Nehemiah 4

Here's the sermon on Nehemiah 4 I did last Sunday:

http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2011/2011-02-06%20Threats%20from%20Outside%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

here is the intro that didn't make it into the sermon:

         We began with taking a look at Nehemiah himself, whose name possibly means, the Lord, who is the comforter, or consoler of His people. Nehemiah was a man of great stature, who bore the wine-cup to the king, but greater than that, he was a man of God. From his moving prayer, we could see that he knew very well who the Living God was, and all that He had promised to His people. That because of His covenant love, no matter how disastrous the situation looked after the sin-caused exile, yet if they would turn back to Him, if they would repent and trust Him again, He would gather them back from the farthest corners, and make them His people, His children, His covenant family.

            Nehemiah although he seemed to be faultless and righteous in his own behavior, identified himself completely as one of those who had sinned against the Living God, and prayed that the Lord would restore their lost heritage. We saw that the High King of heaven, then heard Nehemiah’s continuous intercession to comfort His people, and made him the answer to his own prayer, and gave him the opportunity and resources to go and re-build the walls and gates of Jerusalem, the city of the people of God. He identified with them, interceded on behalf of them, and then decisively acted to build a home for God’s people – knowing that all this was at the very heart of the will of His Father in heaven.

            So he went with the full approval of the king, together with a small entourage, and came to the ruins of Jerusalem. Yet it was not the army of the Persian King that would rebuild the city of God, but this privilege would only be restricted to the faithful remnant of God’s people, who had eagerly returned earlier to reclaim their identity. So after a quick reconnaissance mission, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Nehemiah confronted the people, he dealt with facts of the reality of the situation that their sins had led them into, and showed them the wonderful grace of God - the “Good hand of his God was upon them”, He would lead them to rebuild what they had trampled on. As they relied on the Living God, their hands would be made strong by His Strong Hand - yet that in no way meant that there would not be very real difficulty and, as we will see more today, opposition.

            

        The people acknowledged the reality of their broken lives, and with one voice declared that they would “Arise and Build”, and so they immediately entered into the work of building the Lord’s kingdom. As we saw a couple of weeks ago, everyone, except a few who would not stoop down, built together, no matter what stage of life they were in, what their occupation was, in fact none of them were stated to be professional builders! Everyone with all their various gifts and talents, as given by the Lord, was involved in this historical task – despite the fact that it could have been a great challenge, they worked hand in hand together – they were One.

Now they were beginning to be a people, no longer just some disgraced individuals – no they would have a common identity, they were the family of God – they would no longer be lost, without a home, free to be taken advantage of by the nations around them – no, they would be secure in the will of God, and they had one purpose. 

Plus the fact that I think when Paul does Eph 6 - he's not really thinking of his Roman prison guard... but rather these guys...

Shall we start a new 'heresy'?

Here's one..

the prophets knew more, much more, than they wrote....

I think we should push this one for a while globally - and see what happens...

Attempting to make an internal-external distinction

We are all up for the inner - inside out transforming work of the Spirit

yet none of us would probably be up for anyone not coming to church, not taking communion, not service etc...

there is an external dimension to the gospel

The external dimension can i argue is the church - the corporate nature of the gospel
that means it is not the personal rituals
but the things i do corporately

I need to be transformed internally by the gospel through the Spirit
but how I receive the gospel through the Spirit is external (or alien) through the hands/words/actions of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ

the new man that we put on is as corporate as the old man (even more so)

that means as much as I am looking for internal transformation - i should get more involved in the external corporate activities of a gospel church - like corporate worship service, helping one another, teaching sunday school etc.. despite the fact that my internal heart may not WANT to do it

because it is through the prescribed acts of the corporate body - that I will see my sinfulness, and be more open to receiving the gospel - and all these are acts of the Spirit who only works in the BODY of Christ

this is also true biologically

what i need to do is to change my DNA
how I do that is by contact with other extra-cellular influences - coming from other cells
that is how DNA is altered in fact in biological growth and development

of course other things can also influence my DNA - like retroviruses
i.e. repetitive external actions of sin that ultimately re-wire my heart towards hardness

it is so interesting that we can actually 'turn on' enzymes that can fix this.. but only when meeting with certain types of healthy cells


anyway..

thus it not by the repetitive act of going to church or performing virtues i transform myself
but rather by meeting with other Christians administering grace to me in various ways that I am able to see myself clearly as they mirror Christ to me... and that causes perforations within my hard heart allowing the gospel (delivered by them) to penetrate


pls comment!?

The Great Self-Control of the Father

The Father loves the Son and has always blessed Him in and with the Spirit

So the Father loves us, and longs to bless us, but as disobedient children He has to hold back so many blessings so that we may learn to love, at the same time hold back His wrath that we don't love but hate His Son

It is as though normal Christ-time  has slowed down (decayed) in the fleshly incarnation - so much like a day is like thousand years, as the Father longs for the same wondrous eternal renewed life with all His children...as He always had...

In the church the decaying time is almost an ignored shell, as our outer flesh wastes away... but the Spirit life we live is renewed day by day - bringing it back to what it was in eternity

We live more and more in eternity to eternity as we live out the life of Christ in the church...

It also works in parenting =)

Favoritism?

Here's a fun question:

In this current age,

Does God the Father love God the Son more than the Church?

Does God the Father love the Church more than the lost?

Romance

Should every gospel pastor be an affectionate romantic at heart?
(or at least have become one!?)
___________

Dave Bish has responded here:

The evangelist must also be one whose affections are enlarged, and therefore one who searches after Christ with empty hands, sick with love. Saying with Sibbes:"Though I hear the same things again, yet I may hear them in a fresh manner, and so I may have it sealed deeper than before." And though some may say there is too much preaching of the gospel the evangelist lives by it.

Eavesdropping on the Trinity

Have you ever thought of the Bible as an archive of divine conversations? For in Scripture, we have ‘on the record’ all sorts of things that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit say to each other and about each other – otherwise private conversations made fully available to the public!

One of the earliest records we have of such a conversation reveals a discussion between the Persons of the Trinity regarding the creation of humanity: “Let us make man in our image…” (Genesis. 1:26).

Fast forward quite a number of years and we see that during Jesus’ baptism, the Father says to His Son from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). And if you want to know what else the Father said to His Son, why not start with Hebrews 1, which is kind of like a quick reference guide to some other Father-to-Son verses in the Old Testament? You could use it as an index that points to the full content of the conversation.

And during Jesus’ life on earth, we’re told that “He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7) to His Father. In Jesus’ prayers, we see God the Son pouring out His heart to God the Father—God pouring out His heart to God. Let’s just spend a few moments listening to the end of the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the New Testament:

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:20-26)

It was the night before Jesus was crucified and moments before His arrest. And yet, despite His own fears and terror at having to face God’s full fury against sin on our behalf, we see that it is concern for us that overflows out His heart to His Father in prayer.

No less amazing is the content of His prayer. It reveals the full extent of our salvation. Salvation is not about being kept at a distance, merely pitied and forgiven by the great Lawgiver. Our salvation means that we are brought fully into the very same relationship that Jesus has with His Father. We are children of God as much as Jesus is the Son of God. We’re given the very same glory that the Father gives to Jesus. We’re loved by the Father with the very same love that the Father has for the Son from eternity to eternity! The Father has sent the Son to share with us all that is His. This is the best news of the world. This is the heart of the gospel. This is what it means to be Christ-like!

Well, we’ve only listened in on a few conversations between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and explored the end of one very briefly. There’s so much more that each member of the Trinity says to each other! As with all Scripture, these have been revealed to help us understand, participate, and flourish in our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who delight to include us in the family conversations! So why not dive into the ‘archives’ and enjoy?

Arise & Build

cf. Neh 2:11-end

The New Governor of Jerusalem comes to see the remnant..
there is nothing left but a burning stump...

He takes a few men and covers the grounds.. riding in on a donkey..
this time without the whole dramatic cast of actors putting on a show

after the third day....

no this is the reality... ash and dirt...

he goes across the valley.. to the place of the serpent/dragon/jackal
to the dung gate..

how he remembered the cause and effect... how He mourned..
how easily those temporary walls were broken into

then onto the fountain with the King's pool - but no - there is only rubble

now then .. returning through the valley

He speaks to the Church

"Arise and Build"

Sinful Identification Required for Empowered Service

Now there's a title..

When Nehemiah prays - he needs to :

1st - know exactly who God is - i.e. faithful, loving according to covenant, that the 70 years are up, etc...

2nd - identify completely with the church - he is utterly sinful in breaking covenant even though he himself as an individual has not done anything (or probably not even born before the exile)

3rd - then only can he be the solution to the problem

too frequently the people who think they can solve the church's problems think so because they are better than the rest - and as a result whatever they do at best does not last..

only when we know we are the problem (even though we are not), and acknowledge that before God, will God empower us to be the solution..

and of course Jesus is the fulfiller of all that ... and so we now imbibe a portion in our lives...

very interesting when you think about how God's call works...

Psalm 19

Now, I’m fairly confident that not many of us here this morning would describe looking up into the sky as a spiritually enriching experience. Yeah, we might look up to the sky for practical reasons – you know, before we go out, we might take a quick look out of a window to see if we needed to bring our sunglasses or an umbrella! Or we might appreciate the sky on a bright sunny day, or even wake up early in the morning to watch the sunrise, because it’s beautiful. At other times, well, the sky is the sky, the sun is the sun – they’re just there and we don’t take much notice of them.

But did you know that apart from just having practical value and aesthetic beauty, the skies are also jam-packed and overflowing with theological significance. So much so that David cannot look up to sky without meditating on the Lord and worshipping Him.

Look at v1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Through King David, the singing prophet of Israel, the Holy Spirit tells us some deep and profound truths about creation, in particular the heavens, or the skies and all that is in them. He tells us that they are preaching a sermon!

It’s a 24-hour sermon – v2 “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” And it’s a universal sermon – “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

In other words, whether people are asleep or awake, in Plymouth or anywhere in the four corners of the earth, a sermon is being preached to all by the heavens. It’s a sermon that we cannot escape from yet… most of us probably never realised this. Until someone pointed out this Psalm to me, I never knew. This is because we've been blinded, deafened, even deadened, to this sermon by sin.

But the aim of this Psalm is not to make us feel guilty or to condemn us for being ignorant. Not at all! Instead, its aim is to tell us that creation IS preaching a sermon to us and like the rest of Scripture – look at vv7-8 – Psalm 19 aims to revive our souls, make us wise, enlighten our eyes to see what creation is telling us – to enable us to hear this heavenly sermon so that our hearts may be filled with joy.

So what exactly do the heavens have to say about the glory of God? David points us to the sun! vv4-6 – In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun… which is like a bridegroom coming forth from its pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run its course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.”

So as the sun rises from the east and makes its daily journey westward we are to think about a champion bridegroom! We know who this is, don’t we? The fact that we’re talking about the sun and a champion bridegroom is a massive giveaway! And we’ve just sung – “Sun, moon and stars in heaven cry, ‘Jesus is Lord!’”

We’ll just stick to the sun this morning. In our reading from Luke Chapter 1, Zechariah, that’s John the Baptist’s dad, he’s full of the Spirit and describes Jesus as the rising sun from heaven. And do you remember the last verse of that Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels sing? “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace, Hail… the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in his wings.” Here’s a bit of plagiarism by Charles Wesley! He nicked it right out of Malachi chapter 4v2! And in Revelation 1v16 – John sees a vision of Jesus and wrote, “His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

And just in case we’re not quite sure that Psalm 19 has Jesus in mind, let’s just turn to another Psalm where there’s a fuller description of this champion bridegroom. Please turn to Psalm 45 with me.

Do you see the title? It’s a wedding song. Let’s see who the bridegroom is – v1, he’s a king who is blessed by God – v2, he’s the most excellent of men – vv3-4, he’s victorious… A champion bridegroom! Aha! But there’s more… vv6-7 [Read]. Do you notice? This champion bridegroom is God AND he is also blessed and anointed BY God! God blessed and anointed by God. It’s Jesus the Divine Bridegroom of the Church – blessed and anointed by His Father! And if you’re in any doubt about this, check out Hebrews 1:8-9 – These words in Psalm 45 are spoken by the Father about the Son.

So back to Psalm 19 each day as the sun rises from east to west, it’s preaching Christ to us! When we look up to the skies and see the sun making it’s journey, we’re to think of Jesus, or more specifically, to think of Him as our divine champion bridegroom.

Each day the sun rises to drive away the cold darkness of night, and gives life and warmth to all creation. In the same way Jesus is the victorious king who rises to fight, defeat and cast away all the darkness of this passing world. He has fought and defeated the enemies that were too strong and mighty for us – enemies who have conquered and completely enslaved each of us – sin, the world and the devil! But Jesus has freed us from them.

Yeah the darkness did their best to snuff Him out – by nailing Him to a Cross! And for a while it did seem as if darkness had won as all creation went dark for three hours! Yet just as we witness every morning – the darkness gave it their best shot but has failed to overcome the Light of the World. For the first time in the whole history of humanity, darkness had failed to conquer and devour one of us.

And when you consider the Cross – it’s amazing that Psalm 19:5 says that Jesus rejoices to run his course! What was it that possibly compelled Jesus to go on this journey that took him to a God-forsaken death? I mean a death that drank the full fury of God’s wrath and still Jesus rejoices to run his course? Why? For what? For us – His bride – you and I! We are the joy that was set before Him that enabled Him to endure the cross, and scorn its shame, because He delights in us and rejoices in us.

You know, Jesus didn't gain victory over darkness and say to us – look how great I am! Aren't I awesome? Well He is awesome! He’s the most excellent of men! But more so because He is so gracious and generous to us! He’s not won the victory for Himself. No the Divine Bridegroom has won this epic battle for us and He proposes to us and makes a vow that has been sealed with His blood! Like in all weddings He says to us “All that I am I give to you, all that I have I share with you.”

But what have we got to give to Him other than our sin? What does He want from us in return?

Nothing! He’s done it all and made the offer before we even asked! Think about the sun. What does the earth do to benefit from the sun’s victory over the darkness every morning? Absolutely nothing! [It can do nothing to make the sun bring it's light to it!] The sun rises and the earth simply receives and enjoys its light and warmth. The sun never demands anything back! In the same way Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness demands nothing from us. He gives us all that belongs to Him, He gives us all of Himself freely. We only need to receive Him.

And in case you think you’re too evil, too wicked, too far gone, too messed up, for God to even consider loving you or saving you… again look at the sun. If you hate yourself, gaze up at the sun each day! Psalm 19v6 – It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from it’s heat. Or as Jesus Himself says in Matthew 5:45, His Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good.

Just as the sun shines its light and gives warmth to everyone and everything indiscriminately, so Jesus and salvation in him is for everyone. The Lord never ever refuses to save anyone – but just as people can retreat from the sun into the darkness, so they can retreat from Jesus and hide in darkness. But anyone, absolutely anyone, can always come out and bask in the love of Jesus.

And this is what it means to be a Christian. This is what it means to be a human being. To know and enjoy Jesus as our Bridegroom. As a friend of mine wrote on his blog recently – “The meaning of our lives is not to cower before our creator but to be wooed by our heavenly Lover.”

We’re all probably quite familiar with Jesus as King. And of course Jesus is King. I’m not denying that at all! But if we only focus on Jesus as King, and forget that He is also our bridegroom, then our understanding of Jesus would be skewed. We would find Him mighty, strong, powerful, great… but we might not find Him beautiful or lovely. We would be thankful for the things that He gives to us so freely… but we might not actually delight in Him. Or we would read the Bible looking for all the things that He wants us to do… but we won’t actually read the Bible because we want to spend time with Jesus.

Jesus is King. He is King but we are also His Queen, His Bride. He actually delights in me, in you. He enjoys us just as a husband enjoys His wife. Yes, of course there will be things to do in the family – but imagine if Steph and I only ever focused on the tasks we have to do – whenever we speak to each other, it’s only about doing the shopping, or cleaning the kitchen, or changing Ellie’s nappy, who to invite for dinner – It wouldn’t work, would it? Soon, resentment will creep in, or at best, there won’t be any real joy in the relationship. But that’s not how a marriage is supposed to work. Husbands and wives are also meant to love each other, enjoy each other, delight in each other, cry with each other, laugh with each other, cuddle up with one another, be intimate with each other!

Of course our earthly marriages don’t always work out perfectly – but our divine husband actually longs to and enjoys spending time with us. Jesus is not primarily concerned about giving us a list of things to do everyday. No… more than that, He longs to give Himself to us each day, to tell us that He loves us and to ravish us! And as Jesus tells us in John 5 – Moses and the other writers wrote about Jesus so that we may come to Him. And that’s why David finds that reading the Scriptures revived his soul and gave him joy, that’s why he tells us in v10 that they are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb, because Scriptures led him to His heavenly lover.

Have you ever read the Song of Songs? It’s one of the naughtiest bits of the Bible! It’s so naughty that a when I was in school, a Muslim friend actually argued that the Bible cannot be from God because it’s got such x-rated language in it! Surely that should arouse your curiosity!

But seriously… go back and read it! It’s an amazing allegory about Jesus and His relationship to the Church! Let’s just take a sneak peek at it. Song of Songs chapter 1. You see the headings in italics – the beloved is the Church, the one who is loved. And the lover is Christ, the one who loves. So it opens with the Church longing for Christ – v2 – “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth – for your love is more delightful than wine!” And zoom on ahead to Chapter 4vv9-11 – listen to what Jesus says to His bride, feel what He feels for you – “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice! Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon!” Go away and read the whole thing!

Well, it’s so easy to forget that Jesus loves us! But Psalm 19 has given us some extra ammunition! The sun reminds us of the true Sun who gives light and life to all! So… each morning, as you watch the sun rising – or if you like your lie-ins – as you pull open your curtains to let the sunlight into your room, remember Jesus who comes forth from His pavilion for you! Let Him draw you to Himself – run into His arms, open the Scriptures and find Him offered to you, enjoy His presence and let Him enjoy yours! And then, just as the sun warms the birds and they begin to sing – so will you find praise and song rising in your heart as it burns with Jesus’ love for you!

Jesus, the divine bridegroom who loves us! This is not despite the glory of Jesus, this is not because He hides His glory or sets it aside! No! This is the glory of God that the Sun proclaims to the whole earth each and every day, till He rises once final time, never to set again!

Jesus brought great comfort, joy and laughter to me this morning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCUfxqlYxy0&feature=related

Rudimentary Thoughts on Ezra-Nehemiah

So then..

this is in exile.

The One who brings joy to the king with the new wine comes to build his people

He places the wall... (Zech implies - He is the wall)
and the gates

there is identity for the people - they are one (cf Eph)
and security

Notice He is the governor, but yet not really there..
as He prepares homes for the people in the city of God


Ezra is then sent in to the centre of it all - to rebuild the temple, to write the laws on the people's hearts
the scribe pens these things out


So we have the exterior set by Nehemiah
and the interior being worked on by Ezra

during the time - Sabbath is being established
all the bad stuff is being thrown out - (cf Zech - no Canaanites will remain)

yet Haggai makes sure we know we are not building the kingdom on earth once the new wall (cf Eph 2 and Zech - the old wall is broken and the new wall established) - but the kingdom that is to come - and this is merely firstfruits  - where there is a spreading holiness instead of spreading uncleanness


implications - identity - Neh 5 - we now no longer treat each other as slaves - we have purpose and community - there are those who would threaten it - who do not want (Neh 2) to seek the welfare of God's people
security - the security of the wall is actually the security in God's love, justification, and corporate sealing and bonding  - nothing can take us away - and in this love wickedness (Zech 4/5) is purged by the priest/king - who spreads Himself (Branch - Big Tree Jesus parable)


anything else? more? different?

Luther on Galatians

Hello,
it's Nicolai here, and I wanted to share something I found in Dr. Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians. I love the way he quotes Psalms. This is part of his comment on the verse where it says, "cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree":

Paul does not say that Christ was made a curse for himself, but for us. Christ is innocent as far as his own person is concerned, and therefore he ought not to have been hanged upon a tree. But because, under the law of Moses, every thief and criminal had to be hanged, Christ too had to be hanged, for he sustained the person of a sinner and of a thief - not just one, but all sinners and thieves. We are sinners and thieves and therefore guilty of death and everlasting damnation. But Christ took all our sins upon him and for them died upon the cross Therefore, it was right for him to be "numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).

No doubt the prophets all foresaw that Christ would become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, and blasphemer that ever was or could be in the world. Being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, he is not now an innocent person without sins, not now the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary, but a sinner who carries the sin of Paul, who was a blasphemer, an oppressor, and a persecutor; of Peter, who denied Christ; of David, who was an adulterer and a murderer and caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord. In short, Christ bears all the sins of all people in his body. It was not that he himself committed these sins, but he received the sins that we had committed; they were laid on his own body, that he might make satisfaction for them with his own blood (see Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 20:18-19). Therefore, this general sentence of Moses includes Christ too (even though in his own person he was innocent), because it found him among sinners and transgressors - just as the magistrate takes a man for a thief and punishes him when he finds him among other thieves and transgressors, even if he never committed a crime himself. Christ was not only found among sinners, but of his own accord and by the will of his Father he was a companion of sinners and took upon himself the flesh and blood of those who were sinners and thieves and plunged into all kinds of sin. When the law, therefore, found him among thieves, it condemned and killed him as a thief.

Some people will say it is quite absurd and slanderous to call the Son of God a cursed sinner. I answer that if you deny him to be a sinner and to be cursed, you must also deny that he was crucified and died. It is no less absurd to say (as our faith confesses and believes) that the Son of God was crucified and suffered the pains of sin and death than to say that he is a sinner and cursed and the greatest of all sinners (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). He is truly innocent because he is the unspotted and undefiled Lamb of God (John 1:29). But because he bears the sins of the world, his innocence is burdened with the sins and guilt of the whole world. Whatever sins I, you, and all of us have done, or will do later, are Christ's own sins, as truly as if he himself had done them. In short, our sin has to become Christ's own sin, or else we will perish forever.

Isaiah says of Christ that "the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). We must not make these words less than they are. In these words of the prophet, God is not playing games but is telling us earnestly and out of great love that Christ, the Lamb of God, would bear the sins of us all. But what does it mean to bear them? If it menas Christ is punished, why is he punished? Is it not because he has and bears sin? The Holy Spirit tells us in Psalm 40 that Christ has sin: "My sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head" (verse 12; see also Psalm 41:4 and 69:5). The Holy Spirit is speaking in the person of Christ and clearly says that he had sins. This testimony is not the voice of an innocent, but of a suffering Christ who took upon him the person of all sinners and therefore was made guilty of the sins of the whole world.

Christ, therefore, was not only crucified and died, but also (through the love of the divine majesty) sin was laid on him. Therefore, Paul is quite right to apply this general statement of Moses to Christ. Christ was hanged on a tree; therefore, Christ was cursed by God.

It is an extraordinary consolation for all Christians to clothe Christ with our sins, to wrap him in my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole world, and so to behold him bearing all our iniquities. Seeing him like this will easily overcome all ideas of justification by works. If we think that faith adorned with love takes sins away and justifies us before God, we strip Christ of our sins, make him innocent, and charge and overwhelm ourselves with our own sins and look upon them not in Christ but in ourselves. This makes Christ utterly useless to us. If it is true that we take away sins by obeying the law and by works of love, then Christ does not take them away. If he is the Lamb of God cursed for us, we cannot be justified by what we do. God has laid our sins not upon us, but upon his Son, Christ, so that he, bearing the punishment for them, might be our peace, and so that by his wounds we might be healed (Isaiah 53:5). Therefore, they cannot be taken away by us. All Scripture bears witness to this; and we also confess it in the articles of Christian belief when we say, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who suffered, was crucified and died for us."

Merry Christmas =)

John 1:1-18 Christmas Planned Before Creation

Christmas is in the air! Well, down at Drake’s Circus, all along New George Street and across Armada Way, Christmas has been in the air pretty much since September! The shops have been making sure we’re well prepared for Christmas.

They all claim to have the perfect present – whether it’s a warm pair of gloves, the latest mobile phone, a must-watch DVD, or the best-selling book…

And M&S – they’ll tell you that you need the perfect turkey – and surprise surprise, they actually sell them! – along with all the trimmings that you must have if you’re going to have a perfect Christmas dinner.

Well, all these things aren’t bad in and of themselves! Don’t get me wrong… I’m definitely not against presents so if you’ve brought me any… do pass them on! And food – man Jesus enjoyed eating so much that people accused Him of being a glutton! And myself – I’m looking forward to being more stuffed than a turkey!

But I’m sure you all know what the problem is with Christmas on the high street! Jesus is largely missing. More and more, the world is trying and succeeding in taking Jesus out of Christmas. Think about it – it’s increasingly hard to find Christmas cards. Having replaced Jesus and the nativity scene with pretty scenery, holly, bells, Santa and snowmen, it’s no longer a Merry Christmas, but a mere Season’s Greetings or Happy Winter!

According to an article on the BBC, “Recent trends have shown that Christmas is gradually becoming a traditional British holiday rather than a Christian one. It is increasingly taking on a secular and commercial character…”

Here’s what someone whom they interviewed said: “We just see Christmas as a nice celebration. I just love the atmosphere. We really enjoy all the snow, the tinsel and the carol singers. It's a lovely time of year. I especially love the build up to Christmas. There are massive amounts of present buying. We go to my parents' house and have Christmas dinner with crackers and on boxing day all the family come round with the kids and we have another meal. The house is decorated with trees, stars and we always watch Christmas TV… We do everything to do with Christmas, except celebrate the birth of Jesus.”

Thing is… if we take Christ out of Christmas, then we no longer have Christmas. We can call it whatever we want, but it just won’t be Christmas that we’re celebrating!

Well, we’ve all battled the cold and icy roads to get to church tonight. It’s a great opportunity – you know, before it all goes a bit mad tomorrow – to just regain a sense of perspective as to what Christmas is about and why we should indeed celebrate it wholeheartedly and lavishly!

Unlike that lady whom the BBC interviewed, Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Yet, we’re not merely celebrating the birth of Jesus in the same way that a Muslim might celebrate the birth of Muhammad or a Buddhist the birth of Buddha.

Look at John 1vv1-2 – In the beginning was the Word [it’s one of the many important titles for Jesus], and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Jesus did not begin to exist on that very first Christmas Day, He didn’t begin to exist when He was first conceived in His mother’s womb! No… in the beginning, before anything or anyone else existed, Jesus was already there. As the eternal Son of God, Jesus has always existed with His Father and the Holy Spirit.

And Jesus is the creator of everything. vv3-4 – Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life and that life was the light of men.

Right in the beginning, on Day 1 of creation, the Father sent Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to create everything. Even before the sun – S-U-N – was created, Jesus was already the true life and light to all creation – sent to be the creator and sustainer of everything. Right now, we’re breathing because Jesus keeps us breathing, our hearts are beating because He makes sure that they’re beating. And tomorrow, as we open our presents and feast with family and friends, we’ll be enjoying the gifts that Jesus has lavished on us.

So this evening and all day tomorrow, we’re not merely celebrating the birth of some founder of religion. Jesus is the founder of the universe and at Christmas, we’re celebrating the day Jesus, the divine, eternal and powerful Word of God became one of us.

Quite a few years ago Joan Osborne sang “What if God was one of us?” It wonders and speculates what it might be like if God was one of us. Thing is, she didn’t have to speculate or guess. Christmas reminds us that God is one of us! John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Begotten Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God is one of us! The eternal Son moved into the neighbourhood and lived among humanity – walking, talking, sleeping, eating, laughing, crying, even dying! God has been seen face to face, seen for who He is and what He’s like.

Have you got any questions about God? Are you searching for the Living God? Go to the only place where He may be found. Go to Jesus, the Word who has been sent by the Father precisely to make Himself known to us. Without Jesus, God is silent. Without the Light that gives light to all men, we can only grope around in darkness.

Now, as it has always been, all questions about God find their answers in Jesus – John 1v18 – No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only Begotten Son, who is at the Father’s side, [He] has made Him known.

So the question is not ‘what if’ – but ‘why’? Why did the Father send the Son to become one of us? Why did the Father communicate Himself to us in Jesus?

We’re probably familiar with how Jesus was sent to bring us salvation – forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. These are awesome things that we desperately need – they are part and parcel of salvation, but compared to the full extent of God’s gift to us in Jesus, they’re like the wrapping paper and box around the full gift, they’re like the trimmings around the turkey! Because more than forgiveness and living forever, salvation is about being brought into the family of God, brought into the Trinity – John 1v12 – to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God.

I wonder if you’ve thought about salvation or Christmas is such a way before? Christmas was planned from before the creation of the world. In fact, the world was created so that Christmas could take place. The world was created as a family home for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and they want to share this home with humanity!

And it’s not because they are looking for a bunch of slaves to serve them and pander to their every whim and fancy! That’s not the kind of God that we see in Jesus at all! No… the Father, Son and Holy Spirit wants us to share their home as part of their family.

And for that to happen, Jesus was sent to become one of us. When Christmas happened, God became our blood relative! In His physical body and by the Holy Spirit, Jesus has brought God to us and us to God. And when that happens, when we’re part of the family of God – then we share in the eternal love that the Father has for the Son.

Unlike the Santa who’s coming to town in that song, when Jesus came to town, He doesn’t frown upon those who pout or cry. Instead, He shared in all our sadness and tears! This means that even if Christmas is a hard time for some of us – it’s ok. We’ve got a God who knows exactly what we’re going through and feels for us. May you know the comforting peace of Jesus even this Christmas.

And unlike Santa, when Jesus came to town, He didn’t come with a list that he’s made and checked twice. He wasn’t bothered about who’s naughty and nice, or who’s been bad or good. Jesus didn’t come to reward boys and girls who’ve been good or to put coals in the socks of those who’ve been bad. When Jesus came, He was sent by the Father as a gift to ALL – that all may share and find rest in the very same love that He has for the Son!

We all know we’re more naughty than nice, we’re more bad than good – but no matter. As children of God – the Father’s pleasure, delight and love rests on each of us. And right now, what He says to Jesus, He says to each of us, who have become His children – You are my child whom I love, with you I am well-pleased. Every nano-second of every day! And I’ll never ever disown you! Not on your life!

What wonderful peace, joy and assurance! How wonderful, kind, beautiful, gracious and loving is the true and living God! May all of you know, enjoy and be comforted by God’s gift of Himself to you this Christmas – maybe even for the first time! To all who receive Jesus, to all who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God!

Happy Christmas! Amen!

Heavenly Signs

Joel 2:31   31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 

Interestingly the moon turns to blood red when the world casts its shadow on it....

A solar eclipse however is when the moon comes between the world and the sun...

So then.. what does that mean ? =)

Spiritual Blessings

What is a spiritual blessing? (cf Eph 1)

In the talks below:
http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/12/one.html

What i said was this:

"I'm going to give someone a spiritual blessing right now

Who wants to volunteer?

(a guy comes up to the front)

(I stretch my arms and do some finger exercises)

Are you ready?

You have no idea what I'm going to do - do you? \

Ok - come closer... closer...

(I give him a big hug)

Brother, I appreciate you so much for being a great friend-in Christ this year
thank you for doing ... and ... (specific to the guy)
I love you man
Thanks to Jesus

(he sits down)

There.. I have just given you a spiritual blessing, in Christ - even - in the heavenly places"


What do you think? =)

Planning for Leviticus

Help! I know it's only Christmas, but of course even as we think about the birth of Jesus, His death is not far from our minds! So, our church is already planning for Easter and I've been given a 5-week series on Leviticus. I've got some ideas but any suggestions will be very helpful, especially with titles, since we'll be printing term cards soon and I'm sure I'll be asked for them. Am struggling for catchier titles. But here's what I got so far...

Overall Series Title: Lent with Jesus in Leviticus

Exodus 40: Building Blocks (aim is to have tabernacle as the context, with Leviticus showing us what must take place for man to enter into the Most Holy Place)

Leviticus 1-7: Jesus: Our All-Sufficient Sacrifice

Leviticus 8-10: Jesus: Our Great High Priest

Leviticus 16: Jesus: Our Man in Heaven

Leviticus 23: Jesus: Our Reason to Celebrate / Our Cause for Joy[ful Celebration] / Our Joy

One - Theme Song

This was our theme song for the camp (from Stuart Townend)

I have seen a mystery, 
The hopes of prayer and prophecy, 
And rising from all peoples see, she comes.
Rescued, ransomed, lifted up, 
Crowned with mercy, clothed in hope, 
The object of all heaven's love, she comes.

It is the church, 
The hope of all the world, 
And here I fix my heart and hand, 
I cannot turn away!
It is the church!
The passion of God's Son, 
The goal of history, come.
You'll see we've nearly reached the day.

And she will be all glorious;
Fitting for Him whose bride she is. 
In that day, in that day,
In that day, in that day.

It is the church...

Infant Baptism

Just did a briefing on infant baptism today

i would actually argue that not baptising a child born in a Christian (or semi-Christian) home - is tantamount to making him think that he must earn his salvation

would even go further and say that anything except raising him up with the full assurance that his Father loves him as a true child of God will cause him to backslide

though i am happy for the child to as many times as he wants - affirm and reaffirm his faith and trust in the Father seeing his own failings

i wonder if this is the problem we put on '2nd generation' Christians - we bring them up with an inherent lack of assurance

and i suspect that this is motivated by our own pride at what 'we've accomplished' as Christians ourselves (think of the disciples preventing many from coming to Christ)

to my own children i hope to always tell them - you are children of God - 100% true... you never have to doubt this... but He would love to hear you affirm it everyday

One

5 days on Ephesians - mainly chapters 1 till mid 5 - to 13-18 year olds
(just a note - Singaporean 15 year olds are very well behaved and pretty educated.. =) )

Theme: One Lord, One Love, One Family

Excuse my Singaporean-ese and you can obviously tell that it isn't scripted - so have mercy on my countless repetitions or hesitations

One Plan

One Hope

One Family

One Bond, One Body

One Bond, One Purpose

Let me know what you think...

Weakness?

2 Corinthians 12:9  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."


How does weakness tie in with gifting?

For surely the gifts of God are not given so that we can 'do' things that we are not gifted in? - that would be quite  illogical

Weakness is not about inability - weakness is about understanding that you cannot do things alone...

Inherent to our creation is our gifts, but also our need for our Father and our Brother, and fellow brothers and sisters

when we understand - we are rightly weak... and pray about weakness rightly..

"without ME you can do nothing...."

The Church in the Last Days

The last of the mini-series on 2 Tim

this one on 2 Tim 3-4:4 - http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/2010-11-28%20The%20Last%20Days%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

Previous ones are here:

2 Tim 1 (youth focus): http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/2010-07-11%20Youthfully%20Passionate%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

2 Tim 2a: http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/2010-08-15%20The%20Christian%20-%20Soldier%20Athlete%20Farmer%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

2 Tim 2b: http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/2010-10-17%20The%20Christian%20-%20Workman%20Vessel%20Servant%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

Faithfulness

To be faithful means to never walk away from a person..

therefore if we grow in faith - we keep returning to Christ, and to every person that our Father puts in our way...

Only they can walk away

The Doctrine of Revelation and Its Implications on Evangelism

Here is an essay I wrote earlier this year..

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0ByH-45su4eeRY2ZhMDcyNjktNzkyNC00YjA5LTgzMmUtOTNmM2Q0NTk2OGVh&hl=en&authkey=CNCyqvoO

many thanks to Leon for all the Karl Barth quotes... =)

comments are welcome!

Inviting the Lamb in

another fantastic sermon from Leon:

http://www.emmanuelplymouth.co.uk/
- Look for the one he does on Luke 19

the website seems to be down at the moment.. i suspect from the thousands of requests to download his sermons =)

Chalcedon

Ok.. this will really show my ignorance...

but someone please explain to me these things...

So in Chalcedon it was proposed that Christ is 1 person (proposon), 2 natures (homostasis), consubstantial with the Father and with humanity

i.e. trying to get 2 different 'models' of the incarnate Logos to agree with one another

then the monophysites are not happy with the 2 natures - and end up with 1 nature, mixed but not mixed!?

then the nestorians are not happy with the 1 person - and want to say 2 persons, but not really.. it's 1 person?!

now... in terms of how the Logos (Word) and Sarx (flesh) come together

the 2 views were... 1, the Logos is clothed with the sarx.... and 2, the Logos and sarx are 'side by side'

the reason for all this is they don't want the Logos to be 'changed' by the sarx - i.e. God cannot change

Now another question... is the idea of changing in the Logos because we have a wrong view of what it means to be Spirit and unchangeable?

would it be too wrong to say the resurrected Christ is the Spirit of God going through the Logos, into the sarx,  forming a new 'way' a new creation..

basically in an eschatological sense - how are we eventually united with the divine nature, if the Logos and sarx never interpenetrate???

or am i off track?

The Benefits about Studying in Asia

Is you get to hear Asian Christianity..

This is from China - 7th Century AD

There was a true stillness, a natural constant, and primordial void of the Most High from which the Spirit of the void emerged, the Most High Lord. He enlightened the Holy Ones. He is Yahweh who embodies the three subtle and wondrous bodies and was condemned to the cross to save the people of the four directions. From the beaten up primordial winds he created two vapours and from the grey emptiness came the sky and the earth. The sun and the moon were set and night and day arrived. He created myriad things and then people. They had the original nature of goodness and were appointed as guardians of creation. Their minds were empty, their hearts were simple and innocent and they were content. They had no desire but Satan influenced them towards glitter and gold. They fell into death and lies and the 365 forms of sin. They put themselves inside their own web of retribution. There is material gain, some think they gain blssings from prayers, and some are treacherous. They get nowhere and within the wheel of fire they find themselves burnt and obliterated, unable to return [to goodness].

Ye Su, from the three subtle bodies, became human and came on behalf of the Lord of Heaven giving the good teachings. A virgin gave birth in the Da Qin Empire [the West]. The message was given to the Persians who followed the bright light with gifts. The 24 holy Ones have given the teachings, and heaven decreed that the "Three in One Purity that cannot be spoken of" (226) should be proclaimed. The teachings can restore goodness to believers, restore dust to truth, reveal the gate of the three constants, lead to life, destroy death and destroy evil forever. He set afloat the raft of salvation and compassion so we can ascend to the palace of light and unite with the spirit. He carried out deliverence and when done ascended to immortality in daylight. He left 27 books of scriptures, revealed the workings of the Origin and gave the method of purification by water. He gathered the four radiances to be united with the void.

"The Eastern facing rites can give you the path of life. Those who choose to grow beards, shave their heads, travel on the open roads, renounce desire, have neither male nor female slaves, see all people as equal, and do not hoard material goods, are followers of My rites of purification." (226) ________________- What do you think? Good?

Salvation and Swallowing

Following a thought from here:
http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-scaffolding.html

Salvation seems to come from both inside - i.e. work within the heart
and outside - clothed with righteousness

what i suspect is the outer clothing is a corporate covering
i.e. the covenant that embraces the whole family

so Immortality clothes the church, then the Spirit penetrates the swallowed deathly flesh
and begins to crucify and transform it into a Spirit-fused flesh
(think digestion)

then what is not filled with the Spirit is spewed out of the Immortal Body - immortal as well, but in the outer darkness forever (think Adam and Eve if they were not clothed sent out of the garden)

The rest is now Spiritual Flesh - the new man/thing/creation that lives the new life for eternity

Salvation (3)

Regarding the post below...

Think about it this way..

If you are a father, are you not in someways almost totally in control of your children?

therefore if you are a good father - do you not cultivate freedom in your children to be who they should be

How much more then how Father, who will set us free to be who He made us to be
"love God and do whatever you want"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Tim Chester etc.. all talk about the person who must be free to be a person

The orphan is forced to live a stereotypical orphan life - and we can predict his behaviour - selfishness, greed, cynicism, etc..

The child is free to do anything... anything within the love and power of his Father

Salvation (2)

here's another thing i've been thinking about

we tend to debate the Sovereign God vs Free Will

but realistically - one can only have Free Will if you have a Sovereign God
it is when we work 'outside' the will of God (i.e. outside of Christ) - you are  a slave,
for all your actions are controlled by a tyrant
so you are a puppet

this is not impaired free will - but total predictability of actions - based on the nature of the slave-driver

When we are under the total control of God - initiated by His saving grace,
then we are free - free to choose, free to act, free to love, free to serve, free to make legitimate choices

i think the early NT church understood this -  especially some of the early Fathers..

so there is no tension - but it is a logical conclusion

and it happens in our families too
only when we know the total security and safety of our father, husband etc..
are we not then free?
if we are not secure, we are predictable, enslaved, controlled - and we can diagnose with pinpoint accuracy what actions we will take based on our situation
(which has many pastoral implications)

Come to the Son, let Him save you, then you are free indeed... that is the truth

Salvation

Great comments from Dave Bish here:

http://thebluefish.org/2010/11/calvinism-arminianism-and-fathers-heart.html

currently i have this theology of salvation:

Jonah 2:8-9 - paraphrased - "Those that cling on to foolish idols forsake the steadfast love (grace) that is already theirs..." "Salvation belongs to the Lord"

Relational Exegesis

So since we know that reading the Bible is mysterious - i.e. it must be revealed to you...

http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/10/two-ways-to-read.html

we then can come to a conclusion that exegesis is also relational

sometimes people are always accused of reading Scripture anachronistically..

i.e. you read it using information they did not know at the time

so examples of this are reading the OT purely Christologically

which of course can be called allegorical reading, but sometimes it's simply called 'jumping to Jesus'

or more recently - reading the gospels in the light of Paul

but exegesis is always relational - i.e. the Bible is always read in the light of something else

whether that is your own culture, your own prejudice, your own experience, etc

like history - no one can have an objective view of Scripture

theologically - your relationship is with the world, i.e. with Satan, the voice of the world - who has many facets of a split tongue

so whatever you read - you will put in your light into it

So then as much as you try to read 'just the gospels' or 'just the OT'

you are going to either put the NT into it, or something else into it

it is NOT an objective - therefore right - reading of Scripture!!

Scripture then has to be read using relational dynamics

i.e. you read, it tells you something about Jesus, then knowing that thing about Jesus, you read 'that Jesus you know' back into Scripture, at the same time, trying to discover more about Christ - pointing back to Him

of course this sounds like an impossible cyclical argument

but the Christian arguments are not cyclical - they are spiral

you either spiral upwards or downwards

so the more you know Jesus, the better you understand any part of Scripture - in the Light of Him

and then you know Jesus more.. 

of course the necessary added 'element' here is prayer

i.e. a direct communication with the 'real Jesus' by the Spirit

then the exegesis is truly no longer stationary..

because He Himself begins to correct you and push you up the spiral of knowing Him

That is how the church fits in as well,

individual exegesis is incomplete, because it cannot have the whole picture - since that is the nature of the Spirit's work - He is many-fold in His revelation of Christ

Relational Exegesis comes from communicating with the Jesus you NOW know, and Him pointing more of Himself to you (plural - i.e. the fellowship), by being there in your twos and threes - you read Him not just out of the text, but out of each other 

It is the light of Christ you see in each other that adds to the Light of Scripture - you read the text based on the relationships you know - so the more Christ-like a teacher is - the more you read Scripture according to Him

and of course the downward spiral is true as well....

So how do we read Scripture better? 

1.Put the Jesus you know into your exegesis

2. Ask the Jesus you know to help you know more about Him, starting from what you know

- therefore this will have practical consequences as He tells you to deal with things in your life before you can move on

3. Hang out with Jesus-like friends, who illuminate more Jesus characteristics into your Bible reading - their lives will help your exegesis

- and yet they will also, being Jesus friends, make sure your life is also put on track

thus you will then read Scripture rightly - pointing to Him, knowing Him and having legitimate transformation - through prayer and the church

How to be Useful?

Continuing short series from here: on 2 Tim 2

http://zionbpc.org.sg/resources/audio/2010/2010-10-17%20The%20Christian%20-%20Workman%20Vessel%20Servant%20-%20Dr%20Dev%20Menon.mp3

using this : http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/10/two-ways-to-read.html

and this: http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/my-minds-made-up-by-the-way-that-i-feel/

plus one more thing.. coming up...

Who's Wisdom

I'm still of the opinion it's the Spirit, not the Son...

here's another reason why:

Proverbs 8:1-3  Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?  2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet.  3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors:

Isaiah 42:1-2  "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

they seem to have quite different ways of operating no?

Two Ways to Read

I think i've finally figured out how this Scripture thing works:

1st - if you cannot be bothered - you won't read it - you'll just pick the verses you like... too bad for you...

2nd - what happens if you can be bothered - and you study diligently?

1st option - you study it to improve yourself (like most secular education) - inevitably you end up being a Pharisee - this can be known as the Satanic way of reading Scripture

2nd option - you study it to know Christ alone - you become like Christ, since you now are beginning to love Christ


Therefore if you read any passage,  OT, parable, NT, etc...
without going to Jesus - you inevitably become more Pharisaical
you are not reading it 'spiritually' - because that implies reading it 'relationally'

e.g.  Psalm 1
Blesed is the man,.... etc, etc right?

what were the Pharisees doing? not walking with sinners, not eating with prostitutes, etc....  Psalm 1 followed?

what did Jesus do? walked with sinners, ate with prostitutes - Psalm 1 understood in the Jesus context means to not associate with the Pharisees!

take ANY ANY ANY passage in the Bible - try it out
you will always be a Pharisee if you don't read it looking for Jesus

YET - our natural tendency IS to read it the Pharisee way (if we are bothered with studying it) - so our first conclusion to every passage is not Sola Christus, Fide, Gracia, etc..
it is always, works-based, legalistic, pride causing moralism...

Read again.. with prayer, with humility, not trying to justify yourself, but looking for Jesus to either affirm or rebuke you...

Very hard to do...

So Scripture will always always be Mysterious....

Spaced out...

here's a bit of me going bonkers:

previously i commented on Gunton's need for 'space' in the Trinity - http://youarethechrist.blogspot.com/2010/06/space.html

Now think about this...

In childbirth, the mother makes 'space' for her baby.. it is space for new life, and that new life grows until it is permitted 'to have life in itself' and comes out of the mother...
yet of course is utterly linked to the mother in various ways,
first in the milk,
then in being provided for
then in genuine spiritual relationship

therefore it is no wonder that Christ makes space within Himself for His creation - of course all this done within the Spirit

yet by Christ making space, He only does what the Father has always done, made space within Himself for Christ - i.e. Christ is begotten eternally

but by making space for Christ, He Himself gets bigger - just like any pregnant lady

So the Father always enlarges Himself even as He constantly makes room for Christ and allows Him to grow

now the Son also has for the first time enlarged Himself - and in creation we see 1 cycle of an eternal expansion in God - something the Son has been subjected to ad infinitum

no wonder then creation and redemption are but 'the corner of His robe'

practically speaking - it means as Christ makes space for us, we must enter into the darkness with Him, and let Him feed us

for others, we make space for them - but only when we ourselves are full of the seed, and filled to the full..
then can they grow within us, and we hand them over to Christ (think John 4)
yet not apart from Christ when they are in us (think John 5) for Christ is in our flesh (Gal 2)

???????????????????

Bringing in the Dove

The story of Jonah...

listen to Keller here:
http://www.allsouls.org/ascm/allsouls/static/sermons/showsermon.flow?id=11783
http://www.allsouls.org/ascm/allsouls/static/sermons/showsermon.flow?id=11784
http://www.allsouls.org/ascm/allsouls/static/sermons/showsermon.flow?id=11785
(he's basically paralleling Jonah to Romans 1-11)

then listen to Glen here:
http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/sinners-slaves-or-sons/

Now then.. Jonah the idolater amongst idolaters

Bring it back to Jesus and the context:

Matthew 12:22-45
- the demon casting
- the accusative Pharisees
- the sign of Jonah
- the evil generation that will be accused by Nineveh and Ethiopia

Make sense now?
Jonah is from an evil generation church heading to an evil generation pagan nation
Jonah's condition is the same as that of the Pharisees
Yet it is the sinners who will accuse the religious

The warning of Jesus in Matt 11 - is the most stern..

The focal point of Jonah : "Salvation belongs to the Lord"
Grace or Sheol

Jesus brings the idol out of Jonah - chp 4
Jesus brings the demons to light to the Pharisees

True grace forces out the idols - who cannot match the Living God
they do not save

Jonah.. learn the lesson - God has come in peace to the wicked

you are also in the same boat in the storm - Christ is asleep on the cushion - rouse Him and He will save

now go and save others... i release you to bring the olive branch to where?
Go back to Israel - save the church
that's why I took you out to Nineveh

Day of Rest

From "O Day of Rest and Gladness" by Christopher Wandsworth - 1862

verse 2:
On Thee, at the creation, the light first had its birth;
On Thee, for our salvation, Christ rose from depths of earth;
On Thee, our Lord, victorious, the Spirit sent from heaven,
And thus on Thee, most glorious, a triple light was given.

Elijah

I did this for a school assignment - what would you do if you saw it? How would you grade and comment it?
If you let me know I  will tell you what the aim of the assignment was.

1 Kings 17:1-6:

Firstly the name Elijah means Yahweh is God, and he points to the one who will be a forerunner or bride for Christ – the one who comes after him, Elisha (meaning Jesus is God). Elijah lived in Gilgal, meaning "whirlwind", which indicates how Elijah will be swept up in a whirlwind back to his God and Bridegroom when he finishes his ministry of the Word on earth – also since Tishbite can mean stranger. Therefore we see the stranger in the world sent to preach the Word of God, who will signal the coming of the true Word of God – which is Christ. As the New Testament agrees, Elijah is a picture of John the Baptist.

The ancient John then goes head to head with Ahab, the husband of Jezebel – the Satan figure. Here we see Christ’s bride face up to Adam, the one who sleeps with Satan. The church-Elijah then holds back the promises of God from the natural man while he himself goes to the Kerith Ravine, or the Cherith Brook. He goes to the death-river called ‘drought’, instead of the river that symbolizes life through death – the Jordan.

During her time on earth, the church will not be fed by the provision of the world – through natural means, but by the very bread brought by the winged messengers of God Himself. The raven, although an unclean animal, symbolizes - as we see from Noah – that the earth is still not yet producing fruit. And the dove of peace has not come – this is not the new creation.

Yet the Lord uses unclean means to bring provision to His people, both bread and meat, in the morning and evening – every day He is fed by the Lord Himself. So when the people of God preach the Word of the Lord, they declare judgment on the world, and withhold its blessings, while the Lord blesses them richly in secret – though the world assumes they die by the death-brook of drought – they know how to live daily on the Word alone. Elijah holds his baptismal water away from the Pharisees of the church, and he alone has true holy communion with Christ.

In a side point, we also see the ravens, though unclean, can still be used for God’s purposes. The creatures, accustomed to eating carrion, can also be made clean – to serve His purposes. But also a warning, Jesus claims that many will do things in His name, but still be unclean. We must be wary of this – that our outer works are not our assurance, but only faith in Jesus Christ.

Reversing Light and Darkness

In the sermon on the mount Jesus says:

you retreat to the darkness to do evil deeds, and come into the light to show off false goodness

this is how you create a black hole
you shine falsely while inside you are dying - and in the end - you suck the light out of everything
how great is the darkness

now do the reverse
retreat to the darkness to do your good deeds, and come into the light to show off your true evil self

That is how you create a star...
let the dust clouds be seen while you ignite from within - and then your shining will be glorious...

More Pail Grabbing

In the light of John 4 - the woman at the well


Isaiah 12:1-6  You will say in that day:"I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.  2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."  3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.  4 And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.  5 "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.  6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel." 

Grab a pail

Jesus and the woman at the well...

John 4
⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" ⁸(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)


¹¹"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?


Prov 20
 5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
       but a man of understanding draws them out.

Woman... I've come to draw your water
I have found your well is dry

Draw from Me and be satisfied...

Prov 20
⁶ Many a man claims to have unfailing love, 
       but a faithful man who can find?


John 4

¹⁶He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
 ¹⁷"I have no husband," she replied.
   Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."


You have found not just a prophet - but a faithful, righteous lover judge-King

He now reaps in His harvest:

Prov 20
 ⁴ A sluggard does not plow in season;
       so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

What is the problem?

Glen this one is for you...

from here

It is not sin that's the problem, or the wrath of God that's the problem

It is God's love that's the 'problem'

The reason God hates sin is because it destroys those whom He loves, His Son, His children and their brothers and sisters...

The problem the world faces is that it's God and Creator and Father loves it too much to leave it alone...