Leviticus 23:44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
Yesterday we explored Leviticus 23 in search of specific ways in which Jesus Christ is pictured. We noted that Leviticus 23:1-3 pictures Christ our Creator and Leviticus 23:4-22 pictures Christ our Redeemer. Today we continue by focusing on the last three feasts or festivals of Leviticus 23:23-44, noting how they picture for us Christ our King.
1. Feast of Trumpets. Leviticus 23:23-25
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall
always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words. We also see these words in 1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
2. Day of Atonement. Leviticus 23:26-32
As Christ returns the Bible promises that Israel will be saved. (Romans 11:26). She will look upon the One who she pierced. (Zech 12:10) Since the promise for Israel's restoration still remains, we know that at His return, her destiny as God's light to the nations will culminate and begin at the same time!
3. Feast of Tabernacles. Leviticus 23:33-44
In passages such as Ezekiel 40-48; Isaiah 60-66 and Revelation 20 we see reference to a literal, visible Kingdom set up here on earth. This particular feast was prescribed to Israel before she entered the promised land - thus its immediate fulfillment would be carried out once she conquered the land in the book of Joshua.
However the full realization of that will not occur until as a nation (not all individuals) is converted by grace at His return. This feast is to remind Israel of all she went through and God's faithfulness in bringing to fruition her destiny as His people.
We know that Christ's mentioning of the Kingdom first began as His domain in the heart of the saints, followed by His invisible rule over His church in this present age. However there is a visible, earthly aspect that has yet to occur. Once that has happened, Christ will then usher in the Eternal state as described in Revelation 21-22.
How Christ is at the Center of Biblical Revelation as seen through Leviticus 23
Thus Christ as King is an already and at the same time "not yet" reality. He is Creator, He is Redeemer and He is King. The Bible's three chief themes are Creation (Genesis 1-2); Redemption (Genesis 3-Revelation 19/20); and Kingdom (Revelation 20/21-22).
We also note that Christ occupies three offices in His current and perpetual ministry to believers: Prophet (revealing the Father, who in turn by the Spirit points to the Son with Him as Creator worthy of worship); Priest (our Redeemer) and King.
Thirdly, each Testament in the Bible can be viewed in these three headings: Old Testament has Creation and the origin of Reality, Life, Humanity and Israel (Law); Redemption unfolded through History (Writings) and Kingdom unfolded through the activites of Kings and the writings of the Prophets. All these three sections have their own overlaps of the themes.
The New Testament too reveals the advent of the promise of Eternal Life and the New Creation in Jesus Christ as acted out in the Gospels and preached in Acts; Redemption explained further in the Epistles and The Kingdom manifested in Revelation. Again, the three themes are interwoven throughout the 27 New Testament Books, while seeing the distinctions can be helpful.
Certainly these three themes overlap one another quite significantly, showing us that there is no division in neither Christ nor the revelation of Himself.
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Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Picturing Christ the Creator and Redeemer
Leviticus 23:44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
God is a God of perfect timing. In no less than five places we see mentioned here in Leviticus 23 - "the appointed times of the Lord". Why is God so concerned about time? For what end did He prescribes these festivals here in Leviticus? Certainly they aided the Jewish people in not forgetting the One who had redeemed them. Some five times does He address them as "sons of Israel" in this chapter.
However the grander purpose in all this was to prepare the people for the "appointed time" in which the "Appointed Person of all time", Jesus Christ, would come on the scene. As we consider these seven festivals in Leviticus 23, I want to give you three headings by which you can see more clearly the Person and work of Jesus Christ: Our Creator; Our Redeemer and Our King.
1. Christ our Creator. Leviticus 23:1-3
In Leviticus 23:1-3 we are hearkened back to Genesis 1-2 when God created the Heavens and the earth. I find it interesting that in Genesis 1:14 we see this phrase "appointed times and seasons" being used to describe the purpose of God placing the stars, moon and sun in the heavens. The whole universe would be required to communicate the immensity of God's glory to puny tiny man.
Was Christ present at creation? Consider these New Testament Texts:
a. John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
b. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
c. Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
2. Christ our Redeemer Leviticus 23:4-22
a. Feast of Passover - Christ was crucified on the day the passover lamb was sacrficed. (Mark 14:12; John 19:14) He also functioned as the passover sacrifice for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
b. Feast of Unleavened Bread - Living for Jesus is like celebrating the unleavened feast. (1 Corinthians 5:8). Christ of course was the spotless sacrifice without sin. (1 Peter 1:17-18) Leaven often, but not always, pictures sin in the Bible. (Again compare 1 Cor 5:8)
c. Feast of First Fruits - First fruits were the first stalks of grain taken from the Barley fields of Israel and brought to the temple. They were a foretaste of things to come. Christ raised from the dead is the firstfruits of the resurrection that He will bring about of all the saints at the end of the age. (1 Corinthians 15:23)
d. Pentecost - This was the ingathering of the the remainder of the Barley Harvest that occured 50 days after the festival of firstfruits. When Jesus told His disciples to wait in the upper room in Acts 1 after His ascension, He had already been raised from the dead 40 days. According to Acts 1 into 2, they waited an additional 10 days. In Acts 2, God the Father sends the Holy Spirit in Christ's name, verifying that Christ is ascended and enthroned over His church. That event occured 50 days after Christ's resurrection.
Tomorrow we will continue this study by noting how Leviticus 23 pictures Christ our King.
God is a God of perfect timing. In no less than five places we see mentioned here in Leviticus 23 - "the appointed times of the Lord". Why is God so concerned about time? For what end did He prescribes these festivals here in Leviticus? Certainly they aided the Jewish people in not forgetting the One who had redeemed them. Some five times does He address them as "sons of Israel" in this chapter.
However the grander purpose in all this was to prepare the people for the "appointed time" in which the "Appointed Person of all time", Jesus Christ, would come on the scene. As we consider these seven festivals in Leviticus 23, I want to give you three headings by which you can see more clearly the Person and work of Jesus Christ: Our Creator; Our Redeemer and Our King.
1. Christ our Creator. Leviticus 23:1-3
In Leviticus 23:1-3 we are hearkened back to Genesis 1-2 when God created the Heavens and the earth. I find it interesting that in Genesis 1:14 we see this phrase "appointed times and seasons" being used to describe the purpose of God placing the stars, moon and sun in the heavens. The whole universe would be required to communicate the immensity of God's glory to puny tiny man.
Was Christ present at creation? Consider these New Testament Texts:
a. John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
b. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
c. Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
2. Christ our Redeemer Leviticus 23:4-22
a. Feast of Passover - Christ was crucified on the day the passover lamb was sacrficed. (Mark 14:12; John 19:14) He also functioned as the passover sacrifice for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
b. Feast of Unleavened Bread - Living for Jesus is like celebrating the unleavened feast. (1 Corinthians 5:8). Christ of course was the spotless sacrifice without sin. (1 Peter 1:17-18) Leaven often, but not always, pictures sin in the Bible. (Again compare 1 Cor 5:8)
c. Feast of First Fruits - First fruits were the first stalks of grain taken from the Barley fields of Israel and brought to the temple. They were a foretaste of things to come. Christ raised from the dead is the firstfruits of the resurrection that He will bring about of all the saints at the end of the age. (1 Corinthians 15:23)
d. Pentecost - This was the ingathering of the the remainder of the Barley Harvest that occured 50 days after the festival of firstfruits. When Jesus told His disciples to wait in the upper room in Acts 1 after His ascension, He had already been raised from the dead 40 days. According to Acts 1 into 2, they waited an additional 10 days. In Acts 2, God the Father sends the Holy Spirit in Christ's name, verifying that Christ is ascended and enthroned over His church. That event occured 50 days after Christ's resurrection.
Tomorrow we will continue this study by noting how Leviticus 23 pictures Christ our King.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The thrill of discovering Jesus Christ in the Old Testament
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.'
The thrill of discovering Jesus Christ pictured in the Old Testament
When Jesus had raised from the dead He engaged some disciples walking on a road near Jerusalem who were distraught over the recent events surrounding His crucifixion. In disguising Himself from their recognition, Jesus Christ began to teach them from the Old Testament all the things concerning Himself.
As a Christian begins to study God's Word, the common practice is to only focus on the New Testament and skip the Old, since it is assumed that the Old Testament was only for Israel, and now that Jesus has come, we as the "New Testament Church" should only focus on the New Testament. This is tragic on several fronts:
1. 2 Timothy 3:16b plainly tells us that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God,, and is profitiable...". The phrase "all scripture" is referring by extension to all 66 books. The point being we cannot skip 2/3 of the Bible - it is "all profitable".
2. When we consider that 333 Old Testament prophecies made predictions about the person and work of Jesus Christ (109 pertaining to His first coming and 224 to His second), it lies incumbent upon us to know the Old Testament, since it aids us to a deeper understanding of Christ.
3. Jesus Himself took seriously the Old Testament, acting out, preaching upon and living out some 600 Old Testament texts.
It truly is a thrill to study the Old Testament because even though I may not find Jesus named in every verse, yet from each of the 22,314 Old Testament verses I can find my way back to Jesus Christ. He is pictured in such things as Noah's Ark, The Tabernacle of Moses and the Priesthood. He makes personal appearances in such figures as Melchizedek in Genesis 14 (compaare Hebrews 5 and 7) The Angel of the Lord, who is ascribed divine characteristics some 15 times in the Old Testament.
Why would anyone want to explore the Old Testament through New Testament light? As one commentator has noted: "The New in the Old is concealed and the Old and the New is revealed".
New Testament authority for finding pictures of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament
I want to briefly list verses below which encourage us to use the Old Testament as our picture book of Jesus Christ:
1. Luke 24:44 We have already looked above at this text. This is from Jesus' own lips on the allowance of the Old Testament in picturing His person and work.
2. Romans 15:4-5 "whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus". The "scriptures" of course are referring to the Old Testament. Notice what they yield: "the same mind with one another according to Jesus Christ".
3. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 11 (1-4) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. " (11) "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come."
4. Hebrews 9:9-11 "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. 11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation."
Here we see the writer connecting the ministry of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Jewish system that pictures Jesus to the Person of Jesus in the New Testament!
As Dr. Steven Lawson, a Southern Baptist Pastor and prolific author has often said: "Although I may not be able to find Jesus Christ in every verse of the Bible, yet from every verse I can get you back to Jesus Christ."
The thrill of discovering Jesus Christ pictured in the Old Testament
When Jesus had raised from the dead He engaged some disciples walking on a road near Jerusalem who were distraught over the recent events surrounding His crucifixion. In disguising Himself from their recognition, Jesus Christ began to teach them from the Old Testament all the things concerning Himself.
As a Christian begins to study God's Word, the common practice is to only focus on the New Testament and skip the Old, since it is assumed that the Old Testament was only for Israel, and now that Jesus has come, we as the "New Testament Church" should only focus on the New Testament. This is tragic on several fronts:
1. 2 Timothy 3:16b plainly tells us that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God,, and is profitiable...". The phrase "all scripture" is referring by extension to all 66 books. The point being we cannot skip 2/3 of the Bible - it is "all profitable".
2. When we consider that 333 Old Testament prophecies made predictions about the person and work of Jesus Christ (109 pertaining to His first coming and 224 to His second), it lies incumbent upon us to know the Old Testament, since it aids us to a deeper understanding of Christ.
3. Jesus Himself took seriously the Old Testament, acting out, preaching upon and living out some 600 Old Testament texts.
It truly is a thrill to study the Old Testament because even though I may not find Jesus named in every verse, yet from each of the 22,314 Old Testament verses I can find my way back to Jesus Christ. He is pictured in such things as Noah's Ark, The Tabernacle of Moses and the Priesthood. He makes personal appearances in such figures as Melchizedek in Genesis 14 (compaare Hebrews 5 and 7) The Angel of the Lord, who is ascribed divine characteristics some 15 times in the Old Testament.
Why would anyone want to explore the Old Testament through New Testament light? As one commentator has noted: "The New in the Old is concealed and the Old and the New is revealed".
New Testament authority for finding pictures of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament
I want to briefly list verses below which encourage us to use the Old Testament as our picture book of Jesus Christ:
1. Luke 24:44 We have already looked above at this text. This is from Jesus' own lips on the allowance of the Old Testament in picturing His person and work.
2. Romans 15:4-5 "whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus". The "scriptures" of course are referring to the Old Testament. Notice what they yield: "the same mind with one another according to Jesus Christ".
3. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 11 (1-4) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. " (11) "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come."
4. Hebrews 9:9-11 "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. 11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation."
Here we see the writer connecting the ministry of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Jewish system that pictures Jesus to the Person of Jesus in the New Testament!
As Dr. Steven Lawson, a Southern Baptist Pastor and prolific author has often said: "Although I may not be able to find Jesus Christ in every verse of the Bible, yet from every verse I can get you back to Jesus Christ."
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Jet Airliner of the Old Testament - Leviticus 23
Leviticus 23:1-2 "The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them,
‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall
proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these"
One of the grandest Jet airliners you'll ever ride - "Leviticus 23"
Imagine yourself at a large international airport, where thousands of flights are going in and out and over the runways into the air. You know that anyone one of those planes will enable you to launch into the blue ocean of sky above, however the plane you are traveling in can take you way above the clouds. Your aircraft of choice is the "Leviticus 23", a massive plane whose wingspan dominates the airfield and whose range is utterly limitless.
Certainly there are other craft that can take you up faster, however this one is known for its gradual ascent and its big windows. Everyone who boards "Leviticus 23" will be traveling first class. The destination? Jesus Christ. The Pilot: God the Holy Spirit. I am but a steward, and you are the passenger.
Now this flight will be done in several stages - since our journey will span thousands of years and ultimately all of eternity. However if you stay with me - I guarantee you that by the end - you will behold the point of our journey - Picturing Jesus Christ.
The 7 Jewish Feasts or "appointed times" and "dress rehearsals"
As in all flights - timing is everything. Furthermore, you have got to be prepared. God has thought of everything, which is why He uses the term "convocations" (in the Hebrew = dress rehearsal) and "appointed times". What we see commonly translated as "feasts" in our old English translations actually refers to the process of the Jews eating and celebrating to recall what God had done for them.
As much as these seven festivals were designed to recall the past (at least the first four feasts), the more important thrust of this text is to point forward to what God was going to do (thus the final three feasts). The people of God were on a journey to the promised land - the land of Canaan. Thus God prescribed these "seven feasts" to both remind the people and point the people ahead to Himself. Today I will just list them, with a brief phrase about how they picture Jesus Christ:
1. The Feast (convocation) of Passover 23:4-5 - Christ crucified
2. The Feast of Unleaven bread 23:6-8 - Christ buriedThe, sinless
3. The Feast of First Fruits 23:9-14 - Christ raised ffrom the dead
4. The Feast of Pentecost 23:15-22 - Christ ascended and sending the Holy Spirit
Now these first feasts occured in the Spring and Summer of the year on the Jewish calendar. The last three feasts occur in the fall, they are....
5. The Feast of Trumpets 23:23-25 - Christ's return
6. The Day of Atonement 23:26-32 - Israel as a nation saved at Christ's return
7. Feast of Tabernacles 23:33-44 - Christ's 1,000 years reign or what is termed "millennial reign".
How we can see nature, history and prophecy focusing on Christ through the windows of this big jet airliner of "Leviticus 23"
As we noted earlier, the first three feasts occur in the Spring (our March/April), Pentecost in the summer (our June) and the final three in the Fall (our September/October). Note those three seasons: Spring (New Life), Summer (Dryness) and Autumn (Harvest). Truly Christ came the first time to provide New life to all who believe, this current age is dry, however as Christians we anticipate the harvest season of the coming fall. In our eagerness for Him to return, we know the fulfillment of God's word will be reaped.
All of history is pictured in this massive chapter. If we include Leviticus 23:1-3, we see Moses reflecting back on creation. Christ was there with the Father, for it was through God the Son all things came into being. (John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:16-17). From beginning to middle to end, from creation to redemption to Kingdom we see Christ at every point.
Then prophetically, these seven feasts all point to Christ - the one in whom their appointed times find culmination. No doubt, we have entered into the heights of scripture through Leviticus 23 - and Christ is the One whom we enjoy seeing!
One of the grandest Jet airliners you'll ever ride - "Leviticus 23"
Imagine yourself at a large international airport, where thousands of flights are going in and out and over the runways into the air. You know that anyone one of those planes will enable you to launch into the blue ocean of sky above, however the plane you are traveling in can take you way above the clouds. Your aircraft of choice is the "Leviticus 23", a massive plane whose wingspan dominates the airfield and whose range is utterly limitless.
Certainly there are other craft that can take you up faster, however this one is known for its gradual ascent and its big windows. Everyone who boards "Leviticus 23" will be traveling first class. The destination? Jesus Christ. The Pilot: God the Holy Spirit. I am but a steward, and you are the passenger.
Now this flight will be done in several stages - since our journey will span thousands of years and ultimately all of eternity. However if you stay with me - I guarantee you that by the end - you will behold the point of our journey - Picturing Jesus Christ.
The 7 Jewish Feasts or "appointed times" and "dress rehearsals"
As in all flights - timing is everything. Furthermore, you have got to be prepared. God has thought of everything, which is why He uses the term "convocations" (in the Hebrew = dress rehearsal) and "appointed times". What we see commonly translated as "feasts" in our old English translations actually refers to the process of the Jews eating and celebrating to recall what God had done for them.
As much as these seven festivals were designed to recall the past (at least the first four feasts), the more important thrust of this text is to point forward to what God was going to do (thus the final three feasts). The people of God were on a journey to the promised land - the land of Canaan. Thus God prescribed these "seven feasts" to both remind the people and point the people ahead to Himself. Today I will just list them, with a brief phrase about how they picture Jesus Christ:
1. The Feast (convocation) of Passover 23:4-5 - Christ crucified
2. The Feast of Unleaven bread 23:6-8 - Christ buriedThe, sinless
3. The Feast of First Fruits 23:9-14 - Christ raised ffrom the dead
4. The Feast of Pentecost 23:15-22 - Christ ascended and sending the Holy Spirit
Now these first feasts occured in the Spring and Summer of the year on the Jewish calendar. The last three feasts occur in the fall, they are....
5. The Feast of Trumpets 23:23-25 - Christ's return
6. The Day of Atonement 23:26-32 - Israel as a nation saved at Christ's return
7. Feast of Tabernacles 23:33-44 - Christ's 1,000 years reign or what is termed "millennial reign".
How we can see nature, history and prophecy focusing on Christ through the windows of this big jet airliner of "Leviticus 23"
As we noted earlier, the first three feasts occur in the Spring (our March/April), Pentecost in the summer (our June) and the final three in the Fall (our September/October). Note those three seasons: Spring (New Life), Summer (Dryness) and Autumn (Harvest). Truly Christ came the first time to provide New life to all who believe, this current age is dry, however as Christians we anticipate the harvest season of the coming fall. In our eagerness for Him to return, we know the fulfillment of God's word will be reaped.
All of history is pictured in this massive chapter. If we include Leviticus 23:1-3, we see Moses reflecting back on creation. Christ was there with the Father, for it was through God the Son all things came into being. (John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:16-17). From beginning to middle to end, from creation to redemption to Kingdom we see Christ at every point.
Then prophetically, these seven feasts all point to Christ - the one in whom their appointed times find culmination. No doubt, we have entered into the heights of scripture through Leviticus 23 - and Christ is the One whom we enjoy seeing!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Why a Holy Church is effective in spreading the Gospel
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
As we have looked at why it is that holiness is desirable, we have noted the following:
1. Holiness focuses on desiring God
2. Holiness fortifies marriage
3. Holiness is fundamental to Christian love
4. Holiness frees you from unnecessary sorrow
Today we want to consider the fifth and final reason as to why holiness is desirable: Holiness furthers the gospel (or furthers your testimony)
What does it mean to "profane" and why does holiness alone promote furtherance of the Gospel?
The word "profane" comes from two Latin words: "pro" meaning "from or before" and "fannus" meaning temple. So to be profane or to act profane is to be so outside God's presence and activity. We would say in popular terms: To operate outside the known will of God.
To answer the second part of our question, holiness promotes our testimony or furtherance of the Gospel due to demonstrating with our actions what we say about Christ with our lips. Letting our light so shine means our walk matching with our talk. When we make "walking in the light as He is in the Light" (1 John 1:6-7) the priority of our fellowship with God, people will know that following Jesus Christ has real-world implications.
Holiness is central to Jesus' evangelism strategy for His church
Just consider for the moment Jesus' three greatest commands: The Great Command (Mark 12:30-31); The Great Concern for Holiness (Matthew 18) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). of those three, holiness in the church was the first thing Christ commanded. Christ new that only a holy church can be effective in spreading the Gospel. When we desire holiness, we will desire to love as He loved, and thus desire to spread that love to those in need of it.
To desire holiness will lead to a passion to see His glory cover the earth and for all tribes, nations and tongues hear the Gospel. Psalm 67:1-2 reminds us - God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us - selah. 2That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.
May we desire holiness - for in doing so we will desire Him.
As we have looked at why it is that holiness is desirable, we have noted the following:
1. Holiness focuses on desiring God
2. Holiness fortifies marriage
3. Holiness is fundamental to Christian love
4. Holiness frees you from unnecessary sorrow
Today we want to consider the fifth and final reason as to why holiness is desirable: Holiness furthers the gospel (or furthers your testimony)
What does it mean to "profane" and why does holiness alone promote furtherance of the Gospel?
The word "profane" comes from two Latin words: "pro" meaning "from or before" and "fannus" meaning temple. So to be profane or to act profane is to be so outside God's presence and activity. We would say in popular terms: To operate outside the known will of God.
To answer the second part of our question, holiness promotes our testimony or furtherance of the Gospel due to demonstrating with our actions what we say about Christ with our lips. Letting our light so shine means our walk matching with our talk. When we make "walking in the light as He is in the Light" (1 John 1:6-7) the priority of our fellowship with God, people will know that following Jesus Christ has real-world implications.
Holiness is central to Jesus' evangelism strategy for His church
Just consider for the moment Jesus' three greatest commands: The Great Command (Mark 12:30-31); The Great Concern for Holiness (Matthew 18) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). of those three, holiness in the church was the first thing Christ commanded. Christ new that only a holy church can be effective in spreading the Gospel. When we desire holiness, we will desire to love as He loved, and thus desire to spread that love to those in need of it.
To desire holiness will lead to a passion to see His glory cover the earth and for all tribes, nations and tongues hear the Gospel. Psalm 67:1-2 reminds us - God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us - selah. 2That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.
May we desire holiness - for in doing so we will desire Him.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Holiness is essential to Christian love
Mark 12:30-31 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD
YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH
ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31“The
second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Why is holiness so desirable? In today's blog we will show yet another reason in addition to the previous three reasons we've noted over the past several blogs: namely holiness is essential to Christian love.
When Jesus was asked what He regarded to be the most important commandments, His answer summed up the entirety of the Law of God revealed in Exodus to Deuteronomy. The Jews had divided up God's law in to 613 commands, and yet Jesus summed up these commands into two succinct statements:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
2. Love your neighbor as yourself
This two-fold answer is what is called: "The Great Command". What makes Jesus' answer of interest to us is that in the second part of that answer, He evoked Leviticus 19:18, which states - You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18, which lies at the heart of the larger context of Leviticus 18-22, tells us to love our neighbor amidst our pursuit of holiness. In fact, this truth is so central to what it means to love with Godly love that it is quoted elsewhere in the New Testament: Mattehw 5:43; Matthew 19:19; Luke 1:27; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8.
To not include holiness as your desire means you will not be able to excercise Christian love. Why? Because the type of love being demanded by God for Christians requires Him as their chief concern. Love without holiness will never accomplish transformation of the one giving love nor the one receiving it.
Truly this reason for desiring holiness goes back to the first reason we gave several days ago: Holiness focuses us on desiring God.
Why is holiness so desirable? In today's blog we will show yet another reason in addition to the previous three reasons we've noted over the past several blogs: namely holiness is essential to Christian love.
When Jesus was asked what He regarded to be the most important commandments, His answer summed up the entirety of the Law of God revealed in Exodus to Deuteronomy. The Jews had divided up God's law in to 613 commands, and yet Jesus summed up these commands into two succinct statements:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
2. Love your neighbor as yourself
This two-fold answer is what is called: "The Great Command". What makes Jesus' answer of interest to us is that in the second part of that answer, He evoked Leviticus 19:18, which states - You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18, which lies at the heart of the larger context of Leviticus 18-22, tells us to love our neighbor amidst our pursuit of holiness. In fact, this truth is so central to what it means to love with Godly love that it is quoted elsewhere in the New Testament: Mattehw 5:43; Matthew 19:19; Luke 1:27; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8.
To not include holiness as your desire means you will not be able to excercise Christian love. Why? Because the type of love being demanded by God for Christians requires Him as their chief concern. Love without holiness will never accomplish transformation of the one giving love nor the one receiving it.
Truly this reason for desiring holiness goes back to the first reason we gave several days ago: Holiness focuses us on desiring God.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Freedom from Unnecessary Sorrow
2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that
by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world by lust.
These past several days we have been exploring why it is that holiness is desirable. So far we have considered that holiness is desirable due to:
1. It focusing us on desiring God
2. How it fortifies marriage
Today we want to consider another reason for desiring holiness - i.e something of which we can avoid in our pursuit of holiness, namely Freedom from unnecessary sorrow. In Leviticus 18-22 we see warnings issued by the LORD pertaining to the consequences of unholy decisions and behavior.
Desiring holiness does not mean immunity from trouble, however....
Now the reason I chose this title: "freedom from unnecessary sorrow" is because desiring holiness does not mean immunity from troubles. For example, 2 Timothy 3:12 reminds us: "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". If anything, pursuing Godliness can lead to greater persecution. (Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 6:22)
Desiring holiness can avoid unnessary trouble
However there are consequences that take place that follow from poor decisions and unholy practices. In Leviticus 18-22 we see four such cosequences or sorrows that result from unholiness. By noting these sorrows, we can understand how desiring holiness can prevent us from experiencing unnecessary sorrow.
1. Defilement of the land. (Leviticus 18:24-31; 19:29; 20:1-8, 22)
Did you know that the cummulative immorality of a culture can literally "defile the land"? Several times we see reference to this throughout the Bible. Throughout Genesis to Deuteronomy and the Old Testament we see instances of nations or Israel itself defiling the land. When a land has been defiled, famine, disease or lack of fruitfulness can result.
Spiritual famine can occur, yielding the lack of revival or a difficult time of sharing God's Word. (compare Amos 8). The only remedy is found in passages such as 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, then will I forgive their sins, then I will heal their land."
2. Injustice. (Leviticus 19:14-17)
Unholiness produces another unnecessary sorrow: injustice. Cummulative cultural disregard for the holiness of God lies at the doorstep of the church, which has prized everything else but holiness. Micah 6:8 reminds us - "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" When Christians aim for justice, they are doing so with the character of God being at stake. James 1:27 states - Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. When the church desires God and His holiness, injustice will be hated, and justice prized.
3. Broken Marriages. (Leviticus 18 and 20)
Throughout Leviticus 18, 19 and 20 we see another unnessary sorrow, broken marriages. Marital infidelity leads to unspeakable sorrow that ripples throughout families and culture. Who can forget David's act of immorality against Bathsheba. It unleashed a violent cycle of judgment that led to the death of a child, his own personal spiritual drout, the death of Bathsheba's husband, further actions by his sons, exile from his throne, grief and anguish, shame on the nation and untold tears.
Holiness must be central to our marriages. God does not prescribe holiness to kill or curb our joy, rather holiness is for the preservation of our joy.
4. Loss of God's blessing and power. (Leviticus 22:17-33)
God gave instructions to the priests. We as Christians are described as a Kingdom of priests in passages such as 1 Peter 2:9-12. What happens when the New Testament Church neglects holiness? What occurs when flippancy rather than faithfulness characterizes our fellowships. Unnecessary sorrow results. 1 Corinthians 11:30 records that people in the church at Corinth were dying as a result of a flippant disregard for God's people and the Lord's table.
We as human beings tend to diminish what God prizes and to prize what God disdains. Our churches in America are very busy, very friendly and very relevant. However how few of our churches are atmospheres wherein you feel like you have stepped out of this world and have gotten a taste of Heaven? How many are saturated with the words of scripture on the minds of the saints, and the desire for God's glory on their hearts?
May we desire holiness.
These past several days we have been exploring why it is that holiness is desirable. So far we have considered that holiness is desirable due to:
1. It focusing us on desiring God
2. How it fortifies marriage
Today we want to consider another reason for desiring holiness - i.e something of which we can avoid in our pursuit of holiness, namely Freedom from unnecessary sorrow. In Leviticus 18-22 we see warnings issued by the LORD pertaining to the consequences of unholy decisions and behavior.
Desiring holiness does not mean immunity from trouble, however....
Now the reason I chose this title: "freedom from unnecessary sorrow" is because desiring holiness does not mean immunity from troubles. For example, 2 Timothy 3:12 reminds us: "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". If anything, pursuing Godliness can lead to greater persecution. (Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 6:22)
Desiring holiness can avoid unnessary trouble
However there are consequences that take place that follow from poor decisions and unholy practices. In Leviticus 18-22 we see four such cosequences or sorrows that result from unholiness. By noting these sorrows, we can understand how desiring holiness can prevent us from experiencing unnecessary sorrow.
1. Defilement of the land. (Leviticus 18:24-31; 19:29; 20:1-8, 22)
Did you know that the cummulative immorality of a culture can literally "defile the land"? Several times we see reference to this throughout the Bible. Throughout Genesis to Deuteronomy and the Old Testament we see instances of nations or Israel itself defiling the land. When a land has been defiled, famine, disease or lack of fruitfulness can result.
Spiritual famine can occur, yielding the lack of revival or a difficult time of sharing God's Word. (compare Amos 8). The only remedy is found in passages such as 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, then will I forgive their sins, then I will heal their land."
2. Injustice. (Leviticus 19:14-17)
Unholiness produces another unnecessary sorrow: injustice. Cummulative cultural disregard for the holiness of God lies at the doorstep of the church, which has prized everything else but holiness. Micah 6:8 reminds us - "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" When Christians aim for justice, they are doing so with the character of God being at stake. James 1:27 states - Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. When the church desires God and His holiness, injustice will be hated, and justice prized.
3. Broken Marriages. (Leviticus 18 and 20)
Throughout Leviticus 18, 19 and 20 we see another unnessary sorrow, broken marriages. Marital infidelity leads to unspeakable sorrow that ripples throughout families and culture. Who can forget David's act of immorality against Bathsheba. It unleashed a violent cycle of judgment that led to the death of a child, his own personal spiritual drout, the death of Bathsheba's husband, further actions by his sons, exile from his throne, grief and anguish, shame on the nation and untold tears.
Holiness must be central to our marriages. God does not prescribe holiness to kill or curb our joy, rather holiness is for the preservation of our joy.
4. Loss of God's blessing and power. (Leviticus 22:17-33)
God gave instructions to the priests. We as Christians are described as a Kingdom of priests in passages such as 1 Peter 2:9-12. What happens when the New Testament Church neglects holiness? What occurs when flippancy rather than faithfulness characterizes our fellowships. Unnecessary sorrow results. 1 Corinthians 11:30 records that people in the church at Corinth were dying as a result of a flippant disregard for God's people and the Lord's table.
We as human beings tend to diminish what God prizes and to prize what God disdains. Our churches in America are very busy, very friendly and very relevant. However how few of our churches are atmospheres wherein you feel like you have stepped out of this world and have gotten a taste of Heaven? How many are saturated with the words of scripture on the minds of the saints, and the desire for God's glory on their hearts?
May we desire holiness.
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