Like a Child

We have come to the end of another year and tomorrow I will go back to posting blogs about the book of Hebrews. Today I want to take one more look at the Gospel.
Jesus said that unless we come as little children we will not have eternal life. What is significant about being a child?
First a child is trusting. They trust without fear because they trust the person. We need to trust our heavenly Father.
A child also has simple faith. They take what is said at face value and do not spend hours trying to interpret the meaning behind the meaning.
A child is loving. Their love is unconditional. Children love their parents because they are their parents.
However there are ways that we are not to be children. Children can be selfish, self-centred. Children need to grown up. Paul says, "Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults." 1 Corinthians 14:20 Paul is not saying that we are not to come a children but that we are not to remain as children.

The Pearl of Great Price

Jesus tells the story about a man who found a pearl of great value in a field and so he sold everything he had to purchase the field. In one way I see this as a picture of the great salvation, the gospel. The gospel is free but it is so valuable that there is nothing that we could do to purchase it. We can only accept it as a gift.

Rest

Hebrews 4 gives us a wonderful picture of our salvation and the gospel. The author of Hebrews tells us that our rest is in Christ and we rest from our labours. This is a wonderful picture of our salvation. Our salvation is in Christ alone and all we have to do is cease from our working for our salvation and rest in Him.

A God with Wounds

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them, Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands, and reach here your hand, and put it into My side, and be not unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:24-29)
Someone wrote: In the presence of the wounded God, who suffered the hell of being completely forsaken by the heavenly Father on the cross for his sake, Thomas lets his demands for proof fade away. He puts no finger where the nails and the spear went in. All of his conditions for believing dissolve in the face of the self-sacrificing God of extraordinary love whose deep wounds speak to and drown out Thomas’ own woundedness. No one can put conditions on this God who is like no other in the universe.

Augustine

"He lies in a manger but contains the world. He feeds at the breast, but also feeds the angels. He is wrapped in swaddling cloths, but vests us in immortality. He found no place in the Inn, but makes for Himself a temple in the hearts of believers. In order that weakness might become strong, strength became weak." Augustine, Sermon 190.

Immanuel

Of all the names given to Christ in the Scriptures the name Immanuel is one of my favourites. Immanuel means "God with us". That is the picture of salvation. Jesus became man and dwelt among us. Christmas is the time when we remember that He humbled Himself and became a baby, a baby so helpless that another had to carry Him, feed Him, dress Him and protect Him. That is our God. He began man so He could save man. He is Immanuel, God with us. That is the gospel.

Camel

Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through an eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. A number of years ago someone started the story that there was this gate in Jerusalem that was called an eye of the needle. The story goes that the gate was too low for a camel to enter except that it went on his knees. The person then said that it was the same for everyone. As nice as this story is it is not true nor does it give an accurate picture of the gospel. There is no gate like this but more than that it misses the picture of the gospel. If it was possible to enter by our own efforts even if it meant humbling ourselves and crawling through on our knees then it would not be the gospel but rather human effort. It is totally impossible for anyone to be saved except by God Himself.

Marriage

One of the pictures of salvation is marriage. Now we must remember that marriage is a picture of Christ's relationship with the church. As part of the church we are Christ's bride. He has chosen us. That is one reason why we have no right to redefine marriage to suit us or our society. God has ordained marriage because it is a picture of the relationship of Christ and His church.

Personal but not Private

In today's world we will often hear people say that our religion should be private but that is not the Gospel. The Gospel is always personal but it is never private.
There is a wonderful story in 2 Kings 5. Naaman is the king of Syria's right hand man but he was leprosy. A simple servant girl tells him that there is a prophet in Israel that can heal him. Naaman goes to Israel and is healed (you can read the story in 2 Kings 5) but then what does he do? Instead of saying my religion is private so I do not want to face those terrible pagans in Syria let me stay here or saying my religion is private so I will continue to do what I have always done but in my heart I know differently. 2 Kings 5:17, 18 "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD. But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."
What is he saying? He said that when he went into the temple of Rimmon he would bow down but he would make it known that he was worshipping the One and Only true God. TO do this he took dirt and he spread it on the ground where he knelt down so everyone knew that he was worshipping the God of Israel.
Naaman was unlike Mario Cuomo the former governor of New York who said that his faith told him that abortions were wrong but as an elected official he would not allow his religion to interfere with his practice.
So where do we spread our dirt? How do we take our faith into the market place? into the place where we work, go to school, etc?

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Some people treat the Gospel as Chicken Soup for the soul. However, the Gospel is not Chicken soup to make us feel better but to change us completely from the inside out. The Gospel is not to make us feel better but to be better. This is not possible by ourselves but only through the power of the cross.

We need the Gospel everyday.

So what is the Gospel? Let me list the important points.
1. No one is righteous by observing the Law
2. You can be righteous before God apart from the Law
3. This righteousness is received through faith in Jesus Christ
4. This righteousness is available to everyone on the same basis
5. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ are justified freely by God’s grace
6. We are justified through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus
7. God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement
I need to hear the Gospel message everyday. Sometimes I think that I can be righteous by keeping the Law and I forget that I am righteous apart from the Law. Every day I need to live my life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His death was sufficient to meet the requirements of my judgment under the Law. Thank you for the Gospel.

Repentance

Yesterday I wrote about a couple that my wife and I were discipling. As I said yesterday, when he began the course he was not a Christian. Whenever we asked him why he told us that in order to become a Christian he needed to repent. He told us that repentance was the most difficult thing that he ever had to do because it involved changing the way he thought about everything.
One night I suggested that he read C. S. Lewis's book, Mere Christianity. That Saturday his wife was at a church yard sale and there she found a copy of the book. He immediately read the book. However this only confirmed in him the need for repentance and the difficulty in repenting.
One night we showed up for the discipling course and his wife told us that he had something to share. He told us that he had become a Christian that day. What changed his mind? He said it was a matter of letting God deal with the situation he was facing regarding his work and whatever the consequences of his decision he would leave it to the Lord. Immediately the burden was lifted, he was able to repent and God came into his life.
Once again they taught us the lesson that it is only the Holy Spirit that can bring repentance and without repentance there is no salvation.

Let the Holy Spirit do the work

My wife and I had the privilege of discipling a couple in the faith. The interesting part was when we began the discipling she was a Christian but he wasn't. However, he wanted to do the discipleship because he wanted to be a Christian. You may ask what stood in his way. That is what I will address tomorrow.
As we discipled this couple we saw many areas in their lives, especially hers as she was a believer, that needed to be addressed. Sometimes my wife and I had to bite our tongues to keep from doing the work of the Holy Spirit. If we had told her that she should stop doing this thing or that thing then she would have but there would not have been the conviction. By keeping quiet and allowing the Holy Spirit to address those issues in His time she not only overcame them but she had complete victory over them. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to do the convicting and we do the discipling.

Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts passed away on Tuesday, December 15 at the age of 92. In his early ministry he preached the gospel as well as having a healing ministry. In fact one of my godly uncles took his crippled daughter to an Oral Roberts healing service. In later years the influence of humanism seemed to take over his ministry and he became a health and wealth preacher. The health and wealth gospel is not the gospel of Jesus Christ but rather a humanistic gospel. The gospel calls us to surrender everything for Jesus Christ, not to grasp for more.

Humpty Dumpty

Ever since man fell they have been trying to put himself back together again. Only the Creator can fix what is broken. We need to quit trying and go back to the Creator, that is the Gospel message.

Self-justification

Christians have talked about works righteousness but maybe self-justification is a better term. Self-justification includes works righteousness but it also includes those who are not Christians but they still try to justify themselves through exercise, diets, clothes, cars - after all if you look good you will feel good, and if you feel good you must be good.
Works righteousness is much the same. Our works make us feel good about ourselves and therefore God must feel good about us. Besides He owes us because we have done much for Him.
Over against self-justification is Christ justification the only true Gospel.

Adoption

It is amazing that God has redeemed us, forgiven us, justified us but He has also made us members of His family through adoption.
Adoption is a legal action that makes us instantly His children with full rights as heirs. There is nothing that we do to obtain our standing, it is by grace alone. Paul writing to the Galatian Christians says, "That we might receive the full rights of sons."

That is not what I am praying for.

I have a friend whose wife left him. Everyone he meets he tells the story and says that he does not understand why she left. He asks everyone to pray for their marriage. When he told me I told him I wasn't going to pray that their marriage would be restored as much as that is my wish and his desire. He was surprised until I told him that I would pray that the joy of the Lord would be restored in his life. If we pray for his marriage to be restored and it is then he would stop short of what God wants for him. By praying that he would have the joy of the Lord renewed then when that prayer is answered everything else is bonus.

Who needs grace?

There is a tendency within the evangelical church to day to down play God's judgment and talk about love and grace. Love may be easy to talk about when you down play judgment but how do you teach grace? Grace makes no sense if there is no judgment. The Gospel is all about grace because we are deserving of the judgment of God. The law is not anti-law. People need to see why they need the gospel.

Why do we come to Christ?

There are two reasons that bring people to Christ. The first is to find fulfillment and the second is to glorify CHrist. The first can come from two totally different perspectives but the reason is the same, humanism. We hear wonderful presentation of the invitation such as "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."
THe moralist, religionist says "Come to Christ so you can behave better." People are urged to live up to the commands. We then can point to that person and say how God has changed him or her and as proof of that we point to their behaviour.
The relativist says come to Christ and be fulfilled. People are urged to follow His example but again this is humanism. Again this is humanism.
THe Gospel says that we are to come to Christ so that He will be glorified.
I have heard people say, "Wouldn't that person make a wonderful CHristian." No one can make a wonderful Christian, only Christ can. When we say that a person would make a wonderful Christian it is true but we must be careful not to do it from a humanist point of view but that it would bring glory to Him.

Guilt

How does a relativist deal with the guilt problem? Loosen up, you decide what is right and wrong, don't be so hard on yourself. Why should you conform to those standards if they only make you feel guilty.
How does the religionist deal with the guilt problem? Tighten up, you need to repent of your guilt feelings. The only problem is that now we feel guilty for feeling guilty.
How does the Gospel deal with the guilt problem? Yes you are guilty but your guilt has been covered by the blood of Christ. He took our sins, he bore our guilt. When you feel guilty we just have to look to the cross and know that the there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
A person may say that God cannot forgive them. Their god may not forgive them as idols cannot forgive only the God of the Gospel can and has forgiven.

The Law and the Gospel

In the book, Keep In Step With The Spirit, J. I. Packer says the following:

"To be sure, the Christian keeps the law nonlegalistically, from life rather than for life, not for gain but out of gratitude. He obeys God not as a sinner trying to win salvation, but as a son of God rejoicing in the gift of salvation that is already him. He never forgets, however, that like Paul he is 'not free from God's law but ... under Christ's law."

The picture shows my son Andrew with J. I. Packer.

Children

What happens when our children mess up? Do we become angry because they brought shame upon us? Are we angry with them because we taught them better than that? Notice how quickly we are thinking about ourselves rather than the shame they feel or the shame that our Lord feels.
when one of our children messed up at first I was hurt, then I was angry, angry at the child for bringing shame upon our family but my wife taught me an important lesson. At that time we are to extend grace just as our Lord extended grace to us. When we did that the problem did not go away but the Lord took the problem and made it a blessing, a greater blessing than we ever expected.
THe moralist would react as I reacted at first but the Gospel tells us what my wife told me. THank you for that lesson.

Abraham and Isaac

For moralists or legalists suffering is a problem and when you suffer then God is in your debt. However when it is by grace alone then you are always in His debt. In the movie of the Bible Isaac asks Abraham when he is about to be sacrificed on the altar, "Is there nothing He cannot ask of you?"

Racism

Is racism against the Gospel? THe gospel never says we should not be racist. Why not? THe problem with saying racism is wrong is that we look at others who may be racist and feel superior to them. We become anti-bigot bigots. The Gospel says that we must not think of ourselves better than others. Anti-racism works on the outside while the Gospel works on the heart.

Breaking the rules

What should a Christian (or anyone) do when the break the rules? The legalist will say that you must repent. You better change your behaviour. However the problem is that we cannot change our behaviour. We can for a time but when we mess up again then we have a guilty conscience.
The relativist says, "lighten up. You are too hard on yourself. Loosen your standards. You don't love yourself enough." The problem is that it is not true. We are not too hard on ourselves, we probably love ourselves too much.
The Gospel asks us if there is anything more than Christ in our hearts. Is our sin more important than Christ? If it is not then Christ will give us the victory over sin. The gospel deals with the heart issue not behaviour or emotions.

Professing or Possessing

May professing Christians are not believers at all. They have heard so many preachers and teachers say, "immorality bad, morality good" that they think that if they are moral then they must be a Christian. Now it is not our job to seek them out but rather to keep presenting the gospel and they will soon know if they are truly saved or not. That is why it is important that our teaching and preaching must always be Christ centered and the Gospel must be presented.

When is enough enough?

If you take a works righteousness approach to salvation rather than the Gospel approach then there is only so much that God can ask of you. The legalist, moralist will question why God is doing to them what He is doing. However, when we understand that the Gospel is by grace alone and nothing that we have or can do then there is no limit to what God can ask of me or expect of me.

Propitiation

Propitiation is term that describes that God is appeased. Jesus Christ is our propitiation for our sins. There are two wrong ways of looking at this. The first is that the legalist or moralist does not think that God has been appeased while the relativist feels that there is no need for propitiation. The relativist says that "God loves everyone". The question we need to ask them is "What did it cost your God to love you?"
Christians love to talk about Grace but is there any understanding of grace if there is no judgment for sin? Why should we talk about grace unless we believe in the fact that God will judge the world.
The legalist on the other hand does not believe that Christ's death on the cross was sufficient to propitiate God's wrath against sin and therefore we must do something to help appease Him. Both of these views rob the Gospel of its truth.

Cart before the horse

Most Christians believe that their sanctification is based upon their justification but functionally we live as if we base our justification on our sanctification. Let me tell you what I mean.
We know that we are saved by grace (justification) and there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation. Our sanctification is also by grace because we are justified then we are sanctified. However,we base our justification on our sanctification. We feel that we are justified because we are living right rather than knowing that we are living right because we are justified. Hope that makes sense.

Three ways to live

Most people look at life as two ways to live. You can either be relativistic or moralistic. However the Gospel is neither. It is neither religious or irreligious, moral or immoral. Both religious and irreligious, relativistic or moralistic is external while the Gospel turns everything inside out. That does not mean that Christians are irreligious or not moral but rather they know that their salvation is not dependent upon that but upon the person of Jesus Christ and His imputed righteousness. Imputed to us by grace.

The Gospel

We have taken a break from the normal Sundays at Six so I won't be writing about Hebrews until the New Year. I would like to spend time in December contemplating the Gospel. I want to really understand the Gospel so that every time I teach I can be sure that the Gospel is being taught. I have taught Adult Christian Education for over thirty years but in the past few years I have become so much more aware of the importance of Christ centred teaching.
Some would be quick to point to I Corinthians 15:3 - 4 to explain the Gospel and it is the Gospel in a nutshell. We must remember that the Gospel is about Christ. He came, He was crucified, He was buried, He was resurrected, and He was seen of mankind.
I would appreciate any insights you have regarding the Gospel. The writer of Hebrews warns us saying, "How can we escape if we neglect so great salvation."

Melchizedek

We first met Melchizedek in Genesis 14. Abraham was returning from his battle with Kedorlaomer in which he had rescued his nephew Lot. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.

Melchizedek is mentioned in history as we read the account of his encounter with Abraham in Genesis 14. He is a real person but very little information is given about him. Take time to read the story in Genesis 14:18 – 20.

Melchizedek is also mentioned in song. In Psalm 110 the Lord makes a prophecy regarding the Son when He says that He will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

In Hebrews we see the argument developed that shows that Jesus is superior to Aaron because His priesthood is not temporary and conditional as was Aaron’s but permanent and unconditional.

One final note: Jesus was not made like Melchizedek but it was the other way around.

God's Word

I listened to a man who smuggled Bibles into North Korea. Those people are so grateful to get a Bible and we take it for granted. Some would give up meals and walk miles to get to even hear God's Word and we cannot even be bothered to bring our Bibles to church. We should be ashamed.

Looking for a Priest

I haven't written for over a week because I was in BC attending the Bibles for Missions board meeting and the Bible League of Canada's ministry day. I have a few thoughts regarding that day that I will share on another day.
A priest is one who intercedes to God on behalf of the people. Now I believe in the priesthood of all believers and we don't need someone to intercede for us but there are many people who come to one of us and asks us to pray for them. They feel that they need a priest to intercede on their behalf. As a Christian we should always be ready to stand in the gap for others.

If or Since

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Hebrews 3:14
Someone said that the word "if" should be translated "since" but as I checked other translations the word is "if" not "since". Now it would fit our doctrines much better if the word was "since" but it is a conditional phrase and we are told that we have come to share in Christ if... Does this sound like works-righteousness? However, we need to be reminded that we can only work out what God has worked in. Do we not like the word "if" because it challenges our doctrine?

Sabbath Rest

I heard a speaker on the computer explaining the Sabbath rest. He said that because each day was as a 1000 years then we are now entering into the Sabbath. He went on to explain that the Sabbath was to be observed because of this. He missed one important point and that is why he drew these conclusions. He missed the point that the Sabbath was fulfilled in Jesus. He is our Sabbath rest.

Backwards

Today I was reading from Ephesians 6 where we are told to put on the whole armour of God then we are to stand. My rational mind tells me that this is backward. Shouldn't we be given the armour by God and then told to go and fight? It really shows that God's ways are different than our ways. We are told to do something, put on the armour, then we are told to do nothing but stand. In my study of Hebrews I am reminded that there is much that we are to do but it is only by God's grace that we can do it. This certainly isn't works righteousness. He tells us what to do and then He does it through us.

Come

Watch this powerful video by Paris Reidhead who talks about salvation is a person not a plan.

Now but not yet.

I was on the hot seat Sunday night as I described salvation as now but not yet. I said that there was a future aspect to salvation and some disagreed with me. Let me explain.
Salvation is definitely anchored in the past. There was a time when we were adopted into the family of God. This is the beginning of salvation. However, there are many who claim to have made that commitment but have not continued on. For salvation to be secure we must persevere to the end. Some call this works righteousness but it isn't because it is only by the grace of God that we can persevere to the end. Others criticize it because they say that no one will have assurance of salvation if this is the case but that is also not true. If you are running the race, pressing on to the end, then you know that you have eternal life.
How can anyone begin the race by looking to Jesus and then not look to Him any longer. As the writer of Hebrews says, "How can we escape if we neglect this great salvation." Remember, salvation is a person not a plan and that person is Jesus.

What is man?

When man was created by God he was created in the image of God and was given dominion over creation. However, because man sinned that image was marred and the dominion that was once his was shaken. But there was a second man, not created but begotten, the Son Christ Jesus and because of Him man can one day be restored to what was the Genesis 1 man.

Angels and the Law

One of the reasons that the Jewish people held angels in such high regard was that it was believed that the Law was given to Moses by the angels. C.f. Galatians 3:19 and Acts 7:53. If the author of Hebrews was going to show that Jesus was our high priest and our saviour he had to show that Jesus was superior to angels.

Did an angel save a girl from dying in hospital?

I watched this video new clip from NBC news and then I thought again of Jesus who is superior to angels. Was this little girl saved by an angel? Was the angel worthy of being worshipped? Scripture would tell us that if this girl was saved it would only be by Jesus and He alone is worthy of being worshipped. Watch the news clip and tell me what you think.

Angels are popular today

Angels are popular today but there is so much false teaching or understanding about angels. From movies to commercials we are fed false information.
In City of Angels, Nicolas Cage plays an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman and chooses to become mortal himself. In Michael, John Travolta is an irresponsible angel who smokes, eats too much sugar, and generally behaves badly. In countless other films, angels are shown helping humans fall in love or see the value of their lives (It’s a Wonderful Life) or even win baseball games (Angels in the Outfield).
How does this help us understand the Biblical teaching regarding angels as ministering spirits.
The popular show Touched by an Angel depicted a group of angels doing God’s will by helping people on earth. Many Christians loved that show because it was so positive and talked about God and emphasized the importance of making right choices. But how much did it talk about Jesus? And if a show about angels gives people the idea that they can get to heaven with the help of some wonderful angels but without Jesus, is it doing more harm than good?
The writer of Hebrews deliberately talks about angels and in doing so he shows us that Jesus is superior to angels. Angels are not feel-good beings they are messengers of God to show honour and glory to the Son, Jesus our Saviour.

Messianic Psalms

One question asked is, "Which Psalms are Messianic?" When you read Hebrews and see how the author of the book of Hebrews uses Scripture you would have to answer that all of the Psalms are Messianic. All Scripture is about Christ. Too often we divide Scripture so that we say that this is Messianic and this isn't but that is not the case. All Scripture speaks of Him.

Two questions

1. How could Jesus be superior to angels if He became man?
2. How could Jesus be superior to angels if He died?
In the remainder of Hebrews 2 the author uses various Scripture references to show that He was superior. In particular he quotes Psalm 8. He shows how Jesus though He was made lower than the angels He was crowned with glory and honour. He goes on to show that it was necessary that He died so that we could be redeemed.

Jesus Superior to All.

In this section the author shows us that Jesus is superior to the angels because He is God. He has a superior relationship because He is the Son of God. He is superior because He is worshipped by the angels and you only worship One who is greater. He is superior because He is the creator and the angels are created beings. But He is also greater than the angels in His destiny. There never was or never will be an angel to whom God will say what He said to His Son, “Sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

To prove his argument the author quotes from the Old Testament. Most of the quotations are from the Psalms but he also quotes from the prophet Isaiah. His use of Scripture proves that the Old Testament is relevant and authoritative and that it applies to Christians. It also proves that the words of the Old Testament are not merely human utterances but that they are the very words of God. Finally, it shows that we can see in the Old Testament, as we study it in the light of the New Testament, a meaning and significance in its references to Christ that could not have been understood by the readers before the time of Christ.

Today we have many people who claim that they have a further word from the Lord for today. Though it is difficult to argue against these people there is one thing that we can do, we can search the Scriptures to see if their message is in line with Scripture. When Jesus Christ came He was God’s final word to man. We do not need any further revelation but what we do need is more of Jesus. When Paul went to Berea the people heard his message and they went home and checked it out with Scripture. We need to follow their example. The reason why so many people are misled today is because they don’t know their Bibles.

Better than angels

Have you ever encountered an angel? Sometimes I think we do but they are in disguise. For example, once when I was driving to Toronto on a Sunday evening the power steering quit on the car. I opened the hood and saw that the belt was off so I grabbed a wrench and put it back on. A few minutes later it was off again. As I stood looking at the car an old Ford pickup pulled in behind me. The driver said he could help me and took me to a service centre where he called a friend of his who had a garage and a tow truck. In short the friend was able to fix my car but before I was on my way the other man phoned to see if I was okay and said that he could help me by finding me a place to stay that night if I needed one. He didn't look like an angel but he acted like one. We often think of angels as being very powerful and awesome but there is one who is greater than any angel and that is the Son, Jesus Christ.

Revelation not Communication

Oswald Chambers says, "The Bible is not a book containing communications from God; it is God's revelation of Himself , in the interests of grace, God's giving of Himself in the limitations of words." He goes on to say, "The Bible does not test experience, it tests truth."

Mom and Angels

One day about 25 years ago our Pastor and I went to see mom who had just been admitted to the hospital. As we talked to her she asked us if we had seen the two little children that had been to visit her. When we told her that we hadn't she said that they had left just before we arrived. Children were not allowed in that part of the hospital. We questioned mom some more about the children and she told us that they had just sat in the chair together and never said anything. Pastor Bob asked her if they made her upset and she said "Oh no, they were there to comfort me." It was then we realized that they were angels sent to bring a frightened and sick but godly lady comfort in her time of need.
As great as angel may be there is one that is greater and that is the Son. The writer of Hebrews takes time to show that the Son is superior to angels in every way.

Our Superlative Saviour

As you read the book of Hebrews you cannot help but notice that this is an epistle of “better things”. In the first chapter we see Jesus as the better messenger; in chapters one and two we see that Jesus is better than the angels; in chapter 3 we see Jesus as better than Moses; and so the epistle continues showing Jesus as better than Judaism in every way. One thing we must notice though is that Jesus did not provide a better salvation for He is the only salvation. When Abraham was justified he was justified in the same way we are justified today. He was justified by the grace of God. Salvation is and has always been by grace alone.

As one approaches the book of Hebrews one cannot help but think of Moses as he approached the burning bush and we feel that we should take the shoes off our feet for the place where we are standing is holy ground.

Take time to read through the first nine chapters of Hebrews and take note of how the author shows that Jesus is “better”.

It is here

I have put together a study booklet for the book of Hebrews. Many people have helped with this book and my prayer is that it will be useful in our study of the Epistle to the Hebrews. I will add more about it later. Inside there are stories, prayers, background material and questions. It even includes a wonderful but heart breaking story from a fellow believer who suffered real persecution for his faith. I want to say thank you to all who helped put this together.

Incomplete

Someone once said that the New Testament was in the Old Testament concealed while the Old Testament was in the New Testament revealed. While that is true the one fact is that the Old Testament is incomplete without the New Testament. The Old Testament is about Jesus Christ but He is not revealed until the New Testament. What is the point of the Old Testament without Jesus Christ being revealed.

The Race Set Before Us.

I have just finished reading Thomas Schriener's and Ardel Canaday's book called The Race Set Before Us. This book was recommended to me by my son when we were talking about the warnings in the book of Hebrews. It certainly helped me understand the warnings better. I knew that the warnings were written to Christians but I found it hard to understand how these warnings fit with the reality that God will keep those who are His. This book answers that question.

Losing Faith

Do people really lose faith in God? Many people who lose faith do so because they had faith in faith rather than in God and then they lose their belief in their beliefs. The book of Hebrews will challenge our belief in our beliefs but if we trust the Scriptures then we can grow in our faith in God.

The Son

The first verses of Hebrews talks about the Son. It reveals a great deal about Him. He is the heir of all things, He is the creator of everything, He is the revealer of God, He is the sustainer of all things, He is the redeemer, He is the ruler and He is supreme. The book of Hebrews is about Jesus Christ. In fact all Scripture is about Him. The writer of Hebrews will make that clear in his opening arguments as he quotes Scripture to show that Jesus is supreme.

Discovering God

I just did a google search using the words "discovering God" and it turned up over a million hits. One I looked at the writer said that he had recently discovered God. He said it was no revelation or epiphany but he just figured things out. Then he went on to say that "God is a creature of the human imagination". Other sights talked about science discovering God or philosophy or ...
God cannot be discovered. He reveals Himself. You cannot do a scientific experiment and find God. You cannot find God by reason. God reveals Himself. Hebrews 1:1 says that God spoke to the prophets. They didn't discover God or God's will for the people, God revealed His will and Himself to them.

No Proof Needed

Hebrews, like Genesis, begins with the fact that God exists. No where in Scripture is there any attempt to prove the existence of God. The existence of God is like knowing the sun has risen. Even when we cannot see the sun we know that it has risen because we can see by it. Even when we cannot see God we know He exists because He enlightens our hearts and our minds. I don't have to see the sun to know that it exists. I don't have to have proof of God to know He exists. The evidence is clear.

Consistent to what?

What are you consistent to, your convictions or to Christ. If we are consistent to our convictions we may try to bring others to those same convictions. You cannot persuade people to believe in God but you may be able to make them believe in God's standard. What good is that? They may be better people, living a better life but they are still far from God. Have you ever wondered why some people can come to church, hear the Gospel and never make a commitment? We need to pray that God the Holy Spirit would convict them.

Let us ...

One of the key phrases used in the book of Hebrews is "Let us..." The theme seems to be "let us go on" but it might be better translated "let us be carried on." A safeguard against degeneration, isolation and consequential failure is to keep on. Does that sound like works righteousness? Why is it that we need to keep pressing on or we will drift? How quickly we lose our zeal if we do not do all things with diligence. Let me make one observation. Those that keep pressing on do it because they have a heart for God. It is not to earn righteous standing but because they understand the righteous standing that they press on. Those that drift often lack the commitment that they are called to.

Ask the right question

I was a teacher of Mathematics and I learned very quickly to move the lesson to the right conclusion you had to ask the right questions. Many teachers have been sidetracked because they asked the wrong question.
When it comes to the study of Hebrews it is important to ask the right question. Though the question, "Were the recipients of the letter Christians or non-Christians?" is an important question it is not the right question for interpretation of the difficult passages. I think the right question should be, "What is the author's intention?" We may not like the answer we get when we ask the right question but it avoids the problems I talked about yesterday.

Exegesis or Eisegesis

Two Greek words that are important in the study of any book of the Bible and are especially important for the book of Hebrews.
Exegesis means "to lead out" while eisegesis means "to read into". When we read and study the book of Hebrews it is easy for us to read into the text what we believe rather than allowing the Scripture to say what it means.
Exegesis is an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively, starting with the text and moving out from there. Eisegesis is to import as subjective, preconceived meaning into the text. I think this is why there is so much confusion around the warnings in the book of Hebrews. We want it to say what we believe but whatever you believe it challenges your beliefs.

Who Wrote Hebrews?

Who wrote the book of Hebrews? Many people have tried to answer that question but as Origen said, “Who wrote the book of Hebrews? Only God knows.” Many names have been suggested including Paul, Appolos, Luke, Priscilla, Barnabas, Silas and many others. Some have suggested that Paul wrote the letter in Hebrew and Luke translated it into Greek. Whoever wrote it was an educated person as it is written in excellent Greek. He was not an immediate disciple of the Lord but was well versed in the Old Testament scriptures. The author was most likely a Jew and a personal friend of Timothy. Though we don’t know for certain who wrote this epistle the original readers certainly knew who had written this letter to them. God the Holy Spirit has not chosen to reveal to us the author and though we don’t know why we can say one thing; the Holy Spirit wants us to turn our eyes away from any earthly minister and turn to “the Author and Finisher of our faith.” As we read this letter we should see Jesus.

Many people have believed that Paul was the author and some of their arguments are very convincing. I would like to give you some of the arguments that they present but before I do that I would like to give you some of the arguments against a Pauline authorship.

If this letter was written by Paul then it is the only letter that he wrote anonymously. That was not characteristic of Paul. In all of his letters that we know are his, he identifies himself as the author as well as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Another argument is that many Pauline characteristics are missing in this letter and the language is different.

These arguments can easily be discredited. This letter was written anonymously because of the people to whom it was written. They were Jews rather than Gentiles and Paul certainly would take a different approach in writing to those who were more likely to be opposed to his ministry. As for the argument that Paul’s writing was entirely different in language, one could argue that the way we write often changes as we change or the audience changes. The same argument is used against the Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles.

So what are some of the arguments for the Pauline authorship of Hebrews? First, when Peter wrote to the Jewish Christians he referred to Paul’s writings as Scripture. What writings was he referring to? I would think that it would be the only letter that Paul wrote to the same people as Peter was writing to. If that was the case then Paul would have had to have written a letter to Jewish Christians.

The second argument is that this letter along with Romans and Galatians for a trilogy based upon the test from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.” In Romans the emphasis is on the “just”; in Galatians the emphasis is on “live”; and in Hebrews the emphasis is on “faith”.

Harry Ironside says that Paul put his secret mark upon this letter. He points out that Paul is the only writer in the New Testament that closes his letters with “grace”. The book of Hebrews also closes with “grace”.

Who wrote Hebrews? Only God knows but we do know that the author wants us to see Jesus rather than some earthly author. He reminds us to “look unto Jesus.”

Starting soon

In two weeks from yesterday I will start a new series for Sundays at Six at our church on the book of Hebrews. Why the book of Hebrews? I do believe it is often neglected, except for some favourite passages such as Hebrews 11 and 12. Many have difficulty in explaining the warnings in the book. Over this next week I would like to blog about some introductory thoughts on the book of Hebrews.

Fruit or Gifts

The Bible talks about both the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The fruit is singular and all Christians are to have the fruit. The reason that it is singular is that Jesus is my love, joy, peace, etc.
The gifts on the other hand are plural as there are many gifts but one Giver. The fruit is given to glorify Christ in the life of the believer while the gits are given to build up the church. Though all Christians have at least one gift many times they are not obvious to others.

There are some very gifted people who do not display the fruit of the Spirit. They become arrogant and proud, they are unloving and impatient. However, because they are lacking in the fruit of the Spirit they bring glory to themselves and not to Christ.
Many times churches are looking for a pastor who is gifted but they need to concentrate on the one who shows the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

Wild fire or controlled fire

Mike has been teaching about the Holy Spirit and there are many people who would like the fire of the Holy Spirit in their lives but they want Him as a controlled fire. The Holy Spirit is a fire but He is a wild fire that cannot be contained.

Report Card

Mike told us yesterday that Dr. Luke gave a progress report about the church and the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the book of Acts. Check these out in Acts: 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:6; 19:20; and 28:30 - 31.
So how were they doing? They did well as they depended upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not on man's plans or visions.

The Gospel and Culture

On Wednesday of this week we had the Ontario Regional Meeting for the Bibles for Missions stores of Ontario. Henk shared from the Bible League of Canada and he told us of China and India, The Philippines and Indonesia, Burma and Korea, South America and Africa. Each of those places is so different and the culture so diverse yet the Gospel reaches everyone. The Gospel isn't bound by culture but transcends culture. When we try and tie the Gospel to culture the both fall short. The Gospel transcends culture because the Gospel is a person, Jesus Christ.

Help please.

As a Christian I can understand suffering in the world but how do you explain suffering to a non-Christian? Certainly suffering seems to be evidence for God, how many people who see suffering and want there to be a God Who is able to deal with it or at least is responsible for it. Help me explain to a non-Christian how suffering points to God.

Not what I expected

On Sunday we started the mini-series on why we believe. But I wanted to take the approach by looking at the objections to Christianity. Well I was surprised. One of the main objections that the class said that people had to Christianity was the problem of suffering. However, what surprised me was that it was the question that seem to give the class members the most difficulty as well.

He just doesn't get it.

Deepak Chopra said in the Washington Post; "The Rev. Rick Warren has a record for trying to smooth the waters, but he also flirts with intolerance - toward gay marriage - and since his rational is that a "loving" God shares the same prejudices, what's to stop others with worse tempers from following the same logic? When your God hates, you have permission to hate."
Sin is nothing but a prejudice to Chopra and hate is when you stand against sin. He just doesn't get it.

You can't see through everything

Some people's approach to truth is as if they can see through everything, explain everything, approach everything as if it is relative. However there comes a time when you have to see something. What if you looked through a window and could see through the garden. What then, what are you looking at? It is like Mathematics. Sometimes you have to accept some facts as truth or you have nothing left.

A bear in the tent

I used to go canoeing and camping with my sons and sometimes we would encounter bears who would not leave us alone. If you had food in or near your tent then the bears would be there.
Suppose one of the boys told me that there was a bear in the tent. It would only take a moment for me to tell if that was the truth. However, if he said that there was a no-see-um in the tent then just because I couldn't see it doesn't mean that it wasn't there.
Likewise just because we cannot see a reason why God might allow something to happen doesn't mean there can't be one. Sometimes we may see the reason and other times we may not but because we cannot see doesn't prove that there wasn't a reason.

How do you describe an elephant?

One of the arguments against the exclusivity of Christianity is that each religion sees part of the spiritual truth but none can see the whole truth. The use the example of the blind men that try to describe an elephant by the part that they touch. One says it is long and flexible like a snake as he holds the trunk. Another says it is like a tree trunk as he feels the leg. A third says it is flat like a wall as he examines the side.

So what is the problem with this example? The problem is that it is told from the point of view of someone who is not blind. How could you know that each blind man only sees part of the elephant unless you claim to see the whole elephant?
So "how could you possibly know that no religion can see the whole truth unless you yourself have the superior, comprehensive knowledge of spiritual reality who just claimed that none of the religions have." Tim Keller in Reason for God.

More than what we believe

The next two Sundays I want to address the issue of why we believe what we believe. I think many of our youths as they leave High School and head off to university often find their faith challenged. Now they know what they believe but they don't know why so when they are challenged they have no argument to put forth themselves.
The first question that we must address is the one about the exclusivity of Christianity. Many will say that all religions are leading to the same thing and often they will go so far as to say that we all worship the same God. The argument is that we who call ourselves Christians have a superior attitude but this should never be the case. We did nothing to earn our salvation. It is by grace alone. That does not make us superior to anyone else but it make Jesus superior.

Computer Crash Therefore Change of Plans

The one who is doing the graphic layout for our study guide had a major computer malfunction on Friday therefore we have decided to delay the lessons on Hebrews for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I would like to look at some issues involving the objections that people have to Christianity. I will start listing those tomorrow.

Today we saw Jesus high and lifted up.

Today was a great day at church. This morning we sang songs of praise to God and lifted up our Lord through our praises. Brian Doerksen's video of his song "Creation Calls" was truly a time of praise to God. Pastor preached a great sermon which lifted up Jesus. I wrote a few days ago about why I didn't like church well today showed me why I love church.

New Series

Next Sunday evening we will begin a new series for Sundays at Six. This fall and into the winter we will be looking into the book of Hebrews. The book begins by telling us that God spoke in the past by prophets. The prophets were not often well received by the people and many times they were even put to death. Prophets were men (or women) who spoke God's word to man. However, when Jesus Christ came there was no further need of additional revelation as Jesus was God's final word to man.

Peace in the storm

Mike taught us about having peace in the storm this past Sunday morning. The first point was to have a proper view of heaven. The second was the presence of the Holy Spirit and the third was God's church.
Jesus told His disciples in John 16 "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." The Holy Spirit comes as our counselor and our comforter but we see Him as making us comfortable from the storm not comfortable in the storm. Often we view the Holy Spirit as a fire and He is but He is a wild fire not a controlled fire. We often want the fire of the Holy Spirit but we want Him contained in our fire place. That is far from who the Holy Spirit is. Do we really want the wild fire of the Holy Spirit?

Why I don't like Church?

Sometimes I have a love hate relationship with the church. Now don't miss understand me: I love the church but I don't want to go to church to sing about me or to hear sermons about what I am to be doing. It is those times I don't like church. I go to church to sing praises to my God and there are times when I want to praise Him for what He did for me but mostly I want to praise Him for who He is. Also, I know what I need to do. I don't go to hear about what I can do for God but I go to see Jesus. If my thoughts are not drawn to Him then why did I go? I need to hear the Gospel and though there will be times I need to be reminded of our marching orders I don't need to hear that too often but we cannot hear about Jesus too often.

The Days of Elijah Conclusion

10. We need to pray for the success of our successors.

Many works that have begun in Spirit and in power have failed after the founder has died. Most of the time this happens because the founder has failed to mentor a successor or has failed to pray for his successor. Moses mentored Joshua, Paul mentored Timothy, Jesus mentored his disciples and Elijah mentored Elisha. When Elijah asked Elisha what was his desire Elisha asked for a double blessing of his spirit. When the Lord told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted he asked for wisdom to lead his people. Because his desire was not for wealth or prosperity the Lord gave him wealth and prosperity as well as wisdom. The Lord gave Elisha the blessing of Elijah and Elisha became the most influential prophet of his time. His ministry was longer than Elijah’s and also his sphere of influence was much broader.

Whatever happened to heaven?

Yesterday Mike started his series of Sunday morning lessons on the Holy Spirit. He began in John 13 - 17 and he taught about peace in the storm. The first point was from John 14:1 - 3. Heaven.
We don't think about heaven much these days. Let me make three points why I think heaven has faded from our thoughts, our teaching, our preaching, our singing, our worship etc.
1. Affluence has brought us in this life what former generations could only anticipate in heaven.
2. A creeping paganism invites us to accept death as the culmination of life on earth, not as a violent transition into an ongoing life.
3. The older, biblical images of heaven have lost their appeal.
Take time to read Randy Alcorn's book called Heaven. He may not know everything about heaven (who on earth does) but he will challenge your thinking about heaven.

How to start a church God's way.

Today if you want to start a church you have to go into the community and do a survey. You have to plan around the "needs" of the community. When God started the church (not a church) He started it in a prayer meeting. The people at that prayer meeting had no idea what would be the result of their prayer but they knew that God was going to do "exceedingly more than they could ask or imagine". And He did. He birthed the church.
It is time for us to return to God's model and save our money by not buying all those books when we have The Book and the Holy Spirit.

The Days of Elijah Part 10

9. There will be times that others will not understand our prayers.

Often I have found that prayer meetings are a burden and I have asked myself why that is so. Prayer should be a time of great pleasure rather than a burden. What happens at so many prayer meetings is that we come with a list of requests and people expect that we will pray for those requests. How do you pray for someone who has cancer or someone who is going through a difficult time? If we pray as Paul did for the church at Ephesus we would spend little time in public praying for the physical needs and pray for their spiritual growth and their relationship with God. When an unbeliever asks for prayer and we pray for their relationship with God they cannot understand why we saw that their primary need was their salvation and not their physical need.

In Micah 6:8 the Lord tells us what is expected of us: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” If we are to act justly then we are to seek justice for all people, even those that we do not agree with. Some people will judge us that we are not seeking justice for certain groups of people but that should not be the case. If we seek justice for the unborn some will judge that we are not seeking justice for women. When we pray for the unborn some will judge that we are praying against rights for women. We can expect to be misunderstood in cases like this. We are to pray for mercy for ourselves and for others. How can we pray for mercy upon those who are enemies of the truth? There will be those both in the church and outside the church that will not understand our prayers.

When Elijah prayed for judgment there were those in his day, and there are today, who stand in judgment of Elijah. Elijah was concerned with the glory of God and not what others thought of him.

The Days of Elijah Part 9

8. Our prayers may lead us to confront sin in the church and the world.

It is never easy to confront sin. However, the Christian is called to be a light set upon a candlestick. Light dispels darkness and reveals the dirt and decay around it. If a Christian is a light to the world then the dirt and decay will be revealed. We must remember thought that it is not enough just to reveal the sin but we must speak out against it. Sometimes it is easier to speak out against the injustices and the immorality of the world than it is to speak out against the sin in the church. Jesus spent more time condemning the Pharisees than any other group of people. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of their day but as Scripture tells us judgment must begin at the house of God. The sins in the church that need to be revealed are pride, disunity, bitterness, grumbling, complaining, unbelief and immorality. The sins in the world that we need to speak against are injustices and lack of compassion. We cannot expect the world to be like the church so it is important that the church be the church and show to the world what the kingdom of God really is.

The Days of Elijah Part 8

7. Sometimes we miss God’s voice because we are looking for the wrong things.

After Elijah’s flight from Jezebel the Lord gently restored his spirit. Elijah had been busy for the Lord and it was food and rest that he needed. So often that is what we need to help us in our spiritual life. After that the Lord appeared to him and asked him what he was doing so far away from Jerusalem. Elijah complained to the Lord that he had been very zealous for the Lord and he was the only one left who truly trusted the Lord and now they were trying to kill him as well. Often we have felt the same. We have grown weary in our service for the Lord and it appears that we are the only one who is committed to Him and His work. The Lord knows that it is in times like this that we do not need more strength but we need a fresh glimpse of our God. Like Elijah we feel that God will come to us in signs and wonders but often He wants us to be still in His presence. If we expect that God comes in the same way every time we may miss Him when He doesn’t come in the same manner. We cannot put God in a box. If we only look for Him in signs and wonders we will miss Him when He comes in the still of the moment. If we want the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives then we must be prepared that it will not necessarily be a controlled fire but rather a wild fire. The Holy Spirit is not a person who can be controlled but rather He wants to control us. Let us not miss Him because we have our own preconceived ideas of how He should act. He is God. Let us let Him be God.

The Days of Elijah Part 7

6. Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayer for our own good.

It has been said that God always answers our prayers, sometimes He says “yes”, sometimes “wait” and other times “no”. I do not believe that it is always that simple. Isaiah tells us that “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1 – 2 (NIV). The Psalmist writes, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18 (NIV). James tells us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3 (NIV)
John Piper says that many of our prayers go unanswered because we forget that we are in a battle and prayer is like using a walkie talkie to get instructions from our Commander in Chief. Instead we look at prayer as an intercom where we are requesting things from the kitchen for our comfort in the den. James tells us that many of our prayers are ineffective because we ask with the wrong motives. If our prayers go unanswered we should not just say that the answer was “no” but rather we should examine ourselves. First, our prayers may have gone unanswered because of sin which we must deal with. Second, our prayers may have gone unanswered because they were not in the will of God. We need to spend time in the Word to know what God’s will is and then pray accordingly. Third, our prayers may have gone unanswered because we have asked with the wrong motives. This is similar to the second reason and it usually arises because we have focused on our own comforts instead of the glory of God. Finally I should add that sometimes our prayers appear to be unanswered but the answer has been delayed as in the case when Daniel prayed and Satan blocked his prayer. Elijah’s prayer to die was unanswered because he had taken his eyes off his God and saw only his circumstances. God was gentle with His servant and showed him that he would not die but that there were greater things in store for him.

Right on Kellen

This past Sunday one of our own came back to preach. Kellen did an excellent job in teaching us about service. His sermon was based upon John 13:1 - 17 and he showed us again that we have been called to serve. One thing he pointed out was that though we are called to serve it is only for the glory of God that we are to do it and He also enables us to do it. We don't serve to just feel good about what we are doing but that Christ is glorified when we serve Him.
Kellen knew his material which was Biblically based. He was relevant and relaxed. He did an excellent job. He served his Saviour well.

The Days of Elijah Part 6

5. Sometimes we need to wait upon our God.

When Elijah prayed in public his prayer was specific and concise. He could pray like this because he had spent time in prayer in private. However, when it came time to pray for rain his prayer was laboured and long. Even though he knew that God had promised rain and that he had told Ahab that the rains were coming he still went to the top of the mountain along and prayed for rain. He prayed seven times before he had evidence that God was about to answer his prayer. Many of us would have prayed once and then left it with God thinking that we had done our part. I wonder what would have happened if Elijah had quit before the seven time and why did the Lord wait until the seventh time before he gave Elijah any evidence that his prayer was about to be answered. In the Bible seven is the number of perfection and is often associated with God. Six is the number of man and if Elijah had received the answer after six times it is possible that he could have assumed that God answered his prayer because of who Elijah was or what he had done. God will not share His glory with anyone else and He wanted Elijah, Ahab and all of Israel to know that He was the one that had sent the rain.

How often we think that the answers to our prayers have come because of us. We have had great faith, were great prayer warriors or God has looked with favour upon us. I do not understand why God chooses to use our prayers to accomplish His purposes on earth but He does and it is our privilege to be able to share in His work on earth.

The Days of Elijah Part 5

4. Our public prayers can have power if we have a private prayer life.

In the show down on Mount Carmel the prophets of Baal prayed for hours for fire to consume their offering. However, when it came time for Elijah to present his offering to the Lord his prayer was short and powerful. Jesus condemned those who prayed long prayers for show. Elijah did not pray so that those around him could see that he was a man of God. He prayed to show that the Lord God was the God of Israel and the only true God. Public prayers are not a time to show off our spirituality, remember Jesus condemned the Pharisees for doing that, but it is a time to acknowledge that God is God and Lord of Heaven and earth. Even though Elijah’s public prayer was short before he prayed he took time to prepare. First he called the people to come near. The invitation from our Saviour is always to come near. If we draw near to Him He will draw near to us. Elijah then took time to repair the altar of the Lord. Again, even though his prayer was short he did not come casually into the Lord’s presence. Everything had to be in order. He took twelve stones reminding the people that God was not just the God of Elijah but the God of the whole nation, all twelve tribes. In doing this Elijah acknowledged the covenant relationship that God had made with Jacob. The altar that he made was made in the name of the Lord God of Israel, not in the name of Elijah. He knew that God should receive the honour and glory for what was about to happen. After Elijah had flooded the altar and the sacrifice with water he then prayed. In his prayer he addressed God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. In doing this He acknowledged the covenant relationship that God had with His people. His prayer had two purposes. The first was to show to the nation of Israel that Yahweh was the only true God and second, to turn the hearts of the people back to Him.

The Days of Elijah Part 4

3. The answer to our prayers may bring hardship upon others.

When someone asks us to pray for them they usually expect that the answer to the prayer will make a difficult situation better and in doing so relief their suffering. However, sometimes when we pray for others God has a different agenda than ours. He does not look only at the immediate situation but He sees the situation how it fits into His plan for our lives. Sometimes the person that we pray for has to go through the refining fire to purify them. When Elijah prayed for the widow of Zarephath with whom he was staying her life became more difficult. When her son died she immediately blamed Elijah and in doing so she also blamed his God. She had forgotten that if Elijah had not come to her home both her son and herself would have died. She had forgotten that her very life was the result of Elijah coming into her life. How often it is the same with us. We see the immediate hardship and forget the blessings that God bestowed upon us in the past. Our concern is for our immediate comfort while God’s concern is for a holy life. When the son was returned alive to his mother she knew that Elijah was truly a man of God and that he spoke the truth. She knew that there was no God but the God is Israel.

The Days of Elijah Part 3

2. The answer to our prayers may bring hardship upon us.

When Elijah prayed that it would not rain for three and one half years the result of that prayer was drought and famine. That drought did not just affect the king and his court but it affected the whole region. Elijah was not immune to the drought. As he sat by the stream he saw the stream become smaller and smaller. As he watched the water dry up he knew that eventually he would lose his source of livelihood. Some people today think that when they pray that God will bring them comfort and ease. The comfort may come but it will not necessarily be through ease, it may be through hardship. We may pray for a closer walk with the Lord and find that we have cancer. Does that mean that God didn’t hear our prayer? God may use the cancer to show that we need to depend upon Him. Many people have testified that they thank God for the trials that He allowed to come into their lives. They would not pray for those trials but they knew that those trials are what brought them closer to their God.

The Days of Elijah Part 2

1. Our prayers need to be based in Scripture.

Many people wonder if they are praying in the will of God. They read that Jesus told them to pray in His name (John 14:13; 14:14; 15:16; 16:23-24; 16:26) so they pray for whatever they desire and add the phrase “In Jesus name” to their prayer and feel that they have prayed in the will of God. When Jesus said that we are ask in His name He was telling us that we have to pray in union with Him. So the question is, “How do we know if our prayers are in union with Him?” The basis of knowing the will of God is to spend time in His word. He has revealed Himself in His word and His word can become the basis of our prayers. Elijah knew the word of the Lord so He could pray in confidence that it would not rain on the earth. Our prayers will lack power and content if we are not in the Word.

The Days of Elijah Part 1

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:17-18 (NIV)

"Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" 2 Kings 2:14 (NIV)

We need to learn to pray like Elijah. James tells us that he was a man just like us and if that is true then we need to pray like him. What was it that made Elijah significant? First, he was award of the reality of God. Second, he was aware of God’s presence in his life. Third, he was not afraid to stand alone with God. Fourth, he was aware that God reveals Himself through Scripture. And finally, he was aware that God is a God of judgment against sin but He is a God of mercy and grace. As James wrote, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:13 (NIV)

What are the lessons that we can learn from the prayer life of Elijah?

Spiritual Leadership

I have just finished reading Henry Blackaby's book, Spiritual Leadership. The main point that I appreciated about this book was that he said that the church does not need vision but revelation. Vision is often man centered, man generated but revelation comes from God. It is good to dream big dreams but remember that God is able to do exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine. Let us pray that God will give us His revelation. We may be surprised that our dreams are too small.

Who is ripping off whom?

Our Premier is upset at the Ontario Lottery Commission. They have been found to be using money for their own pleasure and wants. The Premier says that they are ripping off the taxpayers. I wonder if he is upset because they are honing in on the government's territory. After all the government set up the lottery commission and lotteries rip people off all the time. It seems strange to me that they can be so self-righteous about it but do not realise that they are guilty themselves. The government assumes that all taxpayers 'play the lottery' but there are many of us who do not and we believe that it is wrong. In light of the Ten Commandments how can a Christian consider that there is anything right in lotteries?
Now don't misunderstand me. Those who are abusing their position by scamming monies from the OLG should be punished as should all thieves.

Double Blessing Conclusion

7. A time for action

After Elijah’s translation Elisha wasted no time wondering if the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. He took Elijah’s fallen mantle and walked to the Jordan River. He said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah’ and he struck the water with the mantle. Elisha’s first miracle was the same as Elijah’s final one. Elisha knew that not only had the physical mantle of Elijah been give to him but also the mantle of the prophet was upon him.

Double Blessing Part 7

6. Preparing a successor

Can we pray that our successor will have a greater ministry than we had? Can we accept that when it happens? Sometimes it is hard to see our successor have a more successful ministry that we had. It was Joshua and not Moses that led the people into the Promised Land. Can we be like Samuel who said, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” 1 Samuel 12:23 (NIV) As much as it hurt Samuel to see the people reject him and his family he knew it was God’s leading and he promised to pray for the people. We need to take our eyes off ourselves and see the picture as God paints it. If He chooses to use our successor in a greater ministry than we were used by Him then we should be thankful. Can we thank God when He uses our successors? Can we thank God when He uses our rivals? Elijah knew that Elisha’s ministry would be successful and yet he was not threatened. He knew it was not about him but it was about God. Where is the spirit of Elijah today?

Double Blessing Part 6

5. A double blessing

Elijah had tested Elisha four times showing him that to continue in the role of a prophet would be a difficult task. Elisha knew it was more important to do the will of God than to be comfortable. When Elijah saw Elisha’s persistence he asked him what he desired. Elisha then asked for a double blessing. In asking for the double blessing he was asking to be the rightful heir to Elijah. The double blessing was always reserved for the first born son. Elisha wanted the prophetic office that had been Elijah’s.

I wonder what went through Elijah’s mind when Elisha asked for the double blessing. I am sure that he was thrilled that his disciple wanted to be a prophet but I also think that there were some concerns. Did Elisha have what it would take to be a prophet? Would he be able to stand before kings and false religious leaders? Elijah had one more test for his disciple. If he would be with him when God took him from this earth then he would received the blessing. Elisha could not go part way, he had to go all the way with Elijah.

It is recorded that Elisha’s ministry was twice as long as Elijah’s and that he did twice as many miracles. Some people have pointed out that this was the fulfillment of the double blessing in Elisha’s live. However, this misses the point of the double blessing. As we have already pointed out that the double blessing went to the heir and Elisha proved to be Elijah’s rightful heir and successor.

Double Blessing Part 5

4. A place of division

Finally they came to the Jordan River. Once again Elijah asked Elisha to remain behind and once again Elisha refused. The Jordan was the great divide. It had originally separated the Israelites under Moses from the Promised Land. Now it was going to separate Elijah from the land. Elisha knew that God’s blessing was on Elijah and he did not want to be separated from that that blessing. As they came to the river Elijah took his mantel and struck the water. Just as in Joshua’s day the water was divided allowing the two men to cross over on dry ground. I wonder if they crossed where Joshua had crossed. I wonder if the pile of stones was still on the river bank. I wonder if there was a pile of stones in the river bed.

Double Blessing Part 4

3. A time of victory

Jericho was the place of the Israelites first victory when they entered the land. When Elijah asked Elisha to stay there Elisha may have thought about remembering all of the victories that God had given them. It is a good thing to remember all that God has done for us but we cannot stay there. Past victories should just give us the motivation to move on to great victories. Elisha was not content to remember what God had done in the passed. He lived in anticipation of what God would do in the future. However, there are two dangers. Either we forget the past or else we live in the past. The first gives us fear to move forward, the second makes us complacent and we fail to move forward.

Double Blessing Part 3

2. The Word of God

Bethel was known as the House of God. It was there that Jacob had set up a monument as he was fleeing from his brother. It was at Bethel that the covenant to Abraham was reconfirmed to his grandson Jacob. As Elijah and Elisha passed through Bethel Elijah again asked his companion to remain behind. It was as if he was saying to him to remain and the house of God and remember all the good things that God had done form them. But once again Elisha was not content to just stay and remember what God had done. Elijah was continuing his ministry and Elisha wanted to be with him. How often we are distracted bow often we are distracted b the good things that God has done that we forget He has called us to continue until He calls us home.

Double Blessing Part 2

1. A place to remember

Gilgal was the place of remember. When Joshua led the people into the land they set up camp at Gilgal. During the time of conquest they kept returning to Gilgal to remind themselves of what God had done for them. There had been build a monument of stones. Elijah told Elisha to stay there and remember what God has done for His people. Maybe he was thinking about Azariah and how quickly the people had forgotten about the victory at Carmel. However, Elisha wasn’t satisfied just to remember but he wanted to experience God’s blessings and power. Sometimes when a revival happens in a church or a community the people will build a monument. Now the monument may be important but it is not just to look at and say, “Remember when God visited us.” Our monuments must look forward as well as backward. Samuel set up a rock as a monument and called it Ebenezer saying, “thus far has God helped us.” The implication was that God had helped them in the past and He will continue to help us in the future.

Double Blessing Part 1

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not." 2 Kings 2:9 – 10
The final stage of Elijah’s life can be divided into two parts. First there is the remarkable translation that he had and second, the double portion of God’s blessing upon Elisha.

As Elijah was walking along the road with his companion Elisha the Lord sent His chariot to gather up Elijah and to take him home. It will be the same for the believers when the Lord calls His church home. We will be going about our daily work and suddenly the trumpet of the Lord will signal the coming home of His people. Some people have felt that they need to prepare themselves for the Lord’s coming by withdrawing from the world. That was not the picture with Elijah. They were continuing to do the ordinary things of life. A preacher one time preached a powerful sermon on the second coming of Christ so that the hearers in his congregation believed it would happen that very night. The next morning the pastor planted an apple tree that would take years to mature. Did he not believe his own message? He did but also knew the command of the King of kings who said, “Occupy until I come.”

As they walked along together Elijah tested the loyalty of his companion. This was done four times; first at Gilgal, then at Bethel, Jericho and finally the Jordan River.

Facebook

This past week I decided to start using my facebook account. Mainly I was interested in the pictures that our children posted but I must confess I like to wander around on the site at times.
It disturbs me what is often shared on a social network. Things that people would not necessarily share anywhere else. I guess it gives them a sense of power for whatever reason.
However, I got to thinking about what happened to some of the people that I knew. There are a number that have gone on with the Lord and it is great to read about their work, their life, their ministry. On the other hand there are a number who have turned their back on what they believed and now are denying the faith they once held or are confusing what they believe with a mixture of beliefs from all over. What happened? Who is to blame? Sometimes churches offer new converts what it is not able to deliver because it is unbiblical. They offer health, wealth or even just fulfillment and when the person does not receive that they think that Christianity is a fraud. No it is not Christianity that is a fraud but what the churches have sold you. Sometimes families have unbiblical expectations for their children. Families have to take some of the responsibility. Education becomes more important than a relationship with the Lord or a spouse or... Ultimately though the person himself/herself is responsible. You cannot blame the church for your incorrect beliefs or blame your family. They might have contributed to it but you yourself were seeking for an utilitarian God and not the God of glory, His glory, not yours.

Come Down Conclusion

3. What about us today?
What is the application to prayer for us today? Some people think that prayer is only positive thinking. I have a friend who is an agnostic and when I was facing surgery he told me that he would pray for me. I couldn’t help but wonder who he was praying to since he questioned the existence of God. Sometimes when we pray we are concerned with our own comfort or the comfort of those that we are praying for at the time. Elijah’s concern was different. He was more concerned with the glory of God. John tells us in his gospel that prayer is to bring honour and glory to God. When we come to God in prayer, either for our own needs or for the needs of others, we need to remember that our first and primary concern is that God receives the glory. He will not share His glory with others.

Come Down Part 3

2. Elijah was faithful
When Azariah set for Elijah he was alone with his God on the mountain top. We often find Elijah in prayer on the mountain so it is more than likely that Elijah was in prayer when Azariah’s men found him. Elijah was concerned with his relationship with God while the king was concerned with his own comfort.
Azariah was in need and since he was the king he set for Elijah to come immediately. I can imagine that he scoffed at Elijah spending time on the mountain alone with God. To Azariah his comfort was more important than Elijah’s fellowship with God.
Scripture doesn’t tell us why the first two troops of soldiers were destroyed by fire while the third troop was spared. The only indication we have is that the captain of the third troop did not come mocking Elijah or his God but came with a serious request. One of the results of Elijah’s prayer life was that he was a man of discernment. He knew that the first two companies of soldiers were only interested in mocking him and his God but he knew that the third company was led by a man with a different spirit.
When Jesus was asked by James and John to call down fire from heaven to destroy those that mocked Jesus, He rebuked them. I am sure that James and John were thinking about Elijah calling down the fire and they were probably surprised by the response of the Lord. Some people today say that is because the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. However, God is not different. Because He does not judge people or sin immediately isn’t because He has changed the way He looks upon us but it is because of His great mercy.

Come Down Part 2

1. The people were fickle.
A few years earlier Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The end result was that the prophets of Baal had been destroyed and the people had confirmed their faith in the living God. Now it would seem that what had happened on Mount Carmel did not have a lasting result. The king rejected the Lord and had put his confidence in Baal. However, when Baal did not bring about the desired results he reluctantly sent for Elijah. The Lord was gracious to Azariah in that he did not die and gave him time to repent. Even though Azariah was confronted with the judgment of God he still would not yield his will or bow the knee to the Almighty God. The influence of this ungodly king caused over one hundred men to die an untimely death. Because he would not repent or bow the knee others would suffer. The Lord has told us that He is not willing that any should perish but that everyone should be saved. If God withholds His judgment it is not because of His inability to judge sin but because of His mercy.
When Elijah appeared before the widow of Zarephath she knew that she had met a man of God. However, she was hesitant to acknowledge that fact because Elijah’s holiness showed up her sinfulness. After her son was raised from the dead she saw Elijah as a savor of life unto life. Azariah only saw Elijah as one who condemned his life style and he had no desire to change. To Azariah Elijah reminded him he was a man under judgment so he came to him a savor of death unto death.

Come Down Part 1

Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men. 2 Kings 1:9 – 10
Many people find themselves uncomfortable when they read this incident in the life of Elijah. I think it is because many people do not want to believe in the God that brings judgment upon people. They are quick to give their opinions about God and in so doing they create a god to their liking. However, God is not a God that can be defined by human creativity or intellect. God is not safe but He is good. When Elijah was confronted by the captain and his fifty men he called down fire that consumed them. To our thinking this does not seem like the actions of a man of God. Elijah knew the heart of Azariah and that he had no respect for either God or His prophet. Elijah knew it was a dangerous act to ridicule God. If the king and his men would do it and get away with it then the people would follow.

Cart before the horse

I have been studying the book of Hebrews in preparation for the fall program at our church and there is one thing I found from many writers that frustrated me. Many writers try to make the Scriptures fit their doctrine rather than their doctrine fit the scriptures. Maybe our doctrine needs to change. Maybe their is conflict in human reasoning and the divine. Remember God said that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Sometimes doctrines must be held in tension and we cannot explain what God has not revealed.

Confrontation Conclusion

3. Let God set the agenda.

When we come to God in prayer God may direct us to things around us that we need to speak against. We may find it uncomfortable to do this but if God has directed us then we cannot be silent. We need to remember that we called to a ministry of restoration and reconciliation. Our call is not to make people comfortable but to be holy. “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” 1 John 5:16-17 (NIV)

There are many illustrations in Scripture that show us that men of prayer were often called to confront sin in other believers. Nathan was told by God to go to David and confront him of his sin against God. Paul had to speak against Peter when he separated himself from the gentile Christians. Peter spoke the word of judgment from the Lord to Annanias and Saphira.

When God reveals sin to us whether it is within or outside the church we need to respond. However, we must examine our own heart and then go to speak the word. Our goal should always be reconciliation of the brother or sister and ultimately we are to seek restoration for the glory of God.