Faith Like Abraham

Faith Like Abraham

Abraham is our father in the faith. Romans 4:11-12 (HCSB) And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised. Galatians 3:6-7 (HCSB) Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. Should we not look to see how he was justified to make sure we are his children?

Abram was called by God. Genesis 12:1-3 (HCSB) The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Abram obeyed God. Genesis 12:4-6 (HCSB) So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Abram believed God. Genesis 15:2-6 (HCSB) But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.” Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

That last word, righteousness, is a Hebrew word which, in this context, means vindicated by God; justified. This took place in conjunction with Abram believing God – justification by faith.

So, what happened at the cross? Payment for sin was made. For all the sheep of God, past and future, regarding the death and resurrection of Christ. We see this in the record of Abraham, as noted in Hebrews 11:1-2 (HCSB) Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it. And in Hebrews 11:39-40 (HCSB) All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us. The opening and closing of this “faith chapter” show that the saints of God are approved/justified by the faith He gives us.

This sequence, if you will, is what we see in the New Covenant Scriptures:

Romans 3:24-26; (HCSB) They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. We are gifted grace and faith by God (Eph. 2:8) and through these gifts we are justified. Not when Christ paid the price of our redemption (which was required), but when we were given saving faith in Him. This is portrayed in Romans 3:27-28, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 5:6-11, Romans 5:6-11, Galatians 2:15-16, and Galatians 3:23-24 as well. This is the same as we read about Abram and the Old Covenant saints – justified/approved by faith; and that faith is a gift of God so no one will boast in himself.

The death and resurrection of Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit sealed and secured the promise. As one song writer put it, “Before the cross they were saved on credit; after the cross we’ve been saved on debit.”[1] Without the propitiating death of Christ, nobody could be saved. He had to drink the cup of wrath appointed us to complete the work of redemption promised so long along to our earthly father in the faith, Abram – who believed God and was justified by God.

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[1] Shai Linne, Random Thoughts 3 

Hebrews 10:1-10; Just Give Me Jesus

While the author continues to stress the futility of law-keeping as a means to reconciliation with God, the deeper issue is the underlying condition of the human being. We are inclined to trust what we can comprehend with our natural senses; what we can touch, see, and hear. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We are to look for that which is unseen, things that are eternal. We must have Jesus!

 

The Death of a Saint

The Death of a Saint

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Ps. 116:15)

When Jesus was told that Lazarus, on whom He loved, was ill, His first response was this: “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)  But Lazarus would die – what did Jesus mean?

There are two deaths mentioned in Scripture. Mankind is destined for the first death, when our frail flesh expires. The saints are told by Jesus, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more (Luke 12:4). People naturally cling to temporal life, that being their only known existence. Those in Christ are told to not be controlled by fear of the death of our body – carefully noting that bodily death is not the end. He goes on to declare the One who should be feared - Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death.

The sisters of Lazarus were grieving over the bodily death of their brother, each of whom Jesus loved. Because He loved them, He stayed two more days before He got up to the tomb. His disciples and the two sisters did not yet understand what was going on. He told them, “I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” (John 11:15) Jesus was more concerned that His disciples believe on Him than have happy circumstances. When they arrived, many people were there; some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying? ” (vs 37). Their focus was on preventing bodily death; His focus was on the glory of His Father.

By this time, 4 days had passed and John records this for emphasis: “Remove the stone,” Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Him, “Lord, he’s already decaying. It’s been four days.” (vs 39) The man was dead. He was dead four days. His body was seeing decay. In the ancient near east, medical science did not have a precise way of determining if someone was dead. The medical standard was that a body that seemed dead for three days was considered dead. Lazarus was a day beyond that – no doubt at all that he was dead. Jesus could have prevented his death – the people knew this. The stumbling block for natural man is the resurrection from the dead. Many Jews believed in a general resurrection at the end of the age, but Jesus was explaining to them that He was the resurrection and the life.

Some time earlier, Jesus had taught this mind-blowing truth: “I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) This reality of being united with Christ for eternal life was a foundational truth to the kingdom He had been announcing. When a sinner comes to saving faith in Christ, he is no longer subject to the wrath of God or the second death – he has passed from (spiritual) death to (spiritual) life. This is the first resurrection for mortal man, the beginning of eternal life.

When a redeemed person dies, he is no longer entangled by the sin that he battled with while in the flesh. The peace we enter when we are saved is more complete when the sinful flesh is left in the grave. It will be fulfilled and fully complete on that great day when the Lord Jesus returns to judge the nations, gather His people, and make all things new.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (HCSB) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Those who are asleep, have died the first death; we who are still here grieve that loss, realizing such is temporary and the sure hope we have is eternal. When our Lord returns, we will be gathered together with Him and dwell with Him on the new earth forever. The death of a beloved saint is not the end. It is the next step in our being conformed to Christ. This world is passing away and those who are in Christ will be taken up to be glorified by the Lord of Glory Himself. And we all will be full of unrestrained joy as we sing praises to Christ without end. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

Hebrews 9:11-28; Substance

The first half chapter 9 reviewed the pattern of the tabernacle and what it consisted of; then it reviewed the practice within that tabernacle. This is to provide a contrast between the shadow and the substance, which is where we are today. Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

Hebrews 9:1-10; Shadowland

Chapter 8 revealed that the Levitical religion and all its rites were a shadow of the heavenlies. Shadows can be very detailed, but they lack substance. The first half chapter 9 reviews the pattern of the tabernacle and what it consisted of; then it reviews the practice within that tabernacle. This is to provide a contrast between the shadow and the substance, which follows. Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col. 2:16-17) 

Hebrews 8 - The Main Thing

Here's my message from Hebrews 8 - The Main Thing. When myriad things cloud our minds and distract us for the Lord, His Spirit reminds us Who is the Main Thing and calls us back to worship and honor Him.

Hebrews 7:11-28 The Priest We Need

The opening phrase presupposes that perfection is not possible through the Levitical priesthood – it was a temporal priesthood that only covered sins for a season. This point is emphasized by the observation that the Mosaic Law was received under that priesthood. Law is tied to covenant; both are dependent on the priesthood given. Since the Levitical priesthood was unable to bring eternal life, there was a need for a priesthood that could do so – we see, again, this reference to the man of mystery, Melchizedek. We need a priest from his order, not that of Aaron! The author specifies that he speaks about the One, He, the Lord Jesus, being from a different tribe than Aaron’s – a tribe from which no one has served at the altar in the Hebrew sanctuary. He sums up by observing that Christ came from the tribe of Judah and that Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe. We have the perfect priest from that tribe; a priest Who is a lion. This was said about Him: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Gen .49:10) The scepter, meaning rule, will always be His; the obedience of the redeemed people will be His. Consider Him!

The Law is not Faith

Galatians 4:21-31

Tell me, those of you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. But the one by the slave was born according to the impulse of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery — this is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Speaking to those who thought Mosaic Law was the rule of life for Christians, Paul asks if they actually hear the law. The implication is that they either haven’t heard it or they are pursuing a law of their own making. Paul’s concern is that they learn what the law actually says.

Even an unregenerate person can see in Scripture that Abram had the two sons mentioned here, but Paul presses the point law is slavery and grace is liberty. He expressed this idea plainly in Romans 11:6 Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace. He had already told the Galatians that the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them (Gal. 3:12).

Here in chapter 4, he uses Hagar and Sarah as metaphors to describe two covenants. Hagar is slavery (which is what she was – Sarah’s slave) and her children are born into slavery. Ismael is the antitype – he was not the child of promise. Paul sets Hagar up as then present-day Jerusalem, from Mt. Sinai – she is in slaver with her children. John the baptizer picked up this theme in Matthew 3:9 And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! He said this to people with stone hearts! People who rested on fleshly procreation had no reason to think they are children of God.

Contrary to the slavery of Mt. Sinai and ancient Jerusalem, Sarah (not named in our passage) represents freedom; she is the mother of all who have faith in Christ, just as Abraham is the father of all who believe. Paul was clear, setting up faith as the basis for peace with God, not having the “right” parents: those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. (Gal. 3:9) He was just as clear in saying law-keeping is not based on faith (Gal. 3:12); and puts period on the idea:

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now. But what does the Scripture say? Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Gal. 4:28-31)

Here, and everywhere, the Mosaic Law is spoken of with singularity – not described as being divided up into two or three parts. Break one and you’ve broken them all. The law – its capstone being the stone tablets – was given on Mt. Sinai. Paul said the law was good and holy – it was designed and intended to serve as the guardian for national Israel until “the faith” – Christ Jesus – came in the flesh.

Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:23-26). Paul said the law is spiritual, meaning one cannot understand rightly apart from the Spirit of God. By the Spirit, Paul said the law, written on tablets of stone, was the ministry of death. The law, by design, is weak unable to enable one unto salvation or unto good works. An unregenerate man can keep a law. Laws have punishments for violations. Carnal man is kept somewhat civilized by such constructs.

But the spiritual man is the son of the King, and the King and His household are not under law. We who have believed on the Son of God have not come to the mountain of blazing fire, darkness, gloom, and storm but we have come to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), the assembly of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven (Heb. 12:18-24).

We, brethren, are not children of the law, enslaved to obey it; we are children of the free woman, set to liberty to love the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. Set to liberty to do the good works set out for us before time, equipped and enabled by the Spirit of the living God. 

What is Sin?

What is Sin?

Definition: From Easton's Dictionary. Sin is "any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God" (1Jn 3:4; Rom 4:15), in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by omission or commission (Rom 6:12-17; Rom 7:5-24)." It is "not a mere violation of the law of our constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offence against a personal lawgiver and moral governor who vindicates his law with penalties." (quote from Hodge - with no explanation as to what "the law of God" is)

1 John 3 vs 4 does not state: “Whoever commits sin transgresses the law; for sin is the transgression of the law.”

… it says: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness”

The words ‘transgress’ or ‘break’ the law are not in the original at all. They were added in, originally by the Geneva Bible translators, in order to insist that believers were still under the Decalogue. Other translations (KJV, Jubilee 2000, American KJV) simply followed suit. On the other hand, the NIV, NKJV, ESV, Berean Literal, NASB, CSB, NET, NAS1977, ASV, ERV, Young's Literal all agree: sin is lawlessness.

Other translators think that the word ‘anomia’ (Strong's #458) should be translated ‘lawbreaking’, not ‘lawlessness’. There is a critical difference. The one assumes the existence of an applied law that is being broken, the other says there is no law in place.

Prominent and obvious is his use of a parallel expression by contrast: “Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.” (vs 7) We can see that the sentence structure is identical. The point being that it is the ‘doers doing’ that indicates the nature of the ‘doer’. Thus, it would seem that ‘anomia’ generally is synonymous with ‘wicked’ and ‘anomia’ means ‘wickedness’ – moral deficit. It is not a specific reference to the law of God being broken … UNLESS the context, as in Romans 2, indicates specifically that that is what is being spoken of.

A disregard for law reveals a lawless attitude. Breaking a law you are under is a sin, but living without regard for the law is the essence of sin. Far deeper than an act, the desire of one’s heart reveals righteousness or wickedness. Do not covet is far more insidious than do not murder because man can detect and prosecute murder but God alone can see our motives, comprehend our hearts. We can endanger ourselves thinking we have avoided man’s detection, forgetting that no creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account. This is why we must resist the call of our flesh to push “hidden sins” out of our minds; there is One to whom we must give account, and nothing is hidden from Him.

Romans 13:1-7 (HCSB) Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.

Paul’s focus in this passage is not “God’s law” but the laws of men. He did not write this to people living under a benevolent Roman government, but a ruthless one which demanded everyone to confess that Caesar was divine. We see several reasons to submit to the state – we bring judgment upon ourselves if we disregard its laws.

Peter had the same message, to people in similar trying circumstances. 1 Peter 2:13-20 (HCSB) Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor. Household slaves, submit with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. For it brings favor if, mindful of God’s will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.

Neither Paul nor Peter provides an excuse to not submit to every human authority because it’s inconvenient, unpleasant, or costly. We have clear teaching in the Bible that we do not have to submit to human authority if they demand we disobey God or forbid us from obeying Him. But taxes are required to be paid, even if we think them unjust. Speed limits are to be obeyed, even if we think them unreasonable. Aren’t you happy most people obey traffic regulations, so we can enjoy a reasonable amount of safety on public roads? If we ignore Scripture because we think the human authorities are unjust, we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. And whatever is not of faith (trusting in God) is sin.

James 4:17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it. James is not speaking here of violating a written law, but of violating one’s conscience. The child of God has the law of Christ embedded in the center of his being – the two great commands that demand we love God and our neighbor. Jesus and His apostles taught what this Holy Spirit enabled love looks like; not a list of do and do not instructions. When we do not love God, when we fail to love one another, we violate the Holy Spirit enabled conscience He has given us – we are not walking by faith.

When we think about sin, we tend to think of the big sins – murder, adultery, blasphemy, and so on. These are big sins; but if we do not consider “small sins” of our everyday life, we will grow a bit hard-hearted about sin. Jesus died to pay for our ALL our sins, not only the “big” ones that we are likely not to physically commit. But we need to bear in mind that coveting another’s spouse is adultery and being unjustly angry is murder. Avoiding taxes is patriotic; evading them is sinful.

We all stumble in myriad ways every day – not only one those days when we yell at our spouses. Playing games about “small sins” hurts us and others. Being honest about sin is helpful in keeping our hearts tender before God and man. We need one another in this life, because, left alone, we can justify all sorts of “small sins” just accommodate our selfishness. It’s been said that trying to domesticate sin is like trying to make a rattlesnake a pet. It simply can’t be done. May God help us to live and walk with a right understanding of sin – for that is what had to be placed upon our Lord when He hung on the cross. Our sin filled up the cup of God’s wrath that He had to drink – all of it, down to the dregs. Jesus doesn’t condemn us when we sin; He grants us sorrow and repentance. Each of us sins in many ways in a given week; hence we are told to lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us and press on toward the prize that will not perish. Let us not wallow in our sin but rejoice that we have Jesus. Hallelujah! what a Savior! 

The Man of Mystery - Hebrews 7:1-10

My message from Hebrews 7:1-10; The Man of Mystery.

We should be as satisfied with the silence of Scripture as we are with the words therein.

Holy Hands – 1 Tim 2:8

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting

This statement by Paul follows his exhortation that we pray for all sorts of people. My focus this evening – what is meant by “holy hands”? The primary definition of “holy” is very similar and related to “sacred.” Both primarily mean set apart from common use to God’s use.

G40 ἅγιος hagios (ha'-ǰiy-os) adj. holy (set apart by Yahweh God unto himself and apart from the world).

1 Tim 2:8 says men lifting up holy hands are to be without wrath/anger and doubting. This reinforces the definition of holy – being devoted to God pushes fleshly impulses aside.

Short message linked to this sentence.  

The Anchor Holds - Hebrews 6:13-20

Where your heart is, there is your anchor. This could be worldly wealth, health, your kids, your standard of living. None of these are bad, in and of themselves; but if they drag us away from Christ, they have taken over a position they cannot fulfill. We must never get satisfied with the gifts, but always direct our affections to the giver of all good things. He is the Rock our hope, our anchor, must be fixed upon.

The Temple of God

 The temple of God serves as book-ends for the 11th chapter of Revelation. Not the temporal temple made of stone, but the spiritual temple made of the children of God, who are spiritual stones being made into a house for God.

Sermon as this link: Sermon Audio