Why Israel is important to the Christian

Acts 28:20 For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”

Note to readers: For those wanting to prayer more specifically for Israel, the following link is excellent in guiding the reader through such an effort: http://www.operationworld.org/isra

Introduction:

As we come to the 28th chapter of the book of Acts, we find Paul finally arriving at Rome, where he will eventually make his appeal to Caesar, answer his critics and gain opportunity to share the Gospel. Even though Paul would end up under house arrest in Rome, chained to a Roman soldier for two years - the time would prove to be among the most fruitful years of Paul's ministry. As Paul leaves the Island of Malta (upon which he landed in Acts 28:1-10), he make his way to Rome. 

After some preliminary remarks about his experiences on the way to Rome, we find Paul getting an audience with some people, explaining how he had arrived at Rome, and what he expected to take place. In expounding upon his chains and being under the constant supervision of a Roman soldier, we find this interesting statement in Acts 28:20 about him being chained "for the sake of the hope of Israel". It is with that statement that I am interested in unpacking in today's post. Paul clearly saw what he was undergoing as having to do with not only God's master plan for the Gospel throughout the world, but even more specifically with God's program for Israel. Whether Christians realize it or not, God still has a plan for Israel and Israel's ultimate destinity is intimately related to our own. Today's post is all about unfolding the three hopes that are gained when the Christian pays closer attention to Israel, God's abiding interest in it and how such a focus can strengthen the Christian's hope overall. Notice what scripture has to say about the following three hopes attached to God's promises to Israel and for those who adovcate the interests of His chosen people. 

1. The hope we find in prayer.

Psalm 122:6-9 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:“May they prosper who love you. 7 “May peace be within your walls,
And prosperity within your palaces.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good." 

I know of a dear man of God with whom I pray with often.  Everytime that man prays, he prays for the peace of Jerusalem. There is something supernatural attached to praying for the peace of Jersualem. It is commanded and attached with a promise. The prophet Daniel models this for us in Daniel 6:10-11 "Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God." By getting ourselves in order with what God has said in His Word, we can move on ahead in prayer. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us of the hope we find when coming to God in prayer: "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." So Israel is important to the Christian because of the hope we can find when praying for it, but notice a second hope....

2. The hope of the Gospel.

Paul clearly attaches all that he has went through for the Gospel's sake to the destiny of Israel. Without a doubt, when Paul mentioned anything about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, oftentimes he would mention Israel. Romans 1:16-17 states:  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealedfrom faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Why is it so important to be interested in the affairs of a people with whom we may or may not have direct contact? Because the Jewish people are still God's people. Seeing Paul's burden for their lost condition reminds us of the burden we ought to have not only for them but lost people in general. Notice what he writes in Romans 9:1-5 "I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." Notice the anguish of heart with which Paul writes concerning his fellow Jews. Should you and I not also have the same kind of burden for the lost - whether Jew or Gentile. Increasing our interest in the affairs of Israel makes us more sensitive to the necessity to share the hope of the Gospel. Paul expresses such hope for their salvation in Romans 11:25-26 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of thismystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” So Israel is important to the Christian for the reason of the hope it encourages us to find in prayer and the hope of the Gospel to which it points. However, notice one more hope that is associated with focusing greater attention on the spiritual warefare of Israel, namely....

3. The Hope of the Second coming.

Notice once again what Paul writes in Romans 11:26 "and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” When the scriptures says: "all Israel will be saved", that is referring to those select Jews within the nation, a number only known to God, who by His grace will turn to the Messiah in His second coming. Scripture ties together the timing of Christ's second coming with the salvation of Israel. Zechariah 12:10 states: “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." Undoubtedly Zechariah's prophecy was speaking chiefly of what would take place at Christ's second coming, however this same passage finds a partial fulfillment in what Jesus achieved in His first coming. John 19:37 quotes nearly verbatim Zechariah 12:10 in reference to what Jesus was undergoing during His time on the cross. 

The Apostle John saw in the piercing of Jesus in the side by the Roman spear the intiation of a series of events that would lead to the ultimate fullfillment of Zechariah 12:10 at Christ's second coming. The cross is ever associated with the second coming, being that what Jesus achieved on the cross and in the resurrection necessarily guarantees what He will accomplish when He comes back the second time. Revelation 1:7 quotes Zechariah 12:10 in reference to Christ's second coming: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth willmourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen." 

Closing thoughts:

Today we have considered why Israel is important to the Christian, based off of Paul's remarks in Acts 28:20. We as Christians living in America are oftentimes so tethered to the things of this world that we rarely think about the second coming. I have found whenever I am praying for Jerusalem, immediately I am lifted in prayer from my immediate concerns to global concerns. As I pray for Jerusalem, the Spirit of God begins to deal with me regarding my role in telling others about the Gospel. Then in focusing more direct attention on the welfare of Israel, I find myself thinking more about Jesus' second coming. All three engender greater hope in the Christian, which is why Israel is important to the Christian. 

P2 - Conclusion to my Grand-daddy's sermon on justification

Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Introduction: 
The Reverend Boaz Obed Smith was born January 1, 1900 and having been converted to saving faith in Jesus Christ as a young man. Having then felt that God was calling him to preach His word, the then young Boaz Smith enrolled in a three year Bible certificate program at was was then called "Philadelphia School of the Bible". Upon his graduation, the ambitious young preacher and his wife Louise would minister for 30 years in various churches throughout South Eastern, KY.  By the mid to late sixties, following Louise's passing, Reverend Boaz Smith would do various sorts of Bible studies and pulpit supply for roughly another 20 or so years in rural South Western Pennsylvania. This beloved man of God was my paternal grandfather, otherwise known as "Grand-daddy". Having passed away in 1983, my Grand-daddy left an amazing legacy of nearly 60 years of preaching, ministry and evangelism. Several months ago my dad gave me all of my Grand-daddy's sermons. These wonderful sermons, radio transcripts and letters have proven to be a treasure trove. Included in the collection are my grandfather's notes that he took when attending Philadelphia School of the Bible (now Philadelphia Biblical University) back in 1927. 

I will ever cherish this collection, being that I barely knew the man I called "Grandaddy". However I felt it necessary to begin sharing a little bit with the readers of this blog his writings and words as both a tribute and a carrying on of the legacy of a man who lived what he preached and preached what he lived. Today's post is a continuation and conclusion of a sermon he preached sometime in the mid-1950's on a chilly October night. The subject of the sermon is on the truth of: "Justification by Faith Alone". The title of the message is "justification". May you get an immense blessing out of it.

A Sermon on "Justification" -continued-

by Reverend B.O Smith

"God owes absolutely nothing to man. God brings untold mercies to sinners and allows them to live in good homes' to live at peace; to amass fortunes; to live in health and to be cared for. Three things God has given to sinners: God's goodness, God's forebearance and God's long-suffering.God's goodness is His moral goodness and His kindness; God's forebearance is His holding back or delaying of His wrath against people. It is as though God raised the thunderbolt of His wrath in one hand to strike mankind to destruction, but with His other hand He restrained the thunderbolt of wrath from falling upon mankind.

God's longsuffering is His slowness in avenging wrongs. Man has despised these three things of God. It goes to show ingrattitude. The blackest of all sins is to despise the riches of God's grace. These three things should lead you to repentance. 

Repentance is not necessarily signified by a person coming to the mourner's bench and there crying and praying and weeping for mercy. It is the word, "about face." A group of soldiers are marching, and the office cries out, "Halt!" "About face!" They immediately pivot on their feet and march in the opposite direction. Behind you is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is despised and rejected by you. Before you is your good works and your opinion. If the good of the Lord moves you, you will "about face" and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. Then, God will declare you to be a righteous, perfect person, and will set you before the court of heaven as though you had never sinned. Will you repent tonight? Will you turn from anything you have, and look to Jesus? God help you to do it."

Closing thoughts:
Well that concludes my Grand-daddy's sermon on justification. I pray you have found it to be edifying, instructional and illuminating. Some day I will see Him again either when I pass from this life or when our Lord Jesus Christ comes to catch me and other Christians away unto Himself and then I will see my Grand-daddy in a glorified resurrected body, along with my own - as both of us bask and praise the One Who saved us and redeemed us. 

P1 - My grand-daddy's sermon justification

Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Introduction: 
The Reverend Boaz Obed Smith was born January 1, 1900 and having been converted to saving faith in Jesus Christ as a young man. Having then felt that God was calling him to preach His word, the then young Boaz Smith enrolled in a three year Bible certificate program at was was then called "Philadelphia School of the Bible". Upon his graduation, the ambitious young preacher and his wife Louise would minister for 30 years in various churches throughout South Eastern, KY.  By the mid to late sixties, following Louise's passing, Reverend Boaz Smith would do various sorts of Bible studies and pulpit supply for roughly another 20 or so years in rural South Western Pennsylvania. This beloved man of God was my paternal grandfather, otherwise known as "Grand-daddy". Having passed away in 1983, my Grand-daddy left an amazing legacy of 60 years of preaching, ministry and evangelism. Several months ago my dad gave me all of my Grand-daddy's sermons. These wonderful sermons, radio transcripts and letters have proven to be a treasure trove. Included in the collection are my grandfather's notes that he took when attending Philadelphia School of the Bible (now Philadelphia Biblical University) back in 1927. 

I will ever cherish this collection, being that I barely knew the man I called "Grandaddy". However I felt it necessary to begin sharing a little bit with the readers of this blog his writings and words as both a tribute and a carrying on of the legacy of a man who lived what he preached and preached what he lived. Today's post features an excerpt from a sermon he preached sometime in the mid-1950's on a chilly October night. The subject of the sermon is on the truth we looked at yesterday: "Justification by Faith Alone". The title of the message is "justification". May you get an immense blessing out of it.

A Sermon on "Justification"

by Reverend B.O Smith

"I want to speak to you tonight on a doctrine that is most precious if understood. So many people misunderstand the doctrine of "justification". The word occurs three times in the book of Romans. "That God might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Here is God's problem to solve: How can God remain a just and a Holy God, and still receive sinful people to Heaven when they die? Because He is Holy, He had to hate sin, and Because He is love, He had to love sinners. The love of God had to pay a fine to the Justice of God. That fine was paid by the death of Jesus.

Man sinned and thereby is utterly corrupt, and sinful, and depraved. There is none good, no not one. None righteous, no not one. No good in anyone that God will accept. Justified freely. Freely is mentioned in (John 15:25) and means: "without cause". God looked down and found none fit to take to Heaven. 

God created man perfect. He created everything perfect. God made him perfect but Satan knew God's holy nature, and that (if provoked), God would need to strike sin in every appearance. So Satan figured: 'if I can seduce Adam, then God will strike him and I'll have the universe all to myself'. 

But instead of God striking lightening when Adam sinned, God came to seek Adam. Satan was correct in assuming that the acid of judgment must fall upon sin and do its destructive judging work, but God's acid of wrath did not start to burn on Adam when he sinned. Instead, God's voice was heard in the garden. There was absolutely nothing in man that could recommend him to God. Absolutely nothing. No one deserves heaven but the Lord Jesus Christ. Every man deserves hell. But a great number of people, all of which who deserve hell, will fill up heaven instead because the grace of God decided they should go there instead. Isn't that wonderful? 

Justified freely by His grace. Nine times in the New Testament you find this word translated. It means in John 15:25 "without a cause". God said that absolute perfection is the only thing that will take us through. Not partly perfect, but total perfection. Christian can be expressed in three phrases: 'I deserve Hell; Jesus took my Hell instead of me taking it; there is nothing left for me but God's Heaven. 

Justified freely by His grace. If God had taken Adam and Eve after they sinned in the Garden of Eden, and sent them immediately to the Lake of Fire, they would had gotten what they justly deserved. If God had not moved towards them but allowed them to raise children, and eventually the earth to have been eventually inhabited with sinners so corrupt, and yet would had brushed them all aside into Hell, God would had been just. The angels would still had sung: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty." God owes absolutely nothing to man."

Closing thoughts:

We will stop there today and continue this message in tomorrow's post. As any good Gospel preacher knows, you begin with the bad news in order to get to the good news. Rejoice today in the loving grace of God that saves sinners who so convinced by His grace freely respond and receive His legitimate offer of salvation to them. More tomorrow....

The crucial truth of justification by faith alone

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Sinful man's three problems
When you study the first three chapters of the Book of Romans, you discover that humanity has three problems: a relational problem, a moral problem and a debt problem. These three problems explain the relational crisis that exists between fallen man and Holy God. Relationally I'm termed an enemy of God (Romans 1:18-31); Morally I'm guilty before God (Romans 2:1-16) and I am in debt to the Law of God (Romans 2:17-3:20).  In short when you and I are born into this world, we are in the spiritual, moral and relational equivalent of a credit crisis.  Unless our spiritual bank account is radically credited with righteousness, no amount of right living will balance out what is owed to God. 

The Bible's solution to man's problems: justification by faith in Jesus Christ
What is the solution? The Bible uses a term that explains God's solution: the term justification by faith. The nature of justification by faith involves God crediting and declaring the sinner to be right with Him - i.e righteousness.  Mind you this is not just any righteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 states: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  

This Divine declaration of the sinner's rightness before God occurs at saving faith, and includes the righteousness of Jesus Christ being counted in the sinner's favor. Such a righteousness is what Bible teachers call "imputed righteousness", meaning that the accomplished work of righteousness credited to us was done by another. An old gospel song I heard years ago explains this point: "He paid a debt He did not owe and I owed a debt I could not pay, thats why God sent Him, to wash my sins away." 

Not only is the truth of justification by faith taught in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament.  Abraham is used to illustrate the kind of righteousness that was credited to Him at the moment of saving faith, which the Bible describes as Abraham being justified by faith.

How God uses Abraham to illustrate justification by faith alone
For every New Testament teaching or doctrine we can find at least one concrete, flesh and blood example of that truth.  When it comes to the central Gospel truth of Justification by Faith Alone,  we find such an example in the life of Abraham.  Abraham was a man called by God out of the region of ancient Babylonia (modern day Iraq, near Persian Gulf) called "Ur of the Chaldees" in Genesis 12. 

After 13 years God would speak to him in a dream in Genesis 15, reaffirming His promises to Him.  By receiving those promises by faith alone, Abraham was demonstrating the concept of God "crediting" or "counting" Abraham as being right with Him.  We pick up this illustration of Abraham in Romans 4.  Some key questions from Romans 4 will guide us in seeing how Abraham illustrates Justification by Faith.

1. Is Justification based upon human goodness?
According to Romans 4:1-8 the answer is "no".  Abraham had been called by God while He was worshipping other gods in Ur in Genesis 11:27-32.  Later on we would find out that his wife Sarah was barren, unable to conceive a child, a crucial key to God's promise to Abraham of numerous offspring.  Even after trying to bring the promise himself with his handmaiden Hagar, Abraham demonstrated that he was unable to bring about anything contributing to his own salvation.  It was God's loving choice and calling of Abraham (i.e grace) that convinced Abraham to believe.(Joshua 24:1-3; Isaiah 51:1-2; Acts 7:1-4)  As Abraham demonstrates, his salvation was by grace through faith alone.

2. Is Justification based upon the religious rite of circumcision?
When Paul wrote Romans, many Jews in his day thought salvation was a result of circumcision plus faith.  Yet when God spoke these words to Abraham in Genesis 15, it was before He had revealed the rite of circumcision in Genesis 17.  Thus it is not based upon how religious one is that makes one right with God.  This is the argument of Romans 4:9-12.

3. Surely Abraham was justified by keeping the ten commandments?
According to Genesis 15, it would be another 400 or so years before God would reveal the Law to Israel and Moses on Mount Sinai.  Abraham was not declared righteous due to keeping the law.  Rather it was by grace alone through faith alone - identical to how justification occurs today. (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9) Salvation by grace alone through faith alone occurs apart from adherence to the law of God, however we must hasten to add that justifying faith does not advocate that which would be lawless. What flows from justification, sanctification, is not in conflict with the law of God (compare Galatians 5:22-23). 

Justification by faith alone does not grant one a license to sin, but grants the believer the license and power to do what is pleasing to God. Though a distinct grace, sanctification consequently follows one's justification, much like a stalk and flower proceeds from a root. Sanctification begins at the moment one is justified by faith and is characterized by desiring to do the will of God for the glory of Jesus Christ. This is the argument of Romans 4, 5 & 6.

4. Abraham was justified by faith alone
In Romans 4:21-22 we read: "and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform. (22) Therefore it was also credited to Him as righteousness."  The essence of saving faith entails the idea of "firm persuasion".  The Hebrew word the word "amen".  When you here the word "amen", it means you affirm, agree, are fully persuaded of what is being said to you.  Abraham "amened" what God promised to Him.  He could not do anything to earn it, nor could he accomplish it.  God alone could bring about the miraculous result of a son born to He and Sarah in their old age. (Genesis 21)   By faith alone he received the promise.  Abraham was justified by faith.

Closing thoughts:
Today we saw why justification by faith alone is so crucial. It first of all solves man's three problems with God. Second, it is what ties together the entire Old and New Testament teaching of salvation. Then finally, it explains why Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection can be counted as righteousness at saving faith, and why apart from saving faith, no man can make himself morally, relationally and spiritually right with God. 

Purpose of Divine Appointments - Acts 28:1-10

Acts 28:1-2  "When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all."

Introduction:

Paul had survived a storm and a shipwreck along with 275 other fellow prisoners and their Roman captors in Acts 27. The original intent of the journey in Acts 27 was to sail from Caesarea Philippi to Rome, where Paul would appear before Caesar. What was supposed to be a straight journey ended up being an over two-week long ordeal in hurricane force winds with no sun to shine by day nor stars to shine at night. Paul ended up at a little tiny Island called "Malta", just South of Sicily. Concerning Paul's landing on Malta, Bible teacher Woodrow Kroll writes: "Malta is just a 95-square-mile speck in the Mediterranean Sea, but God had miraculously directed Paul's ship to the safety of its shores. This reminds us that not even the depths of the sea can "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). When you are in God's hands, you are in good hands". 

When I look at the overall context of Acts 27-28, the overall destination was Rome.  However before Paul was to go to Rome, there had to be a Malta, which literally translated means "refuge". What appeared to be a non-necessary stop along the way was a Divine appointment. Divine appointments are not scheduled by us, but by God. Our date books, planners and phones don't track the when and where God has us to be or land so-to-speak. Nevertheless what can appear to be an inconvenience ends up being an intersection. What can appear to be a profound waste of time or a dead end can be a great moment for the child of God and the very street upon which God would have us to be. Divine appointments are where God meets with us, chooses to use us and then launches us out to continue onto the next destination. Today's post is about considering Divine appointments and their purposes. 

1. Divine Appointments can be for refreshment

As we saw in the opening verses of Acts 28, Paul and these men landed on the Island, and -  "The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all." At times God will put an "off ramp" so to speak for you to be simply shown kindness and love. Paul needed this for what laid ahead.  I have had those wonderful seasons of blissful interruption in my life where it seemed things were suddenly interrupted or that I was on a detour, only to be shown love, encouragement and even healing. But notice whatelse happended at Malta, the "place of refuge".

2. Divine Appointments can demonstrate God's power. 

Acts 28:3-6 tells what happened next to Paul - 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came outbecause of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they begansaying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and beganto say that he was a god." What intially began as a place of refuge quickly turned sideways - or so it seemed. Paul was bitten by a snake and the incident would end up being used by God to demonstrate His power and the power of the Gospel Paul would preach to these people. Mark 16:17-18 notes this from Jesus to His Apostles - "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” To position Paul for how he would use him, God willed to permit this serpent to be in the cord of wood gathered by Paul. The outcome of not dying from the snake bite opened these people up to the possibility that their new visitor was more than met the eye and that he had a message to tell. Divine appointments are designed by God for the purpose of Him showing up when we least expect it.  When He shows up, we know then that what appeared to be a dissapointment ends up being a Divine appointment.  But now notice the third purpose of Divine appointments, not only refeshment and demonstration of God's Divine power but also....

3. Divine appointments are designed for God to use you to minister to other people.

Acts 28:7-9 notes - 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted withrecurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.9 After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured." Sometimes when we are on our way to our intended destination, God will have a little detour planned that will give us the opportunity to be used by Him. Malta certainly ended up being a place far more than what Paul bargained for. At first he was welcomed and cared for, only to get snake bit and then to see God show up and demonstrate His power. Now Paul was going to be put to work and in this instance God had so gifted Him to perform healings for the residents of that tiny island.  This is the only time Malta is mentioned in scripture and yet it was at this point and time God had chosen to bring healing, deliverance and comfort. Divine appointments are amazing in that the person who is led to be at one ends up being used by God to bless other people.  Now notice the final purpose for Divine appointments...

4. Divine appointments prepare you for the journey ahead.
Acts 28:10 "They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed."  Paul's ultimate destination was Rome.  Rome would be where Paul would remain for two years under house arrest. Before it was all said and done, he would end up writing four more letters, preaching the Gospel and bearing witness in the most powerful city on earth at that time.  Much was being required of Paul, and much would be needed. This little stop at Malta proved to be beneficial to the apostle.  No doubt he was invest in as he made investment. People filled up his emotion gas tank and he was spoken into by those new believers. Divine appointments are prescribed by God, being that he alone knows completely what lies ahead.  Will we heed His voice and take advantage of all that a Divine  appointment can offer - a chance to meet and be met by the living God through His word. 

Your Job is your calling - Colossians 3:22-4:1

Colossians 3:22-4:1  Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth,not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
4:1  Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven."

Introduction:
The past couple of posts have looked at several ideas related to how the Christian functions in the work place. 

Viewing one's job as a vocation or calling
We have learned the idea that the jobs in which we work as Christians are to be viewed as a "vocation" or "calling from God" to serve and love one's neighbor as oneself. The context in which we hear God's calling to go and be a blessing is what we call a "station". 

The ability to do one's job comes from the Spirit's enablement or "anointing"
The ability to perform what is necessary to "get the job done so-to-speak" is the anointing power of the Holy Spirit. This "inner anointing" is provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit for every Christian to carry out their jobs with discernment and direction. Today's post aims to take all we have looked at as background information and simply unpack the text of Colossians 3:22-4:1. 

Unpacking Colossians 3:22-4:1 - How your job is your calling

What Paul writes in Colossians 3:22-4:1 is practically spiritual and spiritually practical. As a Christian works hard for the boss for the glory of God, and as the Christian employer provides a safe and equitable work environment where their employees can work and thrive, the authority of God's kingdom is made manifest. Even for unbelievers who either supervise Christian employees or the other way around, there ought to be a noticable difference in the atmosphere and demeanor of the Christ-follower. How can a Christian arrive at better understanding their job as their calling? Two insights drive the text in Colossians 3:22-4:1.

Motivation to do one's job comes from the fear of God.      Colossians 3:23
So why should employees obey their employers? Paul answers this question by noting that: "with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." The fear of God entails three motivations to drive Christians to be better employees: fear of God as leading to worship, dependance and faithfulness in one's work ethic.

a. Working hard from a heart of worship
When we fear God, it means to possess awe and respect leading to love and obedience. When Paul speaks of employees heeding their bosses, what begins as an obligatory obedience turns quickly into a willing submission. Fearing God has a way of purifying the heart, being that Proverbs 8:13 speaks of fearing God as being the hatred of evil. Whatever we fear the most will shape and mold how we think and act. When an employee is consciously aware that everything they do is in the sight of God, they operate in due diligence, whether the boss is looking or not. 

b. Working hard from dependance on God
The one who fears the Lord also recognizes that without God, there would be no job nor ability to earn a wage. Joshua 24:13 states - "And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat." 1 Corinthians 4:7 notes: "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" The heart that fears God cannot conceive of life without Him and will do all it can to maintain that conscious awareness that the Lord provides everything. Such an attitude guards a person from lapsing into pride and self-sufficiency. Only when the cross is at the center of one's fear of God can dying to self be a reality. 

There is a difference between obedience for the sake of getting a job so as to clock out or just get a paycheck versus putting one's heart into their work and knowing that in working for their employer, they are really working for their Lord. 

c. Working hard in faithfulness to God
Fear of God is vital in recognizing that one's job is a vocation or calling from God to serve Him and to love one's neighbor. In Colossians 3:24 we see reference to the believer's rewards that they will receive at the judgment seat of Christ. When Jesus comes to catch away His bride, the church, there she willl be with him in heaven while the tribulation period is occuring here on earth. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). During that time each Christian will stand before the Lord to give an account of the deeds done during their time here on earth. Included in that will be how the Christian took care of their time at work. 

To lose rewards over a matter like not working as hard as one could or slacking off when the boss was not looking ought to change how Christians work. Why? Because the Christian's heavenly rewards demonstrate faithfulness and they have something to lay at the feet of Jesus who worked for in them the desire to be faithful. (Revelation 4:10) 

So when an employee basis their work ethic on the fear of the Lord, they will come to view what they do as an expression of worship, dependance upon Him and faithfulness to Him. There then is a second motivation for arriving at viewing one's job as their vocation or calling, namely...

The Attitude at one's job is regulated by faith in Christ.   Colossians 3:24-4:1

Look at some of these amazing statements about Jesus in this text: Colossians 3:25 has Jesus being "the Lord whom you serve" and 4:1 calls Him "the Master in Heaven". We must remember that no one can say from their heart Jesus is Lord unless they have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them from salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:3) Employees and employers that have true saving faith will do what they do because of the conscious and willful recognition that Jesus Christ who saved them is also Jesus Christ who owns them. Employers have no right to treat employees unfairly. Why? In the words of one preacher I heard once say: "in Jesus they have been placed out of ownership and put into management." The company and employees under their authority is a stewardship and blessing given by Christ to them to tend for His sake. Likewise employees have no right to be dishonest or lazy. Why? Because even though they do work for their employer, Jesus is the One for Whom they are laboring. 

Truly then it can be said that for the Christian, their job is their calling as they do their work in the fear of the Lord and faith in Him. 

The Christian operating by the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the everyday world

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we got into the three callings God gives to the believer in Jesus Christ: the calling of salvation, sanctification (i.e holiness) and vocation (i.e work). We ended yesterday talking about the last calling, and the desire today is to dive a little bit further into the subject of vocation. Certainly what Paul has to write here in Colossians 3:22-4:1 deals with the matter of the work place. As I wrote a couple of days ago, the appropriate way to apply the statements made about "slaves and masters" is to view them in the modern day categories of "employee" and "employer". One of the reasons Paul is writing these words is to help readers to apply the central truth of Christ's all-sufficiency and Lordship to matters pertaining to family, to child-rearing and then of course the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". One area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate might movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

Such ability to not only model but be the presence of God in the work place derives from the spiritual authority delegated by God to the Christian.  The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian that results in them having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). Thus for example in the Old Testament, we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has so-called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. As Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."