The Faithful Redeemer [Exodus Pt. 1]

The Faithful Redeemer

What does a story about a bunch of cranky slaves being freed from bondage in Egypt have to do with me, a Christian living in the 21st century? Well it has as much to do with the God who delivered them as it does with our own need for redemption. Remember last time when we noticed that the Apostle Paul pointed to Ancient Israel as a type for us to consider in 1 Corinthians 10:11.

The Faithful Redeemer – SERMON AUDIO

As Exodus begins, we are introduced to the family of a man named Israel and we are told that they all arrived safely in the land of Egypt. This are the subject of God’s blessing and His promise to a man named Abraham who lived a couple of generations before them. We need to begin with these men and their names in order to be assured that what follows is in line with God’s covenant. It is a demonstration if His Word being good and it work among the sons of men. Read more »

Circumcision of Christ [Colossians Pt.12]

Circumcision of Christ

Legalism: the belief that we need to earn or keep God’s favor by righteous acts or religious observance. It is the oldest form of religion. It is the way that many of us as fallen creatures naturally see ourselves in relationship to God. This was the problem that the Apostle Paul was addressing as he wrote to the Christians at Colosse. Once he lays the foundation of the reality of their faith, the basics of the Gospel and then the intention of his ministry, he begins to address the issues that need correction:

Colossians 2:9-11  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  10  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  11  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Beginning with the authority of Christ and the fact that He has declared the work of justification “finished,” Paul begins to discuss circumcision. It seems that there is a fundamental disconnect in the minds of the false teachers there as to the relationship of the Church and that of Old Testament Israel. This disconnect is often in the minds of Believers to this day. The problem, I believe, is seeing Israel too much as an end or goal in God’s plan rather than a means to an end. We want to make their status as the “People of God” supersede the reality that God has, from the beginning, desired to draw all people to Himself. The promise to Abraham was more about the blessing of all the families of the earth than about the calling of a single nation.

This issue of Giving the Jews the wrong place in the plan of God (end vs. means) is the heart of error in much of the Church to this day. This pushes many into the notion that the rituals, (such as in the case of the Colossian church, circumcision) are to be a part of the religion of the followers of Christ. Others take the same principle and place more emphasis on outward rites and righteousness rather than an inward work of God on the heart. We tend to feel that if we have participated in certain activities or maintained a certain level of righteous deeds, that God will be pleased with us.

First, we need to understand the place of the Old Testament Saints in the larger plan of God.

Secondly, we need to understand the place of the rituals that they were required to perform and how it related to their relationship to God.

Then, we need to see how, it at all, this relates to our own relationship to the Lord.

This is what we did as we looked at Colossians 2:9-13. Putting it all into perspective we can see the purpose of Israel, their rituals and the place of Christian Ordinances in the lives of New Testament Believers. It is a discussion very much worth having and one that will help us to get these often misunderstood concepts right. I encourage you listen to the audio below and think it all through.

Circumcision of Christ – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Two Messages from Jonah 2 [Pt. 3&4]

Jonah's Prayer

Even in his rebellion, Jonah can teach us all quite a lot about good prayer. Chapter 2 is a chapter that deals with his repentance. Though he is still not happy about his calling, it is here that he realizes the goodness and faithfulness of God in his own life. His knowledge of Scripture and God’s character are the deep mine from which he is able to dig out his comfort and confidence in the greatest tribulation he will ever face. As those who also face tribulation, we can learn a lot from his prayer. Jonah’s prayer is pretty extraordinary. As I read, study and pray about it and its application to me, a Christian some 2,700 years after the fact, removed by thousands of miles, and living in a culture unimaginable to that prophet I am utterly amazed at its impact.

The common theme of suffering (whether it is as a result of my own sin or that of someone else) and trusting God when the visible signs of His love are not present, make this a most powerful,  time, distance and culture transcending lesson in prayer. Though Jonah was in sin and was suffering for it, it is very evident that he knew the Lord and His Word.

Jonah 2:2-9 And he said: “I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.  3  For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.  4  Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5  The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.  6  I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.  7  “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.

In his absolute distress, Jonah looked to the symbols of God’s covenant faithfulness for his relief. There was no where else to go. He was at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea inside the belly of a fish. All hope was lost. There is not a more desperate situation that we can be in, especially since this was the result of his own sin. What would you be thinking at that point? “I have blown it for the last time!” Yet 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us,  “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Jonah was in a covenant relationship with the Lord though he was seriously struggling in the are of obedience. The visible tokens of God’s love seemed forever gone. But there was one place left to look, the Temple. To the Jewish mind this was the symbol of His covenant faithfulness. The thing that represented the presence of the Lord to him. Jonah went back to God’s faithfulness when his own faithfulness had failed. Likewise as Christians we can go back to the Cross and remember His great love and faithfulness when the visible signs of His love are not apparent. In suffering, when we fall into sin, whenever we are struggling God remains faithful and strong.

The second lesson we learn from Jonah’s prayer is that he relies heavily on the Psalms for the substance of his prayer. His knowledge of God’s character is based on them. Nine times he quotes from them as he offers up his desperate prayer in the time of his distress. An in depth knowledge of Scripture needs to inform our prayers as well. A “good prayer” begins with a knowledge of God’s Word then takes present circumstances and applies to them its precepts and promises.

How would you like to be able to pray more, pray knowing better that you are praying the will of God, and increase your knowledge of God’s Word? I am tempted to say you can have all of this for three easy payments of just $9.95, but that is not how it works. But what if you began to take God’s Word, especially the Psalms, and open it up and begin there when you pray. Start with the Word of God and pray from it as the Lord leads while you read. It won’t happen in three installments, but over time it will inform your prayers, give you more fuel for them and increase your knowledge and ability to remember God’s Word.

Jonah certainly was able to do this, probably as a result of singing those Psalms in corporate and private worship. I encourage you to do the same.  The Psalms were not only the hymn book of ancient Israel,  but also of the protestant church until the mid 1700′s. The Anglo-Genevan Book of Praise is an English Psalter (Psalm Book) from the 16th century that gives good paraphrases to simple tunes that might help you get them into your heart and mind.

Jonah’s prayer can teach us a lot and improve our prayer lives if we are willing to take the lesson from him. I encourage you to listen to both messages from Jonah 2 by clicking on the links below and see what it does for your prayer life as you apply these timeless principles.

Reality Sinks In – Jonah 1:17-2:10

A Lesson In Prayer – Jonah 2:2-9

In Christ!

Kevin

Covenant of Grace

What is the Covenant of Grace? We have been studying the Westminster Shorter Catechism in our Wednesday evening prayer meetings for the last few months. After understanding the scathing effects of the Fall on all of humanity. It seems that man is left utterly helpless, and according to the Bible, he is!  And so question 20 of the catechism asks;

Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
A. God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.

However, many Christians today do not even concede that there is such a thing as the “Covenant of Grace.” Is this idea Biblical? I believe that it is unequivocally so. Take a few minutes to listen to the lesson from Wednesday, September 1 and it is my hope that you will see it clearly as the overarching principle of of God’s redemptive work.

Click the link to hear audio of the lesson

The Covenant of Grace – Genesis 12-22, Galatians 3

In Christ!

Kevin