ministry, and encourage them to form migrating fellowships that go where the people are? Men and women with a call on their lives from God could be identified through the Hispanic fellowships already developed and then invited to participate in a multi-week leadership training class that would meet one day a week during a time when they are not working. Once trained and once their eyes have been opened to the ministerial possibilities in their midst, these called men and women can carry the word of God with them where they go, planting the seeds of faith and new fellowships where possible.
When I was meditating on the passage from Acts, it struck me that the timing of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit was perfect. It coincided with a time when the city of Jerusalem was filled with "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven." These God-fearing Jews carried back with them the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and were the first missionaries of the new church.
Is it any coincidence that our towns and communities are filled with men and women from other places? Only God knows how great an impact one immigrant, changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, could have on his friends, his family, and even his nation. Perhaps the "Billy Graham" or the "Apostle Paul" of Mexico is in our midst today. Perhaps all it will take to fill them with a desire to evangelize and carry the word out is someone first reaching them with the Word of God and with leadership and ministerial training.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
SERMON: THE VALUE OF THE BLOOD
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
18 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Hebrews 9
11. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
-- the other night when we were having our discussion on selling the church pews, we talked about how the value of the church pews depends on what someone is willing to pay for it
-- for instance, someone might come in here looking for a new piece of antique furniture to invest in, so they will assign a value to the pew based on what antique pews like these can be bought for
-- someone else might not care about the pew as an investment, but the pew has a sentimental value to them -- the value they assign to the pew will be based on what it means to them
-- so, according to this reasoning, the value of an item is subjective and relative -- what I think something is worth is not what you might think something is worth -- the value depends on what a person is willing to pay for it
-- now, when we were talking about the pews that night, that seemed to make perfect, logical sense -- look at this fiddle that I'm holding here -- now I wouldn't give you one dollar for this fiddle -- but someone did -- they bought this fiddle at an auction for a fairly low price -- that is the value that the person who bought it and all those who were gathered there put on it -- that was what they were willing to pay for it
-- but, what if I was to tell you that this was not just a regular fiddle but that it was, in fact, a Stradivarius violin? -- a Stradivairus violin is considered the gold standard of the music world -- they are supposed to sound better than any other violin ever made -- they are extremely rare -- only about 512 of them exist today -- and they are very old, dating back to the 18th century
-- what if I was to tell you that no one at the auction realized it, but that this old fiddle is actually an authentic Stradivarius violin -- what would it's value be then?
-- a Stradivarius violin was recently auctioned off for $3.5 million dollars -- however, I still wouldn't give you a dollar for it -- I just don't want it -- I don't have any need for it
-- does that mean that this Stradivarius violin is only worth a dollar then? -- no, value may seem to be subjective and relative, but the true value of an item can only be determined by someone who is an expert and who can accurately appraise that item's worth
-- there's an old song by Wayne Watson called, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" that makes this point quite clearly -- in this song, they are auctioning off an old violin -- and the auctioneer starts off the bidding at one dollar -- he cries out, "Who'll give me one dollar -- who'll make it two?" -- but, no one would bid on the violin -- finally, an old man walks up, takes the violin and the bow, and proceeds to play out a melody pure and sweet -- as sweet as the angels sing
-- when the music stopped, there was silence for a moment, and then the auctioneer said, "who wants to bid for me -- one thousand -- who'll give me one thousand -- two thousand -- who'll make it two" -- and the people cried out, "What made the change?" -- the auctioneer said, "It was the touch of the Master's hand"
-- no one there thought the violin was worth a dollar -- but once a master showed the true value of the instrument -- the auctioneer changed the price
-- so, let me ask you this morning, what value do you place on the blood of Christ? -- or, more importantly, what value does God place on the blood of Christ?
II. Three Aspects of Sin
-- last week, we talked about original sin -- about how that great infection that came about through the fall in the Garden of Eden permeated our bodies and our minds and became a part of us -- because of this great infection -- because of this inherent sin nature in our lives -- we are born sinners
-- when we talk about sin, there are two aspects of sin that we need to recognize:
-- first, God defines sin -- He is the One who defines what is right and what is wrong -- it is His law -- written in our hearts -- that lets us know when we have missed the mark and disobeyed Him and sinned against Him
-- secondly, when we sin -- when we disobey God and break His commandments -- then we know it -- our conscience -- our inherent sense of right and wrong -- tells us that we have done something wrong -- and we respond with guilt -- we feel guilty when we sin because we know in our hearts that we have disobeyed God
-- so in order to bring us back into a relationship of righteousness with God, Jesus had to do something about both aspects of sin -- and this is where we start talking about the true value of the blood of Christ -- let's look at each of these aspects separately
A. The Aspect of God
-- because we are sinners -- because we have this sin nature in our hearts and because it has led us to sin against God and disobey His commands -- the Bible tells us that we are estranged from God -- we are separated from Him -- our relationship has been severed
-- Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your iniquities -- [your sins] -- have separated you from God -- your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear"
-- a holy God cannot look on sin and cannot be in relationship with a sinner -- and we learned last week that that is what we all are -- we are all sinners -- not necessarily because of what we have done -- but because of who we are -- this means that from the moment of our birth, we are separated from God
-- in order for man to be reconciled with God -- in order for man to have his sins forgiven and to be made righteous in God's eyes, the Bible tells us that blood has to be shed as payment for our sins
-- in the Old Testament -- in the law that God gave Moses -- God told the Israelites to offer a sacrifice for sin once a year as an atonement -- as a payment -- for their sin -- the Israelites could only come before God -- they could only enter His presence, if they were first covered with the blood of an atoning sacrifice
-- look at verse 1 in Chapter 9
1. Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
2. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
3. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
4. which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
5. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
7. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
-- in order to atone for their sins -- in order to be declared righteous and holy in the sight of God -- the Israelites had to be covered with the blood of an acceptable sacrifice -- and when the high priest went into the Most Holy Place -- the Holy of Holies -- the place where the Ark of the Covenant was -- the place where the presence of God physically rested in that time -- he had to literally be covered with blood from the sacrifice
-- now, think for a moment -- who was the blood for? -- was the blood for the Israelites or was it for God? -- who put the value on the blood of the sacrifice?
-- it was God -- the blood was the offering to God that atoned for the sin of the Israelites -- God was the One who demanded it and who received it as payment for their sin -- He was the One who determined if a sacrifice was sufficient -- if a sacrifice was valuable enough -- to pay for their sins
-- at various times in the history of Israel, the Israelites strayed from God and set up altars on high places and made animal sacrifices to other gods -- they offered these animals just like the ones at the temple -- blood was shed and offered -- but these sacrifices did not cleanse them of their sins because God did not accept their offering -- He saw no value in it
-- the blood of the atoning sacrifice had to be considered valuable and accepted by God in order to be effective -- the blood was for Him and not for us
-- look back at verse 11
11. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
-- the Bible tells us that Christ offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice -- He offered His blood as payment for all of our sins -- who is the blood for? -- who determines if the blood of Christ is valuable enough to pay for all of the sins of humanity? -- God -- God is the one who sets the value on the blood of Jesus
-- it doesn't matter whether we feel the blood or not -- it doesn't matter if we see the blood or not -- it doesn't matter what value we place on the blood -- the blood is not for us -- it is for God -- and we have to accept God's valuation of it -- if God accepts the blood as payment, then the debt has been paid
-- so the first aspect of the blood is Godward -- it satisfies God's demand and makes us righteous in the eyes of God
B. The Aspect of Man
-- the next aspect of sin and the blood concerns man -- in order for us to be saved -- in order for us to stand before God free of sin and guilt -- then we have to recognize and accept the value of the blood of Christ -- not the value as we see it, but the true value of the blood as recognized by God
-- we can only approach God through the blood of an acceptable sacrifice -- just as the priest in the Holy of Holies could only approach God if he had been sprinkled with the blood of the atoning sacrifice
-- in order for us to approach God, we have to have our hearts sprinkled with the blood of Christ, and we have to approach God through faith in the value that He places on the blood of Jesus for cleansing us and atoning for our sins
-- in other words, we are only saved when we do two things: first, we have to recognize the severity of our sin and the fact that we are separated from God because of who we are -- and, secondly, we have to recognize the value that God puts on the blood of Jesus and accept God's offer of the forgiveness of our sins through that precious blood
-- it doesn't matter if we feel saved or not -- it doesn't matter what value we place on the blood of Christ -- we may never fully understand just how valuable the blood of Christ is to God
-- but we are saved because God has placed a value on Jesus' blood and accepts it as payment for our sin -- the blood is our access to God -- not our feelings or anything that we have done to try to earn salvation
-- according to the Bible, receiving the gift of God's grace in Christ not only forgives our sins and reconciles us to Him -- it not only is sufficient and valuable enough to take care of all of our sin debt -- but it also removes the guilt from out hearts -- look over at Chapter 10, verse 19
19. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20. by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21. and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22. let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
-- our guilt is removed when we recognize the value that God places on the blood of Christ -- guilt comes about in the first place because we know that we have sinned and are standing in the presence of God as a sinner -- as Isaiah cried out when he found himself before the throne of God in Isaiah Chapter 6 -- "Woe to me! I am ruined" -- when we sin, we feel guilty because we know that we have done something wrong and that God demands payment for that sin
-- but, when we appropriate the blood of Jesus -- when we recognize -- through faith -- the value of the blood of Jesus in God's eyes -- when we trust, through faith, that Jesus' blood paid for all our sins -- past, present, and future -- then our guilt is removed and replaced with an assurance of our salvation
-- when Isaiah cried out over his sin and guilt before God, he was told, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" -- payment for Isaiah's sin had been made and accepted by God -- once he realized that and accepted that in faith, then any guilt that Isaiah had was removed
-- in order to live lives free of guilt and free of the accusations and condemnations of Satan, then we need to recognize that there is a difference between "feelings" and "faith"
-- we all sin -- every single day of our lives, we are all going to sin against God in one way or the other -- but if we repent of our sins and come to God and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, 1 John 1:9 says that God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and will purify us from all unrighteousness -- He does that because He has found value in the blood of Christ
-- and, if we have repented of our sins and asked God to forgive through the blood of Jesus, then we need to stand in faith that our hearts have been sprinkled and cleansed through the blood of Jesus -- it doesn't matter if you "feel" clean or not -- your sins have been forgiven because God has accepted the blood of Jesus as payment for them
-- once we realize that and accept that in faith, then any guilt that we might feel -- any accusation from Satan -- is removed
-- if you have sought forgiveness through the blood of Christ and you still feel guilty, then it means that you are not trusting in the value of the blood of Christ in the eyes of God -- you are still looking at your sin debt through the eyes of the flesh
-- in order to be assured of your salvation and to remove any residual guilt from your heart, you have to stand by faith in the blood of Jesus and in its value to God -- that is why this passage tells us to draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith -- our hearts are covered with the precious, valuable blood of Jesus, and we must trust that His blood has paid our sin debt in full
-- if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and received the forgiveness of sins through His blood, then you can approach the throne of grace with assurance and without guilt because you are covered with the blood of Christ -- in the eyes of God, you are not a sinner any longer -- but you are righteous and holy and guiltless
III. Closing
-- the blood of Christ is valuable beyond compare -- it was offered in love and received by God as full payment for the sins of the world -- yours and mine
-- it offers forgiveness and cleansing of sin and guilt -- and it has paid the price for our trip to Heaven
-- but that blood is of no use until you recognize the value that God has placed on it by asking God to forgive you of your sins through Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross
-- if you have never done that -- if you have never accepted God's offer of forgiveness through the blood of Christ -- I would invite you to do so now -- to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
-- perhaps you have done so, but you have been trapped by feelings of guilt that have allowed Satan to set up a stronghold in your life -- I would invite you this morning to stop looking at your sins through the eyes of the flesh but to look at them through the eyes of faith -- to recognize and realize the value that God puts on the blood of Jesus -- and to trust that His blood is valuable enough to take remove all the sins in your life
-- you don't have to feel guilty about your sins any longer, because they are not there -- Jesus' blood has taken them away -- and God sees you as holy in His eyes
-- whatever you need to do this morning, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- the altar is always open, and if you need to come forward, I would invite you to do so
-- let us pray
18 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Hebrews 9
11. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
-- the other night when we were having our discussion on selling the church pews, we talked about how the value of the church pews depends on what someone is willing to pay for it
-- for instance, someone might come in here looking for a new piece of antique furniture to invest in, so they will assign a value to the pew based on what antique pews like these can be bought for
-- someone else might not care about the pew as an investment, but the pew has a sentimental value to them -- the value they assign to the pew will be based on what it means to them
-- so, according to this reasoning, the value of an item is subjective and relative -- what I think something is worth is not what you might think something is worth -- the value depends on what a person is willing to pay for it
-- now, when we were talking about the pews that night, that seemed to make perfect, logical sense -- look at this fiddle that I'm holding here -- now I wouldn't give you one dollar for this fiddle -- but someone did -- they bought this fiddle at an auction for a fairly low price -- that is the value that the person who bought it and all those who were gathered there put on it -- that was what they were willing to pay for it
-- but, what if I was to tell you that this was not just a regular fiddle but that it was, in fact, a Stradivarius violin? -- a Stradivairus violin is considered the gold standard of the music world -- they are supposed to sound better than any other violin ever made -- they are extremely rare -- only about 512 of them exist today -- and they are very old, dating back to the 18th century
-- what if I was to tell you that no one at the auction realized it, but that this old fiddle is actually an authentic Stradivarius violin -- what would it's value be then?
-- a Stradivarius violin was recently auctioned off for $3.5 million dollars -- however, I still wouldn't give you a dollar for it -- I just don't want it -- I don't have any need for it
-- does that mean that this Stradivarius violin is only worth a dollar then? -- no, value may seem to be subjective and relative, but the true value of an item can only be determined by someone who is an expert and who can accurately appraise that item's worth
-- there's an old song by Wayne Watson called, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" that makes this point quite clearly -- in this song, they are auctioning off an old violin -- and the auctioneer starts off the bidding at one dollar -- he cries out, "Who'll give me one dollar -- who'll make it two?" -- but, no one would bid on the violin -- finally, an old man walks up, takes the violin and the bow, and proceeds to play out a melody pure and sweet -- as sweet as the angels sing
-- when the music stopped, there was silence for a moment, and then the auctioneer said, "who wants to bid for me -- one thousand -- who'll give me one thousand -- two thousand -- who'll make it two" -- and the people cried out, "What made the change?" -- the auctioneer said, "It was the touch of the Master's hand"
-- no one there thought the violin was worth a dollar -- but once a master showed the true value of the instrument -- the auctioneer changed the price
-- so, let me ask you this morning, what value do you place on the blood of Christ? -- or, more importantly, what value does God place on the blood of Christ?
II. Three Aspects of Sin
-- last week, we talked about original sin -- about how that great infection that came about through the fall in the Garden of Eden permeated our bodies and our minds and became a part of us -- because of this great infection -- because of this inherent sin nature in our lives -- we are born sinners
-- when we talk about sin, there are two aspects of sin that we need to recognize:
-- first, God defines sin -- He is the One who defines what is right and what is wrong -- it is His law -- written in our hearts -- that lets us know when we have missed the mark and disobeyed Him and sinned against Him
-- secondly, when we sin -- when we disobey God and break His commandments -- then we know it -- our conscience -- our inherent sense of right and wrong -- tells us that we have done something wrong -- and we respond with guilt -- we feel guilty when we sin because we know in our hearts that we have disobeyed God
-- so in order to bring us back into a relationship of righteousness with God, Jesus had to do something about both aspects of sin -- and this is where we start talking about the true value of the blood of Christ -- let's look at each of these aspects separately
A. The Aspect of God
-- because we are sinners -- because we have this sin nature in our hearts and because it has led us to sin against God and disobey His commands -- the Bible tells us that we are estranged from God -- we are separated from Him -- our relationship has been severed
-- Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your iniquities -- [your sins] -- have separated you from God -- your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear"
-- a holy God cannot look on sin and cannot be in relationship with a sinner -- and we learned last week that that is what we all are -- we are all sinners -- not necessarily because of what we have done -- but because of who we are -- this means that from the moment of our birth, we are separated from God
-- in order for man to be reconciled with God -- in order for man to have his sins forgiven and to be made righteous in God's eyes, the Bible tells us that blood has to be shed as payment for our sins
-- in the Old Testament -- in the law that God gave Moses -- God told the Israelites to offer a sacrifice for sin once a year as an atonement -- as a payment -- for their sin -- the Israelites could only come before God -- they could only enter His presence, if they were first covered with the blood of an atoning sacrifice
-- look at verse 1 in Chapter 9
1. Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
2. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.
3. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
4. which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
5. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
7. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
-- in order to atone for their sins -- in order to be declared righteous and holy in the sight of God -- the Israelites had to be covered with the blood of an acceptable sacrifice -- and when the high priest went into the Most Holy Place -- the Holy of Holies -- the place where the Ark of the Covenant was -- the place where the presence of God physically rested in that time -- he had to literally be covered with blood from the sacrifice
-- now, think for a moment -- who was the blood for? -- was the blood for the Israelites or was it for God? -- who put the value on the blood of the sacrifice?
-- it was God -- the blood was the offering to God that atoned for the sin of the Israelites -- God was the One who demanded it and who received it as payment for their sin -- He was the One who determined if a sacrifice was sufficient -- if a sacrifice was valuable enough -- to pay for their sins
-- at various times in the history of Israel, the Israelites strayed from God and set up altars on high places and made animal sacrifices to other gods -- they offered these animals just like the ones at the temple -- blood was shed and offered -- but these sacrifices did not cleanse them of their sins because God did not accept their offering -- He saw no value in it
-- the blood of the atoning sacrifice had to be considered valuable and accepted by God in order to be effective -- the blood was for Him and not for us
-- look back at verse 11
11. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
-- the Bible tells us that Christ offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice -- He offered His blood as payment for all of our sins -- who is the blood for? -- who determines if the blood of Christ is valuable enough to pay for all of the sins of humanity? -- God -- God is the one who sets the value on the blood of Jesus
-- it doesn't matter whether we feel the blood or not -- it doesn't matter if we see the blood or not -- it doesn't matter what value we place on the blood -- the blood is not for us -- it is for God -- and we have to accept God's valuation of it -- if God accepts the blood as payment, then the debt has been paid
-- so the first aspect of the blood is Godward -- it satisfies God's demand and makes us righteous in the eyes of God
B. The Aspect of Man
-- the next aspect of sin and the blood concerns man -- in order for us to be saved -- in order for us to stand before God free of sin and guilt -- then we have to recognize and accept the value of the blood of Christ -- not the value as we see it, but the true value of the blood as recognized by God
-- we can only approach God through the blood of an acceptable sacrifice -- just as the priest in the Holy of Holies could only approach God if he had been sprinkled with the blood of the atoning sacrifice
-- in order for us to approach God, we have to have our hearts sprinkled with the blood of Christ, and we have to approach God through faith in the value that He places on the blood of Jesus for cleansing us and atoning for our sins
-- in other words, we are only saved when we do two things: first, we have to recognize the severity of our sin and the fact that we are separated from God because of who we are -- and, secondly, we have to recognize the value that God puts on the blood of Jesus and accept God's offer of the forgiveness of our sins through that precious blood
-- it doesn't matter if we feel saved or not -- it doesn't matter what value we place on the blood of Christ -- we may never fully understand just how valuable the blood of Christ is to God
-- but we are saved because God has placed a value on Jesus' blood and accepts it as payment for our sin -- the blood is our access to God -- not our feelings or anything that we have done to try to earn salvation
-- according to the Bible, receiving the gift of God's grace in Christ not only forgives our sins and reconciles us to Him -- it not only is sufficient and valuable enough to take care of all of our sin debt -- but it also removes the guilt from out hearts -- look over at Chapter 10, verse 19
19. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20. by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21. and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22. let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
-- our guilt is removed when we recognize the value that God places on the blood of Christ -- guilt comes about in the first place because we know that we have sinned and are standing in the presence of God as a sinner -- as Isaiah cried out when he found himself before the throne of God in Isaiah Chapter 6 -- "Woe to me! I am ruined" -- when we sin, we feel guilty because we know that we have done something wrong and that God demands payment for that sin
-- but, when we appropriate the blood of Jesus -- when we recognize -- through faith -- the value of the blood of Jesus in God's eyes -- when we trust, through faith, that Jesus' blood paid for all our sins -- past, present, and future -- then our guilt is removed and replaced with an assurance of our salvation
-- when Isaiah cried out over his sin and guilt before God, he was told, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" -- payment for Isaiah's sin had been made and accepted by God -- once he realized that and accepted that in faith, then any guilt that Isaiah had was removed
-- in order to live lives free of guilt and free of the accusations and condemnations of Satan, then we need to recognize that there is a difference between "feelings" and "faith"
-- we all sin -- every single day of our lives, we are all going to sin against God in one way or the other -- but if we repent of our sins and come to God and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, 1 John 1:9 says that God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and will purify us from all unrighteousness -- He does that because He has found value in the blood of Christ
-- and, if we have repented of our sins and asked God to forgive through the blood of Jesus, then we need to stand in faith that our hearts have been sprinkled and cleansed through the blood of Jesus -- it doesn't matter if you "feel" clean or not -- your sins have been forgiven because God has accepted the blood of Jesus as payment for them
-- once we realize that and accept that in faith, then any guilt that we might feel -- any accusation from Satan -- is removed
-- if you have sought forgiveness through the blood of Christ and you still feel guilty, then it means that you are not trusting in the value of the blood of Christ in the eyes of God -- you are still looking at your sin debt through the eyes of the flesh
-- in order to be assured of your salvation and to remove any residual guilt from your heart, you have to stand by faith in the blood of Jesus and in its value to God -- that is why this passage tells us to draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith -- our hearts are covered with the precious, valuable blood of Jesus, and we must trust that His blood has paid our sin debt in full
-- if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and received the forgiveness of sins through His blood, then you can approach the throne of grace with assurance and without guilt because you are covered with the blood of Christ -- in the eyes of God, you are not a sinner any longer -- but you are righteous and holy and guiltless
III. Closing
-- the blood of Christ is valuable beyond compare -- it was offered in love and received by God as full payment for the sins of the world -- yours and mine
-- it offers forgiveness and cleansing of sin and guilt -- and it has paid the price for our trip to Heaven
-- but that blood is of no use until you recognize the value that God has placed on it by asking God to forgive you of your sins through Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross
-- if you have never done that -- if you have never accepted God's offer of forgiveness through the blood of Christ -- I would invite you to do so now -- to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
-- perhaps you have done so, but you have been trapped by feelings of guilt that have allowed Satan to set up a stronghold in your life -- I would invite you this morning to stop looking at your sins through the eyes of the flesh but to look at them through the eyes of faith -- to recognize and realize the value that God puts on the blood of Jesus -- and to trust that His blood is valuable enough to take remove all the sins in your life
-- you don't have to feel guilty about your sins any longer, because they are not there -- Jesus' blood has taken them away -- and God sees you as holy in His eyes
-- whatever you need to do this morning, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- the altar is always open, and if you need to come forward, I would invite you to do so
-- let us pray
Saturday, June 17, 2006
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR A DAD
(From an anonymous e-mail)
Subject: JOB DESCRIPTION
Position: DAD
Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES
~ Must provide on-site training in basic life skills, such as nose blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus.
~ Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project.
~ Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life.
~ Must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above mentioned skills in conflict resolution.
~ Must be able to choose your battles wisely and then stick to your guns.
~ Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything."
~ Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating.
~ Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
~ Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat, in case this time the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
~ Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
~ Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery-operated devices.
~ Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
~ Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
~ Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
~ Must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name.
~ Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions on the fly such as "What makes the wind move?" or "Why can't we just stop all wars?"
~ Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
~ Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
~ Other responsibilities include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION
You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, the job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life, if you play your cards right.
###########################
What Makes A Dad?
God took the strength of a mountain...
The majesty of a tree-
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages...
The power of the eagle's flight-
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need.
Then God combined these qualities...
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... "DAD!"
Subject: JOB DESCRIPTION
Position: DAD
Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES
~ Must provide on-site training in basic life skills, such as nose blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus.
~ Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project.
~ Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life.
~ Must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above mentioned skills in conflict resolution.
~ Must be able to choose your battles wisely and then stick to your guns.
~ Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything."
~ Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating.
~ Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
~ Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat, in case this time the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
~ Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
~ Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery-operated devices.
~ Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
~ Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
~ Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
~ Must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name.
~ Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions on the fly such as "What makes the wind move?" or "Why can't we just stop all wars?"
~ Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
~ Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
~ Other responsibilities include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION
You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, the job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life, if you play your cards right.
###########################
What Makes A Dad?
God took the strength of a mountain...
The majesty of a tree-
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages...
The power of the eagle's flight-
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need.
Then God combined these qualities...
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... "DAD!"
Friday, June 16, 2006
SERMON: THE GREAT INFECTION
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
11 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Romans 5
12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
13. for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
14. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16. Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21. so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-- have you ever thought much about sin? -- you know we use this word in the church a lot -- we sing about it and we talk about it and we worry about it -- we know that it is the one thing that we all share -- the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
-- we know that sin is what separates us from God -- it is our sin that condemns us to hell -- and it is our sin that caused Jesus to come and die on the cross in our place
-- but have you ever really stopped to think about what sin is? -- did you know that the Bible makes a distinction between the words "sin" and "sins" in various places? -- that there is a difference between the two?
-- the word "sin" is the Greek word "harmatia" -- it is an archery term that literally means, "missing the mark" -- it means that we missed following God's command -- we missed God's plan for our life -- and we went off and disobeyed Him -- we sinned
-- but in the Book of Romans, Paul makes a distinction between "sins" and "sin" -- he uses the plural word "sins" to refer to all of our acts of disobedience -- all the things we have done wrong
-- but he uses the singular form of the word "sin" to refer to something else -- our sin nature -- our "old man" -- this internal nature that lives inside of us and that causes us to disobey God -- it is this sin nature inside of us that we refer to as original sin
II. Original Sin
-- the doctrine of original sin is one of the foundational doctrines of our church -- this doctrine teaches that when Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and, as a result, all of us are born with this sin nature inside of us that causes us to sin
-- it all goes back to Genesis 2:16-17 when God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden, but that he must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if he ate of it, he would die
-- and here in this passage in Romans, Paul tells us that that is exactly what happened -- throughout this passage, we read that death and sin came because of the trespass of one man -- look back at verse 12
12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned
-- because of Adam's disobedience, sin and death -- both physical and spiritual death -- came into the world
-- Paul tells us the same thing in verse 15 -- "if the many died by the trespass of the one man" -- verse 16 -- "the result of the one's man sin -- the judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation" -- verse 17 -- by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man" -- and verses 18-19
18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
-- when Eve took a bite out of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and gave it to Adam -- somehow, sin and death came into the world and became a part of them -- and became a part of who we are
-- because of their disobedience and their trespass, we all became sinners -- we are all born sinners -- that is the doctrine of original sin
-- now this concept always caused me a problem -- you see, one of the principles that we learned in biology was that physical changes to the body were not inherited -- only genetic changes were inherited
-- there was a biologist many years ago named Heckel who proposed a theory called "hopeful monsters" -- in this theory, he said that the way the different animals came about was that a physical change happened to them and that that change was inherited by their offspring
-- for instance, the evolutionists tell us that whales came from animals who used to live on land and have legs -- Heckel would say that something happened to one of these animals who lived on land -- their legs were injured or were cut off -- and then those physical changes were inherited by their offspring -- so, if an animal or person had an accident and lost a leg, then their babies were born missing a leg -- according to this theory, over time, whales evolved because of these inherited physical changes
-- but, this theory of Heckel's was quickly discounted -- we all know that if a person has an accident -- if you lose a limb or have some other physical problem -- then that physical change is not passed on to our children -- physical changes do not affect our offspring
-- so this left me confused about original sin -- how did the physical act of disobedience by Adam and Eve -- how did eating the apple in the Garden of Eden -- cause sin to be inherited by all people?
-- this bothered me for years and years -- for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how Adam eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused me to be born a sinner -- how could a physical act done by Adam be transferred to me?
-- the only way for this to work would be if the original sin actually changed Adam and Eve's DNA -- changed their genes -- and then those damaged genes were inherited by all of us -- but, still, that would mean a physical act caused genetic change -- and that had been proven wrong by scientists years ago
-- so how else could this sin nature be inherited by us, Adam and Eve's children?
-- well, as time went on and as I learned more about biology, I learned a curious fact -- our parents can pass on more than their genetic material -- their DNA -- to us
-- it turns out that some diseases -- especially some viruses -- can be passed on to us from our parents -- for instance, we know now that the AIDS virus can be transmitted from infected mothers to their children -- there are many babies born every single day infected with AIDS -- who got the disease because their mother had it
-- we see the same thing with rabies -- rabies can be transmitted from an infected mother to her offspring -- this just happened recently with a litter of kittens in Maryland -- they were not bitten by a rabid animal, but they were all infected with rabies because their mother was infected
-- and this, I think, holds the key to understanding how we have inherited our sin nature from Adam and Eve -- this explains how sin and death came into the world through them and lives on in us
-- when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the fruit, sin came into their bodies like a virus -- it infected them with its poison -- and it was passed on from them to their children and then to their grandchildren and their great grandchildren until it finally passed on to us
-- it was through their infected blood that sin and death entered the world and entered each of us
-- God tells us in Leviticus 17:11 that the life of a creature is in its blood -- and, I think it follows, that the death of a creature is in its blood as well -- we are all sinners because we have within our veins the infected blood of Adam
-- Ted Dekker picked up this theme in his Christian fiction trilogy -- Black, Red, and White -- in these books, the entire world becomes infected with an airborne virus -- everyone on earth is destined to die because a virus has entered the world through the actions of one man -- this is exactly what happened in the Garden of Eden
-- everyone on earth is destined to die because of the actions of one man brought the sin virus into the world -- we are all sinners because we have inherited this great infection -- this sin nature -- from Adam
-- we are sinners -- not because of what we do -- but because of who we are -- as Watchman Nee wrote, "the trouble is in our heredity and not our behavior"
III. The Origins of a Sinner
-- this is a Christian concept that always gave me pause -- how can someone say that a precious little baby who has just been born is a sinner? -- that little baby has done nothing wrong -- they haven't disobeyed God -- they haven't sinned -- they haven't gone out and broken any of the ten commandments
-- the answer lies in the great infection that we just talked about -- you are not a sinner because you sin -- you are a sinner because you are born with this infection in your blood -- you are a sinner because you have inherited this sin nature as a virus from your parents
-- its just like a baby born with AIDS -- that baby has done nothing wrong -- it hasn't had unprotected sex -- it hasn't shared needles when it did drugs -- it was just born infected with a virus because its parents were infected before it
-- Paul tells us here in this passage that sin and death entered the world -- it entered all of us and infected all of us -- because of one man's trespass -- because of Adam's disobedience, we are born infected with a sin nature that causes us to want to sin -- that causes us to want to do things that God does not want us to do
-- now this is an important concept to grasp -- you are a sinner because of who you are -- not because of what you do -- you are a sinner because you are a child of Adam -- you trace your heritage back to him -- and, as a result, you are infected with this great infection -- with this sin nature inside of you
-- this explains Romans 3:23 where Paul writes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God -- this explains how that little baby who just took its first breath is a sinner -- this explains how that good ole boy you know -- the one who really doesn't do much wrong and tries to live a good moral life -- is still a sinner
-- it's not about what you do -- it's about who you are -- and you are a sinner because you are infected with sin
-- think about an alcoholic -- based on scientific studies, it appears that alcoholics are born that way -- they are not alcoholics because they drink and can't quit -- they are alcoholics because that is who they are -- it is part of their nature -- I am sure today that there are many alcoholics walking around who have never taken a drink in their life -- but if they ever do, then their disease kicks in and turns them into someone who drinks to excess most of the time
-- it's not about what you do -- it's about who you are
-- that's why you can't get to heaven on your own -- that's why you can't work your way to heaven -- that's why you can't be good enough to earn your way to heaven -- even if you never go out and disobey one of God's commandments, you are a sinner because you are born in sin -- as David wrote in Psalm 51:5, "I was sinful at birth -- sinful from the time my mother conceived me"
-- we have a disease -- this sin nature in our hearts -- and it is this sin nature that is keeping us from heaven
IV. The Answer to Sin
-- so, what can we do about it? -- what is the answer to this raging infection in our souls? -- this sin nature that has become such a part of us that we are born sinners?
-- well, what would you do if you were sick and infected with a virus? -- you'd go to a doctor and get a shot -- you'd go get an antivirus -- something that would kill the virus within you and make you clean again
-- and that's exactly what we have to do with this sin infection in our life -- we have to receive an antivirus and make ourselves clean and whole again
-- we call this antivirus "grace" and it comes about through the blood of Jesus -- the blood of Jesus is our antivirus -- it is the only thing that can remove our sin -- our sin nature -- our great infection -- and offer forgiveness of our sins
-- in other words, this antivirus -- the blood of Christ -- not only forgives us of all of our wrongdoings -- of all of our disobedience -- but it also overcomes and destroys our sin nature -- that inherent part of us that causes us to be born sinners and give in to temptation
-- look at verse 15
15. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16. Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
-- Paul tells us here that God is offering us the gift of righteousness and life through Jesus Christ -- now that's an important thought
-- God's offer is not like the trespass of Adam -- when Adam fell in the Garden of Eden and was infected with this sin nature, we all became infected, whether we wanted to or not -- we had no choice -- it became part of who we were -- and, as a result, we were born sinners
-- but the blood of Christ that washes away our sins is a gift -- it is something that we have to accept -- it is something that we have to choose in order to receive it
-- if I am sick and go to the doctor and he offers me a shot with an antivirus in it and I say, "No thanks," then I don't get the healing and protection that that shot offers -- the only way for me to get healed is to accept his offer and receive the shot
-- in the same way, if God offers us an antivirus through the blood of Jesus, the only way to be healed is to receive the treatment -- to accept God's gift and to be covered with the blood of Christ
-- there is nothing else we can do -- there is nothing else we can take -- home remedies won't work -- being extra good won't work -- living a perfect and moral life from now on won't work -- the only thing that will work to remove this infection from our lives is to receive this free gift of grace from God -- to accept the death of Jesus on the cross on our behalf
V. Closing
-- Paul tells us here that God's gift is all sufficient and that it can lead all of us from death into life
-- God's grace is greater than all our sins -- through the obedience of Christ -- through His sinless, perfect life, God's grace has overflowed to all of us and made it possible for all of us to be made righteous and clean and whole
-- Maybe you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- maybe you're still sitting there in your sins -- with your great infection -- with your sin nature intact -- the good news for you this morning is that there is healing in the blood of Jesus -- all you have to do is come to Him in faith -- confess and repent of your sins -- and ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your life as your Lord and Savior -- and you will be healed
-- maybe you have accepted cleansing from God, but you've found yourself falling back lately -- giving in to sin more and more -- there's also such a thing as booster shots -- and maybe that's what you need this morning -- to rededicate your life to God -- to ask Jesus to cleanse you from your sins and to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9, "If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
-- whatever your need is today, the altar is open for all who wish to respond to God's word
-- let us pray
11 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Romans 5
12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
13. for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
14. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16. Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21. so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-- have you ever thought much about sin? -- you know we use this word in the church a lot -- we sing about it and we talk about it and we worry about it -- we know that it is the one thing that we all share -- the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
-- we know that sin is what separates us from God -- it is our sin that condemns us to hell -- and it is our sin that caused Jesus to come and die on the cross in our place
-- but have you ever really stopped to think about what sin is? -- did you know that the Bible makes a distinction between the words "sin" and "sins" in various places? -- that there is a difference between the two?
-- the word "sin" is the Greek word "harmatia" -- it is an archery term that literally means, "missing the mark" -- it means that we missed following God's command -- we missed God's plan for our life -- and we went off and disobeyed Him -- we sinned
-- but in the Book of Romans, Paul makes a distinction between "sins" and "sin" -- he uses the plural word "sins" to refer to all of our acts of disobedience -- all the things we have done wrong
-- but he uses the singular form of the word "sin" to refer to something else -- our sin nature -- our "old man" -- this internal nature that lives inside of us and that causes us to disobey God -- it is this sin nature inside of us that we refer to as original sin
II. Original Sin
-- the doctrine of original sin is one of the foundational doctrines of our church -- this doctrine teaches that when Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and, as a result, all of us are born with this sin nature inside of us that causes us to sin
-- it all goes back to Genesis 2:16-17 when God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden, but that he must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if he ate of it, he would die
-- and here in this passage in Romans, Paul tells us that that is exactly what happened -- throughout this passage, we read that death and sin came because of the trespass of one man -- look back at verse 12
12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned
-- because of Adam's disobedience, sin and death -- both physical and spiritual death -- came into the world
-- Paul tells us the same thing in verse 15 -- "if the many died by the trespass of the one man" -- verse 16 -- "the result of the one's man sin -- the judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation" -- verse 17 -- by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man" -- and verses 18-19
18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
-- when Eve took a bite out of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and gave it to Adam -- somehow, sin and death came into the world and became a part of them -- and became a part of who we are
-- because of their disobedience and their trespass, we all became sinners -- we are all born sinners -- that is the doctrine of original sin
-- now this concept always caused me a problem -- you see, one of the principles that we learned in biology was that physical changes to the body were not inherited -- only genetic changes were inherited
-- there was a biologist many years ago named Heckel who proposed a theory called "hopeful monsters" -- in this theory, he said that the way the different animals came about was that a physical change happened to them and that that change was inherited by their offspring
-- for instance, the evolutionists tell us that whales came from animals who used to live on land and have legs -- Heckel would say that something happened to one of these animals who lived on land -- their legs were injured or were cut off -- and then those physical changes were inherited by their offspring -- so, if an animal or person had an accident and lost a leg, then their babies were born missing a leg -- according to this theory, over time, whales evolved because of these inherited physical changes
-- but, this theory of Heckel's was quickly discounted -- we all know that if a person has an accident -- if you lose a limb or have some other physical problem -- then that physical change is not passed on to our children -- physical changes do not affect our offspring
-- so this left me confused about original sin -- how did the physical act of disobedience by Adam and Eve -- how did eating the apple in the Garden of Eden -- cause sin to be inherited by all people?
-- this bothered me for years and years -- for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how Adam eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused me to be born a sinner -- how could a physical act done by Adam be transferred to me?
-- the only way for this to work would be if the original sin actually changed Adam and Eve's DNA -- changed their genes -- and then those damaged genes were inherited by all of us -- but, still, that would mean a physical act caused genetic change -- and that had been proven wrong by scientists years ago
-- so how else could this sin nature be inherited by us, Adam and Eve's children?
-- well, as time went on and as I learned more about biology, I learned a curious fact -- our parents can pass on more than their genetic material -- their DNA -- to us
-- it turns out that some diseases -- especially some viruses -- can be passed on to us from our parents -- for instance, we know now that the AIDS virus can be transmitted from infected mothers to their children -- there are many babies born every single day infected with AIDS -- who got the disease because their mother had it
-- we see the same thing with rabies -- rabies can be transmitted from an infected mother to her offspring -- this just happened recently with a litter of kittens in Maryland -- they were not bitten by a rabid animal, but they were all infected with rabies because their mother was infected
-- and this, I think, holds the key to understanding how we have inherited our sin nature from Adam and Eve -- this explains how sin and death came into the world through them and lives on in us
-- when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the fruit, sin came into their bodies like a virus -- it infected them with its poison -- and it was passed on from them to their children and then to their grandchildren and their great grandchildren until it finally passed on to us
-- it was through their infected blood that sin and death entered the world and entered each of us
-- God tells us in Leviticus 17:11 that the life of a creature is in its blood -- and, I think it follows, that the death of a creature is in its blood as well -- we are all sinners because we have within our veins the infected blood of Adam
-- Ted Dekker picked up this theme in his Christian fiction trilogy -- Black, Red, and White -- in these books, the entire world becomes infected with an airborne virus -- everyone on earth is destined to die because a virus has entered the world through the actions of one man -- this is exactly what happened in the Garden of Eden
-- everyone on earth is destined to die because of the actions of one man brought the sin virus into the world -- we are all sinners because we have inherited this great infection -- this sin nature -- from Adam
-- we are sinners -- not because of what we do -- but because of who we are -- as Watchman Nee wrote, "the trouble is in our heredity and not our behavior"
III. The Origins of a Sinner
-- this is a Christian concept that always gave me pause -- how can someone say that a precious little baby who has just been born is a sinner? -- that little baby has done nothing wrong -- they haven't disobeyed God -- they haven't sinned -- they haven't gone out and broken any of the ten commandments
-- the answer lies in the great infection that we just talked about -- you are not a sinner because you sin -- you are a sinner because you are born with this infection in your blood -- you are a sinner because you have inherited this sin nature as a virus from your parents
-- its just like a baby born with AIDS -- that baby has done nothing wrong -- it hasn't had unprotected sex -- it hasn't shared needles when it did drugs -- it was just born infected with a virus because its parents were infected before it
-- Paul tells us here in this passage that sin and death entered the world -- it entered all of us and infected all of us -- because of one man's trespass -- because of Adam's disobedience, we are born infected with a sin nature that causes us to want to sin -- that causes us to want to do things that God does not want us to do
-- now this is an important concept to grasp -- you are a sinner because of who you are -- not because of what you do -- you are a sinner because you are a child of Adam -- you trace your heritage back to him -- and, as a result, you are infected with this great infection -- with this sin nature inside of you
-- this explains Romans 3:23 where Paul writes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God -- this explains how that little baby who just took its first breath is a sinner -- this explains how that good ole boy you know -- the one who really doesn't do much wrong and tries to live a good moral life -- is still a sinner
-- it's not about what you do -- it's about who you are -- and you are a sinner because you are infected with sin
-- think about an alcoholic -- based on scientific studies, it appears that alcoholics are born that way -- they are not alcoholics because they drink and can't quit -- they are alcoholics because that is who they are -- it is part of their nature -- I am sure today that there are many alcoholics walking around who have never taken a drink in their life -- but if they ever do, then their disease kicks in and turns them into someone who drinks to excess most of the time
-- it's not about what you do -- it's about who you are
-- that's why you can't get to heaven on your own -- that's why you can't work your way to heaven -- that's why you can't be good enough to earn your way to heaven -- even if you never go out and disobey one of God's commandments, you are a sinner because you are born in sin -- as David wrote in Psalm 51:5, "I was sinful at birth -- sinful from the time my mother conceived me"
-- we have a disease -- this sin nature in our hearts -- and it is this sin nature that is keeping us from heaven
IV. The Answer to Sin
-- so, what can we do about it? -- what is the answer to this raging infection in our souls? -- this sin nature that has become such a part of us that we are born sinners?
-- well, what would you do if you were sick and infected with a virus? -- you'd go to a doctor and get a shot -- you'd go get an antivirus -- something that would kill the virus within you and make you clean again
-- and that's exactly what we have to do with this sin infection in our life -- we have to receive an antivirus and make ourselves clean and whole again
-- we call this antivirus "grace" and it comes about through the blood of Jesus -- the blood of Jesus is our antivirus -- it is the only thing that can remove our sin -- our sin nature -- our great infection -- and offer forgiveness of our sins
-- in other words, this antivirus -- the blood of Christ -- not only forgives us of all of our wrongdoings -- of all of our disobedience -- but it also overcomes and destroys our sin nature -- that inherent part of us that causes us to be born sinners and give in to temptation
-- look at verse 15
15. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16. Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
-- Paul tells us here that God is offering us the gift of righteousness and life through Jesus Christ -- now that's an important thought
-- God's offer is not like the trespass of Adam -- when Adam fell in the Garden of Eden and was infected with this sin nature, we all became infected, whether we wanted to or not -- we had no choice -- it became part of who we were -- and, as a result, we were born sinners
-- but the blood of Christ that washes away our sins is a gift -- it is something that we have to accept -- it is something that we have to choose in order to receive it
-- if I am sick and go to the doctor and he offers me a shot with an antivirus in it and I say, "No thanks," then I don't get the healing and protection that that shot offers -- the only way for me to get healed is to accept his offer and receive the shot
-- in the same way, if God offers us an antivirus through the blood of Jesus, the only way to be healed is to receive the treatment -- to accept God's gift and to be covered with the blood of Christ
-- there is nothing else we can do -- there is nothing else we can take -- home remedies won't work -- being extra good won't work -- living a perfect and moral life from now on won't work -- the only thing that will work to remove this infection from our lives is to receive this free gift of grace from God -- to accept the death of Jesus on the cross on our behalf
V. Closing
-- Paul tells us here that God's gift is all sufficient and that it can lead all of us from death into life
-- God's grace is greater than all our sins -- through the obedience of Christ -- through His sinless, perfect life, God's grace has overflowed to all of us and made it possible for all of us to be made righteous and clean and whole
-- Maybe you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- maybe you're still sitting there in your sins -- with your great infection -- with your sin nature intact -- the good news for you this morning is that there is healing in the blood of Jesus -- all you have to do is come to Him in faith -- confess and repent of your sins -- and ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your life as your Lord and Savior -- and you will be healed
-- maybe you have accepted cleansing from God, but you've found yourself falling back lately -- giving in to sin more and more -- there's also such a thing as booster shots -- and maybe that's what you need this morning -- to rededicate your life to God -- to ask Jesus to cleanse you from your sins and to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9, "If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
-- whatever your need is today, the altar is open for all who wish to respond to God's word
-- let us pray
Saturday, June 10, 2006
NEW WINE IN NEW WINESKINS OR OLD WINE IN NEW WINESKINS?
Just read a post by Shane Raynor on The Wesley Blog called "New Churches: The Future of the UMC." The focus of the article is on Bishop Willimon's call for increasing funding for new churches by 50% in the North Alabama Conference. Shane is a definite supporter of this call from Bishop Willimon, putting forth the argument that building new churches is comparable to putting new wine in new wineskins. In other words, Shane is arguing that closing old churches and building new churches will leave the baggage of the old behind and create new opportunities for ministry and new excitement in the church because people like new things.
While I admire Bishop Willimon and respect his teachings on a variety of issues, I have in the past noted my disagreement with this direction he is putting forth in the North Alabama Conference and that is becoming a new direction for the UMC as a whole. The North Georgia Conference has been going in this direction for some time, and, apparently, it is working, since they are poised to overtake Virginia as the largest UMC conference in the United States. But, what is really behind the growth?
As we all know, churches can only effect growth in three ways: 1) Professions of Faith; 2) Transfer from Other UMCs; 3) Transfer from Other Denominations. Out of these three, I would argue that true Kingdom growth only comes about through professions of faith. The other two amount merely to sheep rustling, or, as Terry Tekyll puts it, "sheep shifting." So, this begs the question: Where does the growth come from in these new churches? Where do their members come from? Are they merely new corrals for existing sheep or are they being populated with new lambs?
Using the North Georgia Conference as an example: In a recent letter from Bishop Lindsey Davis, North Georgia Conference, he noted that professions of faith were decreasing in the conference, dropping from a high of 8,400 professions of faith in 2003 to 7,820 in 2004 to 6,584 in 2005. Bishop Lindsey noted that in 2005, the conference had a net gain of 4,410 people, which is 1.3% growth overall. However, the recent census showed that Georgia, primarily north Georgia, is growing at a rate of 26%.
These numbers all add up to tell me that our churches -- old or new -- are not doing a good job at bringing people into the kingdom. Also, it demonstrates that the growth in the new church plants is not primarily coming from professions of faith but from the shifting of Christians, either from other UMC congregations or from other denominations. In a growing population of 26%, we should not be happy with only a 1.3% growth in membership. And this is the most rapidly growing UMC annual conference in the U.S.!
My only experience with watching the creation of a new UMC church has been in the Valdosta District of the South Georgia Conference. Several years ago, two small UMC congregations were closed and united as a new congregation, with a shiny new building, new parking lot, and great location for growth. Initially, there was a flurry of activity and an increase in growth, but most of it came through shifting Christians around. Now, several years later, it has dwindled down to a very small congregation, with less than 100 people on the books.
As I see it, this is the fate of most new church plants. The new building and new parking lots create a lot of excitement and interest, lots of people come and some join, but, over time, there is very little true growth for the kingdom. It's like a rollercoaster. Once the thrill and excitement of the new is gone, you get off the ride seeking new thrills. And that is exactly what we are seeing. So, instead of seeing new wine in new wineskins, we are merely seeing old wine leaving old churches and joining the shiny new facade of a new church and then leaving it once the luster fades.
Bottomline: The problem with the loss of membership in the UMC is not going to be solved by building new churches. Granted, we have a lot of churches that are restricted from growing because of their location or their lack of land for expansion. These can benefit from being moved to a new location. But, by and large, building new churches is not going to increase the kingdom or the membership in the UMC. So, what will?
One answer: Evangelism. Bringing people into the body of Christ and into our churches -- old or new -- and then discipling them in the faith until they begin to evangelize on their own. One thing we seem to be forgetting in our rush to build the new and close the old is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The same God in the new church is the same God in the old church. And in which do you think He receives the most glory: A new church that is drawing people because of its building or an old church that is revived and growing despite its older facilities and traditional services?
In her book, "New Life for Dying Churches," Rose Sims tells the story of a church in Florida that was scheduled to be closed. She was sent in to pastor it to its death. She came in with a vision that God could bring the dead to life and they put an emphasis on evangelism and reaching out to the lost around the church. The end result was that this church of eight people grew into over 350 people in just six years! Here is an article from Good News Magazine that synopsizes her story.
As I close this post, let me leave you with one final thought: What do we do, then, with those small churches who are stagnant in their growth, who are burdened by conflict and control, and who are operating as chapels instead of as sheep-producing churches?
Here's one suggestion. Why not take some of the resources that is going into building new churches and invest it in these smaller congregations? Why not make the small churches a mission project for a larger church? Why not send a group of evangelically minded Christians from a larger church and have them join a small church?
This would generate growth in the small church, would help dilute control and conflict issues, and would provide the members of that church with positive role models who can demonstrate evangelism and how to reach out to those around them. Until the UMC becomes serious about making and keeping disciples in the church, we can build churches until we are the envy of every other denomination, but we won't have anyone to sit in the pews.
While I admire Bishop Willimon and respect his teachings on a variety of issues, I have in the past noted my disagreement with this direction he is putting forth in the North Alabama Conference and that is becoming a new direction for the UMC as a whole. The North Georgia Conference has been going in this direction for some time, and, apparently, it is working, since they are poised to overtake Virginia as the largest UMC conference in the United States. But, what is really behind the growth?
As we all know, churches can only effect growth in three ways: 1) Professions of Faith; 2) Transfer from Other UMCs; 3) Transfer from Other Denominations. Out of these three, I would argue that true Kingdom growth only comes about through professions of faith. The other two amount merely to sheep rustling, or, as Terry Tekyll puts it, "sheep shifting." So, this begs the question: Where does the growth come from in these new churches? Where do their members come from? Are they merely new corrals for existing sheep or are they being populated with new lambs?
Using the North Georgia Conference as an example: In a recent letter from Bishop Lindsey Davis, North Georgia Conference, he noted that professions of faith were decreasing in the conference, dropping from a high of 8,400 professions of faith in 2003 to 7,820 in 2004 to 6,584 in 2005. Bishop Lindsey noted that in 2005, the conference had a net gain of 4,410 people, which is 1.3% growth overall. However, the recent census showed that Georgia, primarily north Georgia, is growing at a rate of 26%.
These numbers all add up to tell me that our churches -- old or new -- are not doing a good job at bringing people into the kingdom. Also, it demonstrates that the growth in the new church plants is not primarily coming from professions of faith but from the shifting of Christians, either from other UMC congregations or from other denominations. In a growing population of 26%, we should not be happy with only a 1.3% growth in membership. And this is the most rapidly growing UMC annual conference in the U.S.!
My only experience with watching the creation of a new UMC church has been in the Valdosta District of the South Georgia Conference. Several years ago, two small UMC congregations were closed and united as a new congregation, with a shiny new building, new parking lot, and great location for growth. Initially, there was a flurry of activity and an increase in growth, but most of it came through shifting Christians around. Now, several years later, it has dwindled down to a very small congregation, with less than 100 people on the books.
As I see it, this is the fate of most new church plants. The new building and new parking lots create a lot of excitement and interest, lots of people come and some join, but, over time, there is very little true growth for the kingdom. It's like a rollercoaster. Once the thrill and excitement of the new is gone, you get off the ride seeking new thrills. And that is exactly what we are seeing. So, instead of seeing new wine in new wineskins, we are merely seeing old wine leaving old churches and joining the shiny new facade of a new church and then leaving it once the luster fades.
Bottomline: The problem with the loss of membership in the UMC is not going to be solved by building new churches. Granted, we have a lot of churches that are restricted from growing because of their location or their lack of land for expansion. These can benefit from being moved to a new location. But, by and large, building new churches is not going to increase the kingdom or the membership in the UMC. So, what will?
One answer: Evangelism. Bringing people into the body of Christ and into our churches -- old or new -- and then discipling them in the faith until they begin to evangelize on their own. One thing we seem to be forgetting in our rush to build the new and close the old is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The same God in the new church is the same God in the old church. And in which do you think He receives the most glory: A new church that is drawing people because of its building or an old church that is revived and growing despite its older facilities and traditional services?
In her book, "New Life for Dying Churches," Rose Sims tells the story of a church in Florida that was scheduled to be closed. She was sent in to pastor it to its death. She came in with a vision that God could bring the dead to life and they put an emphasis on evangelism and reaching out to the lost around the church. The end result was that this church of eight people grew into over 350 people in just six years! Here is an article from Good News Magazine that synopsizes her story.
As I close this post, let me leave you with one final thought: What do we do, then, with those small churches who are stagnant in their growth, who are burdened by conflict and control, and who are operating as chapels instead of as sheep-producing churches?
Here's one suggestion. Why not take some of the resources that is going into building new churches and invest it in these smaller congregations? Why not make the small churches a mission project for a larger church? Why not send a group of evangelically minded Christians from a larger church and have them join a small church?
This would generate growth in the small church, would help dilute control and conflict issues, and would provide the members of that church with positive role models who can demonstrate evangelism and how to reach out to those around them. Until the UMC becomes serious about making and keeping disciples in the church, we can build churches until we are the envy of every other denomination, but we won't have anyone to sit in the pews.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
SERMON: THE DA VINCI CODE: WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN?
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
4 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Galatians 3
26. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
27. for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
-- this morning, we are finishing up our series inspired by the Da Vinci Code -- the best-selling book by Dan Brown and the subject for the current movie starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard
-- as we have discussed over the past several weeks, Brown made several outrageous claims about Jesus, the church, and the Bible in his book -- so during this series, we have discussed the Gnostic gospels, how the Holy Bible was brought together, and the divinity of Christ
-- this morning, we are going to address the most egregious claim made by Brown in his book -- and the one that has gotten the most attention by the mainstream media -- namely, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene and intended for her to lead His church following His death
-- he goes on to say that the early church leaders chose to rebel against this teaching and establish a male-dominated church -- going so far as to reject scriptures that emphasized the sacred feminine, the role of women in the church, and anything that mentioned that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene -- even revising the Bible to cast her in the role of a prostitute so as to discredit her
-- so, this morning, let's spend a few moments looking at this issue -- first, we'll discuss the role of women in the first century -- then we'll look at the the church's teachings concerning women and their role in the New Testament -- and finally, we will talk about whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene or not
II. Role of Women in First Century
-- Brown is the latest -- although definitely not the first -- critic of Christianity who has alleged that Christianity is male-dominated and demeans women in church and in the home -- these critics, including some notable Bible scholars, have insisted that Christianity -- especially as taught by the Apostle Paul -- forced women into a subjugative role and oppressed them throughout the past two millenia
-- but, is that really the case? -- what was the actual role of women in the first century -- the time when Jesus was living on the earth and when the Apostles and the early Christians were beginning to put together a structure to this new religion that Christ introducted
-- when we talk about women in that day, we really have to look at two different classes of women -- Gentiles and Jews
-- the role of women in Gentile society in that day was evolving -- over 600 years before Christ -- when the Greeks were the world emperors -- women were heavily restricted in society and were very similar in status to that of modern-day Muslims in the Middle East
-- for instance, women could not go out in public alone -- they could be put to death by their husbands for drinking or for alleged adultery -- and they had no political identity or status -- they were regarded as the property of their fathers or husbands -- and were afforded no rights at all
-- this began to change when the Romans established their republic in 510 BC --
although women were still considered less than men, they were now afforded some political identity and status -- they were considered citizens and had some rights in the Republic, even though they were not allowed to vote -- they had more freedoms as Roman citizens than they did under the Greeks -- they were allowed some education -- some of the wealthier families taught their daughters to read and write
-- however, they were still considered to be under the custody of men -- and they were expected to accept the authority and protection of their fathers or husbands without question -- in fact, Romans did not name their daughters -- their daughters were identified with a feminized form of their father's name
-- curiously, the role of women in Jewish homes was more restrictive than that of the Romans who governed the land of Israel during that time -- in fact, several scholars have regarded the Jewish people as one of the most male dominant cultures in the world
-- like the Greeks, the Jews considered women to be second-class citizens -- similar in status to that of slaves -- according to Zhava Glaser, women were severely restricted in their lives and were separated from men in their private, public, and religious lives -- women could not testify in court -- could not be involved in commerce -- could not receive an inheritance -- and were rarely seen outside the home
-- when they did venture out, to the market or to the synagogue or temple, they had to be heavily veiled, had to walk six paces behind their husband, and could not converse with men
-- in regards to their religious life, women were typically not taught to read and received religious instruction only through the teaching of men -- they were not allowed into the inner part of the temple, but were restricted to the Court of Women -- a raised gallery along three sides of the temple -- here they could watch the rituals and ceremonies, but they could never participate in them
-- this was the lot in life for women in the first century -- whether they were a Gentile or a Jew, their lives were heavily restricted and were dominated by men -- they had few social freedoms and were not afforded the same opportunities to worship and minister in their religions as men in their day did
III. The Church and Women in the First Century
-- this was the situation that Christianity was birthed in -- this was the cultural heritage of the early believers of Christ -- it was the cultural heritage of Jesus Himself -- so, how did Jesus and His followers relate to women?
-- Dan Brown admits what most scholars agree on -- that Jesus broke social norms in relating to and ministering to women -- Brown says that Jesus put a heavy emphasis on women in His ministry -- and we would have to agree
-- it is obvious to the casual reader of the Bible that Jesus demonstrated the high value He placed on women by speaking with them in public and by offering the same opportunities for healing and forgiveness as He did for the men who followed Him -- in fact, unlike most rabbinic teachers in Jesus' day, He had a following of women who traveled with Him and who helped provide for His daily needs
-- but this was not unusual for Jesus -- Jesus showed no partiality in His dealings with anyone -- He healed the Gentile and the Jew alike -- He ministered to men and women alike -- and, of course, He died for all of us -- free or slave -- Jew or Gentile -- male or female -- it was this aspect of Jesus' life and ministry that inspired Paul to write the words in the passage that we opened with, " There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
-- in reality, what Jesus was doing was restoring the traditional role of women that they had enjoyed in the early Old Testament Period -- Zhava Glaser points out that in earlier times in Jewish history women participated in every aspect of community life except the Temple priesthood -- women freely engaged in commerce and real estate and manual labor -- unlike the conditions in Jesus' day, they were not excluded from Temple worship -- women played music in the sanctuary -- they prayed there -- they sang and danced with men in religious processions -- and they participated in music and festivities at weddings
-- we all agree that Jesus' interactions with women were ground-breaking and restorative -- that He placed an emphasis on women as highly valued individuals -- precious in the sight of God and important to His church
-- but, did the leaders of His church follow Jesus' example or did they take steps to subjugate women and create a male-dominated hierarchy in the church as Brown insinuates?
-- if you would, turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 14
33. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,
34. women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
35. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
-- most of the critics of the teachings of the early church point to the Apostle Paul as an example of how the church oppressed women in its early days and as the foundation for the oppression of women that has continued through now
-- and, truth be told, the Apostle Paul did instruct the churches to limit the role of women in the church, most notably when he wrote to the church in Corinth and to Timothy and told them that women should remain silent during worship services
-- however, in context and taking into account the cultural norms of the day, it seems that Paul was advising them to not allow a woman to publicly lead the worship services or seemingly take authority over men for a couple of reasons
-- first, the early Christians were already being persecuted by both the Jews and the Romans -- and if the early church had propelled women into leadership roles, this would have been another complaint that the early church critics could have used against the church to justify their persecution
-- secondly, the Gentile women coming into these churches were coming from a pagan background where temple prostitution and unorderly worship services were accepted practices -- Paul's concern in this whole chapter in 1 Corinthians has been on order in the worship service -- so it is likely that he feared these women would bring their disorderly pagan worship practices with them into the Christian worship services
-- however, despite what his critics say, Paul was not opposed to women being in leadership roles or being involved in ministry -- look with me now in Romans 16 at verse 1
1. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
2. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.
3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.
4. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
12. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
-- in the book of Acts and in Paul's epistles, we see numerous examples of women in leadership roles and being involved in ministry -- in this passage, Paul praises Phoebe for her service to the Lord in the church in Cenchrea -- and he mentions Priscilla, who, along with her husband, discipled and taught Apollos the basics of Christianity -- in all likelihood, Priscilla helped teach those who gathered in her home to worship Christ -- so it appears that Paul's concern about women being silent in the letter to the Corinthians only had to do with public worship and not with private meetings in homes -- obviously, Paul considered women to be equal co-workers in spreading the gospel of Christ
-- in addition to this recognition of the role of women in the church by Paul, other New Testament writers included instances of women ministering and being ministered to by Christ -- in fact, women had a prominent role in the formation of the early church according to the Bible
-- for instance, it was the women followers of Christ who were the last ones at the foot of the cross and the first ones to visit His tomb
-- it was a woman who first saw the risen Christ and who spread the word to the male disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead
-- the Book of Acts records that women were present at the first prayer meeting of the new church, and that women were the first to greet Paul and Silas when they first arrived in Europe to preach the gospel of Christ -- in fact, Luke records that the first convert to Christianity in Europe was Lydia, a woman
-- speaking of Christianity as a whole, Gillian Clark wrote that Christianity enlarged possibilities for women -- for the first time, women could choose to reject marriage and child-bearing and live at home with their mothers, or in solitude, or in a community of women -- they could be actively involved in prayer and Bible study and they could devote their lives and their wealth to the Church and to God's service
-- if the male leaders of the church had actually tried to remove the importance of women in the life and ministry of Jesus and the church, certainly they would have removed these instances and the instances of Jesus speaking with and ministering to women from the Bible
-- it appears that on this allegation, Dan Brown falls short again
IV. Did Jesus Marry?
-- I know I'm running out of time, so real briefly, let me touch on the allegation by Dan Brown that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene -- this allegation is not scriptural -- it is not recorded in our New Testament -- and it is not recorded in any of the Gnostic gospels or writings -- no where do we find in print the statement that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene
-- Alex McFarland pointed out an interesting observation based on 1 Corinthians 9:5 -- this verse reads, "Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas [Peter]?" -- in this verse, Paul defends the right of the apostles and other church leaders to be married -- now, if Jesus had been married, Paul most certainly would have cited Him as conclusive support for being accompanied by a wife -- in other words, this would have been the perfect place for Paul to write that Jesus was married -- but he didn't -- which implies that Jesus was not married and that no one in that time believed that He was married
-- we have to remember that Jesuss mission was not procreation but salvation -- as Focus on the Family states on their website, the "establishment of marriage, family and an earthly home were not Jesus' purposes" -- in reality, Jesus didn't need Mary Magdelene or any other woman to be His bride -- He already had a bride -- the church that He was preparing and sanctifying through His blood
V. Closing
-- so in closing, let me reiterate the teaching of the church from its earliest days -- women are important in the ministry and in the leadership of the church -- Jesus demonstrated the value that God places on women by elevating their status in a day when they were treated as second-class citizens -- and the church has continued to recognize the gifts and graces that women bring
-- in our own denomination, we allow the full ordination of women -- not only can women serve as Bible teachers and worship leaders and in various other functions in the church, but they can be ordained and serve in pastoral and administrative roles as elders and bishops
-- so, contrary to what Dan Brown professes and teaches, the church recognizes and values the influence of women in our ongoing ministry for Christ in this world
-- as we noted in our opening passage from Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
-- let us pray
4 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Galatians 3
26. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
27. for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
-- this morning, we are finishing up our series inspired by the Da Vinci Code -- the best-selling book by Dan Brown and the subject for the current movie starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard
-- as we have discussed over the past several weeks, Brown made several outrageous claims about Jesus, the church, and the Bible in his book -- so during this series, we have discussed the Gnostic gospels, how the Holy Bible was brought together, and the divinity of Christ
-- this morning, we are going to address the most egregious claim made by Brown in his book -- and the one that has gotten the most attention by the mainstream media -- namely, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene and intended for her to lead His church following His death
-- he goes on to say that the early church leaders chose to rebel against this teaching and establish a male-dominated church -- going so far as to reject scriptures that emphasized the sacred feminine, the role of women in the church, and anything that mentioned that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene -- even revising the Bible to cast her in the role of a prostitute so as to discredit her
-- so, this morning, let's spend a few moments looking at this issue -- first, we'll discuss the role of women in the first century -- then we'll look at the the church's teachings concerning women and their role in the New Testament -- and finally, we will talk about whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene or not
II. Role of Women in First Century
-- Brown is the latest -- although definitely not the first -- critic of Christianity who has alleged that Christianity is male-dominated and demeans women in church and in the home -- these critics, including some notable Bible scholars, have insisted that Christianity -- especially as taught by the Apostle Paul -- forced women into a subjugative role and oppressed them throughout the past two millenia
-- but, is that really the case? -- what was the actual role of women in the first century -- the time when Jesus was living on the earth and when the Apostles and the early Christians were beginning to put together a structure to this new religion that Christ introducted
-- when we talk about women in that day, we really have to look at two different classes of women -- Gentiles and Jews
-- the role of women in Gentile society in that day was evolving -- over 600 years before Christ -- when the Greeks were the world emperors -- women were heavily restricted in society and were very similar in status to that of modern-day Muslims in the Middle East
-- for instance, women could not go out in public alone -- they could be put to death by their husbands for drinking or for alleged adultery -- and they had no political identity or status -- they were regarded as the property of their fathers or husbands -- and were afforded no rights at all
-- this began to change when the Romans established their republic in 510 BC --
although women were still considered less than men, they were now afforded some political identity and status -- they were considered citizens and had some rights in the Republic, even though they were not allowed to vote -- they had more freedoms as Roman citizens than they did under the Greeks -- they were allowed some education -- some of the wealthier families taught their daughters to read and write
-- however, they were still considered to be under the custody of men -- and they were expected to accept the authority and protection of their fathers or husbands without question -- in fact, Romans did not name their daughters -- their daughters were identified with a feminized form of their father's name
-- curiously, the role of women in Jewish homes was more restrictive than that of the Romans who governed the land of Israel during that time -- in fact, several scholars have regarded the Jewish people as one of the most male dominant cultures in the world
-- like the Greeks, the Jews considered women to be second-class citizens -- similar in status to that of slaves -- according to Zhava Glaser, women were severely restricted in their lives and were separated from men in their private, public, and religious lives -- women could not testify in court -- could not be involved in commerce -- could not receive an inheritance -- and were rarely seen outside the home
-- when they did venture out, to the market or to the synagogue or temple, they had to be heavily veiled, had to walk six paces behind their husband, and could not converse with men
-- in regards to their religious life, women were typically not taught to read and received religious instruction only through the teaching of men -- they were not allowed into the inner part of the temple, but were restricted to the Court of Women -- a raised gallery along three sides of the temple -- here they could watch the rituals and ceremonies, but they could never participate in them
-- this was the lot in life for women in the first century -- whether they were a Gentile or a Jew, their lives were heavily restricted and were dominated by men -- they had few social freedoms and were not afforded the same opportunities to worship and minister in their religions as men in their day did
III. The Church and Women in the First Century
-- this was the situation that Christianity was birthed in -- this was the cultural heritage of the early believers of Christ -- it was the cultural heritage of Jesus Himself -- so, how did Jesus and His followers relate to women?
-- Dan Brown admits what most scholars agree on -- that Jesus broke social norms in relating to and ministering to women -- Brown says that Jesus put a heavy emphasis on women in His ministry -- and we would have to agree
-- it is obvious to the casual reader of the Bible that Jesus demonstrated the high value He placed on women by speaking with them in public and by offering the same opportunities for healing and forgiveness as He did for the men who followed Him -- in fact, unlike most rabbinic teachers in Jesus' day, He had a following of women who traveled with Him and who helped provide for His daily needs
-- but this was not unusual for Jesus -- Jesus showed no partiality in His dealings with anyone -- He healed the Gentile and the Jew alike -- He ministered to men and women alike -- and, of course, He died for all of us -- free or slave -- Jew or Gentile -- male or female -- it was this aspect of Jesus' life and ministry that inspired Paul to write the words in the passage that we opened with, " There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
-- in reality, what Jesus was doing was restoring the traditional role of women that they had enjoyed in the early Old Testament Period -- Zhava Glaser points out that in earlier times in Jewish history women participated in every aspect of community life except the Temple priesthood -- women freely engaged in commerce and real estate and manual labor -- unlike the conditions in Jesus' day, they were not excluded from Temple worship -- women played music in the sanctuary -- they prayed there -- they sang and danced with men in religious processions -- and they participated in music and festivities at weddings
-- we all agree that Jesus' interactions with women were ground-breaking and restorative -- that He placed an emphasis on women as highly valued individuals -- precious in the sight of God and important to His church
-- but, did the leaders of His church follow Jesus' example or did they take steps to subjugate women and create a male-dominated hierarchy in the church as Brown insinuates?
-- if you would, turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 14
33. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,
34. women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
35. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
-- most of the critics of the teachings of the early church point to the Apostle Paul as an example of how the church oppressed women in its early days and as the foundation for the oppression of women that has continued through now
-- and, truth be told, the Apostle Paul did instruct the churches to limit the role of women in the church, most notably when he wrote to the church in Corinth and to Timothy and told them that women should remain silent during worship services
-- however, in context and taking into account the cultural norms of the day, it seems that Paul was advising them to not allow a woman to publicly lead the worship services or seemingly take authority over men for a couple of reasons
-- first, the early Christians were already being persecuted by both the Jews and the Romans -- and if the early church had propelled women into leadership roles, this would have been another complaint that the early church critics could have used against the church to justify their persecution
-- secondly, the Gentile women coming into these churches were coming from a pagan background where temple prostitution and unorderly worship services were accepted practices -- Paul's concern in this whole chapter in 1 Corinthians has been on order in the worship service -- so it is likely that he feared these women would bring their disorderly pagan worship practices with them into the Christian worship services
-- however, despite what his critics say, Paul was not opposed to women being in leadership roles or being involved in ministry -- look with me now in Romans 16 at verse 1
1. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
2. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.
3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.
4. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
12. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
-- in the book of Acts and in Paul's epistles, we see numerous examples of women in leadership roles and being involved in ministry -- in this passage, Paul praises Phoebe for her service to the Lord in the church in Cenchrea -- and he mentions Priscilla, who, along with her husband, discipled and taught Apollos the basics of Christianity -- in all likelihood, Priscilla helped teach those who gathered in her home to worship Christ -- so it appears that Paul's concern about women being silent in the letter to the Corinthians only had to do with public worship and not with private meetings in homes -- obviously, Paul considered women to be equal co-workers in spreading the gospel of Christ
-- in addition to this recognition of the role of women in the church by Paul, other New Testament writers included instances of women ministering and being ministered to by Christ -- in fact, women had a prominent role in the formation of the early church according to the Bible
-- for instance, it was the women followers of Christ who were the last ones at the foot of the cross and the first ones to visit His tomb
-- it was a woman who first saw the risen Christ and who spread the word to the male disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead
-- the Book of Acts records that women were present at the first prayer meeting of the new church, and that women were the first to greet Paul and Silas when they first arrived in Europe to preach the gospel of Christ -- in fact, Luke records that the first convert to Christianity in Europe was Lydia, a woman
-- speaking of Christianity as a whole, Gillian Clark wrote that Christianity enlarged possibilities for women -- for the first time, women could choose to reject marriage and child-bearing and live at home with their mothers, or in solitude, or in a community of women -- they could be actively involved in prayer and Bible study and they could devote their lives and their wealth to the Church and to God's service
-- if the male leaders of the church had actually tried to remove the importance of women in the life and ministry of Jesus and the church, certainly they would have removed these instances and the instances of Jesus speaking with and ministering to women from the Bible
-- it appears that on this allegation, Dan Brown falls short again
IV. Did Jesus Marry?
-- I know I'm running out of time, so real briefly, let me touch on the allegation by Dan Brown that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene -- this allegation is not scriptural -- it is not recorded in our New Testament -- and it is not recorded in any of the Gnostic gospels or writings -- no where do we find in print the statement that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene
-- Alex McFarland pointed out an interesting observation based on 1 Corinthians 9:5 -- this verse reads, "Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas [Peter]?" -- in this verse, Paul defends the right of the apostles and other church leaders to be married -- now, if Jesus had been married, Paul most certainly would have cited Him as conclusive support for being accompanied by a wife -- in other words, this would have been the perfect place for Paul to write that Jesus was married -- but he didn't -- which implies that Jesus was not married and that no one in that time believed that He was married
-- we have to remember that Jesuss mission was not procreation but salvation -- as Focus on the Family states on their website, the "establishment of marriage, family and an earthly home were not Jesus' purposes" -- in reality, Jesus didn't need Mary Magdelene or any other woman to be His bride -- He already had a bride -- the church that He was preparing and sanctifying through His blood
V. Closing
-- so in closing, let me reiterate the teaching of the church from its earliest days -- women are important in the ministry and in the leadership of the church -- Jesus demonstrated the value that God places on women by elevating their status in a day when they were treated as second-class citizens -- and the church has continued to recognize the gifts and graces that women bring
-- in our own denomination, we allow the full ordination of women -- not only can women serve as Bible teachers and worship leaders and in various other functions in the church, but they can be ordained and serve in pastoral and administrative roles as elders and bishops
-- so, contrary to what Dan Brown professes and teaches, the church recognizes and values the influence of women in our ongoing ministry for Christ in this world
-- as we noted in our opening passage from Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
-- let us pray
Thursday, June 01, 2006
SERMON: THE DA VINCI CODE -- THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
27 May 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Phil 2
5. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7. but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-- this morning we are continuing in our series inspired by the book, "The Da Vinci Code" -- just this week, I was driving around the base with my student, and we were discussing the Da Vinci Code movie
-- my student is not a Christian and has not been in a church for over 15 years, so it's a great opportunity to share with him the Christian faith -- I was telling him that I really enjoyed the movie, but that I felt it was a little too real -- that the part where Sir Leigh Teabing is discussing the formation of the Bible, the divinity of Christ, and the story of Christ marrying Mary Magdelene, was a little too believable and that I thought it might cause some in the church confusion and concern
-- and then he asked me the question that sums up what this series is all about -- "So what if it's true? What would it really matter?"
-- and that, my friends, is the crux of the issue -- I answered him back, "If what Dan Brown wrote in that book is true, then Christianity would cease to exist, and we would still all be in our sins"
-- I went on to explain to him that Christianity hinged on the divinity of Christ -- on His death on the cross as an atonement for our sins and on His resurrection on the third day -- I told him that if you take away the divinity of Christ, then there is nothing left
-- you see, Christianity hinges upon the divinity of Christ -- this is our foundation -- our cornerstone -- it is upon this truth that our entire faith is built -- when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" -- Jesus commended Peter for saying that and said, "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" -- the divinity of Christ is the rock of our foundation, and it is upon this truth that our church and our faith rests
-- let me give you another example -- the divinity of Christ is the keystone in the arch of our religion -- as you probably know, the keystone was the center stone in an arch -- if you remove the keystone from an arch, the arch cannot support itself and the whole thing crumbles
-- that is exactly what would happen if what Dan Brown alleges in his book is true -- that Jesus was not divine and that He was only a man
-- as the Apostle Paul put it when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:13-18 about the resurrection of Christ, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. -- And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. -- More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. -- For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. -- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. -- Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost."
-- this thought of Paul holds true for the resurrection, for the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, and for the divinity of Christ -- if any of these are not true, then we are all lost in our sins, forever separated from God, and destined for an eternity in hell
-- that is why it matters whether Dan Brown is right in The Da Vinci Code or not -- so, this morning, I want to spend a few minutes talking about the divinity of Christ and Brown's allegations in his book that Jesus was not considered divine by his followers until a vote was taken at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD
II. The Divinity of Christ
-- so, was Christ divine or is Dan Brown's allegation correct? -- if you just glanced through the New Testament and read the writings of the early followers of Christ -- if you read the words of Jesus Himself -- you would quickly come to the conclusion that Jesus' followers believed that He was divine -- that He was God
-- Jesus is directly called "God" seven times in the New Testament, and He is referred to as "Lord" in the divine sense numerous times -- in addition to these, the writers of the New Testament and Jesus Himself used prophetic words and meanings and understandings to refer to Jesus as God
-- for instance, in the first verse of the first chapter of John's gospel, we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God" -- later on, in verse 14, John wrote, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling place among us" -- there is no doubt in John's mind that Jesus -- the Word -- was God
-- in other places, the claim by Jesus' followers that He was God is more direct
-- in Romans 9:5, referring to the Jewish people, Paul writes, "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!"
-- in Hebrews 1:8 it reads, "But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."
-- and in 1 John 5:20 we read, "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
-- Jesus Himself, while not directly just coming out and saying "I am God," proclaimed His deity and divinity in discussions with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin
-- for instance, when the paralytic man on the mat was dropped in front of Jesus by his four friends, Jesus said to him, "your sins are forgiven" -- the teachers of the law who were there thought that Jesus was blaspheming, because only God could forgive sins -- in Matthew 9 it says, "Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." -- in this event, Jesus is clearly saying that because He was God, He had the authority to forgive sins -- He condemned the teachers of the law for having evil thoughts in their heart because they did not recognize Him as God
-- likewise, when Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin on the night He was betrayed, the chief priest asked Him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" -- and Jesus replied, "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard the blasphemy" -- Why did the High Priest say that Jesus was blaspheming? -- because He had claimed to be God by using the title that God used with Moses -- God told Moses that His name was "I Am" -- "Yahweh" -- and that is what Jesus said when the High Priest asked Him if He was the Christ -- also, the priests alleged blasphemy because Jesus used the title, "Son of Man," which Daniel used in a prophetic sense to refer to the coming of Christ
-- throughout the four gospels, there are many other instances where Jesus claimed to be God by using terms such as these
-- Brown would have us believe that the divinity of Christ was an invention of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, but these references in the New Testament clearly shows this is not the case -- all of the 27 books in the New Testament were written in the first century AD -- in other words, all of the books that we have in our Bible were written within 65 years of the death of Christ, and they make it clear that the early Christians and the early Church unswervingly held to the belief that Jesus was God
-- in this passage in Philippians that we opened with, we read the words of an early hymn -- a confession of the faith that was shared in the early church
-- just to confirm the belief of the church in the divinity of Christ, let's look real quick at this passage -- look back at verse 5
5. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7. but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
-- verse 6 clearly says that Jesus was God -- that being in very nature or in the form of God, He was equal to God -- it goes on to say that Jesus made Himself nothing, taking on the form of man -- these verses are a clear declaration by the early church that it considered Jesus to have been God -- and that God Himself, in the form of Jesus, became a man, humbled Himself, and died on a cross to save us from our sins
-- then, in verses 9-11, we see the risen Christ reclaiming the glory and the prerogatives of deity that He had emptied Himself of when He became a man -- verse 9
9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-- what is the name that is above all other names? -- that can be nothing less than the very name of God
-- and at that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord -- the Greek word for "Lord" here is "Kurios" -- it means "supreme in authority" -- it means "God"
-- there is no doubt that the early believers of Christ believed that He was God -- there is no doubt that Jesus Himself believed that He was God -- for no one but God Himself could have lived a perfect, sinless life and offered Himself for us as an atoning sacrifice on the cross -- no one but God Himself could have given His life up willingly for us and then take it up again three days later at the resurrection -- and no one but God Himself could forgive us of our sins and offer us eternal life with Him
-- do you know that Jesus is God? -- do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins? -- do you believe that He rose from the dead on the third day and that He ascended into Heaven? -- believing that -- knowing this as a fact and basing your eternal life on this truth -- is all that is needed for salvation -- as it says in Romans 10:9, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
-- this is the foundation of our faith -- and this is why it matters very much that Dan Brown and his allegations in The Da Vinci Code are wrong
III. The Council of Nicea
-- very briefly, I want to address the allegation by Brown that the divinity of Christ was voted on at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD -- we have already addressed his first allegation, that the divinity of Christ was not proposed until that time -- now let's look at the other part
-- the Council of Nicea was the first ecumenical church council -- it was held because of a heresy called "Arianism" that was being taught and was gaining a lot of followers -- in fact, 28 of the 318 bishops who attended the Council believed in this doctrine
-- basically, Arius was teaching that Jesus was not one with God the Father -- but that He was a lesser God who was created some time before the creation of the world -- in other words, Arius was teaching that Jesus was divine, but still created
-- the church whole-heartedly opposed this teaching and affirmed that Jesus was one with God -- they did, as Brown states, vote on the issue -- but the vote was hardly a close one -- it was 316 to 2 in favor of Christ being co-eternal with God the Father -- not a created being -- not a lesser God -- but one with God -- in other words, the Council affirmed the traditional teaching of the church that Jesus was God
-- out of this Council came the Nicene Creed, which we have in our hymnals on page 880 -- the main concern of this creed was to reject any notion that the Son was a creature or less divine than the Father -- the creed affirmed the beliefs of the church that Jesus was of one substance with the Father, and that He was just as divine as the Father
-- if you would, turn to page 880 in your hymnals and let's read the Nicene Creed together
IV. Closing
-- concerning the deity of Christ, C.S. Lewis once wrote: "I am trying to prevent anyone [from] saying the really foolish thing people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God [which is exactly what Dan Brown is saying in The Da Vinci Code].'"
-- Lewis goes on, "That is the one thing we must not say -- A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher -- He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice -- Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman, or something worse"
-- "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God -- but let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher -- He has not left that open to us -- He did not intend to."
-- make no mistake about it -- Jesus was and is God -- and that is what matters most of all
-- let us pray
27 May 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Phil 2
5. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7. but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-- this morning we are continuing in our series inspired by the book, "The Da Vinci Code" -- just this week, I was driving around the base with my student, and we were discussing the Da Vinci Code movie
-- my student is not a Christian and has not been in a church for over 15 years, so it's a great opportunity to share with him the Christian faith -- I was telling him that I really enjoyed the movie, but that I felt it was a little too real -- that the part where Sir Leigh Teabing is discussing the formation of the Bible, the divinity of Christ, and the story of Christ marrying Mary Magdelene, was a little too believable and that I thought it might cause some in the church confusion and concern
-- and then he asked me the question that sums up what this series is all about -- "So what if it's true? What would it really matter?"
-- and that, my friends, is the crux of the issue -- I answered him back, "If what Dan Brown wrote in that book is true, then Christianity would cease to exist, and we would still all be in our sins"
-- I went on to explain to him that Christianity hinged on the divinity of Christ -- on His death on the cross as an atonement for our sins and on His resurrection on the third day -- I told him that if you take away the divinity of Christ, then there is nothing left
-- you see, Christianity hinges upon the divinity of Christ -- this is our foundation -- our cornerstone -- it is upon this truth that our entire faith is built -- when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" -- Jesus commended Peter for saying that and said, "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" -- the divinity of Christ is the rock of our foundation, and it is upon this truth that our church and our faith rests
-- let me give you another example -- the divinity of Christ is the keystone in the arch of our religion -- as you probably know, the keystone was the center stone in an arch -- if you remove the keystone from an arch, the arch cannot support itself and the whole thing crumbles
-- that is exactly what would happen if what Dan Brown alleges in his book is true -- that Jesus was not divine and that He was only a man
-- as the Apostle Paul put it when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:13-18 about the resurrection of Christ, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. -- And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. -- More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. -- For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. -- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. -- Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost."
-- this thought of Paul holds true for the resurrection, for the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, and for the divinity of Christ -- if any of these are not true, then we are all lost in our sins, forever separated from God, and destined for an eternity in hell
-- that is why it matters whether Dan Brown is right in The Da Vinci Code or not -- so, this morning, I want to spend a few minutes talking about the divinity of Christ and Brown's allegations in his book that Jesus was not considered divine by his followers until a vote was taken at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD
II. The Divinity of Christ
-- so, was Christ divine or is Dan Brown's allegation correct? -- if you just glanced through the New Testament and read the writings of the early followers of Christ -- if you read the words of Jesus Himself -- you would quickly come to the conclusion that Jesus' followers believed that He was divine -- that He was God
-- Jesus is directly called "God" seven times in the New Testament, and He is referred to as "Lord" in the divine sense numerous times -- in addition to these, the writers of the New Testament and Jesus Himself used prophetic words and meanings and understandings to refer to Jesus as God
-- for instance, in the first verse of the first chapter of John's gospel, we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God" -- later on, in verse 14, John wrote, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling place among us" -- there is no doubt in John's mind that Jesus -- the Word -- was God
-- in other places, the claim by Jesus' followers that He was God is more direct
-- in Romans 9:5, referring to the Jewish people, Paul writes, "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!"
-- in Hebrews 1:8 it reads, "But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."
-- and in 1 John 5:20 we read, "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
-- Jesus Himself, while not directly just coming out and saying "I am God," proclaimed His deity and divinity in discussions with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin
-- for instance, when the paralytic man on the mat was dropped in front of Jesus by his four friends, Jesus said to him, "your sins are forgiven" -- the teachers of the law who were there thought that Jesus was blaspheming, because only God could forgive sins -- in Matthew 9 it says, "Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." -- in this event, Jesus is clearly saying that because He was God, He had the authority to forgive sins -- He condemned the teachers of the law for having evil thoughts in their heart because they did not recognize Him as God
-- likewise, when Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin on the night He was betrayed, the chief priest asked Him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" -- and Jesus replied, "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard the blasphemy" -- Why did the High Priest say that Jesus was blaspheming? -- because He had claimed to be God by using the title that God used with Moses -- God told Moses that His name was "I Am" -- "Yahweh" -- and that is what Jesus said when the High Priest asked Him if He was the Christ -- also, the priests alleged blasphemy because Jesus used the title, "Son of Man," which Daniel used in a prophetic sense to refer to the coming of Christ
-- throughout the four gospels, there are many other instances where Jesus claimed to be God by using terms such as these
-- Brown would have us believe that the divinity of Christ was an invention of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, but these references in the New Testament clearly shows this is not the case -- all of the 27 books in the New Testament were written in the first century AD -- in other words, all of the books that we have in our Bible were written within 65 years of the death of Christ, and they make it clear that the early Christians and the early Church unswervingly held to the belief that Jesus was God
-- in this passage in Philippians that we opened with, we read the words of an early hymn -- a confession of the faith that was shared in the early church
-- just to confirm the belief of the church in the divinity of Christ, let's look real quick at this passage -- look back at verse 5
5. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7. but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
-- verse 6 clearly says that Jesus was God -- that being in very nature or in the form of God, He was equal to God -- it goes on to say that Jesus made Himself nothing, taking on the form of man -- these verses are a clear declaration by the early church that it considered Jesus to have been God -- and that God Himself, in the form of Jesus, became a man, humbled Himself, and died on a cross to save us from our sins
-- then, in verses 9-11, we see the risen Christ reclaiming the glory and the prerogatives of deity that He had emptied Himself of when He became a man -- verse 9
9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-- what is the name that is above all other names? -- that can be nothing less than the very name of God
-- and at that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord -- the Greek word for "Lord" here is "Kurios" -- it means "supreme in authority" -- it means "God"
-- there is no doubt that the early believers of Christ believed that He was God -- there is no doubt that Jesus Himself believed that He was God -- for no one but God Himself could have lived a perfect, sinless life and offered Himself for us as an atoning sacrifice on the cross -- no one but God Himself could have given His life up willingly for us and then take it up again three days later at the resurrection -- and no one but God Himself could forgive us of our sins and offer us eternal life with Him
-- do you know that Jesus is God? -- do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins? -- do you believe that He rose from the dead on the third day and that He ascended into Heaven? -- believing that -- knowing this as a fact and basing your eternal life on this truth -- is all that is needed for salvation -- as it says in Romans 10:9, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
-- this is the foundation of our faith -- and this is why it matters very much that Dan Brown and his allegations in The Da Vinci Code are wrong
III. The Council of Nicea
-- very briefly, I want to address the allegation by Brown that the divinity of Christ was voted on at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD -- we have already addressed his first allegation, that the divinity of Christ was not proposed until that time -- now let's look at the other part
-- the Council of Nicea was the first ecumenical church council -- it was held because of a heresy called "Arianism" that was being taught and was gaining a lot of followers -- in fact, 28 of the 318 bishops who attended the Council believed in this doctrine
-- basically, Arius was teaching that Jesus was not one with God the Father -- but that He was a lesser God who was created some time before the creation of the world -- in other words, Arius was teaching that Jesus was divine, but still created
-- the church whole-heartedly opposed this teaching and affirmed that Jesus was one with God -- they did, as Brown states, vote on the issue -- but the vote was hardly a close one -- it was 316 to 2 in favor of Christ being co-eternal with God the Father -- not a created being -- not a lesser God -- but one with God -- in other words, the Council affirmed the traditional teaching of the church that Jesus was God
-- out of this Council came the Nicene Creed, which we have in our hymnals on page 880 -- the main concern of this creed was to reject any notion that the Son was a creature or less divine than the Father -- the creed affirmed the beliefs of the church that Jesus was of one substance with the Father, and that He was just as divine as the Father
-- if you would, turn to page 880 in your hymnals and let's read the Nicene Creed together
IV. Closing
-- concerning the deity of Christ, C.S. Lewis once wrote: "I am trying to prevent anyone [from] saying the really foolish thing people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God [which is exactly what Dan Brown is saying in The Da Vinci Code].'"
-- Lewis goes on, "That is the one thing we must not say -- A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher -- He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice -- Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman, or something worse"
-- "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God -- but let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher -- He has not left that open to us -- He did not intend to."
-- make no mistake about it -- Jesus was and is God -- and that is what matters most of all
-- let us pray
SERMON: THE DA VINCI CODE -- SETTING THE CANON STRAIGHT
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
21 May 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Timothy 3
10. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
11. persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
13. while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15. and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17. so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
-- this morning, I want to spend some time talking about the Bible -- the God-breathed revelation of God -- it is our belief that this book contains the full revelation of God -- all that is needed for salvation and sanctification
-- as Paul tells us here in this passage -- the Word of God is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that we may be made mature and complete in Christ -- thoroughly equipped to complete the good works given to us by God
-- the Bible is a remarkable document -- it has 66 books written by 44 authors over a period of 1500 years -- 39 in Old Testament written from about 1400 BC to 400 BC -- and 27 in NT -- written from about 50 AD to 100 AD -- but when read together, these 66 books combine to create a single composite masterpiece outlining God's plan of salvation for humankind -- starting with the fall in the Garden of Eden and ending with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit
-- the Bible is the living, breathing Word of God -- it is a sacred history, recounting the works of God in the lives of men for thousands of years -- it is a road-map to eternity, giving us a glimpse of the end-times to come -- it outlines moral precepts by which we are called to live -- it is the foundation of our theological doctrines and gives us direction about church structure and practice -- and it provides us guidance on how to live in accordance with God's principles and precepts in our daily, personal lives
-- as one person has quipped, "The Bible is nothing less than Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth"
II. How did we get the Bible?
-- so, how did we get this Bible? -- how did this holy book come to us in this form?
-- in his book and in the movie, "The Da Vinci Code" -- Dan Brown got one thing right -- one of the characters, Sir Leigh Teabing, states that the Bible did not come from heaven as a facsimile -- and that is true -- we didn't just wake up one morning and find this book laying on our doorstep -- so, how did we get it?
-- in the Da Vinci Code, we are told that the Bible was made during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD at the direction of the Roman Emperor Constantine -- in his book, Brown says that the Council got together and voted on what to put into the Bible and what to leave out, and that they purposefully left out lots of books -- for instance, Brown says they threw out over 80 gospels that did not line up with their political message
-- but this is not true -- Brown put this into the book and movie in order to advance his beliefs about Mary Magdelene being married to Jesus and that Jesus intended for Mary to be the leader of the church
-- in reality, the Council of Nicea did not produce the Bible that we have today -- in fact, the full 27 book NT was not even recognized in Constantine's lifetime
-- Dan Brown wants you to believe that we got the Bible based on the vote of one council at one time, but that is not the way the Bible was finalized
-- the process of recognizing and affirming what books and writings are Scripture -- God-breathed revelations given to the church -- is called the setting of the canon -- or canonization
-- the word "canon" comes from a Greek word meaning "rule" or "standard" -- measuring stick -- final rule or standard of authority for the church
-- in other words, these are the books that the church recognizes as being inspired and revealed by God -- these are the standards by which all other books and writings and teachings are measured -- Barclay -- church did not create the canon but came to recognize, accept, affirm, and confirm these particular writings as the inspired Word of God -- when these books were read and taught, it became evident to all that they were indeed God's message to us
-- the thing to keep in mind as you think about the Bible and how it came to us is that these books weren't made Scripture by putting them in the Bible -- they already were Scripture and already were accepted by the church and by believers for a long time before they ever were compiled into one book
-- let me give you an example from the OT -- from the time that Moses first wrote down the words of God in the first five books of the Bible -- the Pentateuch -- these books were accepted as Scripture -- as the Word of God
-- over time, as God spoke through the prophets and through others, additional books and writings were accepted as Scripture -- eventually, around 100 AD, after the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish people collected all the 39 books of the OT and put them in one document and said, "This is it -- this is all the inspired Word of God -- anything else that comes along may be edifying -- but it is not to be considered Scripture"
-- the same is true of the NT -- as various books were written and taught in the churches, they became accepted by the early Christians as Scripture -- in 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter writes that Paul's letters were Scripture -- this means that as early as during the life of the apostles, certain writings were recognized by the Christian church as being God-breathed and inspired
-- over time, other books and letters were accepted by the church as part of the Canon -- part of Scripture
-- at various points of history, the need arose to have a clear listing of what books were considered Scripture and what books were not -- the primary reason for such a listing of Scripture was in response to heretical teachings
-- the first listing of NT Scripture -- the earliest NT canon -- was actually put together by a heretic -- Marcion -- 140 AD -- compiled an extensively edited copy of Luke and 10 heavily edited Pauline letters -- since Marcion was a Gnostic, this canon strongly suggests that the Gnostic boks such as the Gospel of Thomas were not yet written, or he would have included them in his canon -- forced church to deal with the issue of its own canon -- they needed to write down a list of what books and letters were accepted by Christians as Scripture so that churches would not be misled by Marcion and other heretical teachers
-- Muratorian Canon -- late 2nd century -- includes four gospels, Acts, Pauls 13 letters, Jude, Revelation, 1 John, and at least one of John's two other letters -- 21 of 27 canonical books are recognized as authoritative before the end of the second century
-- also listed numerous other books that fell into one of three categories: disputed (primarily because of catholicity), edifying but not authoritative, and heretical
-- 325 AD -- after the Council of Nicea -- Eusebius produced a written canon: recognized books, disputed books, rejected books -- 22 books were undisputed, recognized as canonical
-- 367 AD -- Athanasius provided the first list that includes all and only the 27 books of the NT -- 393 AD Augustine endorsed the same list and Jerome included these in his translation called the Vulgate
-- at this time, the canon was effectively closed for the majority of the church -- the church agreed that these 27 books and no more were Scripture -- the canon was closed by consensus and not the pronouncement of an emperor or council -- Barclay, "The NT books became canonical because no one could stop them from doing so"
III. Criteria for Canonization
-- turn in Bibles to Galatians 1
-- so, what made these 27 books so special? -- what was the criteria that made these books part of the canon? -- What made these Scripture?
--I've got several classic Christian writings here that I'm sure you've all heard of -- "Mere Christianity" -- "The Great Divorce" -- "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis -- "Confessions" by St. Augustine -- "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan -- several books by Billy Graham -- for generations these books have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of theological issues -- why are these not considered Scripture? -- What makes the Book of Acts more important that "Mere Christianity?"
-- we see it right here in this passage -- look at verse 1
1. Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--
2. and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:
3. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4. who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5. to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
-- when the early church set about recognizing and affirming the books of the New Testament, they used three criteria as their measuring stick
1) apostolic -- apostle or associate of apostle -- Paul tells us in verse 1 that he was an apostle -- apostle is a teacher who received their authority directly from Jesus
2) orthodox -- did it conform to teachings of other books known to be written by apostles -- vs. 3-5 -- Paul gives the basic orthodox teachings of Christianity -- Jesus was Lord -- God Himself -- gave Himself for us on the cross as payment for our sins -- three years after Paul's conversion on the Road to Damascus, he went to Jerusalem to ensure that what he understood and was teaching was in accordance with what the earliest disciples of Jesus were teaching (vs. 11-24)
3) catholic -- universally accepted -- did a majority of the churches accept it as scripture -- notice in verse 1 that this letter from Paul was sent to all the churches in Galatia -- it was intended to be read and taught among all the churches -- not just one -- over time, it was circulated outside of Galatia and was accepted by the entire Christian community as God-breathed -- revealed to Paul by Christ and, as 2 Tim 3 says, "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness"
-- so what about these Christian classics -- sermons -- current writings?
-- edifying but not authoritative -- they may be catholic in the sense that the majority of the church accepts them and uses them for teaching -- they may be orthodox in that they line up with the canon of Scripture -- but they are not apostolic -- they were not produced by an apostle or an associate of an apostle -- for this reason, these extra-biblical books are considered useful, but not God-breathed Scripture
IV. The Hidden Books
-- Jesus Committee -- 8-10 years ago -- what did Jesus say? -- Five gospels -- heavily edited editions of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- included Gospel of Thomas -- Gnostic gospel
-- Gnostic books -- Gnostic gospels -- Gospel of Mary Magdelene -- Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Mary, Peter and the Egyptians -- Gospel of Judas -- these are the books that weigh heavily in Dan Brown's antiChristian theology
-- Why rejected:
1) not apostolic -- were not written by the Apostles and appeared in written form after most of the NT was already in use and accepted by the church -- from the second to the ninth century -- up to 500 years after the time of Constantine
-- keep in mind that the heresies recorded in these books came up during the Apostolic era -- Paul mentions false teachings -- false gospels in this chapter -- verse 6
6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--
7. which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
9. As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
10. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.
-- no evidence that these teachings were written -- the word "gospel" simply means "good news," and it is likely that these were just verbal teachings that formed the basis for the Gnostic gospels that were written about 100 years later
-- Apostle John also dealt with false teachings -- 1 John 4: 2. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
-- satan will always try to mislead and imitate -- when there is something real -- Scripture or revival -- satan will come in and imitate it with something to draw people's faith and attention away from the real
2) not orthodox -- emphasized the deity of Christ while sacrificing his humanity -- they did not line up with the teachings of the Apostles or the other books accepted by the Christian community as inspired Scripture
3) not catholic -- "Eusebius, the first church historian, affirms that the early church rejected these gospels as soon as they appeared" (McFarland) -- these writings were not circulated and accepted by the early church -- and were rejected by most of the early Christians
-- The Dead Sea Scrolls -- contained no gospels or references to Jesus -- portions of every OT book except Esther -- commentaries on the OT, some extrabiblical work, secular documents, and business records -- "The Qumran community, which wrote or preserved these documents, had nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity" Alex McFarland
V. Closing
-- so, in a nutshell, there you have the explanation of how we got our Bible -- how the canon of Scripture was really set
-- contrary to Dan Brown's allegations in The Da Vinci Code, the Bible was not created by Constantine -- it was not voted on and approved in a council -- it was not decided by one man
-- the Bible was created when the early Christians recognized the fingerprints of God in the writings and teachings of the Apostles -- when our forefathers in the faith gathered and preserved the letters and the books that they recognized to be the revelation of God -- inspired through the Holy Spirit and given to the church during the Apostolic era
-- it was only later -- after the church had already accepted these books and letters in their heart as God's Word -- that the official Canon of Scripture was written down and agreed to by the official church of the day
-- the story of the Bible and how it came to be is a fascinating story -- but more important than that is the life-changing message that is contained in these pages -- Words from God Himself that offer us hope of eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness of our sins through His Son Jesus Christ
-- let us pray
21 May 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Timothy 3
10. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
11. persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
13. while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15. and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17. so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
-- this morning, I want to spend some time talking about the Bible -- the God-breathed revelation of God -- it is our belief that this book contains the full revelation of God -- all that is needed for salvation and sanctification
-- as Paul tells us here in this passage -- the Word of God is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that we may be made mature and complete in Christ -- thoroughly equipped to complete the good works given to us by God
-- the Bible is a remarkable document -- it has 66 books written by 44 authors over a period of 1500 years -- 39 in Old Testament written from about 1400 BC to 400 BC -- and 27 in NT -- written from about 50 AD to 100 AD -- but when read together, these 66 books combine to create a single composite masterpiece outlining God's plan of salvation for humankind -- starting with the fall in the Garden of Eden and ending with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit
-- the Bible is the living, breathing Word of God -- it is a sacred history, recounting the works of God in the lives of men for thousands of years -- it is a road-map to eternity, giving us a glimpse of the end-times to come -- it outlines moral precepts by which we are called to live -- it is the foundation of our theological doctrines and gives us direction about church structure and practice -- and it provides us guidance on how to live in accordance with God's principles and precepts in our daily, personal lives
-- as one person has quipped, "The Bible is nothing less than Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth"
II. How did we get the Bible?
-- so, how did we get this Bible? -- how did this holy book come to us in this form?
-- in his book and in the movie, "The Da Vinci Code" -- Dan Brown got one thing right -- one of the characters, Sir Leigh Teabing, states that the Bible did not come from heaven as a facsimile -- and that is true -- we didn't just wake up one morning and find this book laying on our doorstep -- so, how did we get it?
-- in the Da Vinci Code, we are told that the Bible was made during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD at the direction of the Roman Emperor Constantine -- in his book, Brown says that the Council got together and voted on what to put into the Bible and what to leave out, and that they purposefully left out lots of books -- for instance, Brown says they threw out over 80 gospels that did not line up with their political message
-- but this is not true -- Brown put this into the book and movie in order to advance his beliefs about Mary Magdelene being married to Jesus and that Jesus intended for Mary to be the leader of the church
-- in reality, the Council of Nicea did not produce the Bible that we have today -- in fact, the full 27 book NT was not even recognized in Constantine's lifetime
-- Dan Brown wants you to believe that we got the Bible based on the vote of one council at one time, but that is not the way the Bible was finalized
-- the process of recognizing and affirming what books and writings are Scripture -- God-breathed revelations given to the church -- is called the setting of the canon -- or canonization
-- the word "canon" comes from a Greek word meaning "rule" or "standard" -- measuring stick -- final rule or standard of authority for the church
-- in other words, these are the books that the church recognizes as being inspired and revealed by God -- these are the standards by which all other books and writings and teachings are measured -- Barclay -- church did not create the canon but came to recognize, accept, affirm, and confirm these particular writings as the inspired Word of God -- when these books were read and taught, it became evident to all that they were indeed God's message to us
-- the thing to keep in mind as you think about the Bible and how it came to us is that these books weren't made Scripture by putting them in the Bible -- they already were Scripture and already were accepted by the church and by believers for a long time before they ever were compiled into one book
-- let me give you an example from the OT -- from the time that Moses first wrote down the words of God in the first five books of the Bible -- the Pentateuch -- these books were accepted as Scripture -- as the Word of God
-- over time, as God spoke through the prophets and through others, additional books and writings were accepted as Scripture -- eventually, around 100 AD, after the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish people collected all the 39 books of the OT and put them in one document and said, "This is it -- this is all the inspired Word of God -- anything else that comes along may be edifying -- but it is not to be considered Scripture"
-- the same is true of the NT -- as various books were written and taught in the churches, they became accepted by the early Christians as Scripture -- in 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter writes that Paul's letters were Scripture -- this means that as early as during the life of the apostles, certain writings were recognized by the Christian church as being God-breathed and inspired
-- over time, other books and letters were accepted by the church as part of the Canon -- part of Scripture
-- at various points of history, the need arose to have a clear listing of what books were considered Scripture and what books were not -- the primary reason for such a listing of Scripture was in response to heretical teachings
-- the first listing of NT Scripture -- the earliest NT canon -- was actually put together by a heretic -- Marcion -- 140 AD -- compiled an extensively edited copy of Luke and 10 heavily edited Pauline letters -- since Marcion was a Gnostic, this canon strongly suggests that the Gnostic boks such as the Gospel of Thomas were not yet written, or he would have included them in his canon -- forced church to deal with the issue of its own canon -- they needed to write down a list of what books and letters were accepted by Christians as Scripture so that churches would not be misled by Marcion and other heretical teachers
-- Muratorian Canon -- late 2nd century -- includes four gospels, Acts, Pauls 13 letters, Jude, Revelation, 1 John, and at least one of John's two other letters -- 21 of 27 canonical books are recognized as authoritative before the end of the second century
-- also listed numerous other books that fell into one of three categories: disputed (primarily because of catholicity), edifying but not authoritative, and heretical
-- 325 AD -- after the Council of Nicea -- Eusebius produced a written canon: recognized books, disputed books, rejected books -- 22 books were undisputed, recognized as canonical
-- 367 AD -- Athanasius provided the first list that includes all and only the 27 books of the NT -- 393 AD Augustine endorsed the same list and Jerome included these in his translation called the Vulgate
-- at this time, the canon was effectively closed for the majority of the church -- the church agreed that these 27 books and no more were Scripture -- the canon was closed by consensus and not the pronouncement of an emperor or council -- Barclay, "The NT books became canonical because no one could stop them from doing so"
III. Criteria for Canonization
-- turn in Bibles to Galatians 1
-- so, what made these 27 books so special? -- what was the criteria that made these books part of the canon? -- What made these Scripture?
--I've got several classic Christian writings here that I'm sure you've all heard of -- "Mere Christianity" -- "The Great Divorce" -- "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis -- "Confessions" by St. Augustine -- "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan -- several books by Billy Graham -- for generations these books have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of theological issues -- why are these not considered Scripture? -- What makes the Book of Acts more important that "Mere Christianity?"
-- we see it right here in this passage -- look at verse 1
1. Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--
2. and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:
3. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4. who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5. to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
-- when the early church set about recognizing and affirming the books of the New Testament, they used three criteria as their measuring stick
1) apostolic -- apostle or associate of apostle -- Paul tells us in verse 1 that he was an apostle -- apostle is a teacher who received their authority directly from Jesus
2) orthodox -- did it conform to teachings of other books known to be written by apostles -- vs. 3-5 -- Paul gives the basic orthodox teachings of Christianity -- Jesus was Lord -- God Himself -- gave Himself for us on the cross as payment for our sins -- three years after Paul's conversion on the Road to Damascus, he went to Jerusalem to ensure that what he understood and was teaching was in accordance with what the earliest disciples of Jesus were teaching (vs. 11-24)
3) catholic -- universally accepted -- did a majority of the churches accept it as scripture -- notice in verse 1 that this letter from Paul was sent to all the churches in Galatia -- it was intended to be read and taught among all the churches -- not just one -- over time, it was circulated outside of Galatia and was accepted by the entire Christian community as God-breathed -- revealed to Paul by Christ and, as 2 Tim 3 says, "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness"
-- so what about these Christian classics -- sermons -- current writings?
-- edifying but not authoritative -- they may be catholic in the sense that the majority of the church accepts them and uses them for teaching -- they may be orthodox in that they line up with the canon of Scripture -- but they are not apostolic -- they were not produced by an apostle or an associate of an apostle -- for this reason, these extra-biblical books are considered useful, but not God-breathed Scripture
IV. The Hidden Books
-- Jesus Committee -- 8-10 years ago -- what did Jesus say? -- Five gospels -- heavily edited editions of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- included Gospel of Thomas -- Gnostic gospel
-- Gnostic books -- Gnostic gospels -- Gospel of Mary Magdelene -- Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Mary, Peter and the Egyptians -- Gospel of Judas -- these are the books that weigh heavily in Dan Brown's antiChristian theology
-- Why rejected:
1) not apostolic -- were not written by the Apostles and appeared in written form after most of the NT was already in use and accepted by the church -- from the second to the ninth century -- up to 500 years after the time of Constantine
-- keep in mind that the heresies recorded in these books came up during the Apostolic era -- Paul mentions false teachings -- false gospels in this chapter -- verse 6
6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--
7. which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
9. As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
10. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.
-- no evidence that these teachings were written -- the word "gospel" simply means "good news," and it is likely that these were just verbal teachings that formed the basis for the Gnostic gospels that were written about 100 years later
-- Apostle John also dealt with false teachings -- 1 John 4: 2. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
-- satan will always try to mislead and imitate -- when there is something real -- Scripture or revival -- satan will come in and imitate it with something to draw people's faith and attention away from the real
2) not orthodox -- emphasized the deity of Christ while sacrificing his humanity -- they did not line up with the teachings of the Apostles or the other books accepted by the Christian community as inspired Scripture
3) not catholic -- "Eusebius, the first church historian, affirms that the early church rejected these gospels as soon as they appeared" (McFarland) -- these writings were not circulated and accepted by the early church -- and were rejected by most of the early Christians
-- The Dead Sea Scrolls -- contained no gospels or references to Jesus -- portions of every OT book except Esther -- commentaries on the OT, some extrabiblical work, secular documents, and business records -- "The Qumran community, which wrote or preserved these documents, had nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity" Alex McFarland
V. Closing
-- so, in a nutshell, there you have the explanation of how we got our Bible -- how the canon of Scripture was really set
-- contrary to Dan Brown's allegations in The Da Vinci Code, the Bible was not created by Constantine -- it was not voted on and approved in a council -- it was not decided by one man
-- the Bible was created when the early Christians recognized the fingerprints of God in the writings and teachings of the Apostles -- when our forefathers in the faith gathered and preserved the letters and the books that they recognized to be the revelation of God -- inspired through the Holy Spirit and given to the church during the Apostolic era
-- it was only later -- after the church had already accepted these books and letters in their heart as God's Word -- that the official Canon of Scripture was written down and agreed to by the official church of the day
-- the story of the Bible and how it came to be is a fascinating story -- but more important than that is the life-changing message that is contained in these pages -- Words from God Himself that offer us hope of eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness of our sins through His Son Jesus Christ
-- let us pray
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