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Friday, April 30, 2021

Meet John The Baptist - An Arrow That Pointed To Jesus


 

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to consider the man whom God chose to function as a forerunner to announce the arrival of Jesus on the public scene - John the Baptist. The beautiful picture above artfully depicts John the Baptist, with a small banner containing the phrase, "ecce agnus dei", which translated means: "behold the Lamb of God". John made it his life's mission to point others to Jesus.

    I recall not to long ago an illustration given by a preacher that compared the Christian's relationship to Jesus to that of the moon to the sun. The sun is a light bearer, giving off its own light as a result of thermonuclear fusion in its core. The moon, which we see at night, is a reflector of the sun's light. In like manner, we know that Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, is the "Light of the World" (John 1:9; John 9). The Christian operates as a reflector of His light to others (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15).

    I'll admit that when it comes to reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), it is easy to rush past John the Baptist to get to Jesus. Yet, unless we grasp the mission and man that was John the Baptist, we could miss out on further insights into Jesus Himself and application for our own lives. Whenever we count up the number of verses devoted to John the Baptist's life and ministry in the New Testament, we arrive at over 90 verses. John the Baptist is what I call "an arrow pointing to Jesus". Let us consider some details about his life and ministry.

1. John the Baptist was predicted in the Old Testament.

    In the opening verses of Mark 1:1-3 we read the following words:

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’”

    The Holy Spirit worked through the pen of Isaiah in Isaiah 40:1-3 to express this prediction. Interestingly enough, Isaiah himself was echoing back to what God said to the people through Moses in Exodus 23:20. Moreover, The Holy Spirit through Malachi, the final author of the Old Testament writing prophets, would take-up the sentiments of Isaiah and re-issue them in his own predictions about the "forerunner", John the Baptist, in Malachi 3:1. This pattern of "preparation" and "proclamation" runs its course in the New Testament accounts of John the Baptist. He functioned as an arrow, pointing to Jesus.

2. John the Baptist was the final prophet in the line of the Old Testament prophets.

    If one reads more of John the Baptist in Mark 1:4-5, we see what may appear as an odd description of his wardrobe and eating habits:


"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey."

    When the Holy Spirit inspired the original documents of the Old and New Testament, He did not waste space. The point of describing what John the Baptist wore and ate had to do with demonstrating his continuance in the Old Testament prophetic office. According to 2 Kings 1:8, the prophet Elijah himself wore similar garb. Furthermore, references to John's consumption of locusts demonstrated his following the dietary laws concerning "clean" and "unclean" in Leviticus 11:21-22. As to the reference to "honey", a scan of the Old Testament scriptures will yield some sixty mentions of honey. Passages such as Psalm 19:10-14 use honey as a metaphor for scripture itself, describing it in terms of: "sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb".

    These three descriptions of John give us insight into what he was all about in his spiritual walk with the Lord: power of the Spirit (pictured by his garments); purity of life (his diet of locusts) and the preciousness of the Word (the honey he ate). Indeed, the follower of Jesus ought to have these traits operative in their life if they expect to be an "arrow pointing to Jesus".

    John's life and ministry would function to bring a close to the Old Covenant age and announce the arrival of the New Covenant era as inaugurated by the incarnate Christ. Jesus Himself said of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11-13 -

"Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John."

    Luke in his Gospel also records this same speech of Jesus about John the Baptist in Luke 7:24-33.

3. John the Baptist was commended by Jesus

    Another reason it is valuable to study John the Baptist is because of what Jesus had to say about him. Jesus comments on John the Baptist in Matthew 11:8-15 -

"But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

    That latter phrase spoken by Jesus, "He who has ears, let him hear", urges us to pay attention to what He just said. Jesus defended and validated all John had done. John the Baptist would be arrested, imprisoned and beheaded for confronting Herod's immorality and for articulating the truth of God's Word (see Matthew 4:12; 14:1-12; Mark 6:16-29; 9:13; Luke 3:18-20). John himself became very discouraged while in prison, wondering whether Jesus "was the One" (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-23). Yet, John's faith was not snuffed out. 

    Jesus' vindication of John speaks volumes to how He ever lives to make intercession for every follower of His as He presides as the Eternal High Priest at the Father's right-hand (Hebrews 7:24-25). Jesus wanted to make sure John's ministry (which may had last no longer than a year) would not be forgotten. This ought to remind every Christian who aspires to be an "arrow for Jesus", that the Lord is ever advocating for you and that your efforts are not in vain. Hebrews 6:10 tells us:

"For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints."

4. John the Baptist was an arrow, pointing to Jesus

    As we close out this post today, we can say that John the Baptist was an arrow that pointed to Jesus. Jesus described John as a "burning light" in John 5:35 - 

"He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light." 

    Whenever one reads the accounts of John the Baptist's birth narratives, it is clear that God had already ordained him to point the way to Jesus from the very beginning (Luke 1:11-20, 57-65). John lived in a desert while ministering (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:80; 3:2,3); made his life and mission all about pointing to Jesus (Matthew 17:11; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 1:15-17,76-79; 3:4-6; John 1:7,8,22-28,31-34; 5:32-35). It is amazing to see how even others testified to much God used John the Baptist to point to Jesus (Acts 13:24,25; 19:4). Such observations ought to speak volumes to the Christian today.

    Can it be said of any Christ-follower that others see your life pointing to Jesus? John's motto of his own life is summarized in the statement he made in John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." This is what it means to be an "arrow, pointing to Jesus".

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

The Beginning Of Mark's Gospel - Why Mark Wrote His Gospel



Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to explore the occasion behind the writing of Mark's Gospel. Put another way, we want to discover why Mark wrote his Gospel. In this post, we shall look at two motivations which uncover the occasion for Mark's Gospel.

1. A proclamation purpose: to communicate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the heart of the Gospel.

2. An apologetic purpose: to combat heresy.

    In the last three posts, we have surveyed the life, conversion, ministry and martyrdom of John Mark - the author of the Gospel bearing his name. Interested readers may consult those posts 

here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p1-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html, as well as here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p2-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html and here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p3-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html. So, what were the occasions or motivations behind Mark's Gospel?

Proclamation purpose: to communicate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the heart of the Gospel.

    The Apostles' preaching in the Book of Acts followed a pattern which corresponds quite nicely with the contents of the Four Gospels. In Acts 10:36-43, we read an excerpt of Peter's preaching that bears forth such an established pattern, focused on Jesus:

"The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

    The first three Gospels were composed, beginning with Matthew (roughly 50 A.D., or less than 30 years after Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and ascension); Luke (60 A.D.) and then Mark (simultaneous to Luke or shortly thereafter in 62-65 A.D). If we were to take each of those first three Gospels and line them up with Peter's message, we would discover all of their contents structured around that common core of Jesus' life, death, resurrection. John's Gospel (90 A.D.) would mainly, in its core elements, parallel this same format (with the additional idea that John's Gospel tends to supplement material not covered in the first three Gospels).

    Whenever we turn to the opening verse of Mark, we see this template of Jesus' life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension conveyed. In the underlying Greek text, Mark's one-verse introduction contains seven words (which turn into roughly twelve words in many English Bibles). Seven is a perfect number, "God's number", corresponding to the Perfect Savior, the focus of this perfect Gospel. What is there about this Gospel, this "Good News", which by the Spirit's doing, persuades sinners to trust in Christ? It is worth meditating briefly on the opening verses of Mark 1:1. 

    That first word "beginning" ("Ἀρχὴ" or "arche" in the Greek), delivers the promise of "starting-all-over-again", the new birth. Christian spiritual life has a beginning. Just as time and space had a beginning as a result of God's creation of it from nothing (Genesis 1:1), so too is salvation a work of God wrought in the human soul, which of itself can bring forth nothing. The Expositor's Bible Commentary notes this of Mark's use of the word "beginning":

"Another possibility, however, is that by the use of the word archē (“beginning”) Mark is imitating the opening verse of the LXX (en archē, “in the beginning,” Gen 1:1) and wants his readers to realize that his book is a new beginning in which God reveals the Good News of Jesus Christ. Taken in this way, the first verse is not only a title for the entire book but a claim to its divine origin."

    Then we see the second and third words, translated "of the Gospel" ("τοῦ εὐαγγελίου" or "too euanggelioo" in the Greek) in our English Bibles, as conveying "Good News". This is what the Gospel is: Good news! You can have forgiveness of sins - Good news! 

    The fourth and fifth words of Mark's introduction (translated in our English text as "of Jesus Christ", Greek "Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ" or "yaysoo Christoo"), brings us to the goal of our salvation: Jesus Christ Himself! Our own righteousness is but filthy rags. Jesus Christ came to bring everything we need; set us free from our guilt and cloth us in His righteousness - glorious indeed!

    Then we see those sixth and seventh words of Mark 1:1, "the Son of God", ("υἱοῦ θεοῦ" or "hooeeoo theoo"). The name "Jesus" reminds us that He is truly man for us. "Christ" describes the office He occupies as the chosen and only way to the Father, empowered by the Spirit. The phrase "Son of God" reminds us that He is truly God also, granting every believer access to the endless power and life of God. 

    These seven, wonderful words of Mark 1:1 are finite in number while bridging us to the infinite excellence of God Himself through Jesus Christ! Thus, the first and primary reason for Mark writing this Gospel is to communicate about how Jesus Christ is the center of the Gospel. 

Apologetic Purpose: Mark wrote His Gospel to combat heresy

   The infamous "Simon The Magician" is first introduced in Acts 8. In the ministries of Phillip the Deacon and the Apostle Peter, this man Simon appeared to had believed the Gospel, as recounted for us in Acts 8:9-13. It is then later in Acts 8:18-20 that one reads what Simon would do next:

"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!"

    Peter urged Simon to repent. Sadly, Simon responds in the following manner to Peter in Acts 8:24 "But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Simon's profession of Christ resulted in being counterfeit. Simon would sow discord and further false teaching into the early church. I have read in times past of how some surmise that Simon may very well had planted the seeds Gnosticism that would afflict the church in the second century. As to how much we can connect the heresy of Gnosticism to Simon is another post, for another day. What we do know is that history does tell us how Simon's actions would contribute to one of the reasons for the composition of Mark's Gospel.

     Eusebius, the fourth century church father who wrote the first history of the church, notes of the heresy of Simon combatted by the Apostle Peter in his Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 14, section 1: 

"The evil power, who hates all that is good and plots against the salvation of men, constituted Simon at that time the father and author of such wickedness, as if to make him a mighty antagonist of the great, inspired apostles of our Saviour."

    The reference to "The evil power" by Eusebius refers to the same Simon which I just mentioned. Eusebius then connects the battles between Peter and Simon to the writing of Mark's Gospel in Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 5, section 1:

"And thus when the divine word had made its home among them, the power of Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed, together with the man himself. And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter's hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the unwritten teaching of the divine Gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of Mark."

    Mark's Gospel (along with the other three Gospels of our New Testament) enable the church today to not only communicate clearly the Gospel of Jesus Christ by centering upon Him, but to also accomplish the Apologetic task of defending the Christian faith against heresies, ideologies and any other man-made system which attempts to undermine the truth. With these thoughts in mind, it is imperative, then, to acquaint ourselves with this marvelous book: The Gospel of Mark.


     



Friday, April 23, 2021

P3 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better - How The Lord Rebuilt A Broken Man



Colossians 4:10 "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him)."

2 Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service." 

1 Peter 5:12-13 "Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark."

Introduction:

    We have considered the life story of John Mark, the author of the second Gospel in the New Testament. Why? Mark's story aids us to see a man who fought to know Jesus better, If we were to distill the lessons we have learned thus far from his life, we could capture it in three headings:

1. We all begin by knowing about Jesus.

2. You must be born-again to know Jesus.

3. There is a battle to know Jesus better.

    Mark experienced all three of these in his life. As we look at the above three opening citations, Peter's remarks in 1 Peter 5:13 testify that Mark was converted under his preaching. We had noted in the last post that Mark experienced saving trust in Jesus between that moment we first met him in Mark 14:51-52 until we arrive on the scene at Mark's mother's home in Acts 12. Mark went from "knowing about Jesus" to "knowing Him". We then noted how Mark would start out with Paul and his companions on their missionary journey in Acts 13:4, only to leave them behind near the end of the chapter. 

How the Lord rebuilt a broken man

    Mark was a broken man. Thankfully, he had a Godly cousin named Barnabas who took him under his wing (Acts 15:39). Twelve years would pass until we find Mark commended by both Paul (see above, Colossians 4:10 and then later in 2 Timothy 4:11). As already referenced, Peter referred to Mark has "my son" in 1 Peter 5:13. Such apostolic commendations of Mark reveal that God had done a great work in his life. The great commentator Herbert Lockyer has this to say of Mark's recovery from failure:

"But Mark had won his spurs again and recovered his place in apostolic esteem. The years the locust had eaten were restored and he became a valued colleague of Paul (Colossians 4:10, 11; Philemon 1:24). A further impressive testimony to Mark's reinstatement is found in Paul's tribute to Mark's usefulness (2 Timothy 4:11). The wound was thoroughly healed."

    Have you ever felt useless? I have. Have you ever found renewed joy when you realized God still had a work for you to do? I have. What joy coursed through Mark's heart. I often think of what would had happened if Barnabas had given up on his cousin? More to the point - what would had occurred if the Apostle Peter himself had not taken on Mark as his protege?

    Church history has a surprising amount of material on Mark outside of the New Testament. I will only cite a few examples, since there is a large amount of material. The following citations illustrate the benefits the come with continuing to fight the good fight of faith in knowing Jesus better.

How God used Mark until his dying day

    The fourth century church historian Eusebius records in Book II, chapter 15 of his "Church History" the following of how Mark would come to write his Gospel:

"And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter's hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the unwritten teaching of the divine Gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of Mark. And they say that Peter when he had learned, through a revelation of the Spirit, of that which had been done, was pleased with the zeal of the men, and that the work obtained the sanction of his authority for the purpose of being used in the churches."

    Whenever you read the above quote of Eusebius in context, the Apostle Peter had fought the ravages of the heresy of Simon the Magician, whom we read of in Acts 8:18-24. God had done a wondrous work. Peter and he both counteracted the error of Simon through the eventual publication of his gospel. The Roman historian Tacitus writes of how the Roman Emperor Nero had persecuted Christians a few years before the writing of Mark's Gospel. The combination of fighting heresies and knowing of persecution provides the backdrop for the writing of Mark's Gospel, 

    The so-called "Fragments of Papias", authored by a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John himself (thus Papias would had known John), records the following about Mark's Gospel in his third fragment, verse 16:

"Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements."

    What I like about this quote is that it contains one of the earliest evidences of the church father's teaching on the inerrancy of the New Testament documents - of which Mark's Gospel was an example. I could give a few more quotes, but suffice to say, Mark would pen his Gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Mark we have today is a testimony of, among other things, of how Jesus can rebuild a broken man. 

    Other records of church history tell us that Mark would go to Alexandria Egypt to begin a church. Mark would be martyred for his faith in the Lord. The 16th century writer John Foxe records for us the record of Mark's death in his famous "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", page 17:

"Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis (that is, a secretary or scribe), and under whose inspection he wrote his gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands."

Mark fought the good fight of faith. He fought till the end to know Jesus better. The second Gospel of the New Testament that bears his name testifies to this Jesus that preserved him to the end. May you and I entrust our lives to the Lord this day. I hope through these last few posts that the reader can see that it is worth fighting to know Jesus better,

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

P2 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better - A Crisis Of Faith



Acts 12:24-25 But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

Acts 13:13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 

Acts 13:36-39 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 

Introduction:

    In our last post, we introduced the reader to John Mark, otherwise known simply as "Mark", the author of the second Gospel. The purpose of our biographical sketch of Mark was to draw attention to how he fought to know Jesus better. If we were to summarize what we learned, it would be this:

1. Knowing Jesus better begins with knowledge about Jesus.    Mark 14:51-52

    This is where everyone starts. Whether someone has never heard of Jesus, derived from a Christian home or has heard of His name in passing; pre-conversion life is, at best, "knowing about Jesus" but "not-yet-knowing Him". This was Mark. 

2. Knowing Jesus better requires being born again to know Jesus. Acts 12:24-25; 13:13

    The reader can note the first two passages from Acts which are cited to show Mark's involvement in the early Christian movement. By the time we arrive at Acts 12 and Acts 13, the Christian movement is roughly 12 months old. In between the time we witness Mark fleeing from the scene of Jesus' arrest until the launch of Paul's missionary journey, Mark had experienced conversion in saving faith. It is worth, at this point, to bring in the opening verse of Mark's Gospel, since it speaks of the very Gospel which the Holy Spirit used to win this young man to Christ.

The Gospel which persuaded Mark to go from "knowing about Jesus" to "knowing Jesus"

    Mark begins his Gospel with these words: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The second century church father Origen of Alexandria is cited in the "Ancient Christian Commentary Series" as noting the following of what Mark writes in this opening verse:

"The gospel is primarily concerned with Christ Jesus, who is the head of the whole body of those who are being saved. Mark conveys this point when he says, “The beginning of the gospel concerning Christ Jesus.” … In its unfolding the gospel has a beginning, a continuing middle and an end."

    In the underlying Greek text, Mark's one-verse introduction contains seven words (which turn into roughly twelve words in many English Bibles). Seven is a perfect number, "God's number", corresponding to the Perfect Savior, the focus of this perfect Gospel. What is there about this Gospel, this "Good News", which by the Spirit's doing persuades sinners to trust in Christ? It is worth meditating briefly on the opening verses of Mark 1:1. 

    That first word "beginning" ("Ἀρχὴ" or "arche" in the Greek), delivers the promise of "starting-all-over-again", the new birth. Christian spiritual life has a beginning. Just as time and space had a beginning as a result of God's creation of it from nothing (Genesis 1:1), so too is salvation a work of God wrought in the human soul, which of itself can bring forth nothing. Mark was brought to realize he needed to start anew. As Jesus Himself taught in John 3:3 "you must be born again". 

    Then we see the second and third words, translated "of the Gospel" ("τοῦ εὐαγγελίου" or "too euanggelioo" in the Greek) in our English Bibles, as conveying "Good News". This is what the Gospel is: Good news! You can have forgiveness of sins - Good news! You no longer have to be alienated from God - Good news! You can have abiding hope in Jesus Christ in this life and the one to come - Good news!

    The fourth and fifth words of Mark's introduction (translated in our English text as "of Jesus Christ", Greek "Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ" or "yaysoo Christoo"), brings us to the goal of our salvation: Jesus Christ Himself! There is none better. Our sin promises everything and delivers nothing. Satan claims we can be free but binds us in our guilt. Our own righteousness is but filthy rags. Jesus Christ came to bring everything we need; set us free from our guilt and cloth us in His righteousness - glorious indeed!

    Then we see those sixth and seventh words of Mark 1:1, "the Son of God", ("υἱοῦ θεοῦ" or "hooeeoo theoo"). The name "Jesus" reminds us that He is truly man for us. "Christ" describes the office He occupies as the chosen and only way to the Father, empowered by the Spirit. The phrase "Son of God" reminds us that He is truly God also, granting every believer access to the endless power and life of God. Were He not truly God with us (see Matthew 1:23), then His accomplished work on the cross would not have the infinite value that it has. Were He not truly man for us, then He could not had performed His work on the cross - since only as man could He experience death. These seven, wonderful words of Mark 1:1 are finite in number while bridging us to the infinite excellence of God Himself through Jesus Christ!

When one is born-again to know Jesus, what follows is the battle to know Jesus better    

    It would not take long though for Mark to experience something which caused him to have a crisis of faith. The reader may note on the opening verses above that Mark started out with Paul and his companions in Acts 13. By the time we reach the near-end of Acts 13, Mark leaves Paul and the mission behind. Note once again what we read in Acts 13:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus." 

    This defection by Mark had hurt Paul so deeply that he strenuously opposed bringing Mark with him on his second missionary journey. We read the "falling-out" between Paul, Mark and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus."

    So what might had prompted Mark to abandon the early Christian mission? The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes:

"Why did he turn back from the work (Ac 13:13)? Not because of homesickness, or anxiety for his mother’s safety, or home duties, or the desire to rejoin Peter, or fear of the perils incident to the journey, but rather because he objected to the offer of salvation to the Gentiles on condition of faith alone."

    The details of Mark's leaving of Paul and Barnabas reminds the reader that the Bible is as much a historical book as it is a spiritual one. We must not think of the Biblical authors as men unacquainted with short-comings and frailties. Mark gave into the pressures and rigors associated with a ministry that was confronting evil itself. Thankfully, Acts 15:36-39 is not the last time we hear of Mark. Would this young man recover from this major moment of failure? The next post will answer that question.

More next time....

Thursday, April 15, 2021

P1 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better



Mark 14:48-52 "And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? 49 Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” 50 And they all left Him and fled. 51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked."


Introduction:

    Whenever we turn to the Four Gospels of the New Testament, we discover their primary purpose is to persuade the entrusting of our life into the hands of Jesus. In today's post, I want to introduce you to a man who fought to know Jesus better - John Mark - whom we otherwise know as  "Mark", the author of the second Gospel. 

    To better understand the Gospel of Mark, we need to grasp how Jesus of Nazareth would impact the author himself. As we attempt this brief sketch of Mark's life in both the New Testament and church history, we shall glean lessons which pertain to the significance behind knowing Jesus better.

Mark is introduced as a man who knew about Jesus, but did not yet know Him in a personal, spiritual sense.

    In the opening passage above, I underlined a phrase which speaks of a certain young man fleeing from the scene of Jesus' betrayal and arrest on the eve of His crucifixion. The Expositor's Bible Commentary has this to say of the young man in question:

"Only Mark records this mysterious episode. The “young man” (v. 51) is not identified, but the consensus is that he is Mark. Why else would he insert such a trivial detail in so solemn a story? Was this Mark’s way of saying, “I was there”? Why he was there is not explained."

Later the commentary adds:

"Perhaps the main point of the story—and the reason Mark included it—was to show that the forsakenness of Jesus was total. Even this youth forsook him."

    John Mark was an interesting young man. His first name was of Hebrew origin (something like "Yohanan"), quite common in the first century Jewish world. His other name, "Mark", was a very common Greek name, "Markos". As to whether or not Jesus and the disciples actually held the last supper in Mark's boyhood home, one can only conjecture. Since we observe Mark fleeing from the scene of Jesus' arrest, some commentators have suggested a link between the upper room of the Lord's supper to that of Mark's boyhood home. That connection, though speculative and intriguing, is not near as important as to note how Mark is first encountered as within ear-shot of Jesus' arrest.

    This particular reminiscence by Mark about his "fleeing from the scene" of Jesus' arrest shows us how he knew about Jesus. Mark, like so many of those who first hear the Gospel, only know about Jesus. In cultures like the United States, the cultural memory of a Judeo-Christian worldview functions as a rapidly fading "low-frequency hum" in the background of our secular society. Sadly, the name of Jesus is nothing but a slur or curse word used by many people. Regardless of background or how much or little exposure one has to Jesus, whenever the Gospel is proclaimed, whatever is "known about Jesus" is immediately corrected.

    R.C. Sproul writes about Mark's appearance in Mark 14:51 as a portrait of a sinner in need of salvation:

"The motif of clothing and nakedness is at the heart of our understanding of redemption. Our own righteousness, we are told, is like rotten, filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The only way any of us can stand in God's presence is to be stripped of those rags and then clothed afresh in the garments of Christ's righteousness. That is the Gospel. You and I can never stand in the presence of a holy God unless we are clothed from on high with a righteousness that is not our own." (St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary on Mark, page 347).

    Mark knew about Jesus. What was needed was a spiritual transformation in which He would come to know Jesus.

Mark would go from "knowing about to Jesus" to "coming to know Jesus" in salvation.

    Following the events of Jesus' arrest, crucifixion and resurrection, another year would pass until we cross paths once again with John Mark in the New Testament. Acts 12:12 records a prayer meeting that gathered to pray for an incarcerated Apostle Peter. Luke, the author of the text in Acts, describes the prayer meeting scene:

"When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying."

    It is not long after Peter's release and later beginnings of the first missionary of the Apostle Paul that we then find Mark's involvement in the ministry of the Gospel. Acts 13:5 speaks of Mark (identified with his Hebrew name "John"):

"When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper."

Closing thoughts: Born again to know Jesus better

    John Mark had evidently had a conversion experience through saving faith in the risen Savior. The Apostle Paul's inclusion of Mark in that first missionary journey testifies to Mark's rapid growth in faith. Mark was likely not even twenty years of age. Youth, ambition, giftedness - all ingredients that are admired by many - resided within Mark. It would not take long until Mark would become a broken man. This man who "knew about Jesus" had come to know Him. 

    The Christ of history, space and time, whom He glimpsed arrested only a year prior, was now His Savior, Lord and treasure. The physically risen Lord, ascended into Heaven, would by His Holy Spirit wield His authority in Mark's life. Truly, the purpose of salvation is to know Jesus better (see Philippians 3:7-10; 2 Peter 3:18). As we shall see in the next post, John Mark would soon see that "knowing Jesus better" involves a fight of faith.

.....more next time


Thursday, April 8, 2021

How To Find Jesus In The Book Of Psalms


 

Luke 24:44 "Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to introduce readers to the Book of Psalms - with particular focus upon how Jesus Himself is referenced among them. The Book of Psalms is essentially the ancient hymnbook of Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Psalms is the first book in the third division of the Hebrew Bible called "Ketiviim", or what is known as "The Writings". Whenever Jesus appeared to His disciples in His post-mortem encounter with them on the road to Emmaus, He unpacked how the Hebrew Scriptures spoke concerning Himself. As the reader can note in the opening quotation from Luke 24:44, the three-fold division of the Hebrew Old Testament is enumerated - with "Psalms" representing what I just said about the "Ketiviim" or "Writings".  

    The Book of Psalms itself is a series of five collections of 150 songs in total. Each collection or "Book" is comprised of the following Psalms, arranged in a combination of chronological order and topical arrangement:

Book I = Psalms 1-41

Book II = Psalms 42-73

Book III = Psalms 74 - 89

Book IV = Psalms 90 - 106

Book V = Psalms 107 - 150

    Each "Book" begins with a headline Psalm and ends with a praise song to God (otherwise known as a doxology). The entire Book of Psalms itself (otherwise known as "The Psalter") begins with Psalms 1-2 functioning as "Pillar Psalms" for the whole collection. Whenever the reader arrives at Psalms 145-150, these appear to draw the Psalter to its conclusion and God-focused end. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, page 779, states the following in its introduction to the Book of Psalms:

"Of all the books in the Old Testament the Book of Psalms most vividly represents the faith of individuals in the Lord. The Psalms are the inspired responses of human hearts to God's revelation of Himself in law, history, and prophecy. Saints of all ages have appropriated this collection of prayers and praises in their public worship and private meditations."

    The Book of Psalms occupies the section of "Wisdom literature" in our English translations. Truly, it is appropriate to deem the Psalms as "wisdom literature". Wisdom refers to the God-given skill to relate to God and to others through a lifestyle that can lead in a Godward direction. The greatness of the Psalms lies in how widely varied they are in application across human experience. For instance, different types of Psalms are identified by scholars to express their contents and method of poetically connecting with the Lord or the human predicament:

1. Penitential or prayer Psalms, like Psalm 63.

2. Torah Psalms, which celebrate God's Word, such as Psalm 19 or 119.

3. Enthronement Psalms, which highlight the enthronement of the king in Jerusalem, such as Psalm 2. 

4. Imprecatory Psalms, which feature the author praying down curses against his enemies, as in Psalm 69.

5. Mourning Psalms, which detail a time of grief in the author's life, as in Psalm 42 or Psalm 43.

6. Confessional Psalms, in which the author is confessing their sins to God, as in Psalm 51.

7. Messianic Psalms, which, though closely related to enthronement Psalms, seem to focus attention on the (then) future Messiah as related to the throne of David in Jerusalem, as in Psalm 110.

8. Rejoicing Psalms, which focus attention on the worship of God, as in Psalm 150.

    There are several other categories, but the above gives a general sampling of how far-ranging the Psalms are. What I find very helpful is using the Psalms in times of prayer. Who, for instance, cannot miss seeing Christ in Psalm 23, or hearing His voice on the cross in Psalm 22? Psalm 110, quoted or alluded to over fifteen times in the New Testament, is a prime example of how the Psalms direct our focus upon the Triune God - and particularly the second Person of the Trinity - the Son of God Himself.

How the Psalms show us Jesus

    Whenever we read those particular Psalms that are referred to as "Messianic Psalms", we need to keep in mind a few principles that aid us in discerning the Person and work of Jesus. 

    First, we must pay attention to the immediate context of the Psalm. Most of the Psalms will contain "headings" which inform readers about the author and perhaps the situation in which the Psalm was written. Sometimes though, some Messianic Psalms may not have a heading - such as Psalm 2. Oftentimes, we know we are dealing with a Messianic Psalm whenever it contains the term "Messiah" or "Anointed One", which refers to King David or some other King on Jerusalem's throne in the immediate context. Often, the Messianic Psalms can "switch worlds" to an ultimate Messianic figure yet-future to the Psalm; a "Heavenly Figure" or some combination of the two. If we take Psalm 2, for instance, its context suggests the coronation and enthronement of David as king over all of Israel, yet, the Psalm then "switches worlds", speaking of some Heavenly figure that is referred to as "You are My Son, Today I have Begotten You" (Psalm 2:7).

    The second trait of a Messianic Psalm which tells us that we will likely link to Jesus is when that Psalm is quoted in the New Testament. If we consider Psalm 2 once again, Psalm 2:7 is quoted by the Apostle Paul in his sermon in Acts 13:33 and twice by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5. Now if we consider that Psalm 2 originally first described the enthronement and establishment of King David, coupled with it "switching worlds" to focus attention on a conversation between Yahweh and another whom He call "My Son", we can see then why Paul and the writer of Hebrews would connect Psalm 2 to the resurrection and eventual coronation of the ascended Jesus in Heaven. Also too, the identity of the "Heavenly Figure" in Psalm 2 is truly Divine, that is, the Person of the Son in Psalm 2 is truly God in the same sense as Yahweh who is addressing Him. Such observations "set-the-table" for the full revelation of the equality of the Father and Son in the New Testament and the full revelation of the Trinity itself.

    Thirdly, and lastly, the way we can see how a Messianic Psalm is pointing us to Jesus is in how it may very well relate to other Messianic Psalms. For example, if we take the two above criteria for identifying Jesus in the Messianic Psalms and consider this current criteria, we can observe how Hebrews 1 strings together several of these Psalms. For instance: Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7; Hebrews 1:9 cites Psalm 45:7; and then Hebrews 1:10-12 replicates Psalm 102:25-27. Whenever we see such a "string of pearls" with respect to the citation of one Messianic Psalm after another in affirming the person and work of Jesus in the New Testament, we know we are well within our rights to look for Jesus in that Psalm. 

    As I close out this post today, I want to simply list the Messianic Psalms in which we can see the Person and work of Jesus. Below the reader will note how each Messianic Psalm corresponds to at least six particular activities or fulfilled events in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Christ's eternal pre-existence: Psalm 102:26-28

2. Incarnation: Psalm 8:4-7; 40:5-7

3. Crucifixion: Psalm 22:1,19; 69:2,10; 109:25

4. Burial: Psalm 16:8-11

5. Ascension/Enthronement: Psalm 2:7; 16:10; 45:7; 102:26-28; 110:1,4

6. Second coming/reign on earth: Psalm 89:3-4,27-29,36-37; 110:1,4; 132:10-11,17

 



Saturday, April 3, 2021

Six Reasons Why The Resurrection Of Jesus Is Significant For Today


 

1 Corinthians 15:19-20 "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."


Introduction:

       Happy resurrection Sunday! Below are some reflections on the significance of the Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. Notice the follow reasons why the resurrection of Jesus is the most important truth of Christianity, life and existence...

1. The resurrection provides the basis for truth, meaning and life's purpose

      To begin, the clearest statement found in the Bible on the significance of Christ’s resurrection from the dead is found in 1 Corinthians 15:19-20a 

“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most pitied. (20) But now Christ has been raised from the dead…” All Christianity, and life and the entirety of existence rises or falls with this doctrinal and historical reality.

2. The resurrection is the only explanation for the beginnings and spread of Christianity

      The historical, physical, supernatural resurrection of Jesus from the dead and physical post-mortem appearances best explain why the disciples switched from skepticism to robust faith. Additionally, unless Jesus had physically resurrected from the dead and had made post-mortem appearances, the early church would not had begun.

3. The resurrection of Jesus is the power-source behind the preaching of the Bible

      Christian doctrine would be jeopardized (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) were it not for Jesus' resurrection. Christian preaching and the church itself would have no reason for being practiced if Christ had not risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Moreover, any ability to gain abiding hope in this present life must be abandoned if Jesus Christ had never risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 29-58). 

4. Jesus' resurrection is the basis for worship and adoration of God

       But praise be to God – Jesus has risen – and thus we serve a risen, exalted Savior! The existence, reality and identity of the true and living God of the Bible is verified by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4-11; Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 1:3). Jesus’ own Deity and true humanity are both verified by this event (John 10:17; Romans 1:1-3; Romans 9:5). Christ’s resurrection from the dead – deemed “firstfruits” in 1 Corinthians 15:20b - guarantees the Christian’s future, glorified, transformed resurrection body at His return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58). 

5. Jesus' resurrection validates the truth of the Bible

         Christ’s resurrection also paved the way with regards to the prophecies and predictions about the Old Testament saints in the resurrection of the righteous, of which Jesus' followers will have a part (Job 14:14; Daniel 12). The Kingdom of darkness and Satan himself stand condemned and defeated as a result of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Colossians 2:11-12; Hebrews 2:11-14; 1 Peter 3:18-20). 

6. The resurrection of Jesus is relevant for the power to live the Christian life today

        To summarize – Jesus’ resurrection stands as the epicenter of Christian experience, doctrine, history, the present and future hope for all who trust in Him. The Bible makes the invitation for you, if you have not done so, to entrust your life to Jesus as your Savior, Lord and Treasure. Romans 10:9 states:

"If you will confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord", and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". 

May all who read this have a wonderful Resurrection day!

Happy Holy Saturday - An Explanation Of What Jesus Did Between His Death And Resurrection


 

1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.


Introduction:

       I was once asked a rather interesting question: "What Jesus did between the time He died until He raised from the dead?" This post aims to answer that question. The question concerning what Jesus did between His crucifixion and resurrection is relevant to "Holy Saturday". Central to this post is the notion that Jesus proclaimed victory over the powers of Hell. Furthermore, once Jesus exclaimed His triumph, He then presented His once and for all sacrifice for sin to the Father between His death and resurrection.

The significance of the Saturday the falls between "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday"

       Today is the Saturday that lies between "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday". This day, simply called "Holy Saturday", considers what all was potentially taking place during the interment of Jesus' body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In the book "Preaching through the Christian Year", an ancient practice of the early church is recounted: 

"In the ancient church, the tradition of the Easter Vigil played an important role. Catechumens (young converts to the Christian faith), after remaining awake and watchful throughout Saturday night, were baptized early on Easter morning and then joined the Christian community in Holy communion." 

        I'm sure some readers, for instance, can recall "Easter Sunrise Services" and other Christian traditions that urge the church to recall her central identity in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. As a boy, whenever our family would attend such sunrise services, the anticipation, the excitement, hung in the air. The great thing about Holy Saturday is the expectation that builds-up in the Christ-follower's heart as the look forward to Easter Sunday. 

         Over 2,000 years ago, Christ's physical body laid at "rest" in the tomb while He, in His immaterial soul, presented His accomplishment to the Father and proclaimed victory. The Apostle's Creed, an ancient confession of faith still recited by Christians the world-over, includes this phrase: 

"He was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell, on the third day He raised from the dead." 

       Christians historically have emphasized this major theme of "rest" for Holy Saturday. Such rest, both spiritually and otherwise, could only be achieved as a result of Christ finished work on the cross and what was (then) His pending resurrection. The work Jesus did in-between death and resurrection cemented together the victory of the cross and what would be His victory over death. It honestly comforts me to think of how helpless the powers of darkness were in preventing Christ from these decisive actions. 

        Robert Webber in his book: Ancient Future Time", comments on Holy Saturday in regards to the theme of "rest":

"Saturday is a day of rest and preparation for the great service of resurrection. It is a day to keep silence, to fast, to pray, to identify with Jesus in the tomb, and to prepare for the great resurrection feast."2

          So with the twin themes of "rest" and "victory", Holy Saturday gets the Christian ready for the glory of the resurrection that is central to Easter Sunday. What follows from hereon is an attempt to draw together the New Testament testimony of what Jesus did.

Stitching together the New Testament passages that reference Christ's proclamation of victory between that first Good Friday and Easter Sunday

         The four Gospels detail the events of Christ's death, burial and resurrection.  The remainder of the New Testament (Acts, 21 Epistles and Revelation) unfold the meaning what He achieved.  The Apostle Peter in his first epistle aims to show how we as Christians ought to stand firm in God's grace (1 Peter 5:12). Peter's letter ties in our ability to stand in such grace to what Jesus Christ accomplished.  1 Peter 3:18-20 will act as our telescope to view the New Testament passages that reference the events of "Holy Saturday. To do this, we will consider the following two main thoughts about Christ's accomplished work:

A. The Purpose of Christ's Accomplished Work - reconciliation.  1 Peter 3:18

B. The Proclamation of Christ's Accomplished Work - Victory.  1 Peter 3:19-20

A. Purpose of Christ’s Victorious Work – Reconciliation 3:18 


i. What did He do? He died 

He died for sins.  As Dr. Danny Akin of South Western Baptist Theological Seminary once noted: "He lived the life I couldn't live and He died the death I should have died."

ii. Whom did He die for? The unjust 

Romans 5:6-8 states - "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

         Jesus' death on behalf of sinners accomplished two necessary effects required for reconciliation with God. The first necessary effect was expiation or the removal of the cause of God's wrath upon us - our sin (Romans 5:10). The second effect had to do with propitiation - that is to say, the satisfaction of God's wrath (1 John 2:2). Below in the next thought (point "iii"), we see why expiation (taking away of sin) and propitiation (satisfying wrath) are necessary for reconciliation.


iii. Why did he die? To bring us to God (reconciliation) 

Dr. Michael Horton notes: 

"The result of God's wrath being satisfied is reconciliation. Just as we are first of all passive subjects of God's wrath when God propitiates, we are passive subjects of God's reconciliation at the cross.  We do not reconcile ourselves to God; God reconciles Himself to us and us to Him."3

iv. How did He do it? Death and resurrection

Christ's death, burial and resurrection are at the heart of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The New Testament mostly focuses upon Christ's death and resurrection.  However, what went on during the three days He was buried is not explained in near as much detail as the two book-ends of the Gospel: namely Christ's death and resurrection.  

         Death and Resurrection serve to explain how Christ accomplished what he accomplished. What He did in His burial (down below) reveals some of the behind (and under) the scenes work He did in insuring our ability to walk as believers in His Victorious work. 

B. Proclamation of Christ’s Victorious Work – Victory 3:19-20 

i. What did He do between His death &    resurrection? Proclaimed victory 3:19 

John MacArthur has perhaps explained this text better than just about everyone I've read or heard: 

"He was announcing, proclaiming (and) heralding a triumph. About what? It must be pretty obvious, about His triumph over sin, about His triumph over death, about His triumph over hell, about His triumph over demons, about His triumph over Satan." 4

ii. To whom did He proclaim His victory? The  demons reserved for judgment. 3:19-20 

         If we were to attempt to offer a faint outline of what Jesus did between His death and resurrection, we could maybe understand why He went to proclaim His victory to the demonic realm.  Much activity was done by Christ in this short-span of time. 

         First He went immediately into the presence of His Father by way of the Holy Spirit in his human spirit to present His once and for all sacrifice (Hebrew 9:15). 

          Next, He went down into those regions of hell where some of the demons (especially those who rebelled in Noah's day) are being reserved for judgment. 

          Thirdly, Christ would had released the Old Testament saints from the righteous realm of the dead (i.e. paradise) to lead the captives out to where they could come with Him to where the saints go in this age (Ephesians 4:8-11). Some have connected this particular event to when the saints came out of their tombs in Matthew 27:52-53.

          Fourthly, Christ's proclamation of victory insures that hell will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18) as well as fulfilling the fact of His triumph over the demonic realm (Colossians 2:14-15). 

         Fifthly, Christ's resurrection from the dead meant He had completed His mission of proclamation and thus He arose as a victorious King, subduing all cosmic powers under Himself (Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:22).

iii. Why did he proclaim His victory? To  guarantee Christian victory 3:19-20 

         He did this to pave the way for what would be His ascension into Heaven 40 days after His resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 4:7-10). 

iv. What was His victory over? Sin (1 Pet 3:18), hell 1 Pet 3:19-20; Col 2:11-12) grave (3:18,21b)

Revelation 1:4-5 states - 

"John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood".

Closing thoughts


As we draw this post to a close, let's remember our two main thoughts for today's post:

1. The Purpose of Christ's Accomplished Work - reconciliation. 1 Peter 3:18

2. The Proclamation of Christ's Accomplished Work - Victory. 1 Peter 3:19-20

        What Jesus accomplished was proclaimed by Him both in heaven and to the defeated demonic realm. Such activities provided grounds for which future generations of Christian could stand who by grace through faith trusted in Jesus. The cross of Friday and the work of Saturday pointed to what would be the great victory of that early Sunday Morning: He has risen! As Christians, we rest in these works of Jesus.

Endnotes:
1. Fred B. Craddock; John H. Hayes; Carl R. Holladay and Gene M. Tucker. Preaching Through the Christian Year - Part A. Trinity Press International. Harrisburg, PA. 1992. Page 227

2. Robert Webber. Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality Through The Christian Year." Baker Books. 2004.


2. Michael Horton. The Christian Faith - A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. Zondervan. 2011. Page 500

Friday, April 2, 2021

Paid In Full - A Good Friday Meditation

Introduction

       Today is what Christians the world-over refer to as "Good Friday". At the church where I pastor, we annually celebrate Good Friday by having what is called "The Seven Sayings of Jesus from the Cross" service. One of the final words Jesus would express before breathing His last is recorded by John the Apostle in John 19:30 -

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. 

       In the underlying Greek text of this passage, the words, “It is finished” are one word: “tetelestai”. Moulton and Millgan’s Greek Lexicon, page 630, cites examples from ancient receipts where this word was used to express “payment in full”. Whenever Jesus uttered these words, what exactly was He claiming to have “paid in full”? The Gospels tells us about the events of cross and empty tomb. The Book of Acts contains the preaching of the cross and empty tomb. It is in the New Testament letters and Revelation that we find the meaning of the cross and empty tomb. What follows is a sample of all the benefits of salvation “paid in full” on the cross. As you read each verse below, note the underlined words.

1. Freedom from condemnation. 

Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”

2. Forgiveness of sins. 

Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."

3. Full pardon. 

Colossians 2:14 "having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

4. Flourishing spiritual life. 

Titus 2:11-12 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age."

5. Final defeat of Satan. 

Hebrews 2:14 "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil."

6. Freedom to live for God. 

1 Peter 2:24 "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

7. Forever adoption. 

Revelation 5:9 “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation."

When Jesus said those words, all of these, and more, were “paid in full”! Praise be to Him!