scripture

A Notable Sign, Evident to All

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day-of-pentecost-acts-2-38The topic of “faith healers” is growing around the world. Today we will look at what God actually did in the early church and highlight the problems with this fraudulent, self-aggrandizing faith healing “ministry”. We, the American Evangelical complex, exported this form of evangelism to places in Africa and South America where so-called faith healers rake in money. There is rampant fraud, false teaching, and false signs & wonders. To dig into each false ministry would consume all of our time here and would ultimately end in despair for the state of the church. Instead of doing that, let’s look to the Scriptures to see what is of the Spirit of Truth and what is of error.

I’ve said this a few times before, but I am not a cessationist. The question here isn’t whether or not God performs miracles today, it is whether or not He does them at the command of self-proclaimed “anointed ones” who mishandle God’s Word when they preach and can never seem to produce evidence of their claims of miraculous healing. When God performs a miracle, a sign, or a wonder, it is to glorify Him (Soli Deo Gloria). It was no different in the early church. The signs and wonders that accompanied the Apostles were to give authority to the Gospel they preached, and that Gospel was Jesus Christ. They did not preach themselves, they did not preach for selfish gain, they did not seek the approval of men. In fact, they were persecuted, beaten, and killed for the sake of Jesus Christ. I have absolutely no doubt that we serve a Living God who is the same God who created everything out of nothing and is able to heal. I’ve witnessed Him heal my Father of cancer and my little sister’s failing kidney. These miracles were unquestionably the work of God the Holy Spirit, and we give all Glory and Honor and Praise to God. No faith-healer was involved, none was needed.

The Lame Beggar Healed

In the book of Acts, Luke begins by recording Jesus’ final statements before ascending into Heaven. In them, Jesus promised they would receive the Gift of God the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 we see that promise fulfilled and we see the resulting miracle of tongues and the boldness of Peter to preach to all who had gathered to witness the miracle of hearing the wonders of God being proclaimed in each of their native languages, and many heard the call of the Gospel, to repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And many were added to the church on that day. Now, we will pick up at the start of chapter 3.

Acts 3 (ESV) | The Lame Beggar Healed
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.

Praise God. As you can see from the highlighting, this was no secret or private event. The Temple was the center of Jewish life, and this lame beggar was carried to the Beautiful Gate daily. The people knew who he was. They saw him as they entered the Temple and might have even given alms from time to time. Not only did he rise up and walk, but he leaped and entered the temple with Peter and John, praising God. Praising God… in the temple… for what He had done to him. And all the people saw him, recognized him, and were filled with wonder and amazement. Notice that this man didn’t just go away, never to be heard from again, he remained and in-fact clung to Peter and John.

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Peter makes plain that it was neither by their power nor their piety that made this lame man walk; rather, it was faith in the Name of Jesus that the man was made perfect in their presence. Faith in the Name of Jesus, for the Glory of His Name. Peter then reminds those in the temple of Moses who told them the Lord would raise up a prophet like Moses, and that they should listen to Him. He then reminds them that all prophets proclaimed the days of the Messiah, the very days in which they lived, (the Law and the Prophets) and Peter declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that He whom they killed was the Christ, Son of the Living God.

Acts 4 (ESV) | Peter and John Before the Council
4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

This was a whole-day affair. The Sadducees were greatly annoyed for 2 reasons. Firstly, they were greatly annoyed that Peter and John were teaching the people within the temple courts. How dare they! They are not scribes, teachers, lawyers, or priests! They have not been certified! Secondly, in their teaching of Jesus, they were proclaiming the resurrection from the dead. The Sadduccees did not believe in resurrection (Matt 22:23-33), one of the differences between them and the Pharisees. So they had Peter and John arrested and held over night since it was already evening.

Acts 4:5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

Now, don’t just breeze through this question. This isn’t merely an inquiry. What we have assembled here is a tribunal of sorts, those who were of the high-priestly family. It is of no little significance that Luke begins the next verse by specifying that God the Holy Spirit guided Peter’s response. This was a test that could very well lead to their death according to the Law of Moses in Deuteronomy 13. For that test didn’t rely on whether or not the sign or wonder had come true (clearly, the lame beggar was in-fact healed); rather, it hinged upon whether they pointed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let’s see Peter’s answer (prompted by the Holy Spirit).

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Wow. Straight to the Gospel, then the Psalms, then the Gospel. Declaring Jesus as the Christ, the only Name under heaven by which we must be saved. This is a huge statement. Let’s look at the Psalm to which verse 11 refers.

Psalm 118:19-24 (ESV)
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

So these members of the high-priestly family would not only have recognized the line quoted by Peter, they would undoubtedly have recalled the psalm and its prophetic implication. In such a short discourse Peter turned what was a test of a false prophet into a proclamation of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David, the Messiah. Let’s continue reading in Acts 4.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The man was still there, standing with Peter and John before the council and all the people as a testimony to the Name of Jesus Christ, and His Gospel preached by Peter and John. Why could they not punish these men? Because the people were praising God for what had happened. No one could deny that a notable sing had been performed and it was evident to all the inhabitants.

The Focus of Ministry is the Gospel

The focus of ministry is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the signs and wonders. A point we will continue to try to make here is that “signs and wonders” are meaningless on their own. Even according to the Law we know that what is taught is the measure by which we identify a false prophet, NOT whether or not the sign or wonder comes to pass! The teaching, the doctrine, the Scriptures far exceed the manifestations and signs and miracles. Our sense are easily manipulated and deceived. So many of these so-called faith healers preach false doctrines as a means of selfish gain. Many resort to parlor tricks and misdirection to ensnare the weak and immature. If salvation is a gift from God freely given, how then do we accept the false teaching that healing or blessings from God require “planting a financial seed” into the hands of the self-proclaimed anointed one? Paul talked about these, pejoratively calling them “super apostles” in 2 Corinthians 11.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (ESV) | Paul and the False Apostles
11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 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.

2 Corinthians 11:19-20 (ESV) 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.

Very strong words from the Apostle Paul. These false Apostles enslaved those who should have known better, for they had been taught the pure Word by Paul. Yet these so-called apostles came in and deceived the church, taught a different Jesus, imparted a different spirit, and took money from them, took advantage of them, put on airs, and even struck them in the face, and they endured the foolishness. Paul is enraged by the super-apostles and disappointed in the sheep who allowed themselves to be mislead. However, he loves them in Christ, enough to rebuke them and set them straight in his letter. To think that in this day we still bear with the likes of Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, and T.B. Joshua.

We have so much more available to us today than what Peter and John had to work with in Acts 3. They had only the Law and the Prophets and God the Holy Spirit by which they could teach the Gospel of Christ to the people. And they could not carry with them the Law and the Prophets, they relied completely on God the Holy Spirit to guide them. We have that same Spirit as a promised by Jesus, and we also have ready access to the Law and the Prophets, and the New Testament foundation laid by the Apostles. With so much given to us by God the Holy Spirit, there is no excuse to still be carried about by every wind of doctrine. In closing, let us look to how Paul closes out this letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 13:2-14 (ESV) 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen. Remain in the Word of God, and continue preaching repentance and the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the promise of the Holy Spirit.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

The Bread & Water of Jesus

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Rock of Horeb by Mariano David Otero ©2010-2014 MarianoDavidOtero

Rock of Horeb by Mariano David Otero ©2010-2014 MarianoDavidOtero

To get this week started on a Gospel note, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the foreshadowing of the Gospel of Jesus found in Exodus. Today, we’ll look at Jesus’s claims of being the bread and water of life. Let’s begin with a look at the account in Exodus.

Exodus 16:1-5 (ESV) | Bread from Heaven
1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Exodus 16:31-34 (ESV)31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.

Now, if you remember back in our discussion of the Testimony, you know that here it references the Ark of the Testimony, later called the Ark of the Covenant. Inside of the Ark are the stone tablets of the Testimony, the 10 Commandments. If you read the full chapter, you will see that God also sent quail into the camp at night, so that the children of Israel can also have meat. We are skipping this portion for this study because Jesus did not refer back to the quail, but He did teach regarding the manna from heaven.

John 6:25-40 (ESV)25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Amen. Notice that the Jews with whom Jesus spoke knew the Law. They knew that the manna from heaven served as a testimony, only they were confused as to whom the manna testified. They believed it proved that Moses was giving them the Law from God. The error is slight, and it is subtle, but Jesus identifies it perfectly when He clarifies “it was not Moses who gave you the bread…” The testimony was not of Moses, it was of God the Father. Like the stone tablets of the Testimony, while the Law did come into their midst in the hands of Moses, it was to point the children of Israel to God the Father, not to Moses. Similarly, the Law and the manna were pointing to Jesus, the Son of Man. Jesus declared Himself to be both the Son of Man (descendant of Adam promised to crush the head of the serpent) AND the Manna Sent from Heaven, sent by God the Father to grant eternal life to everyone who looks on Him and Believes. This is another place where we see the “Fully Man” and “Fully God” identity of Jesus Christ laid out in Scripture by His own teaching. Notice here that Jesus is the bread of life and that whoever comes to Him will not hunger. We see in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” and many times we see the double meaning of this passage as both asking God to meet our daily bodily need for food as well as spiritual nourishment in the Word of God. But we also see Jesus declare that whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Since this statement comes connected to His declaration that He is the manna sent from heaven, it stands to reason that the reference to thirst may also stem from Exodus, and it does. Let’s turn to the very next chapter in Exodus.

Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV) 1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Here at the start of Chapter 17, we find the children of Israel leaving the wilderness of Sin. While the temptation to allegorize the English name of this wilderness, the Hebrew doesn’t quite point in that direction. The Hebrew word translated Sin here is (Ciyn) is different from the Hebrew word for sin as in something that is sinful (chatta’ath). Ciyn translates into “thorn” or “clay”, but here it is referencing an actual place, an area of wilderness where there is no water, especially not enough for all of the Israelites here.

There is significance in God’s command for Moses to take the staff with which he struck the Nile (as commanded by God)  when God turned the River Nile into blood as the first plague of judgement upon Pharaoh. Moses was to strike the rock at Horeb so that Israel would know that it was God who led them out of Egypt. The split in the rock comes after a blow of judgment, and from the split comes a flow of water to quench the thirst of the children of God. This also points ahead to the cross, where Christ would lay down His life and bear the full wrath of God that was due us for our sin, so that in Him we might have eternal life.

John 19:28-37 (ESV) 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

The water flowed after the Rock was pierced. By the blood of Jesus Christ, the debt we could not pay was paid for by Him. All who look upon the Son and believe in Him will never thirst, for in Him they will find Living Water. This is a call of the Gospel that goes out to all people, both Jew and Gentile.

John 7:37-39 (ESV) 37 On the last day of the feast [of booths], the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 4:7-15 (ESV) 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

The call goes out to everyone, Gentile and Jew. At the feast of booths, Jesus is talking to Jews who are observing the Law. The call to come to Jesus all who are thirsty includes believers. We must not get so caught up in observing the Law that we lose sight of the Gospel and become thirsty ourselves.

The Gospel for Today and Tomorrow

The Jews in Jesus’s day looked back to the Law as testimony of Moses, but failed to recognize the fulfillment of the Law in their day, in the very body and ministry of Jesus. Sadly, I fear that many Christians fall in the same trap, only now they do it with the Gospel. They think of the Gospel as something they needed to “get saved” or “be born again” sometime in the past, and then go through life trying to sanctify themselves by works of the Law, forgetting that the Gospel isn’t just something you needed at one time or that took place once in your life, but the Gospel is for our every day. Give us this day our Daily Bread, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is needed every day. We need forgiveness and remission of sins daily, and we have not yet fully grasped the promise of the Gospel, for we each will still die for our earthly bodies are corrupt. The fountains of living water, the eternal life as a promise for all who believe are prizes that lay ahead of us, in the great tomorrow, the Day of our Salvation.

Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV) 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

There’s still more to come for God’s people. Don’t allow the charlatans and the peddlers of false gospels distract you from the Promise of the Kingdom to come. This temporal life is a but a vapor, a breath of time. While we are here, let us be faithful stewards, striving to do the works of God so that His Will might be done in all the earth. What is that work? Well, as Jesus said earlier, that we believe in Jesus Christ who was sent by God, so that whoever looks upon the Son and believes will have eternal life. This is the work of the Gospel, and our charge as stewards of the Gospel.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you firmly in His Will,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

You Shall Not Worship God That Way

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bibleI keep seeing supposed leaders of the church searching for “secrets” for worshiping or seeking God hidden in the occult, the new age, paganism, kabbalah, etc. and it disgusts me. Not only are these forms not taught in scripture, God’s word forbids it. You shall not worship the Lord Your God in that way. I apologize in advance that this post will not likely be one of my most eloquent of blogs.

False Prophets and False Teachers

Most of these false teachers twist scripture in ways that are easily discerned by simply looking at what the Word of God says in context. But it seems that when they get bored of twisting the Word of God they like to dig into false religions and adopting pagan practices and think that they can be used by Christians to worship or communicate with the One True God. The Apostle Peter pointed out that Proverbs 26:11 applies to such false teachers:

2 Peter 2 (ESV) | False Prophets and Teachers
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. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

I was going to try to trim down the quote, but to properly track the pronoun use (the highlighted “they”), it became necessary to include the full chapter. Peter is specifically calling out the false prophets and false teachers. He does not mix his words, and he does not leave any “wiggle room”. They face a fate worse than that of never having heard the Gospel. Think about that for a minute… without the Gospel we face a fate that we’ve earned, one of wrath. Those who have been given the Gospel and then turn aside chasing after the defilements of the world leading others to the same (false prophets and teachers enticing the unsteady souls) face a worse judgement. As we saw previously in James 3:1, “…for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (ESV), there is precedent for such a concept. Peter also makes it clear that he isn’t just saying someone whose heart is after God but lacks understanding (though James points out that such a person who teaches will be judged more strictly), Peter is identifying all of the markings of a false teacher and false prophet. Wolves who prey upon Christ’s sheep. Sheep who He left under the charge and protection of the Elders of His Church (beginning with the Apostles continuing to this day).

The Bible is the ONLY Source of Knowledge About the One True God

While I am not a cessationist, I do believe the canon of scripture to be closed. Therefore, God’s revelation of Himself, His Kingdom, and His Return, is complete until the events Prophesied in Scripture actually come to pass. In the meantime, we are to take EVERYTHING we hear and measure it against the Word of God, the Bible, to know if it is of God. We know that when God wrote the first tablets of the Law, He declared them the Tablets of the Testimony. They Testified of Him, God the Father. In the Law, God makes absolutely clear that we are not to attempt to worship the One True God in a manner that we learn from the world. Let’s look in Deuteronomy 12.

Deuteronomy 12:1-4  (ESV) 1 “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.

The full chapter is worth reading and studying with the understanding that there are portions of the Law that were permanently fulfilled in Christ, never to be repeated. Such as the one physical Temple and the daily Sacrifices, whose fulfillment in Christ is clearly laid out in the book of Hebrews. For this discussion, let us skip down to the closing portion of this chapter.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 (ESV) | Warning Against Idolatry
29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32  “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

Although the title is not part of the Scriptural text, it is a section heading included by the translators of the ESV, to help the reader understand the context of the following portion. It is very interesting to me that while it is included under “idolatry” the question isn’t about which God is to be served; rather, this is a question of the manner in which we are to serve/worship God. This is a portion of the Law where God reveals something about Himself, that He will not honor forms of worship derived from the world, from those who have worshiped false gods. For the Lord hates those forms of worship. Hates.

Oh sure, this will get a fast and boisterous “Amen!” when we refer to human sacrifice, temple prostitution, and setting up an Asherah pole in church. But what about Yoga? Transcendental Meditation? Channeling? Spirit Guides? Laberyinth prayers? Asceticism? Monasticism? Numerology? Divination? Praying to graven images? Lectio divina? How strong your “Amen” remains depends largely on your knowledge of what the Word of God says and where these practices originate.

The Colossians struggled with the influence of mystical, ancient, foreign teachings and forms of worship. Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul had to say.

Colossians 1:11-23 (ESV) 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. 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.

Now, this highlighted portion is sometimes twisted out of context to justify the search for alternate means of knowing, worshiping, and pleasing God outside of Scripture. There is nothing in Scripture that suggests that what we read about God in Deuteronomy 12 has ever changed; in fact, God does not change. We do know that Jesus declared all foods clean, and God reiterated it to Peter in Acts.

Colossians 2:6-23(ESV) 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. 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.

If anyone… anyone comes to you with strange teachings, or so-called “spiritual practices”, or hidden principles, or new revelations regarding how to please God, hear God, or to compel God in any way to answer your prayers, stop… take out your Bible… and say “show me in here”. I don’t care if they can point to a 3rd century monk, it wasn’t an Apostle, it is not Scripture. Sola Scriptura is the only sure way of knowing it is of God.

Be alert, not many of the false teachers are willing to divulge the origins of their teachings. Many will pull Gospel texts out of context to suggest that Jesus practiced some of these techniques or they will simply declare “God showed me this” and throngs of Christians will simply say, “sounds legit!” without batting an eye.

Much of this problem comes as a result of improperly teaching Scripture. When churches lose sight of properly dividing Law and Gospel, and slip into Law > Gospel > Law emphasis, it pushes Christians into a false ideology where Salvation is by Grace but making God happy with us is something we have to do on our own. That’s not the Gospel… that’s Law. It becomes particularly dangerous when the Laws taught post-Gospel end up being man-made laws and not even scriptural… that’s false teaching, and it destroys souls. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of your denomination, stick to the written Word of God. Bury it in your hearts, and keep it on your minds always. Learn to rightly identify Law and Gospel, knowing that we need both in equal measure, for it is the Testimony of God. The Holy Spirit is alive in each of us who are in Christ as a promise to us and a seal of His Salvation. He will grant us understanding of the Word, and He does not speak on His own, but will always point us to Christ. There are things in scripture we will not fully grasp until Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Until that great and glorious day, let us hold fast to the Word of God, and the Mystery of Christ, that is the Gospel.

Colossians 4:2-6 (ESV) 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

May the Lord Bless you and keep you firmly in His Will,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

CTT | Mockery is Condemnation

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18 century icon painter - Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia

18 century icon painter – Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia

We need to practice Biblical discernment in everything we do. We must share the Truth in Love. Rebuke and Admonition are unpleasant and often despised and resisted. We are often tempted to resort to mockery of those who refuse to repent. When we engage in mockery, we are pronouncing judgment and condemning the object of our mockery. We are no longer seeking repentance from the one being mocked, and this can be problematic even if we are in the right. Today I want to address the topic of bringing correction to those who are stubborn in their sin or false doctrine and reject sound doctrine and what is at stake when we resort to mockery… when we are in the right. A fool mocks from a position of error, and that is not what we will be addressing today.

Elijah Mocked the Prophets of Baal

Yes, he did. Some point to Elijah as their justification for engaging in mockery. I want to take a look at what is happening in context so that there is no mistaking what is going on in the story. To rightly understand the story of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal, we need to first understand who Ahab was. For that, let’s begin in 1 Kings 16.

1 Kings 16:29-34 (ESV)29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Now, not to get too sidetracked, did you notice that in the days of Ahab, Hiel built Jericho at the cost of 2 sons? Well, it points all of the way back to the days of Joshua, when the God destroyed Jericho on behalf of His people, Israel. If we turn briefly to Joshua 6.

Joshua 6:26-27 (ESV) 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Okay, so here we have a wicked King over the northern kingdom of Israel. More wicked than any before him. His wickedness trumps that of Jeroboam in that he takes as a bride the daughter of the king of Sidon. Ahab then worships Baal, builds a temple for Baal in Samaria (the capital city of the northern Kingdom of Israel) and sets up an Asherah. Idolatry. Ahab provoked the Lord, the God of Israel to anger. So God sends His prophet to Ahab.

1 Kings 17:1 (ESV) 17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Now, the story follows Elijah as he goes into hiding while the judgment of the Lord falls upon Israel. Judgement provoked by the sin of Ahab.

1 Kings 18:1-6 (ESV)  18 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, 4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

Now we see that Jezebel began killing the prophets of the Lord, and Obadiah hid 100 prophets in groups of 50 and fed them in secret. So, not only is Ahab worshiping a false God, his wife had also openly attack the prophets of the Lord God. It had not rained for 3 years, and the famine was rough. While Elijah was indeed a prophet of God, and heard from God directly, the shutting of the sky as a punishment for the sin of Israel is not spontaneous nor should it have been unexpected. Why? Because according to the Law, the Covenant with Moses, God already warned Israel of the punishments or curses for disobedience. We can find it in Deuteronomy 28, but specifically verse 24 states, “The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.” So, the Prophet Elijah brought the Word of the Lord to Ahab, and the sign given (lack of rain) points back to the Law of Moses. Ahab doesn’t get, as we’ll see in a moment, but the sign and wonder doesn’t point to Elijah, it points to God. This is Ahab’s first recorded warning, 3 years of drought.

1 Kings 18:17-19 (ESV) 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Ahab doesn’t get it. He had completely forgotten who was God of Israel, and considered Israel his own, a nation of his making, a nation that followed Baal. He did not recognize the true cause for the drought and accused Elijah of being the troubler of Israel. While 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah ate at Jezebel’s table.

1 Kings 18:20-24 (ESV)  20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”

Elijah called an assembly of the people of Israel and charged them to choose whom they will serve, whether the One True God of Israel, or Baal. And the people remained silent. This was a second appeal to the Children of Israel to repent and reject the idols and false god Baal, and return to the True God of Israel. The Israelites responded properly to Joshua, but those assembled before Elijah fell silent. Repentance would not come without a sign. Whenever I read Matthew 12, I wonder if this very moment is part of what went through Jesus’ mind when he responded to the scribes, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign…” (Matthew 12:38-42).

1 Kings 18:25-40 (ESV) 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

The false prophets stood condemned long before God consumed the altar with fire. Their fate was already sealed according to the Law of Moses.

Deuteronomy 13:4-5 (ESV) 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Judgement had come to Israel. So why did Elijah mock the false prophets? Not for their sake, not for their repentance; rather, so that they would double-down and leave no room for doubt that they had fully exhausted everything they had into their apostasy, for the sake of the witness of Israel. Israel’s silence, while a failure, at least shielded them from being put to death along with the false prophets. They repented immediately at the sign of the Lord God, and they obeyed Elijah’s command to seize the false prophets. Elijah put them to death, as required by the Law.

Now lets look at something very cool. Turn with me to 2 Chronicles 7 (yes, this is before the events in 1 Kings 18) to the dedication of the Temple built by King Solomon.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (ESV)7 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:11-14 (ESV) 11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The people should have recognized the 3 year drought as a sign of rebuke for their sin. They should have repented. They did not. Notice also here that the fire being called down from heaven was not new to Israel. This is how the Lord God answered Solomon’s prayer that began 2 Chronicles 6. So even the sign that Elijah proposed points back to the Lord God. God had already done this for His people. And the significance of that fire points back to when God lead the Children of Israel in the wilderness at night. How great is the Mercy and Grace of our God!

Conclusion

There is a time for mockery, but it is always a sign of judgement and condemnation. Israel will continue to sin and chase after false gods, and God makes a mockery of her among the nations. Hence the eventual scattering of the 10 tribes of Israel, leaving only Judah and Levi. They, too, are sent into Exile for 70 years, when they can repent and cry out to God.

We must rebuke false teaching, and silence false teachers. We must do so in love and humility, for it is not by our power or authority, but by the Word of God. You cannot mock a professing Christian in the name of “reaching out to them that they might repent”, that is not what mockery does. One who continues in sin, rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sound doctrine (defined by the Word of God, not the doctrines of men), then mockery may be in order so that the one who stands condemned by their own might be a warning to all who believe. Mocking someone who is caught in sin will harden his/her heart before it leads to repentance. Elijah didn’t begin with mockery, he closed with it… and then he put the false prophets to death.  Notice, this entire study has been under the singular premise that the one mocking was undeniably correct and spoke the Word of the Lord. Mocking someone from a position of error adds sin upon sin and invites condemnation of its own. Ultimately, we should be slow to mock, quick to forgive, and we should always point others to the Word of God and to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

May the Peace of God remain with you,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Knowledge is Power?

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BaconQuoteThis past Labor Day I spent a little over 9 hours on the road unaccompanied. There was a billboard sign promoting some college or university that caught my attention and all it said was “Knowledge is Power”. A quote often attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, one of the so-called “great philosophers” you will undoubtedly study if you take a Philosophy or History of Philosophy class.

The thought that immediately came to mind was, “not all knowledge is power”. So, let’s take this oft-quoted truism and test it against the Word of God.

Did God Actually Say…?

Let’s start with the first appearance of “knowledge” in the Scriptures. For this, we reach all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV) 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:1-5 (ESV) 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:22-23 (ESV) 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

God forbade Adam to eat of one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan steps in to tempt Eve to eat of the fruit of that tree, and notice how he did it. He offers Eve a “why” that was a lie. In so doing, he accuses God of withholding power from her. Satan tells her that the reason she is not allowed to eat of the fruit isn’t that she will die; rather, it is so that she will not have the power of knowledge thus keeping her from being like God. What knowledge did Adam and Eve gain from the fruit of the tree? Only the knowledge of evil. Notice the grace of God steps in immediately, in that He made sure to prevent man from eating of the fruit of the tree of Life. Spiritual death happened immediately in the sin. The flesh was defiled by the same sin and would complete the penalty required by sin, complete death. God did not let man live eternally in a cursed and fallen flesh. A way was already made for the redemption of mankind, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; therefore, sinful man was prevented from partaking of the fruit of the tree of Life. Praise God.

Getting back to the knowledge gained, Adam already knew God; therefore, he already knew good. God is the very definition of good. Mark 10:18 (ESV) And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Now Jesus is God and is also good, but the rich young ruler had not acknowledged Jesus as God; therefore, he had no basis upon which to call Jesus “good”. Which vaults us into the next topic, the Biblical definition of Knowledge that is Power.

Knowledge of Him

If you search the ESV for “knowledge” you get a lot of results, the vast majority of them would seem to support the truism “knowledge is power”; however, as we’ve established, that statement does not reflect truth on its own. There is knowledge that leads to death, as we saw in the garden. The knowledge of evil, of sin, leads to death. Man sinned in the garden, and died, separating us from the only knowledge that has any power, the knowledge of God. Let us look at some of the Biblical passages that clearly define what knowledge we are to be seeking.

2 Chronicles 1:7-13 (ESV) 7 In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” 8 And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” 11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Luke 11:31 (ESV)31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (ESV)14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Ephesians 1:16-21 (ESV)16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Solomon’s great wisdom and knowledge came directly from God the Father, and from no other place. His sin was in allowing false knowledge, false doctrines, and false gods to take up residence in Israel, through his very own fleshly failings in the taking of brides from other nations and allowing their idolatry. Still we see Jesus teaching in reference to the wisdom of Solomon and immediately declaring that something greater than Solomon was in their midst. That something is Jesus Christ, the very standard of Good and the embodiment of Truth and Knowledge. We see plainly that Paul pointed to the Knowledge of Christ as the key factor for our salvation. For if we fail to accept the Knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, we remain powerlessly dead to sin. Notice also, that Paul separates himself from the peddlers of God’s word, in that only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the knowledge of Christ, are we made right with God. Many peddle the scriptures, tossing out verses, twisting God’s words for gain, or for a laugh, or to tempt and lead astray even the elect of God. Satan twisted God’s words in the garden by inserting lies. Satan twisted scripture in his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Peddlers of God’s Word. But as Paul said in 2 Corinthians “Thanks be to God” for giving us His Word and for sending us His Holy Spirit so that we might grow in the Knowledge of Christ.

False Knowledge Still Kills

1 Timothy 6:3-21 (ESV) 1 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.

There is only one Truth, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The truism, is misleading. It is often used to suggest that when one obtains knowledge, one obtains power. That isn’t true. For one, the only way to “obtain knowledge” is by grace, through faith, and that not of our selves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2). And faith comes through hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Knowledge is not a power for us to obtain; rather, it is the only way of salvation, the only way that we might be made alive in Christ rather than dead in our sin.

In Jesus Christ our Lord, to God be the glory forever, Amen.
Jorge