Sunday, July 6

This past Sunday, Stan continued preaching in Matthew 5.  In verses 33-37, we focused our attention on the teaching of Jesus as he continued to contrast his demands of righteousness to that of the Pharisees.  Here, we see the Old Covenant practice described in the Law given to Israel as the taking of vows.  Our Lord shows us that the people of his Kingdom should are expected to show forth truth in all their dealings, no matter how big or small they may seem.

Through this passage, we see how man will twist any regulations set before them to their own selfish ambition.  In this case, the Jews had set up a system that they justified as coming from the Law of God, given through Moses, but had used the system to justify sin instead of pursue righteousness.

As followers of Christ, let us never abuse the Word of God to justify sin.  Let us pursue the glory of God in truth and righteousness.  May it never cross our minds to purposefully defraud one another for our own selfish ambition.  Instead, let us rejoice in Jesus, the Righteous.  Let us see His beauty and seek to reflect that through our lives.

This will only come about through the power of Christ's resurrection in us and the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us.  May God bless us to do so for His glory!

--

During out Bible Study hour, we continued studying the flow and logical progress of Paul's argument in the epistle to the Romans.  We spent most of the time discussing issues from the week before but we are poised to pick up in Romans 6 next week!

Romans - A Quick Study on the Logic of the Letter

This past Sunday, we started a brief study during our Bible Study time of Paul's logic and argument presented throughout Romans.  I wanted to post some thoughts from that study and also an outline for the weeks to come.

Please note that this is not designed to be a comprehensive outline of the book, but is merely a presentation of one way of looking at the flow of Paul's argument so that we see some of the unity and breadth of the letter.  My purpose, as stated last Sunday was to show that many of the conclusions by scholars and Bible teachers or uses of Romans as proof texts are against the context and are contrary to the clear purpose of the letter.

First, let us consider the way Paul begins his argument.

Romans 1:16-17
In 1:16, he states that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of both Jew and Greek.  Now this is very important as it sets up the rest of the book.  Paul, a Jew by birth, is making a statement that the Gospel of Jesus will bring salvation not only to the Jews, but also to  those whom the Jew despised.  It will come to those of both groups through faith in the Gospel, not through the works of the Law.  This theme will run the entire length of the letter and is seen as Paul commands both Jew and Gentiles, slaves and slave owners, to greet one another in Christian love (16:1-24).

The statement (in 1:16-17) will cause a chain reaction of issues that the apostle foresees and raises in our minds as he responds to the issues throughout the letter.  In other words, the entire letter revolves around the controversial proposition that God is now saving both Jew and Gentiles from the sins through one means, namely the Gospel of Jesus.

Romans 1:18-32 - The Guilt of the Gentiles
Paul then explains something that is less controversial.  He states that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Notice that phrase "the Law" is never mentioned!  Contrary to the systematic theology of many, Paul does not have to use the Decalogue (commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments today) to show the guilt of these people.  God's wrath is said to come upon them because of their "ungodliness" and "unrighteousness".  They were not thankful to God and did not glorify Him.  They were filled with wickedness, covetousness, malice, envy, strife, deceit, hostility, etc.

The text in Romans 2:12 makes it clear that the Gentiles have sinned apart from having the Law!  In 3:19, we see that the Law speaks to the Jews, not to the Gentiles.

Romans 2:1-3:8 - The Guilt of the Jews
Now Paul turns to the controversy of his beliefs.  He now addresses the Jews who would agree with him of his assessment of the Gentiles.  However, he states that they are just as guilty as the ungodly Gentiles.  The Jews made their boast of themselves because they "rely upon the Law" and "receive instruction from the Law" (2.17-18).  Notice that the phrase "the Law" is used 27 times in chapters 2 and 3!  The Law did not make the Jews righteous.  Paul's point is that the Law's purpose was to show the Jews that they were guilty, even though they were the chosen people of God!

Notice in 3.19-20 that Paul states the Law speaks to the Jews (the one group under the Law) and its purpose is so that (this is a purpose clause in the Greek language) "every mouth would be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God."  He then says that through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.  His emphasis is to bring the Jews under the guilt of sin just as the Gentiles are under the guilt of sin. 

Romans 3:9-20 - Conclusion that all are guilty, both Jew and Gentile and in need of salvation through the Gospel.
Now Paul confirms that all are guilty, leaving no room for a Jew to boast over the Gentiles.

Romans 3:21-26 - The Gospel of Salvation through faith, to the Jew and to the Gentile
Paul now lays forth the Gospel message, emphasizing that justification come through faith.  The Law does not protect a person from the wrath of God.  The Law does not bring about righteousness.

With all of that being said, not Paul must defend himself against all of the accusations against faith in the Gospel verses the history of Jewish belief.  Here, I will present the outline that I am planning to continue through the next few weeks of study.  It mainly consists of Paul's statements following this pattern:

A) Statement
B) Question ("What then, shall we say...")
C) Emphatic Answer ("May it never be!")
D) Defense

However, there are a few things that I have included in the outline that do not follow this pattern but are important to continue following his argument.

• Romans 3:1-4: Is God unfaithful since some of the Jews will die in unbelief and not be saved?
• Romans 3:5-18: Is God unjust because Israel's unrighteousness shows His righteousness?
• Romans 3:27-5.1: Is the Law given to Israel nullified by the Gospel of faith? 
• Romans 5.20 - 6:13: Shall the Jews continue to sin since the purpose of the Law was to make sin increase and thereby magnify grace?
• Romans 6:14-7.3: Shall the Jews continue to sin because they are not under the slave master of the Law?
• Romans 7:4-7: Is the Law given to Israel sin since it aroused sinful passions?
• Romans 7:8-24: Since the Law kills by the results it brings, is it therefore sinful?

     >Paul’s Excursus – The Glory of the Gospel (Romans 8)
     >Paul’s Crux – Has the word of God failed? (Romans 9.1-8)

• Romans 9:10-17: Is God unjust because He rejected Esau, who was a child of Isaac?

     >Paul’s Conclusion (Romans 9:30-33)
     >Paul’s Reaffirmation of the Gospel (Romans 10)

• Romans 10.18-11:6: Did God reject his people since he foretold through the prophets that he would  reject Israel and embrace another people?
• Romans 11.7-32: Has Israel fallen beyond recovery?

Expressions: Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - The Cloud of Witnesses
Fiber Art by Christy Berry

Click on image for larger view.

Are we drunk and foolish?

Perhaps you are already answering the question in your mind..."Surely not Steve. Your asking us this question at 8:00 AM. It's not even "the third hour of the day" in Peter's words. Plus - we're Baptist; the strongest thing we drink is Chai Tea!"

But I am not speaking of drunkenness from wine or the foolishness from the immorality of the wicked world around us. I ask in the context of Ephesians - that great work that calls us to consider the New Covenant Temple, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we drunk with the wine of family and personal ambition and therefore become foolish architects/builders of the Temple that we are to be focused upon?

In our previous studies at Heritage, we have seen how the letter to the Ephesians is filled with construction language. Some of the language is clear in English translations, some is not. In Ephesians 5, we are faced with a question. Has the light of Christ shone upon us? If so, we must arise and if we are wise, we must redeem the time.

What is it to be "wise"? A builder/architect was demonstrated to be wise by the quality and durability of his work. An example of this is found in the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27. The builder of the strong, secure house was called "wise". The builder of the house destroyed by the rain and the floods was called "foolish".

So, are we wise?

• How are we doing at building up the New Covenant Temple, composed of both Jew and Gentiles (Ephesians 2.14-21)?
• How are we doing at understanding the glory and importance of the Church as this temple, which Paul prayed God would reveal that we see the magnificence of it in its splendor and glory (Ephesians 3.14-20)?
• How are we doing at utilizing our spiritual gifts that we were equipped with through the resurrection of Jesus so that we each hold one another together and support one another and grow together in the Corporate Temple (Ephesians 4.10-15)?

If we are wise builders, and not fools, then we will redeem the time. The prophets rebuked Israel for not being concerned with (re)building the Temple. Zechariah was one of these prophets. As he encouraged Israel to give effort to build the physical temple, his words were prophetic of the true Temple to come. In Zechariah 4:6 the word of the Lord says, "Not by strength, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the sovereign Lord".

In Ephesians 5, we are commanded to be "filled" with the Spirit. "Filled" is a construction term that is used to speak of the materials of a building being incorporated into one another during construction. As Zechariah promised, God is building his temple by his Spirit.

So, are we redeeming the time? If we do not do so, weeks will fly by, months will disappear, and the Temple will be left degrading instead of being built up.

Let me suggest a few practical things:

• Pray with the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:18), that you and your family will understand the glory of the New Covenant Temple.
• Pray that the Spirit of God will use you in the "filling" of the Temple, so that you and your family will help the whole Body to grow in love, being integral "fittings" and "supporting ligaments" (Ephesians 5.18 and 4.16).
• Commit in every way possible to being involved with the meetings and studies in the church.
• Find ways to use Christian conduct and the gifts of the Lord Jesus to build one another in the the Body.
• Do not let other things take you away from this great work.

Let us be wise builders. May the Spirit provide this strength to us.

At Your Fingertips

There is a tremendous resource that you should be aware of at http://books.google.com.



This resource allows anyone to search for book titles and other information, including "Limited Previews" of a large number of relevant books. Other sites have attempted this, most notably Amazon.com, but with these sites the preview function often limits your views to about 10 pages or so.

Google's site takes a different approach, posting almost the entire contents of the book online, and then omitting a couple of pages every now and then. Users with a free Google account can create their own "library" of books. The image above is a screenshot of some of the books in my library that I have started to create.

I was very impressed to find that most - if not all - of the commentaries from the NICNT and NIGNT volumes were available with the limited preview. There is also a great collection of Lloyd-Jones' books. For example, try the following link to a chapter on the holiness of God:

Lloyd-Jones: Studies in 1 John

David has recommended Beale's commentary on Revelation as a good resource for study (not that we agree with everything in it, or even some of his basic conclusions) while we are studying through it. So, by clicking on the link below, you will find Beale's commentary on the passage we looked at yesterday!

Revelation 3:6 in the NIGTC

If you look in the frame on the right side of the screen, you will find an option to search for words or phrases inside the book you are viewing!

You will also find the full text of older books online as well, however these are often scanned from volumes of public libraries and the quality is not always the most desirable. However, I found full volumes such as the Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, Josephus, and the Olney Hymns.

You can view my library here. As you will find, right now it is mainly commentaries and also a bunch of Lloyd-Jones and D.A. Carson. Please note that although most of the books on my library are good and solid, they are not necessarily whole-hearted recommendations. From time to time I add books to my library for convenience as I am research topics or studies. However, these books may take a completely different stand than I believe or even find acceptable...so don't think I am encouraging the book just because it is there!

This is no substitute for buying a good book, but if you find your book fund money going to buy gasoline and you just want to get the main points of a good book, or if you are doing research give Google Books a shot!

Happy Googling!!!

PTTS: Ephesians 2:1-3

Praying Through the Scriptures

Ephesians 2.1-3: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

My Savior and my God,
Thank you for rescuing your people from the death of sin. We have sinned greatly against you. We were bound to sin and controlled by it, but this was in accordance with our depraved will. We have loved the things of darkness, served the ruler of sin and lived to satisfy sinful lusts. We cared nothing for you or your ways of righteousness, rejecting the Lord of Lords in pride and hatred.

Let us be reminded of this again. For now we have been rescued from sin by the grace of Jesus and by his atoning work, but we never ought to forget the depth of our despair. Let us never look to others who have not be redeemed and think that they are different than we once were, and still would be if not for your sovereign grace. Prevent us from looking upon others as if we care not to see them saved!

May you send forth the Gospel in the power of the Spirit! It grieves us to see those whom we love still in the grips of sin. We long to see them rescued by the Gospel and ask now that you would extend your saving hand of mercy to them.

Teach us Father how to communicate the reality of sin and enmity to others who reject your Son. Help us to speak words of truth in a sober, but loving and graceful manner. As Paul now understood his sinfulness though he once considered himself righteous, let us show others that they are in great peril - they are children of Your wrath - and let us plead with them, in a manner that shows that You yourself were appealing to them through us to trust in the righteousness of Jesus.

And Lord, please continue to sanctify us by the power of the risen Lord Jesus. Deliver us from sins and trespasses and from the temptations of our lust, our greed, and our pride. We have no strength alone, but we trust in the power of the resurrection through our union with Christ through faith.

Cleanse us we pray,

Amen.

There is no "i" in c-o-r-p-o-r-a-t-e.

Please note, this entry is simply to relay my own personal thoughts...it is not meant to be critical in any way.

Over the past several years, the Spirit has been gracious to us at Heritage and impressed upon us through the Holy Word that we must value one another in the Body of Christ. I am quite grateful for this and my eyes have been opened to see the great frequency in which the Scriptures deal with this issue.

Recently, I have developed a keen sense of hearing when it comes to congregational singing. (Don't worry Matt, I'm not talking about hearing those who sit behind me!) I am speaking of a sense of hearing the words of the hymns which we sing, and the focus, or lack thereof, in these words concerning the Body vs. the individual. This development has been the result of hymns that felt incredibly gripping compared with other hymns that seemed to be good and solid, but lacked something.

I have found that the difference to me in many cases was found in pronouns. There are hymns that we sing that speak of "me" and then there are hymns that speak of "we". The "we" hymns have seemed to resonate in my heart as we sing them much more than the "me" hymns.

Please don't take my words as a condemnation of hymns that focus upon self-reflection. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with them. I especially enjoy meditating upon these "personal" hymns and other such songs in private, and I am not against singing them in corporate settings. I also am not saying at all that we should not be self-focused in the proper manner and degree in corporate worship.

All I want to bring up is that, to me, it does take something away when we corporately sing about "Me" such as:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

and I have realized that there is something very special when we corporately sing of "Us" such as:

Jesus calls us! By Thy mercies,
Savior may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best of all.

Both hymns quoted above are wonderful. I just really love the way Corporate Hymns are crafted for public worship, calling us to consider our faith in light of the great work of God in the Body of Christ.

Let us (no matter what we sing) be built up by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in our corporate heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ! (Ephesians 5:18-21)