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Kept in Perfect Peace (Isaiah 26:3)
03/29 Kept in Perfect Peace (Isaiah 26:3); Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20200329_kept-in-peace.mp3
As I was contemplating God's peace in the middle of uncertain times, a familiar verse came to mind. It goes like this:
'You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.' (Isaiah 26:3)
This is a great verse of encouragement and hope to cling to. Just last week, someone gave me a little laminated scrap of paper with this verse written on it.
Kept in Peace
You keep him in 'peace peace', perfect peace. Last week we looked at the peace of Christ; Jesus said 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you' (Jn,14:27). This is 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding;' peace that 'will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus' (Phil.4:7). This is the peace that you are to have 'rule in your hearts …and be thankful' (Col.3:15). God is our keeper; the keeper of peace; you will keep him in perfect peace.
Whose Mind is Stayed on You
'You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you.' In Colossians 3, we saw that this peace is for those who have believed in Jesus, who have been completely forgiven, who have been raised with Christ, who are experiencing new life in Jesus. And we believers are commanded to 'seek the things that are above, where Christ is' (Col.3:1); we are to. 'Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth' (Col.3:2). We are to steady the attention of our minds on Jesus, to set our affections on him; our hearts and thoughts are to be captured by him. So many things compete for our affections and our attention, but we are to fix our attention on him.
When we set mind and heart on Jesus, our minds are steadied, 'stayed on you'. This is passive; God's word and God's character have a steadying effect on our minds. God himself maintains and steadies us.
Because He Trusts in You
Because he trusts in you. Here is the means of being kept, being steadied. We are to trust, trust in God alone. Not trust in him and… But trust in him. Period. We are kept in peace because we trust in God. Not because of our act of trust, but because of the object in which our trust is placed. Because God is dependable. Because God is unchanging. Because God is our rock, because God is our security.
Not our health; that may fail. Not our savings; that may evaporate. Not our families; that can be stripped away. Not our jobs; there is no lasting security there. If our hope is in those things, if we are counting on, depending on, trusting in those things, they will fail us. They can all be gone in a moment.
This is what Jesus taught us;
Matthew 19:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What are you treasuring? Where is your hope? Where is your heart? What are you holding on to? Where is your security?
Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORDGOD is an everlasting rock.
The Lord God is the only absolute in an uncertain and shifting world. The LordGod; in the Hebrew 'Yah YHWH' is an everlasting rock. The Rock of Ages. YHWH, the one who is, the self existent, the absolute, the independent I AM.
Context of Global Judgment
This is a powerful pointer to where we get real peace. This was a verse I was familiar with, and I wanted to chew on this verse and see it in its context, so I looked it up. The verse is in Isaiah 26, tucked away in chapters 24-27, which are sometimes referred to as Isaiah's little apocalypse.
Isaiah 26:1 …"We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORDGOD is an everlasting rock.
This song is sung by God's people, because, verse 5 says;
Isaiah 26:5 For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. 6 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy."
I was a bit surprised by the context. God's people sing their confidence in God's salvation as a result of God's humbling the proud and lifted up of the world.
Isaiah warns of the downfall of Jerusalem because of their disobedience, pride and idolatry. God raised up the enemies of Israel to punish his people. But even in the midst of his discipline, there is hope. God disciplines his people for their good, and will ultimately crush their enemies.
Isaiah 24-27 put this in an end-times global perspective. These chapters give us a climactic vision of God ruling the nations in judgment and salvation. God will lay low everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of him. The lofty city is a picture of self-confidence, independence, and pride.
Look back at chapter 24.
Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. …3 The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.
Notice it is the Lord himself who does this. Why?
Isaiah 24:5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left. …10 The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter.
Why does the Lord execute judgment on the whole earth? Because of sin. Because of our rejection of God's commands. Because we refuse to listen to him, to follow his ways. Because of our guilt. The wages of our sin is death.
Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. 20 The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
Isaiah 24 ends with the Lord punishing both angels and human rulers because of their guilt and, 'the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders' (Is.24:23).
Response of Worship
Listen to the response of God's people to his just and terrible punishment of the wicked"
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
God's people respond to his justice with worship. They sing his praise because God's judgment on those who persist in evil and pride and refuse to turn to him is right and good. God is patient, slow to anger, 'not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance' (2Pet.3:9). But God 'will by no means clear the guilty' (Num.14:18). God's justice is wonderful, worthy of praise. God's people praise him for his justice, but it doesn't stop there.
Isaiah 25:3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat…
Even God's enemies will give him glory because of his absolute justice.
Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every knee will bow and give glory to God. Some knees will never bow, except under the mighty hand of God's justice.
Isaiah 26:9 …For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. 11 O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
God's people recognize the sanctifying effect of God's wrath, and even pray for it. There is a good end to God's justice. Some may repent and turn to the Lord before it is too late.
God our Greatest Desire
Listen to verses 8 and 9
Isaiah 26:8 In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
Are you willing to wait in the path of God's judgments? If that is where God will meet you, is he of more value to you than your own comfort and convenience? This is the true heart of a follower of Jesus. You, Lord are the desire of our soul. My soul years for you. My spirit earnestly seeks you. I want above all for your name to be honored, your will to be done. Above my need for daily bread and personal safety is my desire for you Lord to get the honor and worship that is your due. Does your heart resonate with this yearning? O Lord, make it so!
Resurrection Confidence
Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORDGOD is an everlasting rock.
Peace, Jesus' own peace, perfect peace to the one who is stabilized by the immovable anchor of the unchanging character of God. Trust. Trust in the Lord forever. He is worthy of your trust. He will never leave you; he will not fail you. No matter what happens, you are safe.
Does this imply that nothing bad will ever happen to you, and that if bad things do happen, it is an indication of your lack of faith? No, no no! God's perfect peace is not exemption from the storms, but peace in the middle of the storms. God's peace is not seen in circumstances. God's peace is deeper than that. Times of trial wean us away from temporary pleasures to that which is lasting and true.
Jesus says something that at first sounds contradictory in John 11.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
In one breath he says that believers will die and live again, and in the next breath he says that believers will never die. Are we exempt from death, or aren't we? It is clear from history that believers in Jesus still experience death, many in unthinkable ways. But does this contradict what Jesus says in the very next breath that believers will never die? Clearly he is talking about death and life in different ways. Whoever believes in Jesus, though he will experience death physically, yet his body will physically be raised again. And everyone who experiences inward life (or new birth) and believes in Jesus will never experience spiritual death or separation from God. For the believer, to be 'away from the body' is to be 'at home with the Lord' (2Cor.5:8). Eternal life, Jesus taught, is knowing God and Jesus Christ (Jn.17:3). He taught a similar thing in Mark 8.
Mark 8:35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
He clarifies that he is talking about two different kinds of life when he says something similar in John 12.
John 12:25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Seeking to preserve physical life in this world at the cost of a relationship with God is folly; but risking this physical life for the hope of eternal life with God is true wisdom.
The peace of Jesus is not exemption from trials or suffering (Jesus actually promised we would experience those); rather the peace of Jesus preserves us through the trials. We will experience physical death, and yet we shall truly live. We see that our ultimate hope is rooted in the resurrection right in the context of this verse in Isaiah 26.
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.
For the one who trusts in the Lord, we have a sure and steadfast hope beyond the grave. Death is not the end. Christians believe in the resurrection. This life is not all there is, to be held on to at all costs. No, if our hope is in Jesus even death can't interrupt that! 'Though he slay me, I will hope in him' (Job13:15)
Listen to our hope in the imagery painted in Isaiah 25:
Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him. The God who swallows up death forever, who will wipe away our every tear. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation! Trust in the YHWH forever, for Yah YHWH is an everlasting rock! Trust him for he is trustworthy. Let your mind be stayed on him. Let him keep you.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2 Corinthians 8:16-17; Sovereign Grace and Freedom to Desire
09/22_2 Corinthians 8:16-17; Sovereign Grace and Freedom to Desire; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20190922_2cor8_16-17.mp3
This passage is about giving, and it is about grace; ultimately it is about the grace of God freely given. The word 'grace' appears 10 times in these two chapters, and it centers around the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 8:9 [lit trans] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that on account of you became poor, being rich; in order that you by that poverty might become rich
Grace is God's freely given kindness. Verse 9 reminds us of the fountain of all grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became sin for us, who gave himself up for us.
8:1 talks about grace as the enabling grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia, that overflowed in their simplicity of heart toward God and joyful eagerness for the grace and fellowship of service to the saints. There in verse 4, grace is the extending of grace received from God out horizontally to others. It is a freely given gift of God to be able to give to others. Verses 6 and 7 exhort the Corinthians also to participate in this grace; the gift of freely extending what they had received out to others in need. Verse 19 also points to this grace, the gift of giving. Then in 9:8 and 9:14, he uses 'grace' again to point to the enabling grace of God which gives freely to us so that we can overflow in freely giving to others.
Here in 8:16, as in 9:15, he uses the word 'grace' in the sense of thanksgiving, grace received from God now reflected back toward God in the form of thanksgiving, recognition of his grace freely given. Grace to God; gratitude to God.
Grace comes down from God to us in the person of our Lord Jesus to make us rich in him. Grace comes down from God to enable and ignite us to freely extend the grace we have received to others, and we become a conduit through which his grace flows through us out horizontally to others. And finally, grace is reflected back up to God in the form of gratitude for all that he has given.
God's Gift
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.
Here we see Paul giving thanks for God's gift given to Titus. This is the fourth time the word 'give' shows up in this chapter on giving. In verse 1 the grace of God was given; in verse 5 in response the Macedonians gave themselves to the Lord. In verse 10 Paul gives his advice on what would benefit them, and here in 16 God 'puts' or literally gives the same earnestness for you in the heart of Titus.
Earnestness is another word we have seen several times in this letter. In 7:11-12, Paul is encouraged that the Corinthians responded to his tearful letter with a renewed earnestness for him. In 8:7-8 he praises their excelling in earnestness and uses the earnestness of others to prove their own genuineness.
This word means an eagerness, willingness, diligence, or earnest commitment in discharge of an obligation [BDAG, 939]. Titus had a willing eagerness in his heart for the good of the Corinthians, and we are told that God put it there. God gave him his earnestness for them. Just as the source of the Macedonians' abundance of joy in the midst of their deep poverty was God's grace given, which then overflowed in a richness of single-heartedness, and an insistence on the grace and fellowship of service to the saints. Now God is the Author of the eager willingness in the heart of Titus on behalf of the Corinthians.
For Their Good
It was on behalf of the Corinthians. It was for their good. They needed him. They needed his help. This was not a vacation. 'Titus do you want to travel? Oh yeah, I love to travel, see new sites, explore new places, meet new people, all the sights and sounds and tastes and smells.' No, travel meant hardship and danger. As Paul describes later in this letter:
2 Corinthians 11:26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
That's what Titus was signing up for. And he was going to a church that was difficult. To people who were difficult. He had just returned from carrying a severe letter to this volatile church, and now Paul was asking him to retrace his steps with another letter asking them to give generously. This was no easy task. This was no pleasure cruise. This was self-sacrificial service for their good, for their benefit. But part of the difficulty was to convince them that it really was for their benefit, because they didn't know what was good for them.
God gave Titus an earnestness for them. We have seen in this section the importance of right desires. Paul seeks to demonstrate the genuineness of their love. He commends their desiring even above the doing of this act of grace. He wants the doing to match their desires. He is glad that they wanted the right things, and now wants them to do what they wanted to do. He highlights not only the depth of sacrifice on the part of the Macedonians, but especially their joy and single-hearted simplicity, their giving of themselves to the Lord. Paul said back in chapter 1
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
We work with you for your joy. What brings you joy matters. Desires matter. What we are eager for matters. What we want matters. And here we learn that God gives earnestness. He is to be thanked, because he is the giver. He gave it in the heart of Titus.
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.
God put earnestness in the heart of Titus. But we also see that Paul encouraged Titus toward this, and Titus received his encouragement. Just in verse 6 he said:
2 Corinthians 8:6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace.
Paul urged or encouraged Titus. It was not a command, but it was an encouragement. Paul urged him to go, to bring to completion what he had started. 'He accepted our appeal.' Paul and Titus were close. And Paul urged Titus. This would be significant pressure. He was not obligated. He was not coerced. But he was encouraged. There was human encouragement.
Paul said back at the end of 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 16:12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
With Apollos there was strong urging from the apostle, but it was not his will to come. He felt the urging, and he was free to choose not to go. Titus was similarly urged and encouraged, and he also had the freedom to choose to go or not to go. Paul encouraged him, but he left it up to him. Titus accepted the encouragement to go. He responded to the external human encouragement.
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.
God put it in the heart of Titus, and Paul encouraged Titus, and yet Titus had his own earnestness and is going of his own accord. He was free to do what he wanted to do. He was eager of his own accord. He chose. He was willing. He was free.
God's Grace Creates Freedom
God put it in the heart of Titus. Paul encouraged Titus, and Titus accepted our encouragement. Titus was himself very earnest; he is going of his own free will. These verses put all these different factors together. Paul encouraged it. Titus freely chose to do it. But God put it in his heart to desire it.
These different factors do not appear as cross-purposes in tension in these verses, fighting to see which one will win out. Rather they are seen in unison, in tandem, working together to bring about the desired end. Very naturally and practically, God used Titus' prior experience in Corinth to help shape his desires.
Back in chapter 7, when Paul was finally reunited with Titus, he spoke of the comfort he received from Titus, and the comfort Titus received from the Corinthians, and the exceeding joy he had over the right desires of the Corinthians. Titus' spirit was refreshed and he rejoiced.
2 Corinthians 7:15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.
God used the experience he had in Corinth to shape his affections and his desire to return. God also used the encouragement of the apostle in the heart of Titus to solidify his resolve to go. But God put the earnestness in his heart.
We saw the same thing with the Macedonians. It was willingly, freely, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the grace and fellowship of service to the saints. But that was evidence of the grace of God given. God gave his grace; he put it in their hearts. God's grace was the underlying motive for their joyful eagerness. God's grace was the underlying motive for Titus' willing earnestness.
We could say that God's grace created the freedom. God's grace created the freedom to give joyfully beyond their means out of deep poverty. God's grace created the freedom to want to go back to a difficult circumstance to serve difficult people and encourage them to give generously.
I was a guy who grew up in Minnesota and chased the love of my life out to Washington State, and I loved it there. I had no desire to live anywhere else. I didn't even want to visit Utah. Some friends of ours moved from Washington to Utah, and we thought they were crazy. Later, I had a co-worker who invited me to come with him to mountain bike in Utah, and I had no desire. I didn't want to go. I couldn't want to go. It just wasn't in me. Almost like my wife can't want to hold a snake. It's not in her. She has no freedom to want to hold a snake. We had no freedom to want to move to Utah, until God by his grace put it in our hearts. God created in us that freedom. Then we were free to stay and continue to live and serve in Washington, and we were free to move to Utah to live and serve here. And we wanted to come. There were external factors; there were people and circumstances that God used to encourage us toward Utah, but God put it in our hearts. And we were eager to come.
The Grace of God [Philippians 2]
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.
This is God's grace that he puts in our hearts. This is rooted in God's grace as expressed in verse 9
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Jesus freely stooped to serve others sacrificially for their good, and he invites us into fellowship with him in extending his grace to others. We see almost the exact same sequence in Philippians 2 that we see here.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. …
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything— …see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this …to prove …that your love also is genuine.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Do, because God is working in you. He is creating both the willing, the desire, and the working, the energy to do it.
2 Corinthians 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.
God put it in the heart of Titus. God gave grace to the Macedonians. God created the desire.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
God entered into our poverty in Jesus, he took our nature, he died our death and gives us his life. He invites us to join him in extending his grace to others. To enter in, to share in the sufferings of others, to show people Jesus.
This eagerness; this freedom to want to sacrificially serve is a gift, it is grace. Ask God freely to put this desire in your heart. Receive his gift so that you can be freed to give.
Thank God who gives this desire. Give God the credit and thank him when you see this earnestness in others. Thank God when he begins to create this desire in you.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2 Corinthians 8:10-12; The Benefit of Doing What You Want to Do
09/08_2 Corinthians 8:10-12; The Benefit of Doing What You Want to Do; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20190908_2cor8_10-12.mp3
Grace-Giving and Jesus
2 Corinthians 8 is about grace. God's grace was given to the Macedonian believers and it overflowed in joyful single-hearted simplicity of devotion toward Jesus, which found expression in an earnest eagerness for the grace and fellowship of service to the saints.
All service must be rooted in God's grace received and experienced.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
This is grace, that on our account Christ, the eternal Son of God, entered in to our poverty, took to himself out human nature, humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, so that we might enjoy the riches of his glory forever. This is grace, and an experience of this grace changes us. An experience of God's grace toward us in Christ overflows in simplicity of joy in Jesus and expresses itself in earnest eagerness for the grace and fellowship of service to the saints.
Paul exhorts – he does not command, but invites and encourages – the Corinthians to demonstrate the genuineness of their love.
2 Corinthians 8:10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
This Benefits You
Paul gives his judgment or counsel to them; his advice, his mind. He says 'this benefits you. This is to your advantage.'
Every good salesman knows how to sell his product by showing you why you need it, what it will benefit you, how it would be to your advantage to have it, and why it will be worth more than its cost to you. Paul is no salesman; he is a herald; a proclaimer of the good news of the King. He has been given a message, gospel, good news. Paul, as apostle of the good news of Jesus Christ, knows what is good for you.
Paul says 'I give my counsel.' In this chapter on giving, we see the grace of God given in verse 1, and the Macedonians who gave themselves first to the Lord in verse 5, and now Paul giving his judgment, his counsel. This is important, and we ought to receive what is given.
Bring it to Completion
What is it that would benefit them? What is it that would be to their own advantage? Paul gives the only imperative verb, the only command in all of chapters 8 and 9, right here in verse 11. he says 'finish,' complete, perfect, bring it to its desired end.
In verse 6 Paul encouraged Titus to bring to completion this act of grace; here the Corinthians are told to bring to completion what they had purposed to do. They set out to do it, now it is to their advantage to bring it to completion. He says:
2 Corinthians 8:10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
His language is roundabout, but his point is clear. They began not only the doing but also the willing from last year. But now also bring to completion the doing, so that just as the advance desire of the willing, thus also the bringing to completion out of the having.
In 1 Corinthians 16 he said:
1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
Do What You Want
A year ago you started doing this; more than that you wanted to do it. The desire was there. You had the will to do it; you purposed to make this collection. Paul is now saying 'it is to your advantage to do what you wanted to do.' You willed it, it is what you wanted to do. Now do it!'
Notice – and I think it is essential to notice – Paul's focus on desire and willing. He uses the language of desire, of want. You had the desire to do it. You didn't just start to do it, you desired to do it. It wasn't arm twisting. It wasn't compulsion or pressure. It was what you chose. It was what you wanted. Paul affirms their desire; that it was good. Desire has to be awakened.
It's no good to do good grudgingly, half-heartedly, out of obligation. Paul wants more than that. That might benefit others to some extent, the ones you are serving. But that doesn't benefit you. That is not to your advantage. He's going to say in the next chapter 'God loves a cheerful giver' (9:7). God cares about your heart, your attitude, your desires. He cares not only about the action, but also about the motive behind the action. Why are you doing what you are doing? What do you want to do? It matters.
Think of it this way. There's sin. There's temptation. You know it's wrong. But it's tempting. You want to give in. You want it because you believe it will give you fulfillment or satisfy some need you have. You want to but you are afraid of the consequences or getting caught or what people will think, so you don't. But you still have the desire. You see what's going on here? O you of little faith! You lack faith. You are believing the wrong things. You believe that sin will satisfy, will bring fulfillment. That's a lie. And it's a lie that dishonors God. God is the all-satisfying source of every good, and in your desire you are saying that God is not good enough. I need something more, something different. You are saying there is good out there apart from God; in fact God is withholding good from you. That's how Satan deceived Eve in the garden. There is something good that God is withholding from you.
But Psalm 34:9-10 says:
Psalm 34:9 …those who fear him have no lack! 10 …those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
And Psalm 84:11 assures us:
Psalm 84:11 …the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
No good thing does he withhold. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. God is not looking merely for outward conformity to his standard. He is not looking for half-hearted grudging obedience, as if he were some bitter pill that we know is good for us, but we throw a fit and pinch our nose and gag as we choke him down.
Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Taste! Take pleasure. Enjoy him. Happy are you if you take refuge in him.
Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
In his presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore because he is infinitely pleasing and ultimately fulfilling. Do you believe that? Taste and see. Desire him. Long for him. Our desires matter.
Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
To Will and To Work
It's no good to do good grudgingly, as if God weren't your greatest treasure. It's also no good to have the right desires and do nothing about them. This is where the Corinthians were. Paul affirms their desires.
2 Corinthians 8:10 …this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
You want the right thing, now do what you want. This will benefit you. Jesus said:
John 13:17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Jesus had just washed the feet of his disciples. He is inviting them to love and serve others as he served them. And he went on to tell them that one of them would betray him. Knowing is not enough. You will be happy, you will find joy, if you love others as I have loved you. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Jesus said in Luke 6:
Luke 6:43 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?
It is inconsistent to say one thing and do another. It is inconsistent to call Jesus 'Master' and not do what he says. It matters where your heart is, because where your affections truly are will eventually become manifest. What is in your heart will come out in your actions.
Luke 6:47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."
A bad foundation is hearing and not doing. A good foundation that will weather the storm is hearing and responding. Listen and then do. And a lot of what Jesus said addressed issues of what we love.
Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to follow through and do what they desired to do.
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Excuses Eliminated
Paul motivates them to follow through with their desire, and he eliminates some excuses we so naturally come up with.
2 Corinthians 8:10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
One excuse we use is delay. We want to help, but it's just bad timing. It's not convenient. Maybe another time, but not now. It seems the Corinthians had been delaying, putting it off. They wanted to do it, but they were waiting for a more opportune time.
Another excuse (and it is related to the first) is lack. I really want to help out, but I am just not in a position to do much right now. I might be able to do more later, but right now things are tight. I have other obligations and just can't spare much. Because I can't do much, I don't do anything. This is really pride at its root. If I give, I want it to be impressive. I don't want to be embarrassed by how little I can give, so I won't give anything. I am waiting until a time when I can really do it right.
Paul tells them to complete their desire 'out of what you have.' He tells them 'For if the desire is present, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.' This is simple. God doesn't fault you for not giving what you don't have. Give out of what you do have. There are some great practical principles here. If God is telling us that we ought to give within our means, that would imply that we also ought to live within our means. You are not faulted for not giving what you don't have. You probably should not take what you don't have and spend it on your pleasures. This is practical.
Acceptable Priestly Offerings
Use what you do have to love and serve others. Don't delay, and don't think its not enough. Remember, what you do is ultimately not judged by other people, and it is not meant to impress other people (otherwise, you already have your reward in full). If you have the simplicity of devotion to Jesus because of the grace you have received from him, and you are joyfully eager for the grace and fellowship of service to the saints, then complete that desire out of what you have, not out of what you don't have.
That is acceptable. Acceptable to who? This is the language of sacrifice and temple. If an offering was acceptable, it was received by the Lord. Paul uses this language in Romans 15
Romans 15:15 …because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
He pictures himself a priest presenting an offering, and his desire is that it be received. Peter uses the same imagery
1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We all are priests, offering spiritual sacrifices, and our sacrifices are made acceptable only through Jesus Christ. If we love and serve others out of what we have, out of the grace we have been given, that is acceptable; it is well received by God. Remember, it is God and God alone we seek to please. What others think matters not if we are accepted by him.
Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' …40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2 Corinthians 8:8; Proof of Genuine Love
08/25_2 Corinthians 8:8; Proof of Genuine Love; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20190825_2cor8_8.mp3
We are in 2 Corinthians 8, where Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to give generously to the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. He encouraged them with the example of the Macedonians, who begged for the grace and the fellowship of service to the saints. They gave beyond what they were able, out of their extreme poverty in a severe test of affliction their abundance of joy overflowed in a wealth of single-hearted devotion.
He encouraged Titus to return to Corinth to bring to completion this grace in them that he had begun.
He encourages them that as they super-abound in many spiritual gifts, that they should super-abound in this grace also.
Not A Command
In verse 8 he tells them that he is not commanding them.
2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
Paul wants to make it clear that they are not under compulsion. He is not demanding, he is not commanding. He cannot require of them an act of grace and love or it would no longer be grace. Grace by definition is undeserved, under no obligation or compulsion; freely given. For Paul to command or require them to give would be to move this from an act of grace into a debt or obligation. Paul wants to be clear that this must be from the heart, a true act of grace. As the Macedonians gave of their own accord, so it must also be for the Corinthians; this must be something that they want to do, not something they are feeling pressured into.
Motivated by the Earnestness of Others
It must come from their own heart, but that doesn't mean that he can't say anything to them about giving. He is exhorting and encouraging them to participate in this act of grace. But it must remain an act of grace, not turn into guilt or debt or obligation.
Paul is clear this is not a command, but he is using the eagerness of others to motivate them.
2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
Through the eagerness of others. This is part of the fellowship, part of being in the body of Christ. We are to encourage one another. And when we see the passion, the earnestness of our sisters and brothers, God can use that to ignite an eagerness in us. That is the effect Paul hopes the Macedonians will have on the believers at Corinth. He hopes their joy in the midst of affliction and poverty will spark a similar joy in Jesus and simplicity of affections for him that overflows in extending grace to others.
This is one reason to be involved in missions; whether that means praying or giving or going; when we are connected to others in the body of Christ who are in different places and in different circumstances, their examples can ignite in us a desire to be more singly devoted to Jesus, to be more eager to overflow in spite of our circumstances in joyful generosity, and our joy in Jesus can encourage others.
It is so essential for us to stay connected with others in the body, both near and far, for our spiritual growth, and for theirs.
Proof and Confidence
2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
This word 'prove' means to test and demonstrate genuineness, demonstrate authenticity. It means 'to prove by testing.' We read in one of Jesus' parables (Lk.14:19) that a man had purchased five yoke of oxen, and he said 'I go to examine them' or 'prove them'. He purchased them because he believed they were useful and worth the price. But putting them to the test would demonstrate what they were actually capable of. This is the kind of thing that would be done with precious metals to prove genuineness. It says in 1 Corinthians 3
1 Corinthians 3:12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
This does not mean that Paul wasn't sure if they would past the test or not. He doesn't say 'to prove whether or not your love is genuine.' He has already said:
2 Corinthians 7:16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.
Knowing and Showing
Paul is confident that they will pass the test, but it needs to be shown. He said in verse 7 that they abound in his love for them. But the genuineness of their love for others needs to be demonstrated.
Jesus said:
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
This is about knowing and showing. Performing acts of love does not make a person genuine; acts of love demonstrate the character of the person, just as apples don't make the tree an apple tree; apples demonstrate the nature of the tree. Tying apples on a Chinese elm tree would be a lot of work, and may fool some, but it doesn't change the nature of the tree.
This is about testing, about proving or demonstrating genuineness. Back in 8:2, he said of the Macedonians:
2 Corinthians 8:2 for in a severe test [δοκιμῇ – that's the root of the word 'prove' here] of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
The Macedonians had been tested with affliction, and they passed the test. This is not the only place we see trials linked with proof or tested genuineness.
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials [πειρασμοῖς] of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing [δοκίμιον] of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials [πειρασμοῖς], 7 so that the tested genuineness [δοκίμιον]of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested [δοκιμαζομένου] by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Macedonians passed a test of severe affliction and they came through like gold; they put on display the greatness of the grace of God.
Can the Corinthians pass the test in their affluence, in their abundance? That is a different kind of a test, maybe a more difficult test. It seems that those who are destitute can more acutely evaluate what is of greatest worth. Sometimes it is the poorest that are the happiest.
Genuine/Legitimate Love
2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
What Paul aims to prove is the genuineness of their love. 'Genuine' is a word that speaks of legitimacy, specifically in birth. In 1 Timothy 1 and in Titus 1 Paul refers to both Timothy and Titus as his 'true child in the faith. He is using a term that distinguishes between legitimate and illegitimate children. They are authentic, legitimate children born again through Paul's proclamation of the gospel. Here in 2 Corinthians 8, he is eager that the Corinthians demonstrate the legitimacy of their love; that their love is not phony; that it is not produced in an illegitimate way, but that it is the genuine fruit of the Spirit of the living God.
Proof of Genuineness in 1 John
2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
Paul is eager for the Corinthians to prove the legitimacy of their love. How do they do this? He doesn't command them to obedience; rather he exhorts them to a free act of love. Love, the evidence on display of a genuinely transformed heart.
I want to tie this together with what some other authors of the New Testament are teaching us so we see it clearly.
We started by looking at Jesus' words recorded in John's gospel, where he says:
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Love is the evidence that makes all our speaking, all our serving, all our giving more than just noisy nothingness and clanging emptiness.
John in his first short letter talks about how we know that we know him. He is talking about proof, evidence. Do you want to know that you know him? That's an important thing, because Jesus himself said that "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord …did we not do many mighty works in your name?'" and he will respond 'I never knew you; depart from me….' (Mt.7:22-23). We want to know that we know him. How do we know? What is the evidence? What is the proof? 1 John is talking about proof.
1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. …
John says the evidence of relationship is doing what he says; keeping his commandments, his word. And notice, he says God's love is perfected in him; it is God's love in him, not his own love. This love, God's love, works itself out in keeping his word. It is evidence that we are in him.
He continues:
1 John 2:5…By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
The one commandment that is both an old commandment and an new commandment is love. Love your brother. If you claim to know him, if you claim to be walking in the light, and you don't keep his commandments, if you don't love your brother, you're lying; you're blind; you don't know where you're going. This command, to love, is true in him and in you. First it must be true in him. God shows his love for us in this; that Christ died for us (Rom.5:8). And because it is true in him, because we have been loved by him, it can be true in us; he has given us his love so that we can love.
John goes on in chapter 3 to talk about legitimacy:
1 John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Evidence of being children of God; the legitimacy of our new birth; we know because we love the brothers. And here the rubber meets the road.
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
This is personal. This is individual. Do you see how he switches from the plural 'we' in verse 16 to the singular 'any one'? This is personal. If you see a real need in your brother, you are not to close your heart against him. Notice again, the focus is on the heart, the affections. This is not guilt and duty. There should be in us as new creations in Christ an inclination to love and serve our brothers or sisters. We are not to selfishly shut that off and close them out of our hearts. The proof happens when I see a brother or sister in need and my heart just naturally (or I should say supernaturally) goes out to them, I want to do something to help them. Not just love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.
James says it this way:
James 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
That is where the Corinthians were at. They had been talking about the collection for some time now. They had at first been eager to fellowship in the service to the saints. Now it was time to turn talk into action.
God's Love In Us
We looked at Jesus' statement that it will show; that all people will know that we are following him if we love one another. If we look ahead to John 17, we hear Jesus praying for us in his great high priestly prayer to his Father. He prays for our unity, that we would be one so that the world would believe (v.21). At the end of his prayer, he says:
John 17:26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."
This is amazing! Jesus tells us where this love comes from. Jesus prays that God the Father's trinitarian love for his one and only Son would be in us! This is stunning! He doesn't ask us to love others out of our own resources. God puts his own love in us so that we can love others with his love, not our own. This is grace!
Remember, it's grace; it's the grace of God given to us that creates in us this single-hearted devotion.
2 Corinthians 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Compelled By Substitution
01/20_2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Constrained By Substitution ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20190120_2cor5_14-15.mp3
The Governing Influence
What moves you? What motivates you to action? What gets you up in the morning and propels you forward? What is the driving force in your life that moves you to do what you do? And what keeps you on course, what prevents you from veering off in an unwise direction? In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul gives us his motive for ministry, and I submit to you, this would be a great passage to paint in large letters on the ceiling above your bed [or you could write it on a 3×5 card and keep it on your nightstand or on your mirror or on the dash of your car].
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
The love of Christ controls or constrains us; this is why we do everything we do. In the past verses Paul pointed to the fact that he lives to God and in service to others. Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others (v.11). In light of the coming judgment, where every person will stand before Christ to receive what is due for what he has done in the body, good or evil (v.10), we make it our aim to please him (v.9). The love of Christ and the fear of Christ are the twin motives that propel Paul to do everything he does. He aims above all else to please his Master. Fear and love. We could put them together this way; because of the great love with which Christ has so loved him, he fears displeasing him in anything.
Doctrine Drives Desires and Decisions
The love of Christ controls us, having concluded this. Paul concluded, judged, decided or determined; this is a logical conclusion or determination drawn from doctrine. And this shows us that doctrine is not merely scholastic; doctrine is practical. Understanding the truths of scripture motivates our passions, our desires, our decisions. Many people say 'I'm not into all that doctrine or theology stuff; I just want to follow Jesus' – as if there was a choice between the two! Following Jesus means believing things about God – that's the essence of theology. Everyone is a theologian – everyone believes stuff about God and life and the world. The question is not if you will do theology; the question is will you do it well, biblically, or poorly?
Paul gives us a dense theological statement that expresses the love of Christ for him, and he uses it as the motivating force for how he lives.
One Died For [ὑπέρ] All
Today we are going to attempt to unpack this statement, to treasure it, to see how it works as power to propel a life pleasing to the Lord.
One on behalf of all died
so the all died
and on behalf of all he died
in order that the living
no longer to themselves live
but to the one who on behalf of them died and was raised
This is the great love of Christ; Christ died for the ungodly (Rom.5:6). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:8). The Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal.2:20).
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for [περὶ] sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, …
Jesus said:
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus died for; one died instead of, in the place of, in the name of or in the interest of, as a substitute. I deserved death. He stood in my place; he took my punishment; he died my death, for me. Jesus died for my benefit, but more than that; he died as my substitute. He took my name. Think of it this way; I was guilty of a capital crime. I stood before the judge and was condemned. I waited in my cell. The day of execution arrived, the guard came to lead me away, he called my name, and Jesus stepped forward. He answered to my name. He took my place. He died for me. That's what 1 Peter 3:18 said; 'Christ suffered… the righteous for the unrighteous.'
So The All Died – Romans 6 & 7
And if that happened, I had better disappear. I better never use my name again. According to the law, I am dead, so I must not show up again. That points to the other half of this:
One on behalf of all died
so the all died
Paul concludes that if Jesus died for all, then whoever the 'all' is, they all are dead. If he took my identity, and died as me, then my identity is now dead. In Galatians 2, where 'the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me', it says
Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live…
Jesus gave himself for me. He died as my substitute, and as a result, I was crucified with Christ. I was condemned with him under the law, and I died. His death was my death.
About a year after writing this letter of 2 Corinthians, while Paul was in Corinth, he wrote another letter, to the church in Rome. In Romans 6 and 7 he unpacks and fleshes out this dense doctrinal statement; 'one on behalf of all died; so the all died.' The best commentary on Scripture is Scriture.
In Romans 6, Paul is arguing that we who have experienced God's grace must not continue in sin.
Romans 6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Baptism is a picture of being plunged into the death of Jesus. We have been united to Jesus in his death. We were buried with him into death. We were immersed into his death. Therefore we have died to sin. When he took our name, he died for us, and we died with him. We have been united to him in death.
He goes on.
Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
My old sinful identity was crucified with Christ. If that person who was enslaved to sin is now dead, then the power of sin over him has been broken.
In Romans 7, Paul shows us 'that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives' (v.1). He uses the illustration of marriage, 'till death do us part; if the husband dies, his wife ' is released from the law of marriage'
Romans 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. …6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, …
The law is binding only as long as I live. And in Christ's death, I died to the law.
When Christ took my name and died for me, my identity died with him. So now I am set free from that old identity – it is dead. I am now free to assume a new identity; 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' (Gal.2:20). I now belong to him.
The Purpose of The Doctrine
One on behalf of all died
so the all died
and on behalf of all he died
in order that the living
no longer to themselves live
but to the one who on behalf of them died and was raised
Here we get to the purpose of the doctrine, the conclusion he draws from the truth of our death with Christ who died for us. Christ died in my place, so I died with him. He died in my place in order that I no longer live my life to myself but to him who died in my place and was raised.
If I get this, if I really understand what Jesus did for me, that he died my death, that he paid my price, that he took my name, and that my old identity died with him, then it should change the way I live. I am not my own. I was bought with a price (1Cor.6:20; 7:23). I am alive, spiritually alive, eternally alive because he died for me. I want to live my life for him, to please him. I must not live my life for me, to please me. Christ's love constrains me, compels me. I want to live for his glory. I want to use my body, my energy, my gifts, my abilities not to please me, but him.
This is powerful. The truth – doctrine, theology is powerful! 'You will know the truth,' Jesus said, 'and the truth will set you free' (Jn.8:32). Am I tempted to lust, to look at pornography? Jesus died because of that sin; he died for me, and I died with him. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Jesus does not want to look with lust on another person for whom he died. His love constrains me. Do you see how powerful this truth is?
Romans 6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
This is transformational truth!
I have been hurt, I have been wronged, and I want to respond, to react in the flesh. But that flesh that I want to respond in is dead. It was crucified with Christ. Anger, animosity, bitterness, grudge-holding, gossip, revenge; that was my old identity, and it is dead. Jesus forgives those who wrong him, he does not open his mouth in his own defense, he is patient and kind. Jesus loves his enemies. He loved me!
Things haven't gone my way. Circumstances are out of my control. I am struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety. I want to respond with my old coping mechanisms, with my old patterns of behavior. I am inclined to eat too much or drink too much or spend too much or harm myself in other ways. I am inclined to withdraw, to put up walls, to close myself in, or to snap back, to react, to lash out, to hurt others because I am hurt. But it's not all about me. I am no longer to live to myself but for him, and for others. I am set free from the slavery of a heart turned in on itself. Jesus said 'not my will but yours be done'.
Romans 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
We have died to that which held us captive. We now belong to another, to Jesus, who was raised from the dead, and his resurrection power is at work in us. We are set free to bear fruit for God by the work of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
So in all things we make it our aim to please him.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
The Spirit's Fruit; Self-Control like Jesus
08/20 The Spirit's Fruit; Self-Control Like Jesus Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170820_self-control-like-jesus.mp3
Self Control. The Fruit of the Spirit is self control. What is self control? Why do we need it? Do we need it? How do we get it?
What is self control? The Greek word is engkratia [ἐγκράτεια ]. It is a compound of two words [ἔν] which means 'in' and [κράτος ] which means power or strength. Engkratia points to an inner strength, an inner mastery, a command or control of self.
The Problem of Powerlessness
There is a negative of this word in the New Testament with the negative 'a' prefix [ἀκρασία] that means a lack of power or mastery, lack of self control. This opposite word shows up in places like Matthew 23:25, where Jesus says:
Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Self indulgence is this word powerlessness or lack of self-control. The Pharisees looked good on the outside, but they lacked this inner strength of character.
It shows up in 1 Corinthians 7:5 warning married couples not to deprive one another of marital intimacy
1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive one another, …so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
He says a few verses later
1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
This inner strength word often but not always refers to the power to overcome sexual temptation. In a 2016 Barna research study, nearly half of young adults said they come across porn at least once a week—even when they aren't seeking it out. Temptation is real, and it is more available than ever before. About 27% of Christian men and 6% of Christian women said they seek out porn at least once or twice a month. 14% of pastors and 21% of youth pastors admit they currently struggle with using porn. We desperately need this inner power, this fruit of self control which is produced by the Holy Spirit.
The negative adjective [ἀκράτης] shows up in the list of evils in 2 Timothy 3 that characterize so much of our society.
2 Timothy 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
This lack of inner strength, this problem of powerlessness, is part of our society, and sadly is part of the experience of too many followers of Jesus.
The Hope of Victory
The Bible is clear.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
First, the Bible is clear that pride is precarious and no one should think of himself as exempt from or above temptation. Spiritual pride is lethal.
Second, temptation is common. Everybody experiences temptation. It is part of the human experience. This takes away one of our favorite excuses, that my struggle is extraordinary and unique. You are clearly not tempted as intensely or as frequently as I am. If you were, you would fall too. No, temptation is common to us all.
And third, God is faithful. Notice where the Apostle goes for hope in the face of temptation? He doesn't go inside. He doesn't say 'You're not that kind of person that falls like that. You shouldn't stoop to that kind of behavior. You're better than this – don't let yourself give in because you're better than that. No, in fact, that's the kind of spiritual pride he warns against. He says everybody faces temptation, and nobody is above failure, but God is faithful. He turns us away from confidence in self and points us to the unfailing character of God. By the way, self control is not the same thing as self confidence or being self sufficient or self reliant. In another place Paul says 'we put no confidence in the flesh' (Phil.3:3). Don't believe in yourself. You will fail. Put your confidence in God who will never fail.
1 Corinthians 10:13 …God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God is faithful. He will not permit testing above your ability. Are you being severely tempted? You have access to the power that can overcome that temptation. God is faithful. With the trial he will make the escape so that you have the ability to endure. The power is not within you. God is faithful. God provides the escape and the ability to endure. It is yours to resist, to stand firm, to endure, but it is God who supplies you with all the power necessary to successfully stand.
Idols and What We Treasure
Let's understand this verse in its context; this is the conclusion of an argument, not against sexual temptation, but against idolatry. The next verse gives the conclusion:
1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
Paul speaks to sexual temptation in chapters 6-7. Chapters 8-10 deal with idolatry. In Corinth the idolatry was literal pagan temples and restaurants that served meat sacrificed to the idols in these temples. There was tremendous social pressure to do what everyone else was doing, to be invited, to be included, to show up and feel part of things. We all are tempted to idolatry. Idolatry can be anything we value, anything we honor. Our idol is whatever we treasure most. The Corinthians were tempted to treasure social status, acceptance, a sense of belonging; they were tempted to value these things above Jesus. They prized their knowledge, their theological understanding more than a relationship with God. They treasured their God given freedoms more than they treasured the God who gave them these freedoms.
In Chapter 9 Paul uses himself as an example of surrendering rights, God given rights, good things, for the sake of the gospel. Paul is willing to sacrifice his rights, his freedoms.
1 Corinthians 9:12 …Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
Paul understood that even rights and freedoms and good things can become idols if they are held too tightly. What Paul treasured as the one thing of surpassing worth was Jesus, knowing him, being found in him, seeing him glorified as others enter into a relationship with Jesus. In verse 22 he says:
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Then he uses an athletic metaphor to help us understand what he is getting at.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
In the Isthmian games held near Corinth, all the Greek city-states competed. There was great pressure to take home the honor of a victory for one's city. There was a goal. There was a prize. There was one thing. And here Paul brings in this idea of self-control. Every contestant exercises self control in all things. There is inner strength. There is discipline. The one thing is rigorously maintained as the one thing, and that means denying competing desires. Athletes love ice cream and lounging around in fuzzy slippers and jammies all day as much as the next person. But the athlete has his eyes on the prize, and that means letting go of lesser desires. Winning athletes exercise amazing levels of discipline and inner strength to keep the main thing the main thing and to set aside those lesser things that would entangle and get in the way of the prize. But we look forward to hearing 'well done, good and faithful servant' from the King of kings. How much more should we use this inner strength to keep focus and move toward the goal? I do not run aimlessly. I keep the prize always in view. I do not waste punches. I specifically target those things that would compete with the primary desire. My body is my slave that I lead around to pursue the one thing. This is what inner strength looks like. The ability to set aside competing desires so that we can focus on the primary desire.
Then he concludes in chapter 10 by saying that we must be on guard against pride and temptation. God will supply the strength to endure. So flee idolatry.
Temptation, Opportunity and Desire
For temptation to be successful, there are three things that must come together. The temptation must combine with desire and opportunity to be effective. I have a deep love for cookies, In the middle of the night it suddenly comes to me that I need a cookie. I am tempted to sneak down to the kitchen to steal a cookie. But if I find there are no cookies in the cookie jar, the temptation is empty. There is desire and temptation but no opportunity. If the next day, there are cookies in the jar, and I walk through the kitchen and see them, the desire is still there; I love cookies, and the opportunity is there, the cookie jar is full, but I'm busy with other things and it doesn't cross my mind to take one, I have desire and opportunity, but I am not tempted to steal a cookie. On the other hand, I might walk by the cookie jar and see the cookies and be tempted to steal one; The temptation and the opportunity is there, but if my desires have changed, I won't steal a cookie. If last week I ate so many cookies that I threw them all up, I may no longer have a taste or desire for cookies. Temptation we have little control over. Jesus encourages us to pray 'lead us not into temptation' (Mat.6:13)
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
We have little control over the urge or inclination. We have little control over the opportunity. I can go around asking everyone to stop baking cookies because I have a cookie problem. But at some point the opportunity will be there and I will be tempted. I believe the key to victory is in our desires. It is true that people do what they want. People will do what they want when presented with the opportunity. If I love cookies, if I want to eat cookies, then when I have the opportunity to eat a cookie I will do what I want. If I want to sleep in, I will sleep in. If I want to not be fired or fail my classes, then I will drag myself out of bed, brush my teeth, get dressed and go to school or work. What is it that I want more? That is what I will do.
Jesus taught us to go after our desires. Jesus said to the religious:
Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and [without inner strength].
The focus of law is on conformity to measurable standards. But Jesus is after our hearts. The law says do not murder, but Jesus says do not be angry with your brother (Mt.5:21-22; 1Jn.3:15). The law says do not commit adultery, but Jesus attacks our desires and says do not lust in your heart (Mt.5:27-28). Jesus says
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
If we only put locks on our phones and computers that keep us from looking at certain things, but our desire is still for those things, at some point we will be presented with the opportunity, and we will fall to temptation. People do what they want to do. We can lock up a criminal and remove his opportunity, but if his desires have not changed, when he gets out he will do what he wants.
Changing Desires
So how do desires change? How do we gain this inner strength to set aside lesser desires to pursue the one desire? The one thing must outweigh everything else. All our desires must be overshadowed by a superior desire. What is that one thing? This is where it gets dangerous. We must replace our desires with the right thing.
Lets say I have a problem with anger. I blow up, lose it, get out of control, and verbally and maybe even physically hurt the people around me. I begin to see I have a problem and I go to get counsel. The counselor tells me to identify the triggers, the things that make me angry and avoid them. Don't put yourself in those situations where you get angry. That's great. Remove the opportunity. But what if it's my wife that makes me angry? 'Get a divorce.' What if its my kids that make me angry? Do I get rid of them? That's bad advice. I will never be able to avoid every situation that might trigger my anger. So I go back to the counselor. She gets my wife to take a video of me the next time I get angry and lose it, and the counselor plays it back to me and says 'look at what a fool you made of yourself. See how idiotic you are acting? And your outburst doesn't stop the person from pushing your buttons. In fact they may be pushing your buttons intentionally just to see you blow.' It works. I don't want to look like a fool. I don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of pushing my buttons. So I change. I have replaced my anger with a different desire. But its the wrong desire. Now I want to have the upper hand. I don't want anyone to control me. I don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of pushing my buttons. I want to be perceived as better. I change, I have less outbursts of anger, but I become proud, condescending, aloof, spiteful, vengeful. I don't get mad, I get even. You see, it matters what you replace your desires with. If they are replaced with wrong desires you may go from bad to worse.
Desiring God
How do we change in a healthy way? How do we get mastery over our desires and what is the one thing that pushes out all lesser desires?
Look at Jesus. In Matthew 4, he was in the wilderness, and he had been fasting for 40 days and nights. He was literally starving.
Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
Jesus had the desire. He was hungry. He had the opportunity – as the Son of God he had the ability to speak anything he wanted into existence. He was tempted. Satan himself was doing the tempting. But Jesus has true inner strength. Look at what he says:
Matthew 4:4 But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Do you see what he does? He has a legitimate desire. In his case he had a desperate need. He was hungry. But Jesus says "I have something better. I delight in the voice of my Father more than my taste buds delight in food. He has a greater treasure than food; a greater treasure than life itself. Jesus treasured his relationship with his Father more than life itself. He desired his Father's glory more than his own.
When temptation, desire and opportunity combine (and they will), you must have the weapon of a superior desire sharpened and ready. Jesus is treasuring his Father. He has been spending time meditating on his Word. He has been enjoying communion with his Father in prayer. He has been tasting and seeing that the LORD is good, so that when temptation came, he was able to compare it with what he had already been enjoying and turn it down flat. God is faithful.
Hebrews 12 tells us:
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
What competing desires, what sins, what good things, are getting in the way of the one thing? Do you want the one thing enough that you are willing to lay secondary desires aside? If you don't think you have the strength, cry out to Jesus for help. God is faithful. He will perfect your faith.
What is your one thing? If you don't have the one thing clear, you will be aimless and make little progress. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Look to Jesus, who endured the cross, who rejoiced to obey his Father, who lived (and died) to bring him glory. Fix your eyes on Jesus, taste and see that he is good, experience that he is better, allow him to be your one desire.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
The Spirit's Fruit: Joy Like Jesus
06/04 The Spirit's Fruit: Joy Like Jesus; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170604_joy-like-jesus.mp3
The fruit of the Spirit is joy. It is interesting that joy is mentioned second. In a list of nine aspects of the Christian life, love tops the list and joy comes right after it. I don't want to make too big a deal about the order, because as we've seen, every aspect is essential. This is one indivisible fruit produced by the Holy Spirit. All these characteristics together make up the genuine fruit. I think people would agree that the most important character trait of a Christian is love. But what would you choose next? After love, what is the next attribute or characteristic you think of when you think of a Jesus follower? Do you think of someone who is patient or kind? Someone who is faithful? Self-controlled? What do you see most evident in the followers of Jesus you know? What do you see being produced in your own heart? Do you see joy? Would others look at you and say 'I see love there, and I see joy'?
Remember, this is not a list of moral virtues like those other lists we find in ancient Greek literature, where it is agreed that a good citizen will be upright and honest and generous and chaste, because that is what is best for society. It is true, a Christian who has the fruit of the Spirit growing in his life will be the best citizen, and will do what is best for society, but that is not the point here. The point is not to produce outward conformity to a standard that is agreed upon as best for everyone. No, this is fruit, changed heart, changed desires, transformed affections. This is not 'look at the areas where you fall short and with self-discipline and force of will improve yourself so that you can stay out of jail and make a positive contribution to society.' No. this is fruit. Paul says it comes by faith; by believing; It is organically produced by God the Holy Spirit living in you. It comes by looking with faith to Jesus, falling in love with Jesus. It is a change at the very core of your being. It is a change of your identity. It is a change in who you are. You were a selfish person; now you are a loving person. You were a grumpy irritable angry sour dour down person; now you are joyful. This is something that can't be explained naturally; this is supernatural change – Holy Spirit change. This is something you can't change by trying. This happens by faith; trusting God to work this in you by his power. This is what we mean when we talk about being 'born again.' The Holy Spirit of God comes in and begins to change and re-arrange things, he creates new things and puts to death old things. The new birth is inward transformation that results in a changed way of viewing life, changed attitudes, changed patterns of thinking, changed responses to circumstances.
Now remember, this is fruit; it grows. Organically. Slowly. Often imperceptibly. But inevitably.
Joy Defined
So what is this joy we are after? What does it look like? What does it act like? To define biblical joy, which is Spirit produced supernatural fruit, I want to look at something Jesus said in the beatitudes in Luke 6. Typically when we talk about the beatitudes of Jesus you might turn to Matthew 5, where Jesus says 'blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek…' But did you know Luke also records Jesus' beatitudes?
What Joy is Not
In Luke 6, Jesus is declaring blessings on his followers. Actually blessings and curses. There are two ways to live. There is the way of blessing, the way of happiness, the way of joy; and there is the way of woe, the way of cursing, the way of pain, the wide road that leads to destruction. Jesus is warning us that there is a counterfeit happiness that is temporary and leads to destruction. We need to hear this, because there are so many false teachers selling a false gospel that if you follow Jesus he will bless you and prosper you and meet all your needs. You are a child of the king; so you should live like a king. Circumstances will go well for you. You will be healthy and wealthy and wise, and people will like you.
I want to start down in verse 24 with the curses, and then we will go back to the blessings to see what real joy looks like. We need to hear these warnings and guard ourselves against the counterfeit.
Luke 6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Notice the temporary nature of the counterfeit. There is the 'now' and the 'you shall'. Woe to you who are rich now, who are full now, who laugh now, who are well spoken of by all now. As followers of Jesus, there is no promise of those things now. Those who have it all now have all the comfort they will ever have now. They shall not be comforted then. They shall be hungry, they shall mourn and weep. They will be condemned like the false prophets.
Joy that Coexists with Suffering
So true joy is not connected with popularity or prosperity or plenty. Let's look back at verse 20 to see what Jesus says about real joy.
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
Happy are the poor. Happy are the hungry. Happy are the sorrowful. Happy are the hated. This sounds contradictory. Remember this is not natural joy; this is fruit – supernatural joy. Notice there is an enduring character to the blessedness. There is a present circumstance; poverty, hunger, sorrow, persecution. There is a future hope; the kingdom, satisfaction, laughter, reward in heaven. But there is a permanent blessedness. They are blessed. There is a future hope, but there is a present and enduring blessedness. There is definitely a future aspect of joy, but this joy overlaps with the present persecution and suffering. In the day that you are excluded and slandered and hated, in that very day leap for joy! The future hope bleeds over into a present experience of joy.
So does this passage mean that we should we bankrupt ourselves and starve ourselves and become obnoxious so people hate us? Is that the path to blessing? Jesus did not tell everyone with possessions to give away all that they have, but he did tell the rich young man "go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Mk.10:21) because Jesus loved him and perceived he was treasuring temporal things more than God himself. In Matthew 5 Jesus says "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Happy are the ones who are aware of their poverty, their own spiritual need, and look to Jesus to rescue them. This rich man came to Jesus asking 'what must I do to inherit eternal life' (Mk.10:17). Jesus was showing him that it wasn't what he could do; he had a heart problem. He loved the wrong things. He needed someone to transform his desires.
How is hunger a blessing? The Matthew passage says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." The ones who are happy are those who understand their desperate lack of the righteousness that God requires and turn to him alone to meet their need.
What about persecution? We are not excluded and slandered and hated because we are obnoxious and rude and socially inappropriate; Matthew 5 says 'blessed are the meek; blessed are the merciful; blessed are the pure in heart; blessed are the peacemakers; blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." We are hated only because of our relationship with Jesus.
Joy Untouched by Circumstances
Notice this joy is a joy that is untouched by circumstances. How often is our joy a product of circumstances. Things are going well at work or in my relationships or with my finances and I have joy. But when money is tight and things are out of control and I'm facing frustrations, I experience fear and anxiety and become irritable. That is natural. But this joy is unaffected by circumstances. It actually thrives in adversity. It can coexist with grief and pain and loss.
In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples to stay connected to him, to abide in him. He says in verse 11:
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Then he commands them to love, and goes on to warn them that the world will hate you like it hated me. In chapter 16 he informs them that he is leaving, but promises the presence of the Holy Spirit. In 16:20 he says:
John 16:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
Notice what he does not say. He does not say 'you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will be removed and replaced by joy.' He does not say that when you are done being sorrowful and circumstances change, then you will have joy.' What he says is 'your sorrow will turn into joy.' Then he gives an illustration of what he is talking about.
John 16:21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Childbirth, I have been told, is painful. There is sorrow. You might even say anguish. Unless she has been medicated enough so that she cannot feel. The word there is affliction, persecution, tribulation; literally it means pressure. When the hour comes, there is pressure. So much pressure it is extremely painful. Then the birth happens. If all goes well, the room that was just moments ago a place of great agony is suddenly filled with joy. But the pain is not gone. She still hurts, and she will continue to experience pain for a long time after. But that pain is now overwhelmed by something else, something greater than the pain. The pain had purpose. The pain was worth it. The pain is overcome by the joy. It is not that the sorrow is removed and replaced with joy; the sorrow remains, but it is overwhelmed by joy. Jesus says:
John 16:22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
This is a joy that is unconquerable. This is a joy that is greater than all the sorrows we could face. This is not joy because you get to escape from sorrow. Remember, Jesus is saying this to his apostles. Have you ever read some of the stories of how the apostles were martyred? Jesus knew exactly what his followers would experience, the suffering they would endure, and yet he promises that no one could take their joy from them. He tells them 'Your joy will be full, because it is my joy in you. No one will take your joy from you.' This is Jesus' joy in us.
Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…
Joy in Trials
This joy is a joy that can even rejoice in trials and suffering. James 1 says:
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.
We see this also in 1 Peter and many other places. Romans 5 says
Romans 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings…
C.H. Spurgeon commented about trials
"trials make more room for consolation. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart—he finds it full—he begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have, because he will be more fitted to receive it." [C.H.Spurgeon, M&E, Morning Feb 12, 2 Cor.1:5]
In 2 Corinthians 4, where Paul speaks of his affliction and persecution, he says:
2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Paul says that the affliction we endure is actually working in us, preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. He says in Romans 8:
Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Paul also uses the metaphor of labor pains. He calls them light and momentary. Not worth comparing. Really Paul? Countless beatings? Scourgings? Being stoned and left for dead? Shipwreck? Abandoned? Betrayal? Lack of basic needs? Light momentary affliction that is working in us an eternal weight of glory; not affliction that will be replaced by glory; but affliction that is accomplishing for us – that is digging deep my capacity for joy. In proper perspective the affliction is seen as light, momentary, transient. The glory, the joy is weighty beyond all comparison. The joy will overwhelm any sorrow and make it as if it were nothing at all.
But you don't know what I've been through. You don't know what has been done to me. No, I don't. And I don't want to undermine or invalidate anything you have experienced. What I do want you to see, is that this is true for you. The joy promised us is greater, more immense, more weighty, more substantial than any suffering you have experienced. The wrongs done to you can be swallowed up in unquenchable joy.
I have tried to show you from the scripture that this joy is an enjoyment, a deep satisfying happiness, a weighty delight that is not grounded in outward circumstances. A joy that is not only not affected by circumstances, but can even thrive in the midst of and even because of adverse circumstances. A joy that is so weighty it can swallow up all sorrow. What is this joy and how do we get it?
Joy Linked to Love
Back in Luke 6, our passage on rejoicing and leaping for joy, even in the midst of suffering, Jesus links this kind of joy to love.
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Every aspect of the fruit is linked to all the others. Rejoicing and leaping for joy while being persecuted is linked to love for enemies. Love is willingly, even joyfully self-giving for the good of the other. Joy accompanies this kind of love.
Jesus loved the rich man. He wanted him to experience real lasting joy. He wanted him to have the joy that moth and rust could not destroy, that thieves could not break in and steal. He wanted him to have joy in following Jesus. This man went away sorrowful, because of unbelief. He did not believe that the treasure in heaven was greater than his treasure on earth.
Fight for Joy with Joy
In love, Jesus calls us to make war against our fleshly desires. Do not settle for all those things that do not satisfy; insist on having the true joy that Jesus offers. We must fight for joy and we must fight with joy. We can overcome temptation only because we have something better. Are you enticed by the dollar store trinket when you are already in possession of the real thing? Yes! Yes we are, because our desires are deceitful (Eph.4:22). They lie to us and tell us that the plastic imitation is better than the genuine article. The rich fool went away sorrowful because he felt the change in his pocket was more weighty than an eternity following Jesus.
Joy in the Giver above the Gift
Contrast him to the man in Jesus' story who found treasure hidden in a field and for joy sold all that he had and went and bought that field (Mt.13:44). He was not sorrowful over all he was losing. He was filled with joy because he knew that what he was giving up was nothing compared to what he was gaining. This is the joy of the Christian.
What is the treasure? What is the substance of our joy? What is it that overwhelms all our sorrows and outweighs all our treasures? Paul says
Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him… 10 that I may know him…
The thing that is better than all the gifts we could possibly enjoy is the giver himself. That I may know him. The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Being found in him. Abiding in him. Fullness of joy in relationship with him.
Psalm 16:2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." …5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; …8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. … 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
Works vs Fruit; Galatians 5
05/21 The Work of the Spirit and the War Against the Flesh [Galatians 5:13-21; 24-26]; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170521_works-vs-fruit.mp3
Today we begin a series on the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. I believe this will be very practical and helpful, and I would invite you to be praying with me that God the Holy Spirit would be at work through his word to produce his fruit in the lives of his people for his glory.
Paul is in anguish over the Galatians. He is astonished that they are deserting Jesus and turning to a different gospel. These Gentiles are being pressured to submit to the Jewish law. Paul is fighting to preserve the truth of the gospel, the good news that we are declared right before God not by keeping the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not me attempting to live up to some standard, but Christ living in me, a life lived "by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal.2:20). Paul is eager to embrace the freely given grace of God, and he understands that if righteousness could come through the law then Christ was crucified in vain.
Justification by Grace through Faith in Christ
He says in chapter 3
Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—
The Christian life is begun by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. I hear with desperate dependence the good news proclaimed that Christ was crucified for me. The Holy Spirit is at work in me so that as I hear the gospel I trust not my abilities but Christ alone. The Spirit works this in me. Having freely received the Spirit through faith, is it now up to my flesh to finish the work he began in me? Of course not! If the beginning of the Christian life is a work of the Spirit, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, so the continuance and completion of the Christian life is all a work of the Holy Spirit, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Sanctification by Grace through Faith in Christ
Paul says in Galatians 4
Galatians 4:19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
Paul's longing is that Christ would be formed in them. Christ – himself – formed in you. Christ – who lives in me. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This is no human effort. Paul's heart is that they would live in complete daily dependence on the Spirit in them to produce the character of Christ in them.
In chapter 5 he warns not to fall away from grace, to turn from the freely given gift of God who is at work in us by his Spirit, in order to attempt to obtain righteousness by our own effort.
Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
We do not work, we eagerly wait. We wait for the hope of righteousness; a confident assurance of a righteousness that God will bring about in us. We trust. We depend. We believe. Through the Spirit. By faith. We wait. It is not our effort. Not what we do or don't do that "counts for anything, but only faith working through love." It is not me working, but faith working. Dependence on God is at work, and it expresses itself in love.
Freedom to Want
In verse 13, Paul warns against misusing this freedom we have in Christ, our freedom from the law, in a way that allows the flesh to gain traction.
Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
We are set free in Christ to fulfill the law by serving one another through love. So many misunderstand freedom as a freedom from any authority. Rather freedom in Christ is freedom from the tyranny of a cruel slave-master to be back under the good and right authority of the God who is love. It is a freedom at the heart level. We are no longer under debt and an obligation to live up to the standards of the law. Instead we are freed to do what we want. We are set free at the level of our desires. We are set free from the suicidal desires that compelled us to pursue things that destroy; we are set free at the heart level to hunger and thirst after the things that truly satisfy.
War of Desires
Paul warns:
Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Life by the Spirit is war. There is war outside and war within. Paul warns; if you bite and devour one another, watch out; our fleshly desires stir us up against one another. If we follow the flesh (and often we do) we will be biting and devouring each other.
But as believers in Jesus, we have been given the Holy Spirit of God. We still have the old nature, the flesh. And our sinful flesh will not just roll over and admit defeat. It will not go down without a fight. So we have a war on our hands; a war within. It will be long – lifelong. It will be messy – there will be casualties. But we are assured of victory – the outcome is certain. We battle a decisively defeated foe. The flesh was defeated at the cross. If we are in Christ, if we have identified with him in his death and resurrection, the victory has already been won. Jesus conquered sin and death and hell on the cross. And my flesh was crucified with him on that cross.
By flesh the Bible doesn't mean physical bodies. Our bodies are not inherently evil. Our physical bodies will be resurrected glorified. We will enjoy a sinless existence in our physical bodies in the presence of God for eternity. God created Adam and Eve with physical bodies in the garden and he said it was all very good. Our bodies are not the problem. The flesh is the problem. By the flesh, the Bible means that fallen part of us that desires other things more than God. It is that part of us that wants to be our own master, determine our own destiny, live for our own glory, be our own god. As believers, we now have the Holy Spirit living within, and we now have competing desires. The flesh has its desires, and the Holy Spirit brings with him his desires, and these two are in conflict. The Holy Spirit desires to magnify Jesus above all.
These competing desires 'keep you from doing the things you want to do.' We are in a battle. But who is the you? You are either giving in to the flesh, biting and devouring one another, or you are led by the Holy Spirit, free from the law, through love serving one another. So who is the you? What is your identity? Do you embrace the flesh, with its passions and desires, or do you embrace the Spirit, and allow him to transform you? This is a big deal.
Works of the Flesh
In verse 19, he moves from talking about the desires of the flesh to the works of the flesh.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The flesh manifests itself. There are fifteen words that divide into four categories here. The first three words have to do with sexual sin; sexual immorality, sexual impurity, uncontrolled lust. Then there are two words dealing with religious pursuits; idolatry and sorcery. The flesh makes an idol out of just about anything; family, relationships, work, success, kids, power, reputation. Sorcery is an attempt to gain control by manipulating the spiritual realm. The next 8 are relationship words. And most of these are in the plural; they have multiple manifestations, they may take multiple forms. Enmity – hostile feelings and actions; strife- contention and discord; jealousy – an envious rivalry; fits of anger – bursts of temper; rivalries – selfish ambitions; dissensions – uprisings or controversies; divisions – creating factions; envy – ill will or spite. Most of these are inward attitudes and feelings, attitudes of the heart. The last two, drunkenness and orgies, have to do with excess; excessive drinking, excessive feasting or partying. The desires of the flesh display themselves in works of deviant and destructive sexuality, dark religious practices, self-centered and damaging relational dynamics, and excessive overindulgence.
Recognize, this is a big deal. This is a warning. Paul says 'I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.' So this is a salvation issue. If you have embraced the desires of the flesh, if your life is characterized by the works of the flesh, if there is no battle between flesh and Spirit, then you may not know Jesus. But don't be discouraged; if you are not winning the battle all the time, if you are still struggling against the same sins. The fact that there is a battle going on and you are convicted over your sins is a good sign.
We could look at Jesus' story of the prodigal and see these fleshly desires manifesting themselves in the works of the flesh. The prodigal idolized money and freedom from all authority and sinful pleasure. He indulged in sexual immorality, excessive drinking and partying.
We could look at his unforgiving older brother and see enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy.
These are the normal outworkings of the flesh. But when the Spirit comes in, then there is war.
Of course we could look at the father in the story and see the fruit of the Spirit on display; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We will look at these characteristics in the coming weeks.
How is the Fruit of the Spirit not a list of moral virtues? (070218)
We need to understand how the lifestyle of the morally upright around us fits in to this overall picture. We acknowledge that many that don't know Christ personally live lives that we would describe as 'good'; they are kind, patient, faithful, gentle, self-controlled, they exercise patience, they are peace loving, they show love to others, and they seem happy. Does this mean that the Spirit is at work in their lives? Is this evidence of the Holy Spirit, and should we conclude that people who live this way must be justified believers, because Jesus says 'by their fruits you shall know them'? In fact we probably can think of people we know that do not follow Jesus that we would say have more of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives than we do. Do we have biblical categories in our minds to fit these facts into? Or does this confuse us and cause us to question and doubt?
Let's look at what Jesus said:
Matthew 7:16-20 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Now that sounds pretty clear-cut. If you can see the fruit of the Spirit in a person's life, then they must be O.K. with God, right? If they are loving, kind, good, gentle, patient and self-controlled, then they must be on the right track. Be careful not to jump to conclusions before you've read the whole passage. Let's keep reading and see what Jesus says next:
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
So, apparently there will be people who on the surface appear to have it all together; even people who sincerely feel that they have it all together, who will be very surprised on judgment day. They will say things like 'but Jesus, we acknowledge you as Lord; we believe in you'. And Jesus says, 'no, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven'. They will say 'but we did that; we prophesied, we even cast out demons in your name; we did many mighty works in your name'. So they were doing good works. They were performing great acts of love. And not just that; there were supernatural things going on. Prophecies were being given; people were being delivered from evil spirits. Obviously the Spirit was at work in their lives. But on this ground they were not welcome in heaven. What was it that they lacked? Jesus says the critical thing is not what you do; it's who you know. Jesus says 'I never knew you. You may have done some amazing things. You may be the most loving, kind, generous person around, you might have even done these things in the name of Jesus, but we had no relationship. I never knew you.' And Jesus sends them away and calls them 'workers of lawlessness'. How can he say that when they were doing good works? In God's eyes all their love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control were filthy rags in his sight. Their good works were valueless because they didn't stem from a relationship with Jesus.
Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Contrast Works and Fruit
Notice the flesh is always working, striving, exerting effort to attain its unwholesome desires. The Spirit grows fruit. It is an organic thing. It is not manufactured. If the right seed is planted, the right plant sprouts up. Whatever kind of tree it is, that is the kind of fruit that will be produced. There are ways to encourage and enhance fruitfulness; preparing the soil, watering, fertilizing, pruning. But ultimately the fruit is determined by the nature of the tree. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in keeping with his nature.
Notice also, the fruit of the Spirit is singular, where the works of the flesh are plural. There are various and disjointed manifestations of the fleshly desires. But the Spirit produces wholeness, integration, integrity. This is one fruit. It has different sides, different aspects; but it is one. It is one multifaceted fruit.
And take encouragement here. If you belong to Christ, you have the Spirit of the living God living within you.
Romans 8 tells us
Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
And he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1Jn.4:4). And he who is in you is greater than your flesh. God wins! He will be victorious in your life. If the Spirit is there, he will produce his fruit in your life. He will not fail. If God could take the one who was crushed down under the weight of the sin of the world and raise him up to life again, he is fully able to overcome your fleshly desires and produce the satisfying fruit of the Spirit. Christ will be formed in you!
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
Leviticus 19:11-18; Practical Holiness and Neighbor
11/13 Leviticus 19:11-18; Practical Holiness 2; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20161113_leviticus-19_11-18.mp3
Leviticus 19 is all about holiness. The chapter opens commanding "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." So Leviticus 19 is a theologically rich chapter. God is holy. So in this chapter we learn something about what God is like. We are to be holy because God is holy. God is holy, but we need something tangible to understand what holiness means. This chapter gives us a practical description of what holiness looks like. And one of the things we see about holiness is that holiness is not compartmentalized. Holiness is all over the map. Holiness touches every area of life. The first 10 verses touched issues of respect for authority, proper use of time, warnings against idolatry, observance of God's instructions for worship, and care for the poor in a way that maintains human dignity. The next 8 verses that we will look at today deal with how we relate to other people; integrity, personal property rights, honesty, truthfulness, respect for God's reputation, not taking advantage of those who are weak or vulnerable, justice and impartiality in the legal system, slander, perjury, hate, confrontation, vengeance, grudges, love. The issues range from the family unit to business dealings and employer employee relationships to our responsibility to the poor and underprivileged, foreigners and displaced, to our relationship with God in worship, to our relationship with every person we come in contact with, particularly those we don't get along well with. Holiness is comprehensive. It deals with all of life.
Verses 1-10 fall into four sections, each concluding with the phrase "I am the LORD your God." Verses 11-18 also divides into four sections, each concluding with the phrase "I am the LORD." The final section, verses 19-37 uses these two phrases 4 times each intermittently.
It is important to say again that Leviticus 19 comes after Leviticus 16. Leviticus 16 is the great day of Atonement where the people of God were freed from all their sin. Now, having been forgiven and cleansed, what does life in relationship with a holy God look like?
Stealing, Lying, False Witness, and the NAME
Verses 11 and 12 begin by quoting the 8th command, summarizing the 9th and then referring back to the 3rd.
Leviticus 19:11 "You shall not steal; (VIII)
you shall not deal falsely; (IX)
you shall not lie to one another.
12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. (III)
"You shall not steal." This is quoted almost exactly from Exodus 20:15. Except in Exodus, the commands are all in the 2nd person singular. You (individually) shall not steal. Here this command is changed to the plural. You (plural – all of you) shall not steal. If we lived in Texas, we could translate it 'Y'all shall not steal!' Why the change to the plural here? Why in this passage are some of the commands in the singular, addressing individuals, and some of the commands in the plural, addressing the community? Holiness is not only an individual thing. There is a corporate aspect to holiness. You and I must strive for holiness personally, but we as a group must strive to keep one another accountable to be a holy people. We together must be holy.
Personal property rights are protected here. You have the right to own something. And no one has the right to take what is yours away from you by force, by deceit or by manipulation. Do not take what does not belong to you.
"You shall not deal falsely. You shall not lie to one another." There is an echo here of the 9th command.
Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
And the 10th command gets behind the 9th to explain why someone might lie or deal falsely.
Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."
Stealing, dealing falsely, lying; all this is rooted in our desires. As James says,
James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. …
We have passions, we have desires, we covet, we want. We are at war within. So we quarrel, we fight, we even murder to get what we want.
Leviticus 6 already alerted us to the possibility of this kind of sin and the proscribed sacrifice and restitution.
Leviticus 6:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 3 or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— 4 if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. 6 And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering. 7 And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty."
Stealing, lying, bearing false witness can take many forms. Our unruly desires that wage war in our hearts could even cause us to violate the 3rd command.
Leviticus 19:12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. (III)
The 3rd command in Exodus reads:
Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Our desires could lead us to take an oath in court by the name of YHWH, and lie in order to get what we want, and this would be to treat his holy name as common or to use it in a meaningless worthless way.
Oppression, Wages, the Disabled, and Fear of God
Leviticus 19:13 "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him.
The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
Stealing can take many forms; using, pressing oneself upon a neighbor, taking advantage of by deceit, or outright robbery.
Even delaying to pay wages is a form of stealing. Proverbs says:
Proverbs 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt.6:11), and often the laborer is dependent on that days wages for food for that day.
Holiness is broad enough to include how to treat those who are disabled or vulnerable. Cursing the deaf who cannot hear you cursing them, even if no harm comes to them is wrong. Putting a stumbling block in front of the blind who has no way of seeing what you are doing may bring harm to the blind person, or may just humiliate him, but either way this is wrong. The blind may never know who wronged them, the deaf may never even know they have been mistreated, but God knows. The motive for treating the vulnerable with respect and dignity is the fear of God. God is the one who will defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Injustice, Partiality, Slander, Perjury
Leviticus 19:15 "You shall do no injustice in court.
You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, (VI)
and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
Justice is to be upheld. Righteousness is to prevail. So far this chapter has encouraged care for the poor, for the foreigner, for the disabled. But matters of justice must be blind to social status. Partiality to the poor is just as evil as deference to the great. It is wrong to acquit the guilty because he is in a difficult situation. It is wrong to overlook the guilt of the great because they are powerful. What is right and just must decide each case.
"You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people." One way to harm a person is to attack them in court. Another way is to attack them with your words. James warns of the dangers of the tongue, and the New Testament has much to say against gossip and backbiting and slander. "You shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor" This is another way of stating the 9th command.
Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Justice depends on the truthfulness of testimony. In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel arranged for false witnesses to falsely accuse Naboth of a capital crime so that he would be executed and she could take his vineyard for her husband Ahab. Who is to stop someone from testifying falsely? "I am the LORD"
Hate, Rebuke, Vengeance, Grudges, Love
Leviticus 19:17 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (X)
This gets down to the motive and response of the heart, and it gives practical instruction in what to do in difficult situations. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart." It is not enough to keep your hatred hidden where no one sees and no one knows. Holiness extends to the inner thoughts and intents of the heart. Holiness penetrates even to the innermost feelings, attitudes and emotions. God cares as much with how you think and feel as with what you say and do.
But you don't understand what he did to me! He tricked me out of my birthright and he stole my blessing! Don't hate your brother in your heart. But how? I can't help it! "You shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him." This is what Jesus told us to do in Matthew 18.
Matthew 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge." Instead you shall reason frankly with your neighbor. Go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If your brother sins against you, confront him. In all humility, with all gentleness and patience, reason frankly with him. Confront him "lest you incur sin because of him." Often being sinned against leads to sin that you will be held accountable for. This could be your sin of hatred, bitterness, holding a grudge, even taking vengeance. This could be your sin of failing to confront him and so prevent him from continuing in his sin.
James 5:19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
We have a responsibility to those who wrong us, to care for them, to love them. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD." It is as difficult to give a rebuke with love in a spirit of humility and gentleness as it is to receive a rebuke with humility and learn from it.
Proverbs 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
The Spirit and the New Covenant
But how do we do this? How do we not bear a grudge? How do we not slander? How do we not hate our brother in our heart? How can we love our neighbor as ourselves, especially a neighbor who has wronged us? You can't just muster up from within yourself the will to obey these commands. It's not natural to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself, much less a neighbor who has wronged you. That is not natural; it is supernatural. That is nothing less than a work of the Holy Spirit of God. The power to obey these commands comes from the Spirit in the New Covenant.
We see this even in the structure of Leviticus. In chapter 16 we are freely forgiven of all our sins based on the sacrifice of a substitute. Now that we have experienced forgiveness, we are told to replace hatred with love. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Where does love like this come from?
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
The ability to love our enemies comes from the experience that we, who were God's enemies were so loved.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God loved those who had sinned against him.
Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak …ungodly… 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
God loved us, his enemies. We can love only because he first loved us. He showed us how to love our enemies. He shows us how it feels as enemies to be loved. Now that we have experienced grace, total undeserved unmerited love, we can begin to find joy in extending this same kind of love to those around us who deserve it least, to those who have personally wronged us.
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Do not hate, do not hold on to bitterness or slander another person. You can let go of a grudge and forgive even the most grevious offenses because the cross shows you just how much you have been forgiven in Christ.
You might say 'If it were just once I could forgiven them, but they have done the same thing to me over and over and over again.' Jesus says to you 'You whipped my back until the flesh hung like ribbons.' But this attack was so personal. You spat in my face. But they have offended me so deeply I just can't get it out of my mind. You pounded a crown of thorns deep into my skull. But they have wronged me and there's nothing I can do about it. They've damaged my reputation. My hands are tied. You nailed my hands and my feet to a cross so I could barely breathe. But they humiliated me publicly. You stripped me of my clothes and suspended me publicly for all to mock. But this offence goes so deep it pierces my very heart. You ran a spear up through my side and into my heart. But I feel like I have been discarded. Thrown away. Locked up. Forgotten. You put me in a cave and sealed the entrance with a heavy stone. But I feel like there is no hope for me. I just can't forgive. I am the resurrection and the life!
To bear a grudge is a heavy burden to bear. Would you be free from your burden today? Jesus says:
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
1 Corinthians 13:4b; A Not Jealous Kind of Jealous Love
11/09 1 Corinthians 13:4b A Not Jealous Kind of Jealous Love; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20141109_1cor13_4b.mp3
4 Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται, 5 οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,
1 Corinthians 13 [ESV2011]
12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Paul swings the wrecking ball of God's love toward the Corinthians. Their attitudes and conduct toward one another were incongruent with love, inconsistent with the God who is love, out of step with the Holy Spirit, who produces the fruit of love in the heart of the believer. He intends to hold up a mirror so that we can see how far short we fall of the divine standard, and in broken-hearted humility cry out to God for his transforming work in us.
The love that Paul is talking about is a distinctly Christian sort of love, a response in the heart of the believer to having been perfectly and completely loved by God. We love (says 1 John 4:19) because he first loved us. This love is an overflow of joy in the satisfaction of being perfectly loved by God. Many people do many good things, many charitable deeds, but Paul says in the opening verses, without this distinctly Christian love, those who do these things become nothing, are nothing, and attain nothing. Even someone who in self-sacrificial generosity to the poor gives away literally every possession, even health, even life itself without this love that is rooted in God's love for us, gains zero.
Paul gives us 15 verbs to describe this love; 2 positive, 8 negative, one contrast; and 4 always, actions that love either does or does not do. Love is patient, or long-tempered like our God who is slow to anger. Thank God he is slow to anger! Love is kind, generously good to the ungrateful and evil. God's patience delays justice to make room for his kindness to lead us to repentance.
The first negative in the string of 8 is 'love envieth not, or is not jealous. This is curious, because at the very last verse of chapter 12 was a command that we be jealous, and in the first verse of chapter 14 we are again commanded to be jealous. We have noted that these characteristics of love can be most clearly seen in God, but when we look at jealousy, God repeatedly in the Old Testament claims to be a jealous God, even claiming that his very name is 'Jealous', and in the New Testament we see Jesus acting jealously. What do we make of this assertion that love is not jealous, framed by two commands to be jealous on the backdrop of a God whose name is Jealous?
Let's begin with a definition. The word is [ζηλόω] zelo-o. It is where we get our English word 'zeal'. Literally it means to be heated or to boil. It means to desire earnestly, to strive after or pursue something or someone. This word is used in both positive and negative ways. The context determines whether zeal is a good thing or a bad thing.
Evil Jealousy
For instance, 1 Corinthians 3:3 Paul rebukes the Corinthians for not being spiritual but of the flesh, mere infants in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
In this context the burning zeal is a typically human zeal for this or that favorite leader, pitting one against another and causing contention between the differing groups.
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul says:
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.
Galatians 5 lists zeal or jealousy among the works of the flesh, contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In Stephen's sermon in Acts, the patriarchs are accused of jealousy toward Joseph.
Acts 7:9 "And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him
Back in Genesis 37, we are told that Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons (v.3). Joseph had a dream that he would rule over his brothers and that his mother and father and all his brothers would bow down to him. His brothers were jealous of him (v.11). They hated him because his father treated him with special favor. They attempted to do away with him in a vain attempt to thwart his God given prophetic dreams. They didn't want to bow down to their little brother; they wanted to be the one in charge to whom others would bow down. His dreams were a threat to their own self-importance.
In Acts 5, we are told that many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles (v.12), that the people held them in high esteem (v.13), that more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (v.14), and that people were gathering from the towns around Jerusalem (v.16), and we are told that the high priest and the Sadducees were filled with jealousy and arrested the apostles. They were threatened by their power, their respect, and their popularity. They wanted the power the respect, the popularity for themselves.
In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are invited by the rulers of the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch to preaching the gospel. They said things like "God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised" (v.23). They accused the rulers of the Jews in Jerusalem of "not understanding the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath" and "not recognizing him" (v.27). They accused the leaders of fulfilling the prophecies by condemning him (v.26-29). They proclaimed that God raised Jesus from the dead (v.30). They proclaimed Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (v.33). They proclaimed the impotency of the law of Moses to free anyone from their sins, and they proclaimed forgiveness of sins to everyone who believes in Jesus (v.38-39). They warned against the danger of unbelief (v.41). They preached all this in the Jewish synagogue, and there was no opposition! They were not kicked out. No one complained. No on argued. Instead people begged them to teach again the next Sabbath. There was no opposition for the whole week.
Acts 13:44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
Notice, the leaders of the synagogue did not dispute the doctrine of the apostles. Not until they saw the crowds did they begin to contradict what was spoken by Paul. They were filled with jealousy because they saw the crowds. Imagine, religious leaders upset at a whole city gathering to listen to the word of the Lord! They should be rejoicing! Instead, they are jealous. They want the attention, they want the popularity, they want the crowds for themselves.
The same thing happened in Acts 17, where Paul and Silas came to the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica,
Acts 17:2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."
For three weeks Paul proclaimed Jesus as the promised Messiah, and proclaimed the cross and the resurrection in a Jewish synagogue, and he was unchallenged! It wasn't until some of the Jews were persuaded, a great many of the devout Greeks, and many prominent women, that the Jews became jealous. They perceived they were losing something that belonged to them, and so they incited a mob to riot. In their jealousy, they even followed Paul to the next town and stirred up the crowds there.
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20 about a master who hired laborers early in the morning to work in his vineyard. He agreed with them for a fair day's wage. He hired more workers at 9am, more at noon, more at 3pm, and more at 5pm, and when evening came he paid all of them a full day's wages. Those who were hired first grumbled,
Matthew 20:12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
They were jealous of those who worked only one hour and received a full day's wage. That's not fair! The master responded:
Matthew 20:15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'
Do you begrudge my generosity? Literally, is your eye evil because I am good? They grumbled because they were treated differently than others. They looked with an evil eye on the generosity of the master, rather than celebrating his generosity toward others. We see the same in the parable of the prodigal son. The older brother hears the music and dancing from the celebration and "he was angry and refused to go in" (Lk.15:28). He compared himself and his performance with his brother and was envious of the extravagant love and generosity shown by his father toward his repentant brother. These are examples of a passionate response to something good being given to someone else, wanting it for self. This is the evil kind of zeal, and love is not jealous.
God's Jealousy
There is a jealousy or zeal that is attributed to God. In Exodus 20, God warns:
Exodus 20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me…
God demands first place. God demands that we bow down to and serve him alone. In Exodus 34 he says:
Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
God identifies himself with jealousy as a name, demanding that our worship go exclusively to him.
In Ezekiel 16, God describes in graphic terms how he took Israel to be his own when there was nothing desirable in her. He took her in, cared for her, entered into a marriage covenant with her, cleansed her, made her beautiful, and blessed her with everything good. But she was unfaithful to him. He calls her:
Ezekiel 16:32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
…35 "Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD:
He accuses her of slaughtering his own children as offering to false gods. And then he says:
Ezekiel 16:38 And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. …41 And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. 42 So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry.
God's jealousy is the jealousy that a husband ought to have for his own wife, demanding the exclusive faithfulness from her that she promised in her covenant vows. Song of Solomon brings together love and jealousy.
Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.
Jealousy of Jesus
Jesus who is the image of the invisible God, showed his jealousy.
John 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
The religious leaders had prostituted the purpose of the temple. It was meant to be a house of prayer for all the nations. Instead they used it as an opportunity to oppress the poor and make a profit. Jesus passionately defended the honor of his Father's house.
Clarifying the Difference
God is jealous, and God is love, but love is not jealous. In what way is God's jealousy a loving jealousy, where our jealousy would be contrary to love? What is the difference between the good kind of jealousy and the evil kind of jealousy? In the examples we looked at, human jealousy was a heated response to something good that we desire being given to someone else. We could look at God's jealousy and say that it too is a heated response to something good that he desired being given to someone else. God demands the undivided affection, devotion, worship and love of his people. When we give that to someone else it is considered adultery. But if we jealously desire equal respect, honor, attention, popularity, and praise to be given to us, it is sin. What makes the difference? We could add one phrase that makes the difference. God demands the affection, love and worship that rightfully belongs to him. When we are jealous, we make demands for things that do not rightfully belong to us. We demand of God's generosity, that he not extend more generosity to others than he has to us. God is not obligated to extend any generosity to anyone. When we are jealous, we are looking sideways at others and asking 'how come he got treated better than I did?'
This points us to an element in our jealous that distinguishes it from God's jealousy. Our jealousy comes from our lack and our need. We desperately want to feel loved. We are jealous of others we perceive are being loved more than us, because we feel that takes away love from us. God's jealousy has no connection to any need he feels. He makes it explicitly clear that he has no need that we could meet. He is complete in himself, lacking nothing.
Psalm 50:9 I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
There is another difference. God's jealousy is loving because it passionately pursues the good of the beloved. When a loving husband goes after his wayward wife to bring her home, and demands that she give her affection exclusively to him, he is doing a very loving thing. He is seeking her happiness, even at great cost to himself. Genuine happiness comes within the covenant relationship, not by violating the covenant relationship. God demands that we 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength' because that is what will bring us true joy. He seeks our best, and he is our best.
My jealousy is not loving because it passionately pursues my own good, often to the harm of the other. And in my jealousy I am turning my affections away from God and toward other people or things, hoping to find satisfaction in them and outside of God, so my jealousy is adulterous and self destructive.
Commendable Jealousy
When we jealously defend the honor of God and point others toward him as the only source of true satisfaction, we act lovingly. Paul has the good kind of jealousy for the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 11:2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
He is jealous with the jealousy of God. He is passionately fired up that they not be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. There is no hint of self-seeking in this. He passionately pursues their purity to present them as a pure virgin to Christ.
John the baptizer spoke in the same kind of way.
John 3:26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."
This is an opportunity for human jealousy. John, you are losing popularity. You are losing followers. You are losing attention. The crowds are going to someone else.
John 3:27 John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease."
None of the attention, none of the praise, none of the respect, none of the followers belong to me. He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The joy of the friend is to step out of the way and see the bride united with her bridegroom.
This helps us understand how Paul can say that love is not jealous, but then command the Corinthians to be jealous of the higher gifts. He says:
1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
The Corinthians had been jealous of the more spectacular gifts, because those gifts brought status and attention and praise and applause. Paul rebukes their selfish status seeking and points them to the higher way of love. Out of the more excellent way of love, without an evil jealousy of wanting something for myself that you have been given, in the pursuit of love, we are to be zealous for the higher gifts, gifts that build others up. I am to passionately eagerly pursue being of service to you. I am to zealously desire to be poured out as a blessing to you. I am to find my joy in becoming more useful to you, not because I want the attention, but because my joy is complete as I fade into the background and your sincere and pure devotion to Christ increases.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
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