Sapphire Sky

April 14, 2013

What did Christ finish?

Filed under: encouragement, praise, theology — Anthony Biller @ 9:09 pm

Easter 2013 Message

by Pastor Stephen Daveystaff_davey_smile

John 19:30

There is nothing quite so profound as a person’s final words; especially when that person is aware that they are about to die.

Lady Astor was the first female member of the British House of Commons who used to tangle often with Winston Churchill. She was the woman in that famous conversation where she upbraided Churchill saying that if she were his wife, she’d poison his drink. To which Churchill famously responded, “And if I were your husband, I would drink it.” As she lay on her deathbed at the age of 85, she awakened to find her bed surrounded by her entire family. She grinned and said, “Either I am dying, or this is my birthday.”i

Frank Sinatra’s last words were spoken to his fourth wife – he simply looked up at her and said, “I’m losing” – and then died.ii

Queen Elizabeth I brought England to its greatest world power; literature, education, fashion and glamour flourished under her 40 year reign which ended in the 17th century. As she lay dying, she gasped her final words, “All my possessions for a moment of time.”iii

John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was finally chased down and trapped in a barn. As soldiers set fire to the barn, Booth was spotted and fatally wounded. After they pulled him out of the barn and away from the fire, Booth lay there with moments to live – he held up his hands and said, “Useless . . . useless.”iv

O. Henry, the famous short story writer and outspoken unbeliever said just before he died, “Turn up the lights – I don’t want to go . . . in the dark.”v

Contrast that to the last words of Charles Spurgeon, the London pastor from the 1800’s who died with these words on his lips – Jesus died for me.

And in His dying breath, Jesus Christ will say just a few words – so profound that believers have read them and studied them and have been nourished by them and strengthened and ready to face life and death because of them.

Why? Because they were words that played out the glory of the gospel in living color – first, with words of agony and separation and suffering, but finally – as he spoke for the last time – words of victory and satisfaction.

We have time for one of Christ’s seven final words or statements – let me invite you to the Gospel of John and chapter 19. Verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” 29. A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

If you compare the Gospel accounts, you discover seven things Jesus said during his crucifixion.Rembrandt TheThreeCrosses 1653

We’ll take time for this statement here in verse 30.

The ancient Greeks were proud of the fact that their universal language was able to communicate so much with so few words.

“To be able to give,” as one wrote “an ocean of matter in one drop of language.”vi

It is finished is only one word in the Greek language – tetelestai – one evangelical author wrote that this is the greatest single word ever uttered.vii

In this one word is wrapped up the Gospel of God.

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to be right with God – how to know you’re sins are forgiven – how to know that you can have heaven, guaranteed – it’s bound up in this one word.

It is finished.

And by the way, would you notice that Jesus did not say, “I am finished”, even though in less than 60 seconds he would.

He didn’t say, “I am finished,” but, “It is finished.”

Which is remarkable on a number of fronts, isn’t it?

How often can any of us say, “We finished something?”

I don’t know about you, but my “to-do” list isn’t getting any shorter – it’s getting longer.

I’ll never outrun it.

Think of how many times you’ve said, “I’ve started something” . . . but haven’t been able to say, “I finished it.”

I can remember as a college student, setting out in my spare time to be a salesman selling Amway products? How many others in here have a similar story of success?

I had identified a portable alarm system that you simply hung on the inside of your front door. Once you set the alarm at night, all someone on the outside had to do was touch that metal door handle, it grounds the charge and the alarm would sound.

It was a brilliant plan, and it offered at least $30 back to me for each one sold. I had visions of paying my school bill, trading in my Volare – you remember that automobile?

So out I went into a wealthy neighborhood that Saturday, armed with my demo and a stack of brochures. Homeowner after homeowner turned me down, saying that really didn’t need an alarm system. I couldn’t believe it. I never even got to demo the thing.

But then I came to that house – I’ll never forget that moment. The lady knew it was hot outside and I was standing there sweating. She invited me into the living room for a glass of water and then agreed to let me demo the world’s most amazing portable alarm system.

So I got it all set up, hung it on that ornate bronze door handle . . . waited 30 seconds for it to set and then told the lady . . . “Okay, just ever so gently touch the handle on the outside. She did. Nothing happened.

I said, “Touch it a little harder.” Nothing happened.

I said, “Here, let me” and I grabbed the handle . . . started shaking it. Not a sound. Turns out the door handle was made out of wood, painted to look like bronze.

I didn’t know they could do that!

And that effectively ended my career as an Amway salesman.

I was about 23 years old . . . most people by the age of 33 are saying, “I’ve figured it out and I’ve got my life’s ambition off and running.” At the age of 33, Jesus said, “I finished mine.”

Now what exactly was He referring to here?

What was finished?

He still has to die . . . He still must rise again . . . and ascend back to the Father.

What did He finish?

Jesus is speaking with anticipation here.

The three hours of darkness is past, the cup of wrath has been drained, His blood has been shed and the wrath of the Father is satisfied.

It has yet to be ratified by His death and resurrection.

Jesus effectively sees the finish line and knows He’s finished the word of atonement in his suffering and death, and just before He dies, He announces – not for the benefit of God – but for the benefit of mankind – “I finished it.”

And then dies.

Let me give you four objectives that Jesus finished.

1. He completed the goal of Old Testament revelation

Old Testament prophesied, and Jesus completed it all:

  • That He would be of the woman’s seed (Genesis 3:15);
  • That His mother would be a virgin (Isaiah 7:14);
  • That He would be a lineal descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-13);
  • That He would be named before He was born (Isaiah 49:1);
  • That He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea (Micah 5:2);
  • That His birth would bring great weeping to that region (Jeremiah 31:15); which it did when Herod ordered all the children killed under the age of 2 in an attempt to kill Jesus, who was born, King of the Jews (Matthew 2:16-17 – and Herod did this, Matthew records, so that what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet would be fulfilled;
  • Furthermore, the prophesies of the Old Testament specified that that the Messiah’s parents would flee to Egypt and then return later to their homeland (Hosea 11:1 and Isaiah 49:3-6);
  • That a forerunner would precede the coming Messiah (Malachi 3:1 – fulfilled in John the Baptizer)
  • That the Messiah would open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf and the lame will leap as a deer and the mute will sing (Isaiah 35:5-6)

The charismatic movement has distorted the healing power of Christ and His Apostles to mean nothing more than sick people got well and God doesn’t want anybody to be sick. They not only distort His power, they destroy its true purpose.

Jesus didn’t heal people because they were sick or lame or blind; If He did, then He was entirely cruel – because He healed a few lepers when He could have healed entire leper colonies; He raised Lazarus from the dead but not all the dead – why?

Because His healing power had a purpose. It was all a demonstration of his rightful claim to be the Messiah – Peter preached as the New Testament church age opened – That He, Christ, was authenticated by God through miracles and signs and wonders (Acts 2:22) . . . Jesus literally and effectively fulfilled the prophecies regarding the true Messiah.

  • In addition, the Old Testament prophesied that He would be poor and needy – and He was – He had to borrow everything from the boats He rode in to the homes He ate in, to the tomb He would be buried in (Psalm 40:17);
  • That He would speak in parables (Psalm 78:2);
  • David prophesied that He will cause the storm to be stilled and the waves of the sea to be hushed (Psalm 107:29 – which He did more than once;
  • That He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt (Zechariah 9:9);
  • That He would be despised (Isaiah 53:3)
  •  That He would be rejected by the Jewish people (Isaiah 8:14);
  • That He would be hated without a cause (Psalm 69:4);
  • That His hands and feet would be pierced; that He would hang next to criminals; that the crowd would surround Him and mock Him and that his garments would be gambled by the casting of lots (all that and more in Psalm 22).

Jesus literally completed the goal of all Old Testament prophecies and, we could add, festivals and types and symbols – the Old Testament was filled with shadows and mysteries and innuendos which Jesus Christ brought out into the light of day and fulfilled.

Jesus not only completed the goal of Old Testament revelation, concerning the Messiah’s death, that is; but . . .

2. He canceled the guilt of our rebellion

The Apostle Peter said that Jesus Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree – the cross (I Peter 2:24).

Isaiah put it this way – The Lord hath laid on Him – the Anointed One – the iniquities of us all.

Isaiah spoke of the cross-work of Christ, the Suffering Savior – 4. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried . . . 5. He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities . . . 6. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

In other words, the Triune God partnered together at the cross to place upon God the Son the iniquities – the transgressions – the sins of us all.

Imagine it this way – suppose my Bible represents the Book of your Life and Deeds – all the good things you did – that’s this little section here – and all the things you did, thought and planned that you shouldn’t have; and all the good things you should have done, thought, planned, carried out.

Imagine this opening page is your birth certificate and this last page is your death certificate.

Isaiah said that it pleased the Father to bruise Him – to pierce Him – and He laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Listen, if God the Father laid upon God the Son all your iniquities, then when you believe in Him, they are immediately and effectively and eternally no longer on you.

You’re free . . . you’re forgiven . . . your guilt is gone. The debt has been entirely canceled.

Now there is still sin in you, for in our flesh dwells no good thing. Paul wrote that as part of his personal testimony in Romans 7:18.

Even after coming to faith in Christ, you know full well that sin is in you and it keeps crawling out of you.

But the record of sin is effectively no longer on you.

One author illustrates this truth by writing, “When a judge passes sentence on a criminal, he places him under the sentence of death. In like manner, everyone apart from Christ has the sentence of God’s condemnation resting upon them; but when they believe in the Lord Jesus, they are no longer under condemnation, because sin is no longer on them – and because sin is no longer on them, they are no longer under judgment.”viii

And that’s why Paul can end his personal testimony of sinful struggles in Romans 7 by praising God in chapter 8 – “Therefore there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Jesus Christ died for, had transferred to His body, completely paid for, ahead of time and for all of eternity, your record of sin, effectively canceling the guilt of your rebellion from the record of God.

Spurgeon preached in the 1800’s, “For Jesus Christ lifted the cup of our guilt to His lips and He drank our damnation dry.ix

Do you know what that means? It means the cross of Christ is the grave of your sins. They are canceled, forgiven, buried and they will never be resurrected.

It is finished!

Jesus completed the goal of Old Testament revelation; Jesus canceled the guilt of our rebellion; and …

3. Jesus crafted the guidelines for our redemption

Warren Wiersbe commenting on this text wrote, “Some years ago there was an evangelist whose name was Alexander Wooton. A man came to him one day and asked, rather sarcastically, “So . . . what do I have to do so that I can get saved.” Knowing the man was not serious – but looking for a way to mock the gospel, and the evangelist – Wooton replied, “It’s too late.” The man sobered up – became rather alarmed – and said, “Wait a minute . . . what do you mean it’s too late for me . . . tell me what I’ve got to do to be saved!” And Wooton replied, “It’s too late . . . it’s already been done.”x

In Jesus Christ’s final cry of victory – He provided the guidelines for personal salvation.

Now this word in the Greek language – tetelestai – was a common word in Jesus’ day.

It has been found in numerous archaeological sites – written on numerous Greek documents. And the way it was used, adds nuance upon nuance to the guidelines communicated through Christ – and consistently through His apostles.

The word was used by servants. A master would tell his servant to go do something and when the servant had completed the task, he would report back and say, “Tetelestai” – I’ve finished the task you assigned me.

The word was used by the Jewish priests who inspected an animal sacrifice brought by someone for offering to the Lord. After examining the sacrificial animal, if there was no blemish or disqualifying mark, he would pronounce it “perfect”, using a Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent to tetelestai.

Even artists used the word after completing a painting – they would step back, lay down their brush and announce tetelestai – the portrait or painting is completed.

Merchants in the market place would write on receipts for people who paid in full for their items this same word, tetelestai.xi

Jesus finished the portrait of salvation by grace through faith in Him alone (Ephesians 2)

Jesus finished the task of redemption in His body.

Jesus was the perfect, unblemished sacrifice.

And Jesus paid the complete price for redemption through His blood – redeeming us from the market place of destruction.

In other words:

You can’t improve on the portrait He painted;

  • You can’t add your nickel to the price that He paid;
  • You can’t contribute your works, to the finished work of Christ.

You simply can’t improve on what is finished.xii

The great [and unique guideline] of our gospel is not “do”, it is “done.xiii

Jesus completed the goal of Old Testament revelation; Jesus canceled the guilt of our rebellion; Jesus crafted the guidelines for our redemption; and…

4. Jesus crushed the grip of heaven’s rival

The Gospel account records that Jesus didn’t whisper this final word, He shouted it!

Arthur Pink wrote, “When Jesus Christ shouted tetelestai – this was not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr; this was not the last gasp of a worn-out life. No, this was the declaration on the part of the Redeemer that all for which He came from heaven to earth to do, was now done; that all that was required by the law before sinners could be saved had now been performed; that the full price of our redemption was now paid. To be sure, as Jesus spoke these words, He was not yet dead; but His death was only moments away and He speaks with the anticipation of the work now done.xiv

Tetelestai is a shout of joy. He finished it. Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) – He endured the cross for the joy of winning His bride – redeeming His beloved!

He has won!

“It is finished” is not the cry of a victim, but a victor.xv

To every human observer, the cross looked like the devil’s greatest triumph and God’s greatest failure. But in reality, the cross was the crushing of Satan’s power over death and the grave.

By the way, contrary to corrupted church tradition, Jesus will not descend into hell to suffer at the hands of the Devil – he doesn’t become the helpless plaything of demons for three days and nights . . . the Devil and His demons were crushed at the cross.

They are howling in utter defeat – their doom is now sealed.

Jesus isn’t heading for some painful ordeal in hell; He will accomplish a number of things upon dying – which are for another study.

But we’re told in the Gospels that in His next and last breath, Jesus will commit His Spirit into the Father’s hands – which means there is no longer separation between Father and Son; 3 hours of darkness and silence have transacted the punishment upon Christ and all of that is now over; God the Father and God the Son are now in sweet communion again; the justice of the Father is satisfied . . . the price of redemption has been paid and received – and Christ will return to the glory of heaven and the fellowship of His Father.

In fact, the writer of Hebrews informs us that after Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews 10:12)

He ascended to glory and, we’re told, He sat down in the place of God’s own authority – His right hand.

But don’t miss this. Jesus sat down!

There were no chairs in the Tabernacle or Temple where priests could sit – there was no chair for the High Priest to lounge upon in the Holy of Holies.

They never sat down in there because their work was never finished.xvi

Jesus Christ sat down? Why?

  • Because the crushing of Satan’s power through death and the grave were finished;
  • Because the payment of sins was finished;
  • Because the atoning work was completed.

The prophesies are now history. The guilt is now canceled. And the guidelines are now confirmed.

The crushing of Satan time and time again – both at the cross and every time someone accepts the payment of Christ to their own account, and is saved – the grip of the enemy is crushed open and the believer is set free.

Hudson Taylor, the man who opened China with the gospel in the 1800’s was a moral young man, raised by believing parents, taught to read the Bible, knowledgeable of basic doctrine, yet personally unconverted – a skeptic and an unbeliever. His time working at a city bank had surrounded him with other skeptics who fed his unbelief. Besides, he had come to believe, religion was too hard to attain, or keep up with.

He would write sometime later, “I happened to have a holiday, and in the afternoon looked through my father’s library to find some book with which to while away the unoccupied hours. [I was unaware that my mother was presently praying for my conversion to Christ and that my 13 year old sister had committed to praying 3 times a day for my salvation as well.]

There I was in my father’s library . . . and nothing interested me; I turned over a basket to pamphlets and selected from among them a Gospel tract that looked interesting, saying to myself; ‘There will be a story at the beginning and a sermon at the end; I will read the former and leave the latter for those who like it.

While reading it, I was struck with the phrase: ‘The finished work of Christ.” Why does this author use this expression, I questioned. Why not the atoning work of Christ? Or the satisfying work of Christ.’

The words of Christ – “It is finished” came to my memory. But, what was finished? It became clear as I read that the debt was paid for our sins – a full and perfect atonement and satisfaction for sin.”

Then came the thought to my mind, “If the work was finished and the whole debt has been paid, what is there left for me to do?”

And with this dawned the joyful conviction, as light flashed into my soul, that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on my knees and accept this Savior and His salvation and then praise Him for the rest of my life.xvii

And that’s exactly what Hudson Taylor did.

Have you done that?

Are the last words of Christ your victory cry? Is the finished work of Christ your only hope? Is He your Savior today?

i Adapted from Ray Robinson, Famous Last Words (Workman Publishing, 2003), 15

ii Ibid, p. 161

iii Ibid, p. 101

iv Ibid, p. 11

v Ibid, p. 58

vi Arthur W. Pink, The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross (Baker, 1958), p. 102

vii James M. Stalker, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ (Zondervan, 1966), p. 149

viii Pink, p. 114

ix Adapted from Charles H. Spurgeon, Christ’s Words from the Cross (Baker, 1984), p. 94

x Warren W. Wiersbe, Jesus’ Seven Last Words (Back to the Bible, 1981), p. 64

xi Word usages adapted from Wiersbe, pp. 58-62

xii Spurgeon, p. 100

xiii Warren W. Wiersbe, Jesus’ Seven Last Words (Back to the Bible, 1981), p. 64

xiv Pink, p. 102

xv Pink, p. 102

xvi Wiersbe, p. 65

xvii Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor: The Growth of a Soul (OMF International, 1996), p. 67

This manuscript is from a sermon preached on 3/31/2013 by Stephen Davey.

© Copyright 2013 Stephen Davey All rights reserved.

February 1, 2013

Truly, there is a God who will be known.

Filed under: Atheism, agnostic, evolution, etc., theology — Anthony Biller @ 5:40 pm

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”   John 18:38Christ Almighty Vasnetsov

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”   John 14:6

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness   Ephesians 6:14

We believe in truth. Truth is important. Arguably, truth is popular.  Bad guys lie.  Good guys tell the truth. In a just court of law, truth is supposed to win. We want to know the truth and often pay top dollar to get “the truth,” particularly if we get it before others.

Why?

I’ve long found it ironic how militant atheists claim to be so passionate about what they claim to be true.  Why should they care?  If they’re correct and someone believes a falsehood, there’s no ultimate consequence because there are no ultimate consequences, aside from annihilation.  In contrast, if Christians are correct, there are eternal consequences for being wrong about the truth.

We know the truth in our hearts.  Perhaps it’s part of being made in the image of God.  Our fallen natures affects our relationship with the truth, yet the truth remains.

Nearly all people will speak in terms of what is true or otherwise presume that “truth” exists.  Yet, the fact that we’re certain truth exists proves something.

“Truth” presupposes God and consistent with that, Scripture makes it clear that truth is not just a “what.”  Truth is personal; truth is a “who.” The existence of “truth” proves there is God. Further, the Bible explains that Christ is the source and foundation of all truth, and is in fact truth incarnate.

Think about it.  If there is no God, i.e. a transcendent and eternal intelligence beyond our dimensions of space and time, then the materialists are most likely correct — everything we see happened by blind chance.  Mechanical processes led to what and to whom we are and what we believe.  But that cannot be.  Truth presupposes a transcendent standard.

If I smashed ten bottles, I would have ten smash patterns and a mess.  No more.  No less.  That’s it.  If I smashed ten million bottles, I’d have a bigger mess and larger smash pattern.  If I continued that smashing for billions and billions of years I can expect lots of patterns.  But that’s it.  It would neither be true or false.  It would just be.

If our reality is simply the result of random, unguided physical processes, we would be nothing more but an extremely complex and unlikely “smash pattern” of sorts.  No more.  No less.  The pattern is neither true, nor false.  It simply is. If we were simply an evolved mechanical pattern, there would be no apparent reason for our consciousness to create standards, let alone deeply felt standards, that transcend our smash pattern.  That would be pointless. But indeed, we hunger for more than accurate observations, we hunger for truth.

Notwithstanding the best efforts of Zen Buddhists, we’re hard-wired to believe in “truth.”  We pursue truth and we presuppose its existence. It’s such a natural part of what we are and how we’re made that we hardly question its existence.  Whether you believe in objective or subjective truth, it’s still “truth.”

The universe provides compelling reasons to encourage and corroborate our belief in truth.  Instead of finding random smash patterns, we find order and precision.  Everywhere.  There are ordered laws that govern and control how matter and time relate.  From where did such ordering come if not the mind of God?  Why would thoughtless, random time and matter promulgate any laws, let alone intricate and amazing laws and order from the uniform weighting of sub-atomic particles to the movement of universes.

There is a temporal aspect to truth. Truth was, is and will be. There is also an empirical form of truth.  From the tiniest particles to the largest galaxies, we do not find randomness.  We find order.  We can know where Jupiter will be tomorrow based on those laws. We can know that the snow forming in the clouds overhead will fall to earth.

The transcendent nature of truth becomes more apparent when we leave temporal observation in favor of non-observational truths.  Put in other words, we can “see” truth more when it “shows” itself in those things we cannot see. Truth exists beyond what we can see and measure.  For example, it’s self-evident that the statement “all knowledge is empirical” immediately collapses under its own self-contradiction.  Moral truths provide a “clean” example of transcendent truth, e.g. it is wrong to kill an innocent person. We “know” that is true. We do not need to observe murders to ascertain whether it is “wrong” or to derive a definition of “wrong.”

Transcendent truth runs even deeper than morality though, to the very forces that animate our existence.  In my experience, the most important truths at work in the lives of individuals are faith, hope and love.  Yet, faith, hope and love are not really “forces.” They are not empirical.  They transcend space and time, yet the reality or truth of faith, hope and love (or lack thereof) provide the greatest forces (or devastation) in our lives.  With neither faith, hope or love, a person perishes.

Finally, truth manifests most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ, whom scripture reveals as the truth.  Scripture teaches that through Him all things were made.  As explained above, time and space corroborate truth by the way Christ ordered and structured creation.  This certainty of ordering and being able to observe and know the ordering is the foundation of science. It is also the fingerprints of Christ.  Scripture also teaches that when Christ is in us, then we will be true.  Finally, the Word teaches that if we teach the truth, we teach the Gospel of Christ.  Christ was, is and forever will be the fount and foundation of truth. Outside Him, there is no truth.

We live, move and have our being in His creation.  His truth surrounds us and testifies to Him.  The soul’s hunger for the truth is no more and no less than its hunger for our eternal Lord, creator and savior Jesus Christ, the ultimate truth.  Amen!

December 24, 2012

God Came in the Appearance of an Illegitimate Child from Nowhere

Filed under: praise, theology, Uncategorized — Anthony Biller @ 8:34 am

Reblogged from Sapphire Sky:

Click to visit the original post

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  John 1:10

The infinite and awesome creator of the cosmos took the form of his own creation and subjected himself to the laws of time and death, to save those who rebelled against him.  God’s voluntary subjection to the rebellious brutality of His creation demonstrates the degree to which God hates original sin – pride and conceit. 

Read more… 680 more words

The greatest miracle ... Merry Christmas!

October 28, 2012

Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Filed under: theology — Tags: , , , , , , — Dima Kotik @ 2:11 pm

Does the difference in the genealogies of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew and Luke present a problem for Christian faith by challenging historicity of Christ? Perhaps you have heard this difference explained by claiming that Matthew is tracing the ancestry of Christ’s father and Luke the ancestry of his mother. But that’s not the full story. In reality, both evangelists are tracing genealogy of Christ through his father, but Matthew follows the biological ancestry while Luke follows legal ancestry. This divergency exists because of a common ancient near eastern custom of levirate marriage. Since women in the ancient world did not have the right to own land, they risked losing all their property if their husbands died before they had a mature son. A mature male relative closest to her husband, however, could rescue the widow and her children from the doom of poverty by marrying her. This way he would preserve her estate, becoming her legal guardian and redeemer, but by doing so he would legally assume the identity of her deceased husband and would have to give up the rights to inheritance he could receive from his father. Such an act was often seen as heroic charity, especially if the redeemer came from a wealthier family, as it can be seen in the book of Ruth. Continue to read…

August 3, 2012

The Gospel

Filed under: encouragement, praise, theology, video — Steve Knaus @ 1:42 pm

April 9, 2012

Now that Easter is over…

Filed under: encouragement, theology — Steve Knaus @ 10:09 pm

Easter Sunday has come and gone. As the sugar high wears off, we should take a chance to reflect.

What was it about?
Easter Bunny? White Crosses? Flowers? Going to church?

The more devout would answer that Jesus rose from the dead. But why?

Why did Jesus have to die?

Why would the God of the Universe submit himself to inhuman torture by one of the most cruel nations that ever existed? Why would God allow himself to be killed in one of the most barbaric and humiliating ways possible?

Why?

One of my favorite Bible passages about Jesus was written over 700 years before he was born. The prophet Isaiah wrote the following about Jesus’ suffering:

Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:4-6)

The Apostle Peter repeats this in the New Testament:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
(1 Peter 2:24-25)

Notice how little goodness we have to give God. We are nothing more than straying sheep.  There is nothing — absolutely nothing — that we can give to God to earn his favor.  (See also Titus 3:5)

But Jesus took all of this.  Not because he was weak, but because he was the only one who could.  All of this barbaric punishment, all of this blood and beating was meant for us. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve.

It would be just another tragedy if the story ended that Jesus died, but that is not the ending — Jesus is alive again!

That is what we celebrate at Easter — Jesus is alive!!!

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
(1 Corinthians 15:20-21)

December 22, 2011

God Came in the Appearance of an Illegitimate Child from Nowhere

Filed under: theology — Anthony Biller @ 9:03 pm

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  John 1:10

The infinite and awesome creator of the cosmos took the form of his own creation and subjected himself to the laws of time and death, to save those who rebelled against him.  God’s voluntary subjection to the rebellious brutality of His creation demonstrates the degree to which God hates original sin – pride and conceit.  He did not take the form of an invincible champion to subdue this treacherous and wicked world.  He did not condescend in regal majesty to awe mankind.  Although a tiny nation of chosen people anticipated his arrival, he did not arrive as a heralded conqueror.

Jesus came in the middle of the night as a helpless child.  To the world, God was born a poor child, not in a palace, but in a feeding trough, among livestock, on dirt and straw.  Instead of conceived by God, they saw a shameful pregnancy. Instead of the Son of God, the World saw him as illegitimate.  Only Joseph, a poor carpenter, helped Mary through the pain of Jesus’ birth.  She did not lie on a clean bed.  No servants or doctors attended young Mary.  Her water and blood mixed with the manger dirt.  Instead of gold and trumpet blasts, he arrived in poverty, surrounded by manure. Heaven sang, but beyond a very few peasants, no one heard.  His first visitors were shepherds, who were of the lowest social cast of the time, men who were not deemed fit for entry into the Temple.  Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in Galilee, a remote backwater of Judea, which itself was a remote conquered territory of the Roman Empire.  He was the adopted son of a carpenter.  To the world, God incarnate was a nobody from nowhere.

When this apparent nobody left to fulfill his purpose on Earth, he surrounded himself with uneducated fishermen.  At the height of his ministry, he shared wine in fellowship with prostitutes, tax collectors and fishermen.  His acquaintances cannot be understated – tax collectors were vermin.  They were corrupt traitors who squeezed the wealth from their fellow countrymen on behalf of a pagan conqueror.  Jesus quickly made enemies of the important Jewish religious and legal leaders – the Pharisees and Sadducees.  He spent his time in the countryside and villages teaching commoners, healing the sick, and washing the feet of the fishermen and tax collectors who followed him.  He talked with prostitutes and gentiles.

Jesus Christ demonstrated that he did not come to conquer the rebellious heart of man, but rather he came as a humble servant to lay down his life for the rebellious sons of Adam and fallen daughters of Eve.  Along the way, he taught the heart of God’s law, cared for the poor and sick, displayed God’s wrath against the proud, changed the face of mankind, and performed countless miracles for those who placed their faith in him.

In the end, he was arrested, beaten, stripped, scourged, mocked, spat upon, abandoned by his closest friends, nailed to a cross and killed with common criminals on a barren hill outside the gates of Jerusalem.  They killed him outside the walls of Jerusalem because he was “unclean” for being crucified and therefore unfit to be within the walls of the holy city.  (Heb. 13:12-13.)

After being humiliated and savagely slaughtered, he proved his divine authority by defeating death.  He rose from the dead, demonstrating also that he paid the price of sin for all who would accept his sacrifice – all while being a servant of his Father’s will.  God came into His creation to serve and to die for those who rebelled against Him, to satisfy His law, so that we could live in the eternal presence of our creator and escape the penalty of our fallen nature.

Jesus completely and humbly poured himself out for those who did not deserve it.  Jesus changed the face of humanity and defeated death and sin, all as a nobody from nowhere.  Christ’s time on Earth was a miraculous demonstration of love, compassion, grace, and justice intertwined.  (Eph. 5:1; Phil. 2:1-3.)  Jesus changed the course of history and changes our eternal destination.  God’s ways are not the ways of the world, yet God calls us to his table, to be his family, and to act like Him through the strength of his Holy Spirit.

The birth of Christ will always be the foremost and greatest miracle for mankind.

Merry Christmas.

a child is born

December 12, 2011

The Christ Within

Filed under: theology — Travis Biller @ 9:46 am

One of the more difficult things to do as a Christian is to follow God. It is rather easy to believe in him; but following has proven to be more challenging. When Jesus calls a person, he never calls someone to simple belief; he always calls one to become a follower.

Unfortunately many people have a hard time understanding this. They go to church, serve on committees, participate in the programs of the church, and believe that all is well with their spiritual condition. But so do Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientologists and a host of other “churches.” Is all well with their spiritual condition?

The reality is that our spirituality is not defined by what we necessarily do. It’s not even defined by what we believe. It is ultimately defined by WHO we follow. Jesus warned against false Christ’s. They abound in the world. Some are readily obvious. Others are harder to discern. One in particular is the hardest.

The false Christ that is the most challenging to discover is the false Christ found within oneself. Consider for a moment who you follow. Are you following the Jesus revealed in the Bible? Are you submitting to his commands? Are you shaping your life according to his teaching? Do you recognize his authority? Have you relinquished control of your loves, desires and dreams to him? Are you allowing him to shape you? Do you allow him to move you out of your comfort zone? Do recognize that he will sometimes do things you don’t like, or feel comfortable with? Will you follow during such times? Or in reality are you going through all the things you do at church because they are the things YOU like?

If you have ever left the church because the programs no longer met YOUR needs, then you are most likely following the false Christ within. If you have left the church because you do not like the music, then you are most likely following the false Christ within. If you have ever left the church because the youth minister did not give your kid enough attention, then you are most likely following the false Christ within. If you left the church because you no longer have the control you feel entitled to, then you are most likely following the false Christ within. In short, if you serve, worship, and or participate in any other aspect of church life because they suit you and or meet your needs, then you are most likely following the false Christ within.

The question we all need to ask ourselves is this? Am I doing this for me, and am I making decisions based on what I want? Or am I truly following Jesus Christ? Am I serving Jesus, or am I serving myself? This is not an academic issue. It gets to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is a follower of Jesus. And Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Who are you serving? The Lord Jesus Christ, or the Christ within?

November 23, 2011

What Lies Beneath

Filed under: theology — Travis Biller @ 9:43 am

Churches are funny places. When I was young I made it my goal to stay away from them. My experience with church people was not positive. When I grew up I (thankfully) met Jesus Christ. He really is alive! In Him I found a new love and joy. He did something, however, that was unexpected. He sent me to the church. He called me to be a pastor. I have been in that position for ten years now. At times I still want to run from the church as fast as I can.

Over the last ten years I have noticed something. There is a difference between churched people and saved people. Sure, saved people are in church, but not all churched people are saved. When Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom, many joyfully followed and became believers. However, the churched people of the day became bitter enemies. He offered life, love and liberty, and above all salvation. The churched people only saw a threat.

Today little has changed. Churched people still see Jesus as a threat. The reality is that there are only two types of people in the world: those who have bowed the knee to Jesus as Lord and savior, and those who have not. There are many churched people who have not. They like the idea of Jesus. They love the idea of being saved. They like to hear how loved they are. But when Jesus actually shows up, bitter enmity quickly surfaces. I have seen what appeared to be nice people turn into ferocious antagonists with a drop of a hat. What caused seemingly nice people to change so drastically? The Word.

The Bible never flatters us. It only reveals us. Just beneath the surface of us all lies our true nature. Unfortunately many people have covered themselves in a thick layer of religion. When they go and look in their spiritual mirrors they see the elegance and refinement of religion. Religion can be so beautiful. But religion is not spirituality. It is the gloss that shines. I once spilled lacquer on a concrete floor covered in dirt. It was the shiniest dirt I ever saw! As an old rock song says, “Not all that glitters is gold.”

If a person does not have Jesus as Savior and Lord, then when the thin layer of religion is removed, what is revealed is a heart that steadfastly refuses to have Jesus rule over them. Religion can be calming, soothing and comforting. But when Christ shows up he begins to remove the varnish to reveal what lies beneath.

People want the comfort of religion and they want the serenity of hearing about God’s love for them. But what they don’t want is to have an encounter with what lies beneath, deep within the heart. When the heart is revealed, it instinctively lashes out. The heart wants self-justification. But when the Word works past the varnish and touches the heart it causes pain. It’s like when a doctor pulls back the bandage and touches the wound – it hurts!

The heart that has yet to be saved is a heart that has yet to be healed. And when the Word touches the unsaved heart, it is in fact touching a heart that is infected with the disease of sin. So the touch causes pain. The problem with religious people is that when they feel the pain, they blame the physician. So they recoil in horror and lash out at the instrument of God’s Word. But the reality is that as they lash out, they deny themselves the only thing available that can heal the wound.

The funny thing is that if a person will let the physician touch the wound, while it will initially hurt, it will certainly heal. The thing to do, is to acknowledge that it hurts; but then one must understand why it hurts. It hurts not because the doctor is touching it, but because it is diseased. Once a person can understand that, they can then acknowledge their need to be healed. The moment one acknowledges their need, the physician’s touch changes. The aching pain is replaced with a soothing caress. The heart transforms from being diseased to being made whole and complete again.

Salvation can be a painful process, but the results are the most wonderful thing in the world.  It’s too bad so many people will not let the Lord heal their broken hearts. Instead they cling to their varnish – but they do so in vain.

The living God is not a God of religion. He is a God of life.

October 13, 2011

Fatherhood of God

Filed under: theology — Dima Kotik @ 7:42 pm

Originally published at: https://truthonly.com/en/publications/18-fatherhood.html

Last year, I published an article on the uniqueness of Christianity to show that Christianity is fundamentally unlike any other world religion or philosophy. This new essay is bringing our discussion forward to a new unique and seldom explored area of Christian faith: the fatherhood of God. Human civilization, both in the East and the West, has been so profoundly moved and changed by Christianity that this idea hardly seems novel or radical today.

Of course, the idea that deity is like a father is not a Christian invention. The Old Testament has clear references to God as the Father (Jer 31:9 and Isa 63:16). And, almost every pagan religion designates a certain deity as the father or ascribes fatherly characteristics to it. The unique contibution of Christian faith is the new revlotuionary definition of divine Fatherhood.

Divine Fatherhood Is Not By Biological Descent

(1) First, Christianity (with Judaism) uniquely claims that divine Fatherhood is spiritual and not biological (John 1:12-13, cf. John 3). The pagans often described the creation of the world as a cosmic sexual or violent encounter between deities that somehow birthed them. This provided their nation with racist caste ideology, in which the people on top were considered demigods. Pharaoh claimed that he was the “son of Ra,” Greek and Roman warlords that they were “sons of Zeus” or Saturn or Mars, and the viking pillagers that they were “sons of Odin.” The claim to divine descent was their theological justification for abuse of power and mistreatment of others due to their obvious victories granted by the favoritism of gods. To pagans, the divine fatherhood was sexual, sensual, and literal. Their gods came to earth to have sex with women and procreate.

This is where, by the way, Mohammad completely misses the boat on understanding Jesus (Surah 4:171 and 5:116, cf. Surah 72:3), thinking that Christians claimed that Mary was God’s literal wife like pagans would teach. Contrast these verses from Quran with the words of apostle John: “But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.” We see clearly from this verse that divine Fatherhood is spiritual and not biological and that it is a result of new birth by faith (John 3). This idea is original, Christian and only Christian.

Divine Fatherhood Is Available To All Believers

(2) Second, Christianity uniquely claims that divine Fatherhood is universally available through Christ (Mat 6:9 and Luke 11:2). Joachim Jeremias contributed the most to the study of divine Fatherhood by devoting his best effort to uncover the significance of Christ’s calling God “Abba.” In his monstrous and detailed research, Jeremias uncovers that, despite numerous descriptions of deities as fathers, there are no extant records of believing communities addressing their deity as their “father” in worship. When Christ taught his disciples to pray “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name,” he was turning the world upside down. Every Christian can address God as their Father!

The skeptics, of course, will claim that those words were later inventions inserted into the Bible. The burden of proof, however, still rests on them to explain how and why the early Church, being a jewish sect worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem, would so quickly and radically depart from traditional Judaism in this regard. There is no pagan syncretism in the Lord’s Prayer, which is associated with Christ before the writing of any of the books of the New Testament (Titus 3:4-7 is an early hymn) and present in the earliest liturgical texts before Constantine.

Divine Fatherhood Is The Cause Of Salvation

(3) Third, Christianity uniquely claims that divine Fatherhood is the direct cause of human salvation (Rom 8:15-17, cf. Titus 3:4-7, Gal 4:6-7). Jesus came to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Jeremias argues that Christ’s addressing God as the Father is primarily connected with eschatological salvation in the context of the coming Kingdom. In plain English: Christian understanding of salvation, as it was preached by Christ, is based on the idea of inheritance. Christ preached that God the Father will establish his Kingdom on Earth, and His children will inherit it.

One of the earliest Christian writings is the book of Galatians, dating to about 45-60 A.D., reads: “But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God“ (Gal 4:4-7). All those who believe in Christ will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Rom 8:15-17). Inheritance is salvation attainable by faith and is universally available to everyone who believes in Christ. This idea is original, Christian and only Christian.

Conclusion

Those unique contributions to understanding of God are the result of Christ’s preaching. Before Jesus, no one knew God intimately as their Father. After Jesus, no one can claim that God is their Father unless they accept Jesus as the Son. True are the words of apostle John who said: “No one has ever seen God. The only one [Jesus], himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God [the Father] known [to us]” (John 1:18).

October 9, 2011

Questions

Filed under: encouragement, theology — Steve Knaus @ 10:30 pm

Can I trust God for what he says?

What if it doesn’t make sense? What if God’s word goes against everything I understand? Can I still trust him?

What if God’s word makes me look foolish to others? Can I still trust him?

 

Am I close enough to God to hear him over the roar of life?

Do I hear him over the council of friends?

Do I hear him over my own prejudices? What if the answer is not what I want to hear?

 

Why do I read God’s word?

When was the last time I let it criticize me?

What did I change?

How long did the change last?

How has it helped me to serve others?

How has it helped me to serve God?

September 26, 2011

Stress overload?

Filed under: encouragement, theology — Steve Knaus @ 12:09 am

How many times have you gotten into stress overload this week?

I found this reminder at the end of a very stressful week:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

-Isaiah 26:3-4

The word “mind” used here could also be translated as our thoughts or intentions.  Likewise, the word “stayed” could be translated as leaned or rested.

Therefore, the encouragement here is that we need to rest our thoughts and our plans on God.  When we are sure that we are leaning on God with our plans, then we can have peace regardless of what happens with these plans.  It is now up to God and not up to us.

How much time do we spend talking with God about our plans?

Do we allow God to give us input?

Do we search out His Word for what he would want us to learn?

Do we trust God with the results?

If you are like me, this is very difficult to put into practice.  I often put put together my plans and then quickly go into action.  It is only after I failed that I realized that I never included God in my planning.

Thought for this week: Spend some time each day simply talking with God about your plans.  Be listening for Him to answer.

August 22, 2011

Fight the Good Fight!

Filed under: theology — Travis Biller @ 11:10 am

Have you ever felt jealous for the person of God? Perhaps someone said a disparaging remark about Jesus; or perhaps someone made fun of God. When that happens, how do feel about it?

In 1 Kings Chapter 19, Elijah was upset about all the false worship that led the nation of Israel to spiritual ruin. He just killed 450 priests of Baal and then fled to the Mountain of God as Jezebel sought to kill him. When the Lord asks Elijah about it, Elijah said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword…” (1 Kings 19:10).

In the face of spiritual rebellion Elijah responded by standing up for the integrity of God. In chapter eighteen, Elisha challenged the false priests to a spiritual duel. The result was that God’s name was vindicated and the false priests destroyed. When he was asked about it by God, he responds by telling God he was jealous for Him.

Not too many people have the spiritual courage to stand up to the scoffers of our age. People like Elijah are few indeed. He saw the name of God being blasphemed by false prophets and priests alike, and he was enraged.

While I do not think we need to slaughter those who mock God today, we do need to be sensitive about the integrity of our great God and Savior, and be willing to defend His name against the mockers and scoffers of our age. A feeling of jealousy for God is a good thing.

The apostle Peter said “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Notice the relationship between regarding Christ as Lord in your heart and defending the integrity of His person as Savior to those who would otherwise attack Him.

Christ is the hope of the world. The reason Elijah was so upset about the false prophets was that they were not only attacking the integrity of God, but in so doing, they were also leading the people away from God into spiritual ruin.

Christ is worthy of our jealousy, and the salvation of many may very well depend upon it.

“Fight the good fight of the faith!” (1 Tim. 6:12)

May 18, 2011

The End Is Near!

Filed under: theology, World etc. — Steve Knaus @ 12:52 am

Harold Camping has been in recent headlines as he predicts that the world will end this Saturday: May 21, 2011.

For those who don’t get to read this post until after Saturday, my apologies. Camping was wrong.

Actually, Camping says that May 21 is the first day of Judgement. The world will not be destroyed until 5 months later. Camping arrived at these figures by combining two Bible verses and a lot of date calculations. See specific details below.

Jesus himself warns us to not predict when he will return:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Matthew 24:36

Despite this warning, there is a long line of people in history who have attempted to predict when Jesus will return.  Camping is not alone.  So far, not one of them has been correct.

One such man in the early 1800′s was William Miller.  Miller had calculated that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844 (revised from March 22).  Several of Miller’s followers had sold their farms and stood with Miller on that night in October. That night would go down among these followers as “The Great Disappointment”.  Afterward, some of Miller’s followers revised their understanding of these events and began the movement that we now know of as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  See here for more details.

I was in college when a popular booklet was distributed, entitled, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988″.  The author, Edgar C. Whisenant, had done extensive research into arriving at the conclusion that the Rapture would occur on September 1988.  I can recall my pastor at the time critiquing Whisenant’s findings, yet commending him on his scholarship.  But Whisenant was mistaken and the rapture did not take place in 1988.

Even in our more recent past, several people believed that Jesus would return in the year 2000.  (This belief was often in conjunction with the widespread fear of Y2K computer failures).

Harold Camping himself had originally predicted that the world may end in 1994.  Once again, the passage of time has shown these people to be mistaken.

Why does Camping believe that the world will end on May 21, 2011? Camping bases his conclusions on the following premises:

  1. Amos 3:7 says that “The Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets“.  Camping takes this as a promise that God will reveal the timetable of the world’s end.
  2. In Genesis 7:4, God is commanding Noah to enter the Ark and says, “For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground“.  Camping takes from this that God will destroy the world in “Seven Days” after Noah entered the Ark.
  3. 2 Peter 3:8 says that, “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day“.  Camping combines this with the Genesis account above to conclude that the “seven days” from Genesis 7:4 really mean 7,000 years.  Therefore, he concludes that the world will be destroyed exactly 7,000 years after Noah entered the Ark.
  4. Camping has concluded “by careful study of the Bible” that the flood occurred on May 21, 4990 B.C.  Therefore, 7,000 years later will be May 21, 2011.

Camping has done a lot of calculations in order to arrive at this date.  However, he has these problems in each of the above premises:

  1. He uses Amos 3:7 to prove that God will show us his timetable.  Amos 3 is warning Israel of their pending judgement.  But God also promises that he will deliver a warning through his prophets before sending judgement to Israel — a warning that God is currently doing through Amos.  There is no basis for extending the prophecy in Amos 3 beyond the Old Testament judgement on wicked Israel.  Also, Camping is equating himself (and his followers) with the Old Testament prophets.  He makes this conclusion without any basis.
  2. He uses Genesis 7:4 to set a timetable for the end of the world, yet the context of Genesis 7 is God’s command to Noah personally.  He has a week to get himself and all the animals onto the Ark.  There is no indicator here that the “7 days” has a further meaning beyond the worldwide flood of Noah’s day.
  3. He uses 2 Peter 3:8 to translate the “7 days” above to 7,000 years.  In addition to the problem mentioned above with trying to stretch the command to Noah beyond the flood, Camping is being inconsistent with translating days into thousands of years.  For example, why translate the 7 days waiting for the rain as 7,000 years, but not translate the 40 days of rain as 40,000 years?  2 Peter is not a tool to convert timetables from days to thousands of years.  Instead, a better understanding of of 2 Peter 3  is to look at 3:8-9 and realize that God will keep his promises, even if it takes a thousand years!
  4. He says that he discovered that the flood occurred on 4990 B.C. “by careful study of the Bible”.  Unfortunately, I could not find any information to support his claims for why he has so definitively chosen 4990 B.C. (There is an option to order a free book with these details, but I fear that they will not be able to ship it if the world ends).  This date is much older than any research that I have done, and it is in conflict with other Bible scholars who date the flood at approximately 2304 B.C.  See the link here for specific details on 2304 B.C.

You can see the full details on Camping’s treatise here.

What are the consequences of making predictions like this?  Unfortunately, there are two groups that are hurt by false predictions:

The first group is Camping’s followers.  Like William Miller in the 1800′s, false predictions can leave a trail of disillusioned followers.  Many of these people have contributed greatly to his cause, selling property and contributing to help spread his message.  These people have put their credibility on the line for a belief without a solid basis.  Like Miller’s followers in the 1800′s, this disillusionment can be fertile ground for new false teachings.

The second group that is hurt are those who are lost.  The mockery of a Christian leader grows as the word spreads about this prediction. Christians lose their credibility and the lost have one more obstacle in their way before they will listen to the truth about Jesus.  Regardless of attitudes, we need to pray for those around us.

What should we do?

The best advice comes from reading the rest of 2 Peter 3:

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Wait for Christ’s Return!

Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and be at peace!

Don’t be carried away by the error of false teaching!

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Jesus can come today, tomorrow, Saturday, or any day after that!  Until he returns!

April 25, 2011

A New Creation

Filed under: encouragement, theology — Travis Biller @ 10:19 am

The celebration of Easter has passed, but the reality of its truth lives on. The Bible says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

I like that phrase, “newness of life.” When we come to Jesus for salvation, we are given a new life. This life comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and empowers us to overcome sin, to love and worship God, as well as to love one another. As the Bible says elsewhere … in Christ we are a “new creation.”

One of the best things about begin a “new creation” is that we have a new identity with God. As a “new creation” we are His child. He no longer looks at us through the lens of the law (which can only condemn); but He looks at us through the lens of Christ, who came to save. This means God is for us! No matter what happens, God is always on our side.

Another benefit of being a “new creation” is that we have a new relationship with sin. Before we come to Christ, we are enslaved to sin. The Bible makes it very clear that we are in bondage to sin and can do nothing outside of its authority. This does not mean that unbelievers can do nothing good; it simply means that the alloy of sin is intertwined with every part of their life – good works included. The result is that they are not able to do God’s will. But when we come to Christ for salvation, the chains of sin are removed; in their place a robe of righteousness is given. The result is that we are set free to do God’s will.

Still another benefit of being a new creation is that we are set free from death and judgment. Jesus paid our debt on the cross. The incalculable debt we owed God as a result of our sin is now paid in full! Therefore, death can no longer claim us. In its place we are given the assurance of eternal life. The Spirit of God that dwells within us can never die. Jesus promised, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

There are many more benefits of being a new creation in Christ. But the great truth is that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we ARE a new creation in Christ; and as a result we CAN walk in newness of life!

March 30, 2011

Worldwide War Reports and Gilgamesh’s Flood

Filed under: theology — Anthony Biller @ 5:56 pm

My mother’s father told of a great war in the 1940s and what it was like to be blown off the deck of a battleship in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  My father’s father would tell what it was like to be in the German Luftwaffe in Northern France during the late 1930s and labeled a traitor for criticizing Hitler in the 1940s in Germany during a great war.  My father’s uncle would tell what it was like to fight and freeze in Russian and be captured and sent to Siberia in a great war in the 1940s.  It was also told that another of my great uncles died in a battle outside Stalingrad in the 1940s.  All these different stories told about a great worldwide war in the 1940s.  Very different stories.  It would be absurd, however, for me to conclude that these stories were false because they reported different events from a great war.  It would be doubly absurd for me to conclude that these different stories indicate that in fact there was no great war.

Of course, that would be absurd if I was using such reasoning to disclaim that there was a historical cataclysmic worldwide war.  If, however, I was using such reasoning to disclaim the existence of a historical, cataclysmic worldwide flood, I would be a respected academic.  Steve Ham provides an excellent analysis on how ancient records to include The Gilgamesh Epic support the Scriptural history of the worldwide flood here.  A telling well worth the reading.

March 28, 2011

Embrace Him

Filed under: encouragement, theology — Travis Biller @ 11:03 am

I’ve been preaching through the book of Luke on Sunday mornings and evenings. For my part, it has been a great study. Oftentimes we have an understanding of who Jesus is and what He did. For the most part we know the big picture: He died for our sins and rose again on the third day. But often we are unaware of the many facets of His teaching that should impact our lives.

A slow, thorough reading of the gospel reveals that Jesus’ demands on our lives are very high. His expectation for our kingdom involvement is rather startling. He warns … “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say” (Luke 6:46); “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23); “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62); “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Luke 10:23); “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3); “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

There are several more verses like those in the gospel of Luke; but even that short sample reveals that Jesus’ demands on our lives are complete. Jesus is not interested in part-time followers. He is not interested in casual believers.

The reason is because He knows what is at stake. Unlike us, He understands the deceptive nature of the Enemy, and the eternal loss of not living in the Light. He came to die in our place for a reason. Nothing short of eternity is at stake.

We may think all is fine, but Jesus is screaming from eternity. He is yelling with all His might so that He may get our attention. He loves us so much that He wants us to hear and understand. He wants us to embrace Him with every fiber of our being. He wants to save us to the uttermost.

He said, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day (the day of judgment) come on you unexpectedly” (Luke 21:34). Please don’t let that happen. Jesus died for you because He loves you more than you will ever know. There is no reason to be distracted by the “cares of this life.” If we are caught off guard, it is despite the efforts of Jesus to get our attention.

The simple answer is to embrace Him, live for Him, love Him, obey Him, and follow Him. Let Him be everything to you. You are everything to Him.

March 18, 2011

Save the planet!

Filed under: culture, entertainment, theology — Tags: , — Steve Knaus @ 12:09 am

Save the planet!

Be kind to the earth!

This common theme runs throughout contemporary American culture.  You see it all the time in popular music,  movies, and television shows.

This issue gets hotly debated, especially across political lines.

But how often do we look to see what God has to say about the issue?

I came across this passage in Leviticus:

“Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations … lest when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

-Leviticus 18:24-30

WARNING: This chapter in Leviticus contains a list of some of the most disgusting, vile, and deviant practices to ever be recorded in Scripture. But what is the warning? Don’t do these things “lest the land vomit you out“!

Few of us would even think to stoop to the level of depravity in Leviticus 18. But let’s celebrate the earth that God has given us by keeping our lives pure!

February 15, 2011

Soli Deo Gloria – Salvation

Filed under: praise, theology — Anthony Biller @ 9:59 pm

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:4 -9

God’s creation walked away and rebelled against Him.  It is through Christ’s blood and the grace of God that we are saved from the consequence of our rebellion and inherent sin nature.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8, 9

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.

As a lawyer, I “get” the debt of sin we accrue.  Christ explained to a young lawyer that the foundation of the law could be summed up in two maxims: love God with all that you are and love others as you would love yourself.  In law, those two maxims are referred to as “affirmative duties.”  They create an obligation to do something.  Whenever you fail to perform your obligation you break the law.  Accordingly, every time we fail to love God with all that we are or love others (to include our enemies) as much as we love ourselves, we sin.  That means our sins are constantly accruing.  During our “best” moments when we’re loving selflessly and/or praising God with a pure heart and righteous behavior, we’re simply not sinning.

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. John 6:47

It’s not about us. We had nothing to do with our creation.  Our present life was an unearned gift.  We didn’t choose or earn the right to live.  We didn’t select this time, this place, or these bodies.  Life was a gift, which we cherish.

Eternal life is also a gift from God.  Our original sin was turning away from God and looking to our own ways, our own wisdom.  The world’s false religions teach us how we can or should warrant God’s approval.  That is the first principle of sin and Satan’s lie – look to ourselves first.  The way that seems “right” by our own reckoning is the path of destruction, for we are creatures of wrath warranting destruction from the eternal and perfect Creator.

Creation and salvation are about what God has already done through Jesus Christ.

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!‘  Mt. 7:21-23

Testimonies on the day of judgment about how well we lived and what we did for Christ will be a denial of God’s grace.  Such testimony will reveal a soul still self-focused and oblivious to the mountain of sin in our lives.  On the day of judgment, those who rely upon themselves and what they did will be cast away as evildoers.

Jesus said, “only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  God’s will is for us to place our faith in him, in Christ, and not in ourselves. We are to look to our Lord.  Even in the Old Testament, the story is told over and over again.  God called his people to look to and rely upon Him.  Repeatedly, the people of Israel looked to their own ways, which repeatedly led to their misery and destruction.

Our salvation is to God’s glory only.  It’s all about Jesus.  It’s not about us.  Salvation is entirely through the holy blood of Christ, it is not about our sweat.  And the fantastic thing is, there is great, perfect and lasting pleasure in enjoying and praising God’s grace and perfection.  People praise because we were designed for it and it feels great.  Indeed it does.  Praise Christ, our Savior.

February 12, 2011

It’s all about me

Filed under: politics, economy, etc., theology — Anthony Biller @ 10:59 pm

Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. James 1:15

Representative Christopher Lee recently resigned from Congress after his overtures, fraudulent representations, and shirtless photos to a woman he found on Craigslist were exposed.  The Congressman was married.  See New York Congressman Resigns Over E-Mails The incident is a sober reminder of basic truths regarding sin.

Foremost, unrepentant sin exposes and destroys.  Sin is a cancer that ravages and eats away what is good.  Even sins from which we repent can continue causing destruction for long periods of time thereafter, both to the sinner and to those whom it affected.  While Christ’s blood washes away the weight and spiritual consequences of sin, the scars and temporal repercussions may be with us until our final breath, or Christ’s return.  Mr. Lee was at the height of his career, a national leader in the prime of his life. That’s all gone.  Career is over; he’s shamed; his name is sullied, and his family is likely devastated.

Which leads directly to a second nature of sin.  It’s insatiable.  Being a US Congressman with a beautiful family wasn’t enough.  While Christ is the living water and bread of life, sin only creates a deeper hole in our being that demands more and more to be filled.  It temporarily satiates, but the hunger returns quickly and more fiercely. There is no lasting peace or enduring joy in sin.  Sin is a ferocious lion whose end purpose is destruction.  Sin only feeds its own hunger, until it devours all whom it touches.

Third, sin is always self-centered.  The NYT’s article does an excellent job “showing” this truth. The story shows a picture the Congressman sent to the woman — a self-portrait Mr. Lee took of himself posing in the mirror, flexing his muscles.  His intentions for pursuing this woman are obvious and too common to the nature of man.  His shirtless posturing in front of the mirror captures his utter vanity, the essence of sin.  Sin starts with focusing on the self and taking our eyes off of Christ.  Sin always focuses on the self first.  If we focus on God and the needs of others before ourselves, sin falls away.  Such focus comes from Christ; it is not of the flesh.

Sin leads to suffering and death. This is appropriate.  Suffering breaks us and causes us to realize that we are not in control or in charge. It causes us to take our focus off ourselves and to reach out to God.  It was for good reason that the lost and downtrodden sought out Christ and worshipped him, while the powerful and mighty plotted against Christ.  At the end, death is the final reminder we cannot ignore that we are not in control.  God is.  And he offers the bread of life, the true source of peace and strength.

Please say a prayer for Mr. Lee and especially for his family.

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