Spong vs Spong Part 3

What did Jesus say about the reliability of scripture? What was the attitude of the Bereans? Is pride a cause of apostasy?

Testimony of Jesus

When moderns deny the reliability of the Scriptures, they undermine the very basis of belief in Jesus, because it is those same Scriptures which testified in advance of Jesus. Jesus criticized religious who lacked belief in the Hebrew Scriptures testifying to Him.

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39)

Did Jesus uphold what was written in the prophets?

It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. (John 6:45 NIV)

Even though the Church is under a different covenant, the lessons of the Old Testament are still extremely valuable for Christians.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV)

Many wish to set aside the Hebrew Scriptures as mere myth and untruths. Yet, Jesus defended the Scriptures vigorously. For example:

Scripture cannot be set aside (John 10:35 NIV). …the Scriptures cannot be altered (NLT). …the Scripture cannot be broken (NASB, KJV). Scripture doesn’t lie (MSG).

Prophecies of Jesus

It is well known among Christians that there are over 300 Old Testament prophecies specifically fulfilled by Jesus. The mathematical odds of an imposter fulfilling all of them is so incredibly large as to be impossible. Something on the order of 1 in 10 followed by hundreds of zeros.

Jesus had no control over most of these prophecies. Here are but a few: the time of His birth, the place of His birth, His mother being a virgin, His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver, not a bone would be broken, His hands and feet pierced, and His clothes would be divided by lot.

So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” (John 19:24 NASB; Psalm 22:18)

The Passover Lamb was a picture of Jesus and its bones were to remain unbroken. Jesus was frequently referred to as the Lamb of God.

These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” (John 19:36 NIV; Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20)

Using a parallelism of David, the Psalms predict a “holy one,” a Davidic Messiah, whose body would not be abandoned to the grave.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. (Psalm 16:10 NLT).

This Davidic Messiah suffers, dies and is raised.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?... But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” ... you lay me in the dust of death... they pierce my hands and my feet... They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment... (Psalm 22 NIV).

Though His life is an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:10–11 NIV).

Resurrection to everlasting life or everlasting contempt was known in the Old Testament.

Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. (Daniel 12:2–3 NLT).

The disciples did not immediately understand how these scriptures referred to Jesus.

For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. (John 20:19 NASB)

The prophecy of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is amazing in its detail, even including the amount of money used in the bribe, thirty pieces of silver.

I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. (Zechariah 11:12-13 NASB).

In other passages Judas’ position was predicted to be vacant and another to take his place.

“Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David… (Acts 1:16-20 NLT; Psalm 69:25; 109:8)

Paul

Though the canonization process for the New Testament took hundreds of years to reach universal consensus, much of it was recognized as Scripture from the beginning. Peter recognized Paul’s letters as part of the Scriptures.

… Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16 NASB)

While many modern preachers do not even open their Bibles, Paul’s custom was different. He used the Bible as a preaching tool.

As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. (Acts 17:2 NLT)

Some moderns don’t like those passages which contradict their heretical theology, calling them clobber passages, or using the Bible as a club. Let's not be shamed by such descriptions. Paul calls the word of God an even more effective weapon of offense, the sword of the spirit.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17 KJV)

Perhaps a reason that so many do not like the Bible is the same reason that some won’t look in the mirror, afraid of what they will see.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)

What was Paul’s opinion of the Old Testament, the law and the prophets? Did he discard it as myth, or because some did not believe, did he change to preaching a different message, perhaps one that was more “culturally relevant”?

And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. (Acts 28:23-24 KJV)

The Hebrew Scriptures, which we Christians call the Old Testament, contain a myriad of passages which point to Jesus. Some are metaphor or symbolism, such as the Passover lamb and the cult (or culture) of animal sacrifices. Others are detailed prophecies, such as the entire chapter of Isaiah 53.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:3-12 KJV)

Many people wanted Paul to explain his proposition of Good News from the Hebrew Scriptures.

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. (Acts 28:23 NLT)

Paul wrote to the Romans with this same proposition in mind, that the Holy Scriptures promised this Good News beforehand.

“Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures” (Romans 1:2 KJV)

The New Testament emphasizes a different kind of righteousness, by faith. This too was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures, as Paul testified.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4)

The question is really not whether or not we trust the Bible, but whether or not we trust that God is influential enough to have preserved a written record of what He considers to be the most important events and instructions in human history.

Who should we trust, liberals or conservatives, fundamentalists or progressives, heterodox or orthodox Christian theologians? Let’s not trust the words of any man. Let’s trust the word of God. If we don’t trust the Bible to be true, what have we? There is nobody else that we can trust. Because human beings are unreliable sources, does that mean that God is unreliable?

Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” ... As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:4, 10)

Of course this is speaking of a righteousness of the law, the ability to live without sin. The Bible also speaks of a different kind of righteousness, by faith. Lack of belief that God could breathe into the Scriptures is actually a lack of faith in God, a lack of faith that God could and did inspire Scripture. Yet, as the children of Abraham by faith, we believe God, and that faith makes us righteous in a different sense, as imperfect as we are.

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3 NASB)

Do we trust this Jesus, who spoke over and over again against the vain traditions and fads of contemporary religious leaders, and continually emphasized the reliability of Old Testament Scriptures? Is Jesus still a stone of stumbling to modern heretics, who claim He was not born of a virgin, and was not resurrected from the dead? What of those who still trust in Him?

God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” ... As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Romans 9:33; 10:11 NLT)

Do we believe Paul when He upheld the Scriptures or do we believe moderns who invent ideas from their own imaginations? If we don’t believe the Scriptures, what hope do we have? Where is the guarantee of truthfulness in any other source? They are just competing ideas from mere mortals.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4 NIV)

The whole world is run by very well-educated and highly intelligent people who simply cannot solve humanity’s problems. And yet we persist in claiming that we are wise and know so much. In reality are we not ignorant know-it-alls, claiming to have the answers to the sins of our ancestors, yet totally incompetent, and in desperate need of a Savior?

As God says in the Scriptures, “I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much.” (1 Corinthians 1:19 CEV)

We are incredibly intelligent beings. Look at the marvels of modern medicine, science, construction and technology. But at the same time, look at the problems of wars, terrorism, poverty, health, slavery, crime and suffering. Our self-sufficient pride in our human wisdom and intelligence must be destroyed.

As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” (1 Corinthians 1:19 NLT)

Those who say that they don’t believe that God could have inspired the stories of the Bible may be on an ego trip, bragging about themselves. Paul wrote about our human tendency to boast in ourselves, but cautioned us to boast in someone else.

Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31 NIV)

What does God really think about worldly wisdom? When clever men seek to ensnare us into thinking that God’s word is a collection of fables, their words are exposed as mere human fabrication, and they are trapped.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19 NLT)

Church Standards

It’s not a church leader’s responsibility to judge the lives of those outside the church, but we must judge what is and is not allowed in the church. Paul condemned those in the church in Corinth who tolerated a publicly known sexual sin.

In our day some not only tolerate a variety of sexual sins, but condone them and even ordain those who engage in such things to church leadership. Any presbyters in the church, including bishops, who cannot fulfill their responsibility to discourage sexual sin in the church, but instead tolerate and encourage them, should be removed from office. We must remove such watering down of the truth from among us.

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT; Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21,24)

Bereans

While many today who believe in and preach from the scriptures are insulted for doing so, the Bereans who diligently searched the scriptures are commended as being noble (KJV), fair-minded (NKJV), and open-minded (NLT).

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11 NIV)

Apollos

One of the most effective preachers of the early church was Apollos. He did not use the vain traditions or fads of his day to bring people to faith, but proved his case from the Scriptures.

For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18:28 NIV)

Focus on the Scriptures

What should a local church focus on, the Scriptures or pop culture, social action and the words of Christian writers? What did Paul encourage Timothy to do?

Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. (1 Timothy 4:13 NLT)

What special advantage did Timothy have?

You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15 NLT)

Anti-Patriarchalism

A very subtle deception has crept into the church from society, anti-patriarchalism, which is a subtle way of bringing in an anti-male bias, which, while purporting to protect women, actually denigrates them, taking God’s blessings from our precious mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, and brings an unnatural and unbearable burden upon all women.

There is not much distance between criticizing patriarchalism and denouncing the patriarchs, and eventually the greatest of all patriarchs, Jesus, who chose twelve more patriarchs for the church, rather than six men and six women. Rather than learn why Jesus did that, we have become His teachers, telling Him there is a better way. And so we destroy our families even more than our faulty ancestors did.

What happens next in the church when we begin to discount not just the history written by the patriarchs, but the faith of both Old and New Testament patriarchs. Yet, it is the faith of the patriarch Abraham that forms a basis for Christianity.

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23 KJV; Genesis 15:6)

Pride

Are we afraid to confront our own human pride, which often imagines that we know better than Scripture which was inspired by God? That’s a self-destructive attitude, only causing all humanity harm. That’s why God rejects such human pride. He knows that we need His help.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6 NIV)

Why would God want us to be humble and look to Him and His word for help? Could it be, as Peter emphasizes, that God recognizes something that we too often forget, the temporary nature of our lives, and the permanent nature of His own word?

As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24-25 NLT; Isaiah 40:6-8)

Did you notice what was preached? Was it vain traditions, fads or something else entirely?

False Prophets

There have always been false prophets. They are detected not by whether or not they can perform signs and wonders, but by whether or not they lead people astray to worship other gods (Deuteronomy 13). It was a capital crime in ancient Israel. But, we have gone to the other extreme. We make them bishops. Though the new covenant does not recommend capital punishment, we should still follow one principle from the Hebrew Scriptures.

You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:5 NIV)

Jesus testified to the reliability of scripture? The Bereans looked for truth? Our world is proud and apostate? Let’s strive for truth.

Eternal Treasures

Is our focus on earthly kingdoms or the kingdom of God? How much do we treasure the things of God? Let’s examine heaven’s treasure in Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

The Kingdom of Heaven is … (Matthew 13:31 NKJV)

The kingdom of heaven is like a small seed. It will grow large. Like leaven it affects everything. Like buried treasure, it is precious. Like a pearl merchant, people sell everything to obtain it. Like a dragnet, it gathers good and bad. Like a householder, it contains old and new treasures.

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32 NKJV)

The black mustard is an herb which can grow to three meters (ten feet) tall. The “little flock” would become very large. This small beginning foretells an all-encompassing future. Exclusive small churches that think they are still that “little flock” (Luke 12:32), totally miss the point of this parable.

The “least of all the seeds” is conversational speech, like saying, “Isn’t that just the cutest baby!” It is not a scientific or statistical conclusion but an everyday superlative. A lot of biblical criticism comes from educated people misunderstanding the genre of literature. Jesus’ frequently taught with imagery and hyperbole.

The effective ingredient of church growth is not for sale at any price. Jesus said, “I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) Is it wrong to get advice? Of course not. Jesus predicted that the kingdom of heaven would grow to be the largest garden plant, a tree.

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” (Matthew 13:33 NKJV)

What about yeast helps us understand the kingdom of heaven? There are two things to consider: 1) usually leaven pictures sin, 2) leaven spreads. Is it the kingdom growing or sin inside the kingdom? Both are relevant. The kingdom hidden inside the church grows and heresy grows in the church.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44 NKJV)

Treasure hunters include archaeologists and marine salvage operators. Two separate half billion dollar fortunes were recovered in 1985 and 2007. The most valuable treasure of all is the kingdom of heaven. It is in this world but buried. Would we be willing to sell everything for the kingdom of heaven?

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46 NKJV)

Pearls are still prized. They are formed by the hand of God. The buried treasure was found by accident. The pearl was found by someone who was looking. He too sold all that he had. What is our most prized thing? Is anything worth more than the kingdom of heaven?

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50 NKJV)

Like a dragnet, the kingdom also gathers indiscriminately. Trawlers separate their catch. Many moderns don’t like to hear about hell, but Jesus does not shy away from it. Angels will only confirm what we have already chosen. Don’t choose to neglect salvation. “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matthew 13:51-52 NKJV)

In marital love each provides both new and old for the other (Song 7:13). Faithful disciples are blessed with old and new treasures. The kingdom is a treasure trove of new and old stories. The old truths prepare for the cross and are given new life in the church.

Earthly treasures will all fade, but the new and old treasures of the kingdom of heaven are forever. Do we count the kingdom of heaven as our greatest treasure?

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Readings:

Genesis 29:15-28 Jacob’s started family troubles by marrying two women.

Psalm 105:1-11, 45 Despite his imperfections, God confirmed His covenant with Jacob

Psalm 128 Family blessings are promised to those who fear the Lord.

1 Kings 3:5-12 Solomon asked for understanding, not long life, riches or revenge.

Psalm 119:129-136 Many criticize the Old Testament. David praised it.

Romans 8:26-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 in Rhyme

The kingdom’s like a mustard seed
Which becomes a large tree indeed
The kingdom’s just like leaven too
Which leavened three loaves all way through

The kingdom’s like buried treasure
A man sold all for its pleasure
The kingdom’s just like a merchant
For a pearl sells all to purchase

The kingdom’s just like a dragnet
That gathers indiscriminate
The fishermen gather the good
Throw the bad away as you would

So it will be at age’s end
Separation they will attend
The wicked they’ll throw in the fire
There’ll be wailing and gnashing dire

Jesus said, “Have you understood
All these things?” And they said, “Yes, Lord.”
Teachers who become disciples
Brings out old and new arrivals

Spong vs Spong Part 2

Are the scriptures the word of God? Can we believe the scriptures? What did Jesus believe?

Word of the Lord

What are the Scriptures? Are they the same as the word of the Lord? Writing that he understood the duration of the Babylonian captivity, Daniel refers to the Scriptures as the word of the Lord.

… I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. (Daniel 9:2 NIV; Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10)

Notice that Daniel defines “the Scriptures” as “the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah.” That which is written there is the word of the Lord, a statement denied by skeptics.

Scripture of Truth

Daniel also quotes an angel speaking of the book or Scripture of truth.

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. (Daniel 10:21 KJV)

Here we see the holy writings called the Scripture of truth, or book of truth, not myth, not fiction as some moderns claim. Why not take the testimony of these witnesses, who were there at the time, at face value?

The Scriptures Say

When Jesus was taken into the wilderness to be tested after fasting, He recognized the authority of Scripture. Even the devil tried to twist the Scriptures to his advantage. But, a right view of the Scriptures became Jesus’ defence. If Jesus did not believe the Scriptures were true, why would He have bothered using them three times as His defence?

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” … [The devil] said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” … Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” … “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” (Matthew 4:4-10 NLT)

Right Interpretation

The Sermon on the Mount was not about Jesus disagreeing with Scripture, but about a right interpretation. When Jesus said, “But I say” he was not disagreeing with the Hebrew Scriptures, but was countering a legalistic, letter-of-the-law limiting of the Scriptures, which allowed loop-holes, whereby people could claim righteousness, even with evil hearts.

Jesus expounded murder as including murder in the heart, revealing that verbal abuse differentiates between unrighteous anger and righteous anger (Matthew 5:22). He recommended reconciliation and settling matters quickly, if possible, as the right way (verses 23-26).

Jesus expounded adultery as including a lustful look and a careless touch (verses 28-30), and that easy divorce is not the way (verses 31-32).

Jesus expounded bearing false witness as including making promises and oaths that we cannot keep (verses 33-37).

Jesus corrected a misinterpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures when some believed they allowed hatred of enemies. Yet the Old Testament actually tells a different story.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink (Proverbs 25:21 NASB)

If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. (Exodus 23:4-5 NIV)

So, no, Jesus was not correcting supposed Old Testament wrongs, but popular wrong interpretation of the Hebrews Scriptures, by those who thought they were righteous, if they just kept the letter while breaking the spirit of the law. Jesus further explained this, quoting the Hebrew Scriptures.

Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. (Matthew 9:13 NLT; Hosea 6:6)

Some moderns declare that Jesus and the disciples broke the law, yet Jesus would disagree. The laws had a priority of rank whereby mercy was given a higher importance and so lesser laws could be bent or broken in order to show the more important attribute of mercy.

Jesus allowed his disciples to eat a meal from a grainfield. They were not harvesting a whole crop or stealing from a farmer, but just eating a meal, and farmers were obligated to set aside the corners of their fields for the poor or strangers to eat from (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22).

Some legalistic Pharisees condemned them for “breaking the Sabbath.” Jesus quickly called them innocent and explained the higher priority of mercy.

But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath! (Matthew 12:7-8 NLT)

Notice that Jesus also added that He is Lord of the Sabbath, the author of the law, and as such, the One who would rightly understand its intent. As Emmanuel, “God with us,” Jesus was not just any other man, as some moderns claim, but also the “LORD” (YHWH) of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Church Finances

A principle from the finances of the Old Testament was a tithe of the tithe (Numbers 18:26-28). The Levites took a tenth from the people, and in turn gave a tenth to Moses. It seems that some church administrations throughout history have not been satisfied with a tenth of the tenth, but have taken much, much more. In some cases the bishop, or other regional administration of the church, has taken 20-25% from the local church. Some churches still do.

A major impetus for the Protestant Reformation was the dominant western church’s financial scandal. Could it be, the further from biblical ideals that a church falls, the more burdensome the financial demands become? Is the modern liberal church going down the same scandalous money-making road as Tetzel? Do Jesus’ words still ring out loudly warning corrupt churches?

“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:13 NIV)

The Cornerstone

Why did Jesus speak about Noah and the flood as real history? Why did Jesus choose twelve men as apostles and not six men and six women? Why did Jesus say that not one jot or tittle would pass from the law or the prophets (the Old Testament)? It seems that modern liberals have many excuses for rejecting Jesus’ own testimony in regard to the authority of Scripture.

Could it be that builders of many modern churches may give lip service, but ultimately reject Christ just as many ancient religious leaders did. In the context of religious leaders questioning His authority, Jesus replied that they had rejected the cornerstone of the faith they professed.

Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ (Matthew 21:42 NLT)

Many liberals are in danger of doing the same thing, rejecting the authority of Jesus.

Knowing the Scriptures

One of the great weaknesses of liberals is that they do not know the Scriptures very well. In fact if you compare a conservative theology book with a liberal one, you may notice that the conservative work is usually filled with Scripture quotes and the liberal one tends to quote other liberals and very little Scripture that has not been twisted. This lack of scriptural knowledge is a partial cause of the error that so many moderns teach. Without a good understanding of Holy Scripture, no one can know the power of God.

Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29 NIV)

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. (Mark 12:24 NLT)

Worship God Only

One of the large problems of modernism is leaders who weakly give in to the whims of popular culture and the disinformation of the powerful, rather than serving God. Popular opinions regarding gender, sexuality, divorce, family, war, immigration, usury, the environment, the unborn, land distribution, economics, and national health are usually not gotten from the Bible, but from popular immoral opinion and the dominant propaganda which benefits the rich and powerful.

Going against such a powerful tide is for the spiritually awake, the brave, true followers of the Bible, and not for the fainthearted and unthinking. When the devil tempted Jesus with power over the nations what was His answer?

Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” (Luke 4:8 NASB)

Believing the Scriptures

One of the hallmarks of heretical modern theology is a lack of belief in the truth of the Scriptures. What do we say to Jesus, when He upheld those very writings? When some of the disciples’ companions could not find the body of Jesus, because He had risen, what did Jesus tell them? How important did Jesus treat the Scriptures when explaining things to the disciples?

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! … And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself… They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? … Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:25-45 NIV)

What did the disciples learn from Jesus teaching them after His resurrection? Did they learn from Jesus to disregard the Old Testament as myth or did they believe the Hebrew Scriptures?

After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. (John 2:22 NLT)

Is trust in the Lord’s word just something for conservatives and fundamentalists, or is it as old as the prophets? King David sang a song of praise, including words that described the word of the Lord.

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. (2 Samuel 22:31 NIV)

Other translations describe the Lord’s word as “correct” (CEV), “proves true” (ESV), “tested” (NASB), and “proven” (NKJV). Who would we rather believe, David and his high view of Scripture or moderns who treat the Bible as myth?

Jesus, the apostles and the prophets testify to the inspiration of scripture.

Wheat and Weeds

Why is there evil in the world? The world is a mixture of good and evil. Let’s discuss the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. (Matthew 13:24-25 NKJV)

Darnel, cockle or false wheat exists worldwide. It’s similar to wheat until maturity. Heavy wheat hangs low. Light darnel stands tall. The wicked may prosper. The righteous may suffer. Lolium temulentum has deep roots. Removing it may harm the wheat. Farmers let both grow until harvest and then separate them.

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. (Matthew 13:26-29 NKJV)

The church has done much good in the world, like schools, universities, medical care, music, arts, literature, science, human rights, opposing slavery, influencing laws, providing orphanages, and caring for the hungry and poor. But the church is ALSO a mixture of good and evil. Why?

Why did Rome attack Waldensians and murder thousands during the Inquisition? Why did Catholics and Protestants persecute Anabaptists? Why did Calvinists murder French priests? Why do Orthodox harass Russian Protestants? Can we weed all sin out of church? Jesus described such evil to his disciples as weeds among the wheat.

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:30 NKJV)

Gross sins we reject; lesser sins we tolerate. Should we excommunicate all sinners until few people are left in the church? Why did Jesus say, let both grow together until the harvest? Nobody evades God’s judgment. The world has always been a mixture of sinners and saints, good and evil.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. (Matthew 13:36-39 NKJV)

Who sows the good seed? “the Son of Man.” Where’s the field? It’s “the world.” Who is the good seed? Children “of the kingdom.” Who are the tares? Children “of the wicked one.” Who brings the tares? “the devil.” How long? “... the end of the age.” Who harvests? “... the angels.”

Why does God allow evil? God allows free choice. Subsequently the world is both good and evil. God recommends we choose right, but His sovereign decision is: we may choose (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Proverbs 1:29-33; Matthew 7:7-8; Revelation 3:20). God wants children not slaves.

Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, (Matthew 13:40-41 NKJV)

Are church people too judgmental, or is such criticism also judgmental? Irrational and snobbish criticism are common to all. When is judgment discernment and when is it malicious faultfinding? Whether someone is damned or not is not ours to judge. What is Jesus’ alone to judge is not our business.

and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Matthew 13:40-43 NKJV)

Jesus may be described as progressive, liberal, conservative or fundamentalist on a variety of issues, but always orthodox. The fact that there is judgment and hell are topics that Jesus attests to truthfully. Heretics may deny it, and lenient people may think it harsh, but love does not tolerate lawlessness.

Righteousness for Christians is not by sinless perfection, but by faith in forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Christ sits in judgment. Thank God that He can convert any one of us into wheat. Let’s pray for God’s forgiveness and focus on the day when the righteous will shine like the sun.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolium_temulentum

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Readings
Genesis 28:10-19 How did Bethel get its name? How does Israel bless the whole world?
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 Is God omnipresent? Does God know our hearts?
Isaiah 44:6-8 What does it mean God is the first and last?
Psalm 86:11-17 How does God deliver our souls from the depths of the grave?
Romans 8:12-25 What does the Spirit witness with our spirit? What is the glory that shall be revealed in us?

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 in Rhyme

The kingdom‘s like a man planting good seeds
But while men slept, his enemy sowed weeds
But when the grain produced a crop
The tares also came to the top

So then the field hands said to him
‘How does your crop have tares within?
He said, ‘An enemy did this.’
They asked ‘Should we weed in a blitz?’

He said, ‘No, you’ll uproot the wheat
Until harvest they’ll have a seat
And then I’ll say to the reapers
“First gather and burn all the tares

Gather the wheat into my barn.”
The good seed was sown by the Son
The field is the whole world in sum
Good seeds, children of the kingdom

Tares, children of the wicked one
Their sowing the devil has done
The harvest’s the end of the age
The reaping, the angels engage

Offenders are cast in the fire
Wailing, gnashing teeth in the pyre
The righteous will shine like the sun
In their Father’s kingdom

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Spong vs Spong Part 1

The Church has been taken over by those who do not follow the faith once for all delivered to the saints. One of its chief proponents has been a member of my clan, John (Jack) Shelby Spong. Well, it’s time to rise up, defend the truth of the Scriptures and uphold the family name.

Noted New Testament scholar and former Anglican Bishop of Durham, UK, N. T. Wright countered Spong’s attacks on the virgin birth.

Roman Catholic scholar, theological professor and Jesuit priest, Gerald O’Collins believes that Jack Spong’s work “does not belong to the world of international scholarship. No genuine scholar will be taken in by this book.”

Ninth President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Mohler, called Jack a heretic, because he is “a man who has denied virtually every major Christian doctrine.”

Methodist President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, Mark Tooley writes, “He is a spiritual gadabout who reaches far beyond his own denomination to try to coax Christians to abandon a Biblical faith and belief in the death and resurrection of Christ.”

Let’s try to avoid ad-hominem attacks, unless a person’s character is part of the problem. Instead, let’s recall the witnesses who wrote or were quoted in the Bible and examine their testimony. Let’s find out from those who were at the scene and see who we believe to be telling the truth.

Recognizing Counterfeits

For a time my wife worked at a bank. Her training about recognizing counterfeit currency focused mostly on knowing thoroughly what made up a genuine note. The more she knew about the legitimate item, the easier it would be for her to recognize any forgery.

So it is with the great variety of heresies and apostate teachings. It’s a waste of time going through the counterfeit Gospels that spew from the mouths of the many modern day prophets of Ba’al. It’s best to learn well what the Bible teaches. Thus, we will be able to recognize heresy of any kind, whether it be that of a wayward Bishop, a deceptive televangelist or a fraudulent cult leader down the street. Let’s allow Scripture to defend itself from fallacies of all kinds.

Some will accuse this as being circular reasoning to have the Scriptures defending the Scriptures. That would be true if the Scriptures were written by only one human witness, but the Bible is the inspired testimony of many dozens of witnesses, who give evidence to their own experiences and the authenticity and authority of each other’s statements. So, rather than fall for the erroneous accusation of circular reasoning, it would be a grave injustice to exclude the many eye witnesses and their testimony.

Scripture

The word Scripture comes from the Greek word γραφή (graphé) which just means “a writing” but in context of the Bible refers to holy Scripture or a section of Holy Scripture, most often the Old Testament and sometimes the New Testament.

God-Breathed

Where did the royal law, loving our neighbor, come from? Is it a modern, liberal idea, or did it come from the Holy Scriptures? We can’t, out of one side of our mouths, condemn Scripture as an irrelevant set of myths, and then pick and choose other parts that we like. In a discussion of rich and poor, James writes about the royal law.

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8 NASB; Leviticus 19:18)

Is Scripture a menu or a complete package. What did Paul teach, that only certain parts of Scripture are inspired, or all of it? In writing to Timothy about his knowledge of Scripture since childhood, Paul writes of his high view of Scripture.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)

Here we see the concept that God was “breathing upon, or breathing into the soul” of someone the Scripture they were to write. The original Greek word is θεόπνευστος (theopneustos) and literally means God-breathed or inspired by God.

In English, we often translate the Greek as inspired, which means breathed in, when the Greek is closer to expired. Our strange English colloquialisms give us a problem here, because we say expired for concepts like someone died. So, translators are forced to use the word inspired, even though technically, it’s the opposite of the Greek, colloquially, it is the same thing.

More accurate is the translation “God-breathed.” This breathing suggests a gentle process, but how does that work? King David recognized that the words he wrote were not entirely his own, but had a quality far beyond his mere human foibles.

These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs: The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:1 NIV)

Here the Hebrew word נְאֻם (neum) is translated as “inspired utterance” and can also mean in that context, a declaration, revelation, of a prophet in an ecstatic state. Upon being released from jail, after defying a ban on preaching Jesus, Peter and John prayed, and the church recognized that God had indeed spoken through David.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David’ (Acts 4:24-25 NIV)

Notice that GOD SPOKE, but through David. The written words of David originated in God’s mind. How does that work? Did God dictate the exact words? Such a dictation theory does not seem likely in most cases. Did David voluntarily yield to the will of God in those moments, yet still have his own personality come through? That seems to be closer to the truth as the following verse indicates. Peter wrote of his own experience witnessing Jesus’ majesty, and confirming how God inspired the Scripture to be written.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV)

Notice that prophecy NEVER had its origin in human will. That’s a strong statement. It counteracts the lie that the Old Testament was just myth and legend, made up by superstitious people. The word translated here as “carried along” is φέρω (pheró) and has the sense of being moved inwardly, or prompted. This prompting is neither dictation, nor turning people into robots, but infers the submissive will, personality and cooperation of the writer. Baalam described how he experienced the process.

The oracle of him who hears the words of God, And knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. (Numbers 24:15-17 NASB)

If we don't believe the Bible is inspired by God, where do we go? Thankfully, we don't have to believe the world. God is faithful and has left us a faithful record to guide our way forward. More next time...

________________________________

Wright, N.T. “Who was Jesus?” Great Britain: SPCK. 1992.

O’Collins, Gerald. "Review of Resurrection: Myth or Reality." London Tablet (30 April 1994), reprinted in Wel-Com (Sept. 1994). page 6.

Mohler, Jr. R. A. "Heresy in the Cathedral." The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. 2020. (from albertmohler.com March 2020)

Tooley, Mark. "Retiring bishop continues to disparage key doctrines of Christian faith." Presbyterian News and Analysis. layman.org April 4, 2000

Cottrell, Jack. "The Faith Once For All: Bible Doctrine For Today." College Press Publishing Company, Inc. 2002. Kindle Edition.

The Word as Seed

Are we deep or shallow? Are we quitters or do we last the distance? Are we choking in worldly cares? Do we receive the word of God? Is it fruitful in us? Let’s understand the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23.

The Parable

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:3-8 NKJV)

Jesus Explains the Wayside

The word wayside is variously translated as a path (NIV, ESV), footpath (NLT) or road (NASB). The original Greek meaning supports all these possibilities. As we can imagine, birds just love an easy meal that has not been carefully planted in the soil. Jesus explains the spiritual meaning as follows:

Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. (Matthew 13:18-19 NKJV)

When the word of the kingdom comes, do we take time to understand it? Do we let it sink deeply into our souls? Are we careless with the word of God? Is our faith only a superficial label, just on the surface, or something deep down inside of our lives?

Jesus Explains the Stony Places

Rocky soil is a nuisance for any farmers. Over generations, the stones are removed and often laid on the edge of the fields or used for some other purpose, even for building if they are good quality. Some fields are just too rocky to be useful, and cannot be plowed.

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Matthew 13:20-21 NKJV)

The seed that fell on the rocks did take root, but it was shallow and didn’t last. Shallow Christianity focuses on good times and materialism, not deep spiritual things, and not persecution or suffering. Shallow Christianity cannot handle the whole truth and so avoids it. But deep-rooted Christianity lives on.

Jesus Explains the Thorns

Two plant species competing for the same soil rarely works well. Though some cases of symbiosis do work well, that is not the purpose of this parable. When there is no symbiosis, we often call the plant we don’t want a weed. Some weeds can even totally destroy a crop.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22 NKJV)

Like thorns, worldly cares and material wealth can suck the life out of us. We waste time and effort chasing after worldly things. Worldliness becomes our master. We are on a treadmill going nowhere. Important things like the word of the kingdom are neglected. Our lives can become spiritually dead.

Jesus Explains the Good Ground

The main types of soil are sand, silt and clay. To tame deserts experts may mix clay with the sand to hold moisture. In other areas, there may be too much clay and sand is mixed in to improve the soil. Creating and keeping good soil is a constant challenge.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23 NKJV)

The Greek implies the good soil is “put together.” The Holy Spirit helps us to put spiritual ideas together producing fruit-filled lives. John the Baptist understood this when he chided the Pharisees about repentance. Genuine repentance, or change of heart, is seen by its fruits. Authentic Christians live fruit-filled lives.

Ears to Hear

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Matthew 13:9 NKJV)

This is a familiar saying of Jesus. He means, pay attention! Hear deep down inside. It is an invitation to think about the deeper, hidden meaning. Why did Jesus paint such familiar farming pictures? His parables require more than ordinary superficial thought to understand. They require meditation, or thinking deeply.

Jesus Explains Why Parables

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17 NKJV)

A parable is a story, an allegory that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson. Those who have no interest in learning to obey God will not understand them. Those who have the desire can ask God for understanding. Blessed are the eyes and ears of those who see and hear.

Jesus Teaches: Sow Indiscriminately

Jesus spoke of the kingdom like an indiscriminate sower. There is no target audience for the gospel here. The seed of the kingdom is sown with wild abandon, like spreading the Gospel with faith instead of formulas. Jesus said something quite shocking, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18 NKJV).

Jesus Teaches: Fail in Order to Succeed

The road to success is paved with failures. The Gospel fails in three areas: the devil snatches the word of God away, the deceitfulness of wealth chokes out the word, and shallow people quit too easily. Yet, a bumper crop was produced. Failures are inevitable on the way to success.

Let’s share the kingdom with wild abandon, even when some of those we love are taken by the devil, some dear friendships are shallow and short-lived, and some are choked by worldly cares. Let’s rejoice that the kingdom finds deep roots in some hearts, producing lives overflowing with spiritual fruit.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Readings
Genesis 25:19-34 What do we learn from sibling rivalry? How can it affect generations to come?
Psalm 119:105-112 How is God’s Word a lamp to our feet? How are those who despise God’s Word walking in darkness?
Isaiah 55:10-13 What does God’s Word accomplish here on earth?
Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13 Who waters the earth?
Romans 8:1-11 What differences between being fleshly minded and spiritually minded are mentioned here?

Matthew 13:1-23 in Rhyme

When Jesus taught the multitudes
He spoke to them in parables
Behold, a sower went to sow
And seed fell on the path, you know

And the birds came and ate up the seed
On stones the seed came up with speed
But it was soon scorched by the sun
And withered until there was none

And some fell among prickly plants
Which choked them; they had no chance
On good ground a crop of repute
Hundred, sixty, thirtyfold fruit

Who has ears to hear, let them hear
Why did He speak in parables here?
He answered it’s given to you
To know the kingdom’s riddles too

But to them it’s not been given
In their hearts is no provision
Their ears are hard of hearing
And their eyes they’ve shut from seeing

But blessed are your eyes for they see
And your ears hear actually
Many prophets wanted to see
And also hear I’ll guarantee

It’s snatched from those who don’t perceive
And some just quit when they’re aggrieved
Worldliness will choke out the word
And Some bear much fruit undeterred

Children’s Rhyme to Farmer in the Dell

The farmer plants some seeds
The farmer plants some seeds
Hi ho the derry-o
The farmer plants some seeds

And some fell on the path
And some fell on the path
Hi ho the derry-o
And some fell on the path

And some fell on the stones
And some fell on the stones
Hi ho the derry-o
And some fell on the stones

And some fell in the thorns
And some fell in the thorns
Hi ho the derry-o
And some fell in the thorns

And some fell on good soil
And some fell on good soil
Hi ho the derry-o
And some fell on good soil

And there it bore much fruit
And there it bore much fruit
Hi ho the derry-o
And there it bore much fruit

What is the End?

What is death? What is the ultimate cause of death? What is the Second Coming? What is the resurrection? What is the judgment? What will the state of the righteous be for eternity? The Greek word for last or final is eschatos and that gives rise to what we call the study of last things, eschatology. Jesus said that he is the first and the last, the protos and the eschatos.

“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 11:17 NKJV)

Our Personal End

Death

The Bible contains the concepts of physical death and spiritual death. It is appointed to all human beings to die once and after that the judgment.

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment… (Hebrews 9:27-28 NASB)

When we die, the body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God.

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV)

The “walking dead” is just a Hollywood twist on a biblical concept. People stuck in sin are already dead, spiritually speaking, but we are made alive in Christ.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin… (Ephesians 2:1-2 NLT)

A spiritually dead life is filled with all uncleanness and greediness. This is the popular life of the nations.

… they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Ephesians 4:17-19 NIV)

The ultimate end of such a life is the second death.

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8 NKJV)

Cause of Death

Death entered the human family because of Adam’s sin, but the resurrection from the dead entered because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:21 ESV)

Sin causes a life of spiritual death, followed by physical death. Death is an enemy.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26 KJV)

Death causes a lot of crying and sorrow. For Christians it is also grief, but even with hope, it still has its sting.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NKJV)

Our Corporate End

Second Coming

Jesus will return visibly like He went, and the faithful will meet Him in the clouds. When He comes He will bring His reward with Him. His coming will be sudden and unexpected. At that time we will be like Him and see Him as he is.

"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11 NIV)

If He left visibly, why would we think that He would not also return visibly?

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV)

When

The specific timing of Jesus’ second coming is unknown, a deliberate heavenly secret.

“… no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows… banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time… keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming… be ready all the time… The master will return unannounced and unexpected… keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return… To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away…" (Matthew 24:36-25:30 NLT)

What

Jesus will come as both Judge and Savior of the world (Mark 13; Luke 21). The world will be divided into two camps, the wicked and the righteous.

… many will be offended… [and] he who endures to the end… one will be taken and the other left… a faithful and wise servant… [and] that evil servant… [the] wise, and… foolish… [the] good and faithful servant… [and the] wicked and lazy servant… sheep… [and] goats (Matthew 24-25 NKJV)

Humanity will be divided: the offended versus the tenacious, the captives versus the left behind, the faithful and wise versus the evil, the wise versus the foolish, the good and faithful versus the wicked and lazy, and the sheep versus the goats.

Judgment

The Bible indicates that all people will experience the resurrection, some a resurrection to everlasting life and others a resurrection of shame and everlasting contempt.

… Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. (John 5:28-29 NLT)

The entire world will eventually stand in judgment before a great white throne and give account of their works.

… the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books… And they were judged, each one according to his works… And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV)

A new heaven and new earth are described in extraordinary and wonderful terms (Revelation 21-22).

The Bible describes hell with various negative metaphors. Nobody knows for sure what it will be like. The bottom line is that hell is bad; heaven is good. Choose heaven.

Glory

God has intrinsic glory. He is worthy of all praise and renown. Yet, God’s purpose is to share a part of that glory with us. The faithful are being transformed into people of preeminence and excellence.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

This wonderful honor becomes ours for all eternity, if we are among the faithful.

God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory… (Hebrews 2:10 NLT)

Not just the glory of high honor is ours, but our bodies are raised in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. (1 Corinthians 15:42-43 NKJV)

Summary

The final end is not the death of the body, when the body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God. The final end is damnation for the unrepentant and eternal glory for the righteous by faith. Death came because of Adam, and resurrection because of Jesus. Jesus will return visibly. The faithful will meet Him in the clouds. He will bring His reward with Him. His coming will be sudden and unexpected. Jesus will come to judge and save. Hell is bad; heaven is good. Choose the good!

A Christian's Rest

Where can we find true rest for our souls? Do we find true rest on a Sabbath day, in a promised land, or in Jesus and in eternity? Let’s look at what Jesus had to say about rest in Matthew 11:16-30.

“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” (Matthew 11:16-19 NKJV)

This is an allegory of children in a public square arguing while playing make-believe funerals and weddings. Some church music sounds like a dirge and some like a wedding. Do we childishly criticize legitimate and moral choices like John the Baptist “neither eating nor drinking” versus Jesus “eating and drinking?”

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24 NKJV)

Why did Jesus denounce three small towns in Galilee? Other, sinful cities would have repented. Jesus pointed out a problem with judgmental people, unwillingness to repent. Jesus said it would be more tolerable for Sodom in judgment. Why? It’s not where we start, but where we end up that counts.

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Matthew 11:25-27 NKJV)

Why can’t our most highly educated and greatest minds bring about peace? Why can’t the wealthy and powerful of the world understand that their greed and selfishness destroys their own families and the world? God hides these things from the worldly wise and prudent and reveals them to humble “babes.”

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 NKJV)

Our permanent Sabbath rest is in Jesus in our eternal promised land (Hebrews 3-4). No Christian keeps the letter of the law as Deuteronomy (which expounds the Ten Commandments) demands. Some try to keep the law in the letter and the spirit, but the letter kills (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Christians keep the whole law in spirit, not the letter. The New Testament mandates no day. Our true rest is in Jesus not a day, circumcision is not in the flesh but in the heart (Romans 2:29), and love fulfills the whole law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14).

Jesus offers a rest that no one else can give, that no letter-of-the-law Saturday Sabbath observance can give. Rest is offered to all, rest in Jesus, the rest of a quiet conscience, the rest of friendship with God, the rest of forgiveness, rest from fears, and rest for our souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30 NKJV)

The church has often been tempted to add to Jesus’ easy burden, the heavy burden of man-made practices and doctrines, weights, cumbersome rituals, Pharisaic rules, and unbearable religious demands that neither Jesus nor His Apostles taught. We must always beware not to add to the light load that Jesus gave.

Hebrews 3:7-4:11 A Promise of Rest

Under Moses, a Sabbath-keeping people did not enter the land of rest (3:11), because of disobedience and unbelief (3:18-19). A promise remains of entering His (eternal) Sabbath rest through believing (4:3). The physical Sabbath pictures our rest in Jesus, available Today, while it is still called today.

Under Joshua, a Sabbath-keeping people, who did enter that physical rest in the land, did not obtain another rest (4:8). A rest remains even for Sabbath keeping people (4:9). We enter THAT rest, which can only be found in Jesus, by ceasing from our [human] works (4:10).

The ONLY “rest” command given by Jesus or the Apostles is to rest in Jesus. The Sabbath day, and the promised land of rest, were only foretastes of our rest in Jesus. That rest is eternal and available Today, any day! Let’s find true rest for our souls, in Jesus.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

References

The Ten Commandments expounded in Deuteronomy: 1) 6-11; 2) 12; 3) 13:1-14:21; 4) 14:22-16:17; 5) 16:18-18:22; 6) 19-21; 7) 22:1-23:14; 8) 23:15-24:7; 9) 24:8-16; 10) 24:17-26:15. Source: Hill, Andrew E. & Walton, John H. A Survey of the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing House. 1991. 58.

Readings
Genesis 24:34-67 It is good when the faithful involve God in finding an appropriate life’s partner
Psalm 45:10-17 a wedding song reminds us of faithfulness in marriage and the joy pictured in Jesus marriage to His bride the church
Song of Solomon 2:8-13 the love of a man and woman are a picture of Jesus’ love for His church
Zechariah 9:9-12 hope for the faithful even under severe national oppression
Psalm 145:8-14 in a troubled world, “The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.”
Romans 7:15-25 Even the most faithful Christians are far from sinlessly perfect. Who will deliver us from this body of death? Paul says, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Matthew 11:16-30 in Rhyme

This age is like little children
Playing, calling their companions
We played flute and you didn’t dance
We mourned, you gave no caring glance

John was strict and called demonic
Jesus a drunk? How ironic!
He blamed towns that would not repent
Chorazin, Bethsaida, He meant

Tyre, Sidon, would have repented
Capernaum will be tormented
E’en Sodom would have relented
But your judgment is cemented

I thank You, Father, You’ve hidden
this from the wise, but not children
Come to Me, you weary, oppressed
And burdened. I will give you rest

Take up My yoke and learn from Me
For I am gentle and lowly
And you will find rest for your souls
My yoke, My burden lightly rolls