Apostle Paul

Gospel Wednesday | Colossians 2

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bibleAs we continue working through the fundamentals of the Gospel as explained in the New Testament, it is our hope that you will also explore our Old Testament (OT) studies and see how the Bible truly is one complete document, the very Word of God.

Last week we started in Colossians 1 and we stopped after Colossians 2:5. By way of review, we looked at some of the history of the Church an Colossae, a church that wasn’t planted by the Apostle Paul, nor had he visited them at the time of this letter to the church. This is an important detail to bear in mind when reading Paul’s letter, because of what Paul focuses on in his letter. We looked at his letter to the Ephesians in which he is summarizing the Gospel to the Elders with whom he had spent 3 years working. Paul is reminding the Elders in Ephesians all that he had taught them, but to the church in Colossae, Paul first establishes the fundamentals of the faith, the centrality and supremacy of Christ. He doesn’t rattle of a checklist of accomplishments that prove they are Christian, he simply reaffirms the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today we will pick up where we left off and in so doing we will look at some of the primary encouragements for Christian living that lead directly into some important warnings about false doctrines. So, without further adieu, let’s continue in our study of Colossians 2.

Doctrine is Important

Colossians 2:6-23 (ESV)

Alive in Christ

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

This is the focus of the Christian life. Not miracles, not visions, not even spiritual warfare… the focus of Christian living is being firmly rooted in Christ, being built up in Christ (in knowledge and obedience) and established in the faith as taught (the Gospel of Jesus Christ), abounding in thanksgiving to God. Everything is covered here in a concise manner. I make this comment to point out that there is no “advanced Christianity” dimension or state, we never “move on from” the faith nor do we ever have roots planted anywhere other than Christ Jesus. There will always be crafty, scheming men who will try to convince you, dear Christian, that there is something beyond the Gospel that you need to learn, study, practice, and perfect in order to achieve “the higher calling” or some kind of “special anointing”. This is falsehood. Paul hasn’t even met these folks and already he is encouraging to remain in Christ “just as you were taught”, because he knows that they were taught Jesus Christ. They don’t need anything “new” to advance in their walk, they just need to grow roots and be built up in Christ, whom they have already received, the Glory of God.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Praise the Lord. I want to interject here, if I may, to mention that we discussed these verses two weeks ago OT look at the Crossing of the Red Sea. We saw how Paul’s declaration that the cross put the rulers and authorities to open shame in much the same way that Egypt was put to shame when God destroyed Pharaoh’s army by crushing them with the waters through which Israel safely walked. I’ve also underlined four phrases in verse 8 that we will address more fully after we close out the chapter. For now, these represent four principle means by which Christians are led astray into false doctrine, making shipwreck of their faith.

Let No One Disqualify You

16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Paul packs a lot of great instruction, warning, and encouragement in this short chapter. Now that we’ve read through the chapter, lets try to unpack this wonderful passage in a way that brings clarity to our Christian walk (being rooted and built up in Christ).

I mentioned earlier that in verse 8 Paul introduces four primary ways in which Christians are led astray into false teaching. Let’s take a look at each one.

Elemental Spirits of the World

Within this passage we see a few things listed by Paul that help us understand how Paul is using this phrase. We see he lists worship of angels and going on in detail about visions, but we also see a reference to festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths. Paul is not only talking about completely false elemental spirits, but he is including false teaching surrounding real spirits as well as applying shadows of truth over the substance of the Truth, which belongs to Christ. By the time Christ arrived in human form (by virgin birth), the world already had Aristotle and “ancient” Greek philosphy/mythology. They had false elemental spirits and false deities, all of which were unclean spirits or demons. Paul is clearly insisting that the Christian not be disqualified by caving into any idolatry.

The Jews also had festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths in the Law of Moses (or the Mosaic Covenant). These were shadows of what was coming, Jesus Christ. Paul is warning the Christian not to fall into the snare of those who would insist that in order to truly follow Christ, a Christian must keep the Law of Moses (circumcision, feasts, festivals, Sabbaths, etc). The entire Book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Churches of Galatia for precisely this reason, they had allowed this false doctrine to take root and divert their eyes from Christ. Paul didn’t mince any words in that letter.

Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV) | No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Seriously a wonderful book to read and to study. While the prevailing theme of the letter is a rebuke against false teaching, Paul also provides some truly wonderful teaching in that letter to the Galatians. Here, in his letter to the Colossians, Paul is encouraging the Church not to allow anyone to disqualify them regarding these festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. But notice that he said “let no one pass judgement on you in…” As foreshadows of Christ, they are simply not a factor for those who are in Christ. What do I mean? I mean that whether you choose to observe the feasts, the new moons, or even dietary restrictions, so long as you do everything to the glory and honor of Christ, there is no judgement for the observance or the abstinence from these traditions. Paul also brought up food and drink. The Law had detailed dietary rules. The world also has it’s own theories on food (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Oragnic, Vegan, etc) which stem from a godless worldview (evolution or pagan theology). Paul addresses this teaching in more detail in his letter to the Romans. Let’s take just a quick look at the start of chapter 14.

Romans 14:1-6 (ESV) |Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Notice how it ties back to Colossians 2:7, where Paul ended his summary of walking in Christ with “abounding in thanksgiving”, and that thanksgiving is to God. The passage in Romans 14 often gets overstretched (twisted out of context) to include opinions that run contrary to God’s Word, guard against that. The festivals and food rules point to Christ, therefore if we have Christ we have the fulfillment of the Law that can only be found in Him and in His work of obedience, even to death on the Cross. So, keep it in Scriptural context… Jesus declared all foods clean, and He also declared Himself Lord of the Sabbath. So, you see, we have freedom in Christ, and only in Christ, and in that freedom we are not to make judgements against our brothers and sisters in Christ regarding matters of freedom.

Human Tradition

After discussing all of the Mosaic covenant and the poor teaching of the Law of Moses, one might be tempted to think we already addressed this point. Not yet, we haven’t. You see, the Law of Moses didn’t come from men, but was given to men as a Testimony of who God Is and what He will do in His Son, Jesus. A common error in the church today, is to accuse Christians who hold tightly to the Scriptures, the Written Word of God, of being like the Pharisees. The truth is that had the Pharisees kept to the Written Word of God, and believed Moses, they would not have rejected Jesus.

John 5:45-47 (ESV) 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

The Pharisees had a separate tradition, what they called the “oral law” or “oral Torah”. They believed that there were 2 laws given to Moses, one written and one only spoken. They believed that the oral law could only be passed down orally within the Priests and Scribes of the tribe of Levi. They believed that their role as Levites was to interpret the Written Law. For example, the written Law says “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”, but the Oral Torah had all kinds of rules and regulations specifying what it meant to keep it holy, down to the distance one could walk on that day without breaking the Sabbath. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for enforcing their man-made traditions over the Written Law.

Matthew 15:1-6 (ESV) | Traditions and Commandments
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and,‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

We, the visible Church, still struggle with this today. God forgive us for elevating our own traditions and customs to the status of Scripture. Many denominational splits are defined by differences in man’s “oral laws” taught to explain what is happening behind the Scriptures. May the Lord grant us Grace and Mercy in this regard. We also see this in churches who push a “social gospel” where the primary role of the church is somehow to “make the world a better place” even if that means preaching Law and Gospel needs to take a back seat until we’ve “earned the right” to share the Word of God. Again, may the Lord forgive us of this, and cleanse us from this unrighteousness. Are good works bad? Not at all, but they flow out from the Gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, they cannot replace the Gospel in any way.

Philosophy

Philosophy was born out of a desire to explain the inner workings of the mind, our social interactions, even religion without invoking what God has revealed about Himself and His Creation in His Word. It begins and ends in death. Philosophy began as Metaphysics. Paul engaged the Greek philosophers that the world today think they’ve rediscovered in some new way. What did Paul have to say about their philosophy?

Romans 1:18-23 (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.

The modern church struggles with this today, and some might argue in greater measure. The church has begun to doubt the historical accuracy of Genesis, the Creation, and whether or not the Bible is infallible. These doubts are born out of philosophy, man’s attempt to explain away God, by refusing to honor Him as God. They have become fools.  Brothers and sisters, evolution is a lie, God did NOT use evolution to create the world by “trial and error”. The flood through which God carried Noah and his family was a global flood, not a localized one. God made man and woman, and He made them that way for His purpose. We do not get to decide when He made a mistake in gender, or sexuality. It is not for us to interpret the Bible through the Philosophy of men; rather, it is by the Bible that we are to measure the philosophy of men.

A word of caution, if I may. Pay attention to how your pastor/teacher breaks down sermons into Principles or Philosophies (even this blog post). As long as the principles/philosophies are being taught from the scriptures, then there is Truth to be revealed by God the Holy Spirit. However, there is a danger when the philosophies and principles being taught draw their origins from men, their ideas or their experiences, even their dreams/visions.

Empty Deceit

Finally, what remains are the open deception of self-seeking false teachers, prophets, and christs (anointed ones). These religious con-men have always existed, and will always be a plague on the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul had to deal with what he called “so-called super apostles” who had deceived many in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 11:7-15 (ESV) 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.Their end will correspond to their deeds.

The Apostle Peter also had something to say about such false teachers.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV) 1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

This problem is most notably (thought not exclusively) present in the Televangelist, Faith Healer, and Megachurch scene. If ever you hear a preacher link the giving of money with the favor of God, His promises, or His blessing, run. RUN away. Should we give to the work of the ministry? Absolutely, but in the same light as performing good works, they flow from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and are not a pre-requisite in any light. As servants of the Most High God, we belong to Him and are but humble stewards of His Gospel. As such, nothing we own is ours, yet He has blessed us with every good thing that is Above, with the Hope of eternal life in the resurrection of Christ. And this gift of Grace came by faith, and that faith by hearing the Word of God. Who then, dare proclaim to you a different gospel that compels you to give them money so that they can serve as your advocate to Our Heavenly Father? Only a false teacher. If you remember from our first discussion of Ephesians, Paul’s final farewell to the Elders of the Ephesians.

Acts 20:28-30 (ESV) 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Pay careful attention. If the message, the proof, and commandment all point to the individual preaching, then it is not of God. Remain in the Word of God, study, and take every thought or opinion captive, subjecting it to the Authority of the Word of God. I pray that this has been an encouragement to you. It was longer than I had anticipated, but I enjoyed this study very much.

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)| Doxology

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

OT | The Song of Moses

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Illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company

Illustration from a Bible card published 1907
by the Providence Lithograph Company

Last week, in our Old Testament Study, we looked at the Crossing of the Red Sea. As we’ve explored many times before, this is a picture of our salvation out of the kingdom of darkness, and of the baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this foreshadowing, we see how the kingdom of darkness was put to open shame at the cross of Jesus, in the same way that Egypt was put to shame when the waters came crashing down onto the Egyptian army and they were utterly destroyed. This week we will pick up in the next chapter for a look at what true worship looks like.

Thus the Lord Saved Israel

Let us start off with a reminder of the salvation of Israel by the Mighty Hand of God.

Exodus 14:26-31 (ESV) 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

This closing statement is a powerful foreshadowing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Where Moses foreshadows Jesus, the servant of the Lord, who is the Son of the Living God. Moses is not equal with Jesus, he merely foreshadows what Jesus will do, Once and For All.

Israel Worshiped the Lord God

Exodus 15:1-21 (ESV) | The Song of Moses

15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war;
    the Lord is his name.

4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
    you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;
    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
    I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
    they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
    the earth swallowed them.

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;
    pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;
    trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
    all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them;
    because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
    till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
    the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Let’s talk about worship. There has been worship throughout time since the Creation, but here we see man singing a song of praise and worship to the Lord for who He is and what He has done. Take a moment to scan back through the song to see if in any place the children of Israel were singing about what they will do, can do, are about to do, or any victory they’ve secured as a result of their being the chosen ones of God. What are the “I” portions? I will sing to, I will praise, and I will exalt Him. This is the model for the praise and worship that flows from knowing you are redeemed, that you have been brought through the waters into the kingdom of Heaven by the Hand of God and His servant, Jesus Christ. When the song declares the Lord to be their strength notice they don’t complete that thought by declaring their strength; rather, they praise God for what He did by His might, by His strength. The itemized praise here is specific to the wondrous deeds of the Lord, and we should do likewise. Actually, we will do likewise. Let’s turn for a moment to the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 15 (ESV) | The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
    O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
    and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
    All nations will come
    and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The Word of God is absolutely wonderful. Notice the setting of the vision, in verse 2 we see that the singing multitude is standing beside the sea of glass. In the Exodus account, they were on the shores of the Red Sea, witnesses to the victory secured by God. Here, in Revelation 15, these standing here are those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God. Notice this song is also the song of the Lamb, Jesus, our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for our redemption. This song is condensed, but remains the same song, the song of Salvation. A song sung to the Lord God by His children.

Now, this passage in Revelation moves on immediately to the seven angels with the seven plagues coming out of the sanctuary of the tent of witness. We have yet to see the earthly copy of this sanctuary, but notice that no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. These plagues are judgment about to be poured out onto the earth, onto those who have received the mark of the beast, and when they fall on the people, the people will curse God and will not repent of their sin (Revelation 16). Let’s go back to Exodus 15 to see how it closes out.

I Am the Lord Your Healer

Exodus 15:22-27 (ESV) | Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Without delving too heavily into man-made eschatological doctrines, I think the close parallel between Revelation 15 and Exodus 15 is significant, and serves as an encouragement to Believers. The plagues being poured out on the earth, whether the saints have already been wiped out (by persecution) or whether they remain on the earth, will not suffer from these plagues, for the Lord is our Healer. If your eye keeps fixating on the “if you diligently listen…” remember that by faith we put away our old selves and rest in the Righteousness of Christ. He fulfilled the Law and bore the full wrath of God at the cross in our place. Therefore, this serves as a promise, a hope, sealed by God the Holy Spirit for all who believe in Christ. With this thought firmly in our minds, let us close out this topic with a visit to the Book of Deuteronomy. Here, Moses had recorded the Law given to him by God, and Joshua has been designated to succeed Moses and lead Israel into the Promised Land (in this way, Joshua foreshadows Jesus, too).

Deuteronomy 31:30 (ESV) | The Song of Moses

30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:

Deuteronomy 32 (ESV)
32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
    ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect,
    for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
    just and upright is he.
5 They have dealt corruptly with him;
they are no longer his children because they are blemished;
they are a crooked and twisted generation.
6 Do you thus repay the Lord,
you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father, who created you,
    who made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders of the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of God.
9 But the Lord’s portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
10 “He found him in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
12 the Lord alone guided him,
no foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock.
14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
with the very finest of the wheat—
and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
15 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;
you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
then he forsook God who made him
and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.
16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked him to anger.
17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
to gods they had never known,
to new gods that had come recently,
whom your fathers had never dreaded.
18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,
    and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 “The Lord saw it and spurned them,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
20 And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
21 They have made me jealous with what is no god;
they have provoked me to anger with their idols.
So I will make them jealous with those who are no people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22 For a fire is kindled by my anger,
and it burns to the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
23 “‘And I will heap disasters upon them;
I will spend my arrows on them;
24 they shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured by plague
and poisonous pestilence;
I will send the teeth of beasts against them,
with the venom of things that crawl in the dust.
25 Outdoors the sword shall bereave,
and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike,
the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;
I will wipe them from human memory,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant,
    it was not the Lord who did all this.”’
28 “For they are a nation void of counsel,
and there is no understanding in them.
29 If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would discern their latter end!
30 How could one have chased a thousand,
and two have put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
31 For their rock is not as our Rock;
our enemies are by themselves.
32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of poison;
their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of serpents
and the cruel venom of asps.
34 “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,
sealed up in my treasuries?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
    and there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection!
39 “‘See now that I, even I, am he,
    and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
    I wound and I heal;
    and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
40 For I lift up my hand to heaven
    and swear, As I live forever,
41 if I sharpen my flashing sword
    and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
    and will repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
    and my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
    from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’
43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens;
    bow down to him, all gods,
for he avenges the blood of his children
    and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him
    and cleanses his people’s land.”
44 Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

When we read these words through the lens of the New Testament, we see all the more the Greatness of our God and the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though Israel may have understood that Moses was speaking of the contrast of the children of Israel and those who inhabited the land of Canaan, but we know that this speaks to something greater, it speaks of those in the kingdom of darkness and we who are born-again, into the Kingdom of Heaven. We may revisit this again soon, because there is so much going in here, but for now, may I recommend reading through Romans 1, how Paul describes the sin of the world, and how Moses speaks here in verses 5 and 6. I also found it interesting how verses 26 and 27 give a different perspective on the “why” God didn’t just eradicate man for his sin… so that His enemies will not falsely claim their own victory over God’s children. Soli Deo Gloria also applies to God’s Grace in that even when He is righteous and just to exterminate all of Creation for sin, His grace serves His glory greater. All praise be the God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and to His Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV) | Doxology

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

May the Grace of God be with you today and always,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Gospel Wednesday | Colossians 1

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bibleWe are currently working on some “fundamentals of Christianity” (haven’t come up with a title yet) posts geared toward encouraging new or newly-learning Christians by focusing on the basics of our Faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel it will be a necessary feature here at Faithful Stewardship as we move more toward exercising Biblical discernment in some of the more contentious or deeply ingrained issues of the modern-day church. From time to time we will also review some church history as it pertains to present-day denominations and their effect on the Body of Christ. The plan is to move more of the Old Testament studies to Thursdays.  We will continue pointing to the Gospel in every post, we just want to really highlight it in our Wednesday posts. We are open to any questions or suggestions you may have, especially if you are a new (or renewed) Christian. We want to hear from you.

Paul Writes to a Church He Did not Plant

I have always loved Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae. In many ways, it feels more familiar in that the church at Colossae was not directly planted by Paul in his missionary journeys, so his letter to them in that sense seems all the more tangible, or connectable, to me as a Christian many centuries and miles removed from the Pauline missionary routes. Colossae was approximately 10-12 miles away from two other prosperous cities, Heiropolis and Laodecia (ref WebBible Encycolopedia).  Colossae was also about 120 miles from Ephesus. We know that Paul spent 3 years working with the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:31). If we go back a bit to Chapter 19, we see the impact of Paul’s first 2 years of preaching in Ephasus.

Acts 19:1-10 (ESV) | Paul in Ephesus

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Without getting overly involved in the history of the region. Apollos had preached well in Ephesus before Paul arrived, but needed some additional training for he had been a disciple of John the Baptist and only knew of Jesus what was prophesied. He was not aware of the Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, only the Baptism of repentance. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within those who believed and were baptized in His Name. We see the Apostle Paul completing the Gospel teaching of these disciples and they received the Holy Spirit, here with evidence and manifestation, but understand that the gift of the Holy Spirit is received by faith in the Promise given by Jesus Christ regardless of manifestation. Those who are baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul worked for two years preaching the Gospel to all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks. It is possible that Epaphras and Philemon were discipled around this time. If you’ve been looking through the books of the New Testament, you know that there is a short, 1-chapter letter to Philemon. We’ll look at that letter once we wrap up Colossians.

Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

Colossians 1 (ESV)

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul, after properly introducing himself as he tends to do, immediately offers praise, thanksgiving, and prayer for the church at Colossae. We see here that Epaphras likely planted this church, and Paul is commending them by way of reminder to keep in the Grace of Jesus Christ as taught to them in Truth. Notice how quickly Paul anchors everything into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He does not give a checklist of their deeds, their size, nor their finances, neither does he take the approach of “well we are all Christians, Praise God” and move on to the subject of the letter. No. Paul is encouraging them in the Gospel, letting them know that they are in the prayers of the Brethren, and urging them to continue walking in Christ. Everything is anchored in Christ. This is such a primary focus that Paul will continue on this thought further narrowing down the person of Christ as the Son of God.

The Preeminence of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Here, we see Paul clearly proclaiming the deity of Christ. Might I ask that you take some time to really read what Paul is saying of Jesus here? Hollywood has done a great job of hyper-fixation on the singular “anti-christ”, but the New Testament warns of many false christs and many anti-christs in the last days (in which we live). How we view Jesus Christ is of supreme importance, for Only Jesus Christ as described in the Bible is the Way of Salvation. You cannot deviate in the person of Jesus Christ and somehow manage a True Gospel. It simply cannot be done. This is where the Mormons (Latter Day Saints) and the Jehovah’s Witness fail, though they both falsely claim to be “Christian”. This is also why any attempt to synchronize Islam and Christianity is abject heresy. While Islam has a name for Jesus (Issa), they deny the Biblical Jesus. What Paul is providing for us here is a clear starting point for discernment: Who do you say that I Am?

Paul’s Ministry to the Church

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Colossians 2:1-5 (ESV)

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

The Apostle Paul describes his ministry as a stewardship from God, given to him for the Church. The Gospel is the Lord’s. It is His testimony we preach. We who share the Word of God, are stewards of God’s Grace and mercy, preaching the Word of God so that the lost might be saved. I sometimes wonder why the chapter mark is placed so early, it seems the closing thought of Paul’s intro doesn’t truly settle until verse 5 of Chapter 2. We will stop here for today, and pick up next week on the meat of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, that is Christian living and ministry.

But Who Do You Say That I Am?

In closing out today’s Gospel Wednesday, I want to focus on the question of who Jesus is. We mentioned it earlier, but I think it should be more fully explored. Let’s take a moment to turn to Matthew chapter 16.

Matthew 16:13-28 (ESV)

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter,“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

There is no room for creativity in teaching who Jesus is. Failure to faithfully confess Christ is not the only false teaching out there, but it is (in my view) the most dangerous. They will invoke His Name falsely (blasphemy) and many will be (have been) deceived. You who have placed your faith in Christ, remain in Him, in His Word. As long as you abide in Him, the One is the Word made flesh, you will not be the one of whom Jesus prophesied:

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) | I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Remember when we pointed out earlier, that the Apostle Paul did not praise the Colossians by running down a list of accomplishments or works; rather, he praised them for their love and faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t be so eager to build a portfolio of righteous acts, that you skip over the only thing that matters, Jesus Christ. I encourage you to spend time reading the Gospels with a singular focus of who Jesus is. We’ll pick up next week in Colossians 2:6. Until then, be blessed, be faithful, and be ready.

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)| Doxology

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

CTT | As Long as the Principle is True?

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nopememeGood Monday Morning! This season has been quite busy for us lately, and I have a few projects in the works that haven’t gotten the kind of attention they require, sadly. Today’s CTT post will be a quick look at what transpired last week when I tried to address falsehood from a well-known and liked Christian artist’s Facebook page.

On November 7th, the team that manages the TobyMac Facebook Page posted a custom-made Christian Meme making the following claim:

THE PHRASE “DO NOT BE AFRAID” IS WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE 365 TIMES

This meme popped up on my feed and at first I thought, “well that’s kinda cool”… but then I thought… “that number seems awfully high”. I opened up Bible Gateway and searched for the phrase “do not be afraid” and got the following results:

So, not even close to 365… not even if you add up the results from the 4 common translations. The meme has no other information apart from this assertion. The assertion is false… significantly false. There is no truth in this meme whatsoever. In other words, this is a lie. The intent might be   to convey an idea that there isn’t a day of the year where we should be afraid. However, that is not what it actually says… it’s hoping to infer that message when someone associates the number “365” with the number of days in a non-leap-year.

My first reaction was to post a comment “My search only came up with 33” and a link to the 33 hits in ESV via BibleGateway.com. My comment didn’t get a lot of response, but here is the conversation that ensued:

  • (another poster) – You get more if you allow for variations on the phrase, but still nowhere close to 365. Kudos for using your head and not “going with the flow” on an Internet meme. (See also my other post in this thread.)
  • Jorge (me) – Agreed. I opted out of a fuzzy search because the meme actually specifies this phrasing in quotes. The Word of God does not need embellishments to be encouraging… in fact, embellishments are always detractors to the Word of God
  • TobyMac – Jorge–Goodness guys! No one is trying to decieve or embellish! We took an OFTEN used quote–but we did not double check it. our bad. Team toby
  • Jorge (me) – Not ascribing malice here, just pointing out that it is false. We all fall victim to passing along an incorrect quote. This one already has over 6700 shares. (comment posted Nov 7 at 2:30pm)
  • TobyMac – Jorge–we are so very glad that the PRINCIPLE is TRUE. Nothing incorrect about that. Glad for the accountability. Team toby
  • Jorge (me) – What about the principle of putting away falsehood (Eph 4:29)? God is not honored by the lie in this meme, nor is the church edified by it. Now shared over 13,000 times and “liked” by over 43,000 people. The meme is false and rather than repent and remove it, Team Toby seems keen to justify it. That’s unfortunate. (comment posted Nov 7 at 5:06pm)

What principle? I took a screen capture of the image this morning

Capture

While reading through the short interchange, one might get the idea that TeamToby indeed acknowledged the lie of the meme and that they were truly grateful for being held accountable. However, it is now November 10th, and the image has garnered 116,154+ “Likes” and has been “shared” 68,076+ times (the number is still climbing). Does this demonstrate repentance or accountability? No.

The photo has 1,600+ comments. Most of them are the expected response along the lines of “one for every day of the year”, but there are several calling out the lie in the meme. TeamToby replies to most of them along the lines of “our bad” and “at least the Principle is True”. In Facebook, those comments aren’t seen unless someone is interested in reading the replies to those correcting the meme. So these concessions are not a public sign of repentance or repudiation of the lie; rather, they are an attempt to calm or quiet the rebuke. Let’s look at some Scripture.

Ephesians 4:17-32 (ESV) | The New Life

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

John 7:14-18 (ESV)

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

John 8:44 (ESV)

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

I know this is coming very strongly, but there are no “harmless lies”. There is no falsehood in God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit and there is no truth in the father of lies. One cannot rightfully assert that any truth by any measure might be obtained by perpetuating a lie of any degree.

Repentance is in order. TobyMac has been given a large platform with a lot of followers. This is no small thing.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

In closing, let’s look at how Paul addressed the resolution of his rebuke from his first letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 7:6-13 (ESV)

6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

Pray for  TobyMac and TeamToby and pray for the tens of thousands of people who were mislead by the lie of that meme.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

OT | Crossing the Red Sea

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Illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company

Illustration from a Bible card published 1907
by the Providence Lithograph Company

Last week, in our Old Testament Study, we looked at Consecration and Redemption of the Firstborn in Exodus 13 and how it points to Christ as explained in the New Testament. This week, we will continue in Exodus 13 as we examine Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea and how that points ahead to our salvation and baptism.

Reminder of the Strong Hand of God

Let us start off with a reminder of the explanation God gave for the statue of consecrating and redeeming the firstborn.

Exodus 13:13-16 (ESV)

13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

This isn’t the first time we see this declaration. The same was provided as an explanation for the feast of unleavened bread and the Passover. What follows next is a return to the historical narrative from the legal prescriptions of remembrance of the exodus. All of Israel has left the service of Pharoah, with Egypt’s plunder and a hope of being taken to the lands promised to Abraham, the Land of the Canaanites, the Land flowing with milk and honey. Let us take a moment to remind ourselves of this covenant made between God and Abram.

Genesis 17:1-10 (ESV) | Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

This is the covenant of Abraham, of the circumcision. God promised the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. The children of Israel feared Pharoah, and to say they were reticent to have Moses promise them that God had sent him to them to lead them to the Promised Land would be a huge under statement. Slavery is all these people knew. No doubt that is why God has made it plain to them that the Passover, the unleavened bread, and the consecration of the firstborn are a testimony to what the Lord God has done for Israel, bringing them out of the House of Slavery (Egypt).  What we will see here, though, that their soil is indeed rocky (Parable of the Sower). Let’s continue in the historical narrative of Exodus 13.

Exodus 13:17-22 (ESV) | Pillars of Cloud and Fire

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

God knows our hearts. He sees the quality of the soil and knows that they are not yet ready to endure the sight of the Philistines. So the Lord leads them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night into the wilderness. While He is leading the people miraculously, and mightily, their faith is yet very weak. Let’s continue reading into the next chapter.

Exodus 14:1-9 (ESV) | Crossing the Red Sea

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

Where these places point on the modern map I cannot say with certainty. It is interesting here that the Lord chooses the location for Israel’s encounter with Pharaoh’s men. God chose a location facing Baal Zephon, undoubtedly a significant Egyptian site to one of their gods. Notice the Lord tells Moses what Pharaoh will say and that he will interpret Israel’s movement as chaotic and aimless, that the wilderness will shut them in. Ancient Egyptians idenfitified deities over various lands, so Pharaoh may have thought that while the God of Israel had defeated all of the primary gods of Egypt, that their god (or demon) of the wilderness had ensnared Israel. However it might have played out in Pharaoh’s unbelieving heart/mind, the Lord God indeed hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he sought out the destruction of Israel. I often wonder how much time must have passed between the death of all of the firstborn of Egypt to the time when Pharaoh took to the chase. The Bible does not say. It was long enough to amass quite a chariot army and give chase.

Exodus 14:10-14 (ESV)

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Rocky soil, weak faith. They cry out to the Lord and they turn on Moses, even pull out a “we told you to leave us alone”. Had God broken His promise? No. Despite all that the Lord had done for them, and let’s not forget that the pillar of fire and smoke is still present, when they saw the army of the Pharaoh, they are overcome with fear and are shaken in their faith in God.

Exodus 14:15-25 (ESV)

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 Andthe people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Wow. I’d like to draw your attention to something, in verse 18, and the Egyptians shall know… I found it interesting here that it doesn’t read “and all of Israel shall know”. I mean, it is Israel, who is has suddenly lost their faith. Interesting. Also backing up a bit to verse 17 where we see that God hardens the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will chase Israel through the Red Sea so that God will get glory over Pharaoh. This mighty hand of God moves for His glory, Soli Deo Gloria. The parting of the waters will both make a way of escape for Israel AND serve to bring Glory to God so that Egypt will know that the God of Israel is the Lord. Let’s continue before jumping to the New Testament.

Exodus 14:26-31 (ESV)

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

The victory belongs to the Lord. He utterly destroyed the Egyptian army that had gone after Israel. With a mighty Hand, the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, the house of slavery.

Alive and Free in Christ

The Passover points to Christ who presented Himself as our Passover Lamb, slain to redeem all of mankind to God, out of the kingdom of darkness, the house of slavery to sin. The crossing of the Red Sea points to our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at a portion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

Colossians 2:1-15 (ESV) | Alive in Christ

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Amen. Notice some of the familiar wording used, we have the reference to the circumcision (the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham), only this is a better circumcision. Having been buried in Him in baptism. As Israel crossed through the Red Sea, Egypt chased after, and God slowed the wheels of the chariots as they pursued. God nailed the record of debt, of slavery to sin, to the cross. Much like how God brought the waters crashing down upon the armies of Egypt so that they would not follow Israel out of the sea. Also notice how Paul closes this thought… that God disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Christ. The open shame experienced by Egypt was only a shadow of the open shame of the Kingdom of darkness in the triumph of Christ at the cross. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of the Kingdom of Darkness, from the house of slavery to sin. The next time you take communion, remember what God has done for you, and know that He alone is the Lord.

We will continue studying the Exodus and how it points to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. I do hope you will join us again next week. if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share.

Romans 16:25-27 (ESV) 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

May the Grace of God be with you today and always,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge