People of Prayer

James 5:7-18

We are living in the last days.

Each generation has had its preachers and prophets who have said this.  However, I want to point out some well-known prophesies.

Look with me at Isaiah 11:11-12

¹¹In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

¹²He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.  (ESV)[i]

Isaiah chapter 11 starts out with clear references to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 11:1-2 says:

¹There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  ²And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  (ESV)

From this reference of a “shoot from the stump of Jesse,” Isaiah 11 goes on to talk about the wolf dwelling with the lamb and the lion eating straw like an ox.  Isaiah 11:9 says:

⁹They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.  (ESV)

Jesus is unquestionably the “shoot from the stump of Jesse.”  However, the wolf and lamb thing is not yet a reality.  The wolf and lamb and the references to animals may be symbolic, but I do not think they are.  Whatever the case with these references to animals, the reference to no violence in the Lord’s holy mountain are not symbolic, nor is the reference to bringing back the “banished of Israel.”  Verse 11 says that the Lord will recover the remnant “yet a second time.”

The first time the remnant was brought back was at the end of the Babylonian captivity, which includes the story of Ezra and Nehemiah.  This “second time” referred to in this passage began in earnest on May 14, 1948.[ii]  This is the day set as the birthday of the modern nation of Israel.  Of course much happened before this, and the immigration of the Jewish people back to their land from the four corners of the earth continues to this day.

This one historical fact, interpreted in the light of Scripture, is enough to convince me that Jesus will return soon.

Scripture says much more about the consummation of the ages.  Much has been given for our encouragement as we approach the end.  

James and Peter wrote letters for the encouragement of the Church.  And, James and Peter both begin their letters by addressing these letters to those in the “Dispersion.”  The Dispersion refers to those of Jewish descent, who were scattered throughout the world by persecution.

These letters are addressed to the whole Church, because we Gentiles, as Romans 11:11-31 explains, have been grafted into all the promises of God in order to partake of Salvation.

As the Church, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, we eagerly await Christ’s return. 

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 says:

⁵¹Behold!  I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  ⁵³For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  (ESV)

Until the time of Christ’s return, we are to be patient. 

We are to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…”  (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

James 5:7-11 talks to us about patience in the face of suffering.  The Lord Jesus promised us that in this world we will have trouble.  (John 16:33)  In Matthew 24:12-13 Jesus says:

¹²And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  (ESV)

James 5:7-11 says:

⁷Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  ⁸You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  ⁹Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.  ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  ¹¹Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.  You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.  (ESV)

We have seen how, in the purpose of the Lord, His children sometimes suffer, and we have seen how in this suffering the Lord is compassionate and merciful.  In chapter 1, James told us to consider it pure joy when we suffer; now he is telling us to be patient and “establish your hearts.” 

One cannot help but notice the theme of patience, endurance and steadfastness in the New Testament.  As we eagerly look forward to Christ’s return, we are to stand firm in the Lord.  (Ephesians 6:10)  Jesus left us with the job of making disciples, and while we expect opposition and trials, we are not cast down or discouraged by these.

While we eagerly await Jesus’s return, enduring with patience, we are to be people of prayer.  James 5:13-18 says:

¹³Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing praise.  ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  ¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  ¹⁸Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.  (ESV)

This passage is a call to prayer. 

Just before He went to the cross, Jesus said:

Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  (John 16:24, ESV)

In addition, prior to this He also said:

¹³Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  ¹⁴If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.  (John 14:13-14, ESV)

In James 5:13-18, I see three types of praying.[iii]

First, I see people praying for themselves.  “Let him pray” is the instruction for anyone who is suffering.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, we are instructed to pray without ceasing, and Ephesians 6:18 says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times.”  The New Testament is consistent in urging us to pray.

Second, I see people going to the elders of the Church for prayer.  James 5:14 calls for anyone who is sick to call for the elders of the Church.  The word sick in this verse is a word meaning “weak or feeble,” and its primary meaning is physical weakness.  However, it also has connotations for weakness morally as well.  (ESV)

Third, I see people praying for each other.  James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Jesus taught that the man born blind was not blind because of some sin that he or his parents had committed.  He was blind so that God’s works could be displayed in him.  (John 9:1-3)  Sickness, disease and weakness are in the world because of sin, but this does not mean that your particular sickness is there because of a particular sin.  We will all be sick at one point or another.  We will all die if Jesus does not return before that time.  And, we will probably die of one sickness or another.  For those of us living in the United States, heart disease will probably be the highest cause of death among us with cancer being the second highest cause of death.  For those living in China or Japan, the main cause of death will probably be cancer.  In other words, unless Jesus returns and does away with sickness and disease, we will all be sick at some point in our lives.

We all go to the doctor, and do not feel it necessary to defend ourselves for doing so.  As a church, we pray for each other, and I assume you pray for yourself.  However, we hesitate to call on the elders for prayer.  Pastors and elders are called upon to serve the Body of Christ, and part of that calling is the privilege of being there for you when illness comes.  The anointing with oil is used as a symbolic representation of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  The phrase “in the name of the Lord” serves as a reminder that it is the Lord who heals, not the oil.  However, this is more than a ritual.

Remember when the disciples encountered a demon they could not cast out? (Mark 9:18)  When they asked Jesus why they could not cast it out, He said, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (ESV marginal reading)  Calling on the elders for the anointing with oil and prayer would be similar to this in taking prayer to the next level.  The elders as the leaders of the church represent the whole body.  Therefore, this action represents the unified prayers of the Body for the needs of this one particular member.

The ESV has the following note on James 5:15 with which I fully agree:

RE: the prayer of faith.  Not the faith of the sick person but the faith of those praying.  In this instance, James mentions no requirement for the sick person to exercise faith, only that he call for the elders.  Christians who are ill often find personal prayer difficult.  Will save perhaps carries a double meaning here: (1) the sick person will be physically healed (one meaning of Gk. sōzō), and/or (2) the sick person may also experience spiritual salvation (another meaning of Gk. sōzō), or growth in the blessings of salvation (sins … forgiven).  As seen throughout the Gospels, Jesus healed both physically and spiritually, and the same double connotation may be present here as well.  James is not teaching that all illnesses will be healed if people would simply call on the elders, or try to make themselves have enough faith, or pray with enough conviction.  Healing, when it does come, is always a gift from God, who is sovereign over all circumstances, including sickness and health.  It does not follow, therefore, that lack of faith on the part of the sick person is the reason that the sick person may not be healed. (On the gifts of faith and of healing, see note on 1 Cor. 12:9.)  Some interpreters suggest that James is referring to the promise of the resurrection rather than physical healing.  If, in the phrase “if he has committed sins,” implies that not all sickness is connected to specific sins, though James seems to expect that some sickness is.[iv]

James uses the example of Elijah in encouraging us to pray, and he says specifically, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…”  Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has given access to the Father to each of us.  Consider the effects of Elijah’s prayers…no rain for three years.  Now consider God is calling us to exercise this kind of influence through prayer.

The return of Jesus is going to be soon.  In the meantime, God has not left us without help, comfort and power to act.  He has left us with the task of making disciples, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer.

Are you continually praying for whatever concerns you?

Are you taking the time to pray together with other believers?

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[i] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

[ii] https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+Israel+became+a+nation&oq=when+did+&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0l4.3848j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8  Accessed May 18, 2016

[iii] The idea of 3 types of praying is taken from John Piper, www.desiringgod.org.  However, the explanation is my own.

[iv] https://www.esv.org/James+5/.  ESV Global Study Bible.  Accessed May 18, 2017.

Barriers

John 4:1-38

The Jews hated the Samaritans.

The feelings were mutual.

The Samaritans lived between Jerusalem, which was in Judea, and the region of Galilee in the north.

[i]

At the time of Jesus, the animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews dated back to the time of Jeroboam, when civil war tore the country in two.  At that time, Jeroboam set up golden calves to be worshipped in the northern kingdom.   

2 Kings 17:21-24 says this about what happened to the northern kingdom of Israel:.

But Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.  ²²And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam.  They did not turn from these sins ²³until the LORD finally swept them away from his presence, just as all his prophets had warned.  So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day.

²⁴The king of Assyria transported groups of people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and resettled them in the towns of Samaria, replacing the people of Israel.  They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.  ²⁵But since these foreign settlers did not worship the LORD when they first arrived, the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

²⁶So a message was sent to the king of Assyria: “The people you have sent to live in the towns of Samaria do not know the religious customs of the God of the land.  He has sent lions among them to destroy them because they have not worshiped him correctly.”

²⁷The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria.  Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.”  ²⁸So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the LORD.

²⁹But these various groups of foreigners also continued to worship their own gods.  In town after town where they lived, they placed their idols at the pagan shrines that the people of Samaria had built.  ³⁰Those from Babylon worshiped idols of their god Succoth-benoth.  Those from Cuthah worshiped their god Nergal.  And those from Hamath worshiped Ashima.  ³¹The Avvites worshiped their gods Nibhaz and Tartak.  And the people from Sepharvaim even burned their own children as sacrifices to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.

³²These new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests to offer sacrifices at their places of worship.  ³³And though they worshiped the LORD, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came.  ³⁴And this is still going on today.  They continue to follow their former practices instead of truly worshiping the LORD and obeying the decrees, regulations, instructions, and commands he gave the descendants of Jacob, whose name he changed to Israel.[ii]

A couple hundred years after these events, these new residents of Samaria with their mixture of paganism and Judaism opposed Ezra and Nehemiah when they returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem.

They also taught their children that theirs was the true way to worship God.  Therefore, when Jesus met the woman of Samaria at the well, she said, “So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”  (John 4:20, NLT)

The division, hatred and mistrust ran deep.

Often, Jews would add 30 to 50 miles, or 1 to 2 days extra, to their trip to avoid Samaria by walking on the east side of the Jordan.   Jesus, himself, also followed this circuitous route on occasion.  However, in John 4, John tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria.  (John 4:4)

Since Jesus and His disciples were baptizing in the Judean countryside, and the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was baptizing and making more disciples than John (John 4:1), it is likely that Jesus’s route was calculated to avoid the Pharisees as well as to get Him to Galilee.  By traveling directly from where He was, Jesus could avoid passing through Jerusalem and Jericho to get to the east side of the Jordan River.

Thus, John 4:6-7 finds Jesus sitting by Jacob’s well near the village of Sychar in Samaria.  When He asks the woman for a drink, she is surprised and says, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman.  Why are you asking me for a drink?” (John 4:9, NLT)

The woman is pointing out something obvious.  There were barriers to her having any kind of relationship with Jesus.  She just named two.  She was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew.  She was a woman and Jesus was a man.

Let me point out that every person you meet will have barriers to having any kind of a relationship with Jesus -- that is if they do not already have a relationship with Jesus.  Let them talk about the barriers.  Like the woman, they will know what the barriers are and will be happy to talk about them, if you are willing to listen.  Chances are you will be able to identify with them on some level.

Notice Jesus’s approach.

He says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”  (John 4:10, ESV)[iii]

Notice, Jesus does not present clever arguments, but He offers to her the gift that He has.

We cannot offer people anything we do not have.  Each person has his or her own story.  Each person meets Jesus at a different place on the road, and that story, your unique story, is your way to overcome barriers.  Where and how did you find living water?  Share what you have with those around you.

Having been offered living water, the woman eagerly accepts saying, “Please, sir, give me this water!” (John 4:15)

Jesus then gets at the real barrier.  He says, “Go and get your husband.”  (John 4:16) 

The discussion that follows is famous. After she tells him her story, Jesus tells her that she has spoken truthfully because she had had five husbands and she was not married to the one she was with.  (John 4:17-18)  In response, the woman brings up the age-old conflict between the Jews and the Samaritans regarding who was worshipping correctly.  Jesus answers it, and then brings her back to the truth that He is the living water.  He is the gift of God.

The real barrier in each of our hearts is never culture, race, history or anything from the outside.  The woman’s real barrier was not the fact that she was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew.  Neither was the fact that she was a woman and Jesus was a man the real barrier.  The barriers of culture and gender are real and must be dealt with.  However, every person will have to face the barriers in his or her heart in order to have a relationship with Jesus.

Notice how defensive the Samaritan woman was.  When Jesus points out her husband situation, she changes the subject.  Jesus does not say it is her fault.  Jesus makes no judgment.  He does not condemn her.  He just states the facts of her case, and then Jesus brings the discussion back to “I am the Messiah!”  (John 4:26) 

The biggest barrier we all face in having a relationship with Jesus is our own brokenness.  It is hard to put a name to it.  Sin fits best.  It is a mixed bag.  We all have pride, shame, selfishness, greed, lust, envy and a host of other vices.  Therefore, it is easy to sum it all up with the word sin.  In addition, we are defensive about it.  We are even tempted to say we have no sin, even us believers.  However, 1 John 1:8 reminds us:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

We all have a history.

The woman at the well had a national history, and it was a barrier.  She also had a personal history, and it was a barrier.

You and I also have a national history, a family history and a personal history.  All these things have the potential of being a barrier.  However, notice how Jesus deals with barriers.  He keeps coming back and saying in effect, “I am what you need.”   This was His message.  “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  (John 14:6)

The Samaritan woman had barriers to ever having a relationship with Christ.  She was a Samaritan.  She was a divorcee.  She was living in an adulterous relationship.  However, Jesus did not condemn her.  He offered her himself.

What is keeping you from a deeper, closer relationship with Christ?  What is keeping you from pursuing Him with everything you have?

I want to remind you of Romans 8:1-2, which says:

¹There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  ²For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

If others have condemned you and turned you away, Jesus will not, even knowing, as the woman said, “everything I ever did.”  (John 4:29)

Come today and drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!  (Isaiah 12:3)

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[i] http://cabinflooresoterica.com/image.php?pic=../images/samaria/samaria-02.jpg.  Accessed May 9, 2017

[ii] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[iii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Above All

Jesus began His ministry in a spectacular way.

For His closest disciples, He performed a miraculous sign that revealed His glory.  John 2:1-12 tells us about this miraculous sign.  Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee.  You will remember that Galilee was Jesus’s base of operation as well as near His hometown.  Jesus’s mother was also at the wedding, indicating that this wedding was for a couple known to Jesus’s family.  At this wedding, Jesus turned water into wine.  John 2:11 tells us:

This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory.  And his disciples believed in him.[i]

A few days after the wedding, Jesus made His way to Jerusalem for the Passover.  During the Passover celebration, Jerusalem was a very crowded, busy place.

According to the noted scholar Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem had a population of about 20,000 to 30,000 people.  But at Passover, one of the three festivals that must be celebrated in Jerusalem mentioned in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, the Holy City's population swelled by perhaps another 150,000.  Imagine every room filled, with campsites popping up on every available hillside, inhabited by Jewish people who had traveled from throughout the world.[ii]

Into this crowded, bustling city, Jesus walked in and caused a huge uproar.  John 2:14-15 says:

¹⁴In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money.  ¹⁵Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple.  He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.

The nation’s leaders immediately demanded of Jesus what authority He had to do such a thing.  John 2:18-19 says:

¹⁸But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing?  If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

¹⁹“All right,” Jesus replied.  “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Jesus’s remarkable entry into public ministry got the attention of the nation.  Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, followed up with a nighttime visit to Jesus to inquire what Jesus’s message might be, because it was obvious to everyone that Jesus was a teacher sent from God (John 3:1-21).

Immediately following these events John 3:22 tells us:

²²Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside.  Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

After the Passover, Jesus did not immediately return to Galilee.  He stayed in Judea, but went outside Jerusalem to the Judean countryside.  This would make it necessary for people to come to Him.  It would have reduced or eliminated the disturbance of life in the city, and it would have placed them in a setting where there was plenty of water to baptize large numbers of people. 

John 4:2 explains that Jesus himself did not baptize people but His disciples did.  In addition, John 4:1 makes it clear that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.  He sprung instantly from being unknown to being popular and famous.

Here at the beginning of His ministry it was necessary to define His place.  Was He a teacher?  Was He a prophet?  Perhaps, He was a great pastor and caregiver.  Perhaps, He was an entertaining sideshow, a diversion.  In a time of political turmoil, Judea had seen plenty of people spring to fame and then disappear or go down in flames.  A famous teacher of Israel, Gamaliel, named Theudas and Judas the Galilean as examples of people who rose quickly to fame and then were killed.  (Acts 5:35-37)  Who was Jesus anyway?

This is an important question for us today.  Who Jesus is, is important not just because of His worldwide fame.  Who Jesus is, is important because of who and what He is.  It is important to you and me because as John the Baptist said:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36, ESV).[iii]

Who Jesus is, is a matter of life and death.

John the Baptist was a man sent by God to be a witness to who Jesus was and is.  John 1:6-7 says:

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus went to John to be baptized.  At that point, John gave clear testimony to the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  In John 3:23-36, John gives clear and complete testimony to who Jesus is. 

John gives a clear statement that Jesus is above all. 

He is the promised Messiah of the Jews.  He is God in human flesh.  He is from Heaven.  He is above all.

Let us now take a look at John’s testimony about Jesus. 

I will summarize John’s testimony by saying Jesus is above all.  John 3:31 offers this testimony and repeats it, saying twice, “He is above all.”

John 3:23-27 demonstrates that Jesus is above the Law.

Of course, it stands to reason that if Jesus is God, and God is the Law-giver, then Jesus is above the Law.  We are taught that no one is above the Law.  And, humanly speaking, this is true.  Especially since we all answer to God.  However, God answers only to God.  He is Sovereign and does exactly as He pleases.  It is at this point that we realize that God is self-limiting.  Jesus said:

“I can do nothing on my own.  I judge as God tells me.  Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”  (John 5:30, ESV)

As the Trinity, God is both Law-giver and Judge, and He sent His Son to fulfill the just requirements of the Law. 

John’s message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  (Matthew 3:2)  He was dealing with people’s failure to meet the righteous requirements of God’s Law.  Therefore, when John 3:25 points out the debate with a Jew or some Jews over ceremonial washing, the text brings in the righteous requirements of the Law.  How are we to satisfy the just requirements of God’s Law?  Since no one met the just requirements, the Jews required ceremonial washing to cleanse one’s self from sin.  However, this was symbolic and not actual since water cannot wash away sins that happen in the heart.  Therefore, John taught baptism, symbolizing repentance and an appeal to God for a clear conscience.  Now, there was a new person teaching yet another way.  Because of this, John’s disciples went to John to sort things out.  They started by pointing out that people were flocking to Jesus, the new way.  John’s response is unequivocal.  He makes it clear.  He launches into a 30-second sermon that is unparalleled for its clear testimony to who Jesus is.  His whole speech is about how Jesus is above all, which is another way of saying that Jesus is the Way.  John starts out with:

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”  (John 3:27, ESV)

This makes it clear: as to questions of ceremonial cleansings and being right with God and who people should go to, Jesus has the answer, given by the Law-giver Himself.

As John continues his brief but powerful sermon, he demonstrates that not only is Jesus above the Law, He is also above the prophets.

John was a prophet.  He was the last of the Old Testament prophets.  He was so great that the Jews of His day asked him on more than one occasion if he was not the Messiah they had been waiting for.  Therefore, in his role as prophet, John says to his disciples:

²⁸You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’  ²⁹The 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.  (John 3:28-29, ESV)

John’s role as a prophet was to point to Jesus. 

The prophets spoke for God to the people.  They were not free to speak whatever they wanted, but were tasked to faithfully give the message that God gave.  At times, prophets would complain bitterly to God about the message they were given to deliver.  One prophet, Jonah, even tried to run away rather than deliver the message he was given. 

Speaking of the ministry of the prophets, Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life.  But the Scriptures point to me!”  (John 5:39)

This ministry of pointing to Jesus was the joy and motivation for the prophetic ministry, and it fell to John to be the man who would close out this prophetic ministry and introduce the Messiah to the world.  Therefore, John uses the analogy of a best man and a bridegroom. 

Key to our consideration today is John’s statement, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete” (John 3:29, ESV).

John is signaling the end of his ministry, both the goal and the completion.  As the last of the Old Testament Prophets, after a 400-year silence, John is signaling the consummation of the ministry of the prophets.  And, he completes the thought by stating:  “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV).

Jesus is greater than the prophets, because He is their goal and purpose.

Questions about ceremonial cleansing led John to declare that Jesus was and is above the Law.  Questions about his own ministry led John to declare that Jesus was and is above the Prophets.  Next, John continues by declaring that Jesus is above all things.

The words of John 3:31-36 are an incredible treatise, exposing John’s deep understanding of Father/Son relationship of Jesus and the Father, Jesus’s Divine nature and the necessity of faith in Jesus for salvation.

John starts in verse 31 by telling us that Jesus is from Heaven. 

The prophets, including John, spoke from what God had revealed to them.  However, John points out that Jesus spoke from firsthand knowledge, what He had seen and heard.  The tragedy is “how few believe what he tells them” (John 3:32)

Jesus uses a parable to speak about what John is pointing out here.  The story Jesus told goes like this:

“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years.  ¹⁰At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop.  But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.  ¹¹So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.  ¹²A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

¹³“‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself.  ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son.  Surely they will respect him.’  (Luke 20:9-13)

God gave the Law to tell us of His goodness, righteousness, love and justice so that we can love Him, be His friends and His people.

 

God gave the prophets to tell us of His goodness, righteousness, love and justice so that we can love Him, be His friends and His people.

Finally, God has given us His Son to show us His goodness, righteousness, love and justice so that we can love Him, be His friends and His people.

But still, how few accept His testimony!  How few believe what He tells them!

Who is Jesus?  He is the Son of the living God, and He is above all. 

Therefore:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  (John 3:36, ESV)

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] http://chosenpeople.com/main/holidays-and-festivals/191-passover-in-israel-past-and-present.  Accessed May 5, 2017.

[iii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Exodus 7:3-4 says, “³But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, ⁴Pharaoh will not listen to you.”

This verse seems to imply that God first hardens Pharaoh’s heart and then punishes Pharaoh for having a hard heart.

Understanding such statements in the context in which they occur and in light of the whole of Scriptural teaching is important.

First, the language being used allows for this active statement of hardening to carry the meaning of allowing or giving permission.  This would mean that God allowed Pharaoh to harden his heart.

Dave Miller and Kyle Butt in an article on ApologticsPress.org explain it this way:

In his copious work on biblical figures of speech, E.W. Bullinger listed several ways that the Hebrew and Greek languages used verbs to mean something other than their strict, literal usage.  He listed several verses that show that the languages “used active verbs to express the agent’s design or attempt to do anything, even though the thing was not actually done” (1898, p. 821).  To illustrate, in discussing the Israelites, Deuteronomy 28:68 states: “Ye shall be sold (i.e., put up for sale) unto your enemies…and no man shall buy you.”  The translators of the New King James Version recognized the idiom and rendered the verse, “you shall be offered for sale.”  The text clearly indicated that they would not be sold, because there would be no buyer, yet the Hebrew active verb for “sold” was used.  In the New Testament, a clear example of this type of usage is found in 1 John 1:10, which states, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God—KB/DM] a liar.”  No one can make God a liar, but the attempt to deny sin is the equivalent of attempting to make God a liar, which is rendered with an active verb as if it actually happened.  Verbs, therefore, can have idiomatic usages that may convey something other than a strict, literal meaning.

With that in mind, Bullinger’s fourth list of idiomatic verbs deals with active verbs that “were used by the Hebrews to express, not the doing of the thing, but the permission of the thing which the agent is said to do” (p. 823, emp. in orig.).  To illustrate, in commenting on Exodus 4:21, Bullinger stated:  “‘I will harden his heart (i.e., I will permit or suffer his heart to be hardened), that he shall not let the people go.’  So in all the passages which speak of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.  As is clear from the common use of the same Idiom in the following passages” (1968, p. 823).  He then listed Jeremiah 4:10, “‘Lord God, surely thou hast greatly deceived this people’: i.e., thou hast suffered this People to be greatly deceived, by the false prophets….’”  Ezekiel 14:9 is also given as an example of this type of usage: “‘If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet’: i.e., I have permitted him to deceive himself.”  James MacKnight, in a lengthy section on biblical idioms, agrees with Bullinger’s assessment that in Hebrew active verbs can express permission and not direct action.  This explanation unquestionably clarifies the question of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  When the text says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it means that God would permit or allow Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened.[i]

In keeping with this idiomatic usage of verbs, other passages of Scripture indicate that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.  For example, 1 Samuel 6:6 says, “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?”  (ESV)

Since God is the Almighty, He can prevent evil, and He can force us to do what He wants.  However, Scripture is clear that He does not.  God pleads with His people.  In 1 Samuel 6:6, He is pleading with His people not to do as the Egyptians did in hardening their hearts.  God does this because He has created us in His image, which also means that we are free moral agents.  To be in God’s image means we are responsible for our choices, and God allows or permits us to go our own way even if that results in our destruction.

In fact, the hardening of the human heart is a natural process that takes place when a person repeatedly rejects God’s grace.  Hebrews 3:15 warns us, “Remember what it says: ‘Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.’"  (NLT)  Romans 9:22 tells us that God “endures with great patience” those on whom his anger is destined to fall.  We, as humans, tend to think that God will not judge because He is merciful and slow to anger.  However, 2 Peter 3:9 puts this misconception to rest when it says:

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  (NLT)

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[i] http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=1205. Accessed April 29, 2017

Does God deceive people?

Ezekiel 14:9 says:

And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet.  I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel.  (NLT)

On the surface, this verse seems to teach that the Lord is deceptive.  This contradicts the plain statement of other verses that indicate God does not and cannot lie.  Titus 1:2 states plainly, “…God--who does not lie…”  Along with this, Hebrews 6:18 says, “…it is impossible for God to lie.”

First, let’s consider the context in which this verse occurs.

In Ezekiel 13, Ezekiel gives a message he has from the Lord against false prophets.  He says:

What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!

⁴“O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins.  ⁵They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation.  They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the LORD.  ⁶Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions.  (Ezekiel 13:3-6, NLT)

God accuses the false prophets of following their own imaginations and prophesying when they had not heard from God at all.  He likens them to jackals, which implies they were devouring people for their own gain.  Later on in the chapter, God addresses the women prophets and says, “You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread.  By lying to my people who love to listen to lies…”  (Ezekiel 13:19, NLT)  These false prophets had not heard from God but were prophesying because there was money in it.  They would tell people what they wanted to hear.

In chapter 14, Ezekiel tells of some of the leaders of Israel who came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord.  However, their motives were not what they appeared to be on the surface.  These leaders did not really want to hear from the Lord.  The Lord tells Ezekiel:

³“Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts.  They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin.  Why should I listen to their requests?  ⁴Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message.  So I, the LORD, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves.  (Ezekiel 14:3-4, NLT)

This is what is behind the statement of Ezekiel 14:9.  God is giving the people what they want.  In the book, “When Critics Ask,” Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe say:

God’s action was neither deceptive nor morally coercive.  Giving false prophecies is exactly what false prophets like to do.  So, there is no coercion by God in inducing them to ply their trade.  The sovereign God so ordered the circumstances that these evil men would, by their own free will, utter false prophecies that would reveal their true character and lead to their eventual doom.  It is because they did not love the truth that God gave them over to error and its eventual consequence, destruction (see 2 Thess. 2:10–11).[i]

It is this same judgment that God warns our own generation of when He says:

⁹The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  ¹¹Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹²in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

We see an example of this same kind of judgment in 1 Kings 22:19-23.

¹⁹Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the LORD says!  I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left.  ²⁰And the LORD said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’

“There were many suggestions, ²¹and finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, ‘I can do it!’

²²“‘How will you do this?’ the LORD asked.

“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’

“‘You will succeed,’ said the LORD.  ‘Go ahead and do it.’

²³“So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets.  For the LORD has pronounced your doom.”  (NLT)

Romans chapter one speaks of God turning men over to their own desires as an act of judgment.  As the Almighty, God can and does prevent deception.  However, He does not prevent all deception.  He restrains evil so that we are not entirely consumed.  But, at our insistence and because of our persistence, He gives us what we want.  God does not create the lie, but He allows and/or sends the deceiving spirit. 

God does not lie; He cannot lie.  However, while He pleads with us to accept the truth, He does not prevent us from eventually getting just what we want.

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[i] When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992).  © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe.

How do I know I am not an Esau?

Roman 9:13 contains the statement:

As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  (ESV)

This verse comes in a discussion of election. 

According to Romans 9 in the verses immediately following this, not all Abraham’s physical descendants are recipients of God’s promises to Abraham.  God promised Abraham that through his seed all the nations on earth would be blessed.  However, the promise did not pass to Ishmael, only to Isaac.  Then Isaac had twins, Esau and Jacob.  But, the promise did not pass to both, only to Jacob.  God’s “hatred” of Esau was not an active despising.  Rather, God passed over Esau in favor of his brother Jacob.

While we do not understand why or how, this is how grace works.

The Bible ends with this invitation from God:

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."  Let anyone who hears this say, "Come."  Let anyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.  (Revelation 22:17, NLT)

Although the invitation is open to all and Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not everyone will be saved.  Jesus actually says:

"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord!  Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”  (Matthew 7:21, NLT

According to John 3:36:

And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life.  Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment.  (NLT)

God is absolutely sovereign.  In other words, He does what He pleases.  He could save every person.  However, He does not.  He allows those who choose not to believe the freedom to choose not to believe.  Since God could overpower their will and force them to believe, in that sense God passes over such people.  He allows them to go their own way.  This happened to Ishmael and it happened to Esau.

According to Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”  (NLT)  This is true of all of us, of every human being on the planet.  Because of this truth, the saying of Jesus in John chapter six is also true.  He says, “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me…”  (John 6:44, NLT)  There is a mystery in this that we cannot understand.  In John 3, Jesus explains the working of the Holy Spirit in a person being born again and says:

“The wind blows wherever it wants.  Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”  (John 3:8, NLT)

We are told that God chooses some and passes over others (Romans 9). 

The way we know we are one of the chosen is based on God’s word and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. 

First, we know we are saved because of God’s word.  John 3:16 tells us that whoever believes will not perish.  Romans 10:13 tells us that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.  These promises are from God.  Therefore, we trust them completely.  There is no reason to doubt that you are saved if you are trusting in these promises. 

In fact, the Holy Spirit confirms we are saved.  Romans 8:16 says, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.”  (NLT)

If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation, then you are not an Esau.

Is it a sin to work on a Sunday?

Exodus 20:8-10 says:

⁸“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  ⁹You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God.  On that day no one in your household may do any work.  (NLT)

As one of the Ten Commandments, the command to observe the Sabbath was a fundamental law for the nation of Israel.  In addition to one day a week, every seventh year was to be a “Sabbath year” in which no crops were to be planted and the land was to rest.  Then every seventh Sabbath year was to be followed by a year of Jubilee.  In the year of Jubilee, debts were forgiven, slaves were set free and property was returned to its original owner with exceptions being allowed for debts, slaves and property depending on circumstances.

This practice of Sabbath and its strict enforcement allowed for a healthy people, land and economy.

However, we are dead to the Law.  Romans 7:4 says, “⁴So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ.”  (NLT)  Therefore, we are free to keep the Sabbath or not. 

This being said, two qualifications need to be kept in mind.

First, whatever is not of faith is sin.  Using the example of our freedom to eat what we please, Romans 14:23 says:

But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it.  For you are not following your convictions.  If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.  (NLT)

Second, although we are free to do as our conscience directs us, not everything is good for us.  1 Corinthians 10:23 says:

You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you.  You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial.  (NLT)

Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”  (Mark 2:27, NLT)  Our minds and bodies need rest.  To deprive yourself of rest is to invite fatigue, accidents and illness.  Although it is not a sin to work on Sunday, God established a day of rest for our benefit.

The Ten Commandments are part of the Law, and as such, we are free from the Law.  However, the Ten Commandments are based on God’s perfect moral law.  Thus, they are based on how the universe works.  The principles behind the Ten Commandments are inviolable and unchanging.  Whether a person is a believer or an atheist, any person who observes the principles laid out in the Ten Commandments will be better off for it.