jeffersonvann

Deliver me, my God!

Psalm 3:1-8 ^NET

¹ A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. LORD, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. ² Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” (Selah) ³ But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you grant me honor and give me renewed strength. ⁴ To the LORD I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah) ⁵ I rested and slept; I awoke, for the LORD protects me. ⁶ I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions. ⁷ Rise up, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. ⁸ The LORD delivers; you show favor to your people. (Selah)

The Bible is the most relevant literature that you and I will ever read. God speaks to us through it, because it is his word. But we sometimes have problems hearing what God is saying. Expository sermons can help. We are beginning a series of expository sermons on the Psalms today. Each Sunday, we are going to take you on a tour of a psalm. We want to serve as reading assistants. We will walk you through the process of discovering what is there.

Today I’m going to try to help you discover what is in Psalm 3. I will also be talking about the discovery process a lot, because you will find that it can help you in your own study of the Bible.

Why do I start at Psalm 3? If you look at Psalm 1, it is — more or less– instructional. It’s an example of what the scholars call a Torah psalm. It instructs us on the right way to live. Psalm 2 would be classified a royal psalm. It focuses on praise for the king, and predicts something about the Messiah. Psalm 3 is an individual lament. That’s where I want to start because I want to show how our praise can flow from our present problems.

When I’m studying a text, one of the first questions that I ask is the BACKGROUND question. What things do I need to know so that I can hear the words of this psalm just like the original hearers heard it.

That’s an important question because there a lot of barriers that keep me from understanding this psalm. Time has gone by. I live in a different culture that the psalmist and his original audience. We live different lives and have different experiences.

The more I know about the background and history of the words, the better I can understand them.

Psalm 3 gives us some help with the background question. It tells us that the author is David, and that he wrote it “when he fled from his son Absalom.” For the full story, read 2 Samuel, chapters 13-19. The short story is this: Absalom decided he would be a better king than his father, and organized a civil war. He succeeded in forcing David to flee Jerusalem. While regrouping, David wrote this psalm.

I think this feeling of betrayal that David expressed here is also the reason for this psalm being placed in book one. You might have noticed that the Psalms are divided into five books. These books correspond to the first five books of the Bible, so Psalm 3 is placed in the Genesis section. That section highlights the fact that we are God’s creatures, and we need him.

Now that we have a little bit of background, let’s proceed to the WORD STUDY question. Are there any words in the text that are unusual words that we might need to clarify their meaning?

Yeah, here’s one: What is a psalm? A psalm is a formal song. The psalms were the songs sung in the temple worship, and later in the formal religious ceremonies of the Jewish families and in the synagogues. Some of the psalms did not begin as liturgy. Psalm 3 began as the heart cry of David after his son betrayed him, and thousands were trying to kill him. The message of the psalm goes back to that original context, so anyone singing or praying it after that needs to make sure that they stay true to David’s meaning.

Like Psalm 2, many of the psalms also contained allusions to a future Messiah. Because of this, Psalms is one of the most quoted books in the NT. So we can also find Jesus in the psalms.

There are verbal clues to the STRUCTURE of this psalm. We do find “selahs” at the end of verses 1,3, and 8, but I think they are serving more for musical purposes. There are four shifts in subject: from the enemies (1-2) to the LORD (3-5), to David (6), then back to the LORD (7-8).

So, now we are ready to summarize the message of this psalm.

FIRST, we see David’s PROBLEMS).

¹ A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. LORD, how numerous are my enemies! Many attack me. ² Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” (Selah)

David had been betrayed, and was in danger of being destroyed. He was overwhelmed with his problems and his own insufficiency to solve them. Have you ever felt that way? I have. Some people think that God keeps us from having problems. That was not the way it was for David. Not for us either. Our problems serve as a gate through which we enter his presence for worship.

SECOND, we see David’s PROVISION(3-5).

³ But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you grant me honor and give me renewed strength. ⁴ To the LORD I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah) ⁵ I rested and slept; I awoke, for the LORD protects me.

David gets his eyes off his problems, and turns them on his deliverer. He sees God as his battle shield, who protects him as he fights. He remembers how he has found times of rest when he faced struggles in the past (Goliath, the Philistines, Saul). So he decides to trust God for protection, honor and strength now.

THIRD, we see David’s POSITION (6).

⁶ I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions.

Here is a lesson for all of us – a lesson in courage. True courage is not channeling our inner Chuck Norris, and saying “bring it on, I can handle this.” True courage is looking squarely into our impossible situation and saying “I am not afraid because God is with me.”

Please note that David’s situation had not changed. He was still being attacked by “a multitude of people” who were coming “from all directions.”

FINALLY, we see David’s PRAYER (7-8).

⁷ Rise up, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. ⁸ The LORD delivers; you show favor to your people. (Selah)

This psalm does not end in a resolution, it ends with a petition. The psalm is not all about the problem, it is about David getting his eyes off his problem, and back on to God. I cannot promise you that prayer is going to solve your problems. I can promise you that prayer can help you to refocus on your deliverer.

We are not reading Psalm 3 today because David found a way to overcome a civil war and won back his throne. We are reading Psalm 3 today because it was a prayer that God answered.

The apostle Peter gives us the New Testament corollary to this psalm:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

Now we are ready for the big idea:

OVERWHELMING PROBLEMS ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO TRUST GOD TO DELIVER US.

I don’t know what your overwhelming problems are. But if you are experiencing them right now, I can assure you that God wants to be your shield and strength. Let the rest of us pray for you.

Father, we want to intercede for those in our fellowship today who are experiencing overwhelming problems. LORD, they are being attacked, and we want to stand with them. But we also want them to know that You are standing with them, and you are going to provide all the help they need. These problems are opportunities for them to trust you for deliverance. Be very real to them right now, and make your presence known to them. Help them to stay close to you as they wait for your deliverance.

Maybe you do not feel overwhelmed by problems right now. That’s OK too. But this psalm speaks to you too. The reason David could trust God in troubled times is that he never forgot where his victorious times came from. Cultivate your relationship with him now, so that when the attacks are coming from every direction, you can draw strength from that relationship.

LORD, we thank you for our brothers and sisters who are experiencing your strength and deliverance right now. Help them to cultivate their relationship with you, so that they can stand in faith and confidence in you when the trying times come.

I have one more prayer. But first, let me explain why we need it. God has a purpose for everything that happens to us. His ultimate purpose is to bring us into a relationship with him, because he wants us to be his adopted children for eternity. He actually gives us difficulties as a gift, because they can lead us to him – to that relationship. Maybe you are here today, and you are not really sure that you have a relationship with God. You can come to him at any time. You do not need to feel anything special, and you do not need any miraculous signs. All you need to do is recognize that you need God in your life permanently. You can get that relationship for free; all you have to do is ask.

But just because you can get it for free does not mean that it comes cheap. For any human being to have an eternal relationship with God is absolutely impossible, because we are all born sinners. Our ancestors rebelled against God and plunged us all into a depravity that we cannot change. All our righteousness is as filthy rags to God. So, what we could not do because of our sin, Jesus did for us. He came as one of us, lived a sinless life, and died a sacrificial death on the cross. That death was God’s judgment on our sin. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we celebrate God’s grace in accepting Christ’s death instead of our own.

If you are here this morning, and you are without Christ in your life, I invite you to accept him into your life by taking of the symbols of his death. The bread symbolizing his broken body, and the cup symbolizing his shed blood. Do this as an act of faith. All you need to know is that his death was for you. The rest of us do it for the same reason. We are celebrating God’s grace.

LORD, for all of those who do not really know if you are there to deliver them or not, I pray that this day is the day they find Christ. You want to deliver them from their present problems, and you want to give them eternal life. Come into their lives as their ultimate deliverer today. May they celebrate your grace today.

invaded

“…the dwelling place of God is with man…” (Rev. 21:3).

· Tomorrow will be a day of homecoming for God.

· The Christian hope is not about going somewhere to be with God.

· It is about God’s plan to invade humanity with his glory forever.

If you ask many Christians what their purpose in life is, they might say something like “to get to heaven.” This is the kind of mindset made popular by evangelistic preachers of the last few centuries. But they have created that mindset by consistently misquoting and misrepresenting the promises of Scripture.

Billy Graham’s heaven

I have deep respect for Dr. Billy Graham and his life of service to the Lord, but his sermons and writings actually serve as an example of this problem. He quotes John 14:3, which has Jesus saying “Where I am, there you may be also.” So he uses that verse to prove that heaven is the goal of the Christian, and that one can get there when he or she dies.[1] But Jesus’ promise in John 14:3 is not about death at all. He says “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”[2] The hope that Jesus promised was not the hope of going to God at death, but the hope of Christ coming back to take us – not to heaven – but to himself. This distinction is all the more important when we realize that Jesus’ purpose when he returns is to reign on this earth! The last thing a true Christian should want is to be away in some place called heaven when the Savior is reigning on earth.

Graham spoke of heaven like a journey to a place that you had to decide to go, and purchase a ticket for in this life. He spoke of Jesus’ blood as the price that paid that ticket, and quoted John 14:6 as a proof text.[3] True, Jesus did say “No one comes to the Father except through me.” But he was not speaking at all about a place one gets to go to because of the atonement. The way to the Father was reconciliation of a relationship, not the fare for a new location.

Graham sees this location described in the book of Revelation. He says that John had “caught a glimpse of heaven” and described it there. So he concludes that “when we get to heaven, all the elements that made for unhappiness on earth will be gone. Think of a place where there is no sin, no sorrow, no insecurities, no quarrels, no selfishness, no racism, no misunderstandings, no hurt feelings, no worries, no pain, no sickness, no suffering, no death.” [4]

The believer’s hope in Revelation

But can we allow the Bible to determine what the Christian’s hope is? If we actually look at the book of Revelation, it describes the hope of the believer in this way:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”[5]

John does not see a people coming up to heaven from earth. He sees a city coming down out of the sky from God. He sees God himself invading earth. In fact, John describes both advents as invasions from outer space. He said “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”[6] That was the first advent, when Jesus Christ came and lived among us. At the second advent, when Jesus returns, all of God’s holiness will come down to earth with him.

the temple from Genesis to Revelation

G.K. Beale’s phenomenal book The Temple and the Church’s Mission[7] argued that all of the Bible’s descriptions of the presence of God among men — from Eden to the eschaton — were pictures of God’s ultimate purpose. His purpose in the Old Testament and the New will culminate in his coming down to us, and residing among us. The tabernacle, and later, each successive temple was a physical and prophetic manifestation of that plan. Jesus’ first advent was an even more specific physical manifestation of God’s glory among us. Like all the temples before him, the temple of Jesus’ body was destined for destruction. But his resurrection signaled that death will not be the end of the Holy Spirit indwelling the church. In fact, even the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is merely a guarantee of a future, permanent indwelling.[8]

Shachanti

Notice, for example, these instances of the Hebrew word Shachanti (I will dwell) in the Old Testament).

· “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”[9]

· “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.”[10]

· “And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”[11]

· “Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.”[12]

· “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.”[13]

· “And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.”[14]

· “Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.”[15]

The holiness of God’s people was directly related to his presence among them.[16] The temple was to be a manifestation of that dwelling and that holiness. But even Solomon recognized that the temple served only as a symbolic reflection of the presence.[17] God intends to dwell in the midst of humanity in a deeper, more real sense. He intends to invade the planet, bringing his holiness and sinlessness to the whole universe. Once the universe is purged of every evil thing, and everyone not found in the Lamb’s book of life has died the second death, God will come down to reside among us forever. His presence will ensure that the new earth remains pure and sinless forever. That is what the Bible story is all about.

Christ’s role in the plan

Jesus serves as the crucial figure in the process of making that divine plan happen. He came and pitched his tent (Greek: skénoō) among us,[18] and because of what he did, the dwelling place (Greek: skénoō) will be “with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”[19] John sees that ultimate event as a tremendous uncountable crowd of people redeemed from every nation on earth. These “are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter (Greek: skénōsei) them with his presence.”

Ezekiel’s temple

The prophet Ezekiel described a future temple that would be constructed as part of the new holy city.[20] Some interpreters believe he is describing a physical temple that will be built during the millennial reign of Christ, but the New Testament use of the word temple to describe Christ[21] or Christian believers[22] would make a new physical temple superfluous. It would be reverting to the type after the arrival of its fulfillment. It makes more sense to see Ezekiel’s temple as an allegorical reflection on God’s will for redeeming Israel by restoring his glorious presence in eternity. As such, it is essentially the same message that John gives in Revelation, albeit John is speaking of the eternal sanctification of all who are in Christ, while Ezekiel concentrated on a sanctified Israel.

the kingdom from the sky

The key to this ultimate sanctified community is the presence of God coming down to earth and establishing his kingdom. This kingdom can be sought now, and by trusting in Christ a person can enter this kingdom of God by faith. But it can also be inherited, because its final fulfillment has not yet come. It is called “the kingdom of God”[23] because it is the same thing as the eternal relationship with God that John pictures in Revelation. It is also called “the kingdom from the sky”[24] because it will descend from the sky as John describes in Revelation.

The unanimous mistranslation of hé basileía tōn ouranōn as “the kingdom of heaven” is unfortunate, because it has added to the misconception that the goal of Christianity is to get people to a new location after they die. That notion fit well with the pagan understandings of the first few centuries that the goal of a good life was release into the heavenly realms, but it has never fit with what the Bible proclaims as God’s ultimate purpose. His purpose (as revealed in Revelation 20:3) is for his presence to come down and reside eternally with us. This is why John the Baptist, proclaiming this coming kingdom, urged his people to “make his paths straight.”[25] The picture is not one of our making ourselves ready for a trip up to him, but of making ourselves ready for his trip down to us.

Both the Hebrew word shamayim and the Greek word ouranos can sometimes refer to the place where God dwells with his angels. But both words are also the normal, everyday words used for the sky, as opposite the Hebrew erets and the Greek gé. Both of those words are somewhat consistently translated into English as “earth.” But the words almost invariably simply mean “land” as opposite “sky.” The consistent mistranslation of these words in combination: “heaven and earth” has bolstered an unbiblical cosmology, as if the universe can be divided into two distinct places. Man lives on a place called earth but God resides in another place called heaven.

Purely as a result of a verbal accident, sometimes shamayim va’arets/ ho ouranos kai hé gé does appear to refer to the known universe. God is called the possessor of both.[26] He calls both to witness those who covenant to follow the law.[27] He made both.[28] He is Lord of both.[29] But there are an uncomfortable bunch of texts which seem to ruin that carefully crafted cosmology, by introducing a third element (the seas) into the expression.[30] There are also texts which state that both the ouranos and gé are going to pass away.[31] Given these realities, it makes more sense to translate all of the expressions as referring to “the sky and the land” – thus eliminating the phrase as a cosmological summary. But this author doubts that the major Bible translations would ever concede this point, since to do so would be to drastically reduce the number of proof-texts for the cherished “going to heaven when we die” doctrine.[32]

The real biblical cosmology is reference not to two places, but to one event. God is invading this planet with his presence. He did so temporarily at the first coming of Christ. He did so for the church at Pentecost by sending the Holy Spirit. But the final and ultimate invasion is yet to come. The lost today are being challenged to join this coming kingdom – this kingdom coming down from the sky. Its coming – his coming – is sure and certain. There is no way to avoid this event. The question for everyone today is not where we are going when we die, but are we ready for his coming. Jesus is preparing a place – not for us to go to when we die, but to bring with him when he comes. John saw that place coming down from the sky. So will we.

[1] Billy Graham, The Heaven Answer Book. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 109.

[2] John 14:3 ESV.

[3] Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 2.

[4] Billy Graham, Hope for the Troubled Heart: Finding God in the Midst of Pain. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2000),

[5] Revelation 21:1-5 ESV.

[6] John 1:14 ESV.

[7] G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,2004).

[8] 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14.

[9] Exodus 25:8 ESV.

[10] Exodus 29:45 ESV.

[11] 1 Kings 6:13 ESV.

[12] Ezekiel 43:9 ESV.

[13] Zechariah 2:10 ESV.

[14] Zechariah 2:11 ESV.

[15] Zechariah 8:3 ESV.

[16] Numbers 35:34.

[17] 1 Kings 8:27.

[18] John 1:14.

[19] Revelation 21:3.

[20] Ezekiel 40-48.

[21] Mark 14:58; John 2:19.

[22] 2 Corinthians 6:16.

[23] Matt. 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43; Mark 1:15; 4:11, 26, 30; 9:1, 47; 10:14f, 23ff; 12:34; 14:25; 15:43; Luke 4:43; 6:20; 7:28; 8:1, 10; 9:2, 11, 27, 60, 62; 10:9, 11; 11:20; 13:18, 20, 28f; 14:15; 16:16; 17:20f; 18:16f, 24f, 29; 19:11; 21:31; 22:16, 18; 23:51; John 3:3, 5; Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; 6:9f; 15:50; Gal. 5:21; Col. 4:11; 2 Thess. 1:5.

[24] Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 5:3, 10, 19f; 7:21; 8:11; 10:7; 11:11f; 13:11, 24, 31, 33, 44f, 47, 52; 16:19; 18:1, 3f, 23; 19:12, 14, 23; 20:1; 22:2; 23:13; 25:1.

[25] Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4.

[26] Genesis 14:19, 22.

[27] Deuteronomy 4:26; 30:19; 31:28.

[28] Genesis 1:1; Exodus 31:17; 2 Chronicles 2:12; Psalm 115:15; 121:2; 134:3.

[29] Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24.

[30] Exodus 20:11; Psalm 69:34; 146:6; Revelation 14:7.

[31] Matthew 5:18;24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33.

[32] For more evidence that the destiny of believers is resurrection at Christ’s return, not heaven at death, see my Kindle e-book An Advent Christian Systematic Theology, chapters 19, 21, 24, 61, 66, and appendices C and D.

altered

“No longer will there be anything accursed…” (Rev. 22:3).

Tomorrow will change all reality.
This age we are living in today is limited.
Christ will return, bringing change with him.
Christ will redeem us from the ultimate curse – death itself.
Christ promises new life.
We should live up to that promise by living backwards.
Our living the altered life is his plan for evangelism

The Bible teaches that Christ has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He was the sinless sacrifice needed to bring us forgiveness and restore our relationship with God. But the hope that we have expands beyond that of forgiveness. We believe that Jesus plans to change us, to transform us into the glorified beings that we were meant to be. He also plans to change the very fabric of reality, so that this universe as well will be free from the consequences of humanity’s rebellion. The LORD has revealed that in our future “any accursed thing will be no longer.”[1]

bondage to decay

When we think about all the accursed things that make up the universe around us, it becomes even more clear that a radical alteration will be necessary to fulfill this promise. The apostle Paul wrote of that future time when “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”[2] That bondage to decay is not simply a set of aberrations that plague the universe. It is built into the essence of what the universe is. Modern science cannot explain the universe without involving the principles by which things decay, break down, malfunction, mutate and die.

My wife and I travel to the Philippines occasionally, and each time we are amazed at how quickly things – new things – fall apart there as a result of exposure to the harsh tropical climate. We have learned to expect buildings and items which are comparatively new to not be the same as the last time we saw them. To their credit, the Filipinos take this reality in stride. They do not seem overly anxious when things stop working the way they should. They have learned not to expect perfection, but to make do with what life gives them.

In a way, all of us have learned that. As a result of the creation being “subjected to God’s curse,”[3] we have had to adjust to things not happening as expected. “Happily ever after” just does not happen. The best that we can hope for is some good things happening mixed in with all the bad things. We are not all pessimists, but most of us are realists, in that we have learned to expect a certain amount of disappointment.

The insurance and health care industries thrive on this realism. As much as we strive to live simply and remain healthy, we all live with the specter of a reversal in health, leading to at least a reversal of fortune, and at most a catastrophic injury or terminal illness. So, we invest in the potential or the likelihood of something going wrong in this world. So many of us do that because we know the odds are stacked against us. Of all the things that can possibly happen in a lifetime, it is rather likely that some bad things will happen.

The metaphor that the apostle uses to describe this reality is bondage. He says that God has subjected the universe to that curse of futility. This is where modern science gets it wrong. The popular scientific ideas suggest that the universe itself has somehow and for some reason brought upon itself its current state. Paul says, no. The current bondage to decay, malfunction, disease and death is God’s work. Because of what God has done, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”[4]

But the good news the apostle shares is that this bondage is only temporary. The future he predicts is one where the universe will be set free from this present state of bondage, and experience the new reality – a reality which he calls “the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”[5] The same God will has put together the world we are living in now has a future prepared for his children which will be dramatically different.

A famous, often quoted Bible verse comes in the context of this revelation. I have seen this verse displayed prominently in many people’s homes. Paul said “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”[6] What is that purpose? That purpose, ultimately, is the future in which we, the children of God are totally conformed to the image of his Son, Christ. We are called to conform to Christ, and all the good and bad things that happen to us in this life are being orchestrated by God to prepare us for that life. Paul does not say that everything that happens to us will be good. He says that God is at work in our lives in this temporary reality, getting us ready for the next reality, when it will all be good. Paul does not even promise that we will see the good that comes out of our complicated lives today. In fact, he teaches us to expect trouble and calamity and being persecuted , going hungry, becoming destitute, being in danger, and getting threatened with death.[7] Oddly enough, I have never seen that verse displayed prominently in anyone’s home!

freedom today

We can praise the LORD that there is already a great deal of freedom we can experience today when we come to Christ. Disciples who remain in Christ’s word are set free from their previous slavery to sin.[8] We have the freedom to live outside of the dominion of sin, and to enslave ourselves to God’s righteousness.[9] We have the freedom to reject legalism and religious bondage, and live as children of the free woman (Sarah), rather than the slave woman (Hagar).[10] We have the freedom of living with the veil removed from our hearts, so that the Spirit can transform us into Christ’s image from one degree of glory to another.[11] We are free to live as servants of God by serving others, even if that servanthood involves suffering, and includes pain and the occasional failure.

freedom tomorrow

But none of those freedoms we might experience today can be compared to the glorious freedom we can expect when our king returns. He has told us that he is making “all things new”[12] and that includes us. The freedom we will experience at the coming of Christ will be unlike any liberty we have ever experienced. It will be the freedom of metamorphosis. It will be the freedom of realizing for the first time what we truly were intended to be. All our present frustrations will suddenly make sense because we will have experienced the new selves that we always wanted, but could not attain.

It will be a freedom of universal potential. Today, I might say I have the freedom to write and perform a musical masterpiece. I do, but I lack the ability and the skills necessary. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Some people do have that skill today, but I am not one of them. Tomorrow, things will be different. The limits put upon me by my own present identity will have been stripped away. Today I am limited even in my potential. Tomorrow, I will be set free from that limitation.

One of the things that limit us now is pain. I have recently went through the ordeal of a tooth extraction, and my mouth is reminding me of that ordeal. I am finding it harder to concentrate as I write, and feel less confident of what I am writing. I am being tempted to stop – but I want to keep going. I want to say some important things, and I do not want my present discomfort to prevent those things from being said. Usually, when I set my mind to doing something, it is accomplished rather quickly. But I must confess that this article is taking longer than expected. Pain is keeping me from doing what I want. Tomorrow – when Christ returns – I will be set free from that limitation.

Worries and disappointments also weigh us down today, keeping us from being ourselves. Relationships, families, church fellowships, work environments – so many facets of our lives are prone to be messy, dysfunctional, and can distract us from living life the way we want to. Sometimes we bring those distractions upon ourselves by the choices we make. But many times that world of brokenness is thrust upon us. We cannot avoid it. It is what it is. Today Jesus encourages to reject those worries and concentrate on his kingdom.[13] Tomorrow – when Christ returns – we will be set free from that distraction.

freedom from death

Christ’s coming will redeem us from all the cursed things in this present age. This includes the ultimate curse, and the ultimate limitation — death itself. Deliverance from mortality is presently something that believers seek.[14] Christ has brought the potential for overcoming our present mortality to light through the gospel.[15] But, presently, only God is immortal.[16] We still die and rest in the grave until our redeemer comes again to restore us to life. But when he does come, he will be bringing our reward with him.[17] Part of that reward is the glorious freedom from the prison that presently awaits everyone: a dark, silent, unconscious wait for life in that grave which the Old Testament calls Sheol, and the New Testament calls Hades.[18] Jesus is the key to freedom from death and Hades, and he will be bringing that key with him when he comes.[19] He plans to empty this prison and then destroy it in the lake of fire.[20]

new life

Having been delivered from the curse of mortal existence, believers will enjoy a new life. This new life is the eternal life that Jesus promised.[21] The apostle Paul explained to his readers that this new life is not the present possession of believers, but part of the harvest at the end of the age which believers will reap. He spoke of believers seeking immortality today, but being given it by Christ at his return, in the same way that unbelievers are storing up God’s wrath for end-time judgment.[22] Just as sin is currently reigning in this life, leading to eventual death, so grace is reigning in this life, leading to a resurrection unto “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”[23] This reward comes not at the beginning of our Christian life, but at the end of the sanctification process of this age, and is a gift given to us by God only to those who are in Christ Jesus.[24] At death, we reap what our ancestors sowed in the flesh, but at Christ’s coming, we will reap what we have sown to the Spirit.[25] We will put on this new immortal life like a new garment.[26]

The other side of the “new life” coin is emphasized by the apostle John. He agrees with Paul, but emphasizes the difference that the promise of eternal life has for believers now. He writes of this eternal life as a present possession, resulting in fellowship with the Father and the Son today.[27] He is not negating the truth that the new life will be given at the second coming. He still speaks of it as a promise.[28] But he shows how this promise inside us is going to make a difference within us. As a result of the promise of eternal life, believers are not going to hate their brothers, or seek to murder them.[29] As a result of the promise of eternal life, believers are going to want to tell others about Jesus, the giver of this hope.[30] Our confidence is not in some immortal element within ourselves. It is not in surviving death. Our confidence is in him. Because we have him, we have eternal life. Knowing him is the same thing as living forever, because he is the “true God” and the source of the promised “eternal life.”[31]

living the altered life today

We do not know a great deal about the life we will live then. But perhaps we know enough so that we can begin living the God-centered life that we can expect to live then. We can imagine that eternity is going to be lived in an unselfish way, as contrasted with the way we tend to live life now. It would not hurt us to pay more attention to the people around us. Jesus gave us some insight into living the life of the coming sky kingdom in his sermon on the mount. Here are some principles he taught there about living the new life:

Seek God’s will for others, not my will for myself[32]
Reflect the glory of God in my life before others.[33]
Affirm the Law of God by how I live before others.[34]
Prioritize a flawless relationship with others.[35]
Be trustworthy in what I say to others.[36]
Let God’s grace, not judgment, determine your relationship with others.[37]
Love all others.[38]
Do not criticize others.[39]
Be genuine, producing real righteousness for others to see.[40]

The context of the sermon on the mount is this age, and this life. In eternity, there will be no sin or sinners to bump up against to identify us as true, compared to their false. But the words of Jesus challenge us to live – as it were – backwards. He lives in heaven, beyond space and time. He already knows us as we will be. He challenges us to live our present mortal lives with the same intensity and “newness” that we will experience in eternity. He wants us to prove who we will be by what we say and do now. He wants us to start living out the “not yet” in our “already.” That is his plan for drawing the world to himself. That is his plan for populating his future kingdom from the sky.

He has no plan “B.” If we fail to represent him as we should, eternity will be populated with fewer immortal beings. If we allow the world’s brokenness and sin to define us, it will make an eternal difference for those whom only we could have reached. Christ is drawing people to himself who are longing for the righteousness of the eternal kingdom. He is using you and me to show them the way. That is why it is absolutely essential to his plan that his people repent and live changed lives. He does not just want to gather sinners for heaven. He wants to bring his righteousness to the universe. He plans to alter all reality. Where do you fit in with those plans?

[1] a literal translation of pan katathema ouk estai eti (Revelation 22:3).

[2] Romans 8:21 ESV.

[3] Romans 8:20 NLT.

[4] Romans 8:22 ESV.

[5] Romans 8:21 ESV.

[6] Romans 8:28 ESV.

[7] Romans 8:35 NLT.

[8] John 8:31-32.

[9] Romans 6:7-18.

[10] Genesis 21, Galatians 4-5.

[11] 2 Corinthians 3:13-18.

[12] Revelation 21:5.

[13] Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:29.

[14] Romans 2:7.

[15] 2 Timothy 1:10.

[16] 1 Timothy 6:16.

[17] Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 22:12.

[18] Job 17:3; Psalm 6:5; 31:17; Isaiah 38:10-12; Revelation 6:8.

[19] Revelation 1:18.

[20] Revelation 20:13-14.

[21] Matthew 19:29; 25:46; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; John 4:14, 36; 5:24; 6:27,40,47,54; 10:28; 12:25,50.

[22] Romans 2:7-8.

[23] Romans 5:21.

[24] Romans 6:22-23.

[25] Galatians 6:8.

[26] 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.

[27] 1 John 1:2-3.

[28] 1 John 2:25.

[29] 1 John 3:15.

[30] 1 John 5:11.

[31] 1 John 5:13, 20.

[32] Matthew 5:1-12.

[33] Matthew 5:13-16.

[34] Matthew 5:17-20.

[35] Matthew 5:21-32.

[36] Matthew 5:33-37.

[37] Matthew 5:38-42.

[38] Matthew 5:43-48.

[39] Matthew 7:1-12.

[40] Matthew 7:13-27.

a church led by the Holy Spirit

It is a thrill to be back here at Maranatha Bible Church. Pastor Jessie invited me to speak this morning. The Lord has put 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 in my heart to share with you. These words are particularly important for churches to keep in mind, because, like the Corinthian church in Paul’s day, it is very easy for us to be led by the flesh, and not by the Holy Spirit.

¹Brothers I do not want you to be misled about spiritual gifts. ² You know that when you were pagans whenever someone led you, they were leading you off the path, and making you follow voiceless and useless idols. ³ That is why I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one is able to say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

A CHURCH LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT STAYS ON THE RIGHT PATH

Paul tells the Corinthians that they were formerly led off the right path. When he brought the gospel to them, it gave the chance to get back on the right path. But he warns them that even a church who thinks it is obeying the Spirit can be operating in the flesh. The difference is the focus on Jesus.

⁴ Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit gives each kind. ⁵ There are different ministry gifts, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are different manifestation gifts, but it is the same God who activates them all in everyone.

A CHURCH LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DEMONSTRATES UNITY

The unity of the church is designed to come from the top down. When we seek unity of the flesh, that is uniformity, and it does not work. It comes from the wrong source. Legalism destroys churches as well as people. Our unity must come from God. It is not rule by democracy, and it is not rule by tyranny of the most powerful or most popular.

⁷ In each believer the Spirit manifests for the good of everyone. ⁸ To one the Spirit gives something insightful to say, and to another the same Spirit gives something intelligent to say, ⁹ to another the same Spirit gives extraordinary faith, to another the one Spirit gives power to heal, ¹⁰ to another he enables the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another the ability to speak various kinds of languages, to another the explanation of things said in other languages. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who gives to each one individually exactly the gift he wants him to have.

A CHURCH LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DEMONSTRATES DIVERSITY AT THE SAME TIME

One of the reasons flesh unity does not work is that the Holy Spirit works within us in different ways, so we are automatically going to be different from each other. God wants to reach the community through all of us, and our diversity is his means of doing that.

When the flesh leads, either insight or intelligence will prevail. But when the Holy Spirit leads, both insightful and intelligent words are spoken.

When the flesh leads, someone’s individual ministry becomes the measure of the church’s success. But when the Holy Spirit leads, everyone’s ministry is given its proper place, and the Lord of the church is glorified instead of one of his servants.

In 2 Corinthians we discover that a group of leaders within the Corinthian church had hijacked it, and were teaching another Christ, a different spirit, and a different gospel![1] The LORD gave us these epistles because we are susceptible to idolizing others, which can lead to apostasy as well.

¹² Because just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ Because one Spirit immersed us all into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and all of us were given a drink of that one Spirit.

A CHURCH LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DEMONSTRATES EQUALITY

Paul emphasizes the fact that the Corinthian church is made up of a diverse lot of people. Some of those people were Jews, and some of them were Greeks. Some of them were slaves and some of them were free – in fact some of them employed slaves who were also Christians.

But from the standpoint of the who they were in Christ, they were one body. In a body, every member has the same status as every other member. The Corinthians were all equal, not because it was a democracy, but because it was a church.

The Corinthians had taken this truth and distorted it, because they were being led by the flesh. So they began to build authority pyramids, to determine who the top dogs were. Paul wrote them to explain that in the church, there are no top dogs. The Corinthian fellowships were dysfunctional because they were seeking to establish a hierarchy.

Hierarchies destroy churches because churches were designed to function like bodies. In a body, each member is equal in worth, because the body can only function properly when each member does its work.

Our challenge today is to stop being led by the flesh. It will mean that we have to humbly accept that God is going to do some things without getting permission from our church leadership. It will mean that we are going to have to trust each other to be what God says we all are. The temptation is to stay within our comfort zones, and we can do that. But the price that we pay for doing that is that some of the things that God’s Holy Spirit wants to do will not be done. As a result, some of the people within the church will stay hurting, and some outside the church will stay unreached.

Being led by the Spirit may mean launching out into a new ministry. It may mean that God will call on you to say something that you know others are going to oppose. It may mean doing something that others will criticize. Real church ministry is a messy thing. I cannot promise you that your new ministry will be accepted. I cannot even promise that you will always have success.

All I am saying is that we often get it wrong, and our Lord wants us to get it right. Following Christ is not the same thing as playing “follow the leader.”

LORD, give us courage to follow you into the right path. We know you want to speak and act through us. Show us how to follow your leading, to accomplish your will, to be your church.

[1] 2 Corinthians 11:4-5.

Oro Bible College commencement message 2014

Nineteen years ago, I came to Oro Bible College as a seminary intern. My wife and I were thinking that the LORD could use us here as instructors, and that we might possibly make it as missionaries. Since I survived that internship, we brought our family here in 1996. What followed was the best 13 years of our lives. We are deeply grateful for the privilege of serving at OBC, for working alongside some truly remarkable educators, and for the privilege of investing ourselves in the training of hundreds of young people for the Christian ministry.

Today I get to share a few words of encouragement with you, the class of 2014, as you conclude your time of preparation here. Your friends and family join me in honoring you for the work you have done, and we rejoice with you that this phase in your education is now completed.

My message today will be short, because none of us will remember most of it anyway, and we all have a lot on our minds. I will give you the outline up front, and you can decide which parts you feel are important enough to listen to. If I start to see everybody’s eyes glazing over, I will just skip that section because I do not want to bore you.

The first thing I want to do is correct a possible mistaken assumption about the purpose of Oro Bible College. Then, I want to explain how you may best use the skills you have obtained in the past few years at OBC. Finally, I want to suggest your next field of study, and give you some guidance on how to obtain your next degree.

THE REAL PURPOSE OF OBC

I mentioned that I want to correct a possible mistaken assumption about the purpose of Oro Bible College. Lots of people think that a person goes to Bible college to train for church leadership. They think that once a person has spent a few years in academic training at a school like OBC, they are automatically qualified for spiritual leadership. There is a name for Bible College graduates who walk down these aisles and get their diplomas and then think that that qualifies them to lead the church. That name is wash-outs. If you think that your time at OBC is the end of your leadership training, you will wash-out in the ministry, and you may even drop out of the faith altogether. So, I am here today to seriously warn you not to think that the purpose of OBC is to qualify you for spiritual leadership.

Just in case you are thinking about suing the board for your money back, I think it best to show you that we have been telling you that all along. From your very first orientation and the first time you read the OBC manual, you have encountered a sort-of motto for OBC. It is taken from two verses in the Bible, and I will quote those verses now:

^“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12 ESV).

I know how some of you have been reading those verses. You were thinking that once you got through with this silly time of studying, and taking tests, and going to chapel, and doing your ministry skills assignments and your internship that you would finally graduate, and you would be equipped for the ministry. You were thinking that OBC was training you for church leadership, and once you were finished you would have all the spiritual authority that you need. Sorry, that is incorrect.

Let me explain why. First of all, Ephesians 4:11-12 was not written about OBC, or any other place where one gets a theological education. We use Ephesians 4:11-12 as our motto, not because it explains what OBC does, but because it explains what OBC graduates are supposed to do.

The subject of Ephesians 4 is unity in the body of Christ. Paul teaches that Jesus has given certain believers to the church for the purpose of helping all the members of the church to function in the ministries that the Holy Spirit gave them. When these people do what God called them to do, the church is built up, and this one whole body glorifies God.

Who are these special people? They are not the OBC staff. They are not the OBC faculty. They are not the OBC administration. Ephesians 4 is not about qualifying people academically for church jobs. You may go directly into a job in a church or para-church ministry soon, or you may not. What we have really been training you to do is to serve as missionaries, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. It is important to understand that these are not job titles. They are functions in the equipping ministry. They are the way that you can use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you to help others in the church use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to them. You are the equippers.

In my experience, there have always been students at OBC who never got that. They thought they were training to be qualified for a job, so they paid very little attention to learning how to help people within the church. Some of these were very gifted students, who passed all their classes. But they are not in ministry today.

HOW TO USE YOUR OBC EDUCATION

I want to explain how you may best use the skills you have obtained in the past few years at OBC. I don’t want you to be one of those students who get your degree at OBC, and then waste all your gifts and skills and training on something else besides the equipping ministry. Some of you might not really want to be equippers. That would be a shame. It would be a waste of several years of your life.

I am speaking now to those of you who dare to accept the challenge. You are saying that you will agree to focus your time and talents and energy and resources by investing them in the lives of other people – people in the church.

Some of you will be called to cross-cultural apostleship. You will invest yourselves in the lives of people who are different from you. They may live in another country, and speak a different language. They will not think the way you do. It will not be easy for you to cross those cultural barriers. But you will be determined to do it, because deep inside of you beats the heart of an apostle. For you, fighting the good fight will mean establishing the church where it isn’t now, and not building your work on anyone else’s foundation.

Some of you will be called to speak God’s heart to a people and a church that is unwilling to hear him. You will dare to stand up and tell people that what they are doing is wrong, and that God is going to judge them. You are not going to have many friends, and you are not going to have an easy life. But deep inside you beats the heart of a prophet. For you, fighting the good fight will mean correcting the church, based on the eternal standard of righteousness found in God’s word.

Some of you will be called to share God’s good news to a hurting world, and win many people to Christ and his kingdom. Deep inside you beats the heart of an evangelist, and woe unto you if you do not preach the gospel. For you, fighting the good fight will mean finding just the right way to communicate the message of God’s love so that you melt the hearts of a stubborn, rebellious and sinful generation. You will live to see just one more soul won for Christ and his coming kingdom.

Some of you will be called to shepherd others. You will be a counselor for those who keep going astray. You will preach and teach, providing regular spiritual nourishment from God’s word to his flock. You will be there to pray for them when they need healing, deliverance and restoration. Deep inside you beats the heart of a pastor, and you will be that for them, whether you have the official position or not. For you, fighting the good fight will mean walking beside one or two or three generations, and helping them be what they are, the sheep of God’s pasture. You will be the under-shepherds. You will not own the church, and you will resist the temptation to feed upon them. You will live to see an entire community under the safe protection of God.

Some of you will be called to train others. You will take what you have learned in your personal studies, and what you have learned at OBC, and the teaching skills you have developed here, and you will utilize that training by training others. Some of you may teach on the church level, others may go on to further academic studies. Believe it or not, some of you might end up back at OBC as faculty. It has been known to happen. Just ask professor Reniel, or professor Billy, or pastor Art or pastor Jessie, or Dr. Nely. Deep inside of you beats the heart of a teacher, and you do not just share the text, you have to explain it. For you, fighting the good fight will mean investing yourself in studies long after you have taken your last exam. You will live to see the expression on people’s faces when they finally understand what that text actually means.

YOUR NEXT STEP

I want to suggest your next field of study, and give you some guidance on how to obtain your next degree. I do not mean your next academic degree. That might happen, or it might not happen. But I’m talking about your next step in the process that Ephesians 4:11-12 describes. Now that you have been given a fairly good education in biblical, theological, and ministerial studies, what next?

When you came to OBC, you submitted to a process of sequential study that was intended to expose you to all the academic disciplines you would need to graduate. Your curriculum covered all the general education requirements for a bachelor’s degree. It also introduced you to foundational courses in all the professional categories. You had Bible survey courses and basic doctrines. You had some courses that went a little deeper than that, just to give you a taste of the skills needed for more advanced study. You also had courses focusing on particular professional ministries. You also had courses which bridged the gap between theory and practice: you ministry skills practicums. You learned how to preach teach and counsel, and you learn what to preach, teach and counsel.

So, where do you go from here? I suggest that you go back to the basics, and develop a lifelong curriculum centered around three things that Jesus taught. This is self-study, and you will not be graded, and you will never graduate with this degree in this life. But I guarantee you that if you focus the rest of your life trying to master these three things, you will have a successful life and a productive ministry as well.

What are these three things? The two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor, and the great commission: make disciples.

I recommend that you intentionally use the next fifty or sixty years of your life falling in love with the LORD your God. Learn how to love him with all your heart, soul and mind and strength. Jesus said that of all the law’s commands, that is the greatest. That is what we are promised eternal life for.

To assist you in your studies of this topic, I recommend three things. First, immerse yourselves in the systematic reading and devotional meditation on God’s word: the Bible. I guarantee that if you do this, your mind will be changed. The more you learn about your LORD, the more you will love him.

Second, spend quality time in prayer. Don’t just pray for your needs. Don’t even limit your prayers to other peoples’ needs. Pray because you have a relationship with God. People in a relationship spend time with one another. Sometimes they even talk to one another. Go figure.

Third, God, the Holy Spirit manifests himself when the church fellowships together. You cannot have a personal relationship with God apart from fellowship with other believers. Don’t try it. It doesn’t work.

The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. The people in Jesus’ day thought that their neighbors were the people like them, and people that loved them in return. But Jesus said, no. We should love even our enemies. they are our neighbors too. Even the Samaritans and the Muslims. Love of God the creator naturally extends to all his creatures, so we have a lot of loving to do.

Finally, Jesus commanded his church to get involved in one major activity and keep working at it until he returns. He told us to make disciples. He told us to make disciples here, and other nations as well – in fact all of them. When Jesus returns, he is going to bring his kingdom from the sky with him. But we can make citizens of that kingdom right now.

We do that by baptizing them the way John the Baptist did. He challenged people to repent and give their lives over to God. Those who accepted that challenge were baptized, and that confirmed them as disciples. We also make disciples by teaching. A disciple is a student. The content of discipleship is everything that Jesus commanded.

These three things. Love God, Love people, and make disciples. If you learn nothing else for the rest of your lives, learn to do these three things. That is my challenge for you today. Thank you.

Jefferson Vann

Oro Bible College Commencement,

Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines

March 27^th, 2014.