Complete the Thought (CTT)

When quoting scripture it is vitally important that we not pluck small segments out of context. Sometimes that means reading the verses leading up to the quoted text… many times it involves reading on beyond the quoted text. Sound doctrine demands we check our cliches, church-isms, and quick-quotes against the whole of scriptures, lest we deceive ourselves and those who follow.

CTT | Circumcision of the Heart

Faithful Stewardship 1 Comment

CTTHave you ever heard someone talk about how physical circumcision was of the old covenant and those of us who are part of the new covenant look to a circumcision of the heart? Well, today I want to take a look at where that terminology originates and in so doing, we will seek to better complete the thought that is trying to be conveyed.

Most of the time, this phrase comes from one of Paul’s writings. Before we jump to the topic of the day, I realize I’ve yet to discuss at length the 2 covenants. Generally what we are referring to is the covenant with Abraham as the first covenant (sometimes referred to as the Mosaic Covenant since he was given the Law, but the covenant with Israel began with Abraham), and the covenant of Jesus Christ as the second. We’ll look at this in greater detail in a later post, but for now I will present part of Paul’s teaching in Galatians.

Galatians 4:21-28 (ESV)
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

We will explore the rest of this teaching at a later time, but for now at least we have established the validity of teaching 2 covenants. Paul focused on correcting the Galatians who were buying into the notion that one had to submit to the first covenant in order to take part in the second (Judaizers) which was a false gospel preached by false teachers who should be accursed (twice). Paul also spent time explaining the Law and the covenants to another group of believers in his letter to the Romans. It is here we will find the beginning of our topic today.

Romans 2:17-29 (ESV)
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

In this portion of Romans (and please, the book of Romans should be read as a continuous letter) Paul is distinguishing salvation and the forgiveness of sin comes through faith rather than by works of the Law. It was difficult for many of the early Jews to accept that the Law pointed to the Gospel, and was not in itself a means of salvation; rather, that Christ fulfilled the Law and gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice. We see it explained in great detail in Hebrews, Romans, and Galatians. We see this truth referenced in several scriptures outside of these epistles. This is critical to understanding the New Covenant Jesus presented at the last supper.

Luke 22:14-20 (ESV)
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.“

Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb, by His blood on our door post we have no need to fear the Destroyer. By His blood, we’ve been set free from Egypt (the kingdom of darkness) and we will pass through the Red Sea (water baptism) in Christ. As we follow Christ, we will spend the remainder of this life (one generation) walking as exiles in the wilderness(still living in a fallen world) with a hope of reaching the Promised Land (Heaven). Praise the Lord.

Was the “Circumcision of the Heart” a New Concept?

Interestingly enough, the answer is “no”. While Paul was clearly writing under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, this concept that the circumcision is a matter of the heart is found in the Old Testament. In fact, in the Law of Moses! I think this is fascinating, so let’s go check it out. For a little bit of background, I recommend reading Deuteronomy 29, beginning in the first verse. God renews His covenant with Israel in the land of Moab. After making clear the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience in chapter 28, God instructs Moses to speak to His people and to set them straight, reminding them of all they had witnessed of the Lord God who brought them out of Egypt. Let’s look at the final verse in chapter 29 and move onto chapter 30.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV)
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30:1-10 (ESV)
1 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. 5 And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. 8 And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jesus made clear that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. This is on reason why it is so important that we be careful how we refer to the 2 covenants. Here, in the Law, we have the message of salvation, only we lack a pure, spotless Lamb of God to be the final sacrifice. For all men (including Jews) are born in the sin of Adam. The law reveals our sin, but it also points to the Promise of our Salvation in Christ. We see in the first verse a prophesy of the exile and scattering of the Jews. Jesus came to gather his sheep from both the Jews and the Gentiles. Which commandment is the Greatest commandment according to Jesus?

Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.

Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have access to the Spirit of God, whereby God circumcises our heart (remember, Paul specified that the circumcision of the heart is by the Spirit) so that we can love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind… that we may live, as promised both according to the Law and the Gospel. Let me be absolutely clear… apart from Jesus Christ we cannot fulfill the Law and have no salvation in it; rather, we are condemned by it for we are born in sin. Thankfully, we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as the perfect and final sacrifice, so that in Him we might be saved.

As we continue in our Walk, we must mature and grow into the fullness of Christ. We must search His Word, and rightly understand what is revealed of God in both the Law and the Gospel. It is my sincere hope that you who have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will continue in it, study it, and study also the Law that Christ completed on our behalf. It wasn’t “done away with”, merely completed in Christ. Much of the Law points to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, but it all points to God. I pray for blessing and understanding from God the Holy Spirit as you continue in the Word.

In Christ,
Jorge

CTT | The Rainbow is More than a Symbol

Faithful Stewardship 4 Comments

CTTAs we try to get back to a more sustainable blog schedule, I want to start addressing some more current events in snippets. My plan is to keep Thursday as the “big blog” day, but as always we’ll just see where the Scripture leads us.

Today, I wanted to talk a bit about the progressive assault on Christians who do not wish to be forced to celebrate homosexual unions. My wording is intentional, because what you see in the media is a complete twisting of the facts to support the LGBTQ(…) narrative that attempts to paint themselves as victims of bigotry. Florists and bakers are the easy targets right now, but churches are being targeted, too (mainly via their tax-exemption status). Over the past several weeks, I’ve seen far too many LGBTQ(…) flags on the news and in social media, so the nagging question has been, “what possessed them to take the rainbow as the symbol of their rebellion?” I looked up what the movement claims to be the origin of their rainbow flag and I’ll share a link at the end, but what the world claims as their own and how they justify it is irrelevant. Wholly and completely irrelevant.

Psalm 24:1-2 (ESV)
24 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Therefore, our focus will be on what God has declared in His Word regarding His Rainbow. Our text today will be Genesis 8:13 through 9:25 (ESV).

Genesis 8:13-19 (ESV)
13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah,16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

Here we see a precise accounting of the day that Noah, his family, and every living creature preserved by the Ark finally stepped out to repopulate the earth. We have a similarly precise account of the day the flood began in Genesis 7:11 (ESV) “11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened”. Now the Hebrew calendar followed the lunar cycles and each month was numbered (as opposed to modern secular calendars being solar years). There are 12 months in the ancient Hebrew calendar, but they have a leap month much in the same way we have leap days. Without getting too terribly bogged down in calculations, what we can say is that the Ark protected the remnant of the Earth for at least a full 1 year and 27 days. Now, a year for a man who had already lived 600 might seem to pass by more quickly than a year for a young pup of 36 such as myself; however, given the living conditions on the Ark and the knowledge that God had utterly destroyed the Earth under Noah’s very feet… such a comparison become moot and trite.

Genesis 8:20-22 (ESV)
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Genesis 9:1-17 (ESV)
9 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

God set His bow in the cloud. The Rainbow is the Lord’s. He set it in the clouds and He declared what it symbolizes. It symbolizes His covenant with His Creation, with the Earth and everything on the Earth. It is a promise that the earth will receive no new curses on account of man, for man is born dead in sin, and the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Read throughout Revelation, and you’ll not see any mention of a second global flood. As long as the earth remains, the seasons and days will continue. This is why every prophesy regarding the Day of Christ’s return talks about heaven and earth being rolled up like a scroll, or passing away. God’s covenant is all of His Creation. When the end comes, it will indeed be the end of this world. That is why everything longs for the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Genesis 9:18-25 (ESV)
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

Indeed, the problem of sin was not solved by the Flood, for God preserved sinful man from total destruction. And we see here, the first recorded sinful act committed upon another person, is one of sexual immorality (namely incest, adultery, rape, and homosexuality). How much time had passed since they left the Ark? We only know it was long enough for a vineyard to be planted and harvested and for Noah to drink of its wine. Beyond that, we don’t know how much time had passed, but given that they had spent over a year in the Ark as God was sparing their lives, we see how deeply rooted the curse of sin lies buried in the heart of man. Still, Canaan was cursed by the sin of his father against Noah. Not unlike how we ALL are cursed by the sin of Adam. But we also see Japheth and Shem blessed for their righteous acts, for resisting the temptation to sin. God keeps His covenants, even when we fail Him. God preserved the Messianic line from Adam to Jesus, so that in Christ we might have the Hope of Salvation promised on the day sin and death entered the world.

Which brings be back to the LGBTQ(…) use of the rainbow flag. Regardless of whatever history they claim on their use of the rainbow, the Rainbow has a history and belongs to Almighty God. It’s His Rainbow, placed by Him into the clouds as a reminder of His covenant with the Earth and every living creature on it. Not only has the LGBTQ(…) taken God’s rainbow and created of it a flag for their rebellion against God’s design for man and woman in sexual purity, they do so in the name of “Gay Pride”.

Pride.

Psalm 10:2-11 (ESV)
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
    all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
    under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Also in Romans,

Romans 1:18-32 (ESV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

That last point is the most powerful and relevant to our day and today’s post. The problem we face now, even within the professing church, is that the world isn’t happy with mere tolerance of their sin, but they insist that we join them in celebration of their sin, under a banner that mocks God’s covenant by way of reminding Him of His promise as they ignore His commands.

These people are not our enemies; rather, they are lost… dead in their sins and trespasses. It is to them that we must continue to preach Repentance and the Forgiveness of sin through the Blood of Jesus Christ. We pray that the Living God have mercy on them, and extend grace to them that they might hear and receive the Gospel of Grace. Your flesh is no different from theirs, it continues to desire sin and self-gratification as it always did, only by the Grace of God you have been made alive in Him and have been given God the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen, and grow you into the fullness of Christ. For we were all like them, and only by the Grace of God did we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and received salvation from the kingdom of darkness, and a promise of eternal life in Christ.

It is tempting to lash out, be confrontational, and to condemn the lost for being lost. Such righteous indignation belongs to Christ, not us. For we are not of ourselves righteous; rather, we rely on the righteousness of Christ to carry us through judgement, in the same way that Noah relied on the Ark. It is not for us to condemn those who blaspheme and hate God, they have already done so. Instead, it is for us to stand firmly on the Word of God, preach the Gospel, and be a living testimony to the greatness of  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:13-18 (ESV)
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

In Him,
Jorge

CTT | Why did Jesus Teach in Parables?

Faithful Stewardship 1 Comment

CTTHave you ever heard someone explain that Jesus taught in parables because He was such an awesome teacher that he could explain both simple and deep things at the same time? That He was providing earthly stories with Heavenly meaning, and thus giving us deep spiritual truths in a language that we mere mortals can understand? It all sounds very good and it fits well in the “Jesus was a role model” perspective. However, Jesus was far more than just a role model, and we have an answer in scripture to the question.

Matthew 13:10-17 (ESV)
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Jesus explains that He teaches in parables specifically so that they will not understand. The disciples themselves did not understand all of the parables, and they did not understand the parable of the sower. Regardless of their lack of understanding, they had already believed in Him and His Word. Therefore, to those who had, more was given in abundance. The masses were not in the same place as the disciples were. Unless they are ready to accept Jesus as the Christ, son of the Living God, they simply are not ready to understand the kingdom of heaven. Nevertheless, Jesus DID teach, and He taught in parables and explained several of the parables to His disciples directly. When Jesus promised them He would send the Holy Spirit, John 14:25-26 (ESV) 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you…” Though His time on this earth was short, He did not leave us as orphans, and we who believe on Him have both His Word and His Spirit. We can now teach His parables, having been equipped with the understanding of their meaning by the Grace of God.

If you remember the confrontations, the miracles, and testimony of the Christ presented to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 12, we see (before the parable of the sower and before Jesus explaining why He teaches in parables) the point where Jesus rebukes their unbelief. After they attack Him for healing on the Sabbath, and accusing Him of performing signs via Satan. We see Jesus draw the line for them beginning in Matthew 12.

Matthew 12:30-42 (ESV)
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus did proclaim the kingdom to all, and those who had an ear to hear, heard and accepted/believed (good soil). He did not pre-judge those who would not believe; rather, he sought them out and shared the Word of God with them. They rejected Him, and so the wrath of God remained on them.

John 15:18-27 (ESV)
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

As we study God’s Word, we will invariably encounter portions of Scripture (not just parables) that escape our understanding. As long as our faith remains firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, and the Word of God we can turn to God and ask for wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Accept what is written as the Word of God, and pray to the Lord for understanding. We have also been given Elders, Pastors, and Teachers to whom we can turn for guidance, instruction, and correction, in the Name of Jesus.  I urge you, brothers and sisters, that when you approach your church leadership with questions regarding scripture, take your Bible with you. Ask that they demonstrate in the Word of God the answer to the question. In doing so, you will not only receive an answer, but you will gain valuable insight/training in how we can turn to the Word of God for answers.

Hebrews 13:7-9 (ESV)
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

May the Lord bless and keep you,
In Him,
Jorge

CTT | You do not have, because you do not ask…

Faithful Stewardship 1 Comment

CTTToday, I’d like to address a verse that is often used to encourage us to pray. I do feel that as a Church, we have largely neglected biblical teaching on prayer in favor of many unbiblical forms of prayer. Whenever this portion of scripture is quoted, even in solid churches, problems can arise. I believe that this verse is used incorrectly, even by solid churches who are simply trying to encourage congregants to pray, because James isn’t directly teaching about prayer, he is addressing a sin issue of worldliness. Jesus taught directly on prayer, as did John, and Paul… if you want to teach the congregation about prayer, pull from one of the many teaching texts on prayer (we will cover a few at the end). James is addressing something different here. Though this portion is a complete sentence (a big improvement over other CTT verses addressed), this sentence is only one of three found in this verse.

James 4:2 (ESV) 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

So, let’s take a look at where we find this often quoted scripture within the greater context of the Epistle of James. Normally, I like to go back to the start of the immediate section or the beginning of the chapter, but for today’s topic I’d like to reach back to the previous chapter.

James 3:13-18 (ESV) 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 4:1-10 (ESV) 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. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Notice the focus of James is on the heart (passions) of the people. We see here James is challenging the reader to demonstrate his/her wisdom and understanding by his good conduct and works in meekness of wisdom. In the very next verse he has moved from the outward works and is now addressing our heart condition. He is addressing motive. He is exposing the fact that the quarrels and fights among the brothers and sisters are rooted in their sinful hearts and in their worldliness. It is in this regard that any attempt to set up a contradiction between James and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to be vain and fruitless. The flesh is incapable of accomplishing good works on its own, because its passions (such as bitter jealousy and selfish ambition) are earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic. Where these heart conditions exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. There is a specific train of thought here beginning in James 4:1 whose climax is in verse 4, “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”. James isn’t teaching that God is waiting up in heaven with all sorts of goodies that are piling up because His people just aren’t asking for them. James is pointing out that the worldliness of the brethren is putting them at odds with God and with each other. There is sin in the camp. At this point (verse 6) James transitions to provide the corrective measure. Let’s look at it again:

James 4:6-10 (ESV) 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Praise God. No, James does not circle around and say that all of the things they were desiring would be handed over to them… he was pointing out their sinful hearts. Does this mean that we should not teach our Brothers and Sisters to ask God for things? Absolutely not! We should, however, focus on clearer passages of scripture whose focus is indeed on prayer. Let us examine some solid teaching on prayer, with particular focus on making our petitions to God.

1 John 5:1-15 (ESV) 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

John isn’t just equating prayer to the rubbing of a magic lamp, he is summarizing well the Gospel of Jesus Christ and clearly stating how in Him (by faith) we have overcome the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ IS our eternal life, and our victory. We dare not cheapen this testimony by making it a spring-board to some false gospel of prosperous, earthly living. Now, before we close, I’d like to return back to the Gospel of Matthew to see some of what Jesus taught regarding prayer and asking God to meet our needs.

Matthew 6:19-33 (ESV) 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. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Notice the section between verse 22 and verse 24 and how it lines up with what James was discussing in chapter 4:1-4. If your eye is dark (jealousy, covetousness) then the whole body will be full of darkness (disorder and every vile practice).
Verse 33 is often used as a blanket “ask God anything” verse, but I believe that “these things” is referring back to what Jesus was saying NOT to be anxious about in verse 25 (food, drink, clothing). God will provide for those who humbly seek Him. Amen! Let us look at some more in chapter 7, in light of what we have discussed thus far:

Matthew 7:7-14 (ESV) 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

God is not a piñata, and prayer is not a stick and a blindfold. We are promised that our Father in heaven hears our prayer and gives good gifts to His children. Ask and you will receive what is in accordance with His Will. You will receive, not necessarily what you ask for, but that which is good and beneficial for His children. Sometimes it will be hardship. Did you know that for an apple tree to bear springtime fruit it requires a cold winter? A mediocre winter will leave the tree dormant and unprepared to bear fruit at its proper time. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ. Humble yourselves before God, and make your prayers known to Him, and leave it to Him to exalt or lift you up. He knows your needs, better than you do. He gives good gifts. But He also opposes the proud (James 4:6) and He reproves and disciplines those He loves (Rev 3:19).

We are to pray at all times, not just when we think we need something. Prayer is the means by which we can follow Paul’s encouragement in Galatians 5 to “walk in the Spirit”.

Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV) 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. 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

May the Lord bless and keep you,
In Him,
Jorge

CTT | As a man thinketh in his heart…

Faithful Stewardship 1 Comment

This week I listened to a number of radio broadcasts and also did a great deal of research on the doctrines of a local church that I’ve been attending and prayerfully considering as a new church home for my family. I humbly request your prayer for wisdom and discernment in this matter. I have not been able to dedicate much time to research on the next major topics for our Bible study, so this week will be limited to a CTT (Completing the Thought) post. I heard a radio snippet of a Word of Faith (WoF) teacher who used the following KJV quote as a basis for  “positive thinking” or “positive confession” that were supposedly required for us to be blessed of God.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

No, there was no scriptural reference provided nor was the audience asked to turn to the scripture (I’ve noticed that teachers rarely do that anymore… they just pop the segment up on the “big screen” and drive on).  A quick Google search will show this passage to come from Proverbs 23:7.

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Okay, so we already have 2 problems with this quote. The first is that the quoted portion isn’t even the entire verse (which is to be expected of most CTT posts). The next problem we have is that this proverb isn’t as generic and broad as what the (mis)quoted portion would suggest. The verse isn’t about “man” it is about “he”. Who is the “he” referring to? Let’s look at the immediate context. Since we are dealing with Proverbs, the immediate context could be only a few verses, such is the case here.

Proverbs 23:6-8 (KJV) 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Wow, that is painful to read. Nevertheless, we see the “he” is “him that hath an evil eye” and offers you his bread and dainty meats. Beyond that… I’m going to need another translation or 2 (Proverbs 23:6-8 (ESV/NASB/KJV)).

Proverbs 23:6-8 (ESV)
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.

Proverbs 23:6-8 (NASB)
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;
7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.

When I read this my mind immediately goes to welfare. It is not worth eating the bread of a selfish man whose heart is not with you. Not all indebtedness comes in the form of cash contracts. But lets dial that rhetoric down a bit and think back to the grade school bully mentality as depicted so often in children shows and cartoons. The rich kid who buys his friends with goodies… but his selfish nature allows him to abuse, manipulate, and cut off his friends for the slightest of offenses… You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments. There is great wisdom in this proverb, and many applications.   Unfortunately for many in the WoF camp… it has absolutely nothing to do with self-esteem, self actualization, or any sort of pre prayer self alignment scheme.

I absolutely love this WUTT (When We Understand The Text) YouTube channel and this video covers this one very well in 90 seconds.

The verse, in context, isn’t even about the state of man in general. There is some teaching regarding the heart of man and his substance:

Matthew 15:10-20 (ESV) 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Ouch. Here Jesus is clearly speaking about all of us. Why did I go here? Because this makes it clear that no level of internal heart/soul-searching or inner-man/woman appealing, self-esteem speak has any chance of properly “aligning” us with God. The heart of sinful man (man and woman) is sinful. Only God the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are capable of setting us straight. Brothers and sisters, please spend more time reading the Word of God and less time (and money) gobbling up the delicacies of those who preach-for-profit. You will vomit up those morels and will have wasted your compliments.

What purifies the heart is not some empty self-actualization, self-esteem, self-talk; rather it is believing in the One True God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Nothing of self, so that no one might boast, it is the Gift of God. Let us look at what the word says about the proper role of our hearts in salvation:

Luke 8:11-15 (ESV) 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Romans 10:5-13 (ESV) 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

May the Lord bless and keep you,
In Him,
Jorge