Tag: Holy Spirit

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Scripture Wisdom and Psalms

Psalm 51

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Psalm 51

To the choirmaster.  A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

I have to admit to you that, as I prepared this exhortation, I became a bit fearful in how I would treat it.  On the one hand it is probably one of the most famous Psalms and we’ve all heard it so many times that we think we know how it applies to our lives.  The challenge I face is to get us to open our eyes to spiritual truths that may have been clouded by our familiarity with this Psalm.

Next, I think it is challenging for us to look beyond the fact that this is David’s sin being confessed before the world and to see ourselves and the nature of sin and sinfulness in this passage.

Lastly, the Truths in this Psalm are likely to be very offensive to our ears.  We don’t like to consider the nature of sin and what it deserves before a holy God.  We must confront this.  We must allow the Word to say things to us that we don’t want to hear.  It is in this Psalm that the stench of the Gospel becomes clear to people who don’t want to be confronted with the nature of their sin and their need for a righteousness that is not their own.

As we begin to unpack this Psalm, the subtitle of the Psalm notes the occasion that caused David to write it.  It is written because Nathan the Prophet came in to David and confronted David’s sin when he went in to Bathsheba.

David was on his roof in the cool of the evening and saw Bathsheba, another man’s wife, bathing.  He sent for her and sinned against Bathsheba and her husband.  She became pregnant and David sent for her husband, Uriah, to trick him into going to his wife so that Uriah might believe the child was really his.  When Uriah proved to be a more righteous man than David, David sent a letter, in the hands of Uriah, to have him conveniently killed in battle.  After this, David took Bathsheba to be his wife and nobody in Israel was aware of this great sin.

But God knew.

What kind of satanic influence could have overcome David to make him completely despise the light of divine judgment and think he could get away with this even if nobody else knew?

It was a tremendous mercy of God that He sent Nathan into David to confront him with this sin and wake him up to this horror.  In 2 Sam 12:13, after he’s been utterly exposed, David’s simple reply was:  “I have sinned against the Lord.”  His heart had been freed from a year-long captivity to his sin and clouded vision and he responded in brokenness to the inviting anger of the Lord.

In verses 1-2 of the Psalm, David does not open up with an appeal to God’s justice in his case.  He knows that justice would only leave him condemned.

He prays for mercy.  He prays earnestly not with one request but with several.  He prays for mercy.  He prays that God would provide mercy according to His steadfast love.  He prays for mercy in abundance.

David understands that his only chance is through the countless multitude of the compassions of God.  He understands that his sin is atrocious and that God, according to His holiness, should punish Him.  He understands that only God can blot out his sin as he can do nothing to take away the offenses he has committed.

He prays for washing.  He knows he is filthy.  He understands the stench of his sin and is not satisfied to ask to be washed once but pleads with God to wash him thoroughly, to cleanse him from his sin.

The stain of his sin is deep.  He can not flee from the terror of his own conscience and has nowhere to take his conscience and implores God to take away the filth that he bears.

There is no therapy here.  There is nothing of David trying to learn to integrate his mistakes and learn to love himself anyway.  He understands that soothing words of encouragement from his friends telling him that he’s OK will not do.  He needs a thorough cleansing from the very God who has every right to judge David for the filth of his sin.

Verse 3 is the refrain of a man who knows his sin:  For I know my transgressions.

David is not merely saying that he remembers everything he did.  What he’s wrestling with in Verses 3 through 6 is how horrible sin is and the gulf that exists between a sinner and a holy God.  I want you to remember one thing as we move along through this Psalm:  We will never seriously beg God for pardon until we have understood sin in such a way that it inspires fear in us.  If sin has never evoked terror to our souls then we cannot understand the sweetness of pardon that is in the Gospel.

Beloved, many of us don’t know what the true issue with sin is and so Verse 4 adds something that is foreign to us.  David says:  “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”

Most of us want to stop David right here.  What are you talking about David?  It wasn’t God who you looked at while bathing.  It wasn’t God who you got pregnant.  You didn’t send God with a letter to be killed in battle.  You didn’t get God involved in any of these sins.  How can you claim that you only sinned against God?  Have you forgotten about Bathsheba, Uriah, Joab, and the entire nation that could have been brought down by your selfish sins?!

The issue here is that David understands something profound about sin.  He understands that the whole world could pardon him of any trouble for his sin but it will provide no relief before the bar of God’s justice.

In James 2:10-11, James notes something very important about sin that David underscores here.  First, James says something strange to our ears in verse 10:  10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Do you see what James is saying?  We could be so perfect as to keep every part of the Law of God and fail at one point and be guilty before the whole Law.  That doesn’t seem to make any sense until James explains what he means in verse 11:   11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

I don’t know if you can see what has just been said but James testifies with the rest of the Word of God that the real issue with sinning against the Law is that, when we sin, we sin against a holy, eternal God.  If it’s even at the seemingly smallest point, our sin amounts to raising our hand in rebellion against the God of the universe.  We commit treason with every small sin and every sin is just cause for God to condemn us.

David understands the weight of this rebellion and so he reminds God in the second part of verse 4 that God is justified and blameless in His judgment against sin.  He’s not coming to God arrogantly and telling God that He must forgive him but He understands that God would be perfectly just to condemn sin for what it is.

Paul, in fact, quotes this in Romans 3:3-4 when he is building a case against sinful men before a holy God.  He builds an airtight case that all men are guilty before the bar of justice and that God can and should justly condemn all men.

David knows he would be toast if God judges according to what he deserves.

Verse 5 continues:  “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

David isn’t trying to make excuses here.  David isn’t saying that his conception was sinful.  He’s testifying that he was a sinner from the moment he was conceived.  He’s testifying that he has been a sinner all his life.  He’s testifying that this latest sin is just another aspect of his sinfulness that he has borne before a holy God all the days of his life.

In other words, David is building up the prosecutor’s case against his sin and sinfulness by admitting to God that he not only sinned in this case but has been a sinner since his conception.  David admits that his sole contribution to righteousness has been sin upon sin upon sin.

Have you ever stopped to consider that you’ve been a sinner from birth?  Have you ever repented simply for being a sinner before a holy God?  Have you ever thought about the gulf that exists between you and a holy God even before you do anything more that adds to your guilt?

I know these are hard words, Beloved.  It’s hard to hear as we’re accustomed to self-affirming words.  I’m not talking about you as if I don’t bear the same problem.  We have a problem of sin and sinfulness before a holy God and self-affirmation may help us feel better about ourselves but that only hides the real problem.  David is confronting sin and sinfulness and taking it to the Judge and pleading for the Judge to do something about it because he knows he doesn’t have the power to take away the mountain of guilt.

As verse 6 testifies, God has desired truth in the inward being, and we have even had wisdom taught to us by the Word, and yet we know we have not achieved the level of truth or love or obedience in our inward being that the Law demands.

It ought to overwhelm.  It ought to cause us to despair if we were left alone with this thought.

Are you beginning to feel the anguish of soul?

Are you beginning to feel the weight that this would bring if there was no remedy?

Where would we be if this was the end of the Psalm?  We would only have Paul’s tortured cry at the end of Romans 7:  Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?!

God Himself will deliver.

David calls upon the mercy of God.

Verse 7:  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean!  Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Nothing in my hand I bring.  Judge of all the earth please be my Savior!

We tend to forget that God had made provisions in His Law that were pictures of Christ to come.  These outward signs were meant to cause the worshipper in the Old Testament to be reminded of the Seed of Abraham who would fulfill the demands of the Covenant for Covenant breakers.

Hyssop was a branch used to sprinkle water to cleanse the worshipper of God as he came to the Temple.  The outward cleansing act was to be joined with a heart clinging to the feet of God in repentance begging for mercy and trusting that God provides what He promises.

Hyssop had no magical qualities.  You couldn’t just get sprinkled and make a sign out of mere ceremony but it was to point to something outside of itself.

David wants his conscience washed whiter than snow.  He wants the reality that the sign points to.  He wants the Judge to be the Covenant keeper on His behalf and knows that, only by this grace, will his conscience be cleansed.

You may recall that David was told by Nathan in 2 Sam 12 that God had forgiven him of his many sins.  Why is David asking for more here?  Some might accuse David of adding to his sin by not trusting in the declaration of forgiveness that Nathan had already brought him on his first confession.

I think we can understand though.  Can’t we?  Have you ever asked God for forgiveness for sins so great that you wonder how He can ever forgive them?  Does the guilt of those sins that you brought before the throne of grace ever come back to your mind and assail you?

If you’re anything like me then this happens regularly.  I have many sins.  I have many heinous sins.  I stop to consider them at times and wonder how a filthy person like me can enter into the presence of a Holy God and I take great comfort that God is patient with me.  He understands my weakness.  He understands that I need to come to Him again in my weakness and say:  “Yes Lord, I know you have promised forgiveness and cleansing but right now I’m weak.  Right now I’m lacking trust that you could possibly have forgiven these things in Christ.  Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief!”

God condescends.  The Holy Spirit comes alongside me as my advocate and reminds me that I am His child.

And so the Psalm begins to move to deliverance from guilt.

Verse 8:  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

Remind us of your mercy Lord.  These sins have caused our entire being to feel fractured.  The pain of our guilt is as if our bones are broken within us.  Straighten them.  Heal them.  Restore us from mourning to the joy of our cleansing.

Verse 9:  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out my iniquities.

Lord, even as you promised David through Old Covenant signs, you have promised to take away our sin by what these signs testify to.  You have blotted out iniquity by placing that sin and guilt away from us and onto another.  Remind us of this as we place our trust in you.

Verse 10:  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Lord, this depends completely on you.  I cannot create.  I only have the heart that I was born with.  I need the power that spoke light out of nothing.  I need the creative power that only You have.  Give me a clean heart.  I rely completely upon you for a transformed spirit.

Verse 11:  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Father, you have every right to cut me off.  I plead your mercy that you would keep me in your presence and that your indwelling Spirit would testify peace and not wrath unto my weary soul.

Verses 13-15 testify to what our hope in deliverance from sin and the testimony of a cleansed spirit might provide.  David desires, as we all should desire, that we might teach others of God’s goodness to sinners who come broken unto Him.

When we’re in the mire of our sin, our mouths are closed and we don’t know how to open them up except to cry out and wonder how God can cleanse us but when He delivers us, when He frees us from the bondage of sin and guilt, our mouths are looses.  Our lips open up in praise to a merciful Savior!  We proclaim boldly and gladly to a lost and dying world because we are as needy as they.

Open my lips Lord.  Open my mouth to sing all of your praise!

Verses 16-19 close with the nature of sacrifice and God’s good intentions toward us.  David reminds us that we can never come to God and go through the motions.  We cannot come with hearts that are cold to the offense of our sin.  We cannot come to God expecting magic simply by going to Church or going through the externals of religion.  David knows that the sacrifices of God always pointed beyond themselves.  He knew that he couldn’t just bring a bull to the altar and walk away unchanged in heart and mind.

David saw something from afar that has been revealed up close to us.  These sacrifices merely caused God’s wrath for sin to pass over for a season until what they signified came in the fullness of time.

A people were called to be holy and they proved over and over to be unholy.  Weary from sin they came time after time, year after year, and brought sacrifices.  Blood flowed as a river and the stench of human sin filled the nostrils and the souls of men who looked forward to a sacrifice that would deal with this once for all.

And, in the fullness of time, it came.  We could not bridge the gulf and so God put a veil of flesh around Himself and came and dwelt among us.  He came near to us with our heavy burden of sins and invited us to trust in Christ and place the heavy yoke of sin and guilt on His strong shoulders.

Christ carried our heavy burden of sin to Calvary, was nailed on a cross and bore the full weight of wrath from a Holy God so that we, in Him, would die to sin.

Christ conquered death and sin.  Once for all!  He rose again, and we who cling to His feet in trust, rose with Him.

Death has been swallowed up in victory.  The judgment has occurred.  Our lips are opened to praise God.

I’ve been meditating on how profound Romans 1:16-17 is as it introduces the Gospel to be unpacked in the rest of the book:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Doesn’t it seem odd that God calls the Gospel:  “The righteousness of God revealed…”?

In other words, we wonder how that can be because we all understand that God’s righteousness only condemns if we’re trying to attain that righteousness ourselves.

Martin Luther struggled with this for years.  He admitted he often hated God thinking of this righteousness as he saw no way to achieve that righteousness no matter how much he devoted himself to the monastic life.

And then, one day, he happened upon a commentary by Augustine on Romans 1:17.  Augustine wrote:  “This is called the righteousness of God, not with which he is righteous, but because with it he makes us righteous.”

And at this glorious truth, Martin Luther said that it was as if his chains had fallen off and a doorway to heaven opened and he walked through.

Beloved, the power of the Gospel is that God provides the righteousness we lack.  He placed our unrighteousness upon the Son, punished the Son in our place, and granted us His righteousness freely.  We believe and receive with empty hand.  That’s the glory of the Good News.  That’s the confidence that David expressed from looking from afar.

Furthermore, when we fall into heinous sin, as David did, God does not abandon us but comes near us afresh to take away the pain of our guilt and remind us of His favor toward those who cling to Christ by His sustaining power.

I want to close with a story that is found in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

Kids, please listen to this story as this is meant for you too.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Graceless who lived in the City of Destruction.  He felt himself to be carrying a heavy burden that nobody could see until one day a man named Evangelist told him where he could have his burden taken from him.

Graceless set out on a difficult journey until he came to the foot of the Cross.  There his heavy burden fell from him and he felt himself to be a new man.  He also had a new name:  he was no longer Graceless.  His name was Christian.

From that point, Christian went through many trials and came upon the House Beautiful where he was refreshed for many days and given armor:  a breastplate of righteousness, a helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

As he continued on his journey, he came into the Valley of Humiliation and this is where our story gets interesting:

Then I saw in my dream that Christian was entered into the Valley of Humiliation; and here he had no easy time of it.  For he had gone but a little way when he saw a dreadful fiend coming across the plain to meet him.  The name of this fiend was Apollyon, and he was too hideous to behold.

His body was covered with scales, like a fish; he had wings like a dragon, and feet like a bear; his mouth was like the mouth of a lion, and fire and smoke came out of his nostrils.

Christian was much afraid.  As the monster came flying toward him he knew not what to do.  He had half a mind to run back; but he knew that Apollyon would soon overtake him.

“I will stand my ground and do what I can,” he said to himself; and he went boldly forward to meet the dreadful fiend.

Apollyon came swiftly on, and gruffly saluted Christian:  ” Ho, there, you fellow! Who are you, and whence have you come?”

“I have come from the City of Destruction, and my name is Christian,” answered the pilgrim. ”  I am on my way to the Celestial Land.”

“Huh!” growled the fiend. “Don’t you know that I am the king of the City of Destruction?  You are my subject, and you are trying to run away from me.”

“True, I was born in your country,” said Christian, “but I am not your subject.  I have promised myself to the King of the Celestial Land.”

Then was Apollyon very angry, and he would have struck down the pilgrim at once, had he not hoped to gain him over.  He roared terribly, and cried, “You are a rebel and a traitor, and deserve nothing but death at my hands.  Yet I will forgive you if you will turn now and go back to my city and my service.”

But Christian stood his ground bravely and defied the fiend.

“Beware, Apollyon!” he cried.  “I am in the King’s highway. Therefore, take heed to thyself.”

“Ha!” answered Apollyon.  “What care I for the King’s highway?” And with one foot on one side of the road and one on the other, he stood directly in front of the pilgrim.

“Now I have you!” he said; and he drew flaming darts from his breast and threw them so that they fell like hail all around Christian’s head.

But Christian held up his shield to protect himself, and drawing his sword, rushed boldly upon his foe.

Then there was a fight such as neither you nor I have ever seen.  The giant fiend and the valiant man wrestled and strove, they struck and parried, they pressed this way and that; and neither seemed to get the better of the other.

Christian was wounded in two or three places; and yet for a whole hour he stood up against his foe.  At length, however, his foot slipped and he fell; and his sword flew out of his hand.

“Now I have thee!” shouted Apollyon.

But as the fiend raised his arm to fetch the last blow, Christian quickly stretched out his hand and recovered his sword.  He leaped to his feet, crying, “Rejoice not against me, mine enemy. When I fall, I shall arise!”

With that, he gave the fiend a deadly thrust which made him pause and start back.  Then Christian gave him another stroke and another.

Apollyon saw that he had met his match.  He spread his dragon wings and flew away, over the plain; and Christian saw him no more.

The pilgrim looked up and smiled.  “Thanks be to Him that delivered me out of the mouth of the lion, and to Him that did help me against Apollyon,” he said.

Then there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the tree of life; and he took these and laid them upon his wounds, and he was healed immediately.

And he sat down to eat bread and to drink from the bottle that was given him by the maidens of the House Beautiful.

Categories
Pastoral Concerns

Why Does A Church Have A Youth Ministry?

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why a church has (or should have) a youth ministry? Youth ministry is never talked about in any of Paul’s epistles and there really isn’t much of a precedent for separating youth in the isolated way most churches do. This questions is one that every person involved with youth ministry should be able to answer. From the senior pastor, to the elders, to parents, to volunteers, to the paid youth worker.

As I began to think about this question one thing that popped into my mind is that fact that most parents in the church don’t live up to their responsibilities. Most parents don’t catechize their children, teach them the scriptures, or do any sort of ‘home church’ activities. Scripture is pretty clear about who’s responsibility children are (Deuteronomy 6). Parents should do these things. However, for the most part parents have abdicated their responsibilities and taken a laissez-faire approach to their children’s spirituality. Many parents then look to the church, to the youth pastor, or even look to their children to find their own way. This isn’t an article about parenting, but because of a lack of spiritual guidance youth ministry becomes necessary.

One one hand a youth worker is simply a member of the congregation that has taken vows to the covenant children of the church to do all possible to the end that the children profess faith in Christ and are faithful to him. In this way, a youth worker is no different than any other member of the church. At the very least most churches in the reformed tradition value and actually have their members take vows when a child is baptized saying that they will pray for, and be a part of spiritual life of this child.

I think the big misconception in youth ministry (it’s a misconception by parents, elders, students, and youth minsters themselves) is that a youth pastor is or should be the primary spiritual cause in a student’s life. As mentioned earlier, scripture clearly states that parents are responsible for their own children. The bible teaches of three spiritual causes in a child’s life. The first is not surprisingly God Himself. 1 Corinthians 12:3 tells us that, “no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” God is the primary cause in a child’s life. In the wisdom of God he ordained that children are brought up by Parents. (Deuteronomy 6, Ephesians 6:1-4) And finally way down the list the church and the fellowship of believers is the third cause in a child’s life. Although this responsibility falls to the congregation as a whole, in the wisdom of the church, it has been appropriate to appoint and set apart certain individuals for youth and children’s ministry.

I don’t want to be a parent to every child in my youth group, I can’t be a child to every parent in my youth group. This is not the youth pastor’s job. The youth pastor is a tertiary cause in a child’s life. But there are two main roles that I see a youth pastor filling.

First, there are numerous students that don’t have parents. Either through divorce, or death, or the unbelief of one or both parents, often times students come to my ministry as spiritual or actual orphans. This is the historic reason for having a youth pastor in a church. After WWII there were many children without a dad. The church filled the need by hiring or getting volunteers to disciple and care for these children. I take this part of my job very seriously. I seek out the students who don’t have a dad, or whose dad left their mom. These students more than anything need a man to step into their life and speak the truth of scripture. An elder could do this, a member of the church could do this, however, as a full time youth pastor, I have the time, the resources, and the gifting to do this as well.

The second main role as I see it is to supplement parents. As I said before a youth pastor can’t and shouldn’t want to take over the parents role. If they do, you have a problem. But as any parent knows, sometimes a little help is great. I equip parents by giving them good books, praying for them, and encouraging them. Often times I will teach something to a student and they will finally understand it, even though the student’s parent has been saying the exact same thing for years. It’s not that I am better at teaching, or anything like that. But sometimes an outside voice can be helpful. As a full time youth minister (and one educated at Seminary) I can spend more time preparing a Sunday School lesson and probably go into more depth than a parent normally could. In this way I can assist the parent in growing and educating their child to maturity as a tertiary spiritual cause.

If the church was perfect and all its members were mature Christians who lived obedient lives to Christ, I wouldn’t have a job. But it’s not. So my job is to shepherd the orphans and to be a tertiary cause in the lives of our covenant youth.

Ben Shear is the Youth Pastor at Knox Presbyterian Church in Michigan. He also runs the website Reformed Youth Pastor.com More articles like this at Reformed Youth Pastor.com

Categories
Epistles Scripture

Anathema…Anathema! (Galatians 1)

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Galatians 1

1Paul, an apostle— not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant[b] of Christ. 11For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20(In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.

For the next several weeks, we will be covering the Book of Galatians.  Martin Luther, the man who started the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, called this his favorite book of the Bible.  In it, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so clearly portrayed and explained that it is one of my favorite Books as well.

We live in a society today that considers truth claims about religion to be a personal matter.  A pastor was once telling a woman about Christ and the need to repent of her sins and she replied:  “Well, that’s good that you believe in God and Jesus.  If He helps you then that’s good that it’s true for you but I don’t really need God to make me happy and He’s not true for me.”
Imagine, for a moment, that I ran into someone who didn’t believe in the State of California.  What if I told him that I actually owned a house there and worked and lived there for several years?  What if he replied:  “Well, it’s good that you believe in a State of California but I don’t need to believe in California.  California is true for you but not for me….”
A true thing is true whether or not I believe it.  The Gospel, which testifies of the work of Christ, is either true or it is not.  In Galatians, it is the very Gospel of Christ at stake and the Apostle Paul really cares about whether or not his readers believe the Gospel or not.  If it’s not true, then who cares?
The funny thing is that most of us, when we think of a Church with problems will immediately think of all the bad behavior we find in First Corinthians:  men living in adultery, disorder in the Church, and selfishness running rampant.  But it is the Book of Galatians that Paul comes down with the hardest hammer.  He expresses confusion, anger and wonder about what people believe.  You see, to the Scriptures, what is primary, what comes first, is that we believe the Gospel and then our actions follow.  It’s not that how we behave is not important but behavior is a fruit of what God has done.  Paul is about to teach, in fact, that attempts at good behavior will utterly fail if we do not believe what God has done in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
What was going on in the Churches of Galatia that caused this letter to be written?
The problem is commonly called the Judaizing heresy and is quickly summarized by quoting Acts 15:1.
1 some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
You need to remember that the first Christians were Jews that had embraced the Messiah.  The Church first spread around Jerusalem and Judea before it spread to Samaria and to the Gentiles.  Many former Pharisees had believed in Jesus because the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and knew the Scriptures well.  Many of them, however, were never really converted and did not properly understand what the Gospel was all about.
Remember, when Peter went to Cornelius’ house in Acts, he had to be prodded repeatedly by God to enter a Gentile home.  When he finally did and preached the Gospel, the Spirit came upon Cornelius and his household and they believed.  When Peter returned from this visit, many of the Jews were challenging Peter and asking him why he had gone to the home of a Gentile.  Peter defends himself in front of the Church at Jerusalem and ends his explanation beginning in Acts 11:15
15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said,  ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
It is very telling in this episode that Peter and the Church understand that the Gentiles are truly of the Church and just like them.  They have not been circumcised but, instead, they have received the same gift:  the Holy Spirit.  They believed in Jesus Christ, just like the Jews, and God shows there is no unclean people group by placing His Holy Spirit within uncircumcised men.
But some of the Jewish believers were not content to let God decide who He had really accepted.  They taught, as we already noted, that a person could not be saved unless he believed in Jesus Christ and he became circumcised.  It is that small word AND that causes the problem because now what is happening is that something is being added to the Gospel of Grace.  It is Christ AND something else.
But it wasn’t merely that men had to have surgery performed on them to become physically circumcised.  We will learn that what the Judaizers were saying is that:  “You need to believe in Jesus Christ and then live a life of obedience to the Law of Moses in order to be saved.”  Another way of saying this is:  “Believe in Jesus and then show Him that you’re serious about believing in Him or you won’t be saved.”  It’s a message of believing and then behaving in order to be saved.
Now, because Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles and the Gentiles were outside of Jerusalem and Judea, Paul had to deal with most of these troublemakers.
You’ll also notice some things that characterize Paul’s defense of the Gospel in Galatians – some of them we already read and you might have wondered why he’s dropping names and emphasizing that he’s an Apostle.  These are responses to charges that are coming from the false teachers – the Judaizers.  If you want to tear down another’s work then one way of attacking it is by attacking the person – it’s called mudslinging in politics.  There were apparently charges that Paul wasn’t really an Apostle.  There were charges that he was teaching differently than Peter, James, and John.  There were charges that his teaching was not only different but less authoritative than theirs.  There were charges that Paul had once taught the true Gospel but had changed it in order to be a “man pleaser” because circumcision and the Law would be too hard for Gentiles.  Paul clearly demonstrates that all of these charges are absolutely false.
This letter from the Galatians opens with storm clouds on the horizon.  Normally, these ancient letters would take a long form of introduction with greetings and introductions.  Paul has a very short greeting before the clouds fully form and the storm is upon the Galatian Church.  Paul is all business.  But before he gets to business, he does take a moment to introduce what believers are supposed to be about:  3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
This is what Paul will be defending and reinforcing.  He is going to take the enemies of this idea, examine their arguments, and then kill their idea.  He’s going take that dead idea, and in case we still thought adding to the Gospel was a good one, he’s going to beat the idea to a pulp.  He’s then going to take that idea that’s been beaten to a pulp and is going to grind it into tiny bits.  At the end of Galatians, it is my prayer that you will have no desire left within you to ever question what the true Gospel is.  It is my prayer that you will have no desire to add to the Gospel.   At the end of Galatians, I hope you are left in wonder at how glorious the true Gospel is and how wicked false gospels are.
Notice, though, in verses 3-5 how it is God our Father and Jesus Christ that is praised for saving us.  Christ gave Himself for our sins to save us.  It is God working.  It is God doing.  It is God saving.  That’s the Gospel.  But man always wants to interrupt God and say:  “But let me show you why you should save me!”  He’s not content to let God save Him, he wants to contribute.
So Paul continues:  6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
The storm is upon us.  Paul is literally shocked that the Church is so quickly deserting God.  How is the Church deserting God?  By not giving to the poor?  By not being nice?  By not acting properly?  No, they are deserting God because they are leaving the grace that God has given them by turning to a different gospel.  They are literally turning to different “news”, different “truth”.
Chill out Paul!  As long as they’re sincere, can’t we just say that it’s a gospel for them?  Can’t you just hear the world telling Paul to quit being so close-minded?
No!  Paul says there is no other gospel!  This false gospel is no gospel at all!  These men are are distorting the only gospel that there really is and that is the gospel of Christ.
Now, I want to warn you that Paul is about to commit the only sin that you can possibly commit in a world that doesn’t believe in sin.  He is about to be close-minded.  He is about to be intolerant.  If you ate a large breakfast today then I don’t want you to become sick as we listen to Paul use the most shocking words:  8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
The word here is literally anathema.  Let the angel or any man that teaches you a false Gospel be eternally condemned to hell.  I do hope you’re beginning to sense how serious it is that the true Gospel be taught.  But Paul is not satisfied with saying it once.  I’ve taught you guys this before.  If I want to emphasize something in the English I might underline it or put it in bold print.  The Jews, when they wanted to make sure you knew they were serious, would repeat something.  Paul is dead serious and so he says:  “9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
Is it any wonder that James warns men that not all should be teachers because they will be held in stricter judgment?  Beloved, I hope you realize how seriously I take the Word of God and that that very same curse rests upon me today if I preach to you a false Gospel.  We live by sight so much that we don’t take stock of the power and holiness of God that exists beyond our sight.  I believe in God and so I’m trying to convey to you how serious this is.  It is good that we live in societies that permit us to worship without the government interfering but please never believe, even for a moment, that God is pleased with all worship and with every gospel.  The state doesn’t judge what is right and we don’t judge what is right but all things will be brought under the judgment of God and the very worst judgment, throughout the Scriptures, is upon those that corrupt the gospel.
Why?  Because in your presence today I am supposed to be giving you words of life.  We have all been created in Adam and, apart from God saving us, we are all running to hell as fast as our legs can carry us.  Apart from God, we would be content to worship Him falsely and be condemned in our sins for doing so.  But God sent His Son, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.  He was despised and rejected of men and lived a life of sorrow.  We didn’t deserve a single day of the life that He lived among men.  He came to save us from our sins and mankind spit in His face and put Him to death as a blasphemer.  The night before He died, He prayed to God to learn if there was any way other than the Cross to save men from their sins.
Now, I’m sorry but I just can’t please men at this point.  Today, men would say:  “Sure there’s another way Jesus!  As long as someone is sincere then it doesn’t matter what they believe.”  Such men spit in my Savior’s face because on that night He prayed with such distress at the thought of facing God’s wrath for His people’s sins that drops of blood poured out of Him like sweat.  The Father answered and said:  “There is no other way!  Your death is the only thing that will take away the sin of men!”
And so He went to the punishment that I deserve and that you deserve and He took all of God’s hot, holy wrath upon Himself so we don’t have to be eternally condemned.
Do you believe this?  Do you really?  Are you willing to stand with Paul against those who teach a false Gospel?  Are you willing to stand against a false Gospel and receive the disapproval of men who look at you strangely in this world because believing in absolutes is so close-minded?
Is Christ the only hope, the only chance you have or do you have other options as long as you’re sincere?
Categories
Sacraments

Who Deceives Whom with Baptism?

A discussion recently ensued when a Baptist brother claimed the following:

Another point I want to make is that every parent eveywhere is responsible for raising their children up in the LORD. It matters not if they are regenerate or not. We are all going to be held accountable for how we all discipled our children. It doesn’t take some kind of doctrinal Covenant inclusion to do this. In fact I think it is rather deceptive to teach a child they are in a New Covenant relationship with God when they may be strangers to the covenant. It neglects the nature of what the new Covenant is. A Covenant made based upon the forgiveness of sin and knowing the Lord. Not like the one that the early church fathers could break. It is an unbreakable Covenant.

I addressed my response to Baptists:

1. Baptists keep talking about an overarching presumption that, in telling children they are in the New Covenant, they can “rest on their laurels”. It’s like we’re saying: “Son, presume you are Elect and you have nothing to go to God for and say: ‘Save Me!'”

In so doing, Baptists are actually projecting the problem with their own presumption. Dr. Clark called it confusing decree and administration. As I noted before, what are you telling someone if you say:
a. The New Covenant is with the elect alone.
b. We only baptize those we have “maximal confidence” are elect
c. We are baptizing YOU, the man who just confessed Christ.

In essence, you are giving him an unwarranted presumption. In fact, I was just listening to Gene Cook and John Goundry say the other day that Preachers only have to tell those outside the NC to “…know the Lord” (i.e. repent and be baptized) because we don’t tell those in the NC that because that’s been fulfilled. Notice the presumption – they are baptized = they are in the New Covenant = they are elect.

This gets very confusing because I know if I press Gene on this he’s going to admit that he doesn’t know who’s in the NC so the exercise of who you can and can’t say “know the Lord” to becomes quite impossible. Do you see how Baptists can tie themselves into knots on this point if they actually thought about it? Yet, if you go back and read even portions of this thread we have people arguing that we should have people telling the Church: “Oh, I’m elect, the Holy Spirit told me so”.

Thus, I think the presumptive problem lies with the nature of Baptistic baptism and trying to find a nexus in the perfection of the New Covenant. It is not really fair for you to ascribe the presumption you have for the people you baptize with the hope and promise that we have for those we baptize.

2. Sadly, I feel a sense in which you are missing the very power and weight of the Gospel to convert. Romans 6 is part of the Gospel by the way. Notice what you guys keep saying about “presuming” on the part of sinners. Why do you think a reprobate man is going to presume any less for a Law passage (do this and live) than He is about a Gospel passage. If a man is dead in His sins and trespasses then he presumes upon everything. The Pharisees had presumption of the Law down pat as well as the threat of hell. They just deceived themselves that it didn’t apply to them.

Check out my teaching on Romans 6 at our website if you get a chance – http://www.baptistchurch.jp/teaching.html

It is my conviction that passages like Romans 6 can actually convert the soul. They feed hungry Christian souls. I think you guys worry too much about the reprobate presuming upon Grace and not enough about feeding Grace to the elect you have in your midst. Even as we sneer at Roman Catholics who say: “Don’t teach that kind of stuff because it’s a license for liberty”, we don’t preach it openly because we’re afraid (like them) that the wrong people are going to get the wrong idea. Worry about the right people getting the right idea more! Feed them this stuff. Stuff them with it! One-third of Romans is this stuff. It’s not merely doctrinally interesting but it is the basis for the ethics.

3. I love this point that Dr. Clark cited:

74. Are infants also to be baptized?

Yes, for since they belong to the covenant and people of God as well as their parents, and since redemption from sin through the blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit who works faith, are promised to them no less than to their parents, they are also by Baptism, as the sign of the Covenant, to be ingrafted into the Christian Church, and distinguished from the children of unbelievers, as was done in the Old Testament by Circumcision, in place of which in the New Testament Baptism is instituted.

See, again, the problem I see is that it is the Baptists who presume too much. You guys presume, by your profession, that you’re elect and so you turn a wary eye toward the young’uns who haven’t. First, you shouldn’t be presuming upon your profession. Second, you should be seeing that everyone visible in your midst needs the kind of Grace I was just talking about.

You worry too much about the bad apples and you punish the whole crowd. You can’t figure out who to punish so you punish every child calling him unregenerate while claiming regeneracy for the adults. Where does such presumption come from? I’m not saying not to tell kids to repent but tell adults to repent too. Tell everyone to repent where Paul does. The Gospel is bouncing off the walls of your Church as you proclaim it to man, woman, and child. Stop worrying about who is elect among you and deal with the visible assembly in your midst. Let the Holy Spirit do its work but don’t preach with one arm tied behind your back. Preach the whole counsel of God and where it says “repent” tell everyone and where it says “rejoice” then proclaim it as the Word does. And let God sort out the rest.

Don’t even destroy the simplicity of the Gospel by demanding that solid, intellectual assurance that you want all adults to express. If a brother is struggling with assurance don’t impoverish him with “try harder” to determine if you’re elect. Focus him upon the Cross. Tell him that it’s as simple as believing. Do you believe Christ died for sin? Do you believe Christ raised Him from the dead? Believe! Proclaim Romans 8 to him. If he’s reprobate then that’s his problem but if he’s elect then let it feed him and establish him!

But stop impoverishing the flock by playing to the fear of the lowest common denominator.

***UPDATE***

After I posted this I got a response from a dear brother in the Lord who is a Baptist elder. He felt my words were intende to deny the fact that Baptists understand that Romans 6 is part of the Gospel. My extended remarks are as follows:

I think you need to take the position as a whole and not parse the issue and take it personally. I had to sum up a lot of people’s thoughts. I was unspecific because I wasn’t aiming it at a Baptist but a line of thinking that begins with the assumption that NC=elect -> Profession which necessarily excludes those who are too young to profess in a mature fashion.

There is then an underlying assumption that if you treat the immature as if they are spiritually minded that it will lead to presumption and that it is deceptive to teach them anything other than the condemnation of the Law. I repeatedly hear from Baptists (in general) that the only status that children have is that they are in Adam and unregenerate. They claim this on the basis of the child’s profession. Conversely, those that are professors are presumed (too much I think) to be regenerate on the basis of profession. There is an unhealthy mix of presumption about regeneration for professors and unregeneration for non-professing (young) members).

I wasn’t denying you believed all about Romans 6 and the Gospel in general. Please forgive me as I can understand how some of it came off as patronizing. I’m sorry to you and other Baptists if I sounded pejorative or condescending. I was trying to connect to the underlying concern in the OP, pull together some disparate posts, and draw it all out. I wanted to move from our common base of understanding regarding the Gospel and move to how the manner of Baptism and the way you talk about visible members actually undermines the program of the Gospel. In some aspects it is meant to sting (in a loving way) to get some to understand why the Reformed paedo baptizes into discipleship and not to declare of a person – this one is elect and this one is not.

The shoe fits for some or all aspects better than others, but credo-Baptism as an overarching system, in the way it treats the young – presuming them to be unregenerate – witholds an aspect of the Gospel from them. That witholding of the Gospel to the young is of the nature of Romans 6. It assumes that the only thing a child needs to hear is that they need to repent of their sins. On the other hand, it might see that adult professors don’t need to hear as much about repentance of sins (because after all they’ve professed). My view is that ALL in the visible Church need the full orbed presentation – professors or too immature to profess. The full presentation will mature and convert babes and the full presentation will mature and convert adults.

In the end, where the shoe fits, wear it. Your frustration is mine. As I stated in another thread, the Baptist view is very eclectic (even though you guys are all supposed to be 1689 LBCF) and some argue in different ways. I’m sorry that you feel slighted when I have to refer to a strain of Baptist thinking that is, in the main, representative of the issue. Conversely, Reformed paedobaptists are pretty monlithic in the understanding of the issue. Regardless of the aspects that you believe fit tightly or not, you have to answer for the reasons why you don’t baptize the young and why you believe profession alone is the arbiter of when discipleship begins. The difficulty in nailing down where Baptists fall on these issues communicates to confusion in the pews and why, when a Baptist calls up Pastor Gene Cook on the Narrow Mind he has no idea how he can possibly train his child in the fear and admonition of the Lord without training the child to obey the Law as a Pharisee might vice a motivation that focuses on love for God (Romans 6).

Categories
Thanksgiving

Thankful

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter from God. God has graciously given Him to His children for guidance, illumination, conviction, and comfort. I can imagine the Disciples’ confusion each time Christ foretold of the looming betrayal and death which He would soon experience. And yet, He also told them about the Comforter Whom God would leave with them. I’m reminded of this privilege daily.

Over the last few days I’ve read about Joseph’s reuniting with his brothers. What a lovely picture of grace! I wept as I read of Joseph weeping, and trying to restrain his tears, or be out of sight when overwhelmed. I thank God that I still am touched by Scripture. Thank You, Lord.

Categories
Gospels and Acts

The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus

Originally presented to the Men’s Bible Study at my Church, I present this study on the conversion of the Apostle Paul.  These are my notes and are arranged to help me present the material.

Stephen’s Death

Acts 7:54-8:4

54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[a] at him. 58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 8

1And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

4Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

  • Note the power of the Gospel preached by Stephen.
  • They were cut to the heart. The Word of God has an effect. May God grant us hearts that are converted and do not rebel against its power. Some of you will be challenged by me in ways you might have never been challenged by God’s Word. His Gospel cuts a man to pieces and some rebel.
  • Saul of Tarsus is given tribute in this passage. He is the ring leader and he approves of the killing of this godly man Stephen who is acting as God’s prophet.
  • There arises a great persecution of the Church, led by Saul himself. He literally drags people from their houses, and “ravages” the Church. He throws men and women into prison and subjects them to indignities.
  • Other passages indicate that Saul not only committed men and women to prison but he actually tortured them, separated mother from child, and even killed believers.
  • God used this persecution to spread the Word and cause the Gospel to go out from Judea into Samaria and into the world (just as He proclaimed it would at the beginning of Acts).

The Career of the Murderer Paul

In 1 Tim 1:15 Paul wrote to his son in the Lord:

15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

  • Some people see this as hyperbole or perhaps Paul is just being humble.  I believe Paul is being completely honest here.  He realizes what he was saved from.  He has real regrets for his career as a Pharisee and knows the sins he was forgiven.
  • Time and distance have a way for us to read the account in Acts and remove a sense of the terrible atrocities that Paul committed against the Christians.
  • It is really not an exaggeration to think of Saul the Pharisee in the same light as Nazi Soldier or a Terrorist.  You really need to try and think of the many men and women, brothers and sisters in the Lord, that Paul persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and killed.
  • Like many of the most brutal murderers, Paul was a well educated man.
  • Protégé of Gamaliel and extremely well studied.
  • Rabbis were known for their memorization of the Scriptures and the Talmud.
  • He was a Pharisee of Pharisees and one of the most educated man in Palestine.
  • He would not be content until he eradicated this heretical sect of Judaism.
  • His persecution matched his zeal.
  • Hatreds and distrusts can stay with a people for their entire lifetime.

Saul’s Conversion 

Acts 9

1But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened.

Verse 1,2 – Paul is continuing in his murderous ways.  He’s not content for the leadership to come to him to continue this campaign.  He went to the high priest with letters to give him authority so he could go to Damascus and continue his campaign there.  Great was his zeal!

Verse 3 shows the power of God.  If ever there was a passage that shows the power of God’s grace upon a man it is Paul.  Paul is not on a journey to Damascus to seek the Truth.  He is not a seeker who is looking for God.  He is going to imprison and carry off Christians.  He is going on an errand of the devil to persecute Christ’s own.

BUT the God who revealed Himself to Isaiah suddenly reveals Himself to Paul.  The Power of the light of Christ’s refulgent glory KNOCKS SAUL OFF his feet and onto the ground!

Verse 4

– “Saul, Saul”.  The repetition of a person’s name is a Hebraism.  It only occurs about 15 times in Scripture and is always used in a way that denotes intimacy and love.  God calls His servants this way.  While Saul was busy hating God, God had already set His unmerited favor upon Saul.  While Saul was killing men and women that Christ loved and had died for, Christ had set Saul apart and had determined to save Him.  He doesn’t say:  Saul!.  He says:  Saul, Saul.  Beautiful!

“Why do you persecute Me?” – Christ so identifies with His Bride, the Church that He asks Paul:  Why are you persecuting Me?

Verse 5

– “Who are you Lord” – Saul is blown away.  He knows enough to call such holy terror by the name of Lord

–  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, it must be hard to kick against the goads” – Some translations leave out the second part.  Saul – you are incredibly STUPID.  Do you think you can raise your hand against Me?!

Verse 6

– Trembling and Astonished “What do you want me to do” – Words simply cannot capture the shock and utter terror that Paul was experiencing.  We discussed the effect that Christ’s revelation had on Isaiah in Chapter 6.  Saul has just had the Holy One of Israel reveal Himself in all his terrible splendor.  And Saul has just realized that he has been putting to death Jesus’ people!  Jesus, God, who will judge all men one day, had every right to destroy Saul.  Saul does the only thing a Creature can do before its Creator:  Trembling, he asks “What do you want me to do?”

Verses 7-9

Nobody around him sees what happens but they hear a voice.  Saul, this mighty man with vile threats and the power of the Sanhedrin behind him, is now reduced to a blind man being led into the city.  He’s undone, reduced to a man who sits alone for three days without food and water.

Verses 10-12

Ananias is praying and Jesus speaks to him.  He answers “…Lord…” – he knows who is addressing him.

Christ commands him to find Saul and restore his sight.  He tells him exactly how to get there and that Saul has seen a vision that he will be coming.

Verse 13-14

Remember, Ananias knows he’s talking to God.  You just have to understand how extraordinary this request is.  Saul of Tarsus?  Are you serious?  He kills Christians – Collaborator!  Nazi!  Terrorist!

Verse 15-16

“Go,…” – A very clear command from Christ.

“He is my chosen vessel…” – He is MY choice.  He will herald my Gospel.  He will suffer for my name.  The man that does not deserve forgiveness is forgiven.  His sins I HAVE PAID FOR.  Beautiful.

Verses 17-19

“Brother Saul…” – Did you catch that Ananias calls him Brother Saul?  That is the glory of the Gospel.  He’s not a murdering Pharisee anymore.  That was NAILED TO THE CROSS.  Christ to me that you are His and that’s good enough for me!  Brother Saul.  That we would believe the Gospel like Ananias did!

Conclusion

Do you ever wonder how it is that Paul could be stoned to near death and then walk right back into the city that almost killed him?

Did you ever wonder why he could endure shipwreck, imprisonment, persecution, hatred, maligning, and all sorts of maltreatment?

Did you ever wonder what drove a man like that?

The man encountered the Son of God and saw His Holinesss.  He saw the One who had the power of Saul’s eternal soul in the palm of His hand.  He saw and understood how Christ had paid the debt for his pursuing men and women.  For putting them to death, for torturing them, for separating mother from child.  Nobody like Saul deserves to live!  He knew that.

BUT Christ, the Holy One, knocked him off his feet and saved him.

That’s the man who’s Gospel we’re going to be reading about in Romans.  That’s a man who is not ashamed of the Gospel FOR IT IS THE POWER OF SALVATION FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES!

The Gospel that says:  You are unworthy.  You are a beggar.  You have NOTHING that God needs.  The only thing you can do is reach out with your hand and cry out:  I believe in Christ the Son of God.  Save me!

I want you to encounter Christ this year and get a passion in your bloodstream that understands and learns about the Gospel.  This will not be about easy steps to holiness.  This will be about putting you in contact with the God who has every right to destroy you and hasn’t.  It will show you the power of the Gospel and the Grace of God in Redemptive History.  We will encounter Christ and it is my hope that is the kind of encounter that causes you to understand Him so that you are impelled by a desire to serve Him out of gratitude and lead your households in Holiness.