1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ."
Today's blog will attempt to tell the complete saga of man, a soul with a spirit clothed in a body, through five main points covered in scripture: creation, fall, redemption, death and resurrection.
1. Man as a soul, with a spirit clothed in a body at creation.
Man is a three-fold being who was created to know God and excercise authority in this world. As we noted yesterday we defined man as a soul with a spirit clothed in a body. After working our way through many scriptures and several observations, we concluded that man is essentially a three-fold being: body, soul and spirit. Second, though a second viewpoint (dichotomy) terms man a two-fold being, immaterial/material, we did not entirely dismiss that view out of hand. The reason being is because from Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:7 we see God revealing the creation of man from two angles: a spiritual being in a physical body who was to walk with God and a soul clothed in a body who was to take dominion over his surroundings and be self-aware.
In short, here is what we learn of mankind as originally created:
1. Humanity's body was perfect, capable of interracting and working the physical environment. Being that the body of man was made from the earth, God embdued the body with five senses and the capability to be aware of the world.
2. Humanity's soul is the life of the man. The soul was breathed from the Spirit of God embduing physical life into the man. Man was uniquely created with the ability to think, feel, choose and have conivictions or a conscience. The soul is the man himself. We could say, with older Bible teachers of the past, that the soul is simply man's self awareness and the body is his center of world awareness.
3. Humanity's spirit was to be the aspect of man wherein he communed with God. Being made in the image of God meant among other things that man alone could communicate and be communicated to by God in his spirit.
2. Man as a living soul, clothed in a body, died in his spirit at the fall
When Adam and Eve heeded the voice of the serpent tempting them in the garden to partake of the tree, the scripture says that for Eve, the tree was pleasant to the eyes and desireable to eat. She had already began to alter God's word in her mind and by her will she chose to abnadon the grace of God on her life in preference to her soulish desires. Adam willfully chose his wife over God and the two of them fell from the Grace that has been clothing their mortal bodies. As souls they continued to live, however the curse of death and decay began to set in, killing their spirit, affecting their soul totally to the point of where they could only live by their own desires. The bodies of the both of them would be subject to physical death. All of this of course ended up affecting every single person born into this world, with the sin and guilt of Adam passed down through the bloodline of the father's side. (1 Peter 1:17-18) In short:
1. Man died in his spirit
2. Is corrupted in his thinking, feeling and choosing in his soul. Nothing he can do, apart from grace and saving faith can please God.
3. Will die in his body.
3. Saved man is a soul who has a resurrected spirit and lives in a body
When a man is born again by the Spirit of God and believes on Jesus Christ for the forgivness of sins, the Bible is clear on what takes place. First, the Holy Spirit at saving faith has pentetrated past my mind, emotions, will of my soul and through God Word, pierces the dividing wall between soul and spirit. (Hebrews 4:12) As He shows me the awfulness of my sin and the awesomeness of Jesus Christ, by the New Birth I believe and am saved, born again, justified or decllared righteous and adopted into God's family. (John 1:12-13; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 8:16-17) At salvation I am instantly saved in my spirit or "inner man" by the New Birth or Regeneration. As I grow in grace through the process of sanctification, I am being saved in my soul as I conform my mind, emotions and will to God's Word. Though sin indwells my soul, my new nature in my spirit is the working of the Spirit who desires to affect me in my soul. The body of course is still decaying. In short:
1. My spirit or inner man is made alive by the New Birth
2. My soul is being saved and I through Christ am urged daily by the Spirit in my human spirit to go to the scriptures and be led by Him
3. My body is still decaying. I realize now as a Christian I am to look forward to resurrection.
Sadly not everyone will by grace through faith believe on Jesus Christ. It is God's grace, His Spirit and His word which prevail upon people to choose and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is man who choosing to reject Christ apart from grace deems himself unworthy of eternal life. (Acts 13:46) Unless the Spirit of God moves, and unless a person believes and repents of his sins, they will still be a soul with a dead human spirit living in a decaying body. An unbeliever functions in their body, soul and dead spirit much like those who evidence never having been truly saved as seen in 1 Timothy 5:6 "she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives."
4. Saved people are souls, with living spirits who die and leave behind a dead human body and go to heaven. Unsaved people are souls, with dead spirits who leave behind a dead human body and go to hell to await judgment
So what occurs at death? For the Christian, the Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord" The Christian as a soul with a spirit goes immediately into the hands of the Lord in Heaven, where he is welcomed with a glorious entrance. (2 Peter 1:11-12) The body, called by Paul (2 Corinthians 5:1-5) and Peter (2 Peter 1:14) a tent, refers to the frail and temporary nature of our current physical body that eventually returns to the dust from when it came. Unbelievers, when they die, are souls with dead human spirit who immediately go to a place called Sheol, Hades or hell, as exampled by the Rich Man in Luke 16:29-31. Contrary to pop culture today, when a person dies, it is a one way trip to the immediate presence of God for believers and Hell for sinners. With those sober realities outlined, we must understand that scripture reveals one more point in its saga of believers/unbelievers in the body, souls and spirits....
5. There is to be a resurrection for the righteous and a resurrection of the unrighteous
Though a Christian in their souls and spirit go immediately into the presence of the Lord, the totality of His salvation for them is not yet complete. Yes they are free from the penalty of sin in their spirit - thus in that respect they are instantly saved. Concerning their souls, they are progressively saved by the Spirit's sanctifying work, making them more and more like Jesus while they excercise their mind, emotions and will in His Word - hence the removal of sin's power. And even when they get to Heaven, believers certainly enjoy a dimension of existence whereby they are set free from the presence of sin - i.e glorification. However the Christian in that state is looking forward to the day they get a resurrected body like their Lord. At His return, Christ will resurrect every believer, Old and New Testament, transforming their bones and decay into a glorified resurrected body - setting the body free from the putrification of sin. (Daniel 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 John 3:1-3) The ressurrection represents the goal of redemption, a hope that was first revealed to men such as Job (Job 14:14; 19:25-28) and Abraham (Hebrews 11:19)
Sadly for unbelievers, they await the final judgment which will occur a thousand years after the resurrection of the righteous. Though not spelled out in near the detail as that of believers, unbelievers evidently will have a ressurected body capable of withstanding eternal judgment. Daniel 12:2b tells us that the resurrection of the wicked will receive a body that is "disgraceful, existing in everlasting contempt". Christ at that final judgment will cast them into the Lake of Fire, along with the Devil and his fallen angels. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)
Conclusion: Today's blog attempted to tell the complete saga of man, a soul with a spirit clothed in a body, through five main points covered in scripture: creation, fall, redemption, death and resurrection. My prayer is that this will aid you in your study of the scripture and perhaps shed light on both your own life and your dealings with others. Remember, what is done on this earth will pass, what is done for Christ will last.
Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let
them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the
cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image
of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God
formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living being.
Man is a soul, with spirit, clothed with a body
David in Psalm 8:4-5 asks - "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that
You care for him? (5) Yet You have made him a little lower than
God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!" Human beings are uniue among all of God's creations. In the two passages of Genesis quoted above, we see the creation of man from two different angles.
Man is a spiritual being: having a spirit and a physical body, a two-fold spirit/body creature
In the Genesis 1:26-27 we see the emphasis placed upon man the physical being created with the capacity to communicate and be communicated to by God. Man is thus a spiritual being with a physical body. In some places in scripture, we are given this two-fold view of man as a spirit in a body. (Psalm 31:5; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; James 2:26; 1 Corinthians 7:34)
Man is a soul clothed with a body, a two-fold soul/body creature who perceives himself and relates to this world
Then in Genesis 2:7 we see the same creative event from the standpoint of man the physical being in relationship to himself and his surroundings. The text in the original language reads that God breathed into the nostrils of man and he became a "living soul". Here we see man "becoming a soul" with a physical body, endued with the breath of life from God. Throughout scripture we at times we see a two-fold picture of man as a soul clothed with a body - emphasizing man as he perceives himself in relationship to his surroundings. (Genesis 35:18; 1 Kings 7:21; Isaiah 53:12; Luke 12:20)
Now some Bible teachers have concluded that man is a two-fold being, material body and immaterial spirit or soul. 1 They will point out at times how the scripture will use the terms "spirit" and "soul" interchangeably. Furthermore, the term "heart", which is used in scripture to describe the source from whence man thinks, feels and acts, is used either to describe the soul or spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5;Mark 12:30-31) 2
Mankind is a soul, with a spirit clothed in a body
In the progressive revelation of scripture, we come to discover that the passages speaking of man as a spirit/body, and those referring to man as a soul/body are viewing man from two angles, just as we have witnessed in Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7. Further study will reveal that mankind is not just a two-fold being, but a three-fold being: a soul, with a spirit clothed with a body.3 Three passages in the New Testament bear out this important insight, two of which simply define mankind as a three-fold being and one of which explains this truth in detail:
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without
blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and
sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul
and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart."
3. 1 Corinthans 2:1-3:4. (Natural Unsaved man, Saved Spirit-filled man, Saved Spirit-indwelt carnal man). In 1 Corinthians 2 we see the contrast between unbelievers who are operating as living souls, with a dead human spirit clothed in a body and believers as living souls, with regenerated spirits clothed in a body. When we come to 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, we find believers who with regenerated human spirits quenching the Holy Spirit and relying more on their carnal appetites in their soul and bodies.
First, natural unbelieving man is a living soul who thinks (mind), feels (emotions), chooses (will) and has convictions (conscience). However his human spirit, which was designed originally to commune with God, is dead, thus to the natural man, operating as a sinful soul with a dead human spirit, regards the Gospel and the things of God as incomprehensible (1 Corinthians 2:6-8) and foolish (2:14).
Next Paul describes what takes place at salvation. The natural man is engaged in conviction and grace by the Holy Spirit, who penetrates past the mind, emotions and will of His soul into his spirit. With that Divine working of the Spirit, the soul of the man responds at the resurrecting work the Spirit is doing in that persons human spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13) Natural man becomes supernatural. He is instantly born again in his human spirit by God's grace working faith as he chooses Jesus Christ. The Christian with his soul is able to take into his mind, emotions and will God's Word, enabling him to commune with the Holy Spirit who lives in his human spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 6:16, 19-20; James 1:18) Overtime, the Christian can begin to think and act more and more like Jesus, since with God's word he is developing the mind of Christ, which is the sum total of the contents of divine scripture.
Sadly, and thirdly, Paul explains what can happen to a Christian who though having the indwelling Holy Spirit in his human spirit, decides for a period of time to listen to the remaining carnal remnants of sin in his soul. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) As a result, the Spirit of God is greived and quenched, meaning that unless the Christian repents, no communication and leading by the Spirit will occur lest that Christian repents. (Ephesians 4:30-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Timothy 2:24-26). This condition of the Christian is what we term "carnal". In affect, the Christian operates as a "reverse hypocrite", meaning that he is trying to be what he really is not, namely acting as an unbeliever even though He is a Christian. Thankfully God the Father will not let a Christian operate persistently in this condition for too long without executing fatherly discipline to turn the child of God back. (Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6-8)
Endnotes:_____________
1 This position which is quite popular among conservative Bible believing Christians is called "di-chotomy" proposes man to be a two-fold being - immaterial and physical.
2 I will grant, the language used by scripture to explain the nature of human beings can exhibit overlap, however the primary point of the Bible's description of mankind is not merely clinical. Rather the Bible is describing man primarily as a spiritual and moral individual in need of salvation and resurrection.
3 This position of viewing man as a three-part being is what we term "tri-chotomy". My own viewpoint on this subject is that with dichotomy and trichotomy, people should not pit one against the other. I believe that dichotomy represents legitimate observations of scripture that do define man in a two-fold way, however the viewpoint needs to follow through and see how the Bible takes those insights and shows man to be a body,soul and spirit. Thus I do see man as a trichotomy, however we need to understand that there is two ways to speak of man. First, man is a spirit being with a body, classified as seperated from God spiritually as a sinner or knowing God spiritually as a Christian. Second, mankind is a soul clothed with a body who can be creative and interact with the world around him. As a sinner he is subject to the appetites of the fallen drives and thus operates completely out of the mind, emotions and will of the soul through his physical body.
Genesis 28:12 "He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on
the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it."
Yesterday we looked at Abraham's vision of heavenly glory, noting the God centeredness of what He saw in his vision. He saw the Lord, called in the Hebrew "Adonai" - the Master of all things. He saw how the Lord reigns in various aspects in providence, redemption, revelation and prophecy. Today we will be looking at Abraham's grandson Jacob. Jacob's conversion experience is recorded for us in Genesis 28. As you will see in this very brief overview of what Jacob saw and witnessed, his vision of Heavenly glory entails the vision of a ladder, with its top reach up to Heaven.
Which Heaven was Jacob able to see into?
For regular readers of my blog, I had blogged several days ago about what the Bible teaches about Heaven in a post entitled: "The Bible's Four Heavens". In that blog it was noted that the Bible's use of the word Heaven can refer to the 1st heaven - the air; the 2nd heaven - the universe; the 3rd heaven - the present abode of God; and the New Heavens, which will be manifest at the end of Christ's millennial reign. I wanted you the reader to ask yourself: "which heaven is Jacob peering into?" It can't be just the 1st heaven, the sky, since that is normally populated by birds. It can't be the 2nd Heaven - the universe, since that is the domain of planets, stars and moons. What Jacob is seeing into is the third Heaven - the domain of angels and the highest aspect of that being the abode of the Infinite Holy Triune God.
What was Jacob's ladder?
Quite literally heaven came down to him - and no doubt it caused him to shudder in fear and wonder. Genesis 28:16-17 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said,
“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not
know it.” 17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this
place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven.” The focal point of this vision was the ladder. Some have suggested that the pillar which Jacob set up and anointed with oil was a replica of that vision. Whatever the case may be, the point is that the ladder coming from the top to the bottom occupied the center stage. Now why do I say that? Because it is not until almost 2,000 years later that Jesus says these words at the onset of His ministry in John 1:51 - "And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending
on the Son of Man.” That ladder which Jacob saw was none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ.!
What can we gain about heavenly glory from Jacob's vision?
As we now have seen, Jesus Christ is that ladder reaching from heaven to earth. In John 14:6 Jesus says of Himself - "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me." As we close out this blog today, I want to leave you with three thoughts that explain what Jacob saw in his vision of heavenly glory - pointing the way to the Lord Jesus Christ:
1. He saw the way to Heaven. Genesis 28:12
Jesus Christ reaches from the top to the bottom. All other religions teach about the way to Heaven, whereas Jesus alone claims He is the way to Heaven.
2. He saw the Truth that gets you to heaven. Genesis 28:13-17
All other religions, ideologies, philosophies and "isms" will teach you morality, but know this - their roads paved with bricks of human effort will lead straight to the gates of hell. However what did Jacob say: that the place of his vision, Bethel, was the "gate of Heaven". Jesus Christ is the way. In fact Jesus Himself says in John 10:9 that he is the doorway, the gateway through which the sheep can enter. Truth by nature is exclusive - and Jesus Christ alone is the true and tried way by which you by grace through faith can enter into Heavenly glory.
3. He saw the life of Heaven. Genesis 28:18-22
Jacob's life was never the same from that encounter. He did not know what He saw by name, but the substance of the person of the Son was ever stamped on His heart - Jacob literally saw the Lord through the veil of visions and shadows. He saw that living ladder, Jesus Christ. When he had went to sleep, he was a rebel - however when he awoke, and grace called Him, and He believed upon the one whom He saw, Jacob became a worshipper. His speech changed, his actions changed and even his pocketbook changed. He wanted to talk about the things of God, do the things of God and give toward the things of God. In other words - the life of God in heaven entered into his life. Jacob was never the same from that moment.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to
Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a
shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”
Abraham saw the master of all things, Adonai, the Lord of Heavenly Glory
Acts 7:2 tells us about Abraham - "And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The
God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before
he lived in Haran." What characterized Abraham's walk with God was the fact that he heard and saw God. In Genesis 15 the Lord appears to Abraham in a vision of Heavenly glory. What God does is to take this 75 year old Patriarch by way of dreams and vision through four centuries of time to the days of Moses and the Israelites. What is it that this patriarch saw? He saw the Lord (Adonay in the Hebrew), the master of all things.
This chapter is significant in that the Lord, the Master of all things, utters a phrase that we see for the first time in scripture: "Do not fear". (Genesis 15:1) Over 200 times in the Bible do we see God saying this to His people. When you and I have been impacted by the Master of all things, Adonai, The Lord, we will have no fear. If you will but fear God, you will fear nothing else, but if you fear everything else but God, you will be bound by fear.
So with that bit of introduction, what exactly did Abraham see in regards to the Heavenly glory of the Lord? What we discover from this chapter as well as others that speak about heaven and its glory - God is at the center and circumference. Heaven is heaven only because of the fact that it is a radically God centered reality. Abraham saw the Lord, Adonai reigning in His glory. Note by way of key thoughts what Abraham saw when he beheld the Lord reigning in His heavenly glory:
1. The Lord Reigns in Providence in Heavenly glory.
Genesis 15:1-5
2. The Lord Reigns in Redemption in Heavenly Glory.
Genesis 15:6-8
3. The Lord Reigns in the Revelation of His Heavenly Glory. Genesis 15:9-17
4. The Lord Reigns in Prophecy which foresees His Heavenly Glory. Genesis 15:18-21
The man who was always looking up
This wonderful chapter centers the reader on God, for we are seeing the events, both past, present and prophetic, through the eyes of a prophet of God, Abraham. (Genesis 20:7) Heavenly glory is what drove Abraham to walk all over the land of Canaan, as he was a man searching for city whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:7) As you follow Abraham's 175 years of existence, you find a man who is becoming more and more Heavenly minded. Hebrews 11:10 tells us that He was looking for a better country, with Hebrews 11:12 telling us that He was directed to look into the stars of Heaven. When you have been touched by God's Heavenly glory, your heart pines for that which is eternal. Colossians 3:1-3 tells us as Christians to keep our eyes fixed on things above, where Christ is. John 14:1-3 tells us that Jesus has went on to build and prepare a place for the child of God.
May you and I today be like the patriarch Abraham, the father of faith, who was captured by the Master of all things, Adonai, the Lord of Heavenly Glory.
Genesis 5:21-23 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of
MethuSelah, and he had other sons and daughters. 22So all
the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 23Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God
took him.
Meet the man who walked with God
Some 50 or so times in scripture we find reference to the concept of "walking with God". The first time we find reference to man walking with the Lord is in Genesis 5:21. Enoch was part of the redemptive bloodline that ran from Adam to Noah. In Genesis 5 we see a total of 1656 years, with Enoch in comparison being the youngest (a mere 365 years of age when the Lord took him away). In those ten generations that stretched from Adam to Noah, Enoch was without the question the brightest star in that constellation of pre-flood patriarchs.1 Enoch and only one other man in scripture, Elijah, left this world without tasting the pain of death. Enoch's walk with God was so unique, so close, that God saw fit to take him, "translate him" out of this world and into heavenly bliss.
Enoch may had seen the coming flood
One Bible trivia question that many will want to know the answer to is: "who was the oldest man in the Bible?" Answer: Methusaleh. Enoch's wife (unnamed) had his son when Enoch was 65 years age. The name and facts about Methusaleh suggest that Enoch would had seen the coming world-wide flood of Noah.2 To have possible seen the coming flood of Noah almost a millennium in advance must had been a frightening thing for Enoch.
Were not told in scripture why Enoch started walking with God right after Methusaleh's birth, but my hunch is that this possible prophetic glimpse of the deluge that was to wipe out virtually every formm of life permantly altered Enoch's life. I find it equally interesting that Enoch's name in the Hebrew means "dedicated one", and thats exactly how he lived out the remaining three centuries of his life before being wisked away by the Lord.
Enoch definitely saw the heavenly glory of Jesus Christ's soon return
Enoch's life is surrounded by surprise and mystery. Like a flash of lightening, he appears on the stage of world history in Genesis 5, only to be wisked away once again. We see not mention of him (except in genealogical listings) until we arrive at the little book of Jude. Jude 14-15 "It was also about these men that
Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying,
“Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all
the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
This two verse statement is remarkable, in that Enoch, in prophetic vision, saw history's two greatest events: one that forever altered this world near the beginning of history, and Christ's return which will mark the tail end of human history. For the remainder of today's blog, I just want to list in a series of bullet points Enoch's vision of heavenly glory as recorded here in Jude 14-15. The glories of heaven seen by prophets and apostles in the Bible have several themes in common. What was it that Enoch saw in his vision of heavenly glory? Furthermore, what is the take away for you and I today dear reader? Note these thoughts....
1. God's Word is the sole basis for describing Heaven's glories
Jude notes that Enoch "prophesied, saying". Many, Many times in the Bible we see the phrase: "thus says the Lord' to indicate God speaking through a prophet or apostle. In Amos 3:7 we discover that God's will is not known save through his prophets. Any attempt to describe the unseen glory of heaven apart from the Word of God will lead to wrong thinking about Heaven. Scripture alone is divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16); without error (Proverbs 30:4-5) and completely trustworthy.
2. God the Son is the central focus of Heaven's glories
Jude next tells us the central focus of Enoch's visions and prophecies: "Behold the Lord came..". God the Son is the commanding figure of Heaven. I find it interesting in Jude's text that to Enoch, the Lord is not coming, but rather "came". Why "came?" from God the Father's perspective, which sees the end from the beginning, everything, including Christ's return, is a done deal. Time and time again, as you view the Bible's portrayals of heaven, God, not man, is the central focus. Heaven is a God saturated, Christ exalting place.
3. God's saints are included in Heavenly glory
Saints are living Christians who are living for Jesus now and preparing for eternity in Heaven. Jude's use of the word translated "saints" is the Greek word that we could just as easily translate "holy ones". I believe the reason the Holy Ghost led Jude to choose this word is that in other contexts, "holy ones" could either refer to angelic beings or human believers who are with the Lord now and will return with Him in glorified bodies.3 Heaven's glorious truth includes the people of God, since it is there that they will be joined with their Lord and be made like Him. (1 John 3:1-3)
Endnotes____________________
1 Abel was no doubt a godly man, however he was martyred and did not live for centuries for us to determine how he would had fared under testing and trial. Noah was godly as well, without peer in his day. However we find Noah after the flood becoming caught up in an episode of drunkenness (he of course is still regarded a hero of faith in Hebrews 11).
2 First, Methusaleh's name in the Hebrew means "in the year it was sent". That otherwise strange meaning would find its meaning when the flood came. Secondly, Methusaleh's age of 969 years, other than making him the oldest man who ever lived, also had his final year on earth ending the year of the worldwide flood!
3 Certainly we see references to God in His glory being accompanied by angels who are called His "holy ones". (Deuteronomy 33:2) Christ too, as the Eternal Son of God, will return to earth in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38) However this phrase "holy ones" more often than not refers to the human saints who have died in the Lord and are returing with Him in their glorified resurrection bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 3:13) I personally think there is enough leeway in the usage of this word to include both the angelic hosts protecting the resurrected saints as both accompany Jesus in His return.
John 21:18-19 18“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were
younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you
grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and
bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19Now this
He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had
spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
For the past couple of months I have been preaching through the Gospel of John on Sunday Afternoons. At our 4 p.m service we sing songs of praise, hear God's Word and then discuss what we heard. I am always amazed by how much new insights the Lord grants everytime God's people look at scriptures previously studied. As I was thinking of this Lord's day, I realized we will be finishing out our study this afternoon in John's Gospel. John's Gospel compels the reader and listener to radically follow Jesus Christ - God in human flesh.
John's Gospel - Outline, Purpose and Theme
John's Gospel was the last inspired Gospel to be written. The human author was the Apostle John - one of the inner-most disciples of the twelve that followed Jesus in His earthly ministry. If we were to outline John's Gospel, we could outline it accordingly:
Outline:
Prologue: 1:1-18
Signs Pointing to the Glory of Christ's Deity: 1:19-12:50
Glory of Christ shown in the cross & Resurrection: 13:1-21:25
In distinction to the first three Gospels which primarily focus on Christ's humanity with some reference to His Deity, John focuses primarilty on His Deity with some reference to His humanity.
John 20:30-31 spells out the chief purpose of this
Gospel: "
30Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed
in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these have been written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name." So in verse 30 we see the summary of John 1-12, with verse 31 giving us the chief point of chapters 13-21. Therefore the main theme of John's Gospel could be stated as: The Glory of Christ's Deity revealed in human flesh.
How Jesus tells Peter and us to follow Him
After Jesus had risen from the dead, He made multiple appearances to His disciples, three which are recorded in John 20-21. Jesus appears to the disciples along the shoreline of Tiberius to restore Peter (John 21:1-17) and to give a final word of prophecy to Peter in regards to the outcome of Peter's life. (21:18-25) To follow Jesus Christ is the very essence of what it means to be a disciple. Twice we find Jesus telling Peter here in John 21:17-25 to "Follow Me!" (21:19) and "You Follow me!" (21:22).1 So how are you and I to follow Jesus Christ? What is it He tells Peter to do and how are we in turn to follow the Master? Consider the thoughts below...
Follow Jesus Christ Radically. John 21:18-19
After Jesus had restored Peter to service and position in John 21:1-17, the past was healed and now attention was going to be shifted to Peter's future. Jesus shares with Peter the outcome of His walk with Jesus. In John 21:19 we read - "Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" We have record of the kind of death Peter died in martyrdom from the pen of John Foxe in his classic 16th century work "Foxe's Book of Martyrs".2
Peter was to follow His Lord radically, and to the death. My question to you and I is: if we knew what the outcome of our life was to be, would it affect our level of committment to Jesus Christ? Too often we allow present circumstances to determine our level of committment, let alone the unknown future. However it was God's grace that kept Peter.3 No doubt about it, despite knowing what potentially was ahead, Peter followed his Lord radically, and you and I need to do that as well. But notice secondly how we're to follow Jesus Christ...
Follow Him regardless. John 21:20-23
As Jesus relayed to Peter this news about his future, Peter turned to look at the Apostle John, the author of this Gospel. In summary, Peter asked Jesus whether or not the same outcome would befall his fellow disciple. Jesus responds in John 21:22 - "Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to
you? You follow Me!” (New American Standard Bible) The original language of these verses convey Jesus' response in this way: "Jesus said to Him: What difference does it make to you if I wish for him to remain until my return? You just follow Me!"
You know I heard of a preacher one time who had this sign above his doorway: "Nevertheless". That word is a good word to live by, since so much of why we follow Jesus is based upon conditions: "well Lord I'll do this if you do that". But my dear friend, do you not realize that regardless of what takes place and regardless of what others do or don't, your reasons for following Jesus Christ are to be what He has ordained for you in His Word. At times we look at another believer's life and judge their seeming lack of trials to mean that God has a better plan for them than for us. However, could it be that the severity of trials experienced in the Christian's life show how great of plans God has in store for them? Peter was going to die a horrific death, yet - nevertheless! You and I could lose everything overnight in our Christian walk, however - nevertheless! Only the eye of faith and the mind saturated by scripture can conclude that to be the most reasonable way to live. A "nevertheless" kind of approach to following Jesus Christ, with a radical resolve to follow Him no matter what. But take note of a third way we are to follow Jesus Christ...
Follow Him with the right Book. John 21:24-25
As John closes out his book, he ends with a post-script concerning the nature of his writing. These final two verses point out two aspects of the nature of scripture itself. Furthermore, if you and I are going to follow Jesus Christ both radically and in a regardless type of way, we need to have the right book. John demonstrates in 21:24 what is called the "veracity of the Bible", that is, the trustworthiness of the scripture. 4 John himself was an eyewitness, which in the court of law is the strongest piece of evidence there can be when proving the truth of something. I know that when I turn to the Bible, I am certain that I will come away with a trustworthy understanding of Jesus Christ.
But John reveals another cahracteristic of the Bible, namely its sufficiency. When John states in John 21:25 that: "And there are so many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even in world itself would not contain the books that would be written". According to the website Google, as of 2013 there are over 130 million books in the world. Is John saying that it would require more books than that to handle all that Jesus did while here on earth? As I look at the original language of this verse, I find John's statement not be one of the quantity of books needed to handle all that Jesus did, but rather the quality of the only book that could accurately and sufficiently reveal the right Jesus.
Think about religious books claiming to be the word of God. The book of Mormon tells us about "a" Jesus, however a Mormon Christ is not "the" right Jesus. The Jesus of Mormonism and the Jesus of the Bible are totally different.5 How about the Quran, the religious book of Islam? I have read that book and I can tell you that the Jesus recorded in that book is not the Jesus I follow. He is a pale imitation and not the genuine article. The Quran for instance claims Jesus did not die on the cross, but according to the Quran was made to appear that he did. Their version of Jesus was not God in human flesh, but rather a nice teacher who didn't sin. The Christian does not follow the Jesus of religious speculation but the Jesus of revealed scripture. Those other books could never handle, and no other book for that matter is divinely inspired and inerrant except the Bible.
We could go on, but I think you get the point: The right book about Jesus Christ is the Bible. Only the 66 books of the Bible tells me accurately, truthfully and sufficently who Jesus did, what He did and why you and I must follow Him radically and regardless. May you dear reader have a blessed Lord's day.
End Notes_____________
1 As you walk through John's Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples again and again to "Follow Me". (John 1:43, 7:17, 8:12, 10:27, 12:26, 13:36, 21:19,22)
2 John Foxe writes about Peter's Martyrdom: "Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom He answered and said, "I am come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was."
3 Forty five years would pass before Peter met his end on an upside-down cross of his choosing. He wrote two letters bearing his name, testifying again and again of the purpose of suffering anf the keeping grace of God. (1 Peter 1:5-12)
4 The word "veracity" comes from a Latin root "veritas" meaning "truth".
5 Mormonism for instance claims that at one point Jesus and Lucifer were brothers, and that because Jesus had a better plan of salvation than Lucifer, God said Jesus would be the Savior.
Matthew 26:17 "Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread
the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You
to eat the Passover?”
Jesus Christ the King in Matthew's Gospel
As we come to the Gospel of Matthew, we are introduced to Jesus Christ the King. By human bloodline He is descended from the famous King David, King of Israel, as revealed in Matthew 1:1-17. By virtue of the fact that Jesus Christ is also fully Divine He is the King of Kings, holding all power in Heaven and on earth, as stated clearly in Matthew 28:18. Matthew's aim was to legally, theologically and historically demonstrate Jesus Christ as the true King of the Jews, and ultimately King of Kings. Matthew 2:2 for example has the Magi coming from the East to worship the Christ child Whom they term: "King of the Jews". As you fast-forward 33 years later to His crucifixion, we discover that Pilate had written on a board nailed above Christ's head on the cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". (Matthew 27:11,29,37).
The Lord's Supper in Matthew is the King's Table
With that brief survey of Matthew's Gospel and theme, the aim of today's blog is to zero in on what Matthew portrays to us concerning the account of the Lord's Supper in Matthew 26:19-30. As a Christian, you may periodically celebrate the Lord's Supper with your church. As a Pastor I have the privilege of leading our church periodically in the celebration of this Covenant Meal insituted by our Lord. Southern Baptists refer to the Lord's Supper as an ordinance: meaning that it was "ordained" or "commanded" by the Lord Jesus in the Gospels, preached in Acts and explained or discussed in the Epistles.1 Only one other activity fits that definition: Believer's Baptism. To me, when I come to the Lord's table, I learn something new, and the account here in Matthew is no different.
As we look briefly through Matthew's record of Jesus instituting this Covenant Meal with His disciples (and ultimately the church - see 1 Corinthians 11:23), I want you and I to consider this question for today: What is necessary for you to know as you approach the scene of the King's Table here in Matthew 26:17-30?
Jesus The King is in Charge. Matthew 26:17-19
What did the disciples say in Matthew 26:17 - "Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread
the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You
to eat the Passover?” We as Christians have got to remember that Jesus Christ is the King, we are His people and this is His table. He is meeting with us by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As we take up those symbols of His body and blood, He is so pleased, by His Spirit, to remind us and impress on our hearts that He is in charge. Our honest attitude ought to be: "King Jesus, what do you want me to do for you?" The reason why we as a local church body celebrate this meal together is to be reminded of this fact that Jesus the King is in charge. Matthew spells out for us what all Jesus is in charge of as The True King:
1. Jesus in the King of Salvation. Mt 1:21
2. Jesus is the King over His Church. Mt 16, 17, 18
3. Jesus is the Appointed King in Judgment. Mt 24-25
4. Jesus is your King, dear Christian. Mt 26:17
5. Jesus is the King of all things. Mt 28:18
Jesus the King's Cross. Matthew 26:20-28
There is no question, everytime we approach the King's table, we are reminded of the fact that Jesus Christ is in charge. However before the Crown of Gold was placed on His Head, there had to be a crown of thorns. The bulk of the liturgy in Jesus' institution of the Lord's supper focuses around the cross. Now you have to realize that Jesus' actions took place in the context of the Old Testament Covenant Meal known as the Passover.2 Scriptures such as these, time and time again, connect Jesus the King's activity as being the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world. (John 1:29, 3:16, Revelation 5).
With that said, we can see in A,B,C,D fashion the King's cross as the central focal point of the King's table here in Matthew 26:20-28:
1. Agony of the cross. In John 13:21, we see Jesus entering into His agony at the beginning of this meal. The Agony of the cross was already starting to be laid upon His shoulders.
2. Betrayal that led to the cross. Judas' betrayal is mentioned three times here in Matthew 26:21,23,24.
3. Crucifixion on the cross. Jesus Himself mentions how the bread and the fruit of the vine picture His body and blood that would be shed on the cross by His impending crucifixion in Matthew 26:26-28
4. Death as a result of the cross. By shedding His blood and giving His body, Jesus was to die on the cross as the sinner's substitute.
Only the King of Kings, exalted in the Heavens, would stoop to the lowest possible level to redeem those who on the lowest possible level would by grace through faith be raised to be with Him. (Ephesians 2:5-10; Philippians 2:5-11). But notice a third truth we learn as we gather at the King's Table here in Matthew....
The King is Coming Again. Matthew 26:29-30
Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 26:29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until
that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” In the Passover celebration Jesus and the disciples would had drank out of four cups situated on the table. Each cup was to be drank from throughout the course of the meal. Basing the meaning of each cup off of Exodus 6:1-8, the Jews assigned the following meanings:
1st Cup = Cup of Sanctification. Exodus 6:1-4God setting apart His people
2nd Cup = Cup of Deliverance. Exodus 6:5 God Breaking the chains of slavery
3rd Cup = Cup of Redemption. Exodus 6:6 God redeeming His people out of Egypt into Freedom with Him
4th Cup = Cup of the Kingdom. Exodus 6:7-8 God aims to make the people a Kingdom of Priests who will worship Him and be with Him, and He with them as their King.
As Jesus would had been celebrating this meal with His disciples, they would had went through the 1st and 2nd cups. Luke's Gospel records Jesus referring to two separate cups. There was the one cup which He said signified His redemptive act, which would had been the third cup in the Passover meal. The other cup of which he could not drink would had been the fourth cup - the cup of the Kingdom. Thus Jesus indicated that the Covenant Meal, and he being the King of the Table that night, was no doubt centered primarily around the third cup - the redemption of which He was going to accomplish in a matter of hours the next day. But we must hasten to add that the fourth cup has yet to be drank! Christ, the true King, is coming again! If you by grace through faith have believed on Him, you will be able to share that cup with Christ when He returns.
Truly Christians are a people of the two comings: His 1st coming and 2nd coming, His cross and His crown. The King's table reminds us that Jesus Christ is not a dead Savior, but a Risen, Reigning and Returning One! He is the King - Let us Worship Him and Serve Him and Enjoy Him at His table!
End Notes:__________________
1. It is truly significant to note that the Old Testament offers some significant pictures and events that preview or foreshadow the Lord's Supper Covenant Meal:
-The first is Abraham and Melchizedek in Genesis 14. Melchizedek
was a Christophany or Old Testament revelation of Jesus Christ. (Psalm 110; Hebrews 5 and 7) He came to Abraham with bread and wine, elements that were used to signify His blessing and recognition of Abraham's identity in the sight of God. Abraham of course was the father of faith and the Hebrew nation.
-The second picture is that of the Passover celebration, commemorating God's deliverance of Israel across the Red Sea. The Jews were to slaughter a lamb and spread its blood upon the door posts and gates of their homes so as to abate the judgment of the death of the first born by Death Angel "passing over". Being that the Jews fled Egypt in the middle of the night, unleavened bread was included in the festival of passover. Over time, the fruit of the vine and four cups were included to bring out richer meaning to the meal.
-The third & final Old Testament picture of the Lord's Supper that I want to mention is when King David in 2 Samuel 9 showed kindness to Saul's grandson Mephiboseth. Saul of course had tried to kill David, and pursued him for many years. Furthermore, Mephibosheth would had been considered an enemy of the state, coupled with the fact that he was lame in both feet. Despite those facts, David chose to show kindness and invite Mephibosheth to His table to "eat at the king's table regularly". (1 Samuel 9:15) Isn't that what the King's table is in the New Testament church, the King inviting us to come who were lame in the feet, descended at one time from an enemy, Adam and ultimately Satan. (Ephesians 2:1-4) Yet He being rich in mercy gave His life. The King's table reminds us of who we are and whose we are.
2. Back in Exodus 12 God instituted that meal in lieu of what would be His deliverance of the Jews out of Egypt via the Red Sea. Every year they were to celebrate Passover. What Jesus was doing was bringing everything that meal and event foreshadowed to its logical and prophetic end - namely Himself. Jesus Christ came to be God's lamb who would die for the sins of the people. (Isaiah 53; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7) He came as the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world so that time could be given for all men to have a chance to hear the Gospel. He came to purchase His church with His blood. (Acts 20:28)
